Healing, Trauma & Why Visibility Feels Hard with Melissa Parent, The Cussing Coach

Today’s episode of The Visibility Impact Show comes with an explicit language warning, and for good reason. My guest, Melissa Parent, is proudly known as The Cussing Coach. Why? Because authenticity is her superpower, and she’s not afraid to drop truth bombs (and a few F-bombs) to help women entrepreneurs break free from the patterns keeping them small.

Melissa is a combat veteran, transformational life mentor, and multidimensional healer who bridges clinical psychology with intuitive healing. Together, we dive into the deep connection between trauma, nervous system regulation, and visibility in business.

If you’ve ever felt like hitting “post” or going live makes your palms sweat, this conversation will remind you: it’s safe to be seen, it’s safe to be heard, and your voice matters.

Melissa’s Website  www.themelissaleeparent.com
Follow Melissa on Instagram  @themelissaleeparent

Email Melissa here: melissa.l.parent@gmail.com

OMNI - Become Known, In Demand, and Confidently Visible
With a visibility strategy that works harder than you do.

OMNI is your group coaching experience where you learn how to create visibility that works harder than you do. A strategic blueprint to become discoverable on the feed, search and AI. https://thevisibleceo.com/omni 

Website: thevisibilityimpactshow.com

Brand: thevisibleceo.com 

Instagram: instagram.com/itscrissyconner 

TikTok: tiktok.com/@crissyconner 

Facebook: facebook.com/crissyconner 

YouTube: youtube.com/@CrissyConner 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/crissyconner 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

0:01

Welcome back to the visibility impact show. You know, this podcast is for women entrepreneurs and we get to remind ourselves that behind the entrepreneur, behind the CEO, that we are here to grow a business, but we also have a lot of human things and a lot of human growth that we get to do side by side as we are growing our business. So, While we are thinking about those deeper things that we get to work on, I knew that today's guest would be perfect to chat with you about some of the things that you may experience in your business. today's guest is Melissa Parent. She is a Combat Veteran, a Transformational Life Mentor, a multi-dimensional healer who helps people break free from the stories, beliefs and patterns that keep them stuck. Raise your hand if you feel this, I do. She bridges clinical, psychology and... intuitive healing. And she's here to share how mindset trauma and nervous system regulation are directly tied to visibility and being fully seen in life and business. That was an amazing intro because she has so much to share today. Melissa, welcome to the visibility impact show. Thank you for having me in the incredible introduction. Absolutely. So let's dive in. Let's just go right to it. Your journey has been powerful. Can you talk about how your journey started and got you to where you are to being a coach, to being a therapist and the things that you're doing in your life right now? Yeah, absolutely. My trauma started when I was still in diapers. A lot of people look at me and make assumptions. They see the piercings, the tattoos, the semi-polished exterior, and they forget that people have a full story behind that. We all fucking do it. And so I was in foster homes for the first three-ish years of my life. I grew up being raised after that in a semi-stable home that was loving, but there was a lot of emotional trauma and emotional lack that came with it. I grew up hearing things like, I never wanted children. I don't have to keep you. I can send you away at any point. Then there was my father passing at a very young age. Receiving the label of ex-Ward of the Court abandoned child deceased father. There was sexual assault several times over as an adolescent. Then I joined the military. I spent approximately 15 years in the service. Navy and Air Force that came with its own trauma. was the deployments, more sexual assaults in the military. My unhealed wounds led to exceptionally unhealthy patterns in romantic relationships that were not supportive. I struggled with alcohol abuse before the military drug abuse. I had no self-esteem, very little self-love, and habits of finding love and acceptance in the worst ways. It took healing and facing my shit. This is a hard one. My healing showed me that hiding never kept me safe. ah That it keeps me small. And it's still full of authenticity. And it's still something I struggle with. ah For years, I thought that blending in was protecting myself. But really, it was suffocating me. It was limiting. However, the more I let myself be seen and heard, the lighter I feel. It's uncomfortable. It's fucking scary. Yeah. But you feel lighter, you feel bolder in the best of ways. And so now that's why I help others do the same. Because our voice matters. We aren't too much. And it's not that we're not enough. And that we don't have to wait for permission, that we can just be. Yeah, absolutely. This is so good. And one of the reasons I wanted to talk about your journey is because, you know, I think a lot of people think no one understands. You've been through a lot of ish, right? And also, by the way, Melissa has full permission. Her name. her tagline on her name is the cussing coach. So she's allowed to drop some bombs. We I was like, I want you to be as authentic as you need to be. And so this is also giving you permission, listening to be authentic and who you are when you show up online when you're doing your thing, like don't ever let someone like ask you to hide because hide a part of who you are. Because that's not who that's not who your audience wants either. But going to that Melissa, why do you believe so many entrepreneurs struggle? with visibility, even though deep down inside we know, we know they want to grow their business. That's what they want. But they're, it's almost like they're fighting with hiding cause I feel safe or you know, showing up to grow my business. And I feel like they feel like they have to choose one or the other. loving truth bomb here. Visibility means being vulnerable. We have been programmed, especially women, to stay quiet. Don't rock the boat. Don't brag. Don't talk about your problems because shit, does that mean I have victim mentality? The War We're Visible that also opens us up to criticism. Mm-hmm. Which is also scary as fuck. And then there's the comparison. And we've all heard the same comparison is the thief of joy. But it still gets in our head. And so to be visible, you're being fucking vulnerable and vulnerable is scary. So hitting that post, pushing that fucking button, it's terrifying because it's not just about marketing, it's about nervous system not feeling safe. However, once we reach that point of feeling safe, we know it's safe to be seen. It's safe to be heard. Invisibility stops feeling like a threat and it starts becoming owning your power. Yes, I love that. So when I define visibility, one of the first things I say is it's really to be authentically visible, right? The first thing you have to see yourself. And I think a lot of people are afraid of that. Do you see that a lot, like in the clinical setting and things like that? Like people are truly afraid to own who they are? Fuck yes, 100%. Yes. Most people don't love themselves. Most people barely even like themselves. They may love aspects. They may like aspects. but we are also our own worst critics. Use myself as an example. I will always do this because it's the best example I know. you I can look at myself in this moment and like, ooh, Melissa, you didn't get your fucking eyebrows straight. Your hair is doing this weird fucking thing over here. Before you post, like, get, get that hair back in place. Like. Or I get a little too spicy. Yes, surprisingly it happens. And then I'm, have it record. I'm like, maybe I shouldn't post that. And like, maybe my spicy is too spicy. What if I chase people away? And so it's. When we struggle with these visions of ourself, this viewpoint, instead of seeing the things that we love about ourselves, we become fixated on what we don't like or how this other influencer or coach or mentor are doing it. And there's so much successful than we are. in the therapy space. People are scared to heal because that unhealed version of them is the biggest part of their identity and they don't know who they will be if they heal that person. They think their trauma makes them funny and so if they heal they're not going to have a personality anymore. When we talk about healing, can we also shift to like programming and patterns? Like I think a lot of people have unconscious patterns that are keeping them hidden. Like maybe in their mind, they don't even realize what they're doing. yeah, totally. So people start receiving their programming the second they're born. And what do I mean by that? Programming is how we're raised. Everything we see. Everything we hear. Some of that is more influential than others. Sometimes it starts as like a tiny nugget in our noodle and with time it manifests with something large. And so this programming is, you should feel guilty for putting yourself first. Like, no, no, like, and that's where the minimizing comes in. or programming of if I close the door too loudly, this person's going to get upset. Or you hear a door close loudly. This is a trauma thing. You're like, shit, this person's going to come home in a mood. I know to be quiet. But also programming comes in of like, how do I form my words? How am I supposed to respond to situations? And it's a very subtle thing. And as you look in your life, we get to reflect of How much of this is genuinely me? And how much of this is a message that I received that I've adopted? Does this really align with me, my personality, my beliefs? Or is this just something I've been told to believe? Yeah. You mentioned trauma and you talk about big T and little T like how did these experiences really influence whether somebody shows up boldly or they hide. First, I would like to explain the difference between Big T and Little T. So we have big trauma and little trauma. A lot of people downplay their trauma because it doesn't look like a major catastrophic event like death, car accidents, natural disaster. They think like that's Big T trauma. Big T trauma is other things as well. Big T trauma can be subtle, long-term abuse, like verbal or emotional, that's like the gentle digging, gentle, like, that doesn't really look good on you. You should probably change. That over an extended period of time turns into big T trauma. Now, little T trauma. Little T trauma is having a friendship break up out of the blue. Like you're not really sure what happened, but all of a sudden this person isn't your person. An uncomfortable workplace. We're not talking like sexual harassment. Yes, that is definitely uncomfortable workplace. We're talking about Nancy in accounting who's always fucking grumpy and makes shitty side comments. And it's not just occasional. It's like every single day. You're like, well, that's just a fucking bully. Like, no, like with time. That turns into little t trauma because it changes the wiring in your brain. You're always bracing for the next shitty comment that Nancy and accounting has to say. Or even just being witness to a traumatic event goes on to little t or big t trauma. That can go either or and that's what we call secondhand trauma. it's okay. So how do these experience influence whether someone shows up boldly or they hide? Thank you for that. So this trauma teaches you whether or not it's safe to speak up. So we have the little T trauma, Nancy and accounting, who always makes this shitty comment. And so you learn slowly to minimize your voice, to not speak up, just to keep the peace. So you don't have to deal with Nancy and her shitty comments. Like, I'm just going to keep my mouth shut. I'm just going to keep my mouth shut. is life is easier if I don't fucking say anything. And so then that manifests in that way. Big T trauma. trigger alert. Big T trauma. A woman is sexually assaulted. She's raped and she speaks up. Sadly. women aren't always taken seriously when that happens. they learn it's not safe to say anything. Something not so triggering. Trauma. You grow up in a family home where your parents don't really listen. They tell you're being too dramatic. You're too sensitive. Quit being so loud. You have a shitty partner that when you come home from work and you're excited about something and they're not excited for you and they tell you to just shut up it's not that big of a deal. All of those experiences, whether they're big T or little T trauma, they teach us on a subconscious level, don't speak up. It's safer, it's easier just to stay quiet. It's really sad. Yeah, it happens a lot. it can affect so many things, like even as a business owner and visibility and showing up. And one of the things that you talk about is you talk a lot about the nervous system. So how does the nervous system respond when we put ourselves out there and how can we regulate it or can we regulate it ourselves so that visibility feels more safe? When we hit the go live button or post or reaching out to a new contact, your palms sweat, your heart races, your brain goes blank. I think we saw that with me today. We get to stop and pause and remind ourselves that's not a weakness. That is your nervous system thinking that visibility equals danger, that being vulnerable. equals danger. This is your fight or flight going like, holy fuck shit damn, what's going on? What do do this? We learn to regulate that. There's breath work, grounding, tapping, even saying mantras out loud like, it's safe to be seen and heard. My voice matters. People want to hear my message. And it's choosing the tool that's best for you without judgment, that it tells your body you're safe. And with time leaning into this, your body learns that that is the truth. So you also talk about, I'm gonna jack this name, Moksha, is that right? The ultimate Moksha, okay. I knew I was gonna jack it up. So you say this is the ultimate liberation. So is this something that entrepreneurs can apply? Can they apply that concept when they're building a brand or being visible? Yes, my goodness, yes. So moksha comes from the Vedic, the yoga community, and it's liberation, it's transcendence, it's the freedom from the cages that we've built in our minds. the cages that limit us, the cages that we think it keeps us safe, but we're not really free. We're just in a bubble. Mm-hmm. And so for entrepreneurs, it's letting go of the, have to do it like everybody else. It's the, I'm only worthy if I succeed in X sort of way. Liberation in business is building something that feels like you, that represents you, that is authentically you, not a mask, not a persona. not some caricature that you think is going to sell. It's fully embracing and embodying the person that you want people to connect with. Yeah. Yeah. And I think we see so much in the online space that people feel like they need to be another version of somebody else that's maybe making more money than them. Like if I can be just more like her, right? Instead of less, you know, being less like me who I really am, then I'm going to make more money or people are going be more attracted to me. But like that's That's almost like being in a cage because that's not freedom. That's that's definitely doing the opposite of why you probably created a business in the first place. 100 % because it's limiting yourself of like, shit, before I meet with this client, I need to make sure I have my hair done X perfect way. I need my makeup done this way. I need to make sure I have the perfect background. I need to make sure I have this very peaceful, airy, fairy, zen look. Like, no, like life's fucking messy, yo. Like. Some like, let's be like life is messy. Entrepreneurship is messy and scary and hard and stressful. Why add more stress and anxiety on trying to put forth this face, this persona? just to try and sell yourself to somebody? Let's touch on ego a second because I, I am really pretty good today. Back in the day, not so much, but I'm pretty good today about like, is this coming from a place of ego? And I like to ask myself this, like, let's say I'm celebrating a win, right? Am I saying this? Cause my ego wants me to be validated to the world, right? Is this the kind of piece of content I'm creating? Or is it because I want someone to see that this is possible, right? And so these are kind of things that I asked myself. Matter of fact, I've deleted a video before because I was like, that was so full of ego, like, and even if no one else felt that intention, I felt that intention. And I believe the intention and the energy behind what we do causes people to buy not buy, follow not follow like us not like us. And I would love to like touch on that a little bit. I'm gonna take us on a slightly different track. That's fine. A lot of us are raised that ego is bad. I'm going to shift that and say that your ego is your amigo. Your ego is your friend. Where the distinction is, do you have a healthy ego? Are you ruled by ego? Because your ego, a healthy ego, pushes you to grow, pushes you to learn, pushes you to do more, be better, try new things. Your ego also, and this is a twofer, keeps you safe. Sometimes that's a good thing because your ego knows like, yeah, no, that's not in my wheelhouse yet. But also an unhealthy ego will keep you small. And so there's the distinction of your ego isn't the enemy. Your ego is your friend. What is your relationship with ego? Is it a healthy ego? Yeah. Are you being ruled by ego? So instead of villainizing the ego, creating a healthier relationship with the ego. Yeah. I don't know, I don't know what you feel or what you think about like, I don't know if they call them personality tests or whatever, It's a strength test. Basically one of mine is competition. Now I'm so pissed. Like, but I'm very competitive, but I was so mad. That was like one of my top five strengths. And I'm like, I don't want that to, I don't want to be that person. And so I struggled with that for a really long time until I got deeper on it and realized it actually makes me like you said, it can make you a better person. Competition can make you a better person, right? Unless you're doing it like because you have this imaginary competition with everybody else out there in the world. And I shifted mine to competing with myself and being better than myself. But that was like one of those things that I had to really struggle with because I was like, I don't want to be the competitive person. It always feels like she's trying to be better than everybody else. But it is like that reframe just like in the ego conversation. 100%. So first, most things in life are a fucking reframe. Most things, they are a shift in perspective. Also disclaimer, I really fucking hate those tests. I do. I do. I do. I like I. When I went to grad school, my master's is in licensed professional clinical counseling. One of my classes was like a career counseling bloody fucking blog class. We had to take all, all of those tests. Some people will identify with those results and they take it to heart in such a grand way that it becomes a limiter. Yeah, 100%. Or some people do exactly what you did and they sit with it and they shift their perspective. Yeah. A lot of those tests change with time. or situations. And so it's like, okay, it can be a nice tool. It can give you insights on how to navigate or how you respond to things. Can I get on a small soapy soap box here? Slightly spicy. I see this so often on social media in the mental health space that it makes me want to throat punch people or high five them to the face. We see things everywhere of like, I'm ADHD. I'm just this way. because I have PTSD. I just do this. because I have this. like really, really, really. This goes back to, so you're using this as an excuse as to why you can't do something. Why you have these limitations. Yes, there are hiccups that come with that. I have PTSD. one of my symptoms of PTSD is ADHD, ADD, depending upon how my nervous system is doing. So instead of using it as an excuse of like, my nervous system is really spicy right now, so my ADHD is stronger than usual, so I guess I'm just going to have a really sloppy house and forget everything. No, you learn the tools. You're like, sweet. So now that I know this is why I act, or this is why I react, or this is why I have these tendencies, I'm going to learn new tools to navigate it. I know that I need to do X thing. I need a fuck ton of lists. I need a list for my lists. Why? Because I go on little mental exploratories. I know this about me. And so instead of just excusing it and saying, it's my ADHD, I get to be better. I get to be stronger. I get to work with it instead of against it. And that's true for everybody. was whether it's the personality tests, the human design, even astrology, I'm woo. Like it helps to learn like, these things are. part of my personality and they come up, but it doesn't have to be limiters. It doesn't have to be a definition. It doesn't have to be an excuse. Right. Right. And you know, I think that's too. If anything you're doing is putting you in a box and making you feel like I'm good. I'm good. This is who I am. I'm good. And I'm not going you know, and I do believe in the quote and I don't know who originally said it, but if you're, I believe if you're not growing, you're dying. I mean, that's just, that's just the way it is. And I don't believe we were put on this earth with amazing gifts. We all have amazing gifts to just not use them and not improve them. Like plain and simple. 100%. I think it was Ben Franklin who said that. I could be wrong, but I think it was Ben Franklin. um And if I'm correct, again, I could be wrong. I own it. I believe he's also said you don't judge a fish by his ability to fly. Yeah. he said that I could be wrong, but I believe that's common forward. But it's true. We all have different capabilities. We all have different aptitudes. It doesn't mean that you can't do it, but you may have strengths elsewhere. Like you're not going to expect a five foot two basketball player to dunk the ball. but he's going to run it. He'll be probably a heck of a lot better at ball handling and running it than a larger player. so true. So true. I love this conversation. You know we could talk all day, right? This could be a four part podcast episode. Okay, so for women who want to be more visible, But they feel stuck in their story. Like, what's the bridge between healing and marketing strategy? Hmmmm That's a good one. That's That mean like, no, like that's yeah, no, that's juicy. First, heal the small stuff. This may make, this analogy may make some people cringe. Sorry, not sorry. How do you even eat an elephant? One bite at a time. doing the small steps. working on feeling safe. So if you're not feeling safe or comfortable on showing up on camera or speaking your truth, keep it simple. Do a grounding technique before you hit record. Whether it's breathwork tapping, say a mantra, you know that it's safe to be seen, it's safe to be heard, your voice matters. Shake your body for 30 seconds. Like no, just shake it out, jump around. Put a hand on your chest, remind yourself that it's safe. These little resets, they retrain your body, your nervous system, so that being visible doesn't feel like... It's just survival, something you have to do that you're not automatically going into fight or flight saying, fuck shit damn, fuck shit damn, what do we do? How do I run? What is this? It's so that it feels like freedom, so that you feel comfortable and confident. Remind yourself that you've been hiding and that you're ready to be seen. Yeah. Do you think those are like really good like daily practices or tools? know, you know, like breath work and even like, what do they call them? Nervous system resets and things like that. Does that help people? And is it something they should do every day, whether they're trying to be visible or not? 100 % 100 % People are not in their body anymore. We're not. We are so distracted and overwhelmed. our nervous systems are fucking shot. Like even though I work in the field, I'll be like, I'll fucking call myself out here. We are exposed to so many things that our brains are not wired to be exposed to. Our caveman brain has not evolved to the point to handle the constant bombardment of news, social media. All the lights, the sounds, the movement. It's not an attack on anybody, it's science. Our brains are not wired to handle all of this shit. Somebody said we watch on average like eight full length blockbuster films a day. Like that's how much information is always coming at us. I believe it. I believe it. And I mean, we've become addicted to the cheap fake dopamine rush of checking our phones, the constant alerts. So taking that moment daily to ground, to sit and breathe in silence. How many people can handle silence? Can drive their car 10 minutes without turning on the fucking radio? Yeah. How many people can just sit and breathe? How many people can take a walk without listening to a podcast? Audiobook, music, phone call to a friend, texting. How long can we just sit there and hold our chest and be? When we're feeling anxious, instead of reaching for our phone to distract ourselves, can we tap gently and bring us home and say, I am safe. I am comfortable. Yeah, it's. do we go barefoot in the grass? Not enough. I mean, if I lived in Hawaii, I would totally do it way more. oh mean, listen, I'm barefoot all, even at work. As soon as like I sit down with a client, my slippers are coming off and I'm like, okay, let's talk. Yeah, no, you know, and this is something I've been researching a lot because I first of all, I think I'm a pretty self aware person I always have work to do. But I noticed myself being on social media more like being addicted to my phone more and scrolling and watching reels and I realized my emotions angry cracking up because somebody sharing something heartfelt or somebody died or their dog died or something. And I'm like, this cannot freaking be healthy. This cannot be healthy. Like I'm scrolling, right? And I'm taking it in in the moment and it's creating some type of emotion, but I'm having like 10 different emotions in a 10 minute scroll. It's not healthy. No, and none of it's real. exactly. And so that's one of the things that I, people have this perception because I am pro visibility, right? I am pro like get your voice out there, get your face out there, grow your business. But people are under this impression that I live on social media and I want to shift that because I don't want people to think that this thing right here and I'm holding up my phone if you're listening is like, is. I have it in my hand 24 seven because it's not true and it's not healthy. And I also want to talk about this even more in even in my programming because it's not good for us and in truly be a creative, which I believe if you're an entrepreneur, you were put on this earth, you have a creative gene in your body and to truly be fully creative to create content, to create the next best thing that you are going to create in your business. Those, the social media apps are just distracting you and taking away from the greatness that is possible for you. yeah, yes. There are an astounding number of scientific studies. We're not just going to go on our feelers here. Sometimes we need to be told by some person doing some research. The negative effects of technology, of social media, in both adults and adolescents. There is a reason why it is called your feed. That is what you are consuming. That is what you are being fed. Never drew that connection, Melissa. But I see it now. as you are checking your feed, that is what an external source is giving you and you are choosing to consume. And so when we say watch your diet, your diet also includes your social media feed. What are you consuming? Is that supporting the person you want to be? Is that supporting your goals? Is that supporting your mental health? Is that supporting your physical health? I didn't even mean to go down this rabbit hole, by the way. It just happened. holes. Come on, Alice, let's go to Wonderland. let's do a little shift. Let's let my audience hear a little bit more about who you are personally with some fun rapid fire questions, because I think this is a great shift for where we're at right now. So first question, are you a morning person or a night owl? both. What? I need explanation. This can't be rapid. think no, how? both. How? How are you both? One, I have very unhealthy sleep patterns. Okay. Got it. patterns. So I'm an endurance athlete. And so for me to be able to do my runs, I have to be running by four o'clock in the morning. Sometimes earlier, depending upon the distance and the rest of my day. I also have a really hard time sleeping in. I don't know if that's conditioning. I don't know if that's my spicy trauma brain. I don't know if it's because it's 530 in the morning and we have loud, very loud birds in the yard. I don't know, but it's a thing. I also force myself to go to bed early sometimes because I have to wake up at 330 to go for a run by four. But I love staying up late. I do a lot of late night reading, a lot of late night writing. Mm-hmm. creativity in various forms. I love to go out stargazing, but I love to watch the sunrise. So I'm both. I respect that. And I think that goes along with my next rapid fire question since you were talking about reading. Is there a book that has changed your life? Though there's so many. So fucking many. or three. uh That one's a fuck. Like, That's not the name of the book, friends, just in case you were wondering. I don't think there is anyhow. Dr. Seuss, are the places you will go. So good. I've read that through Val. Who moved my cheese? Who's that by? I can't remember. I genuinely I can't remember. It's a very short book, but it hit me. Yeah. Sarah Knight. I believe it's the magic of not giving a fuck. Okay. We knew there would be an F-bomb in there. Yeah. Yes. I would say those are the top three. Yeah, no, that's good. So do you have a non-negotiable like self-care practice that is non-negotiable for you? Hmm Sunshine. Heck yeah, you're in the right place for it too. Yeah, it, yeah, sunshine every day. Yeah, I know. I'm really curious to hear the answer to this question because I feel like you're already in paradise. But what is one place that you dream to travel to? Europe. and he like all over Europe. Yeah. What, final question, what is one of the most courageous things that you've done recently? push out of your comfort zone. I registered for 100k. Is that the furthest you've ever ran? How many days of this one? It's not days, I'll probably get it done in 14 to 15 hours. wow. So this isn't like a three day, like, Melissa was in Ohio back in May, I think, and she did a three day. So that's why I'm asking. Yeah, but that was like a relay thing. um, this is all me. Um, 64 miles. It's the furthest I've run at a single time, like non-stop me. And it's a stepping stone. This is my stepping stone because I have a goal of doing 100 miler and 125 miler. That's insane, but I'm so proud of you to get out of your comfort zone and do it. matter of fact, when Melissa was here in May, even though was a three day and it was a relay, you ran on a hurt ankle, right? had a broken fibula. I had broken my fibula right above the ankle nine or ten weeks prior. But also like I don't know if courageous is the word but like tenacity is the word like there's so many words that come to come to mind but yeah, I just think you're a powerhouse so Thank you. It's some. It is beautiful when we push our boundaries, our comfort zones, to see what can we do. And that's when it goes back to like healthy ego. unhealthy ego pushes you no matter what, no matter the cost. And you can't look at the big picture. Healthy ego, you're doing it out of excitement, joy, gratitude. Do I recommend everybody runs on a broken fibula? No. No. I was very lucky with this break because of where it broke. I still had like phenomenal mobility on it. I ran with the brace. My doctor knew I was running. And so that's like, let's just tell people, do not run on broken bones. just because you heard somebody else did. We're all a little different. And on that note, I would love for you to share, like, where can my audience find you if they want to connect with you after they listen to this episode? I mean, because they're going to want to. My social media I spend the most time on Instagram, The Melissa Lee Parent. You can also check out my website. those are like the top three ways to connect with me. Absolutely. Now we've talked about a lot of topics on today's episode. So is there one thing that you would like to reiterate or something that we didn't cover that you would like to share with my audience? It's safe to be seen. It's safe to be heard. That you have the tools. You can't. You can do it. And sometimes we just have to get of our own fucking head, throw it in the fuck it bucket and do the thing. Do it scared. Do it ugly. but know that your voice matters. Post the thing, share the story, speak your truth. You don't have to wait until you're ready. if you feel like you need permission, this is me giving you the permission. Please do it. that is a wrap for today's episode. Make sure that you share this episode with someone, leave us a review, connect with Melissa, because if you are struggling with really truly being seen and you know there's something deeper, she is the one that you want to connect with. And I'll put all of her information in the show notes. Thank you so much for listening and we'll see you on the next one.