#16: The Jewels Inside: Healing Through Stillness, Self-Care, and Community with Elvie Schooley

In this episode of Be Still & Live, we sit with movement artist and coach Elvie Schooley for a grounded, heart-centered conversation about what becomes possible when we slow down and listen inward.

Elvie introduces the “Jewels Inside” metaphor—an invitation to see life’s hardest chapters not as wounds to conceal, but as raw material to be gently polished into wisdom, self-respect, and purpose. She shares the quiet courage it took to leave a 15-year marriage, the daily practice of forgiveness that followed, and how her healing began not with force or fixing—but with the smallest, most human step: one conscious breath.

We explore simple, embodied rhythms that helped restore her sense of wholeness: heart-centered morning gratitude, pen-to-paper journaling for emotional clarity, and evening Epsom salt baths to soothe the nervous system. Together, we reflect on boundaries without guilt, self-care as stewardship rather than selfishness, and how tending to our inner life expands our capacity to love, lead, and serve from a place of integrity.

The conversation opens into belonging as well—through Elvie’s discovery of West African drum and dance, the communal healing it offered, and the deep cultural connection that helped her feel at home in her own body and story. That path ultimately led to Drum the Program, her nonprofit in Alabama, where youth learn West African cultural arts while building social-emotional skills and experiencing a living practice of community.

If you’re navigating burnout, transition, or the quiet ache of feeling unseen, this episode offers a gentle return: slow down, breathe, listen, forgive—and trust that the light you’re seeking is already within you.

Connect with Elvie: 

Website 

Drum Program 

Facebook

Instagram

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Transcript

Welcome And Episode Setup

Elvie 0:00

Even when I was a little girl, I remember the idea now of what that term would be is self-reflection.

Gillian 0:11

If your days feel full, but your heart longs for more meaning, you're not alone. Between the screens, the schedules, and the never-ending noise, it's easy to lose your sense of peace. But what if the way forward isn't found in doing more, but in learning to slow down, to simplify, to be still. Welcome to Be Still and Live, a podcast for individuals, couples, and families longing for calm, connection, and a more meaningful way to live. I'm Jillian, speaker, coach, and founder of Sileo Health and Wellness. And I'm here to help you create space for stillness and step into a life that feels whole and good again. Today's episode is a beautiful reminder that we don't have to heal alone and that our bodies, stories, and communities carry medicine we often forget to honor. I'm joined by Elvie Schoolie, a movement artist, transformation coach, and author of The Jewels Inside. Elvie's work centers on helping people rediscover their inner brilliance through embodied movement, cultural arts, and compassionate community care. Through her Jewels Inside platform and drum the program, she offers people a path back to self-love, emotional clarity, and collective growth. Our conversation is rich with wisdom, how trauma shapes the way we move, why connection is the heartbeat of healing, and what becomes possible when we remember that our light is never lost, only waiting to be revealed. I hope you enjoy. Good morning, Elvie. I am so excited to have you here today. Thank you for your time.

Elvie 1:56

Wonderful. Thank you for having me.

Gillian 2:00

And uh I have to admit that this is round number three with Elvie. She is now recording from her phone. She drove to a location where she has great reception because she lives in the country. And we have tried this interview two other times and it didn't work. So we have been persistent because um there's a reason that Elvie's story needs to be shared. So if there's any glitches, that's why. But uh yes, Elvie is a trooper.

Elvie 2:29

Yes, we are been determined to make this happen. And you know, yeah, sometimes technology isn't always perfect.

Deep Listening And The Divine Within

Gillian 2:37

No, it's not. But it means that I can be speaking to you right now from New York to Alabama, and that people from all around the world can hear this conversation in January. So I'm pretty excited about that.

Elvie 2:50

Awesome. Thank you for having me again, Julian.

Gillian 2:53

Oh, it's my pleasure, Elvie. Elvie, your work blends movement, cultural arts, and deep emotional healing. It's such a unique and powerful combination that you've captured in your book the jewels inside. Do you mind if I start by reading a few sentences from the preface of that book?

Elvie 3:13

Not at all.

Gillian 3:15

Okay. This stood out to me because it aligns so closely to the Soleil message. This book was born from a practice of deep listening, a ritual of silence that has gifted me with clarity, patience, and wisdom. Elvie, I'd love for you to bring us into that realization that your story was shaped by a ritual of silence and deep listening.

Elvie 3:42

Thank you for sharing that. The practice of deep listening really began when I started studying yoga and meditation, and it has gifted me with an ability to tune inward. It's also enhanced my ability to work deeply with others, because often what we really need is to be heard, and also in that listening, it's not just listening to other people, but it's also the deep listening on the inside where I feel if I feel challenged by something of not clear in my life or questioning, I use those deep listening skills to receive the answer, to feel guided, to feel clarity. And here we are, 2025, and I have I still engage in those practices because I feel that they are essential, not just for myself, but for others, um, especially when the world feels uncertain, and we are moving in those times right now, right? So the practice of stillness and listening offers it feels as though there's a remembering that I'm cared for in the universe, regardless of what is happening around me.

Gillian 5:45

Yeah, that's a that's a beautiful feeling, isn't it? Alvia, would you mind sharing when you talk about this deep listening and receiving clarity? Who are you listening to? How how do you how do you describe what you're tapping into?

Elvie 6:02

Yes, the divine. Not that the divine is something that is outside of me. I view it as the divine that dwells inside of me and inside of others, and that energy is forever present. We come from that as the teachings in the Bible, that God is not something that is external, and I have come to really honor that part of myself, and the way in which I honor that and hold that peace around the divine inside of myself and in others, I liken it to people often say to me, you are really unique, you are these things, and what I really believe that they are saying is that the manner in which I'm choosing to interact with them, show compassion, have empathy, show love, those are the acts of the divine in me becoming alive and tangible for others to see as a mirror, because we just mirror back to each each each other, because it's not that I'm different. No, it is all inside of each and every one of us. It is up to us to cultivate it through practices of self-awareness, stillness, meditation, communing with God.

Gillian 7:55

Yes, beautiful. I have goosebumps as you talk about this, Alvi, and thank you for explaining that this is where your source of clarity comes from. And it isn't it so hopeful to look at this as something that each of us holds within, this divine within that connects us, this beautiful energy that reveals God not only to ourselves, but to the people around us, and that we get to be the conduit for that love in the world around us. Exactly. So I've read your book, LV, and and your story is just so powerful in how you explain how you tapped into this divine within and how it came um full circle into the purpose for your life. You've created an entire platform around uncovering the jewels inside, which is what you titled your book. It's such a profound metaphor, especially for those navigating trauma or rebuilding their sense of self. And this is a lot of people. This is this is all of us. Where did you get the concept of the jewels inside?

Elvie 9:10

In um 2023, I was moving towards understanding how do I get into this coaching realm of helping other people? And I had gone through courses, and there was always this need to define your audience. What is the title of your platform? And I felt in some moments I felt overwhelmed by so much stimulation of information.

Gillian 9:44

Yeah, I can relate.

Elvie 9:48

So, what did I do? I used the practice of stillness and listening. I began to really meditate on and pull back from taking in so much information. While listening, I it was as if something moved inside of me that said, All of my life, I have searched to find the answers of my lived experiences. Even when I was a little girl, I remember the idea now, what that term would be is self-reflection. That was a practice I had even as a child and a teenager and young adult. So, how do how do we put that in a package that says that there's a benefit to listening to yourself and looking at the things that you have gone through and seeking the wisdom

The Jewels Inside Concept

Elvie 10:55

in those lived experiences? And through the process, I had to also recognize that what I had gone through in my life, there's no criticism and blame or shame, but there's a beauty in that. Because I had actively sought after the wisdom versus painting myself as the victim. And one day, while meditating about how do I put all of these pieces together that I have experienced and gone through and still come out of with deep self-love and a wonderful sense of self-worth that no one could take away from me. And I realized I was like, well, everything that I've gone through really is just like a jewel. I just really have to look at that and find it. And hence the name.

Gillian 12:07

Yeah, that that's such a powerful perspective, LV, because just reading through your book, I know you went through some some very difficult things, including having to walk away from a marriage of, I think it was 15 years. Yes. And that's that's traumatic. That's difficult because you're grieving the loss of an ideal. You're grieving the loss of what you hoped would be forever. And um the loss of the the love of your life. And that's a very difficult transition to make. But when you can look at experiences like that, difficult experiences, and and look at it as an opportunity to learn something. What what was I supposed to take away from that? How was I supposed to, what lesson was I supposed to learn? And you look at that, I think. Is that how you're describing the jewel? Exactly. The jewels, okay, okay.

Elvie 13:04

Exactly. So instead of and and the jewels, they're already there. Sometimes what we have to do is to realize looking at ourselves through a lens of compassion and realize that those things that I uncovered and that each of us have gone through, they're already there. It's not something that was extraneous, and I had to go and get, I just had to uncover. And the process of realizing that they were already inside. Right. So the practices are about how do we polish those jewels so that they shine brightly.

Gillian 13:52

Right. I I love this analogy. It's almost like a I'm picturing a treasure hunt, and um, we we are born with all these jewels, and it it we have this invitation to go inward and find those jewels within and to really use them to understand the story of our life better and to become who we're called to be and to understand how we're supposed to serve the world. And we have the choice to go and and find them, but it's never really forced on us. But and I see the connection you're making here that you find them through this path of stillness and reflection, which is what offers you that clarity.

Elvie 14:34

Exactly, exactly. I had a conversation with a female, and she spoke about her service of creating a facility for drug um abuse and families, and then and in that conversation, she revealed that as a child, she had lived in an environment much like the one that she was telling people to come out of. And as we talked, it came to me that I needed to help her see the she already knew the work was important, but I wanted her to see the full circle of the work. And the full circle was she had grown up in the environment. She was her mission now came from the creation of a lived experience. So what she was creating was this encompassing experience of drug rehabilitation because she had lived it. She didn't go through all of those things in her youth to just experience them. But look how life had brought her full circle into her purpose. Had she not lived it, she may not have been capable of creating the catch-net all for the business she was building. Right.

Speaker 2 16:16

Yeah.

Elvie 16:17

That's the other extension of the jewels inside, you know, is being able to reflect on what we've lived through and see that what it what life was teaching us so that we can then create a service of for others from a place of clarity.

Gillian 16:40

Beautiful. Shifting from that victim mentality and into your power, uh-huh. Using it as using it as an opportunity to serve the world in in a way that is unique to you, right? Because we all have a a different experience. We all have our own unique life story. But we when we can shift from victim mentality, you know, focusing on all the terrible things that happened to us. And, you know, we get we can all list things that were imperfect in our life. But, you know, when when we live in that state of resentment and frustration, we we stay stuck. But when we look at a look at it as an opportunity to um have the springboard to step into our purpose, it really does switch to that empowerment, doesn't it?

Elvie 17:30

Exactamente. I must use my Spanish word. I love it. Yes, yes. So that's exactly it.

Gillian 17:39

Uh this is a great transition into the next question I wanted to ask you because many of our listeners, including myself, carry this invisible weight, the stress, or it could be from trauma, the pressure to be everything to everyone. And your book speaks to those spaces with such compassion, which is really important. What did healing look like for you on your hardest days, LV?

Elvie 18:07

Diving into self-care, regardless of what others needed

Leaving Marriage And Self-Care

Elvie 18:15

from me. Because if we don't have a self-care practice, a self-care ritual, something that pours back into us, it's very easy to think that we can continue to pour out and into other people because that's what we are taught to do, especially as women. But on the other side of that is depletion, exhaustion, unhappiness, depression. So the rituals, the practices, those things that give back to us became the real like balancing point for me. Um, during this time when I embarked on my journey, especially in 2020, when I walked away from my marriage and walked into what become would become a new lifestyle, it was very difficult. I was very scared because I'd never been really alone. I went from my mom and dad's nest to serving in the military, which is also a very safe space and connected, and then into this marriage. And for the first time, I was answering to no one but myself. So the self care practices. Were they were the saving grace to get me through not one day at a time, moment by moment, because without my I distinctively remember feeling so overwhelmed with the grief that if I could just breathe through one moment at a time, then I knew I could get through it, right? And I had I hung on to that because that was the only way forward. There was no envisioning for tomorrow, um, sometimes for me. But when I began to really dive deep into the practices of caring for myself, such as a weekly massage therapy session, meditation every day, journaling every day, breath work, ritual bathing that allowed me to let all of those things that were a part of my physical identity melt away. I then began to cultivate this realization that, oh, I am gonna be all right.

Gillian 21:24

This um I mean, I've heard it before, you can't pour from an empty cup. And I need to remind myself of that daily, it's really hard, I have to admit, to wrap my head around that. Because, you know, we live in a culture where the the messaging is if you push harder, one day you'll arrive. One day you'll get there if you keep striving and giving and pouring out to everybody else. This idea of self-care for me, anyways, and I know that I can speak for a lot of the listeners, it feels selfish. It feels like, you know, the idea is that you're supposed to pour out for everybody else's, especially as a mother. You know, it I love being a mom, but it is constant pouring of myself into these little people who I'm trying to form and launch into the world. Um, it's very, very easy to slip into that state of mind that that that tells me that there's not time for me right now, that this is the time that I'm supposed to continually step up. But I have experienced it, and I shared it in the first episodes of this podcast, that that doesn't work because you eventually, like you said, get to this point of complete depletion where you have nothing to give. So I'm wondering if you can you can speak on that for a moment. How what can you say to the people who experience that that guilt for taking care of themselves?

Elvie 22:58

I understand that I have been there. But what we the deeper thing that you are speaking about is a belief structure that says I'm not worthy, I need to find myself, that my value is found in serving other people and giving to other people, but that really is counter to what is really possible because without a sense of balance, and the balance comes from pouring back into yourself. I was a massage therapist for 12 years in private practice in Texas. I absolutely loved my work, however, I began to learn how to hold a boundary with the clients who I would say I would coin this term that what they really need from me is just to hold a space for them so that they can share whatever's troubling them. Yeah, and so I would do that, but in the way of holding those boundaries, we're I was cultivating empathy, and I began to realize that my role is not to solve other people's problems, but to hold space for them so that they can be seen and heard and navigate back to their true selves through a place of self-love and realizing that our worth is not defined by how much we give to other people. Yeah, and and God God doesn't to me, God doesn't want that for us because we are we are full of love, and the journey back to finding our self-worth is really connected to recognizing the cultivation and the need for us to have a sense of self-love that says I am worthy regardless of what I need to give to other people. I need to first give it to myself so that I can give it in a way that doesn't deplete me of my own sense of time and energy. Because it can be really hard, especially for women, when our society says that's what that's what a woman is supposed to do. You know, look at the lives of our grandmothers. They that they were the homemakers, and kudos to them and kudos to any woman who's capable and have the means to stay at home and have a family, but oftentimes now we have women doing those things and also working. Yeah. Well, there's only so much time and so much energy in a day. That's why the the cultivation of self-care practices become so essential because there is a even for myself now, my husband will say, Okay, it's time to go to bed, and he can jump in bed,

Guilt, Boundaries, And Worthiness

Elvie 26:40

but for me, what that really signals is my time now. It goes from and it will take me almost an hour to shut it down so that I rest well, yeah, and that shutdown process are those self-care practices, but my lifestyle is such now that I love it when he goes to bed. Okay, good night, dear. I can take my bath in peace, I can do my yoga in peace, and I can really go in spiritually.

Gillian 27:22

Yeah. Before we continue, I want to offer you a quiet pause. If you've been feeling overwhelmed, mentally cluttered, or like your mind never truly rests, I'd like to invite you into a quiet reset. Fog to freedom is a simple grounding exercise designed to help you slow down, release the mental load, and reset. There's no fixing and no pressure, just a quiet pause. So clarity can return, and your nervous system can stop. Many people describe feeling lighter, calmer, and more clearly after just a few minutes. And it's something you can return to any time that we starts to build. If your soul is asking for space, you're warmly invited to begin with talk to freedom. You'll find a link in the show notes or at salecoaching.com. Become exactly as you are and offer yourself the gift of space and clarity. Thank you for taking that pause. Now let's return to the conversation. And would you say from experience, I mean, the people who are feeling guilty or the thing, the people who point their fingers and self-love, you know, sometimes we make fun of that in our life because it can also be defined in a different way in today's culture, maybe a way that isn't so fruitful. But um, the self-love that you're talking about, where you have these pure, pure intentions to care for yourself and to allow yourself to step into that worthiness of being cared for and receiving. I think that's what you're talking about. How does that help you to be more effective and efficient in your daily life? It's like you have to slow down to be more effective in your life. And if you do the opposite, neglect yourself to try to be more effective, that actually means you're going to crash and burn because it's unsustainable. Can you speak to your personal experience about how impactful it is to practice this self-care on a daily basis? And what did you have that experience of feeling like you could actually pour more of yourself into the world because you had this daily practice?

Elvie 29:38

Beautiful, beautifully said, Jillian. Yes. Yes. This isn't coming from a place of I like I read it somewhere. I've lived it. I've lived the experience of depletion. I know that in my marriage of 15 years, the day that I walked away when I said I wanted a divorce, I had lived literally five years of trying and pouring into someone who was a beautiful person. But I was growing in a direction that I had for the first time that clarity about like I was waking up to me as a woman, and that was very intimidating for him. So I didn't want to leave him, so I kept pouring into him. You can do this, you can you can get a job, you can you can start a business, you can, you can, you can, you can, you can.

Speaker 2 30:51

Yeah.

Elvie 30:52

And the response was, okay, you just keep waiting, and I'll do those things.

Speaker 2 30:56

Yeah.

Elvie 30:57

Well, weight always breaks the wagon down. And it was the weight of realizing that who I was evolving and where I had come from, meaning in the where I'd come from, what my parents had equipped me with was being compromised because there was a part of my parents' relationship that I really admired, and that I didn't have that in my marriage. The verbal and emotional abuse and spiritual abuse was really difficult.

Speaker 3 31:36

Right.

Elvie 31:37

And when I walked away, I realized that what I had really been struggling with was depression. And I didn't even know, you know, this is 2002, and so that terminology was not a part of the narrative of who we are. I had no one to guide me through this process of, okay, now how do I get my life together with as I'm falling apart here?

Speaker 2 32:06

Yeah.

Elvie 32:08

But that's where I began to cultivate the self-care practices that reminded me that I was worthy, and that my worth is not and was not defined by putting other people back together. Right. Because there is no balance, there was no balance in that. I had tried that and it had failed miserably to the sum of when I walked away, I had eleven hundred dollars in my pocket and two dogs. They were both boxers that needed to be fed, so I didn't have little lap dogs. Yeah.

Speaker 3 32:54

Yeah.

Elvie 32:55

But I knew that there was something that this was something that I needed to do. And so the moment that I walked away, I knew that there was so much peace inside. I I remember I didn't even recognize my voice when I said it. Yeah and I even went, whoa, who said that? But I was grateful to God for the moment, and I just took one step forward in trusting the process and continuously caring for myself in a way that poured back into me because there was a part of me that felt like that's just what I was supposed to do as a woman. And there isn't there's no balance in that. I saw that even in my massage therapy practice: women who were continuously pouring into their families, into their spouses, and emptying the well. And then the what in in the process of the emptying, I was seeing chronic illness, unhappiness, sadness, chronic pain, autoimmune dysfunction into fibromyalgia, all of these things, and it sparked my curiosity. Why are why are most of these women and what is this really about? What are the things that are contributing to these dysfunctions that are being seen in their lives? And it really was emotional, yeah. Not having a pathway to understand our emotions, to articulate our emotions in a way that allowed us to really be honest with the things that we needed to say. Because, you know, people think, oh, as a woman, you're supposed to be sweet and kind, and you know, you shouldn't be angry. Yeah. Well, I had spent my years being angry, and that wasn't helpful either. So I wanted to find another way.

Gillian 35:06

That that's a that's a piece of your book that I really appreciated, L V, was the fact that you admitted and you recognized that you had a role to play in the breakdown of the relationship as well, which is so beautiful when you can step away and take responsibility for the part you played. And um, that also helps with healing because you're being honest with yourself about what actually happened. And, you know, sometimes it's difficult to see that when you're in the thick of it. But it's in this um process of stepping back and reflecting and being still that those things are able to surface so you can see it for what it is.

Elvie 35:50

Exactly. It's prior to being able to step back and take accountability, the missing piece that I didn't have at that time was how do I practice forgiveness? Because if we can't practice forgiveness, the ego remains in control and we we can personify being the victim and justify a lot of things. But in the process of learning how to practice forgiveness on a daily and regular basis, what I found was I needed to forgive myself. It wasn't so much about my spouse, but it was really about me not listening to that voice that said, you can't keep doing this relationship because there was a part of me that felt like I was turning my light, was being turned down.

Gillian 36:57

Your light was under the bushel.

Elvie 37:00

Yes, exactly. But learning how to forgive and take responsibility was a game changer, it freed me so much to take responsibility that said, This is what I did, and really I'm a much better person than that, and that's when I pulled back from being confrontational with my husband at the time, and when I began to pull back and realize that that's not who I wanted to be, I had in forgiving myself, I began to really sit into this the stillness of okay, why is this marriage really falling apart? Yeah, what did I need to do to make sure that when it continues to fall apart, that I'm still gonna be okay.

Gillian 38:04

And and knowing you today, you are very much okay. And sharing the light with so many people. So I would love to shift into that because I this has been such an awesome conversation, LV. That I know I needed to hear so many people need to hear this because you are sharing a story of hope. And you're it's so accessible because this practice is available to all of us. That's what I love about stillness. It is available to everybody. It is simply a choice, it's an invitation, and we get to choose to bring it into our life to allow us to, you know, step into our purpose. So I'm curious to know if if if you can share two to three rituals or practices that someone could begin today to reconnect with their inner jewel. What what are the what are the most powerful practices that you would suggest somebody um integrates into their life?

Elvie 39:09

I have a morning ritual of meditation, even before I get out of bed, and that process is a placement of my hands on my heart and really breathing into that space underneath my hands and whispering the words of gratitude, and in that process of expressing gratitude, it's not for the things you know

Forgiveness And Personal Accountability

Elvie 39:45

that surround me, because those things can go away really quickly, but it's really about the people who are the people who have poured into me, who have made a way for me. To stand in this space right now as a woman of color with so much love, compassion, understanding, and wisdom. Someone poured into me, and I'm grateful for that. So that is one practice. Journaling is a saving grace because there's something, and I'm not talking about typing on your computer, I'm I'm talking about the actual pen to paper.

unknown 40:38

Yes.

Elvie 40:39

Pen to paper. It is a saving grace to be able to write your thoughts and your emotions. And I have been journaling now since 1999. And it has given me so much clarity about who I am and what what do I want to be doing in this world?

Speaker 2 41:04

Yeah.

Elvie 41:05

The other ritual I must advocate for, I have a toss-up, but I really love a ritual bathing process every night. And it doesn't matter if it's one in the morning, if it's time for me to go to bed, I'm going to go and run a warm bath. I love the use of Epsom salts bath because it is a purifier, detoxifying process of magnesium. It really allows for the body to recover. And I love using essential oils that are soothing, such as lavender, essential oil.

Gillian 41:56

You're making this sound pretty good, Alby. I'm gonna go run about the phone for this interview.

Elvie 42:03

Wonderful. But those three things are essential to every day of my life.

Speaker 2 42:10

Yeah.

Elvie 42:11

Why not take the time to pour into yourself with rituals that says, Oh, let me take care of this physical body and the spirit that housed that is housed here.

Speaker 2 42:30

Right.

Elvie 42:31

And if we can, you know, the journaling is an emotional tool, the meditation is a spiritual practice, it's also a breath work. Then you have the bathing, which is also nurturing you physically, giving back to yourself. So it is there is in lies just those three self-care practices, a holistic pathway to wellness that a lot of us in America can incorporate. And even if if you're if the bathing thing isn't your thing, wash the day off with a shower, nurture yourself with a self-massage, all of those things. I mean, I we could go on, Julian, about my self-care practices. Yeah. Yeah. But those are those things I hope that your audience will find attainable for themselves.

Gillian 43:30

Absolutely. I would love to circle back to something you said you did when you first left your marriage because you didn't talk about these other things. You said you didn't even have the capacity for that. You were going moment by moment. And I have been in that state of survival mode where all of the stuff you're talking about would feel like complete overwhelm, just the thought of finding the space to practice that. But you mentioned one thing early on that you did to get you through the moment to moment. Do you remember what that was?

Elvie 44:04

Breathing.

Gillian 44:05

Breathing, the power of the pause. Can you explain what that felt like when you were in the state of just probably chronic stress and survival mode? And you know, that that fear-based mentality that, you know, I can imagine was tempting to allow yourself to be pulled into as you, you know, navigated through that difficult phase. What did it feel like to step into that stillness when when you were triggered?

Elvie 44:38

Wow. I felt overwhelmed, and that's when I began to practice the moment by moment, because the overwhelming came from a place of fear, and it also came from a place of anxiety, because I was trying to map the future, yeah, which is which is and was impossible to do. Right. But if I could just get through the moment and return back to my center through the breathing practice, I could go back to that place of peace and deal with whatever emotions that followed the next moment.

Gillian 45:28

Yeah. And when you're talking about this, I think what you're saying is you are connecting with God's source universe, and allowing yourself to be held by that divine love, which is greater than any fear, which is greater than any regret you may be feeling from the past. And it's constantly available to step into that space and humble yourself to know, like to admit, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to feel right now, and just surrender everything over to that divine force within you.

Elvie 46:06

Exactly. During that time, I definitely had my challenge with God, huh?

Gillian 46:13

Oh, I can I can imagine. Because you were raised in a very Christian home. You had your your father was a pastor, correct?

Elvie 46:20

Correct. Correct. And I was raised as his, you know, almost like his protege on some level. But, you know, I had lived this experience that was like, well, where was God in all of that? And I literally had to find my way back through all of the things that I had internalized that really didn't serve my understanding and my personal connection to God and what God is. And when I began to understand that I've never been left, and God is not this judgmental figure out there, but God is a force of divine oneness inside of me, and I am worthy

Practical Rituals For Daily Grounding

Elvie 47:20

of the love that I feel for myself. I am worthy to have peace in my life, I'm worthy to be loved in the manner that I need to be loved in.

Speaker 2 47:32

Yeah.

Elvie 47:33

And that I've never been really left.

unknown 47:36

Right.

Elvie 47:37

He's always been there.

Gillian 47:39

That really does sound like the gospel message to me. And maybe it's possible that, you know, it there's a lot of environments where it's been communicated differently. So I think we're going through a wave of healing and a deep understanding of what that message was intended to be. And I believe, you know, you're kind of saying the same thing. That is, it is this feeling of just love and acceptance. And when we can receive that, then we become this conduit, this vessel for God's love to pour through to other people.

Elvie 48:14

Exactly. Beautifully put, Jillian. Beautiful. I appreciate that.

Gillian 48:20

Yeah, I'm just um expanding on what you're saying here, Elvie, and and what your story shares through your book.

Elvie 48:28

Oh, yeah, I hear that too. But you need to see that I see you and what you are doing with Sileo and his beautiful work.

Gillian 48:37

Oh, well, I am I am so honored to to hear that from you, L V. It's it's I honestly feel like I am just being a vessel, and this is this is not from me. And um, this is something that is coming through me. And that it's a beautiful feeling, but it's it's also very complicated because you have lit you have real life layered into that and uh continued challenges throughout daily life. But the reason I started this business, it's not even a business, it's a mission, it's a movement, is to remind people what they already know and to remind them that we have this stillness to come back to and to return to and to really learn who we're supposed to be through. Um, and it's really it's becoming more and more challenging to do that because of the noise of the world around us. The world keeps pulling our attention and preventing us from entering into this divine space, and it's in this divine space that we are created for. Exactly. So I that's why I wanted to share your story because your process, your story reveals this truth in such a beautiful way.

Elvie 49:52

Thank you. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

Gillian 49:56

You're very welcome, Alvi. I I I have a few more questions here, but we're gonna have to motor through them a little bit quicker because this has been such a fruitful conversation. But I wanted to talk a little bit more about the work you're doing today. What came from the story? Because you have this awesome realization that you had when you were you were exposed to your culture, your cultural roots from Africa. Can you share how that happened, how you stumbled upon this realization that you had felt a little bit isolated and lost for most of your life?

Elvie 50:35

Yes, I started after my divorce, I traveled to San Miguel de Hayenda, Mexico on a bus. I didn't need to speak Spanish, but I now and I saw these amazing artists that came to town playing these drums from Africa and doing these dances, and it was so intoxicating from the place of like, wow, look at the connection between the music and dance. So I went back to Texas, started studying, drumming, and then I met my first dance teacher, a gentleman named Musa Diabate. He lived in Dallas. And after that first class, he says, Well, I'm taking people to Africa, and I raised my hand and said, I'm going. Awesome. It was a little premature, but I for the first time I felt like I had experienced something that woke me up and touched me spiritually. Right. So now fast forward, and 20 years later, after that experience, um, I have launched a nonprofit organization here in Alabama called Drum the Program. We provide cultural arts experience from West Africa that serve youth ages 8 to 16. Awesome. We build social emotional skill sets of sense of belonging and self-management. We provide youth summer camps and in-school opportunities for working with schools to provide art programs. That has now allowed me to, you know, come in network with other organizations across the state of Alabama that provide art experiences.

Gillian 52:40

So, Elvie, I feel like I could talk with you all day about this, but we're running out of time, and I there's still so much that I want to cover about where you've gone with your life, where your story has led you, and how you're serving the world around you because of what you experienced in your life. Can you share a little bit about what came next and this revelation that you had when you realized that you had felt a bit alone for most of your life when you found what you belonged to?

Elvie 53:11

When I discovered West African drum and dance, there was a moment where I realized that this was one of those spiritual experiences that I had been missing in my life. And it really became full circle for me when on my first visit to West Africa, I remember standing on this bridge, and it was at a market called Medina in Guinea, Conakry. And as far as I could see, there were people, traffic, noise, and all of it. At that moment, I realized I looked out and I was like, oh my God, this is where people like me have come from, as black people. Being able to go to Africa has it changed my life. And then the the immersion of myself in the arts gave me and has continued to provide me with a deep sense of belonging to a tribe, a tribe that we share the same language, we love the same things, we we practice the same rituals of spiritual renewal through drum and dance. And when I found it, that moment, I just really began to sob because I I didn't even know I'd been searching for it. Right. And there it was, you know, and it has continued to enrich my life.

Gillian 55:02

That's beautiful, and and it led you to

Breath, Overwhelm, And Surrender

Gillian 55:05

starting this nonprofit. What is it called? Can you what is it called Drum?

Elvie 55:11

It's called Drum the Program, and Drum is an acronym for Drum Rhythms Unification Movement. We teach and serve youth ages eight to 16 here in Alabama with experiences of West African cultural arts that helps to build social emotional skill sets of a self-management and sense of belonging. And the vision of the organization is that when I felt like if I was, if I would have had access to this as a child, it would have changed my law of life. Right because it would have allowed me to see myself through a lens of cultural art that continue to pour into me. And the narrative of who I am as a as an African American and with descendants who were enslaved, which paints like a this negative picture, this art form has really changed that my perspective, and that I really believe that the story of who I am washes up on the shores of Africa through this art. And it empowers me so that when when I pour into youth, I realize that I'm now changing the trajectory of their lives so that I don't have to fix adults, but I'm building kids who are decisions. Right. And that's really important for me.

Gillian 56:56

Yeah, and and and so necessary, such a gift to the world. I I love what I mean, you're just showing what happens when you surrender and align with the calling that you know that that you have as a unique individual for your life. And when you step into that space, what a gift it can be to the world around you, where you just feel like you're flowing and that people are able to receive God's love through you. Exactly. It sounds like when you talked about finding your tribe, it makes me think about the state of our culture today. There's so many people who feel alone and isolated. And I feel this as well, like the community feeling of um the village, especially raising kids and being a mother and all of these things, it kind of disappeared. And life has become quite lonely because we exist so much on the internet in the virtual world when we're craving this human connection. And you're offering this very real and you know, centuries-long practice of drumming and dance that brings people together in person and allows them to express themselves in this way that is cultural. It's a part of the fabric of who they are. So I can only imagine what that does for a young person who's feeling a bit lost and maybe a bit isolated and a little bit alone to be able to step into that space and be fully themselves and to embrace that part of them. I'm I'm just grateful for you, LV, in offering this. And, you know, there's a lot of tribes that are being started and seeds that are being planted, like the red pill and blue pill movement and such that are quite toxic. And if we can come back to the space of remembering who we are, of remembering the, you know, the beautiful vision that our creator had for our lives as individuals, the uniqueness of being female and male, and how when we embrace that, we really do complement each other. That was the original vision. And I feel like when you step into spaces like you created, you come back to that realization.

Elvie 59:14

Definitely. I feel that what you are also speaking to is spaces where we find our humanity is restored. Oh, yeah, and revitalized through this connection to oneness of a community because this art form doesn't happen in with one person drumming andor one person dancing. It is innately a community structured experience. Yeah. And I have I personally have been transformed by the cultural arts from the African diaspora, and I'm very, very grateful. For those who have traveled to this part of the world to share their culture with us, such as my master dance teachers and drum teachers, they make huge sacrifices to be in this part of the world, sharing their culture and living away from their families. So I really um pause often to pay homage to those sacrifices that they make so that I may get an experience as an African American and a human being that these rhythms are part of the fabric of humanity. And in those spaces, we all belong. Yes, we do. We all can come and take part of it.

Gillian 1:00:59

You belong. And um, you know, to to not give up hope, keep seeking out these spaces where you belong, where you belong, where where the best sides of you are brought to life. I think that's when you know it's a good fit. When you're becoming a better person, someone who is service-minded and someone who just is inspired and sharing beauty with the world around you, that's when you know you've connected to the right community for sure. So what what city is this in, LV?

Elvie 1:01:31

Drum the program is located in Montevallo, Alabama.

Speaker 2 1:01:36

Okay.

Elvie 1:01:37

And uh we are a 501c3 cultural arts nonprofit.

Speaker 2 1:01:42

Okay.

Elvie 1:01:42

Our website is drumtheprogram.org. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Once a year we do a an immersive youth summer camp where we enroll 25 youth through a sponsorship and grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Amazing. To give kids the opportunity to experience this art and connect with other youth who are traveling down that same path

Finding Belonging In West African Arts

Elvie 1:02:20

of self-growth and awakening of their talents and realizing that there's so much more to life, especially when we are cultivating human-to-human relationships. Right. So yeah, you can check out our Juneteenth Youth Summer Camp, which is our big event. And when we have our Juneteenth Youth Summer Camp, it's a performance-based experience. And at the end of the week, we have the Juneteenth Jamboree where the kids are performing, the community comes out, our sponsors and constituents are there, and it's a wonderful chance to see the work that Drum the program is really doing through the kids' ability to like create this environment for those who show up and realize, oh my god, these kids are amazing. Yeah.

Gillian 1:03:23

Yeah. They just need people to see them. Oh, that's awesome. I would I would love to be a part of that. I'm trying to figure out how I can get down to Alabama in June. So I would love to just witness what you're doing there. LV, I know that you would love to promote your book and um maybe your coaching practice. Is there anything else you would like to share or any other ways that people can connect with you as a coach and an author?

Elvie 1:03:54

They can connect with me on Facebook or Instagram. You can follow me, um, like our content. And the jewelsinside.com is our website where you can find links to the book. You can also now find a link to my newly published journal. Oh, yes, it is a guide through the process of what the book takes you through that journey, and now the journal is an extension of that, which continues the process of supporting the self-exploration through journal prompts, affirmations, just holding that space for the reader to continue to do the self-work. Right. Because I believe that when we want to show up in community community spaces, it's really imperative that we don't become the burden on the community to fix. We do our work, and then when we show up in those spaces, the value we bring has a lot more greater impact because we are able to then be in those spaces, being our best selves, not our broken selves who are wounded, traumatized, and are needing and leaning on someone else to fix us. But what I'm really saying is we have to become proactive, right? And that's what my my coaching services offer is a process through themes of wellness that allow for the growth, the expansion to move beyond being stuck, beyond being unfulfilled into a place of wholeness, activation, passion, and purpose.

Gillian 1:06:09

Amazing. Amazing. Thank you. Amazing work. I love to say like we we weren't meant to just survive, we were meant to thrive. And I believe that that is true. And I see you doing that in your life. And I know from your from just from your personal story that you have remarried and you said that, you know, it it is just such a beautiful life that you live today. So I'm so happy for you, and um I'm so grateful for the work that you do. And I look forward to sharing this story with as many people as I can. And I would highly recommend your book. It's uh it's a really awesome story to read, and it is um sprinkled with journaling opportunities as well. So it's a it's a journey for the reader to go through this book, and I would highly recommend it. You can find it on Amazon.

Elvie 1:07:04

Thank you. Thank you, Gillian. And yes, the Jewels Inside, a self-care guide to healing, growing and thriving beyond trauma, can be found on Amazon and also um at thejewelsinside.com. It's been an honor to be interviewed by you. I really do appreciate the conversation.

Gillian 1:07:27

The honor is mine, Alvi. It was so nice to reconnect with you, and uh, I hope to continue this relationship and stay connected throughout the months and years ahead.

Elvie 1:07:38

Exactly. Let's revisit this and see check in with each other and continue the mutual support, right? Yeah, I think that's what's really important in these the way that entrepreneurship and coaching there is the more that we can surround ourselves with the network and the community, the process becomes easier because what we each of us bring to the table is uniquely different. Very true. There isn't there's no competition, very true.

Gillian 1:08:14

And that's the truth in in every area of life. So it doesn't matter what you do for a living, you need you need your people, you need your tribe. So I encourage our listeners to to go out and look for that and to trust, to trust that it is out there, it is out there, and um to stay optimistic. So, Elvie, uh thank you again for your time, and I hope you have a wonderful day.

Elvie 1:08:38

Okay, thank you, Julianne, and take care. You too.

Gillian 1:08:44

Thank you so much for joining us for this conversation with Elvie Schoolie. I hope her words reminded you that healing doesn't require perfection, only presence, curiosity, and a willingness to reconnect with yourself. If this episode spoke to you, please share it with someone who might need a reminder that their inner jewels are still shining and just waiting to be revealed. And as always, take a moment today to slow down, breathe, and return to what matters most. Thank you for listening to Be Still and Live. As always, my hope is that this conversation offered you a little more space. Space to breathe, to listen, and to come home to what matters most. If this episode resonated with you, I invite you to subscribe to the show and consider sharing it with someone who could use a little more space or clarity right now. That simple act helps this work reach the people who need it most. If you're ready for a gentle next step, you can begin with Fog to Freedom in the show notes or at Saleocoaching.com. Until next time, be still and live.

Speaker 1:09:55

This podcast is produced, mixed, and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalstudio.co or email Mike at Mike at Cardinal Studio.co. You can also find the details in the show notes.