Transcription
Sheri Miter
00:00:00
Okay, friends, normally I don't say this before podcasts because I know you are listening to this. Sometimes in your car, sometimes while you're doing the dishes, you're out walking the dog. You're multitasking on who knows what. And that's totally fine because I do the same thing when I listen to podcasts. But this episode, I'm going to highly recommend that you perhaps not multitask. Now, if you're out for a walk with the dog or by yourself, it's a great time to really listen to this. Or if you're at home, take a pause. Actually, just go ahead and put this podcast on pause and go grab a cup of tea or coffee and sit down and really take in this conversation because one, our guest, Rain Elizabeth Stickney, has such a beautiful voice, you're going to want to take it in, I promise. Just by hearing her voice, you will feel calmness come over you. But second of all, she touched on so many subjects in this conversation. We talked about listening to your inner voice. We talked about healing. We talked about her vision to move all the way from California across the country for multiple reasons. And so many things that Rain shared, I think are going to help impact your life and your vision and your voice. So I hope that you will take in every single word that Rain shared. Before we jump in, though, let me tell you just a little tiny bit about Rain. She is a lifelong meditator, an expressive artist, and a body worker. She has an integral approach using body, mind, heart, and spirit to gently guide clients and support community into their own natural wisdom. And I have just enjoyed all the conversations I've had with Rain, and I hope you enjoy this conversation that we had together. Let's jump in. Welcome to the discovering your Calling podcast. I'm your host, Sheri Meyer. I'm here to help you unleash your strengths and get clarity on your calling. I believe when you find your purpose in life, fulfillment, joy and success will follow. If you're ready, pop in those earbuds, hit that follow button, and join me on this journey toward discovering your calling. Welcome back, friends, to the Discovering your Calling podcast. And I'm here today with a new friend of mine, Rain Elizabeth Stickney, and we've just been having the best conversations. She's another newer podcaster, and we've connected over podcasting and being entrepreneurs and all of the things that go along with that and living in the Northeast, which you'll hear Rain's story about moving to the Northeast as we get into the discussion. But welcome to the podcast, Rain.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:03:01
Thank you, Sheri. I'm so happy to be here. I feel honored to be on your show.
Sheri Miter
00:03:06
Oh, that's so sweet. And I know it's going to be a great conversation because anytime you and I have gotten online together, we just start talking. And it was just like, oh, wait, we're supposed to be recording a podcast here.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:03:22
It's a really fun flow with you.
Sheri Miter
00:03:25
Oh, thank you. Same here. Same here. And it'll be nice because if you listen to the podcast, you know, I'm pretty high energy on this show and Rain just has this beautiful voice that she is about meditating and really just being calm. And I could just listen to you, Rain, all day long, especially when I just need to take a.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:03:53
I love those deep breaths.
Sheri Miter
00:03:55
Yes, and you're so good at just bringing that calmness. So I know that this podcast is going to be a little different than some of them because just, again, listening to you and your voice just brings this peace and calmness. So if you're listening to this, take a deep breath. If you're out for a walk, keep on walking. But if you're doing something else, I actually encourage you to maybe just take a pause, go pour a cup of tea and come back and listen to this so you can really enjoy the peace that Rain is going to bring to just, again, listening to her voice.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:04:31
Thank you, Sheri. Thank you for those compliments.
Sheri Miter
00:04:34
Oh, you're welcome. And that kind of leads me in if you want to share with the listeners a little bit about who you are, like, what do you do today and how you got there.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:04:48
Yes, I am a spiritual counselor and a meditation teacher, and that is what I do today. Although in the past for 20 years, I was also a body worker and I missed that hands on work and I gave it up during the pandemic and continue to wonder if I'll get back to it. But the spiritual counseling and the meditation is also quite satisfying and beautiful. And I have a background in psychology, so everything I offer always includes a humanistic perspective of the entire lifespan. And I feel very responsible to all the nuances of development that we go through throughout our lifetime. So I enjoy attending to people as they are, whether they're learning meditation or they're an experienced practitioner or they're coming to me for counseling services. Maybe their significant relationship is needing some attention or they're making a personal decision and all of that. I look through the lens of body, mind, heart, spirit, and help as best I can.
Sheri Miter
00:06:08
I love that you look at the whole person, all of those things together because everything is so connected, so connected. So is this something you've always been interested in or how did you get into this field?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:06:25
Yes, it is something I've always been interested in. And first off, it was meditation and my parents were meditators, and so I was very naturally born and bred of that type of discipline and perspective. And there's something in me that's innately drawn to it. I have many brothers and sisters and they are innately drawn to other things, although we have similar upbringings. So the meditation part was natural to my physical being as well as what I was inclined toward. And then the healing part really came as soon as I was four and one of my sisters was in distress, and I remember turning toward her in a mode of help, in a mode of wanting to be of service to her. And so those two things, meditation and healing, have been mainstays throughout my life. I started studying psychology in junior high school and never really stopped. Got a couple of degrees in licenses, different things to support this integrated approach of wellness.
Sheri Miter
00:07:39
I love that. And that is amazing that at four years old, you had that experience that guided the rest of your life. So you are one of the unusual ones. I say my husband's the same way. He knew at three he wanted to be a professional firefighter by an incident that happened in his life. And I feel like you guys are the rare ones. Most of us are still trying to figure that out at 40 or 50 or 60, like, what am I supposed to do when I grow up? But that's so amazing that you had that experience. And I know before we hit the record, we were talking about empathy, and that definitely would be high. Empathy that you felt that it sounds like you really felt your sister's pain and wanted to help her.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:08:24
Yes, and you're right. And it's also interesting to note that I was also feeling pain in that moment. And it was even to a four year old mind that's just developing foundational, psychological structures are just falling into place. But I was also in pain, and my sister is a little younger than me, and so her pain was louder and a bit more hysterical. Just naturally, just she was two. So it was empathy also for myself, that I also was feeling something very difficult, and I turned toward her with that match of resonance, which I believe is what empathy is like, oh, I know that pain. I know that pain too. Let me help.
Sheri Miter
00:09:20
Exactly. Yes. And how to do that at four years old, truly, you were identifying your true life's calling at that young age. At that young age.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:09:37
Thank you for recognizing that. Yeah. Just naturally.
Sheri Miter
00:09:40
Yeah. Was there ever a time as you were going through going through your education or even as you started practice, was there ever a time that you felt like, maybe this isn't it, or was it always very clear that you were on the right path?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:09:55
Well, that is a great question, because, of course, there is a meandering way through my life. And it was not a straight shot by any means, but every time I got off course, I was kind of nudged back in this direction. And one example of this is when I had graduated from college, a friend of mine was just beginning college. She had gone to junior college, so she was in a different timeline. And she was one of my best friends. And so we decided to move in together. I went to the town where she was going to be in college and I thought I'd start my career there. I was in my early twenty s, and because I was in a natural transition from college to something else, I thought maybe I'll be a banker. I got a job at a bank.
Sheri Miter
00:10:49
That'S kind of left field, right? Oh yeah.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:10:53
I'm a bit of a thrill seeker. I do like Thai, since I'm a very sensitive person. And I also like high sensation. So I have that uniqueness and I thought, yeah, I'll try out banking. I got all dressed up in, like, banking clothes, drove to the bank and I could not go in. I was in tears, I was sobbing. I could not make myself do it. And I didn't. I allowed for that grace. And I called the bank and I said, I can't make it. And I didn't take that job.
Sheri Miter
00:11:23
I almost did.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:11:24
But life showed me through my own emotional state that that was not right for me.
Sheri Miter
00:11:31
Wow. So what did that feel like in that moment that you knew you couldn't go in? What was that sensation for you?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:11:39
I was partly devastated. I was partly in turmoil of not being able to be normal. There's been a very strong theme in my life, especially my younger years, of trying to fit in, of trying to be somebody that I'm not. Because I thought it might feel better to be in the center of the crowd or to kind of blend into the environments around me. And I've always been an outlier. I've always been a little odd in various ways, and I had not yet embodied that uniqueness of my spirit. And so I was devastated that I could not fit in. Somewhere in my mind I thought working at a bank would, like, fit into something. I now know bankers, and I see the uniqueness of that. And that's just a banking world. There are many different worlds within our world. I use banks, but I am not a banker. And so when I was crying in my car and not able to go into that job, in the end, I was able to take one of those deep breaths that you modeled and just completely accept myself and my life for who I am and what my life is and step out into the unknown, which is what I'm really good at.
Sheri Miter
00:13:08
I love that. And I applaud you because I feel like for so many people, the pool to fit in and do the thing that isn't really right for us is greater than the pool to like, no, this isn't who I am, and I just can't do it. I'm not going to do it. And the fact that you listen to that instead of really being pulled, because I think that's why so many people are unhappy in their careers because they stepped into that world that didn't fit who they naturally were. And they didn't listen to that voice that said, what are you doing? This isn't you. Right?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:13:54
Yes. Forget this. And I do know some people in my life who have fallen into the trap of not knowing what their passion is, not knowing what they're really good at or what they're really called toward. And so they do end up in a profession that they don't love because they didn't know what else. They just didn't know. And then years later, decades later, there's an unhappiness that it's lingering. There's still a question of, I don't know what I would do if I wasn't doing this. But I don't know. It's been uncomfortable. I don't know.
Sheri Miter
00:14:37
Right. And those are the people that are listening today. Those are the people that I help get that clarity. And that is so true. And the longer you're in that place, the harder it is to get out of it, because it is. Even if what I see is even people who are unhappy where they are, there's a comfort in that unhappiness because it's what you've known. And a lot of them are really good at it, even though it's not what they're called to do, there's still that missing. They know something's missing in their life, but because it's been what they've been doing for the last 10, 20, 25, maybe 30 years, there's comfort, and it's really, really scary. And to take the pause and really listen to that voice that's saying, there's something more for you. There's something more out there. You're called for something greater. And it's easy to ignore that voice. But yet that's where that angst, that's where that anxiety comes from. That's where health issues come from. Because we're stifling these voices inside of us, and you probably know that way better than I do. That's your realm. I just help people get clarity. But let's talk. How do you see that physically showing up in people or emotionally showing up in people when they're not living true to their authentic selves? How do you see that?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:16:06
Well, I really think you described it perfectly, Sheri. And it is an angst or an anxiety that can become normalized. It's naturally somaticized, meaning that in one lens of looking at the human being, the mind body are one, not two. They're actually one. So what's happening in the mind, or even furthering into that lens, the heart naturally influences the body because it's one. It's one expression of being. So here I am with angst and anxiety, and I'm normalizing it. So I'm no longer thinking that I'm uncomfortable. I'm just feeling myself the way that I feel myself. But the body starts to express that anxiety and angst, and it can be headaches, it can be tummy trouble, it can be digestive issues, it can be skin problems, it can be all sorts of somatic expressions or even a pain in the shoulder or a pain in the neck or a pain in the rear end. There's also symbology that happens in our expression of being human. So in the healing of all of that, it's very interesting for me to go into. If I were to do body work with somebody, when I touched your shoulder right where it hurts, what comes up for you in your mind? What emotions are arising right here in this physical pain? What else can you be aware of? And there's a journey that unfolds and a healing that takes place to unravel over time.
Sheri Miter
00:17:49
Wow, that's just fascinating to me. So fascinating and so needed. Because, again, I think what you said about normalizing, we go through, and we've normalized being busy, we normalize that it's not about liking your job. It's just what you do. You get paid. You get paid well. You do it for 2025 years, then you retire, then you can go out and enjoy your life. We've normalized that and why that baffles me. It's like, why are we doing that?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:18:25
Yeah, I just imagine it must be an old model that worked. I can imagine why it might have worked. But an old model that no longer fits. We really need people's lights to shine, especially these days. We really need people happy and moving into the world with their whole selves and doing what they love, because that love is going to make a difference for the struggles that we have globally.
Sheri Miter
00:18:52
I 100% believe that. 100% believe that. And it was interesting, too, as we're talking. I just heard a study recently that I think it's for the second year in a row, the average age of I'm probably not going to say this right, but the average age of death for the Americans has gone down. Oh, dear. And I just have to believe that a lot of what we're talking about is what is part of that reason that people are living these unhappy lives, that they're trying to pretend like they're okay and happy, but deep down they're not. And it's affecting our health because we're siphoning it.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:19:36
Yes, I see that, unfortunately. I look forward to that. Turning a new tide.
Sheri Miter
00:19:45
Well, I think we're on the same path with that Rain. The way we work with people is totally different, but the mission and the goal is so aligned, and I think that's why we connect, because we want people to live their full, happier lives and all things in all the ways that they do. So I want to transition here because you and your significant other and your son made a big move to create the life of what you felt called to do. And I want to go into that. And I'm fascinated by this as well, because part of my whole process in the Discovering Your Calling program is it's four main elements. The first one is you. It's all about knowing your talents and your strengths and the skills you actually enjoy. And we spend a lot of time on that. And then the second part of it is the vision. And I take my clients through my students, through this whole process of, like, where would you live? If you could live anywhere, what kind of life would you create? How much time do you really want to work? How do you want to vacation? All of those elements we look at, and it's so new, because, again, for people, it's such a new thought for them to think like, wait a minute, society. We're used to having a career, and then we have to fit our life around what's left after a career versus this mentality of, what if you created the life you want first and then modeled your career or your calling to fit around it? And you've done that. You have done that. So can you share a little bit about what that move was and then let's dive deeper into it?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:21:52
Yes. And you can help me, Sheri, with how deep feels interesting or how many details to share. It's a very big story, so it can be shared briefly or more in depth. So I was born and raised in California. I love california. I still love California. I'm so glad that in the last year or so, california has gotten a lot of Rain, a lot of precipitation. The land is doing much better. But when I moved, there were four really bad fire seasons. And of course, there are always wildfires many places, including California. But there were four years where the wildfires truly affected where I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area. And the first year that it happened, my mom was also very sick. And while she was sick and I was caring for her, there was a fire that came through my hometown where most of my family still lives, and one of my sisters, her house burnt down in the middle of the night. One of the traumatic stories that is just actually really hard to feel into, talk about, think about, but a true tragedy. She lived, her children lived, and her husband lived. But it was hard. They lost everything. Anne rebuilt, and they're doing great now. But there was a way that that first year of bad wildfires was very traumatic for me as an individual as well as people who I was. The geographical location was feeling all of it. And then sequentially till the fourth year when the wildfires started for that season, I was seeing the smoke plumes in the sky from another town that were connected by sky, so I could see them. And I just knew in my heart that I did not want to go through another six months of not knowing if my beautiful town of Redwoods Mill Valley, California, was going to burn overnight because of a spark from a flat fire or somebody's cigarette or somebody who decided to barbecue by mistake during a really severe drought. And these kinds of things are what started a lot of the big fires in California where they were just mistakes. They're just mistakes and it created very big events. And at the same time of feeling the discomfort of another fire season starting there are also some health concerns in my family that caused me to wonder what kind of lifestyle is really true for me. What do I really want for me and my family?
Sheri Miter
00:24:57
Yeah, so with all of that and I'm sorry about your sister's house and everything, I cannot imagine I just can't imagine what that must have felt like living for everybody in California during those seasons. So you decided obviously to make a large move and share with the listeners where you live today.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:25:25
I live in Vermont. I live in the northeast, in New England. I live in a very, very small town that is less than 4000 people or you can imagine. The San Francisco Bay area of California is very populated. Houses everywhere. My nearest neighbor is almost a mile away and we live near Lake Champlain. This is a little ironic but we live in a forest. But whatever Vermonters say about a drought it is not the same kind of drought that California is or was facing. Climate is changing here too, but we do get snow, we do get Rain. And I'm surrounded by wild animals. A beautiful garden and clean air and blue skies and clouds that pass over. I love it.
Sheri Miter
00:26:34
And I know you've shared with me personally but share with the listeners a little bit why Vermont? Like, what was it about Vermont that made you go all the way across the country to a totally different place than California?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:26:49
Yes, well, again, there are so many details here but the gist of it is that in my heart when I was asking myself what do I really want my life to be? And I have a way of looking at the Earth, of connecting with the Earth and really wanting to do good by the Earth. And I know that our planet will always take care of itself over time. It's a planet, it's a whole entity of life. But for human life on the planet I want to be in harmony with how the planet is doing. And so I started to search for places where the climate change might not be so severe or might like the harmony of the people in the Earth might be a little better. I think that there are places in California that are overpopulated right now and it's nobody's fault. It's a beautiful place to be, it's understandable. But I think the earth is tired there. So I was looking for places where there is more life. And Vermont happens to be a state that my partner Todd loves. It's his heart land and that means that he grew up in New Jersey, and his family always had land in southern Vermont. And so as a child, he would spend time in Vermont, and his memories of Vermont are being in the woods and being outdoors all day and just really feeling free to explore and be himself. And we always had that in our back pocket, like, well, we could always move to Vermont. And so it just came time to make that transition and truly experiment. We just leased for six months to see if it was a right fit, which was a good move for me because I had only been to Vermont once in my life, and I didn't know how I would enjoy living in the snow. So it worked out. We love it here. We've made a very big move following our hearts and our dreams and our vision, and it's panned out very well for us. Yeah.
Sheri Miter
00:29:02
And how long have you been there now?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:29:05
It's just almost two and a half years.
Sheri Miter
00:29:08
Okay.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:29:09
Yeah. April 15 will be two and a half years, so I don't know when the show will air.
Sheri Miter
00:29:16
But we can.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:29:17
Say that I have been here for two and a half years.
Sheri Miter
00:29:22
And I love that. A couple of things you just mentioned, just that you followed your heart and you really listened to what kind of life did you want to create based on all of your values? That's something else I talk about with my students, is just, what are your values? What are your non negotiables in life? And you really looked at those things, Rain, you and your partner, to figure out, where do we really want to live that resonates with us and your concern for Mother Earth and everything in your life. And also love that you did the lease, the six months, because that's something else I talk a lot about. It's just like, test it out. It doesn't have to be forever. My husband and I just were in the process of buying a 42 foot boat, and our plan is to sail and travel on it and to basically live aboard. And I keep telling myself if I don't like it, we can always buy something else. We can always rent a house. Again, it's not forever, but just try it. And I think sometimes if you're scared to make that move, just try it. Try it for six months. You don't have to buy something and make it permanent. It never has to be permanent. So I love that you were able to give yourself that freedom. Like, we can just try it for six months. You can always move back to California if you felt called to. Yes.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:30:47
Or anywhere. And just another little detail of the story is that prior to the pandemic, my partner and I, our son, we all were going to move to Amsterdam, which is another part of the world that is lovely and different from both California and Vermont, but we were already knowledgeable that something was shifting for us. And then the real question was how do we want to align with the shift, what's truly resonant and just all the details of that.
Sheri Miter
00:31:25
Yeah, I really see how, Rain, you are so good at just, again, listening to yourself, listening to your gut, your intuition and following that and not ignoring it, which is so easy for us to do, so easy to ignore. It's harder to really listen to what we really want sometimes. And you're so good at doing that.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:31:53
Thank you. And until it's the inverse. So it is hard to listen to oneself or to truly follow that stream that's moving through us until we flip it and then it's the easiest thing to do because nothing else makes sense.
Sheri Miter
00:32:12
Yeah, I love that. So if somebody's listening now and maybe let's actually just stay on that, how do you flip it?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:32:25
Well, that's where meditation comes in. That's where what I call healing comes in. I've become aware in different parts of my life not everybody likes the word healing. And so I want to be really clear that what I mean by that is either there are a set of symptoms or something's going on that somebody doesn't prefer and that does get healed, that gets moved, the symptoms go away or the distress shifts and changes. And that healing is great because it's like, oh, I feel so much better. But there's also this other kind of healing that is more based in acceptance, where maybe a hardship is not actually going to change, maybe a loved one really is going to die, for example. That's a hardship. But the acceptance of it can also be healing because a person can find their true peace and a very lovely way of being with what is difficult, where the difficulty becomes smaller than the peace and the peace becomes larger and more embodied. So the flip of how am I living my life? And am I really listening to what's true for me can happen through those small moments of choosing to listen to oneself. Like do I want coffee or tea? I'd actually like tea. Do I want to walk outside on a path or down a road? I actually kind of feel like walking on a road today, like stable, clear cut, I know where I'm going. These little tiny decisions are meditative in the way of listening to one's truth and trusting that rather than having a plan of what every action means and where it's going to end up in an outcome type of way. So it's a more present way of being and learning to move one step at a time.
Sheri Miter
00:34:36
I so love what you just said because so many times, and I think I'm going to say a generalized statement here may or may not be true, but I think especially as women, we are prone. I don't care whatever you want to do and. I can see, listening to what you just said, how that has, again, by us repeating that all the time, we've forgotten how to really listen. Well, yeah, you do care. You do have an opinion, and your opinion matters. Absolutely, it does matter. Coffee or tea or walk on the woods or on the road and just those little bitty things that seem insignificant. I can see how really it's practicing. Right. Practicing. It is what you really want.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:35:31
Yes. And life responds. And life responds. And the way we pay attention to life changes depending on how we are moving forward through life.
Sheri Miter
00:35:44
Yeah, that's so good. And not judging it. I have a friend that judges everything. Every time we make a decision on something, there's a judgment on it. That's just what I wanted. There is no thought behind it. Just not like that. Can I just be okay? Read into it, whether it's somebody else's judgment or our own judgment, again, on ourselves. Yeah. So much good stuff. So much good stuff. So I just have a couple more questions going back to the move, and then we'll try to wrap things up here. When it comes to your business, how did that look when you decided to make this big move from California to Vermont? What did you have to do in order to get prepared to do the move and how has it affected your business, good or bad?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:36:49
That's a great question. Again, with many interesting details, maybe even only interesting to me, but many details nonetheless. So I have learned through the years I've had my business since 2007, and so it's gone through a lot of different evolutions. And sometimes I've been traveling and I've come back and my business has always stayed put, which I feel very grateful for. But I've learned that when I go through a transition, it's very helpful to keep a warm audience and to create something that keeps contact between me and the group of people who are interested in the work that I do, even when I'm not able to hold sessions or groups the way that I most love to do. So when I moved from California to Vermont, I created a gratitude practice. And luckily, that gratitude practice is alive and thriving today. But it allowed me to keep in touch with my community. And I can wholeheartedly recommend that to others that when there is a transition, it's nice to find something to keep in touch with what already is, to carry those people who are still interested in staying in contact into the new version or the new life or the new evolution. And all of that being said, it's been quite a journey figuring out how to work in Vermont. And part of that is the Internet is terrible. So my partner and I both work online and we have, I think, five different Internet options, but it took a while to figure out what those options were. There is like the best option that would be very pricey to administer, that we're not quite ready to invest in yet, and that would kind of take care of all of it. But it's such a high price that we have to wait for that part. So meanwhile, we have a bunch of different options and the set up of working in Vermont has not been easy. That has been hard. I'm very glad that I get to be online with you right now, Sheri. And it is working and we have figured this out, but that's something that we had to muddle through a bit. There is also a truth about my offer is changing and my business is naturally being renewed for all of the reasons. Not just the move across the country, but we all over the entire world. We all have been through a pandemic. We all see life a little bit differently, and we're all a little bit more attuned to technology. Or maybe most of us. Maybe not everyone. That's probably unfair to say, but as a global community, there's more technology connection than there was in the past. And so I'm still learning about what is my work life in Vermont. But it has these mainstays of being present with what is exactly as it is, being in healing and meditative spaces with people learning how to help the best I can, especially through communication, like with couples work or even individual work, where a person's learning to communicate with themselves and really honor and respect themselves. So healing, meditation, communication, they'll always be a part of my work. And I'm still in the evolution.
Sheri Miter
00:40:40
Which I think we're always changing. I don't know any special entrepreneur that isn't always morphing a little bit, because we do, as you shared, our world changes, the world changes, what we know changes, what we're interested in changes, we learn more, so we want to add that in. So it's always morphing and changing. And I think the day we stop doing that is the day it's no fun anymore.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:41:09
You're right. I love that creativity that I feel in your words.
Sheri Miter
00:41:18
Any advice for somebody that's feeling like they're listening to this and there's so many nuggets they can pull out in so many different directions? But sticking with that vision piece, if they're thinking like, oh, I don't know if and maybe the listener doesn't need to move across the country, but they're just feeling like where they're living or how they're living isn't in alignment anymore. Any advice for them? Rain.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:41:48
I really love the lessons of mortality and also personal to my journey. My son was going blind for a moment. He did not go blind, but he was going blind and it was predicted that he would be blind. Just how long was the question. And so it was an interesting question to ask. What do I want him to see before he cannot see any longer? So both of those things really considering like if something that one loves were to be entirely taken away, what's meaningful right now while it's here, whether it be vision or one's life? These are very refining questions for me. They're distilling. They distill what the truth is. If this is my last day on earth, how do I want to spend it? Really? Yeah.
Sheri Miter
00:42:53
And it seems so deep, but yet it's so powerful. Yeah, very powerful. I love that thinking and I'm glad your son's doing better. And you're right. I mean, if God forbid that happened. Vermont is a beautiful well, California is beautiful, but Vermont is a very beautiful state to see.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:43:14
It is. And our reality was that at the time in California, the air was so bad we couldn't see across the street. And I just thought to myself, if this is the last thing he sees is smoke in the inside of an apartment, that's it. I want him to see the world. I want him to see trees. I want him to see the sky.
Sheri Miter
00:43:35
Right. The analogy there is not missed.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:43:46
Thank you for picking up on it.
Sheri Miter
00:43:48
Yeah. For everybody. Yeah. So interesting.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:43:54
Rain.
Sheri Miter
00:43:55
So as I've shared, I think you and I could just talk forever and ever and ever about so many different subjects. But for the listeners benefit, we probably do need to wrap things up here.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:44:05
Okay.
Sheri Miter
00:44:06
Is there anything else right now on your heart that whether it pertains to following your vision, listening to your voice, meditation, anything right now, Rain, that you want to share? And I know we're going to do a little bonus episode for the Patreon fans, but anything else that we've missed that you wanted to share?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:44:31
I would like to say if there is anyone listening who is interested in meditation, who has not quite stepped onto that path yet, a very simple and easy way to begin is just 1 minute of silence. Just 1 minute. Just see what happens. It's a very gentle way of experimenting. What if I just be still and quiet for 1 minute? What happens?
Sheri Miter
00:45:02
I love that. And 1 minute can seem like a really long time for some people.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:45:07
Absolutely. I know you are right. That little second hand is going around the clock or the numbers are counting up or down from two or from 60.
Sheri Miter
00:45:21
Yes, but that's a great place to start. And if they want to learn more about what you do, which I highly recommend, and I will put this in the show notes, go to Rain's website. It is a beautiful website, so well done, so representative of who Rain is. And again, just like listening to Rain's voice, going to her website is just so peaceful. It's beautiful. The pictures and how you've just shown your work, so definitely do that. But how else can they, if they want to dive deeper into meditation with you or where's that first place? Like if they want to know a little bit more about what you do. Where should they go first?
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:46:08
Another easy first place is Insight Timer, which is a free app. And there are some guided meditations of mine that anyone can find there and listen to for free. So it's another offering where the investment is simply your attention and interest. So insighttimer.com. Or look on the App store on your phone or device, and then my name Rain Elizabeth Stickney, and you can connect with me there.
Sheri Miter
00:46:38
Okay, great. Wonderful. I appreciate that. And again, we'll put that in the show notes. And again, Rain's website and you can see all her different offerings and what she has. And your podcast is oh, thank you. Yes.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:46:55
Every Moment Is Sacred is a bi weekly podcast. So on Mondays, I offer meditation journeys. Sometimes that's shared with a guest, and sometimes they're solo episodes of just listening to a meditation. And Fridays are healing conversations where people get to talk about something that has been healing in their life or a healing journey that they're going through. And Sheri is on the show. It's a wonderful offering that gives me so much delight to share with the world.
Sheri Miter
00:47:27
Yes, so you can check that out too. So, Rain, again, I truly appreciate the conversation today and you being on here and sharing a little bit of your story and your move and all of the things you do and your beautiful insights on how you see the world and you listen to your voice. Hopefully, it's an example for others to follow.
Rain Elizabeth Stickney
00:47:52
Thank you. Thank you for having me here, Sheri.
Sheri Miter
00:47:59
Thank you, friends, for spending this time with me. My hope is something you heard today inspires you to take action towards discovering your calling. But before you sign off, just two more quick things. One, if you found value and enjoyed this episode, can you do me a huge favor and leave a review or share this with a friend? Help us grow the podcast to make a bigger impact on the world. And second of all, if you haven't yet, don't forget to check the show notes to grab your Five to Thrive guide. It's my gift to you. It's a guide to help you intentionally invest in your natural talents so you can turn them into strengths. Think of it as your personal navigational guide on your journey to a fulfilling life. And until next episode, remember you've been created to live a life of fulfillment, purpose, success, and joy.