Krystel Clear
In this podcast you will experience my unique approach to healing, happiness and following my souls purpose. My intention is to provide a platform that aims to guide and support individuals on their journey towards personal growth, inner healing, spiritual enlightenment or just taking the right steps to reach your highest potential!
My goal is to create a thought provoking, safe and nurturing space for listeners to explore various topics. Healing, self-discovery, mindfulness, wellness, empowerment, accountability, the raw truths of life, love and overcoming everyday obstacles.
I will have my tribe of healing coaches, doctors, colleagues and peers joining me to discuss their journeys in hopes of bringing enlightenment and empowerment to your world.
Life can be messy so let’s talk about that and the worthiness, forgiveness and compassion it takes to face our darkness and shine our light!
I hope this podcast validates your feelings, gives you the permission needed to share your voice, speak your truth and navigate your own journey with strength and perseverance.
**This podcast does not supplement any mental health or medical advice from practitioners. It’s a guiding tool providing resources from my own personal life experiences. The intention is to shed light and love onto the lives of others. You are not alone**
Krystel Clear
The Heart-Led Leadership with Dani Williams
Ever feel like you're fighting against a system that wasn't designed for you? You're not alone.
This eye-opening conversation with Dani Williams, founder of Next Generation Wellness, reveals how heart-led leadership is transforming education for neurodivergent individuals. After 13 years of developing innovative programs, Dani shares her philosophy of meeting people exactly where they are, rather than forcing them into standardized boxes.
Drawing from her own journey with ADHD, anxiety, and sensory processing disorder, Dani created what she wished existed during her own challenging school years. Her approach combines movement, social-emotional learning, and tools like human design to help participants understand their unique ways of processing the world. "I want to help others work through these things that I experienced," she explains, "and provide them with tools and resources they can utilize so they can navigate through whatever they're experiencing."
The conversation takes a powerful turn when addressing the conditioning many of us carry: that our work ethic determines our worth. Both Dani and Krystel discuss their struggles with rest, boundaries, and giving themselves permission to have empty space. It's a refreshingly honest dialogue about the challenges of living authentically while leading others.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is the practical wisdom for anyone who feels they don't fit the standard mold. Whether you're a parent of a neurodivergent child, an educator seeking fresh approaches, or someone trying to understand your own unique wiring, Dani's insights offer a roadmap to greater self-acceptance and empowerment.
Listen in to discover how understanding your individual design can transform your relationship with yourself and others. Then connect with Next Generation Wellness at www.nxtgennation.com to learn more about their innovative programs and community-building events.
Thank you for joining me today. Please know that this podcast and the information shared is not to replace or supplement any mental health or personal wellness modalities provided by practitioners. It’s simply me, sharing my personal experiences and I appreciate you respecting and honoring my story and my guests. If something touched your heart please feel free to like, share and subscribe. Have a beautiful day full of gratitude, compassion and unconditional love.
What's up you guys? Welcome to this episode of Crystal Clear. I have a very special guest today Dani Williams. She is the founder of Next Generation, just celebrating their 13th year coming up this week yes, and Seed Collective nonprofit co-founder yes. But I don't think I'm going to do your introduction any justice. I will say she is one of the most heart-led leaders, coaches, people in this community. So thank you so much for being here and I'm really excited for you to share all of the different avenues of your life and passions and projects and all the things.
Speaker 2:You're welcome, thank you, thank you. Can I ask where do I look? Do I look at you? Look at the camera Me? It's a conversation're welcome, thank you. Thank you. Can I ask where do I look? Do I look at you? Look at the camera? Anywhere Me? It's a conversation between us. Thank you. I just needed to like get that out there rather than like turning this way or whatever I mean I will look off to the side sometimes, but when I'm deep in thought I tend to look.
Speaker 2:But yes, I am Dani Williams. Next Generation founded it formerly as Kids in Motion, back in 2012 with a good friend of mine, kelly Carwatt, and then we kind of started to evolve and Kelly went her separate way professionally and then it kind of took on the name Next Generation Wellness because all of the kids that we started with started to grow up and they were no longer children, so changed the name to match the vibe and so, yeah, nextgen has brought on many different titles and different certifications for me, but at the heart of it all, I'm a special education teacher with a lot of fun special interests, to which I just turned into certifications and areas of specialization. So human design, quantum human design being one of them, polyvagal theory I mean you have your master special ed, adaptive training, certification and yoga and just a bunch of things that kind of all come together with the whole child and the whole individual approach in education.
Speaker 1:And I love that you are taking that route, because that's really what we all need. Yeah, like it's not a one size fits all and there's no standard, like I love, like we've been, I don't know. I was educated on this standardized system and I'm like what does that even mean? I know what is that and it didn't serve me well.
Speaker 2:No, and I don't think it serves many well at all, and I think that so many of us become adults and then you're just like what the hell was this Like?
Speaker 2:I feel like I spend then 20 years trying to unlearn all of these things that I was taught in a traditional setting, and especially, I think, when you're neurodivergent, you just fit outside of the box and you're being taught in a way that is for the norm or for those that are able to take that instruction and run with it. For those that are neurodivergent or aligned with that particular type of label or identity, I should say it's even more challenging and it just, I think, with my perspective, I want to be able to provide children and families with what I wish I had when I was younger and that looks like a very different, unconventional education system or routine and I think a lot of what we get to experience now is there wasn't a path we get to create it, and they're creating it alongside of us because they're my students, and our students and participants are all the inspiration for where we, where we've gotten to today.
Speaker 1:So it's very much their thing as much as it is my thing, and I love that because you're empowering them to to build their life around their unique expression, where that you know. And another thing that you do, too, is you add a lot of like kinetic movement.
Speaker 1:And so tell us a little bit about your programs, Like what what is kind of a typical program entail? Like how does this kind of tie into your nonprofit? And you really serve the full family too, which is really wonderful because we're getting there, you know it's yeah, it's such a huge support to have that support, to know that someone hey, I see you, I feel you, You're not alone in this.
Speaker 2:Yes, that that's a huge part. So I'll start from the beginning and kind of take you through the flow chart of how it kind of all unfolded. So started with fitness. I was a special education teacher. In my first year I created the school's first physical education curriculum. So from there I was then able to get my own classroom of multi-age students, and a handful of them are still with us today, which is like so flipping cool. Me too. It's so great. It's like a sister brother relationship at this point. But so fitness was the main staple, it was the foundation.
Speaker 2:I started working one-on-one with kids outside of school just because I observed their gross motor skills, just being they were missing out on opportunities because they weren't confident in themselves and just basically, developmentally speaking, when you're working within special populations, they're a bit behind from standard. You know how we view as, like a society, your standards. They were, they were behind, they were not meeting those marks. So being able to work one-on-one, using fitness as the foundation, while noticing the social, emotional component, was the most important takeaway for me, but also for the child. So instead of me wanting it for them, they started to want it for themselves. So that's when we started to work in the social emotional curriculum and starting to bring in a lot of the self-development work into fitness. So your mindfulness, the yoga, a lot of the self-affirming, particular language and whatnot um, that primarily was more verbal, trying to connect, like your words, with your actions.
Speaker 2:Later down the line, the somatic experiencing and the polyvagal theory and nervous system all started to kind of come in too. But yeah, so, like once we were in that one-on-one setting, they're gaining that confidence with that social emotional curriculum. Then we started to bring in the social skills and that was kind of where the group program started to happen. So we would have wellness camps and field days and a bunch of different like one-off events just to really provide that sense of community and just to be able to work with those social cues and components that also within special populations needs to be addressed and guided in a supportive and compassionate way.
Speaker 2:So from there, adding in more of the wellness aspects. So your nutrition, going more into, like, the holistic realm of things, definitely have dappled with a couple of different things along the along the road, but yeah, so then from nutrition, all the wellness aspects and now we're getting into, uh, human design and I I wouldn't say it's the spiritual component, but there is like an element that it is a little spiritual in a sense, um and I know that's not for everybody, but it's it's very much in alignment with the energy and the.
Speaker 2:The example that we're trying to lead is that we first are adjusting the individual, so the parent as their individual self, our student or a participant, but then also the collective as a community on a small scale and on a on a larger scale, so it kind of all flows and works together and we're not yet done so Right. I mean, it's so beautiful, so it kind of all flows and works together and we're not yet done so Right.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's so beautiful. So how are you like acquiring new participants? How, like, what is your typical kind of way to reel people in and to let them know that you're there? Like, are you doing community events? Are you working with school systems? Are you so kind of how, if people were listening to this?
Speaker 2:and they're like oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:I need this in my life, even if they're remote, like how, how could that be accessible?
Speaker 2:Like what is the process for that? That's a great question. So for the longest time it was merely word of mouth.
Speaker 2:For the longest time it was me and typically one other coach. Now we're at a point where we're a team of five to six coaches and then we've actually been able to hire on some of our individuals with different abilities and neurodivergent individuals to kind of come on as assistant coaches. Or I have one young lady who's doing our newsletter now. So it's just like these little things are starting to kind of allow us to evolve and expand. But for the longest time it was word of mouth. But now we're kind of getting to a place of how can we extend our reach, how can we make ourselves more accessible while not allowing the quality of what we're doing and the services of what we're doing go down in any sense of I just for me, quality is so much more important than quantity, and the ones that we've been able to work with and fortunate enough to work with, the depth of their instruction and the relationship and the rapport has been outstanding. So I think I held onto that for a long time, thinking that there was no other way.
Speaker 2:But now again we have the opportunity to like, relearn things or unlearn them.
Speaker 2:I'm learning that we're able to extend our reach and to become more accessible, especially when you have such a supportive team like we do, and the resources and the tools in the community backing us, so something such as this I mean it's allowing us to get our word out there without having that direct hourly session. So we're working on coursework and training more coaches to be part of our team so that we're able to provide that same guidance for more individuals within our community. And then the nonprofit is our arm, so kind of working hand in hand with another for profit that we actually just started as well I won't talk too much on that one yet but being able to kind of work with this synergistic arrangement and relationship so that we're able to provide programs for families, for the community at large, for remote individuals that are interested but just don't live here. So there's a lot of things on the horizon for more accessibility, but still with that intentional quality service and programming that we offer within our one-on-ones and our small groups currently.
Speaker 1:You know it's interesting. I had someone reach out to me today and they're like hi, I know you work with the Haven a lot, but you know we have a family that works for us and their kids have some exceptionalities and they're looking for some things to do. Do you know anyone? And I'm like, actually so. So if you wouldn't mind, I'm going to send you, send them your information after, whether it's work or you know, like things that they can do athletically or just being involved.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what really um stood out to me and all the things that you've said and just knowing you personally, is you are so intentional and it's about, like you said, the quality, like things will come in your path that are meant to be, and I think that that's part of my like spiritual components, like what's meant for you will always come and you don't have to go seeking it all the time and you're not looking to expand and grow and build and build and build, because what happens when we build and build and build? We lose sight of the heart of what we're doing. So I am just so excited to see how this is all. I mean it's fun to watch. I mean we've been in each other's network for 16, 15 years, just based on a family that we kind of both worked with individually, and that guy's off in college now and it's crazy.
Speaker 1:But you know, that's when I first heard about you and just heard such great things and then, you know, just kind of trickled in networks and just around. So it's just I feel like it's one of those beautiful synergistic or synergetic like just partnerships that just you can see someone's heart and you can see their passion, and I think that that's something. And you've been very open, like I have, about sharing a personal journey. Yeah, so what led you into all this, if you don't mind sharing? Yeah, you know what, what really motivated you to do what you're doing, because that doesn't just happen by accident, it doesn't just you know, you have a, like you said, you mentioned that it was from your own personal experiences. So if you could elaborate on that a little bit, yeah for sure.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I, I, um, I get asked this question all the time because I feel like it's it's so niche and I don't want to like speak like in a in a way that like comes off as um bragging, but I know that we're in something that's very unique, um, but I'm very, I I would consider myself very unique or I I've been able to. But again, everybody has their own individual experiences, um, but from the beginning I felt, um and when I say beginning, just within my childhood and adolescent years and teens, a, I was fortunate enough to be around individuals who had Down syndrome, developmental delays, at a very young age. So I think that exposure and that introduction and ultimately that curiosity for me, it allowed me to see life through a different lens, and one of my family members actually had Down syndrome, so he was constantly at family events and just was the life of the party and you just grow to love or I grew to love those individuals and just that essence and stubbornness and all of it. But through, I mean, my school age years, I definitely struggled across the board and again that comes in with that high masking of like I was fairly popular, I mean, I was very athletic, I was on the basketball team, I ran cross country pretty prominent family, all things considered, in the town that I grew up with or in. And then my sister was, you know, very good basketball player, so people knew who we were. And then my sister was, you know, a very good basketball player. So people knew who we were.
Speaker 2:And I don't think anybody really knew the struggles that I was experiencing behind closed doors, highly sensitive, like everything crushed me, crushed my soul, and I had no regulation skills to handle and cope and move through that, aside from fitness, and often it was me just like running by myself, going to the gym at 6 am, you know, just constantly moving and doing all these things. But when I was still with myself, whether it was academically speaking or socially, with friendships and or just family related things, our internal family unit it was certainly. It was a struggle and I know that everybody has their own experiences and their struggles. But for me the takeaway was I want to help others work through these things that I experienced and these difficulties and these roadblocks, and I don't want to necessarily take away that pain or take away that suffering or the lessons that were learned along the way, but I at least want them to feel like they have somebody that understands it to some degree, can relate, and then also tools and resources that they can utilize for themselves so that they can navigate through whatever it is that they're experiencing.
Speaker 2:It wasn't until I was working in a classroom, I was in my mid-20s, when I got diagnosed with ADHD and generalized anxiety and sensory processing disorder. I've been evaluated for autism, so it just by healing, being in the healing environment, ultimately put me on the path to healing myself. And today I'll be 36. Tomorrow, oh, happy birthday. Oh, what a special day We'll get to that later.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, it's all like you said, everything kind of unfolds. I know it's kind of bizarre how life-.
Speaker 1:We're really gonna cry, no it's been.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's been a year for sure.
Speaker 2:But you know, last year at this time I feel like the, the challenges and the struggles and the healing that I've been able to go through throughout my entire lifetime, but this past year especially and specifically maybe because I'm more conscious and aware and intentional about healing myself so I can ultimately help heal others it has been.
Speaker 2:It has put me in such a place to continue even more so on this path and on this journey, and I've never felt more validated within myself to do what I love and do it in the way that I want to do it, because I think so often, being like a chronic people pleaser and just a, my sister sent me like with you know, virgo is my horoscope and whatnot, like astrology, and if you're into it, awesome, if not, that's fine too. It's just like these little pieces. But she sent me the Virgo's like key terms, and it was the martyr, the servant, the perfectionist, and I forget the other one because it was actually OK. But the first three I'm like those suck, like those are really like the, and I'm like that's true, like here's my soul on a platter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, give it back whenever you're done. Yeah, so.
Speaker 2:I think that, yes, I definitely serve. But I told her I do serve others, but I'm going to serve myself first martyr. But I'm not going to go die on the hill that I don't deserve to die on and then the perfectionist, the imperfect perfectionist and that does very much embody who I am and who. I strive to be, but I think it's just owning that and taking it and trying to help others along the way right and finding value in our lived experience, and it sounds like that's what you've done.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's what I've had to do. It's like you, you know, going back to like childhood stuff, like, yeah, you realize ways you struggled, but I also had to really put the mirror up to like, how am I carrying that into like now, and what have I been doing to carry that into now? Like I am very much of this deep, deep, deep conditioned. Your work ethic is your worthiness. You know you have to earn everything that you ever do like and you have to prove yourself, like you know, and it's so hard to break out of.
Speaker 1:But when you're doing work and so I think this is where I still struggle to find a balance when you're doing work that you really love, but then you get to a point where it's like, okay, but what am I doing for me? So, like I've had to do that, like take a step back, like, yes, we're doing all this beautiful work, but I can't lose myself in the process, because then I'm going to be a hypocrite about doing the work that I really need, you know. So it's like finding that balance and sometimes it's really hard. So how do you, for yourself. Maintain that balance, although I will say she is like the most ridiculous jump roper on the planet.
Speaker 2:I know that's a form of therapy for you. It is, it definitely is.
Speaker 1:I just watch it. I'm like, wow, that's pretty incredible. But thank you, so how do you find that balance for yourself? Because I think that that's where I still struggle.
Speaker 2:Just balance with work and life.
Speaker 1:Well balance with like you know, owning it, yeah, and all of it yeah, and then doing the great work for others, but then making sure that you reel it back in and don't get into those old patterns of manifesting too much when youesting too much, when you manifest too much and then you're like, okay, well, I've manifested all of this, so how do I reel it back in?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a challenging predicament that we often find ourselves in. I am learning that I crave and thrive with structure, but I am getting better and better with allowing myself to have permission to rest, yes, which is insanely challenging for me. Same.
Speaker 1:That's, I think, my biggest downfall. And when I do have empty space, not feeling guilty for having empty space and just resting and allowing myself to do nothing. Not feeling guilty for having empty space and just resting and allowing myself to do nothing, Like you know, I've I've acquired help and I've I've diverted all of these tasks in other ways. But like, stop filling the empty space when you have it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, yes, it is, and I I feel like I have gotten much better with that. When I have empty space, I'm like now intentionally putting time within my work days to just have flex time because I need the structure. But I also am learning that I need the flexibility to just be like I'm actually not gonna go do that, I'm gonna just say no and do my own thing. But I have found that my empty space is time for me to hang out with my dogs, so I'll literally I have like a really cool situation where I live like a block away from both of the locations that we work out of, so I'm able to like go home, like hang with my dogs for a bit. Or there's a park right across the street that I literally just go like sit my ass down in or stretch or do something.
Speaker 2:I just lay there and that has been like just a little bit of time, like each week or whenever I can find it has been life changing for me because it just rejuvenates me and it allows me to have that time for myself and also I think it's a lot of boundary setting too. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Not saying yes to everything because it even if it feels right in the moment it's like okay, so it might feel right right now, but does it serve me next week? Does it serve me?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then next week you get super resentful and you're like I can't believe. I said yes to that, Like I definitely don't want to go, but that's like, yes, honoring your own boundaries and then following through with those boundaries. So I have found that that has been super important and then also expressing it to those that are within your circle and communicating it, because I find myself, if I'm in our workspace, I am immediately accessible and I will naturally just jump in or answer any questions or be the again the servant.
Speaker 2:I'm here to help everybody, but yet that takes me out of my flow state, that takes me out of, like, my intentional time, and then ultimately, I become frustrated with myself. So I think, if I look at it through that lens, I'm much more apt to be like okay, no, you really do need to take this time and you do need to have this balance, because ultimately, you're going to be the one that's going to be upset with yourself and we no longer want to be living in that state of mind because that's a really shitty place and I don't want to be in that loop again and I have been diagnosed with similar things that you have in the past and I have found that if I don't take that time for myself, I can't process what's going on in my life Like I can't.
Speaker 1:I have a hard time bouncing from community outreach to podcasting to family stuff, to anything, anything philanthropic.
Speaker 1:And it's like I, if I don't take that time and for me, I don't know if it's just conditioning, I don't know if it's just the way my body does process, but like long walks or just walking and being in nature, is the way that my body processes. Like if I, if I find, if I do just like lay down and be still, I'm like I don't know, I feel like I just need to do. You know, I think of other things that need to be done around me, especially if I'm indoors at my house. So I find that being outside, like even this morning, I'm like I took a long walk, like I need birds, I need just no, no noise and no music, and it allow, it just sets me up differently, yeah, and it allows me to show up for myself in a way that I just can't do in others, in a way that I just can't do if I'm going from all the things no, even if you're passionate about it, and that's just it.
Speaker 1:It's you, this serving, giving heart, but it's like, okay, what am I pouring into me? And that is so huge. And I know that that's probably something you work a lot with the parents and the children and the families that you work with. That's a huge component. But by you doing that, you're giving them the permission, you're showing them by example like you have to do this for yourself, like drop them off, have the time for yourself, like you're allowed to do that, because so often we feel guilty for having time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's super interesting because I'm not a parent, but I am a parent and I will tell you this new layer of guilt has been placed upon me just by having two dogs and like I and they have the like they are living like the life. I see you guys walking around downtown all the time, and yet still I'll be like, oh, I didn't spend enough time with my dogs today. I'm like God, like people probably look at my situation and like Danny, like, shut up, like you are doing just fine.
Speaker 2:Your own standard, though, yes but that exactly so, being able to work through these like little guilty or like these conditioned things that we feel like we have to take on, like these conditioned things that we feel like we have to take on and I think that just being aware of it is like the battle, because you're able to choose differently if you're aware of it. Right.
Speaker 1:And I have the choice. I think that some of the things that I really want to touch on, to add to this, are such another layer of the component, like the human design, or love languages or life languages, like what we are kind of created, like how we are. Everyone is so different. Yeah, like when my husband and I did life languages 10 years ago for the first time and before we were married, and I realized I was a high responder, high influencer, high mover, and he was a super high contemplator and that was my lowest and responder was his lowest, it was like, well, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, and I'm like that probably saved our relationship. No, it's so true, having that knowledge is power and so human design is different. So I've, I've done it. I'm the manifesting generator. Three, five, I forget the whole chart, but explain that to us a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so human design is basically like your blueprint for your energy how you show up in your life, how you respond to life others internally, externally I mean it's just, it's a really nice foundational. It's very much a hybrid of a lot of spiritual energetic components all brought together as one. So you have your energy type, which is manifesting generator. That's yours right? Yes, also mine, which understand. I understand a lot. Yeah just I when you're saying like I just went for a long walk and I was totally I'm like well, that makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 2:Primary, secondary functions, for sure, um. But then you have your profile lines, your three. So that basically shows the first line is how people perceive you, so your three is the investigator, and then the five is how you perceive and see yourself, so that's the leader, and those can go into a lot more depth. And then you have your authority and your strategy. And I don't want to get too much into those particular things, but the way that I see it is again a blueprint, a general understanding for you to better discover and understand yourself. And the word curiosity always pops up for me, because we don't necessarily want to use these things as a label or like it's your sole identity. But I think we all deserve, yes, to have these tools to better understand ourselves, so we can understand others, so we can try to make sense of the world in which we're currently living, right and I'll say, like doing the human design, doing the love languages, doing life languages, doing all of these kind of like my astrology chart, like understand, and these are all little things, you know.
Speaker 1:You take it with a grain of salt. Yeah, it adds you know how you have a file let's think old school files, when we actually printed things out. It just goes into that like, well, that makes everything make so much sense. This is why I could give two shits about math. I knew I was never going to use math in my life. I always needed to move my body. I'm a mover. I'm like a 96% mover or something like that.
Speaker 1:Like, and this is like the contemplator, this is why I'm impulsive, because I don't think about things before I do them. You know, high responder, this is where the empathy comes in, and, like, my need and want to help and give others, and the influencer is like this is why I want to share it, because I want people to know that they're not alone. And so how have you been able to kind of incorporate this into your education styles? Because you incorporate it into, you know, your participants plan and everything which is wonderful.
Speaker 2:I'm just kidding. My team is like it's not a standardized test.
Speaker 1:It's not it is, but it's amazing. Think of it along those lines, though, like we've been using this one system, or a few systems, like grading scales and things like that. And it's like this, you know, we're all. Someone said it was actually a parent night in my son's school and I teared up like six times, but they were explaining this. You know, traditional education system our teachers are giving information, the students are receiving the information at all different levels, you know, and then they're tested on the information. Yeah, so the one that really struggled to understand the information, once they get the grade back, realizes like, oh, wow, you know, what does that do to their insides? Like I'm not good enough or I don't know, and it's like, no, maybe you just needed a different way, maybe it needed to be delivered differently, maybe you need to touch and feel something to understand it. Maybe you, you know so anyway. So it's, it's chasing, like the reward of the end goal, which is the grade. Yeah, right.
Speaker 1:And then there's this different educational system that you know you're hands-on, you're tactile, you're learning about what, what? How do you learn best? Do you want to see things? Do you want to feel things? Do you need to be moving while you're doing it? Do you? You know? Is it? Are you very visual? Like I, have a very picture, like visual memory, like I can.
Speaker 1:This is the way I, the only way I think I got through school, is because I would color code my notes and then I would look at them and then I would be able to regurgitate on a test because I had that picture in my mind of the colors of the answers and I got through like that, like, did I remember it now?
Speaker 1:No, I mean anatomy and physiology. I did, because that was what I was interested in. So it's so interesting. But when we're collectively educating ourselves and each other and children and we're doing it as a collective group and we're collaborating on things and working through challenges and verbalizing how it makes us feel along the way and asking for help, it creates this collective community. But if we're just chasing the reward, we totally miss out on the process. And the process is how we truly learn. And that to me was like like I'm just 40 years old and I'm just now figuring out how to do all of this. But I feel like it's something like inherently, you kind of know along the way and you figure out how to do it in your own little way, and so I love that you are just creating and holding space for these opportunities and just doing it so differently.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it feels really good. Yes, it feels good and I think to your point, being in a school that's traditional, where you're getting the grades or you're trying to strive for that outcome of you know, the recognition, the accolade or the letter grade. It's all about the language and it's, I think, being able to approach life and education specifically because that's the field in which I'm in in a more empowering way and using different language, so that you're setting that student or that child or that teen up for success ultimately, so that they're not seeing their differences as less or from lack, and it's not affecting their self-esteem or their worth, it merely is providing them an explanation for who they are.
Speaker 2:And that's not to be an excuse, like you're not going to say, oh yeah, I'm just really impulsive, so that explains why? No, but it gives you an explanation as to why you do the things that you do. And again, you have the decision, you have the choice. What are you going to do with that information? Right, and I think that's ultimately all that we can do is plant that seed and maybe one day hopefully one day they'll be able to take it, retain it and be able to apply it in a meaningful and constructive way. But I think that the information and the knowledge that we're able to provide our children and our young adults for them to advocate for themselves, for them to understand who they are, so that they don't feel like they are a misfit or an outsider or not enough.
Speaker 2:I think that our world deserves a generation of individuals. Whether you're neurodivergent or neurotypical or whatever, it doesn't matter. I think everybody deserves that right to be empowered and to have the opportunity and, most importantly, the people to support you along the way. I think so often people feel so isolated because they don't feel understood, but if you're able to get yourself in a place that has others in a similar position maybe not the same, but being able to know that your struggles might be yours and an individual experience for you, but at least you're amongst others that are experiencing things or can relate to what you're going through and that sense of belonging and community is so important.
Speaker 2:And I think within education. I think so many kids are walking paths just alone and whether they're displaying that on social media or not, that's certainly happening. I would argue that it's happening even more in today's society, which I'm sure that there are studies and data on that. I taught in middle school for a couple of years before I left completely, and I was devastated at the amount of turmoil and the mental health and just the emotional status and development of where we're expecting them to be as a society, as a system, to where they're actually functioning and we're not meeting them where they are. So, yes, I feel very fortunate to be able to provide a vessel to at least have some type of contribution that I can feel good about and I can sleep at night about, because I'm not going to change the world, but it's the ripple effect If you're able to instill this in a community or an individual. Let's start with the individual. Then you can create a community that, hopefully, will continue to pass it along and do the same.
Speaker 1:Right, and I think that's just really what it's about is like providing that resource. I don't think it's not mainstream because it's like intentionally it's just it's not been as accepted or, you know, even put out there enough. So now that's the whole point of doing this right is to provide people these resources like they're alternatives. Yeah, and you know, I think that's the great thing about being on the board of Resilient Retreat is like providing these, you know, regulation opportunities for helping professions so awesome, I mean, mean it's such. I mean, for, like you said, you taught middle school and my daughter like all of her, with one in college, two in high school, one five-year-old, but like middle school was so hard, like in you know, I got feedback from the teachers and I'm like, but I don't even you.
Speaker 1:I think when people go into education they go in for a heart, for exactly like you've described, and it's hard sometimes when you have so many regulations and systems and you know things that you have to go through a certain structure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I just think that that's the beauty of having the ability to add to your own toolbox and understanding more. And, like you said before, we got on air like I think I would be like the public school teacher. That was like okay, human design, I need everyone's information because it allows you to understand, because it's so I mean, it's so fast paced. I think that was the hardest part for me in school is like okay, you go from one class to the next class, to the next class to the next class, and then you have to go home and do this work. Or then you go to sports and then by the time the next day rolls around, you're like I don't know what the hell happened yesterday. I'm just, I felt like I was just kind of going through the motions and I don't, I just knew I wasn't built for it.
Speaker 2:Well, and you're probably, I mean correct me if I'm wrong but how many of those activities that you had throughout your day, or subjects that you were actually like really invested in or like excited about or curious about? Because if you're not interested in math or science or whatever it is you're I mean as your type like that, it drains the heck out of you.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's so hard.
Speaker 2:If you're super into anatomy and physiology, yeah, like you're locked in and you could have endless amounts and supplies of energy like all day hyper focus You're. You're going to be on point on your A game all day long if you're doing things that you love. But if you're not doing things that you love, it really can be detrimental. And that's not to say that you never should do anything that like.
Speaker 1:I mean something out of your comfort zone is important Right.
Speaker 2:However, but it's acknowledging that and again being aware of okay, yeah, math really drains me, so I'm going to allow the teacher to help me by helping myself and saying, hey, this is how I learn best. And again, not everybody can express or articulate that, but that's what the family unit's for, or that's even better, or that's even better. That's what the educator and the system is for is to support you and to provide you with the tools and the communication when you can or cannot speak for yourself.
Speaker 1:And I think that's really becoming more mainstream now is just more empowerment-based learning, even in traditional education. Even you know, I see stuff going on for Sarasota County like resiliency programs and teaching children about resiliency and I mean just understanding that. You know our environment is a big part of you know quote who we are from a young age, but it doesn't mean we have to get stuck there. Yeah, like we've said it kind of in passing is like you know, when you start to identify with anything, you start eliminating yourself. It's definitely, yeah, like OK, I was diagnosed with ADHD too, but I don't use that as an excuse and go along.
Speaker 1:I just know that, ok, there are certain things I need a little extra help and need to work around. Like you should see me getting stuff done around my house. It's like the dishwasher is open. I'm like in six different places in one, and God forbid someone come up and talk to me that I'm just like, okay, I'm going to go read a book and I'll come back. And then I come back and I'm like, okay, what was I working on? And I walked in this room for what reason? And you know I mean, I mean it's real, but I just I have to learn to come up with my little systems and you know you learn to work around it. But you have to find what's empowering for you and what helps you navigate that and just reaching out and I think it's just so important to know that you're not alone. Everyone has struggles, everyone has stuff and I really love that. I think we're really breaking out of this shame around this stuff conversation. It's like, yeah, conversation it's like no it's okay.
Speaker 1:We're all different, we all have challenges. We all have, you know, this individual beautiful makeup. That's what makes us all beautiful. But if we keep breaking each other up into these little groups, when we keep labeling everything, we're gonna keep the diversion there and like we're not gonna be like unified and supportive in that whole community. So I just I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think it's so important to just support that and I know that every that's like everything you stand for is, things are not black and white, no, and I think that, now more than ever, I think it's an important point to touch upon that Like we don't have to polarize everything, and it just because you're this doesn't mean you're that you can be autistic and still be very, uh, friendly and exciting and extroverted, to like be with other people there.
Speaker 2:two things can exist absolutely and two opposites can exist. And how? How are you going to handle the being able to hold that tension? And I think that that, ultimately, is a huge thing to teach the individual. And just again, communication. I think that that, above anything else, that was a thing that I certainly struggled with being on the receiving end but then also like trying to provide that communication expressing how I'm feeling. It never felt like it landed, but now I think I have the language, I have the tools and I think so often people just don't know how to express themselves and tell people how they're feeling, or people get offended or defensive by you standing up for yourself and sharing how it's making you feel.
Speaker 2:I think that we all deserve to have more harmony and peace in our lives and I think that that starts with us. I know that there's so much on that philosophy. I mean psychology, I mean depth. I've been starting to dabble with depth psychology and having the masculine and feminine and just seeing everybody as your mirror and what you see in others or what you don't like in others, or what makes you uncomfortable in others. Bring it right back to yourself and see the shadow parts that you need to be able to identify and be more intentional about moving through. And yeah, there's a lot that I think we try to sprinkle in the day to day, but I think the biggest thing is just really, like you said, the. I mean it's literally called empowering education, like that's what we, that sector and the holistic health and community connection, like those are literally our three pillars and it's just, it's all about empowering the individual so that we can create a more informed and self-affirming collective together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, and it's so huge because, like you said before, we're not taught how to verbalize our feelings, we're not taught how to feel our feelings. Yeah, you know, we're not like.
Speaker 1:I think we're coming around to it but you know, especially previous generations, you know you worked through I think that's where I grew up with my grandparents, but I think that's kind of where that you got to work through. Just keep on pushing, keep on trucking. Mentality goes and it's like, okay, I'll just keep running, Just keep running and running and running. What am I running from? I don't know if you've ever done this. I'm running and running, literally physically, and then like, what am I running from?
Speaker 1:And then it's like I'm scared to even look at that, yes, sometimes, but then I now I force myself to pause, like we talked about, and I even had a really impactful conversation yesterday. Have you ever been to a warehouse in Sarasota Wonderful, you would love Steve and Oz Comer and Dr Sienna there, and I went to see them because I feel like we have a new puppy and you, having two dogs you understand how much work they are and I, you know so, having a five-year-old and so it's not just having a new puppy, it's like having a new child, but you get to put them in a kennel sometimes. So it's really unlocked, this deep, deep childhood, like I can't do it all by myself. You know this deep like, okay, I, I can't do it all by myself.
Speaker 1:So what? What am I do? So I felt like I've been a little bit and we lost our dog and June. So I feel like I was a bit frozen and I found myself, instead of grieving like I needed to, I was running more, I was cycling more. I was back to the old patterns of moving through it because I didn't want to feel it, and then I had surgery in July and I forced myself to feel it.
Speaker 1:And then I was like oh, we get a new puppy and we get a new puppy, and then it's like, oh, but it's so beautiful, so I think that it's really allowed me.
Speaker 1:We get a new puppy and then, it's like, oh okay, but it's so beautiful. So I think that it's really allowed me to take a step back, like a deep, deep conversation yesterday about you don't have to do it all Like delegate, ask for help, get a puppy sitter, get someone to come walk them, get someone you know. Thank goodness I had the resources to like have this whole village of people helping me, because I don't know how I could do it often because you know like we were talking about when you fill the empty space. But if I have empty space, don't feel guilty for the empty space. You deserve the empty space. Yeah, you do. You deserve the empty space and it's okay.
Speaker 1:Your nervous system needs the empty space. Your brain needs the empty space. So I think that that's a big thing too is when, when it comes to education or, you know, just adult life living, allow yourself to have the empty space, because A you're going to be able to feel your feelings and process whatever it needs to be processed. Because we're running around with this full bucket and then someone cuts us off in traffic or one little thing happens and we have all these emotions about it and then it where's this all coming from? Because nine times out of ten. The thing is not the thing. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:Yes, it really is not. I would argue, yeah, nine and a half times out of ten, and is not the thing. It's everything else leading up to it right. But I think that's yes and just think about, by you understanding that, about yourself, how that's helping the people that you love and the people that you work with, or your friends or your family I mean everybody. They automatically benefit from you setting those boundaries and from you taking that time.
Speaker 2:And so you are your most favorite self and you can show up as you want to show up, because if you're not, then you're just going to feel some really difficult feelings and project it in other ways Right. Rather than being able to move through it and heal through it on your own, you're going to be placing it in a place that probably didn't deserve Right, and that's kind of where I feel like I was heading.
Speaker 1:And that's when I was like, okay, you know I've done so much healing, I've done all the work, I'm like, but this is just a perfect example of there's still so much work that needs to be done. With every new day, with every new chapter, you just never know what can come along. And I think that sometimes we get almost embarrassed to say I need more help or I need to shift things around, or I need to make a change here, and it's like let the ego go because your true self is not able to be truing right now.
Speaker 2:No, it's so true, and I think that when you are a person who is in this type of environment, often, or this field, or you lead by example- right but when you, ultimately, are faced with a more challenging time and you still have to show up as that person of influence or inspiration, or the teacher in the classroom every day, or, you know, working within a nonprofit setting or just the community itself. It's really challenging to mask what you're experiencing. So I mean my advice is like show everybody your true self and show yourself actually healing through it rather than trying to muscle through it, and just like really dig yourself an even bigger hole.
Speaker 1:Like I, refuse to wear the mask anymore. Yeah, and I think that that is the beauty of living just an authentic life. Yes, it's like I'm just going to show up and you know what and I think we touched on this earlier Like if we have something going on in two weeks, like when I get like two days before, like I plan my calendar out as much as I have to, but I am not afraid to be like, hey, I'm not going to be there, I can't show up, I just I can't. I can't do it, I don't have the capacity. Yeah, like that's my new favorite, I don't really have the capacity for that right now.
Speaker 1:But it's giving. Oh wow, I never really thought to say that or do that yeah, and to have people understand that so tell us about. You have like a big anniversary coming up.
Speaker 2:You have a lot going on here and a birthday and birthday tomorrow. So happy birthday, thank you. Thank you, yeah, we're celebrating 13 years. It was actually in June, but I got the date wrong. Like a couple of weeks weeks ago, I was in my chiropractor's office and I'm like, yeah, I think I'm celebrating it in August. I don't really do a celebration and then, like I go on sunbiz and I'm like, ah shit, it was actually back in June, so so it's not on your actual birthday, but you're celebrating it on your birthday it wasn't even supposed to be on my birthday, it's called.
Speaker 2:The event that we do monthly is called Friday night with friends. Okay and uh, unfortunately there's a new soccer league starting not for unfortunately, but it was just a conflict of scheduling for many of our younger participants. So, like, okay, we'll do a Thursday night with family. It doesn't really sound as great, but, um, it just happens to be my birthday tomorrow, so we're doing a really fun. I think we have 50 of like our 50 community members, like families and participants coming and all of our coaches and doing a nice fun scavenger hunt within the community and getting some pizza from Origin Pizza and Great Heights Creamery ice cream and yeah, it's uh, yeah, it's just like the only place the neighborhood is.
Speaker 2:Yeah it's like really great. I I love everything about the people and the businesses which, again, it just goes. It speaks to the community and that inclusive sense of belonging and it feels really great to like have a place, to be able to create a place or to contribute to a place. So 13 years is a long time and it's evolved like crazy and I'm really excited because we have a lot of awesome stuff in the works.
Speaker 1:I mean, you started that when you're what? 22, 23 years old.
Speaker 2:I've grown up, like with many of my, guys, that is really beautiful. I know it's pretty cool, really amazing, yeah, and something that should absolutely be celebrated.
Speaker 1:And now, if our listeners, if our viewers, if they want to find you, if they want to hear more about this, if they want to dive deeper into all the things that you offer, which I feel like we only like skin the surface. We really did Like she sends me her bio and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm not going to do this any justice. So how do they get ahold of you? How do they learn more?
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, you can go to the website. It's wwwnxtgennationcom, so it's not nextgenerationcom.
Speaker 1:It's nextgennation.
Speaker 2:That URL was not available when I went to purchase it.
Speaker 1:So it makes things a little confusing. I'll include that on your. Yeah, that would be good.
Speaker 2:And then we're in the process, kenzie, one of our incredible coaches coaches is redoing the website, so that's almost finished, so we'll have like a whole new thing. Uh, and then if, uh, our Instagram is at NXT generation underscore wellness Awesome, yeah, so we're. You know social media is what it is. We were trying to boost it a little bit.
Speaker 2:I, that's you can see my squiggliness on, uh, our instagram page. I really have made it like a my own little personal diary apparently. Uh, just with, I love just doing the purpose and intention is to have terrible editing and like, make it like really uncomfortable and like weird and stuff. So just putting that out there, that I'm not that bad at editing. I'm doing it on purpose for my own entertainment.
Speaker 1:It's my own selfish. I feel like it would make it a lot easier.
Speaker 2:It's great, yeah, it's. Yeah. We have, like my sister and I have like this little brand that we say good enough, like it's just good enough. So that's, we really try to live life like that and it's often just good enough. Love it Right. Life like that, and it's often just good enough. Love it Right Doesn't have to be great all the time. And who's judging?
Speaker 1:No, right, not us anymore, right? I love that. Thank you so much for being here today. I feel like we could dive so much deeper into so many different things, but I really appreciate you Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Likewise Thank you for having me, of course, awesome.