Podcast Introduction:
[00:00:00] Lianne: So, every morning our brain has the opportunity to reprogram ourselves by saying, this is what I want to think about today, but we're so stuck in what happened yesterday that we're constantly repeating things and we can't hear what we're supposed to be hearing.
[00:00:16] Aneta: We often hear people wishing us a long, happy, and healthy life. But what if the length isn't what matters most? What if instead, it's the breath, depth, and purpose of each day that matters most? Welcome to the Live the Width of Your Life podcast. My name is Aneta Ardelian Kuzma and join me weekly as I interview guests who made changes in their own lives to live more fully with intention, gratitude, and joy. Be prepared to be inspired by their stories of how they shifted their mindset. Took courageous action and designed the life that they always wanted to live.
[00:00:51] Aneta: Welcome back to live the width of your life. Thank you so much for joining us again this week. I am so grateful to you. And today I had an amazing conversation with Lianne McGaughey. She is the host of the spiritual shift worker podcast, as well as a mom meditation teacher and police officer. And throughout her journey of being overwhelmed, Lianne turned to meditation as a source to declutter her mind and find peace with where she was.
[00:01:19] Aneta: Living fully in the present moment is her daily practice. And she helps teach her clients and her followers how to do the same, Lianne now inspires other busy moms to slow down and create space in their day to fill up their cups. First, she shares amazing conversations on her podcast with epic humans making shifts in their lives to live a life of fulfillment and full alignment.
[00:01:44] Aneta: I loved our conversation. We talked so much about our spiritual journey and what it means to be spiritually awakened. We talked about how to regulate our nervous system to receive those spiritual downloads and just the importance of dreaming again and being able to visualize what it is that we want to do, which requires us.
[00:02:07] Aneta: To start by slowing down being still and just being more fully present. We also talked about Lianne's coming up a retreat in Sedona in mine and Tuscany, and just how both of us wanted to do that for so long, and how it came to be. I think you're going to enjoy our conversation. Take a listen.
Podcast Interview:
[00:02:27] Aneta: Hi Lianne. I'm so happy to have you on the show today. Thanks for joining.
[00:02:31] Lianne: Thank you so much. I am so excited. I just know this is going to be a great conversation.
[00:02:36] Aneta: I love that so much. And I also love talking to other people who have their podcasts because I find that we're similar in the sense that we love people and love having really good juicy conversations. So for those that. Maybe aren't familiar with you or your journey. Tell us a little bit about you, about your journey, and some of the things that just make you come alive.
[00:03:03] Lianne: It has been a journey. Let's just say that. So my name is Lianne. I am the host of the Spiritual Shift Worker podcast. I'm a meditation teacher, which when you just started, before we started, I was like, oh yes, this is going to go where I know it's going to go. Also, I have two boys. They're nine and 13. I'm also a police officer with 22 years in law enforcement, and my husband's also a police officer. So as with all of us, I wear many different hats but am excited right now about a retreat that I'm going to be hosting. Next April and just really be able to get into speaking with really amazing souls who have made epic shifts in their life in the podcast.
[00:03:58] Lianne: My journey's been interesting and I know we'll get into it, but how I ended up starting this podcast was a download. And I knew that there was something more, there was something more that I desired and I was meant for in my life. And so the journey has been about awakening and remembering really who I am and what I'm here to do.
[00:04:20] Aneta: I love this idea of awakening and also like for those that maybe aren't as familiar with spiritual downloads. Tell me a little bit, share, like what does it feel like for you when you get this sort of download of information?
[00:04:36] Lianne: So if we can go back just a second. My journey was, covid, overwhelming. It even started before Covid to be quite honest. Found me in a not-a-bad place, but a state of overwhelm and feeling like, I just was very unhappy with where I was in life, and in my younger years I had been very much into the spiritual sort of world of astrology and meditation, and as life goes on, I sort of lost that and Covid sort of brought that back going, really what's important here, and I dug deep into meditation and became a certified meditation teacher. And the name of my podcast came to me out on a walk one day when I was just literally in nature. Being surrounded by beauty and just being present.
[00:05:36] Lianne: And I didn't really at first know, but it just sort of came like this, as it hit me like it was a voice. That's what it is for me. It's a voice that just words come and I don't know at first what they're about. And then I just sort of follow it and sort of see where it goes. And it was eventually that this was meant to be for a podcast. I didn't know it was like, Is it a program? Is it because my life is about shift work? Like I've worked shift work since I was 13. And it evolved, but initially, it's just sort of like being smacked in the face. I know that sounds a little harsh. But that's what it was for me. That's how I receive my downloads. They're just words that come and then I sort of have to lean into the allowing of seeing where it goes next.
[00:06:25] Aneta: Yeah, it, I love that because, I agree too, like when I was very overwhelmed or even in periods of life when it could still happen because we can slip back into that. It is so hard to hear indistinctly or to receive sort of these spiritual downloads. But I tell people all the time, you're always listening to voices. It's typically your voice, it's your ego. It's these negative thoughts sometimes that are on repeat. And for me too, as meditation, as I teach meditation as well. It's like when we release some of that and create a state of quieter or allow ourselves to drop within, we can start to discern what the real voice is that we should be listening to.
[00:07:10] Aneta: And so I love that you shared kind of what your download feels like, because for me it's a voice too, but it's also like a knowing that is so deep that you just know like it just feels different than maybe something else that you hear like that is not positive or of you. So how you are a police officer, you said for 22 years and your husband is too. So you have this download and you're like, oh, you were exploring it and it sounds like maybe it should be for a program or a podcast or something. So how did your podcast come to be and like what did it look like from the time you sort of felt like this might be something I should be doing to the time you launched?
[00:07:54] Lianne: Probably it wasn't long because the signs started to show up. My friend Candace, who's had a podcast for a couple of years, sort of said, hey, you should look at Cathy Heller. And we were just talking about that at the beginning, and she has a program about your turn to a podcast, and then a mentor of mine that Candace and I both had, had it in 2021. And I was in her mastermind, started talking about a podcast, and I'm like, okay, there's just too many weird, as people would say, coincidences, right? And we call them synchronicities, that started to appear. And when I spoke to Kristina and I said, hey, you are my first guest. It was sort of like, I knew she was to be the first guest and she was like, this is what it is. This is what you need to follow.
[00:08:47] Lianne: It wasn't even her confirmation. Like I knew that being able to speak to people is sort of a gift that I have, which I didn't think about. Sometimes you get lost, like you said, in. So much noise in life that you forget your zone of genius. And as soon as I spoke to Kristina and it was like, you're my first guest, this is what it is. As you said, it was the knowing and last year unfolded into, when I launched last November on my 50th birthday, it just rolled and the momentum built, and it was more annoying, more exciting. And it was like, I'm following these really good feelings. And I'm like, that's when you know.
[00:09:30] Aneta: It's so funny. I also launched my, it was after my 50th birthday, but in my 50th year. So it's interesting how sometimes we set these milestones for ourselves. It just helps accelerate the process sometimes. So I want to go back because you spent, you said 22 years. As a police officer, and you're a mom, you're raising children as well. Did you have inklings, like did you feel at other [00:10:00] moments of life this sort of nudge to say, there might be something more, or have you thought about this, or wouldn't it be cool? And did you always listen to those voices?
[00:10:12] Lianne: That is such a great question. Because that's sort of what I think maybe we're both doing in the world right now is getting people to listen to those nudges a little bit earlier, right? My big thing is to stop missing your life because although I feel like we are always in the exact moment, in the exact place where we need to be. We haven't maybe learned the lesson yet that we're here to learn. There are ways to tap into that so that you can learn the lesson faster.
[00:10:40] Lianne: And I would say it was probably, honestly, when I was pregnant with my youngest, that was 2013. Where I was like, there's got to be something more to this. I honestly never thought that I would get married or have kids, and Dave and I just celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. But having children was never on my radar and how things have unfolded and the children and the life that I have is absolutely beautiful.
[00:11:09] Lianne: But something was missing and it was 2013, so that's a long time ago. Like, we're 10 years, right? Sometimes it's easy to get trapped in looking back and going, shh, why didn't I wake up sooner? And I used to sort of wake up in those quotes, right? But it's like because I know now there was a plan that even though we have free will, there was a plan and things that I needed to learn and experience along the way before I got to where I am today. But yeah, I knew a long time ago that there was something more than just going to work and coming home, going to bed, waking up the next day, and doing it all over again. Like there is more to life. And I think that's what with your podcast and with what you are sharing, that it's got to be more than just what you see on the forefront, right?
[00:11:58] Lianne: That surface-level thing where you cannot go deeper. Like, are you living the life that you want to live? And that's what brought me to the right starting. And I'd been trying to not get away from policing, but definitely knew there was more that I had to offer for probably many years, but not knowing exactly what it was. And the only way that I figured that out was by slowing down, tapping into my inner voice, and then finding the thing that fulfilled me.
[00:12:33] Aneta: So much that you just said right now that I want to spend time talking about. It's so interesting because I actually said those same words too. Like, is this it? There has to be more. And so many of my clients, they ask themselves the same thing and it's like when you finally slow down, all of a sudden you just notice things. I always say, if you're ever running all day long and you're super busy and you finally come home and you sit on the couch and you allow yourself to just sit for a moment.
[00:13:02] Aneta: You go, I have been running so hard and I'm so exhausted. Like beyond the point. And when you're in the middle of it, you don't always recognize it because I think we condition ourselves to just keep running, to keep pumping those stress hormones through the body. But slowing down is always the key. And it's so counterintuitive. People always say I don't have time to slow down. I don't have time to meditate. But if you do, you could actually spend more of your life doing the things that you enjoy. You just need to be able to tap into it. So for how long did you meditate before you decided, I want to take this and also teach other people how to do this.
[00:13:43] Lianne: So I had been meditating in my twenties, and life happened and I got on that hamster wheel. And it would've been very sporadic. So it was, the fall of 2020 when I was like, okay, something's got to change. And then, I started back in but wasn't consistent and then I was like, there's enough of this. The only way that this is going to be beneficial is to make it consistent. Like my gratitude practice. You have to be consistent. So 2021, I was like, nope, we're doing this and the benefits that I saw within two weeks were insane. The clarity, the better sleeping. But the biggest thing was the patience.
[00:14:31] Lianne: I had more patience with my kids, with myself. Not freaking out at the guy at the grocery store. It was just mind-blowing. It was like, this is what it's supposed to be, right? Calming the nervous system. Being able to extend that response time between the trigger and the response and going, I have enough time now for my brain to actually think about how I want to respond to this. That was the biggest thing for me. And it was like, okay. I'm sold and other people need to know how to do this too. Other people need to know how to calm the nervous system. And sleep better as a shift worker. Forget about the fact that I'm getting older and all those joys, but being able to sleep is just the thing that you need to be able to do in order to do anything in your life. Sleep is the key. So that was it for me.
[00:15:32] Aneta: Yeah, I find that the same experience for me was so interesting, and once I did like, start to meditate consistently again because I also started in my twenties and I started practicing yoga. And then as you said, life gets in the way. We make excuses, we focus on other things, not necessarily our self-care, but absolutely a huge, huge difference in so many areas of life. But sleep especially, and I have so many clients that have sleep issues and if you look at sleep studies, one-third of people aren't either having a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up exhausted because it's not a restful sleep. So I find that definitely has to be something that we are addressing.
[00:16:16] Aneta: But I wanted to ask you, so with meditation, when you started to discover all the benefits for yourself, did you bring this into at work as well with other police officers where you suddenly saying, hey, I need to teach you something that's going to save your life.
[00:16:32] Lianne: So, as the majority of police services women. Women are still of minority as with other visible minorities, we are only still only about 25% within our service. So I work with all men in my unit that I work, and so I don't hide my, as people would probably maybe consider still about spirituality and about inner voice. And meditation. And so I definitely, there's one gentleman that I work with who's was all in, he was like, yeah, I've started meditating.
[00:17:07] Lianne: And you could see the difference. A couple of them were like whatever. And then another one of my fellows friends had been off for a couple years dealing with PTSD and his therapist obviously had said you should start meditation. And so when we connected and he was like, this is really important. So I'm going to really try so we work together. People are only ready when they're ready. So I share as much as I can and if they ask questions, I'm here to answer. And I do a weekly meditation, coffee chat every week via Zoom for people who want to come. And it's just a quick introduction to how a simple five to 10 minutes can really change things. So yeah, I've tried to bring it in at work. Some are receptive, some aren't, but I'm just there for people when they're ready.
[00:17:58] Aneta: Yeah. It's so true that when you're ready, the teacher appears. How the saying goes and when the student's ready. I do find that, and even as I look back on my own life, I wonder if this happened to you too. I can look back and go, there was the lesson and there was the lesson again, and there was the lesson, and sometimes it just takes us, times, and hopefully by the time we get hit the last time, it's not like a really heavy hammer. It's still like a softer mallet.
[00:18:26] Aneta: But sometimes it just, these nudges, they're super gentle at first, and then it just becomes bigger. Like covid, you said for so many people, sometimes it takes an external circumstance to get us to shake us up and have us reset.
[00:18:40] Lianne: Yeah, I think when we're not able to quiet our bodies and our minds. You can't see the lesson, you can't hear that, right? Because you're too busy. And like you said, we're too busy in the ego mind and the thoughts that we're having are like 90% of them are from the day before six or something. I can't, don't know the exact stat, but then the majority of those are in the negative aspect.
[00:19:07] Lianne: So, every morning our brain has the opportunity to reprogram ourselves by saying, this is what I want to think about today, but we're so stuck in what happened yesterday that we're constantly repeating things and we can't hear what we're supposed to be hearing. But what's going to bring us more joy today? Or what do I really want to do today? So yeah, we keep hearing and seeing the same lessons over again until we get sick. We get overwhelmed, we get burnt out. And something says, our body's going to tell us because our body innately knows.
[00:19:44] Lianne: And people maybe don't want to listen to themselves because of fear, self-doubt. I mean, I was stuck in that for a long time. Self-doubt, imposter syndrome. Who am I to share this? What are people going to think about me? And we let all those thoughts overtake us rather than listening to what we're really here to do.
[00:20:04] Aneta: I completely agree with everything you just said in terms of those limiting doubts and beliefs, and I think that is what keeps many people stuck, kept me stuck for a really long time, is just this fear of, as you said, can I do it? What are people going to say? What if I'm not successful? What if I fail? All of those things. But I love that you are modeling an example for some people that you can continue to keep the job that you have. And evolve as a human. And maybe that job even looks different as a result of your evolution and your spiritual growth, but then also start exploring and doing something different. It doesn't have to be this or that. It could be a lot of yes, and.
[00:20:50] Aneta: So, in addition to the podcast, you mentioned that you are now going to start doing a retreat as sort of an additional thing that you do. Tell me about how the retreat came to mind and why you picked Sedona for the treat. Because I want to go to Sedona and I love doing retreats as well, so maybe I need to be a guest at your retreat. So tell us more about that.
[00:21:12] Lianne: I love this story so much. So in March of this year, I took part in a sort of a 30-day manifestation sprint in which, and people have weird feelings about that word, but really what it is, is dream bigger and that's the big thing. I see a lot of people who don't know how to dream.
[00:21:35] Lianne: First of all, use their imagination about where they want to go with their life. And I did this program where it was like, just write out the craziest things, play a stupid idea game, and write out anything that you desire. And when you are really honest with yourself and you can get excited about something, you're like, I should probably follow that. And so, I was like, I really want to host a meditation retreat. I want community, something that I never had growing up. I didn't have a tribe of really close women friends. And I was like, this is what I want to do and I want to bring meditation to everyone. Everyone needs to know this. And I was like, I had an idea in my head about what I wanted it to look like.
[00:22:22] Lianne: And Alexandra, the host of this program, was like, let go of the how or what you think it's going to look like because if you just detach from that, something's going to unfold. That's going to be beyond what you think. And I was open, I was like, okay, let's be open to whatever happens. And someone popped into my world. We really connected. And she talked about, I think I'm going to host a retreat. And I'm like, what? What are you talking about? And she's like, I really want to host a retreat. I'm like, me too. And we got talking. She's also a meditation and yoga and some other modalities.
[00:23:05] Lianne: And I was like, do you want to do one together? And she's like, do you want to do one together? I'm like, let's do it. Looking back, that was me being open to receiving something beyond what I had sort of envisioned for what I wanted. And yeah, so this retreat is coming to life now. How Sedona came apart was my girlfriend another friend, was in Sedona last year and she was telling me all about it and how magical it is there and the experience that she had, and I'm like, I think that'd be a really good place to start because Connie is in the States, I'm in Canada, it's not far to go. The majority of the people that we would probably want to attend are in either Canada or the US and this is a really good place, a really good place to start. And I've heard amazing things about Sedona.
[00:23:59] Lianne: And that's sort of how it came about. And I look back and go, I didn't go searching for her. She came into my world. And it's just such a blessing. I'm like I have all the tingles because I we're really into the planning of it and I'm like, it's going to be amazing.
[00:24:17] Aneta: Well, and of course it will be because it always starts, I tell people too, it starts with a vision. It starts with allowing yourself to dream big, to really visualize it. To feel what it feels like is as if it's already here because it is. We just can't see it necessarily in the 3d. And then, when you have that, isn't it amazing that these coincidences or synchronicities, as we know, the right people come in or there's a conversation or a door opens up that you never could have imagined, and then suddenly you find yourself. Like it just, it's here.
[00:24:54] Aneta: All of a sudden you're on the path, you're on the journey. It's already here. And I just find that like. If everyone could just learn to dream again and give themselves permission to do that part without trying to figure out how. We just would have the most amazing stories from everyone. Everyone would have these amazing stories for themselves. So what is your secret or what are some of the things that help you to get into that state of mind and being where you could just allow yourself to dream? Because I think people probably have a question of I don't know how to do that, I've forgotten, or I haven't since I was a kid. So what works for you?
[00:25:32] Lianne: Yeah. I'm glad you mentioned that because. That is something I think people get so programmed into the, I must do this, this, this in this order because that's what society has told me to do. And I mean, I admit, I ended up in a policing career because I remember the day my dad told me, don't you think you should settle down and just get a real job you look back and again, I totally believe that the path that I'm on has led me it's exactly where I'm supposed to be, but for me, it is sitting still with myself, and saying, what do I want? And I know people are going to say, but that's so selfish. It's like, no, because you take care of yourself first, right? Take care of yourself first. You're going to show up differently for everyone else.
[00:26:20] Lianne: But the contrast, when we know what we don't want, because there was a point in my career, I'm like, I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to do this job anymore. I'm done with the environment and what society is being told about policing and police officers. And I was like, I don't want this anymore. And so the contrast really led me to start dreaming. More and dreaming bigger and remembering what it was that I used to want when I was younger. And not that we should go back and say, when you're 20, the things you want probably wouldn't have served you anyway.
[00:26:58] Lianne: But that's what it was for me. It's like sometimes like I said, we always look at the things that are not positive in our life, but they also show us if we're, if we care to sit down and listen. Then what it is that you do want in life? I didn't necessarily want to give up this career, but it's like there's more like we talked about. So I sat and was like, okay, let's just think about if I had all the time and all the money in the world, or didn't, money wasn't an option, what would I be doing? And just write down anything and just be okay with that. You don't need to share it with anybody. You can keep it in your own journal, but write it down and see how those sorts of things feel to you because that's where you start to get that excitement back.
[00:27:49] Lianne: If you've been stuck in the grind and the hustle of just life, of raising kids and running from here to there and in the commute. Just sit down with yourself and just, what is it I actually want to do today? And that's where I started, right? Like sitting down in the quiet and going, there's got to be something more. What is it that I want to do?
[00:28:14] Aneta: Do you read your list? Do you read all those things? Is there something you do after you write everything down and you dream? Obviously, you're taking action on the retreat, but are there things that you do sort of as a ritual just to kind of keep these dreams alive?
[00:28:29] Lianne: Sometimes I just literally like to write. I just free-write and see what comes out. And sometimes it's very interesting when you read those things back. But most of the time I'll just write and then at the end, I'll be like, what do I want to do today that's going to bring me joy? And something will always come up, whether that's rest or drawing, or reading. Or a few weeks ago, I got the, I need to sew like I used to sew when I was younger and I hadn't done it for years. So I took action and went. I bought a pattern, I bought the material and it's getting there. Like with life, it takes time, but I always take action on something.
[00:29:09] Lianne: Whether that's going for a five-minute walk, reading a book for five minutes, playing with my kids for five minutes, or whatever, and they're getting older. They don't even want to spend time with me. But yeah, taking action every day on something that's going to fill my soul. Being able to say, because it's not always about the big, big thing. Sometimes like I also know that I will own a villa in Italy when I retire. Like I know that's already done. That's a big vision. Yeah. But sometimes you got to pull it back in. Yeah. And go, what can I do today right now that's going to give me the feeling that I know I'm going to get when I get to that villa in Italy?
[00:29:46] Aneta: Well, Lianne, I am doing a retreat in Italy, in Tuscany in September. At two villas, I rented two villas. So I'll send you lots of pictures in case it's the villa of your dreams. You never know,
[00:29:58] Lianne: It wouldn't even shock me at this point that that's probably the one that I have in my head.
[00:30:07] Aneta: Because I've always wanted to do a retreat in Tuscany. Like for years, I had this very clear image of what it looked like, what the backyard looked like, where it was located, close to Florence, all of these things. And when I finally looked on Airbnb to be like, okay, let's see what's available. Can I make this retreat happen? This year I was with a friend and we were actually at a winery and having some wine. She's like, when are we doing this? And I literally just pulled up Airbnb and I typed in how many people and some requirements this house came up, this villa and. I showed it to her and it was available for the week.
[00:30:44] Aneta: And she's like, that's exactly what I always pictured. And that's what everyone else said too, that signed up for the retreat. And because we had such interest, I actually was like, I need to rent another one. And I said it would be amazing if there was another one right by it on the same street. On the same street, one and a half miles apart, second villa, so we could have more people. But it was one of those things where it just started with this vision that I had, and now I'm like, well, there it is. That's exactly what I imagined. And I know it sounds crazy for people that haven't experienced something like this, but it really does happen.
[00:31:22] Aneta: In this way, if you allow yourself to just dream and open yourself up to it, and I love what you said too, and then choose to see the joy and to live with a grateful heart every day because we need to be in the energetic and the frequency of being able to receive these things and so that's some of the stuff that I love to do too. I always go outside and just have activities, but I'm also adding in more play. I never even really played as a little kid, but I'm trying to add more play in and to just be a little bit less serious and more sort of open to miracles and blessings and just other things that could happen that they typically do when you're not looking for it.
[00:32:05] Lianne: Yeah, absolutely. I think the play is huge. And again, we get so wrapped up and we take ourselves very way too seriously, especially in my job. And being able to just go back, and for me, it's connecting back to her to who I was before life took over. And sort of uncovering the things that used to bring me joy, like I love baking, but Italy and Florence have always been like when I first landed in Italy and in Florence, I was like, there was this knowing and feeling of this is where I belong.
[00:32:42] Lianne: Like this is where my soul is. And, we're actually planning a trip with our children next, next year after the Sedona retreat. We're going to Europe and I'm doing an event with some people in Florence and the Tuscany area. And I'm just so, like, honestly, it gives me so much excitement right now just to think about it. But I just feel like if you just allow, like you said, allow yourself to dream. Allow the things just to happen, like so people get caught up on the, well, how am I going to do it? Where am I going to get the money? It'll come, it's done. Take care of it. You have to have trust. And for people who are sort of on the verge of understanding what we're talking about, this whole other source.
[00:33:35] Lianne: Like this whole other energy is waiting to help you if you just ask and allow, and that has been so huge for me this year of my word is trust. Because when you lose you, you creep any doubt in there. Any doubt, limiting beliefs. And things are just not going to always go the right way or things aren't going to show up. You have to be open to it. So as you said, I think that's amazing. This perfect villa shows up, this other villa shows up, and the dates appear. And people will be like, you're just lucky. Maybe. Maybe also I'm allowing the universe to help me out here and I'm also taking the action. To look into things.
[00:34:20] Aneta: Yeah, exactly. Of course. Because it's not just sitting around. It is then taking sort of inspired action. So, tell me some of the biggest lessons you've learned as you've interviewed a number of people on your show, and as you've had these discussions, what are the things you learned about what has helped people sort of to become the spiritual shift worker and to evolve and to trust more, as you said, and to allow these things into their lives? What are some of the biggest lessons that maybe this audience can learn from?
[00:34:55] Lianne: Such a very, very good question because the theme that I have sort of observed over the last seven, eight months is really slowing down. You have to slow down and tap into that part of you. Like I said, maybe you've forgotten or that you've buried because of other people's expectations, society's expectations, and your own expectations, and being able to tap back into that by slowing down. And that's the first thing. And I see a shift in so many, and the majority of my guests on the podcast are women. But just talking to a lot of people.
[00:35:43] Lianne: People are realizing that there's more and that they can like you said, do both and that just be able to be themselves. That's the biggest thing is just be yourself. Because that's where you are going to find the most joy when you're trying to be somebody else or trying to be two different people. One person at home, one person at work, one person on social media. It doesn't work. You just need to be yourself. And that is the biggest thing. And a lot of my guests, when they've really realized that, then again, the shift happens. The doors open up and they follow the thing. The next thing comes. So it's really about slowing down and just being who you came here to be.
[00:36:32] Aneta: And those two things are extremely difficult for many people. Because it's so different than what we've been programmed. As you'd stated earlier, the slowing down is a very hustle, grind culture. Very masculine energy is difficult kind of tapping into the feminine. And then also I think companies always say, bring your authentic self to work and be a hundred percent yourself. I don't actually think they mean that. And for many of us that worked in, organizations for a long time, you observe and you watch and you alter in order to be successful.
[00:37:11] Aneta: Because it's not necessarily, and of course, I'm not saying be unprofessional. I'm not talking about that. I'm just talking about that. As you said before, you're a police officer and I was in banking for a long time. Do I talk about yoga and meditation and breathwork and spiritual stuff with my colleagues? Not at first, not for a very long time. But then over time, when you do, it just opened the door for more genuine conversations. And then you start to feel, maybe I can do this. And maybe it is helpful and maybe it gives other people permission to be able to do the same. And so I love that those were your two lessons, because it's obvious, but it's so hard at the same time. So hard.
[00:37:54] Lianne: Yeah. And that was part of, I think over the last couple years, I went through a lot of issues at work in regards to Covid, in regards to vaccinations, and I don't want to go down that rabbit hole, but definitely felt like that saying is like a fish out of the water where I have never been a rural follower, which is so funny given what I do like, I expect to follow the rules. But I also have always been the person to question the rules and be able to discern when the rules are applicable, which is very good for a police officer. We get to use our own discretion in certain circumstances. But at one point, basically, again with a very masculine, very military-ish career told to just be quiet.
[00:38:48] Lianne: And so the last couple of years have been really an unraveling of, wait a minute, what happened? Where did I go? And what happened to me being my authentic self and being okay with that and accepting that not everyone's going to accept that? That's okay. But when you see the bigger picture, when you understand what's really important, it changes everything.
[00:39:17] Aneta: How has being a podcast host helped you in terms of listening?
[00:39:25] Lianne: Well interesting because I found that when you are really speaking to people and the conversations are like exactly what you want to hear, you hear more. If that makes sense. Like I can hear people's real stories in between the words and get to a deeper level, than just service-level conversation. It's like you can listen beyond the words and feel what people are feeling. And I mean, in my career, I've taken interviewing courses. Now again, the people that I interview don't usually want to talk to me. But it's interesting because since I started the podcast and since this journey, the people that I do interview, I see them differently.
[00:40:20] Lianne: I see people differently in that they're not the person in this physical being, this physical form in front of me anymore. They're more, they are whatever path they're on, and it's like, I think I take a very different approach now with the podcast on how I see people. I see people differently.
[00:40:44] Aneta: Yeah. We're all connected, right? I mean, for me, I just see the connection and something you and I talked about before we even hit record was the world seems so big and then yet even the two of us connecting before this, there were so many points of connection, and people that we have in our same circles. I don't think those things are coincidences. As I've been on my journey, my own spiritual journey, I just keep finding how the world just keeps getting smaller and smaller and the people that you're supposed to be in your circle. Find you and you find them. And it's so beautiful.
[00:41:22] Aneta: And so I'm so grateful that you spent time with me today, that we had an opportunity to talk a little bit about your own journey and circle, Lianne. And I would love to ask you what does it mean to you to live the width of your life?
[00:41:37] Lianne: Be where your feet are. I spent a lot of time, many years always being ahead of myself thinking, what are we doing next week? What are the meal plans for next week? What are the kids doing next week? But your life is now. And so, being present. It is what it's about. It really is. That's where your life is. It's not next week or next year. Not to forget about everything we've talked about. About having bigger visions and seeing the things that you want to achieve, but if you're only looking at that, you're missing where you are.
[00:42:15] Aneta: So true. So good. Where can folks find you? Where are you most active and how can we best support you?
[00:42:23] Lianne: Thank you so much for this. This has been a great conversation. I would love for people to go and take a listen to the podcast. It's on all platforms, the spiritual shift worker, and I spend a lot of time on Instagram. I do love Instagram over there. Just it's @liannemcaughey.
[00:42:42] Aneta: Excellent. I will include all of those links in the show notes. I'm so grateful to you. I'm grateful for this conversation and I wish you continued success.
[00:42:52] Lianne: Thank you so much, and I'm excited for your retreat and my retreat and I think it's things are definitely shifting and we are helping, we are helping that. Thank you so much.
[00:43:05] Aneta: Absolutely. Thank you.
[00:43:07] Aneta: Thank you for listening to today's episode. If today's conversation inspired you to dream again, break out of your comfort zones, or reflect on what it means to you to live more fully, then please follow this podcast because every week you'll hear more stories from people just like you, who took imperfect action towards their goals, creating more joy, and are living the life that they always dreamt of living.
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