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She Ignites
This is where power gets raw, healing gets hot, and rebellion becomes ritual. Hosted by Kari Lowe, She Ignites is your weekly dose of fire-starter truth, bold stories, and permission to break every rule that kept you small.
Light the damn match.
It’s time to burn, not behave.
She Ignites
Live Small Or Live Lit: Choosing Growth Over Comfort GUEST episode!
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A single moment can rewrite a life. When Aimee Christ witnessed a fatal accident that could have been her own, everything sharpened - time, purpose, and the cost of waiting for perfect conditions. We bring that urgency to a grounded, practical conversation about acting despite fear, reclaiming your inner voice, and building a life that matches your values.
We start with listening. Not background noise or endless scrolling, but the kind of silence that lets you hear yourself. Aimee shares how device-free nature walks, simple requests for signs, and reflective journaling create space for intuition to cut through the chatter. From there, we explore comfort zones and brain health, why novelty fuels neuroplasticity, and how to design weekly “friction reps” that stretch capacity without burning you out.
Ikigai takes center stage as a tool for clarity: what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Aimee’s integration map and her Divine Nine spokes turn purpose into a system you can actually use. We dig into leaving a six-figure corporate job to build a flexible career before the gig economy, navigating divorce and menopause, and launching new creative work through small, low-risk pilots. Radical courage, spelled with a K for knowledge, isn’t about being fearless; it’s about moving with shaky hands, one honest step at a time.
If you’re done dimming your light to fit a life that no longer fits you, this conversation hands you the switch. Subscribe for more bold, practical stories; share this with someone who needs a nudge; and leave a review to help more Firestarters find our community. Your next brave step starts now.
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Welcome And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_01Welcome to She Ignites, the podcast where we burn the rule book, ditch the shoulds, and light up the lives we were meant to lead. I'm your host, Carrie Lowe, candlemaker, confidence dealer, and your favorite fire starter. Around here, we speak boldly, dream wildly, and show up messy and magical. If you're done playing small and ready to own your own spark, you're in the right damn place. Now let's get lit. Welcome back, Firestarters. Today I'm excited to share with you an amazing guest that I have met through LinkedIn and different channels. I believe we've um connected as entrepreneurs in the past. And that's one thing about women in business is we make amazing connections that stay with us for a long time. So today I'm talking with Amy Christ, and I want to share a little bit about her. And then we're gonna jump right into hearing all about her and getting some information from her about igniting our fire. So Amy is the visionary behind Living Spree. Experienced a transformative white flash moment, a near-death experience that profoundly changed her perspective and set her on a journey of personal growth, healing, and a renewed sense of purpose. This pivotal event inspired Amy to dedicate her life to helping others unlock their potential and live with intention. With a robust background in sales, training, and business development, Amy spent over 20 years guiding individuals and groups toward meaningful transformation. She's recognized for her infectious enthusiasm, emotional insight, and strategic partnership, having built her own multimillion dollar business and supported countless others in their personal and professional growth. Amy's passion for Ikigai, the Japanese philosophy of finding one's reason for being, is woven into everything she does. Through Living Spree, she integrates the principles of Ikigai to help others discover the intersection of what they love, what they're good at, and what the world needs, and what they can be paid for. Her mission is to empower people to exceed their goals, reconnect with their purpose, and master their lives. Whether through podcasts, online courses, keynote speaking, or community events, Amy inspires others to live their best lives every day. She fosters a vibrant environment where everyone can thrive, championing a life of intention, joy, and fulfillment, guided by the timeless wisdom of Iki. Amy also wrote a book focused on a radical current and how the knowledge of oneself is imperative to lead us all to make courageous and bold life choices to fulfill our destined purpose. I love all of this so much, and I'm so excited to hear more from you about how all that you have done and the life that you live feeds into what She Ignites offers women. And I am so excited for you to be here. So thank you for joining me.
SPEAKER_00Oh, it's my honor. Thank you so much. Uh, thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So I just want to jump right into the questions. And I know that we've chatted a little bit and your journey is remarkable. And I definitely want you to share about that transformation. And a lot of that I'm sure aligns with some questions that I'm going to ask you. But the first thing that I want to know is what belief about yourself did you have to burn down before you could fully rise?
SPEAKER_00Hmm, that's a great question. And I mean, let's be honest. Like once fully rising is a it's an evolution and a process, right? We're never done. If you think you're done rising, you're wrong. Right. Something's gonna come along and you know, drop you back down to the ground and then you have to rise again. I think, you know, that's life. And so, you know, this time, I think it's just been, you know, having the belief in oneself. And honestly, you come to a point in your life where if it's if not now, when? Right? If not now, when am I gonna do this? And you can say the time's not right because of this or that, or I'm not ready. I didn't do this yet, or I didn't do that. But there's always going to be something if you think about it that can hold you back. So I I just ask myself, you know, if not now, when? And uh you just gotta go for it.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, absolutely. I love that because we can delay forever and ever and never achieve anything if we continue to have that mindset for sure.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01So I know that, you know, especially when I shared a little bit about you. You talked about some some transformation. Is there a specific like spark that happened in your life that made you realize this is my old life and it no longer fits and I need to make changes? Or was it a gradual process?
If Not Now, When
SPEAKER_00You know, that's a great question. I think it's a it can be a little bit of both because I believe that, you know, um, and whatever you believe, God creator, universe, Buddha, whoever, you know, um, I believe in God, that you, you know, you get thrown these little pebbles. If you're not in the right place, you know, you get a pebble thrown and it's uncomfortable, but you're like, it's more uncomfortable to make the change. And then the the pebbles become a little bit bigger and they become stones and then rocks. And then sometimes if we're not listening and if we're not on our life's purpose and we have to make big changes, a boulder is going to come out and level us. And that's happened a couple of times in my life. Most recently was a few years ago when I did have that near-death experience where um I saw an accident happening and somebody died right in front of me in a very freak accident, but it would have been me. I got myself out of the way. And that was um very trauma-filled. I'm still recovering. I don't know if you ever recover the PTSD from something like that because it was a bicyclist. It was a normal bicyclist. They were 60 years old, and I was walking across the street with a group of people, and I saw in my mind, I calculated the speed, and I saw it, and I said, you know what? This man's gonna hit me. I got myself out of the way, and then he hit the person next to me and they died. Um, and it was really traumatic. So is there a spark? Yes, there can be a spark, but for me, it was in in in a split in a split second, I saw what could have been my life gone. And I just realized how quickly life can change in just a moment, and how we really need to be living every moment as if it could be our last because it it really could be. And I think we started waking up to that during COVID. Um gave everyone a lot of space and a lot of time to think. So it's been it's been a journey. Yes. For sure.
SPEAKER_01For sure. I love that. I know that you know, a lot of people feel like, you know, I haven't had this specific moment that's made me want to change, but I feel like I want to, but I don't want, you know, I don't know what to do. I want to go back to what you said about, you know, the pebbles and the stones and the boulders. So this is a question. You said that goddess is your belief. So do you have a way to communicate with people, to share with them? How do you know if it is a wink from God, a wink from the universe, or if it is your mind, your heart saying, Hey, you should try this. Do you have a way to tell the difference between those two?
SPEAKER_00That's a yeah, that's a good question. So I would say that it's source and yourself, you know, you are one with source, right? You know, we God is within us, right? Our our light shines um because of him or the creator. And so it's it's both. And I believe though, the difference is most people aren't quiet enough to hear themselves or to hear the message.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00So that's where radical courage comes from. It's the you have to have the knowledge and wisdom of oneself. And if you don't, if you don't know how to get quiet and think about all the distractions that we have every single day, everybody's walking around with AirPods in or just you know, distracted and scrolling, and they're not listening to anything except some random person on the other end here, right? You might be doing that right now, listening to this podcast, which is fine. But where are you taking a moment? Where is the time in your day where you are getting quiet so that you can hear the messages? And for me, if I am unsure of the message, I will ask for signs. And that is how I do it. So I get the I get the message and then I ask for clarification. Um, and I walk usually on average about 90 minutes today in in silence where I don't have AirPods in. And I'm on a nature walk. And so I can listen to myself and I can have those conversations uh quote unquote in my head, right? So that is what helps me differentiate. It's it's about getting quiet. And a lot of people are not comfortable with their own.
Hearing The Call: Quiet, Signs, And Source
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. And that's what that was gonna be my next question is to like share with me how it is you get quiet. And you know, I love that you share that you do nature walks because for me, it's aside a body of wire, preferably the beach, although I don't live near one. Um, but you know, we have some lakes and things like that that I will go sit with my journal or something and use it without your airpods. I think that's so important because if we are feeding stuff into our ears, we're not hearing what's in between the ears, right? And so that gives us a lot of ways to avoid what it is that the messages that we're receiving. So I let I love that you shared that. So I love this question. And I ask myself this often, like different years of my life, because I'm curious as far as, you know, a lot of women that I interview, well, all of them, they have a different story. You know, either they grew up with this horrible childhood, not necessarily horrible, but maybe they weren't raised by parents that instilled in them the value of self or the importance of finding your passion and you know, your inner strength and that kind of thing. And that journey is different from the the child that was raised to believe they were capable of absolutely anything. So if your younger self, pick any age, saw you now, what would shock her the most?
SPEAKER_00Hmm, that's a good question. So probably that I moved cross-country. I'm you know 3,000 miles from where I grew up. I would say that's probably something that net wasn't necessarily something I always wanted, but uh or thought I'd, you know, I wasn't somebody that was like, I'm getting out of this town, getting, you know. And so I think that would be surprising. I've always I'm the oldest. I was the first grandchild on both sides. So I've always been confident. I was in theater. So it wasn't like this confidence or anything. I've always had that. And to your point about growing up, and uh I think that it's generational, where most of us were just not, we were brought up with parents that, like, for example, my father just took over the family business, right? And that's just what was expected. And I think that was kind of probably expected of me too. And I was, I was like, that's not gonna be my life. And um, I made changes in a career, you know, picked a career that took me on a journey thousands of miles away. So, you know, I think she's understanding choices that were made. You know, my childhood wasn't um all, you know, roses and you know, music. My mom ended up leaving us when I was going to away to college. And so that is, you know, this abandonment issue that's come up in later years, understanding that my attachment styles, all that kind of fun stuff. So it's been a lot of self-realization, but I'd overall think that she's pretty proud of me.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. I love that. I love that. Um, so I know that you know, you have accomplished a lot with your, you know, your entrepreneurial spirit, spirit. And so this might be a really easy question for you to answer, but what is the wildest dream you have given yourself permission to chase?
SPEAKER_00Hmm. Probably when I had my first child leaving corporate America and and following my dream of still bringing in an income, but have, you know, having that stay-at-home lifestyle as well. So I could be there for the pickups and be there for the drop-offs and the the room mom and all of that kind of stuff. And it was it was scary because I was leaving a you know a six-figure income and then having to replace that. And this is before there were side hustles and gig economies. This is before there was Facebook, right? So I was definitely um pioneering that from that perspective, wanting, you know, that side hustle. And so having the courage to do that is something that I'm very proud of. And I think it's taken me on a journey that I never expected. You know, I didn't, I didn't know also that I'd have the drive once I had my son to stay at home, like that feeling of like, oh, wait, I can't leave this baby because I I wasn't planning that. I wasn't the person that was gonna get married and have babies and stay home. Um, I was very career driven. So uh it was a pleasant surprise.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And it's funny you said it was before Facebook and all of that. And, you know, I wonder, you know, I often wonder about this because, you know, I I am at the age where that was before, you know, it didn't exist when I started either. And, you know, I often wonder like the influencers and things like that up today's time that were born into the generation of social media, how they would handle life if it wasn't so readily available to them. Not that it's easy to become an influencer, but that, you know, if they didn't have that at their disposal, like what path would their life have taken, you know, if they didn't have that, the ability to just post and you know, share stories and stuff. And absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's very different.
SPEAKER_01Very different. Yes, for sure. So I know that um you had talked about the the near-death experience, and I'm wondering if this is, you know, the the answer that you will have for this question. But is there any specific fear that you had to face head on in order to grow into the woman that you are today?
SPEAKER_00I think for most of us, the fear that we can, you know, we can have it all, we can do it all. And it's kind of scary to know that because I think most of us live pretty small.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
Childhood, Resilience, And Identity
SPEAKER_00And we live in this little comfortable nucleus of our own self. We don't know how physically fit we can be, we don't know how mentally fit we can be, we don't know how financially fit we can be. It's it's it's there. And I think we can self-sabotage. And it's a it's you know, that inner battle of self-worth. And I think it's everybody, not man or woman, has this. But you know, men are seen as the providers, so they need to go out, right? The hunter and gatherer kind of thing. And so I think for me, it's been, you know, all along, like, okay, well, you've done this in your life, you've done this. Now let's, we're gonna tackle this. And I think right now, this is the hardest part for me in my career fighting through a divorce, fighting through menopause, uh, almost the empty nester, and then pivoting to this writing a book, starting a podcast. It's it's scary, but it's something you know I've never done before. So of course it's gonna be a little scary, but it's also a lot exciting. So I try and focus more on the exciting part than the fear.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. There's a lot of you know, excitement and starting something new and seeing what you're capable of. And, you know, at the end on the on the other end, when it's finished, looking back and being like, ah, I didn't realize I had that in me. I'm so glad that I kept going because that fear, you know, is our body and mind's way of protecting us to like, whoa, something's dangerous. Maybe you should stop. And so many women, especially, I think, stop before you get to that end because they're afraid of judgment and you know what others might think. And so I love being surrounded by women like yourself that have continued even through that fear and you know, discomfort to achieve something to show women that you know that it is possible. So I want to talk about like the comfort zone. And I know you've touched on it a little bit, but can you tell us like your opinion of why do you feel like it is dangerous for us to stay in that comfort zone and why we should step out of it?
Leaving Corporate And Redefining Success
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I think it is real important as we age that we are pushing ourselves to try new things. What um I think one of the uh reasons dementia is uh so prevalent is that we have a mindset of getting older. Oh, it's age. Oh, I'm aging, I'm just getting older. And we're not trying new things, we're we're just accepting, oh, my dad was like that, my mom was like that, and I don't believe that at all. And that is what is called a growth mindset. And if you're not getting uncomfortable, I mean, you're either living or you're dying right now, right? And so getting uncomfortable is key. So what does that mean? I had a wild idea last fall. I took, I said to my two friends, I was like, we're gonna try something new. And we went and um got a private crew instruction. Crew rowing is in this very tiny little skinny boat with these gigantic oars, and you have to particularly do a motion so that the oars don't flip you over. And it is was very stressful. And it was fascinating how the three of us were learning differently. And one of us couldn't do it at all because her mind was, she was, um, I would say she's very um uh her days are very organized and she does the same thing, she has her routine. Every day. And if you stay with that, your mind, your brain just starts dying because you're not introducing new things to it. That's why they say, you know, to do crossword puzzles and sudoku and reading and all those things. But I think the physical exercise too is so important. So if you, of course, humans want to stay in a comfort zone because that, because it's comfortable, but really it gets uncomfortable if you are just, I don't know. I think it's just status quo, maybe a little bit boring. Like, do you really want to live the next 20, 30 years doing the same thing over and over again with the same mindset? It doesn't make sense to me at all. So, but I, you know, I'm definitely that person that moved across the country, right? So I I am very resilient. And I think that is a that is something genetic. I do believe resilience, you can't teach resilience. And um, I think those that are more resilient are less fearful, if that makes sense.
SPEAKER_01Yes, it does. Yes, definitely. Okay, so I have one specific question that I asked all of my guests. And then I've I've recently added a new one. So I would ask both of you both of those questions to you before we get into talking about um a little bit more about your business. So the first question is if you could light a fire in every woman listening today, what would you want that fire to say?
SPEAKER_00Well, sweetheart, your fire is already there. You just forgot how to turn up your dimmer. Yes. Actually, my old brand used to be called You Are Born to Shine. My new brand's Living Spree, but You Are Born to Shine. I believe that we are all here on this earth for a specific purpose. And we are all meant to be super successful and super contributors to the community around us. And no matter what that might be. And when you follow your purpose and you follow that inner guidance and you and you turn up the dimmer, and what do I mean by that? I mean, I think a lot of people can turn down the dimmer. It can be a parent, it could be a good friend, it could be an ex-partner, uh, ex-spouse, colleague. And we have to remember our worth and that we are the only person in charge of how we feel. Nobody else can take that from us. So turn up that light because it's always been there, but sometimes we just forget to turn back the dimmer.
SPEAKER_01Yes, absolutely. I love that. So I want to follow that up with something. So I know a lot of women talked about purpose and a lot of conversations that I have with women are, you know, I don't know that I have a purpose or I don't know how to find my purpose. Is it one specific thing? Like my purpose is to paint, you know, pictures of birds. Is my purpose to love women? Is it to give to the hungry of my community? How do you suggest women figure out their purpose?
SPEAKER_00Sure. So um there's a couple things. One is through I have something called the Ikigai integration map. And it's a map where you there's four circles. It's a Venn diagram. I actually it's right here. They're not gonna be able to see it, but it's a podcast. So um, and it's you draw four circles on a piece of paper, and in the first circle, you label that what you love. And then intersecting next to it is the second circle, and that's what you're good at. The third circle is labeled what the world needs, and the fourth circle is what you can be paid for. And you'll notice on the Venn diagram, they're all gonna, you know, inner, they all interlap. And then once you start looking at the interlap amongst them, in the middle is your equi guy, and that is your reason for being. And then I take it a step further in my coaching. I do one-to-one. Um, I call it the divine nine worksheet. And in the middle of it is spirituality, and then there's eight spokes physical health, uh, inner health, uh, finances, uh, adventure, and new experiences, uh, your impact in your community, your relationships, career, and family. And when you start really dialing into who you are and gauging all around you those things in your life, those key spokes to the purpose wheel, and you start to notice imbalances, and then you start focusing there on those imbalances, and then that will lead to a fully intended and um intention and purpose-driven life.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. So, what is your purpose?
SPEAKER_00My my purpose here is to remind people of their um light and to remind them that they are here for a reason and that the world is kind. Um, I believe people operate out of fear or out of love. And I'm to remind I'm here to remind people that they are love. They were born from love most of the time, and that they uh should continue to be that light.
SPEAKER_01I love that. So, how long did it take you to come up with your purpose? Purpose is a big conversation around the women that I speak with.
Facing Fear, Midlife Pivots, And Possibility
SPEAKER_00So I was like, well, I'm gonna have to take that off on this purpose is uh an evolution, and I think we're always gonna be discovering, you know, that purpose. And for me, once I had my son, I I went from a very male um centric, I was actually worked for Merrill Lynch in finance, and I went from there to leading thousands of women. And I realized there how many people needed um inspiration, motivation, um, just the reminder of who they were and that they had it in them to grow. And ever since then, you know, I've been doing that now for over 20 years in um very in different capacities. And with the birth of my brand, I just people post-COVID have been living small, very small. And so my book, which is not out yet, it's still in the process, but um, it's all about that radical courage. And I spell radical courage with a K because if you don't have that inner knowledge and wisdom that we talked about earlier, um, to to know who you are, not who your mother wanted you to be, not what you went to college for, not what you what the neighbors think you are or your sister. I mean, none of it matters. Yes. It only matters what you want. And so once you can get there, that radical courage to live the life you're born to live transpires. So it's it's and I think it changes with um the different chapters of our lives. Yes.
SPEAKER_01That's one of the things that I say a lot is that you know, we need to figure out who we are, who we were before the world or someone told us who we were supposed to be. And, you know, unfortunately, women, it seems to absorb that information more than than others. And so I'm very passionate about helping women find that. So my last question for you is do you have an inner hype girl song or an anthem that you know you turn on when you have to channel your fiercest self?
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I have a few different playlists, but I will say my one song that will always put me in the best mood ever is Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, because I am a jersey girl. I love that. That is that is a good one. I also love uh Megan Trainer. She's a badass woman. That's a good one. I, you know, pink. I mean, there's you know, Lady Gaga. I I love country. I mean, but if I'm gonna, if I had to listen to one song the rest of my life, it would be it would be Jom Bon living on a prayer. I and I love P.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. So I am going to like turn it over to you and you share whatever it is that you want um about your offers, about um your book, and how people can connect with you, which obviously I'll share all of those links in the show notes. Just tell us what you are offering.
SPEAKER_00Sure. So I have a podcast. So you can find me and connect with me on anything. Um, I do keynote speaking, I do fun shops, I do one-to-one coaching if you go to living spree.life, but it's all about just up-leveling yourself. And the book, Radical Courage, is not, it's a book, it's not about becoming fearless. It's about acting despite the fear. And it's not about perfection because there everybody is perfectly imperfect. There is no perfection, right? It's a it's really about being your true authentic self and not having the answers. It's just about trusting that inner knowing. And even when maybe it's not clear, but just taking that next little step. And so um, it's kind of like my the book is uh also like a self-help kind of book as well. Like it's a it you work through it. So we talk about the difference between um ordinary bravery and radical courage. Again, that radical is felt with a K, and that's like accessing that inner knowledge system that we all have. I talk about the Japanese concept of ikigai, and I really break it down about how to live at the intersection of your purpose. And then I have practical tools that you can use for breaking free from limiting beliefs and familiar patterns, and then how to build authentic community and sustain courage in doing so for the long haul, really. And so that is the book, and then the podcast I have, and then I also have I sell wellness supplements too. So kind of all that kind of stuff. So that's that's me in a nutshell in in what I'm doing here um in San Diego and across the country and uh trying to land that first TED talk. So oh, I love that.
SPEAKER_01Well, um, when that happens, not if, you need to make sure you send me that link. So I will. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. Thank you so much for joining me. And I will make sure I share everything, and I can't wait till your book comes out so I can get that and read through all the amazingness that you have to share with us. Well, that's it for today, babe. But your fire is just getting started. If you're feeling lit up, go ahead and hit subscribe, leave a spicy little review, and tag me at SheIgnites Candle Co. So I can hype you up. Remember, the world doesn't need a quieter version of you. It needs the bold, blazing, fully expressed you. Until next time, keep glowing, keep going, and never, ever dim your damn light.