Make Some Noise with Andrea Owen

I was having a conversation with my friend Kate-- I’m not even sure what we were discussing and I started telling her about about how amazing it felt to finally take responsibility for my life. Let me back up…I hit my own rock bottom in early 2007. About a year prior to that my husband had left me for another woman, and I immediately got into a new relationship. This new boyfriend ended up being a drug addict and faked cancer to cover up his addiction. Our break-up was horrible. I found myself on the floor of my apartment, crying my eyes and begging The Universe to help me. Not to spoil the story-- but the Universe did show up to help me, however there was something really important I had to do first.See, the reason I found myself in two back-to-back messed up situations was because I made two very big mistakes in my life: 1) I looked to other people to make me happy and 2) when it didn’t work out I blamed them. For everything. My addiction to control was so strong I had unknowingly convinced myself that if only I could make other people change, I would be happy. If they would just do and be what I said, everything would be fine. Throw in some perfectionism and avoiding feeling my feelings and I was a serious mess.But, that day when I picked myself up off the floor, I knew one thing: The only thing these situations had in common was me. My ex husband and ex boyfriend were not solely responsible for my feelings and future. Sure, what they did was lame, but I had to take total responsibility for myself. For once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey Ass kickers!Welcome to episode 67 of the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! On today’s show we’re talking with the one and only Dr. Amy Johnson. Amy is a social psychologist and master certified coach who helps people see their true default nature is wellness and clarity, even when they don’t see it themselves! Amy is also an accomplished speaker; she has been a regular guest expert on The Steve Harvey Show, and has been published often in The Wall Street Journal, SELF magazine and Oprah.com.During our talk today, Amy and I dialogue about all things brain-related! We discuss the remarkably simple way our brains work, why understanding that simplicity and following it leads to an easier life and the important role curiosity and suspicion play in examining our own stories and opening up to new ways of being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know that person everyone falls in love with the second he or she walks into a room? He or she doesn’t necessarily have to be gorgeous, or start throwing cash around the room. No, this person just has “something” that draws others in. And you’d give your right arm to know what it is that is so super awesome about that person. She isn’t necessarily even charming or charismatic; she just seems to radiate something that is magnetic.I’ll save you the endless nights awake trying to figure out what it is.Truth: That person loves herself. The end.Confidence is about believing in yourself. Self-esteem is about believing in your worth.Self-love is both of those wrapped up into one, plus more. It’s like the perfect feast for your soul.And at the same time, self-love can be this mysterious, elusive thing. Ask a woman what her menstrual cycle is like or how she takes her coffee and she can tell you in great detail. But ask her about self-love and you’ll probably get a blank stare.If you’re not sure whether you love yourself, here’s a quick quiz:Do you think you’re awesome?Do you love yourself unconditionally? (In other words, do you put conditions on your self-love such as your weight, salary, relationship status, etc.?)Do you go after your goals while deep down knowing you are worthy of attaining them?If you answered “no” to any or all of these questions, we’ve got some work to do, sister! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey Ass kickers!Welcome to episode 65 of the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! Today we’ve got a topic I’m super excited to dive into and share with you: healing through creativity.And we have a very special guest to share her wisdom on this subject: Rachael Rice. Rachael is an artist, writer, teacher, and speaker who travels the world performing and creating non-stop like a BOSS. She believes and teaches others to express themselves, and embrace the healing that happens in the process.On today’s show we talk about why it’s so hard for us to be still (eek!), why humans are meaning-making machines (and how to deal with it) and how to redefine and understand yourself as a creative being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I do my best to listen when I hear the universe speaking to me. For one, I know I was put on this earth to teach and inspire. One of those things is to teach people how to love themselves. And I’ll be honest- when I went into business for myself and followed my intuition that told me to teach about self-love, I had this belief that self-love is a hard sell. In the beginning I had this made up notion that people only wanted solutions to 3 things: How to be thin. How to find their soul mates. How to have more money. The end. Self love didn’t fit anywhere into that equation for people looking for what made them happy. Unless I was selling those three things, I was doomed as an entrepreneur. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to episode 63 of the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! I’m thrilled to bring you this episode with life coach, master communicator and my very best friend, Amy E. Smith. Amy hosts a podcast called The Joy Junkie with her hubs, Mr. Smith. On the podcast and in her business Amy helps people find their voice, and stand up for themselves (without being a dick).I brought her on the show to talk about self-love: what it is and how to practice it no matter who you are or where you are in your life. We get into the common misconceptions and pitfalls about self-love, why loving yourself actually helps you change your life and why choosing self-love is a daily practice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I may very well be pissing off the personal development Gods today, but bear with me.If you dabble in self-help at all, you’ve probably heard the advice of not taking things personally. If you’re new to this advice or need some clarification, what the message is saying is: If you take the words and actions of others personally, it’s easy to fall into the victim role, spend your life chasing approval from others, and just generally making everything about you when it isn’t. I totally get that and agree.But, here’s what I don’t like and what I take issue with. People hear this advice and look at it as being very black or white. Either we don’t take things personally at all and feel good about ourselves, or we do take things personally and live in this hellfire and brimstone world of damnation where we are victims and prey to others. Yes, that was dramatic, but sometimes self-help can be make people feel like YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey Ass kickers!Welcome to episode 61 of the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! Today we’re revisiting two familiar and favorite topics: perfectionism and shame. And joining us is one of my favorite people ever - Rebecca Bass-Ching.Rebecca is a certified Daring Way™ facilitator and consultant. She’s also a licensed marriage and family therapist with her own multi-therapist practice. I had the honor of working with her as a client while also becoming certified in The Daring Way™ and I’m thrilled she’s here for this episode.On today’s show we dive right into the thick of it. We define what shaming is, draw the connection between perfectionism, vulnerability and shaming, and discuss how to develop and practice courage in our everyday lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Self sabotage. You know what that is, right? When you want to change really bad. And you know what needs to get done in order to change. But, instead of doing what needs to get done, you do the opposite. Or nothing at all.Here’s an example: You find out there’s a position open at work that you’re qualified for and it would be a promotion. You need to reach out to your boss to tell her you want to be considered for this.You figure...you’ll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and you’ll maybe send her an email at the end of the day. Next thing you know you’ve procrastinated all week and now it’s Friday, the last day to submit your interest.So, why, why, why do we do this? I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve worked with that have had a homework assignment (that THEY have assigned to themself) and when I ask them about it later they sheepishly tell me they didn’t do it. When they had all the time and resources in the world to get it done.WHY? Temporary insanity? Time stopped? Kidnapped by aliens?Nope. It’s simply self sabotage. And maybe I shouldn’t say “simply”. Because sometimes it’s far from simple.The bottom line is that self-sabotage is that it’s a way to feel safe. It happens A LOT when people realize where they are and they don’t like it, then they see what they could have if they change. Even though they want to change, the thought of going through the action of changing is too damn scary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the last 5 years of YKAL, I’ve received many emails from women asking me questions...the proverbial “what is wrong with me??” (short answer- nothing.) But, they just want to stop feeling like they're feeling and start feeling better, happier, and more comfortable. We all want that, right?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices