Game Changer by Empowerhouse Coaching

Ep.4 | Government Shutdown Showdown & A Reflection on “What Is Truth”

• Amanda Escobedo • Season 1 • Episode 4

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📖 Episode 4 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer by Empowerhouse Coaching, Amanda Escobedo explores how leadership behaviors, communication breakdowns, and credibility gaps continue to widen the divide between political parties — creating confusion, frustration, and a national fog around what’s true.

The government shutdown showdown becomes a mirror — not of politics itself, but of how ego, tone, and unclear communication can erode trust and distort understanding. Amanda examines:

  • Donald Trump’s response leading up to the shutdown, highlighting how framing and emotional language influence perception.
  • J.D. Vance’s viral meme defense, revealing how humor and deflection can shape public loyalty — and deepen polarization.
  • Maxine Waters’ remarks on Democratic negotiations, showing the tension between conviction and clarity in high-stakes dialogue.

Each moment underscores a deeper truth: when clarity is lost at the top, it ripples through the collective — leaving us to question not just what’s being said, but what it means.

The episode then transitions to the spiritual devotion “What Is Truth” (K-LOVE, Oct 7 2025) — connecting its message to practical coaching tools that help you quiet external chaos, strengthen inner discernment, and rebuild self-trust. Amanda offers practices to turn down the volume of the noise and tune in to your own wisdom, helping you lead and live from grounded clarity.


💭 Reflection Prompts

👉 When I listen to leaders or public figures, what am I making their words mean?
👉 If I feel triggered by a political party or group, what assumptions or judgments am I placing on them — and what story am I telling myself that reinforces that judgment? How do I know that story to be true?
👉 What’s one thing I can do this week to intentionally quiet the noise around me — maybe by pausing a podcast, limiting social media, or simply practicing presence and mindfulness?


🔗 References

#trump, #donaldtrump, #jdvance, #maxinewaters, #governmentshutdown, #politics, #politicalpodcast, #leadership, #leadershipbehaviors, #consciousleadership, #communication, #personaldevelopment, #mindset, #emotionalintelligence, #selfawareness, #executivecoach, #empowermentcoach, #truth, #whatistruth, #mindfulness, #coachingpodcast, #growthmindset, #cultureandleadership, #publictrust, #credibility, #polarization, #coachingtools, #purpose, #innerwisdom, #empowerhousecoaching

Amanda Escobedo (00:00)
Welcome to the Game Changer by Empower House Coaching, your podcast to master the mental game, elevate your brilliance and build a legacy of progress and impact. My name is Amanda Esquibito. I'm your host and intergame coach here to help you to change the game. Welcome to episode four.

Big update, ran my first half marathon. This has been a long time coming for many reasons.

I all the details of the many reasons, but one of the things I will say is the brain critter has been right next to me with every setback. Whether it was just my first half marathon that I tried like five to 70 years ago and walked half of it. Whether it when the kids called me Amanda the big fat panda. Whether it was through multiple surgeries. I've had many setbacks that have reinforced this narrative of why I'm not a runner, why this isn't a possibility for me, et cetera.

Etc. So this was a big deal for me so big kudos and I think one of the things that I'll say that has been really Important for me or that has been very valuable for me is setting a goal You know by signing up for a half marathon. I finally felt like for the first time that I had

purpose behind my workouts where I was actually training for something and once I committed to a half marathon the other thing that I really liked about that goal is that is where discipline is born because once you make a commitment to that goal like you're committed you know the outcome that you want and you really stop negotiating with yourself on certain things it's and I say stop negotiating the brain critter has been there every single step trying to talk me out of

of

let's say my training plan. I remember specifically I was on the treadmill at the gym running four miles and the brain creator was like, Amanda, you know, we could probably just run two today. Why don't we just run two? Maybe we do one.

and then maybe another in the afternoon. It had all these creative ways to try and talk me out of it. And this is where I say we're trying to cultivate our creativity, right? But this is where we have to be more conscious because if we don't do it consciously, the brain critter will continuously, subconsciously be creative in talking us out of doing things. So a little bit of celebration for myself. I did do my first half marathon. Next step is going to be high rocks.

training for high rocks, which is showing my first high rocks that will take place in October. And then from there, I want to sign up for my first jujitsu competition. That will happen in January or February. So one goal at a time. And I want to do another half marathon and I want to do a full marathon by the end of next year. But again, one step at a time. It's a bit daunting to think of right now. Some fun highlights from the

marathon my favorite parts were the signs. The signs are hilarious for me and I swear they're like strategically placed right when you need them. At mile six or seven there were a of signs that started to say like this is where strength is born.

was like, you're right, this is. And then I remember further along somebody had a sign that was like, this is what strength looks like. it was, had a mirror on the sign, which I loved. And so when it's saying this is what strength looks like, you're looking at yourself. And I was like, you're right, this is what strength looks like. One of my favorite signs, cracked me up at the end of the race. I saw this girl holding a sign and it was saying like, where are you going, loco? And someone else was like, can you run faster?

faster,

my arms are getting tired. So those signs are critical. I really think they're critical to just add humor in the pain, to really add just a fundamental motivation right in those pain points that you really needed. So I'm so glad people have those signs. My mom, my parents had a sign that I helped them make and it was like, Amanda, you run better than you clean your room. It's very parental of them.

So I thought it was funny. You know, one of the things I will say, I had like a bit of an insightful moment in just talking to a friend about this half marathon. So I have a friend that runs like ultra marathons. If you're familiar with ultra marathons, it's like 30 plus. People can go literally up to like a hundred miles, which is crazy. And this guy runs ultra marathons. And I was asking him, you know, does it get easier? And he was like, Amanda, no. I was like, what do mean no? You're supposed to create a picture.

of hope for me because one of the mantras in my head when I was running was remember what this feels like it will feel better next time and he was telling me no Amanda he's like as I'm getting older you know recovery is taking longer my time is getting slower all of these things and then I had a moment where I was like well maybe this is a benefit of not being an athlete growing up and being a late bloomer in this exercise and athletic world because I

have up from here. I'm starting from nothing. Where he's starting from an athletic point that he's only feeling defeated as he's getting older. I'm starting from ground zero. So it's only gonna get better from now. For this half marathon, I averaged a pace of 1038 per mile and that's a big deal for me. I spent over a decade trying to figure out how to get to a 1030 mile for four miles. So the fact that I got to 13.1 miles

for 1038 that is a huge deal and when I was talking to him about this he was like you know what you're right it is going to get better for you and it's only getting worse for him and so these are where there's just like a lot of reframing that needs to happen and can happen within your brain where you see the world is working for you I don't think it's bad that I have

You know, it's been a harder journey to figure out and get creative in this athletic journey, but I'm almost very blessed and thankful that, you know, I haven't been a young athlete or have always had just a natural skinny body and a fast metabolism. to have always struggled with food, to have always felt like I'm not good enough in these sports. I've had this inner voice that's continuously having me keep going and get creative.

with trying to achieve what I didn't really believe was possible back then. I've taken me a lot of years to build belief in possibility, but as I've continued to do that, this is where you build grit. This is where you build discipline. This is where you build empowering habits. And I'm glad that I'm building them in my older age rather than having it be easy and then not having these habits. So I think it's a bonus because it's only up from here. This is the glow up era is what I call it.

Well, let's dive into some news. That was just my quick update for you all.

We're gonna talk most of this time about the government shutdown and I want to break this out a couple different ways rather than talking about how media is having like a narrative, what's the media's narrative on what's happening. I really want to dive in this to from a leadership perspective, a culture perspective and I want to break this down. You you can't not talk about leadership without talking about the leader of our nation, which is Trump. And so I want to talk a bit about Trump's response

response

leading up to the government shutdown. And then I also want to talk a bit about Jamie Vance's response when he's questioned on Trump's viral meme, the sombrero meme, and then his perspective on the shutdown as well. And then I also want to have a democratic response because one of the big things that I've been watching on social media and the media in general is there's a lot of swirl happening.

with the shutdown. What is contributing to the shutdown? What is the fight about? There's a lot of fight of misinformation that's been going around.

And one of the big notes that has been out in there and the headlines that has been out is one of the big contributors of the shutdown has been the Democratic Party is trying to offer healthcare to illegal immigrants. And that is the narrative that's out there that's been said by the Republicans. We'll go through an example of that as I'm talking about JD Vance and I'm talking about...

Trump, but what we're also going to talk about there is what Maxine Waters' response is when she's asked that question, are the Democrats trying to provide benefits to illegal immigrants? And everybody's response is completely unclear. Initially, when I was reading and watching these responses, my brain has gone back and forth where I'm like, wow, these are really mal-intended people that are trying to have a smear-like

campaign, trying to lead with disinformation to confuse the public, make the Democrats look bad. And then when I listen to the Democrat response, I'm like, gosh, they're fueling this. No wonder why there's a lack of clarity. Nobody is speaking clearly, which is what's creating a lot of swirl and confusion. And so I hope to provide you, I've done quite a few research just to understand what is truth. So I'm do the best of my ability to also provide you to what I understand to be of truth.

in this process. So let's go to a bit of Trump's response first leading up to the shutdown. So initially he is asked a question on whether

It's inevitable. The shutdown is inevitable. And how would he describe negotiations going with the Democrats and what's the probability of a shutdown? So that's a reporter asking Trump some questions leading up to the shutdown. And in Trump's response, he says, nothing is inevitable, but probably likely. You know, they want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants, which will destroy healthcare for everyone in our nation. They didn't seem to bend even just a little bit when we said we can't do that.

And then the reporter, there's another reporter that follows up and says, know, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for health care subsidies.

that the Democrats are demanding or that you say that they're demanding. Can you clarify or provide clarity of what you're talking about when you say Democrats want to protect their healthcare? I love this question. I love clarifying questions. This is important and not just journalism, in communication. We're actually gonna go through an example of that specifically, clarifying communication.

But the response to that question from Trump was, well, when an illegal person comes into our country coming in illegally, therefore breaking the law. We all have big hearts. I have a bigger heart than you do. They're all breaking the law. They're coming into our country. As a country, we cannot afford to take on millions of people who have broken the law. As a country, we want them to come in. We want them to come in legally.

want to give Medicare to illegal immigrants and keeping people coming into our country. We have people offering health care to people all over the world that they can't afford to pay. That's the Democrats. No country can afford this. We cannot allow them to charge tremendous amounts of money. We have to fight over open borders. We have to fight over men and women's sports. We have to fight over transgender and for everyone. That's a lot of money. So we have a great border.

great country. Our country was dead one year ago. Of course he goes on and on.

A reporter asked about the state of the Democratic Party as it's favored by 33 % and he, sorry, Trump's response was, we don't want it to shut down. We have 17 trillion invested. We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, cutting things like programs they like. We all know Russell Vo, he's become popular.

Recently because he can trim the budget to a level you could never do in any other way Because of the shutdown we can do things in other ways including benefits. We don't want fraud waste and abuse They want to have illegal aliens coming into our country and get massive health care at

the cost of everybody else. That is the number one reason they want to strike to get illegal immigrant healthcare. So we didn't really answer the journalist question.

So let's go into, let's pick this apart. My favorite thing to do. Let's pick it apart. So leadership breakdown, behavior opportunities. How is Trump showing up in these responses and these media responses? So in this example, let's start with ego. There's a lot of ego driven framing that is showing up and two specific examples that I'll call out when he says, we all have big hearts. I've got a bigger heart than you do. There's one. And then the second one,

when he says, all know Russell Vo, he's become popular recently because he can trim the budget like no one else. Now, both of these specific examples, they really center on self-comparison and personal superiority. So I have a bigger heart than you do. And then also like Russell Vo, that's my guy, right? So when he says these phrases, he really shifts the focus from policy substance to personal validation and status.

And he signals really in these phrases in my opinion it signals a mass insecurity of confidence So needing to assert control moral high ground instead of leading with empathy and facts

Now the other thing that Trump does in this response is he really leads in a fear and threatening base to influence behavior of the Democratic Party. Now some examples, when he goes into, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, cutting things they like. Because of the shutdown, we do things in other ways, including cutting things like benefits. They wanna give Medicare to illegal immigrants. So these example statements he uses

fear like irreversible damage, it's an implied punishment, cutting things they like. He's saying this as leverage instead of persuasion. And this type of leverage really invokes threats of harm, of scarcity to gain power rather than inspired shared accountability. so leadership through fear like this can really rally followers at times in a short term, but it really erodes trust and cooperation.

in the long term. Now the other thing he does of course is blame that lovely blame orientation he says a lot of they and so the they is really speaking of the Democratic Party they want to give health care to illegal immigrants which is which will destroy health care for everyone else that's the Democrats no country can afford that.

Etc. So these examples really frame the opposition, the Democrats, as the sole problem using they language throughout. When we talk about the sole problem, we've talked about in previous episodes that when we start to see the people is the problem, we actually start solution, we stop solutioning. This is a blocker to creativity. So the actual negotiations where we're trying to talk about what are the problems, what do you want, what why.

trying to solve for that and come to a level of compromise. We can't compromise when we just see the Democrats as the party. It's really they're wrong, we're right, they're a problem. And when you see a group of people or a person as a problem, when we do the blame game, then the only way to solve the problem is to remove the problem, which is remove the people, remove that person, remove the group of people. And so this is historically political strategy, but from a leadership

lens it really projects reactivity over responsibility. Now the other piece here where there's an area of opportunity for Trump is there's a lack of clarity in his communication or even if you call it exaggeration some may call it misinformation. So when he talks about undocumented immigrants are not eligible for health care subsidies or when that question is posed to him by the journalists undocumented immigrants are not eligible

for healthcare subsidies because subsidies Democrats are demanding, can you clarify what you're talking about when Democrats want to protect their healthcare? And his response is, an illegal person comes into our country, coming in illegally, therefore breaking the law. Just right there, that response does not answer the question. It's almost like he's defining what an illegal immigrant is or what it means to break the law. He's not answering that question. So within there, it's just a bunch of

and he goes into, have a big heart, I've got a bigger heart than you do, there's a lack of clarity. And within this, it's leading and alluding to the Democrats want to provide benefits to or healthcare to illegal immigrants. And so my brain goes into, like when I saw this and then that question, I was trying to do research, it's like,

My brain goes to a lot of questions. Is he intently trying to create a false narrative about the Democrats? Does he lack clarity on what the policy is? Lack competence? Does he understand the details? There's so many questions. And then when that...

Journalists is asking that question and not answering that is he avoiding answering to keep to this narrative? Does he not understand the question? One of the things I'll say with watching interviews on Trump that I've seen in multiple leaders is Questions like these get answered all the time and I've seen in other leadership behaviors. They actually don't intentionally dodge the question They're just so stuck on the narrative that they're trying to reinforce that they are not

listening to the question, they're just using every opportunity to reinforce their narrative or their belief. So I share that just because I think we're quick to go into intention, we're quick to go into negative intention or whatever that is. And I always say you can't really verify someone's intention without clarifying with them.

time, know, not everyone will tell you the truth of their intention, but these are just a lot of different ways that my brain went of possibilities of what is happening here. But at the end of the day here, there's a missed opportunity to provide like real clarity to the nation, especially as the leader of our nation. Now the opportunity is let's spin these rather than just critiques into what could he have done better? Well, number one is the leader of our nation. He really could have spoken lead with shared values.

rather than his own self-validation. And so that could look like instead of I have a bigger heart than you do, like which really a stronger leadership could be framed as, we all care deeply about protecting our citizens and managing our resources responsibly. Let's find a balance that really reflects both compassion and accountability. So a statement like this, there's 45 million different ways to respond in a better way than Trump did.

But a statement like this really moves from ego to shared humanity is the goal. Now the other piece too is like shifting from this fear-based influence to strategic influence is an opportunity. So when he says things like we do things, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible. Cutting things they like because the shutdown we can do things in other ways including cutting benefits. They want to give Medicare to

legal immigrants. From a business standpoint, as I mentioned before, this sounds very threatening, right? It's very fear-based and very threatening. From a business and geopolitical standpoint, what I've observed, Trump's negotiation instincts are indeniably one of his strengths. So this could be an example where he's using that. It's undeniably one of his strengths. He is actually known for using pressure, for using leverage, and even threats

to force movement. And this is a tactic that is highly effective when you are negotiating with foreign adversaries or parties that don't have America's best interests at heart. Now in those arenas specifically, assertiveness negotiation, with sharp assertiveness negotiation with sharp edges can be a form of strength. But in the context of domestic government shutdown, the same tactics are

Received in a different tone, right when you apply a threat-based negotiation internally against the members of your own government Within what we're supposed to be one nation one team. It stops being a leverage and starts to turn and contribute to the division and so when he uses this language like irreversible damage and cutting things like right that lens

very threatening to the American people themselves and it's not a very strategy against the foreign entity and for a leader whose core message is make America great again and America first right this is an approach that really feels contradictory it feels like he's punishing the very American citizens that he claims to be championing for and so if we shift that focus from protecting the national

interests to weaponizing domestic pain as political evidence. This new opportunity is really about shifting the focus from protecting that national interest to weaponizing domestic pain as you will as political leverage. So leadership through fear, what I want to emphasize, it might work in war rooms or trade deals, but in a governance it really erodes trust because leadership within this nation isn't about conquering opponents.

It should be really about uniting people under one flag, one purpose, and one future. And one of the other things that I really want to highlight about this behavior, if you've heard that term, the way you do one thing is the way you do all things, like this can be an example here where Trump's strategy of influence, it almost seems like his only technique of strategy of influence is this fear base. And so this is where conscious communication leadership really comes in, is you

to know and understand your audience and you have to pivot your strategy to understand where this is going to be effective. You have to understand the opponents on the other side and I hate to use the word opponents because we don't actually want to see our governance as our opponents. We want to see them as one team and so his fear-based influence works good for the opponents but if you're trying to influence the team you don't want to see your team as an opponent and so these are these are things that I constantly am working with leaders

when I'm coaching, I'm trying to, when we get feedback on the leadership, I'm working with the leader to understand where did this behavior come from, how has it benefited you, and what are those environments, how did it form? And then we're trying to help them understand why it doesn't work in the current environment that they're in or we're getting the feedback on. And I'm trying to understand what's their desired outcome and what's a more empowering way that helps them meet their needs and helps them also bring other people along.

That's really real influence in there. So I think what's happening what I've been observing from Trump's behavior and this is why he's getting a lot of negative feedback or has split reviews on his leadership is this fear base. He leads a lot with these fear based strategy and it works in certain environments, but it's not the best strategy to use on the American people when they're supposed to be on your team. Now the other thing that he does of course when we talk a bit about the

orientation he does a lot of the they language throughout which it really sells selling is the wrong word but paints the picture of the Democrats as the opposition they're being the sole problem the enemy creation is what he's creating within this rather than having our shared purpose and so again this is very much a political strategy that I don't think is a strong leadership lens

Now the other part too, when we talk a bit about lack of clarity and exaggeration or what some may be framing as misinformation, going back into the Democrats want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants, which will destroy healthcare for everyone. Now this section Trump really messages and illustrates a pattern of overstated claims. But one of the things I think there's an opportunity, if I were the president, what I'll say the opportunity here,

and I'm getting feedback if I make that statement out there and I'm getting feedback that there's potential misinformation one of the things I would do to correct myself and say well how did I get that information who gave me that information what can we do to ensure it's accurate information what questions do we need to ask how do I verify or what do I say to create more clarity and ensure that what I say is more closer to the truth because right now I think

For him and for JD Vance, which we'll go into in the second for the Republican Party, verifying doesn't really matter in this moment for them. At least my perception doesn't really matter. What I see in this political strategy is really just about smear campaigns, trying to find dirt on people, trying to make people look bad, whether it's kind of gray or gray of truth, close enough to truth. If we can get a narrative out there that paints a negative picture on someone, it's a win. But when we're leading like

that we're losing this is where our credibility can really suffer with that lack of clarity and that lack of truth and so again this has been a strong political strategy on both sides that I personally have observed for years and years and years but the obviously the huge issue and the huge miss here is these are complicated issues policies are complicated issues for the general American public and as a leader of our nation and

Opportunity to be leading here is figuring out how to communicate in a way that dummies down these policies so that we have an understanding of what is happening and so the more we can simplify things rather than distort Is going to create and contribute obviously to our credibility and then last but not least just like a cloak as I mentioned before is just

Leading with that shared values, what really sticks with me is, it's become humorous in my mind, is just that leading with, have a bigger heart than you do.

we could be leading with our shared values rather than self-validation, moving from ego to shared humanity. And so the other piece too, anchoring in truth and transparency. what exactly, I think asking ourselves just some questions as I mentioned, what exactly are the Democrats proposing? These are some questions I would reflect on. What qualifies for those provisions? What's the real fiscal impact? And this truth and transparency, it doesn't weaken our message, it's really strengthening that

credibility and when leaders really lead with clarifying clarity around complexity issues this models our integrity and cultivates a sense of trust and Then the last but not least here is really about communicating with a vision rather than vengeance So some of the most powerful leaders are known to pivot from pressure to purpose so instead of saying things like we can do things during the shutdown that are

irreversible, a visionary might actually lead and say we have an opportunity to reform our system responsibly to make them stronger, fairer, and more sustainable for every American. Now simple reframing of a statement of this, it shifts a threat to a vision. It transforms tone and intention and influence. So because strong leaders don't really inspire through fear or loss, they really inspire

through hope and progress. And so as a closing reflection, know, leadership isn't about what you can destroy to prove your power. It's really about what you can build to earn trust. And so this is all really the hallmark of purpose-driven, authentic leadership. One that unites instead of divides. One that leads through

instead of fear through foresight. So some feedback on Mr. Trump. Now the other person, leader, I want to provide some feedback on is JD Vance. So JD Vance has a response when he's asked by a reporter on

Trump's viral meme if you saw it, I will course include some links here. Viral meme on Jeffries, he put him in a Sobrero using AI and it was in response to the government shutdown. So now we're going into some reporters and questionings in response to the shutdown. And so one of the reporters, I'll go through the narrative here, asked the question, are there plans to meet Democrat leaders or are you planning on plucking on Sanders one by one?

And JD Vance is like, is that your only question? Do you have another question? He's like, I got another question. And his second question was, the president has been posting images of leader Jeffries and Senator Schumer. You've said that you're interested in good faith negotiations with these leaders, but what messages does that send? Is it helpful to post pictures?

of leader Jeffries in a sombrero if you're trying to have good faith talk with him. Now JD Vance response, I think it's funny. The president is joking, we're having a good time. You can negotiate good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats positions and poking fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves. And I'll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solemn promise to

you that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop. I've talked to the President of the United States about that.

So to your first question, are we negotiating one-on-one or are we negotiating in groups? I will go to the US Capitol right now with Chuck Schumer or any Senate of the Democrat if it helps us reopen the government. Most of the conversations in my experience at least have been one-off. We're also of course relying on some of the Senate Republic colleagues who have good faith relationships, who have good relationships across the aisle, and then some closing statements. We're going to do whatever we have to do is the answer

and I think it's tough to predict the shape of negotiations, how they're going.

take over in the next few months. But I do feel good about the fact that the Democrats have realized privately the fundamental irrationality of their position and I hope they will publicly acknowledge it and reopen the government. So most of this I really just want to focus on a bit on we're going to break down all of it but my emphasis is really on the meme. So let's start off with that.

So in his initial response, he really uses humor as a, I'd say a deflection. So when he frames Trump's posts as a joke, JD, it really posts the bigger question is, was it an appropriate humor for a national leader in a moment of crisis? You know, it's one thing to value levity, it's another to normalize mon-

when tensions are high. And so in leadership, especially as a national

Humor can be effective when it connects to the people, not divides. And so we'll break that down a little bit in just a moment. Now, the other thing too, one thing I will highlight that I do like that he did is, know, JD is right when he says humor and good faith negotiation can coexist. So yes, both can coexist, but this is where we break down that humor a little more. But context really matters here. So know your audience.

is probably key and the audience here was not private friendship it was the entire nation watching the shutdown unfold. So if the goal was to foster trust of the Democrats or calm public anxiety I wouldn't say that this is the type of humor that feeds that moment. This obviously this meme and this type of humor redirected kind of easing the human I'll say

nation and offended a lot of people. And so the other piece too that we'll lightly touch to before we go into how to reframe some of these is really when he has this like relational bridge is what I call it posture so he has a bit of willingness to meet the Democrats any wherever they are.

to the capital right now. So one thing I like about these statements is it just shows openness, collaborations, and he references relationships across the aisle and flexible kind of one-off talk. So all positive signals of adaptive leadership is what I would call it. But the other part too is I'll say there's a lot of ambiguity and an unclear path forward. And the brain hates just a lack of clarity, uncertainty. So he's repeatedly emphasizing in his responses,

whatever we have to do, it's hard to predict what's going to happen next, it shows flexibility, but it reinforces national uncertainty. And so when no one outlines a clear path or a timeline, the ambiguity continuously feeds that anxiety. And the longer the shutdown continues, the greater the risk, the real world impact on American families and workers and essential worker services. So strong leadership in this moment, it doesn't have to have an

answer. We don't always have an answer as leaderships, but it really is about acknowledging consequences and communicating what are the next steps with clarity and compassion, thinking of the landing of the people.

Now, how could we have maybe done this better? I really just want to focus more on like the humor piece. So committing to respectful humor. So I think an opportunity that JD Vance could have responded a little better rather than just being like, ⁓ he's just being so funny. The president is being so funny. An opportunity could have been the president likes to keep things light and I appreciate that about him, his humor. And I also recognize there's a time and a place and an audience. And while good faith is our intent in these negotiations,

I'm not quite sure this meme hit the mark for us and for our goal to unite the nation. Now again, 45 million different ways to have a better or reframed response, but an example response of this, it's really a simple adjustment that recognizes Trump's playfulness, which is what I believe JD was trying to do. He's trying to recognize Trump's playfulness, but without condoning the behavior. And his original response just felt like he was very much condoning this what

very offensive meme and so a response like this is also showing high emotional intelligence it's leading with both empathy and Discourment and it models what it looks like to maintain Professionalism that's what I feel like we're really losing in this political climate right now. It maintains this type of response professionalism without losing humanity in the process

So some opportunities. And then the other note that I want to have within just in response to this whole government shutdown is having a Democrat response, which is Maxine Waters and this headline that I'm reading right now, Maxine Waters explodes at conservative reporter as government shutdown backfires on the Democrats. These, these taglines, these headers, they really are, they get you clicking for sure. That click bait like they say, explodes.

I'd

say is a bit exaggerated. She does escalate a little bit but it explodes is I don't know I guess this is where How do you define things? We all have different definitions for words these days and this is where I'm trying to help us get more clear on that So let's go through a little bit of the video and I'll review the script again reporter versus Maxine's response and then we'll break it down and Overall what I want to highlight with this is I believe I'm gonna highlight Maxine's leadership opportunities. There's a

of leadership opportunities. I did not think she showed up well at all.

But in addition to leadership behaviors that I want to highlight, her response from my perspective is what has contributed and gotten my brain to shift back and forth on people's intent. Because initially I was thinking the Republican Party, Trump, JD Vans, were intentionally creating this narrative against the Democratic parties, which cannot even be possible in our policy. Again, the narrative of part of the shutdown is they want to give benefits to illegal aliens.

can't do that. You literally cannot do that. But when that question and clarification is asked to Maxine Waters, her response in my mind reinforces how the Republican Party got that narrative. And so it's all of this lack of clarity in these communications that is fueling what we're considering misinformation, but it's by both parties is what I really wanna highlight. So let's go into the interview. Now the reporter asked Maxine,

Do the Democrats want to prioritize the healthcare of illegal aliens over a government shutdown? if the government does shut down, Americans are going to... Maxine just slides right in, cuts her off, interrupts her and says, excuse me, stop it right there. We're not prioritizing. What we're doing is saying simply, we want to keep the government open and we want to work with Republicans and have a bipartisan agreement to keep this government open. And healthcare is...

the of our agenda. then the reporter responds, are Democrats demanding health care for illegal aliens? Democrats are demanding health care for everybody is what Maxine responds. We want to save lives. want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die, but having the help of their government. And then the reporter responds. So you're good with the government shutdown, even if it means giving health care to people who are not.

American citizens. And Maxine's responses, well you keep, that's what you're pushing on. What you're trying to do is you're standing here and you're trying to make me say that somehow we're going to not put non-citizens over Americans. Quit it. Stop it. This is the kind of journalism we don't need. You are divisive. And then the reporter says I'm just asking questions and Maxine responds, no you're not. You're being divisive.

No please, you do not need to ask that question. You're just saying that to get controversy. You're not going to get it from me. We want to save healthcare for all people.

So that's the response. That is the interview that we are covering. So let's go in through the opportunities for Maxine because there are a ton. So clarity versus confusion. Now, I believe Maxine's intent in this interview was likely to defend democratic values and the democratic values were my guess is keep the government open and protect healthcare access. But her language, healthcare,

for everybody. It's unintentionally reinforcing the Republican narrative as I mentioned before that Democrats are prioritizing benefits for undocumented immigrants. Now from a messaging perspective her response did not debunk the claim. It actually created more gray, more swirl and blurred it a bit. Now when leaders don't communicate with clarity this is where we start to

create

space for other people to fill in their assumptions. that's exactly where misinformation lives and where it is born. Now, unclear language overall erodes the trust. makes it harder to tell who exactly understands the policy details that are at stake here. And so again, watching this from Maxine's response, it made me just realize, does Maxine know what the policy is? Does Trump know what the policy is? Does

JD Vance know what the policy is because right now they really are reinforcing this narrative and that narrative is not from my research what is actually being pushed.

Now number two area of opportunity for Maxine. She's a bit defensive rather than being what I consider grounded, the grounded leadership that we are trying to cultivate. So you've heard me talk bit in previous episodes about energy. So this energy standpoint, Maxine is showing up very disruptive. She's interrupting the journalist. She's raising her voice. She's labeling the reporter, calling her divisive. When we are defensive, this is where

where

we start to slip into this inferior energy. So you've heard me talk a bit about the inferior energy and the...

the superior energy and both of those energies we are not sitting in our power. Our power lives in grounded state of energy and I'll go through what that means. So on the opposite end of inferior you have superior which is a lot more ego driven and controlling, it's self-righteous, neither is leadership. And so in this example I felt like Maxine was showing up very inferior in her energy and then as I shared with Trump he was showing

showing up a lot more ego driven, self righteous in his energy. Both of them, you are not living in your power.

True power lives in that grounded middle where you're calm, you're centered, you're able to think critically under pressure. And it's in this grounded energy you're not reacting to tone, you're responding to content, you're responding to questions. And I'm just going to pause here for a minute. This is one of the number one reasons I joined Jiu Jitsu. I mean, I joined Jiu Jitsu for multiple reasons, but one of the reasons why I joined Jiu Jitsu is for this ground of

state

of mind. Because if you really think about it, when you're rolling on the mat in one of the, like in a fight or flight situation, that is one of the most stressful situations you can be. And if you're able to effectively critically think and kind of work, in my mind it's like a bit of slow motion, that effective critically thing. Even though some, you're in a fight or flight moment, someone is literally trying to kill you in this state, you have the ability to critically think what's my next move and actually have

fun with it imagine what that that's that's the black belt level of jujitsu that's not how you start that's nowhere where my brain is right now right now when I'm rolling in the man what they consider a spazzy white belt I am in fight-or-flight like forgetting to breathe and I'm just doing everything to survive and I'm in my heightened stress but my goal is to progress into this grounded state of mind in the most stressful moment and then imagine how I can apply that in

any moment. I can be in any situation where someone is asking me a challenging question, is being accusational, is whatever it is they're intentionally trying to move me out of my power.

And I have the ability to just be grounded, be accepting, be open, be curious, and be critical and have critical thought and be strategic. Like that is the goal. And so I think Jiu-Jitsu could really benefit Maxine Waters. Here's what I'm actually saying. Now, the other thing I want to highlight here is what I would consider the formula to miscommunication. And I think that there is a lot of examples today that we are reviewing with Trump and

miscommunication and also with Maxine waters and miscommunication. So let's define miscommunication or how we actually get there. So miscommunication is really easy to come across because there's three things really happening at the same time. have person A, we'll call person A here, journalists. You have person A, journalists asking a question. There's literally the words that are coming out of their mouth. And then there's what person A intended to say. So there's a possibility

that your intentions do not match the words that are coming out of your mouth. And then there's what person B hears, which we'll call Maxine Waters. And Maxine, that's what we hear is really shaped by our beliefs and our experiences. It's what our brain is transcribing on what you said. And so if we do not clarify what is being heard, then the gap between the intention and the perception starts to widen fast. So in this case here, the reporter may have been genuinely

seeking clarity on policy while Maxine started to perceive everything she was saying and asking as an attack or a manipulation. And so again within this I don't actually understand and know how we communicate at all.

One of the tools we're going to give you today is reflective listening. Reflective listening has really saved me in so many moments. what our goal is, is verifying what we hear, verifying meaning before we make that assumption. So how could, in this potential formula of miscommunication, how could Maxine have come to more clarity with the reporter, more alignment? Well, number one is what

And when I say alignment, it's less that they have to be in agreement but an understanding of what's being said and answering effectively rather than getting defensive and feeling attacked and then attacking back. So one of the things I think would have been an opportunity for Maxine is to practice reflective listening. And reflective listening is where you're just repeating how you're like what you heard but based on how your brain transcribed it. when the an example here when the journalist is asking Maxine

of questions she could have said, what I'm hearing you say is whether the Democrats are prioritizing healthcare for undocumented immigrants over Americans. Is that accurate? So number one, practicing reflective listening. It's going to slow down the moment and it's going to give the reporter an opportunity to have space to clarify the intent before Maxine reacts or responds. And I have to give an example. One time I remember I was dating somebody and I

I feeling triggered by what they said. don't even remember what they said, but I remember feeling triggered. And rather than responding or reacting, I pause and I practice reflective listening to ensure what I heard is what they said or what they intended to say. And so I remember saying, know, what I heard you say is dot, dot, dot, fill in the blank.

And I shared that based on how my brain transcribed that. And I remember his response was like, how did you get that from that? And I was like, I don't know. That's just how my brain transcribed that. Is that not what you said or intended to say? And he was like, no. And then he went and clarified what he intended to say. And there was a huge miscommunication. And I was no longer triggered. So it's these moments, our brains, when I'm trying to increase our awareness is how you are raised, your life experiences.

constantly meaning making machines. We are constantly applying meaning to what everybody is saying. so reflective listening is going to help you clear up the meaning making machine that you are. And it's going to verify the intent behind what someone is saying. So part two for how Maxine could have supported this conversation is also asking clarifying questions. So if we go back to the reflective listening question and she's asking what I hear

are you saying is whether Democrats are prioritizing healthcare for undocumented immigrants over Americans? Is that correct? And maybe, you know, that's where the reporter's like, yes, that is what I ask. Now the clarifying question opportunity that could have been asked as a follow up is can you clarify what you mean by prioritize?

Americans have many healthcare needs. What specifically are you concerned is being neglected? So with asking this question here, because we're making like an assumption of prioritizing healthcare over documented immigrants, documented immigrants over Americans.

Healthcare is so large. So asking this specific question, can you clarify what you mean by prioritize? Americans have many healthcare needs. What specifically are you concerned is being neglected? This question turns confrontation into a conversation and it really helps to educate the public in real time.

Now, another opportunity that Maxine could have had in her response is really more of a calm, centered, grounded reframing in her response. And so her response could have been, you know, I understand the concern.

but Democrats are really focused on keeping the government open and ensuring access to healthcare for all citizens and lawfully present residents. So remember that term, lawfully present residents. So I'm actually going to go into where a bit of this misinformation is coming into what we're saying, illegal immigrants, we're trying to give illegal immigrants healthcare. What the actual ask is happening is for lawfully present residents and I'll go into that.

And then that's where, you know, she could have said that's the policy reality. So this was an opportunity for Maxine to provide clarity and reframing in her response.

Now, another piece with, I was just thinking a lot about Maxine's energy, if you will. So we talked a little bit about inferior and superior. Now, if I'm Maxine Waters, and if I know I'm walking into a high stakes Q &A, okay, where you know you're gonna be faced with charged or leading questions. You know that's the environment you're walking into. We can't always predict the environments we're walking into, but if you know you're

into a highly charged leading question environment of Q &A. Building a grounded ritual for yourself beforehand is going to be critical to you walking and stepping out there in your power. Immediately, because Maxine didn't have this, by one question she was immediately taken out of her power.

And some examples on how we can all get into our power. If you have places that you recognize that you're going to be knocked out, for example, you know, you're in a disagreement with somebody and now you need to go address that disagreement with somebody and you're already having all these judgments, you know, you're already frustrated with them. You are already feeling hot coming into that conversation. Before you go into that already highly charged conversation, you need to figure out how to bring your charge down so you can walk in your

your

power and walk in and have the intent and the desired outcome you're looking at, you're going to be more successful with achieving that outcome when you're controlled within. And that's the inner game when we talk about when I say I'm the inner game coach, that's what we're trying to cultivate for you. So as an example, spending one to two minutes just saying over and over a few mantras that really resonate with you that can help embody an identity for you. So for Maxine, as

example she maybe some mantras that might resonate with her are I am calm, I am clear, I am confident or maybe she could say something like I lead with clarity not reaction or I choose grounded energy. So literally finding mantras that really resonate with who you want to be and how you

show up and saying them over and over and over out loud for maybe one to two minutes you're starting to generate that identity you're starting to generate that energy up and down your body so you start to feel like that person and you start to feel in this new grounded state powerful mind.

Another thing I personally like to do, so for example, if I'm going out and doing public talks, even though I love doing educational seminars with hundreds of people, I, like anyone else, still get nervous, even though I love it. And part of helping to settle my nerves is I love identifying three to five words on who I want to be.

show up or three to five words that I want the audience on the other side to feel like. And so for Maxine in this session or going out to this high energy session that she recognizes could take her out of her power, there are five words that maybe might resonate with her is clear, confident, compassionate, curious, and centered. And so identifying five words on who you want to be and how you want to show up. And then again, just meditating on those words.

for one to two minutes, excuse me, one to two minutes until you start to embody that energy. And another thing that you can do is really some body reset exercises. So doing deep breaths. So there's a five, five, seven deep breath that I love to do. That's really good at shifting and transforming your nervous system from that parasympathetic, from the sympathetic nervous system to your parasympathetic nervous system. So from that fight or flight to that relaxation mode, five, five, seven, if you do that seven times,

times five five seven which is take five deep breaths in.

So you're counting to five, one, two, three, four, five, and you hold for five seconds. One, two, three, four, five. And then you release for seven seconds. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. So do that five, five, seven, seven times. You will completely transform your nervous system by doing that. Another thing you can do is just drop your shoulders. Cause when we are tense and we're anxious, our shoulders go up. So calm,

Relaxing your shoulders you can plant your feet on the ground literally grounding

yourself before speaking. So taking off your shoes and just grounding your feet on the floor. There's a million exercises you can do, but these are just some things that you can play with for yourself. You have to have intentional practices to get you into your grounded state of mind. And so into that grounded, powerful state, what we're really looking for is identifying areas where we know they charge us and they charge us out of our power. And so it's those moments that we know

that we walk in and they trigger us, we have to have intentional progress that can help us lead in our power. So these micro practices really regulate your nervous system so you can respond with presence instead of pressure and reaction.

Now the other thing I'll say for Maxine Waters opportunity is instead of labeling someone so divisive, she could have provided effective feedback, conscious communication feedback. So in Maxine's final comment, she says, you're divisive. It's a common human pattern for us when we see in leadership relationships and workplaces. What do I mean by that? We love to label people. We love to box people. We just declare this is who somebody is and this is who they always

Right if someone says one thing that we don't like or does one thing that we don't like we box them We say they're racist or homophobic They're divisive if we're in our home environment. We might say you're lazy You never help around the house. You're so selfish We just declare this is who this person is and this is who we always knew they always will be and whenever we box someone We're not helping them change their behavior

because we're not being specific on what is it about them that we don't like. We're not being specific about that behavior and we're not painting an outcome that we and a behavior that we want to see them grow into. So a stronger more effective communication for Maxine that she could have had in this moment is in response if she didn't like these questions that the reporter was asking because what I'm getting is she's calling this reporter divisive based on the question she's asking and I'm not really clear what specifically

about the question is what makes her divisive. But she could have asked, you when you ask a question that implies Democrats are putting non-citizens ahead of Americans, from my perspective, that kind of framing of a question is what contributes to division and here's why. And so she would, when you're pulling out a specific part of a question and you're saying, this is how I'm translating what you're saying and here's the impact, it contributes to division. And let me tell you what you're saying

and why it contributes to division. That's feedback that gives the other person context, specific context on what the behavior is, what the outcome is, what the impact is, and it gives that person an actual chance to adjust their behavior instead of just putting them in a box and just declaring who they are. You are divisive, right? Once you start to call someone divisive, now they're going to be in that defense and they're going to pull out all the reasons and tell you all these other examples of why they aren't

person.

So overall, you know, this exchange from my perspective really perfectly illustrates how clarity, calm, curiosity is really what shapes true leadership. And when we react from defensiveness, we really close the door to understanding. And when we stay grounded, when we're listening first, when we're clarifying second, when we're responding consciously third, this is when we start to model what it looks like to lead under pressure.

lead effectively under pressure with composure and trust.

So the last one that I want to have on this is again, if we're talking about truth, ending the note on truth, what do we mean when the Democrats are trying to give undocumented immigrants healthcare? So I've done some research because I was like, what is truth here? And so what I've found, and maybe someone can find something else that debunks this, but from what I found, this is supposed to debunk all the claims and be truth, but I can also still be wrong. Now the claim that free healthcare

illegal immigrants. That's the overall claim that ⁓ Republicans are saying against the Democrats and one of the one of the key contributors, there's many many contributors, but one of the key contributors to this shutdown, free health care to illegal immigrants. Now the truth that is supposed to be Democrats are actually trying to restore access for a group of people, specifically 1.4 million people lawfully present. Remember I mentioned that phrase

before lawfully present. Now lawfully present people is this semi-grey group of people. They're not legal immigrants but they're not truly undocumented. So the US government, we don't actually allow their, how do I say this, US government allows

these otherwise lawfully present people, this gray area, to be in our nation for now. So the government has papers for these people and knows who they are. In most cases, they're trying to go through the legal process. So examples of who these lawfully present people are, it's refugees, asylums, people with temporary protected statuses, DACA recipients.

for at least a year, granted stay for deportation removal, claims under violence act against women, and survivors of human trafficking. again, illegal immigrants cannot, it's illegal for illegal immigrants to get Medicaid or Obamacare. It's against the law. And so what the fight is right now, again as a reinforcement, the Democrats are really asking to reform the big beautiful bill. This is all actually

in

the big beautiful bill. Some of these benefits were scaled back when the big beautiful bill was launched and and or kind of removed some of these and so the Democrats are proposing to undo those restrictions not override the long-standing federal rule that bars most benefits for undocumented immigrants. So that's a little bit of what the truth is supposed to be on the fight and the battle.

enough about the government shutdown this stuff exhausts politics is exhausting trying to find truth is exhausting all right last article of the day this is actually more of a fun inspiring powerful

from my perspective and it's actually a spiritual article. It's a religious article so some of this may turn you off if you're not religious if it is you're welcome to tune out but this is an article my dad shared for me it's called guarding against empty philosophies and this is an article by K love pastor now K love is a contemporary Christian radio network within the US it plays Christian music featured faith-based content

few details about this. So it's owned by Educational Media Foundation, EMF, which operates other radio networks like Air One. And so VOTD in the

URL that my dad sent me is verse of the day. So that's what a bit of what my dad was reviewing is the verse of the day. It's a daily devotional script over reflection. And so this site in general, the K-Love, it offers and features short devotional scripture passages, reflections meant to encourage listeners in their faith walk. Now,

The reason why I'm sharing this article in particular is because, you know, this devotional perfectly from my perspective reflects with the mission I'm trying to provide within this podcast. This article that he shared with this devotional is really about helping people increase their awareness of the voices that are shaping their belief systems, their truths and their realities. That's literally my mission of this podcast. Literally help increase your awareness.

of the voices that are shaping your belief systems that are shaping truth and shaping your realities. And so this article in particular, I want you for a minute to just listen by removing religion because what I'm sharing is not really about religion. It's really about discernment in this world of constant inputs.

True growth comes from, I'll say, quieting the noise in your head. So you can hear the trust of your inner voice, that inner wisdom. And so a little bit about the devotion of this article, the devotion that was shared here, it really opens with the question of what is truth? In today's world, truth has become flexible. People are encouraged to find their own truth based on feelings, thoughts,

and what brings them joy. Now, while this might sound freeing, it can be dangerous when our lives are filled with too many voices and opinions that shape what we believe. Now, the danger of information overload. So we live in constant noise. The reality is we live in a lot of

So noise could look like podcasts, social media, coworkers, family, endless scrolls of online facts, your social medias. And it's easy to believe something just because it sounds good or feels powerful. Now the pastor within this, the pastor shares a very personal example of believing in a viral video and only to learn later that it wasn't true. So that's his own personal example that he believed in a viral video.

video

and he found that it wasn't true. And so the takeaway here is not everything that sounds right or feels right is actually true. And so Paul's warning in Colossians 2, 8, Paul's warning says, and it's in the Bible, don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that's coming from human thinking.

rather than from Christ. Paul warns against flashy empty ideas, attractive on the surface but lacking truth, and these high sounding messages can be suddenly pull us away from what's real and grounded. There's that word grounded. Now one of the things I want to repeat again just from this quote from the Bible from Chloe from Copeland

it's collo- collisions? Colleague? I don't know to pronounce the words. Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that come from human thinking rather than from Christ. Now if you're not religion- religious I want you maybe to replace the word Christ with your voice of wisdom. Now depending on who I'm working with one of the exercises that we work through is we actually introduce them to the voices in your head. I introduced

people to what I call the itty-bitty committee and fill in that blank there.

roommates in your head, the critter brain, the voices that love to put you down, the voices that love to put everybody else down, the voices that have all these expectations and these judgments on the world, the voices that feels inferior, the voices that is afraid to not fit in, the voices that needs to attach themselves to that tribal mindset. And on the other side, you have that voice of wisdom.

Now, depending on who I'm talking to, some people for their voice of wisdom, they call it the Holy Spirit, they call it God, they call it an angel, they call it their grandma. We go through a whole exercise to get you connected to that voice of wisdom. And you know who that voice is because that voice of wisdom, again, when we go back to inferior, grounded, superior, your voice of wisdom lives in that grounded state of mind. You have a sense of calm in your body, you're at ease.

And if you ever find yourself second guessing yourself second guessing that voice of wisdom It's the critter that's coming in when you have that clarity that comes and it comes in so calm So quiet so clear and it's the critters that start to second guess that voice of wisdom What's an example? It's an example I was working with a group of women that were navigating clarity on whether they should get a divorce or not We went through a ton of exercises that helped them through a self discovery

journey to help them discover if they had exhausted all their options in their marriage or if it was time for them to move on.

And one of the gals I remember specifically had gotten her clarity that she had exhausted her resources, she had exhausted her growth, and it was time for her to move on. That voice came in so clear. But what started to challenge and second-guess herself, what started to create anxiety was all the voices that says, you can't get a divorce, what will this do to your kids, you can't start over, what will your family think, what will your coworkers think? All these things, it was creating this world of hard for

And it was these critters that were stopping and slowing her down from taking action on the clarity that she had got.

Now again, that voice of wisdom, if you are not religious and you don't want to use that word Christ, I would call it voice of wisdom for yourself, that intuitive intelligence. That's what we're trying to cultivate for you. And that's what really resonates for me here. And so a big thing here with this podcast, with this article, with everything in my mission here that I'm trying to do for you is increase your awareness of the judgments that you have, increase your awareness and know when you feel anxious, when you feel

frustrated when you feel powerless. It's these emotions that often show up when our expectations are not met. How you think others should be, how you expect people to show up, how you expect them to think, how you expect them to operate, or when others actions conflict with what you believe to be right or wrong.

good or bad. So what are some examples? If we talk about this very political heightened state of environment, this nation we're currently living on between the left and the right, the left might see as an example maybe somebody wearing a MAGA hat, a red hat, or even an American flag being

an American flag being posted off of a truck or even off a house and if you're someone on the left that sees a mega hat or an American flag and you're instantly triggered you have an internal visceral reaction you feel tense you feel irritated you feel judgment you feel frustrated and on the other side maybe you're on the right side right maybe you're on the right and maybe you walk into a cafe and you see a barista serving you with a purple hair or

as free Palestine sign, do your eyes roll. What is the response that you have? you avoid engagements completely in that process? It's these moments I want you to recognize and notice the judgments that you hold on people, people that you've never met, even people that you have met. It's these moments that I really believe are our.

And so instead of reacting to this trigger that you're feeling this discomfort, this frustration, this eye roll, this judgment that you have, I want you to pause and notice that it exists and notice that it exists. And in that moment, there's an opportunity to ask a powerful question. What judgment or story am I holding right now? Just ask that simple question for you. What judgment or story am I holding right now? And it's that

moment of awareness that is the opportunity to restore your sense of power. It gives you space to choose curiosity over criticism, openness over assumptions. Now another tool that I really want to offer you rather than the power of the pause and asking that powerful question is practicing the mantra, everything is new. This is a mantra that I live with every single day. Living with everything.

is new. Say it with me. Everything is new. Everything is new. What do you mean Amanda? What does that mean? What does everything, everything new mean? Well let me tell you. Everything new is really a mantra you practice. It means in every single interaction with other people, every person, every moment is a new moment. This means this is a chance to see someone as they are today in this moment. Not through the lens on who you think they are or what you think

conditioned to believe they are, when you approach others with openness instead of that preconceived narrative, you create space for understanding. You create connection. You create growth both in yourself and in the world around you.

And then the last but not least, we've talked a bit and what's surfacing from this article that or this devotion that I just shared for you. It's really about reconnecting with your voice of wisdom. We're all born with this intuitive intelligence. We're very much connected to it as children. For example, you know, all as kids, we know when we're hungry, we know when we're tired, we know when we need to go to the bathroom. And today it's like we work past stress, we're up late past tired, we're constantly not listening

to our intuitive notes. And so the trusted voice within you, what you have to recognize is that inner compass that you've been looking for this whole time. It grows louder when you start to figure out and create and curate practices that quiet the judgments in your mind. So the more you start to practice being present, being in here and being in the mindfulness, be here now, right? And you're practicing more openness, curiosity, the more you have the ability to

access and gain that inner wisdom that guides you towards alignment and that authentic leadership that we've been talking about. Now here's an example of what practicing everything new is and opening leading with curiosity. You know when I moved from San Francisco to LA and to Orange County, I didn't realize all the judgments that I had started to create in my mind. Before I moved to Orange County, I was a hater of Orange County and I'm going to be very

other

this moment, the narratives and the stories and the beliefs that had been embedded in my mind, especially with watching all the social media and all the television is like Orange County is full of racist people, right? That's what you see all the time. And I'm Mexican. And so I had this thought in my head that I wouldn't be received, which is a funny thought because my parents live in Orange County. My parents and my brother lived in Huntington beach and moving here when I was learning these tools and I was practicing these tools, I was scared to move to Orange County.

I moved to Orange County during the pandemic and my parents helped me found this really beautiful place in Costa Mesa.

And I remember feeling like, ⁓ do I fit in? Will people accept me? And I remember going to the jacuzzi and I saw these two guys that looked, I'd say they did not look like me. Let's just put it like that. These two guys that did not look like me. And I immediately put these judgments that they were not going to accept me. They were going to think of me in all these negative ways. And I noticed the judgments that were flooding my brain.

judgments that started to flood my brain started to move my body away from them. was like moving my head and not making eye contact with them. My body language was becoming very closed off and within that subconsciously I didn't know that immediately but when I started to recognize the judgments in my mind that started to form I started to recognize the body language and I was like Amanda practice everything is new let's just be open let's just be curious let's just leave

with what's the word I was looking for for acknowledgement friendly neighbors so I went into the jacuzzi I acknowledged and said hello and then these two guys started talking to me and we started talking about all these wonderful things we went through all these conversations we started talking about personal development I was talking about how I'm a coach and that one of the guys were he was like I need a coach so he like became a potential client he was a lead and we were talking and rapping about that and it was like wow all because I decided to let go of

judgments in my head and if I did not have that sense of awareness I would have had that closed body they wouldn't have talked to me and I would have used that as evidence to reinforce the beliefs in my head that Orange County doesn't accept people that look like me all of these things and because I have actively changed how I think I have actively changed how I see the world the world has actively changed around me and now I can very positively say

I've had some of the most wonderful experiences as Orange County. They are the most open, accepting people I've ever met. And I am able to have a lot of different dialogues, which I really love. And so this is what I'm trying to teach you all. A big goal and a big mission here is to start to become aware of your judgment, start to replace them with curiosity, start to let go of your attachment and expectations on how everybody should show up and what you believe is right or

wrong and just lead with openness and start practicing more of a reflection instead of a reaction. And this is how we get to lead more consciously. Now we're at the close of this podcast and one of the things I want to highlight is if you have any articles or videos that you want to share with me that you want me to break down that you want me to break down the narrative, the leadership, the culture, the behaviors, please send them my way.

I would love to share, review whatever it is that you're reviewing, the articles you're reviewing and seeing if I can pick it apart. It's my favorite thing to do. So if you've got something that you want to share with me and potentially highlight and use on this podcast, feel free to email it to connect at empowerhousecoaching.co. There's no M at the end. So connect C-O-N-N-E-C-T at empowerhousecoaching, one word.

I've been talking a lot for you. Alright folks, I'm Amanda Escobedo and you've been listening to Game Changer. If today sparked insights, ahas, or new perspectives, I'd be so grateful if you subscribe to this podcast, left a review, and shared this episode with at least three people in your

you feel is ready to master the inner game and unlock their potential. Your support helps others discover these resources and invites them to be the next game changer. Join me next time on another conversation of leadership, culture, and creating impact that lasts. Thanks for listening.