Worthiness Isn't Earned — It's Remembered, with Linda Brand | Aligned & Abundant Ep. 74

You can build the vision board. You can say the affirmations. You can take every "right" action. But if some part of you still doesn't believe you're worthy of the life you're calling in, you'll either block it from landing — or sabotage it the moment it does.

That's the conversation I got to have with Linda Brand, certified empowerment coach and host of the top-ranked Worthy and Abundant podcast, and it cracked something open in me too. We talked about shame, self-worth, nervous system safety, and what it actually looks like to come back to yourself after years of proving your worth to everyone but you.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• Why perfectionism and people-pleasing are trauma responses — and how to start unwinding them
• The story of Linda's childhood trauma at age five, and how it quietly shaped decades of "not enough"
• The fastest way out of a depression loop (hint: it's not more hustle)
• Why being attached to an outcome is actually what blocks it from showing up
• How to receive a compliment, a gift, or a win without your nervous system bracing for impact
• The difference between "I'm behind" and "I'm exactly on time" — and how to release the timeline story
• Why self-worth, not strategy, is the real root of every manifestation practice
• A simple daily practice for becoming the observer of your own inner critic

Mentioned in this episode:

• Linda Brand — Certified Empowerment Coach, entrepreneur, and host of the Worthy and Abundant podcast
• Find Linda: @worthyandabundant on Instagram, Linda Brand Coach (website + Instagram), Linda Brand on Facebook
• Worthy: A Self-Love Journal
• Dr. Joe Dispenza's teaching on personality and personal reality

If any part of this landed — if you've ever caught yourself pushing back on a compliment, a gift, or a good thing coming your way — that's your invitation to sit with it, not push past it. You are worthy simply because you're worthy. Nothing external gets to decide that for you.

Transcript

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Linda: I am whole and worthy. External things — your bank account doesn't define you, your education doesn't define you, how others treat you doesn't define you, your weight — none of it defines you. You are worthy just because you're worthy.

Christine: Welcome to Aligned & Abundant. On today's episode, I have a very special guest. Her name is Linda Brand. Linda is a certified empowerment coach, entrepreneur, and host of the top-ranked Worthy and Abundant podcast.

Christine: After more than thirty years in real estate and business, Linda reinvented her life and stepped into her calling of helping women remember their worth and create abundant, purpose-driven lives. Through her coaching and podcast, she shares powerful insights on self-worth, healing, spirituality, and manifestation. Linda's work focuses on helping people release old stories, reconnect with their true selves, and step into the life they are meant to live. Welcome to the show, Linda. I'm so glad to have you here.

Linda: Thank you. It's an honor. I appreciate it.

Christine: Our paths crossed, I want to say, a little over a year ago. We were put into a breakout room together, and I believe that's where I first met you. Then I started listening to your podcast and following your journey, and throughout that we realized we have a lot in common — our mission, and just the heart behind the mission. So I'm excited to bring you to my audience and have you share your beautiful self.

Linda: Thank you, yeah. I'm honored to be here. We're very aligned — our podcasts, Aligned & Abundant and Worthy & Abundant. We're both stepping into our abundance, because we're already abundant, actually. But we can be grateful and desire more. We can have gratitude and desire more — they can coexist. So yes, I'm honored to be here and happy to help in any way I can with your audience around worthiness and abundance, because we're all inherently worthy. Our past or our mistakes do not define us — that's really the root, I feel. So many women have their vision boards, their affirmations, and they're taking the actions, but if deep down they don't feel good about themselves — they don't think they're worth it — they can have what they want and it's not going to happen. Or if it does happen, they're going to sabotage it.

Christine: Yes. And that's exactly what I'd love to get into, because I feel like I've been learning so much from you about the embodiment of worthiness, and recognizing, like you just said, that our past decisions and choices do not have to dictate our current circumstances or our future. Worthiness is such a huge piece. We can do all the manifestation techniques and tricks, but if our insides don't match, it's not going to happen — or at least not in the way it should or could.

Linda: Exactly, exactly. It's very true. Self-concept is huge. It could be something that happened to you, and you blame yourself or carry shame around it, and that's the lowest vibration. I personally carried shame for forty years. I was always proving myself. Perfectionism is a trauma response. People-pleasing is a trauma response. So many of us don't think we had trauma, because trauma sounds like something horrible happening, but there are different levels of trauma. Our mutual friend Christina always says trauma is any time something happened too fast, too soon, and you weren't prepared. I had my first real trauma when I was four and five years old, and looking back, I realize that's probably where I started thinking I wasn't worthy, wasn't good enough. One time, when I was five, I was locked out of the house in the pouring rain, screaming and banging on the door. I know it was an accident that I was left out there, and I don't remember how long I was out there, but that's very traumatic for a five-year-old — a little girl on the side of the house, pouring rain, banging to get in. That was probably the first real message that told me I didn't matter, that I wasn't cared for. When you're doing this kind of work, it's all fun to create the vision board, it's fun to dream and visualize and do all these things, but if you don't go deep and figure out why you don't have what you want... We see so much evidence — I'll jump around, it's my ADHD — but we see so much evidence of other people doing what they love and making money from it. I fell into real estate; that's my background, my entrepreneurial path was mostly real estate. It's kind of like what Cathy Heller says — taking a guitar and using it as a planter. That's not the highest use of a guitar. Or taking a waffle iron and using it as a paperweight — that's not the highest use of a waffle iron. I thought that because I wasn't super successful in real estate, and I was a single mother — but I'm a teacher at heart, like you. I would have been a teacher had I gone back in time. So when you start slowing down, stopping, and listening to the divine nudges, you recognize — oh, I was comparing myself to other realtors who were doing so great, but I was the guitar being used as a planter. It's layer after layer — learning I wasn't good enough, then getting in trouble with boys and drugs, then going to jail and carrying shame, felony convictions. I have a story — that's why I'm writing my memoir, and I've self-published a self-love journal, because I'm so passionate about this information. There are people walking around depressed, feeling suicidal, because they don't know what you and I know, and we're here to share it and help people understand that they are worthy and can create lives and businesses they love. And yes, will we fail? Yes. But we can get back up. Look at Oprah Winfrey — she was told she wasn't fit for television, and look at her now. Or Howard Schultz — he was denied loans for his Starbucks and lost money for two or three years. I'm only sharing these stories because we are resilient beings. It takes patience. There are so many things, but the root is self-worth. If you don't think you're good enough —

Christine: Right.

Linda: — right?

Christine: Yes. You have to believe in yourself. I think that's the biggest thing. I recently learned, and I'm doing work around this myself, that shame is the lowest frequency. In order to free yourself of shame, you have to sit with it — sit with the feelings that arise — and then alchemize it into empowerment, or into forgiveness, whatever it is you need to do. I'm learning that the more we blame ourselves or blame others, the more it creates stagnation, more stuckness. And that brings you down into the lower vibration, the lower frequency. If you want to be successful in business, or draw in the right clients or collaborations, you're most likely not going to be able to from that place.

Linda: Right. And I love what you said about alchemizing your pain or your trauma, because your mess is your message. I went to an event on Friday here in Florida called Unleash Your Brave. I was divinely guided there — I was divinely guided to move to Florida four years ago. We as women are so powerful this way; we have strong intuitions, we're connected to source, and we need to listen and start trusting ourselves. At this event there were so many stories of turning pain into purpose, so many stories of women who felt defeated, got back up, and shared their story — it's the most empowering thing I've ever seen. It's wild — this whole planet, this ball in the middle of the universe, and we're sitting here taking everything way too seriously. We're too in our own stuff. We're struggling and suffering, half of us, when it's not necessary.

Christine: What is your advice for someone who is in a depression loop? I've battled with depression throughout my life, and there are times I've kind of trained myself — I recognize I'm feeling depressed, I ask what I'm feeling depressed about, I self-diagnose, and then I give myself a timeframe: you can feel it for a day, or three days. But what happens when you get into more of a rut? Because we know everything is energy, and I know you've been studying this — another layer of your expertise — diving into how you continue to create a life of abundance and worthiness while still going through real-life feelings. Not everything is magic. I would love to be doing all the things — my mom always said I have a wine taste on a beer budget. Have you heard that expression?

Linda: Yeah.

Christine: Sometimes I get in a funk and get in my own way.

Linda: Yeah, no, one hundred percent — I totally relate. A couple of things: if you have desires, and I'm the same way, I love nice things, I love luxury — what we learn from spiritual teachers further along is that if you want it, it's meant for you. You're supposed to have it. Your soul wants it because you're supposed to have it. We don't know God's timing, but when you're in a depression or feeling bad, the fastest way out — there are a couple of ways. One is gratitude. Shifting out of anything negative starts with gratitude: I have eyes to see, I have legs to walk, I have a family that loves me, I have a roof over my head, I have food I can go eat. And, or, helping someone less fortunate than you. The fastest way out of lack is to give, to serve. Forcing yourself to go volunteer at a shelter and walk a dog — you'll snap out of your depression because you'll feel purposeful, and the opposite of depression is purpose. I also think focusing on the present moment matters, because fear is a thing — the past is depression, the future is anxiety. Your goals aren't happening yet, but that's God's timing; anything can happen in a moment. I just interviewed Angie Lechner, and she has clients who say, "Angie, I'm a realist," and she says, "Well, I'm a realist too, but I believe in miracles." We know there's evidence of miracles. So I think it's about finding evidence and being grateful for what you currently have, because gratitude is in all the spiritual texts. I've been practicing it for twelve-plus years, since I had a health condition and was in a very dark time in my life, battling for my life, and I basically started a gratitude practice. I quit alcohol, I started lighting Shabbat candles every Friday night, I was doing everything in my power besides herbs, antibiotics, medicine, supplements — I started gratitude. When you start being thankful for what you have, do you think God and the divine gives you more to be thankful for? If you cook a wonderful dinner for your family, Christine, and no one thanks you or even cares to sit at the table, are you going to do it again? Probably not.

Christine: No.

Linda: But if they say, "Oh my God, this is delicious, this is so great, I love this, we're not touching our phones, we're having a good time, this food tastes so good, Mom" — would you be like, "Maybe we'll do this once a week"?

Christine: Yeah, totally.

Linda: So gratitude is gigantic, and I think we aren't grateful enough for what we have — that we can walk outside and be free, that we can breathe. There's so much we take for granted. I think gratitude is one of the fastest ways out of depression, and so is purpose — finding what brings you joy. What did you love doing as a kid? Go do something like that. Go to the park, be in nature — that's another huge one. Nature is so peaceful and calming.

Christine: Nature is definitely one of the easiest ways for me. I have woods behind my house, so it's easy to go outside and just stand on the grass and look at all the wildlife back there — the deer come, there are bunnies and birds. That's one way I can lock back in very easily if I'm feeling anxious. And I love that you said the future can create anxiety, whereas the past creates worry. If we continue to practice being present, then our minds aren't caught up in all the what-ifs or should-haves.

Linda: Yes, right.

Christine: We're more in the vibrancy of presence and creation, the here and now, because ultimately that's all we have.

Linda: It is all we have. Yes.

Christine: But with our minds, we try to make sense of everything. Sometimes it's easier to just connect to your inner knowing and simply be — smell the coffee you're drinking, taste the croissant you're eating.

Linda: Yes, exactly. Enjoy the present, enjoy the people with you, be present. But today's world, with these phones — you have to be intentional about how you set your morning up. We've studied this: how you set your morning up, how you take care of yourself, is so important. I don't touch my phone in the morning. At night, people try calling or texting, and I won't even answer the phone after about 8:30, because I'm off it — I have to take care of myself. I have a routine, and that's part of the self-care.

Linda: I want to say one more thing about being in a dark place, or any kind of self-criticism. We are masterpieces. We're part of the master — we're some of the One. This is so powerful: we are one with the divine, one with God — we are part of God, or we are God. Some will say we are gods. We have a neshamah, in Judaism — a soul. So when you're hard on yourself, when you don't take care of yourself or your home, you're not taking care of the divine. You're literally not taking care of God. If you don't care for yourself, that's disrespect to God.

Christine: I can see that. That makes sense, from that perspective.

Linda: That's how I look at it. That's how I shift it. And knowing you are inherently worthy is another giant piece. So many of us, when someone gives us a compliment, have to push back, or have a hard time receiving — that's another sign you don't feel worthy.

Christine: I can totally relate to that. The other day, someone offered to help me out with something — a generous gift — and it took me a whole day to respond. I knew what was going on; I was aware of the resistance, and I had to do the nervous system work. In my mind I know it will get easier the more I accept, but it's funny — sometimes I can accept things, and this one just felt like a lot. Sometimes we think we've got it under control, that our vessel is wide enough, and then we're given a circumstance or an offering and realize, oh, I need to expand my vessel more.

Linda: Right. So did you get curious about why it was so hard for you to accept?

Christine: Yeah, I think I've been beating myself up a little lately, because things aren't going the way I imagined or planned, and that theme has resurfaced. Going back to when I was younger — I always wanted to be a schoolteacher, but there was another part of me that wanted to be a business owner. I had this vision that by thirty-five, everything would be smooth-rolling, that life would be easy, that I'd be traveling and having fun with a team and all of that. Around thirty-eight I had one of those "oh no, this isn't happening, this isn't working" moments. That theme has resurfaced, because sometimes I feel like a steam engine train, constantly pouring in coal but not getting to the destination fast enough. So it's giving myself the grace to recognize there's always another layer of the onion to unravel, to peel, and go deeper to see where I still need to do some work.

Linda: Yeah. A lot of it is energy, which we know. I think what you're speaking about is that you feel behind, because you had goals and dreams and desires for where you'd be at thirty-eight, and you're not there, so you're hard on yourself about it when you should be most compassionate with yourself. You're doing a great job — you're a mom, you were a single mom, you got remarried, you left your profession. You have a hundred things to be proud of. That's another thing we can do — write down all the things we've accomplished and be proud of them. We don't do that enough; we always look at the next thing instead of how far we've come. You have a great podcast. If you're listening, please take a moment to leave a review for Christine's podcast, Aligned & Abundant. It's a great podcast, and we're putting our own time, energy, and resources into bringing this to you for free — take a minute and leave a five-star review, because let's help others find this podcast. I am so passionate about self-development — I've been studying it for over a decade, and it wasn't until the last full year that I really stepped up and realized: I am worthy. I am whole and worthy. External things — your bank account doesn't define you, your education doesn't define you, how others treat you doesn't define you, your weight — none of it defines you. You are worthy just because you're worthy. Like Angie says on my show: "You're worthy 'cause you're worthy 'cause you're worthy 'cause you're worthy." I went to the rabbi and started attending services when I was in a dark, sad place, and I started coming weekly, plugging into all the classes, and they always said: you are whole, and you are worthy, because you're a child of God. He doesn't make junk. You're here on purpose, for a purpose, period.

Christine: I love that — such a good reminder. I was actually just listening to your episode with Angie this morning, so it's funny — well, it's ironic, I should say — that you're bringing it up, because it's so true.

Linda: It's true, it's true.

Christine: Sometimes we just need to be reminded, because we get so caught up in the stuff.

Linda: Right. It's interesting, because it's all energy, and we don't realize it — we get caught up in so much of the everyday. But everything is energy, and we have to surrender and let go, because when you're attached to outcomes, you're also blocking. You can want something, but you can't be attached to the outcome — you're good without it, you're still good without it. That energy is what brings it. I'll share something — I also hold my real estate license here in Florida, and I listed a property that turned out to be a scam; the people weren't the real owners, they were stealing the land. I reached out to the real owners, and they texted me back today. But the reason I bring it up is that the photographer I'd hired, who spent time and energy shooting it, even in the rain, didn't charge me once I told him what happened. Now I've posted — if you need a photographer, go to this guy, because that's energy. The best business decision he could have made was to not charge me, because now I'll use him again, and I'll recommend him to everybody else. If he'd wanted his money, that would have been fine too, but the point is, it's like Kabbalah — he felt like, okay, I spent this time and energy, but he had compassion for me. That's just one example, but there are so many. When we're attached and needy or clingy — even in dating — that's a turnoff.

Christine: Oh, yeah.

Linda: A turnoff.

Christine: Even going back to when I was sixteen — I remember dating this guy, and he started talking about marriage, and I was like, "I'm sixteen, hell no." It was such a turnoff, I broke up with him two days later. I was like, "No, no, no, no, no, we are not doing this." It was funny. So it makes sense, energetically — what you want so badly, what you're so attached to — who's to say God doesn't have a bigger plan, a bigger vision for you? Why would you settle?

Linda: Exactly, exactly. Start paying attention to the divine winks. Yesterday I was at the car wash with the dog, and I saw dimes and nickels on the ground and thought, thank you, God — money is coming to me in multiple different ways. I had a coach back in 2022, a spiritual manifestation coach, who used to say, "If you find money on the ground, thank God, and say, I'd love a hundred thousand times that."

Christine: It's so funny you're saying this, because this morning, literally, my friend told me to do this — and I walked out of the post office and there was a quarter on the floor. I picked it up, kissed it, and said, "Thank you. More of this, please."

Linda: Oh, yeah.

Christine: Yeah.

Linda: That's cool, because someone else would just say, "Ugh, it's just a dime," or, "It's just a nickel."

Christine: That's how I used to be — "Oh, a penny, who cares." Now I think, this is a sign.

Linda: Me too — it's a sign of prosperity, a sign that money doesn't have to be hard. We have programs from childhood, from good-intentioned parents or whoever, telling us we have to do what we don't like, that we have to work hard — that's a program, it's in the subconscious, it's in the body. We have to find evidence that it doesn't have to be hard, so we can realize it. What about when you buy a stock and it goes up and you make money — did you work hard for that? No. Or maybe you're an affiliate, someone buys something, and you get ten percent. I refer a client, she buys a house, all I did was fill out a form, and I got a twenty-five percent referral. Did I work hard for that? This is evidence that it doesn't have to be hard.

Christine: Yeah. And I love that when you go within and realize your self-worth, the universe becomes more expansive for you, because you're no longer limiting your desires in a box. It's like the world is your oyster — like when we're kids, and the adults in our lives, whether a parent, teacher, or coach, tell us we can do or be whatever we want, and then life happens, and we might not hold those same thoughts anymore. But it's almost like uncovering those thoughts again, reconnecting with them, when you do this kind of work — going deep within yourself to rediscover who you are at your core.

Linda: Exactly. If you had parents who told you that you could do anything, be anything, have anything, that's wonderful, but a lot of us didn't have that, and it's harder when you grew up without that kind of support. I just did a speech at Toastmasters about whether a flower can grow among the weeds — it can, but will it thrive? It was an analogy for us as humans, because we are the gardeners of our own lives now. We get to decide who's allowed in, we're allowed to weed out what's not serving us. We have to master our energy and our boundaries — if you're draining yourself with things that aren't serving you. I recently created a lot more space in my days; I let go of a volunteer role that wasn't doing much for me. When did I decide that? I was sick for a couple of days and got these messages when I was alone with myself. So many people are afraid to be alone with themselves, or when they are, they're on social media scrolling, which is totally draining — and then you're comparing yourself to other people, which is the worst thing on the planet. That's why young people have so much anxiety — the social media, all the technology everywhere. What happened to just being? Not constantly listening to something, watching something. There's so much, but I think caring for yourself, self-love, is really the foundation — knowing your worth, knowing you're inherently worthy and here on purpose, and taking one step toward what you want. But if you don't know what you want, that's the first stop — self-awareness is the first step, because if you're not aware that anything's wrong, or that you're unhappy, you're not going to be able to fix it.

Christine: Right — you'll just continue paddling downstream instead of moving toward a bigger desire. I want to point out one thing: when you started your Worthy and Abundant podcast, it's almost like sometimes we put out into the world what we need — whether it's the podcast, your Self-Love Journal — we create what we need. And it's twofold: it helps us, and it also helps with the mission we're on, to be of service to others. I'd love to hear more about what made you decide to start your podcast, which is very well known and ranked and loved. Where did that whisper or desire come from?

Linda: Okay, so it's a great story. I started hiring coaches in 2017. I was in real estate, living in Michigan, in a sort of toxic relationship — I didn't know it was toxic at the time. It was very expensive; I'd never paid that kind of money, and I immediately started cleaning up my life. They were all spiritual coaches. In 2021, I was at an event in Miami, and coaches were everywhere. I was in real estate, struggling, comparing myself, thinking, "Okay, why am I not a coach?" I loved this information, I'd been studying it, I'd been helping friends for free. So I ended up getting a divine message on the final night of that event, washing my hands in an Italian restaurant, and it said, "You belong here." I was around a lot of wealth, in Miami, and I thought, maybe I belong in wealth, maybe I belong in Florida. I took it as belonging in Florida. Miami was too expensive, so I ended up on the southwest side of Florida. I sold my home on 2/22/22 and relocated. Everything lined up for me. Of course I was scared — I knew half of what I know today about energy, self-worth, all of it. I sold my home, I had just rescued a dog, my son graduated college two weeks later, and he wasn't a fan of where I was moving, because he was moving to be with his girlfriend in Kentucky, whom he'd met during an internship. I basically sold my home, moved across the country, and started this coaching business. I hired that manifestation coach on the spot, and everything that needed to be cleared showed up — like, who are you to coach? I couldn't share things on social media, couldn't post "look at me, I'm in Florida" — I had so much fear. She told me I needed to do it, that it was part of the process. I had money in the bank, a great credit score, I was in Florida, but I'd sold my house of twenty-five years and moved to an apartment — was I going to be safe? So much fear. Then I ended up in Cathy Heller's free five-day podcast class. I'd had no thought of becoming a podcaster. I did the free thing, and then it came time to decide whether to join. The answer was that it felt worse not to do it — what's going to change if I don't? So I did it, and it turned out I was good at it. I started in December of 2022; it was called Empowered at the time, and now it's evolved into Worthy and Abundant. We teach what we need. I've had a money story forever, and self-love is a practice — we don't just decide it, though that would be amazing. It's a practice, every day. People-pleasing is a program too, because when you've gone through trauma and unresolved emotional stuff, you want to be liked, you want to fit in — it's human. That's part of self-abandonment, everyone else coming before you. It's still a practice. But that's how I started the podcast, and it was easy and fun, and I was apparently good at it — it was incredible. I started meeting amazing people. It's been a vessel for good, and I thank God. I've made money multiple ways — people have hired me for podcast coaching, for private coaching, someone paid me to run her ad at the beginning. But basically it's for the highest good of all, because I'm using my gifts and talents, helping people, meeting amazing people, supporting them. You're going to be on my show tomorrow, too — it's just a vessel for good, and I'm grateful to have this platform, these conversations, because in this world today a lot of us are alone. Like you said — solopreneurs. And here we are, having this intimate, powerful conversation together.

Christine: Yeah.

Linda: It's so good.

Christine: I love that. Actually, it's one of the best things about podcasting — you get to meet so many cool people and have raw, unfiltered, heart-to-heart conversations. Sure, you could have them at the grocery store, but it's not that common anymore, because, like you said, people are so addicted to social media and the constant distractions. When you listen to a podcast on a regular basis, you feel like you know that person — you know a piece of them, and you continue to learn and hear other people's stories and share commonalities. It's inspirational. It's almost like writing a book — your voice is out there. And I also think about the legacy aspect: when our time eventually comes, it's kind of cool that people who care about us can still go and hear our voice. It's captured. It's a time capsule.

Linda: Yeah, it's true — you're one hundred percent right. It takes time and effort, but it is so rewarding. It is like a book, because you're leaving your mark on the world. Not all of it is authentic, but mine is, and yours is. It's not just inspiring — it's giving permission to others to step up, do what they want to do, and speak their voice, because we all have a voice, we all have something to share, and so many of us think, "Who's going to listen? Who wants to hear what I have to say?" We all have so much to share — gifts, experiences, stories. There was a woman who stood up on Friday at that event and said that when she was eight years old, she was playing kickball, she was really good at it, she loved it, and a teacher pulled her aside one day and said, "Girls don't play kickball." It changed her whole trajectory — that was her first message that who she was wasn't good, that she had to be somebody different to be accepted and belong. Her story really touched me. And another woman, who had two master's degrees and other accomplishments, had been suicidal — a beautiful girl with an incredible story. These women speaking, sharing their voice, allow people to learn and heal. We all have stories. I have so much — overcoming a debilitating illness, being a single mom, moving across the country, getting in trouble with the law as a teenager, which took me down so far because I carried that shame and thought I wasn't good enough. I carried shame for not having a college degree; I thought I was less than. Because I'm Jewish, and that's such a significant thing in that community — "oh, she's a doctor, oh, she's this." You know what's funny? I get along with the doctors — at the Unleash Your Brave event, I was sitting next to a nurse practitioner on one side, a CPA on the other, and the host ate her lunch with me at my table. I belonged there. I was meant to be there, and I'm hoping to speak on stage there next year.

Christine: Yes — I can see you on stage, no doubt. It's only a matter of time. And it's interesting, because your first podcast was called Empowered, and you mentioned having fear — fear in starting it, fear in being seen, fear in putting yourself out there — and through that you became empowered. Then Worthy and Abundant, where you were working through worthiness issues. It's ironic — we become the medicine we need.

Linda: Yes, and it's so powerful. My dad also had low self-worth — he grew up during the Depression and did the best he could. I used to blame my parents when I was younger, but now I realize they did the best they could with what they had and their capacity at the time. I love my parents, I'm grateful for what they did provide. There are so many stories — I had a girl on my show whose parents were on drugs in motel rooms; she was starving, watching TV. The things some of us have gone through are crazy, and we're still standing here, showing up to help other people, healing our own stuff. It's so powerful. Nervous system regulation is another giant thing I've been reading about. I cut out some of the caffeine I was drinking — I'm drinking mushroom coffee now, and I'm noticing I sleep better and feel a lot more calm in my day. I think we have to pay attention to these things.

Christine: Yeah, and I think some things become habits by accident. If you had a busy day, and one day you decide, let's eat dinner in the living room and watch a movie, multitasking — the next thing you know, that's the habit, that's the expectation, and you lose the conversation around the table, the connectedness. So it's important to —

Linda: — be aware.

Christine: Yes, become aware of what's important, and when we realize we've gone off track, bring ourselves back, reevaluate — because maybe the needs have changed. It's like an ocean, this vastness, with waves of change constantly ebbing and flowing. Sometimes it's rocky and rough, other times calm and serene, and —

Linda: Right.

Christine: — I keep hearing the word resiliency. In having this conversation, I think you and I are both such resilient people — no matter what happens, we continue to rise above, and no matter how long it takes, how many layers need to be peeled back, we keep going. I think that's important for listeners to hear: if you're ever feeling sad, alone, not worthy enough, lost, or depressed — on the other side of that is purpose, gratitude, and abundance too.

Linda: What I'd like to say to that is: you are powerful. We are powerful, and you have choices. So if you're feeling this way — what action can you take? Maybe you're in a bad situation, and you just need to know your worth and not tolerate it. My new thing is, I'm a certified empowerment coach, and I help women step into their power and their worth so they can stop settling for crumbs and step into their power to create lives and businesses they love. We're allowed to have fun here, and we should wake up loving our life — whatever you have, we have to love what we have before we can have more. We really do. I think part of this low self-worth is always needing external validation instead of giving ourselves credit. There was a woman on my show who was pushed hard toward education growing up in a poor family, and she burned out in her twenties and had a breakdown — she was a super-high achiever in corporate, checking every box, the husband, the kid, making all the money, but she wasn't happy, because all of her worth was external. It really starts from within. We are resilient because we're connected to God, we trust God, and we're taken care of — we're safe, protected, guided, and loved. That's huge. How would you feel walking around, living life, if you knew you were safe and didn't have to worry? That's faith over fear. We're still going to have fear, because it's human, but we can move with the fear. Were you scared when you started your podcast? How did it start?

Christine: I took the course with Cathy Heller in September of 2022, and I didn't launch until May of 2025. It took me a long time to finally say, "I'm going to do this messy, and the people who are meant to hear it will hear it." It's only gotten easier since. I love these conversations, and it still feels fun, so I'm going to keep showing up until it doesn't, or something else takes my attention. For now, it still feels really good, and I think it serves a purpose — my voice is out there. When I look at my numbers, and I'm not someone who checks numbers that often — you know Buzzsprout, I use it, and they send you little clips and stats — to see that someone in Rwanda is listening, that's kind of cool, that you're making an impact globally. That's really special to me. I'm grateful for this opportunity and this platform. I didn't even really know what a podcast was until around 2017 or 2018, and then I started listening to certain ones — a lot of them were story-type podcasts at first. Then I got into listening to coaches, inspirational leaders, and transformational coaches, and that became really powerful for me. I had a long commute —

Linda: Oh, yeah.

Christine: — I don't know, some people love music, and I love music too, but I like learning, so knowing I could do both at the same time felt cool to me.

Linda: Yeah, same — I love it too. I love learning, and now you can listen to books as well. There's so much. We can't hear this information enough — you have to prioritize your own wellbeing, whether that's listening to a podcast, turning your phone off, spending time with yourself. Learn to love your own company.

Christine: Me too.

Linda: People don't understand — they think they always have to fill their time. I love my own peace, I love my own company, and I have my little dog.

Christine: I was going to say — Lucky.

Linda: Yeah, my dog, he's the best. We have power, we are worthy, we can create lives, and we are abundant already. Look at nature — we have water, we have food, we have this phone we're listening to this on. There's so much, and I think we have to stop comparing ourselves, because we're all on our own journeys. I used to have the worst mean inner critic, and I don't have it anymore. I notice it the minute it happens, and I can just send love and ask, who is this? Because sometimes it's not even your own voice — it's you at twelve, or it's your sister, or whoever.

Christine: Yeah.

Linda: We can just start noticing — become the observer of your life. This is what I've always taught for years: become the observer, notice, and when you want to be hard on yourself is exactly when you have to be the most compassionate. If you just ate too much pizza, instead of beating yourself up — it's okay.

Christine: Mm-hmm.

Linda: Start tomorrow. Whatever.

Christine: Exactly. And the fact that you're saying be an observer of your life — I was just reading a book that encouraged the reader to listen to their own thoughts, pay attention to them, and stop the loop. Because, like you said, we are so magnificent, we can retrain our brains. That looping thought that's been stuck in you since you were twelve — we can reprogram it. Every day is a new opportunity to be a different person, if you want to.

Linda: That's right, every day.

Christine: Embrace who you really are, go back to your origin, and expand even further.

Linda: Absolutely. I always say, "Thank you, God, for a new day," when I wake up, before I even leave the bed — because tomorrow isn't promised, and if God woke you up today, one, you're worthy, and two, He believes in you.

Christine: Yeah, I say that too. As long as you have air in your lungs, you're here for a reason and a purpose.

Linda: Yes. And we never —

Christine: — you never know how meaningful you are to someone else. A smile, a small gesture, just one share. I go to Dunkin' Donuts fairly often, which isn't a great habit, but I was having a really crummy morning, and I'd ordered at the speaker, and the woman recognized my name and said, "I have a treat for you, my friend," at the window, and gave me one of those cute little cup holders. Something that small really turned my day around. You just don't know how a smile or a kind gesture can change someone's day.

Linda: Absolutely, and you appreciated that small thing. You know what's so funny? I remember when I sold one of my coaching offers — it was maybe forty-seven dollars, one of my first creative projects — I was jumping around like someone had handed me fifty thousand dollars. What does that say? It says I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing — this is my passion work. We can have fun, make money, and serve.

Christine: Exactly, exactly.

Linda: Yeah.

Christine: On that note — what last words of advice would you love to share with the audience?

Linda: I'd love to share that you are a powerful being, and you can change your life. If you're having any challenges, you can — and you are worthy of enjoying your time here. We are not here to suffer and struggle. You want your children happy, don't you? You want them to have everything they want. That's what God wants for you. You're supposed to be having a good time, enjoying your time, and you can have grief and gratitude at the same time — grief and joy at the same time. No guilt, no shame; those are useless emotions, and we can master this. We control our thoughts; our thoughts don't control us. We are not our thoughts, we are not our bodies, we are not our minds — we are spiritual, energetic beings having a human experience, and we're powerful. We get to choose our thoughts like we choose our clothes every day, and you are powerful. So take control of your life with the power you have. Set intentions — my book, my journal, which is on Amazon, is a great way to do that. Or just get a notebook and write out how you want to feel today, who you want to be today, because every day is a gift, and every day is a chance to be somebody else, like you said. Like Dr. Joe Dispenza says: if you want to change your personal reality, you have to change your personality. And what's your personality? It's your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, your choices. You have the power.

Christine: You've said it all so beautifully. I usually end most of my Frequency Friday episodes with, "You are more powerful than you know," and it's so beautiful because it's just such truth, and it's right here in front of us — this knowledge, this gift of knowledge. We just need to utilize it, and we need to do it.

Linda: Yeah.

Christine: And I love that you mentioned your Self-Love Journal again, because that time you take to connect to yourself is where you get the clarity, where you let go of things you're carrying around that you no longer need to carry.

Linda: Exactly.

Christine: Yes, and the link will definitely be in the show notes. Where else can we find you, listen to you, connect with you?

Linda: I'm mostly on social media — Facebook and Instagram. Worthy and Abundant on Instagram, and the podcast is Worthy and Abundant. Linda Brand Coach is the website, Linda Brand Coach on Instagram as well, and Linda Brand on Facebook. Thank you so much for having me — I loved being here.

Christine: Thank you so much. This was such a lovely conversation, and I look forward to being on your podcast as well. Thank you so much — all of the links will be in the show notes, so you can reach out to Linda and follow along. Thank you.

Linda: Thank you.