Mahara Wayman [00:00:08]:
Welcome to another episode of The Art of Badassery. Today, we have an extraordinary guest joining us, Misty Lucas. Misty is an intuitive coach and advocates for heart-centered women that are seeking to create a successful business aligned with their purpose and one that's filled with joy. Having personally experienced chronic illness and stress, Misty understands the challenges of finding balance and staying focused on one's dreams, and even the difficulty of sometimes letting them go. She knows what it feels like to be trapped in a career that fails to fulfill you, and one where you struggle with not living up to your true potential. However, Misty firmly believes designing a career and life you genuinely love is possible and she's here to show us how. As a coach, Misty worked closely with her clients, helping them gain clarity, focus, and a willingness to take action. She helps them create a business road map that aligns with their purpose, values, and passions. She understands that mindset blocks and limiting beliefs can often hold us back. And she empowers her clients to overcome these obstacles. Through personalized coaching programs, Misty provides the tools, support, and the guidance needed to take inspired action towards their goals. But her work extends beyond coaching. She is a nature lover who finds soulless and inspiration surrounded by the beauty of her 23 Acre Wooded Home. She's shared her wisdom as an executive contributor to Brainz's magazine and has been featured in WomLead magazine. Additionally, she organizes in person experiences that embody the power of rest connection, and the ability we each possess to create the lives we truly desire. Join us as we dive into Misty's unique blend of skills and knowledge, exploring how to break free from the chronic stress that keeps us stuck and disconnected from our dreams. So whether you're just starting or looking to take your business to the next level, Misty Lucas will guide you towards a life and a business that feels authentic, fulfilling, and designed entirely by you. How good is that? So happy to have you here joining us, Misty. Welcome.
Misty Lucas [00:02:36]:
Thank you, Lahara. I'm so excited to be here. It's so amazing.
Mahara Wayman [00:02:42]:
I think it's we noticed today that it's been you know, a year since you had me on your podcast when I was just starting out. So I love that you're able to to help me with mine. Misty, you've been through a lot, and I wanna open this this conversation by asking you to share with us why it is that you're not surprised that you are where you are at today. Earlier, we talked about it, I'm wondering if you can share with those listening sort of the the road map that got you here because it's really very interesting and very telling.
Misty Lucas [00:03:24]:
I don't know if I would say I'm not surprised. I I think that I do reflect often of how I where I am and how I'm showing up in the world, but I do believe that it was a path designed for me to take. So at a young age, my mom was my mom is schizophrenic, and she was diagnosed when I was very young, and my dad had multiple sclerosis, which she had prior to me even being born. And so very, very young age, I became a caretaker. My parents divorced when I was 5. And with my mom's mental health issues, it was really my mom and my sister and I, and she needed a lot support, and I have memories of being really young and her not being able to get out of bed due to her mental health stuff and I remember, like, there's this clear image, which and I'm gonna share this just because it's so clear for me, and I must have been, like, seven years old, and we lived in this apartment, and my mom wouldn't get out of bed. She was, like, sobbing, and she was very upset. And I remember sitting on the bed with her saying to her, it's gonna be okay, mom. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. We're gonna get there. And I was seven, and for whatever reason, that came through me. And so I think that I've always been on the path of being a caregiver, which just sort of is how I grew up, and I sort of continued to take that role on in the relationships I had, in the job that I sought out and the career path that I took, and it just all sort of ran on that idea of being a caregiver of people pleaser, helping people staying calm when things were chaotic. And but I also believe that that living that way made me sick. and then I got rheumatoid arthritis when I was in my mid thirties, and everything stopped. So it was at that point that it was, like, a reexamination of my life and how I treated myself because I was there was no part of me that was in that full exploration of caregiving. I didn't care for myself in a way that was healthy. I lived on adrenaline, on stress, and other people's problems. How can I fix it? What can I do? And, ultimately, I crashed. And that that was the pivot for me of now I need to slow it all down and what does that look like? And it was hard. It was very, very hard. By no means was it easy, I resisted. I resisted. I resisted. And I just couldn't resist anymore. My physical body wouldn't let me. So Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:05:56]:
It's so powerful. Thank you for sharing that with us. And I think I think so interesting that many of us adopt modalities that we think are serving us, and they are serving us on some level. but there does come a time to your point where your body just can't take it anymore because our body has memories. Right? Our body knows everything. And I think that's one of the biggest challenges for many of us in in this world is that we don't kinda have that connection until it hits rock bottom and we were forced to look at it. I'm curious, though, as you were growing up with this idea that I'm the caregiver. I'm the fixer. I'm gonna make put everybody first. Do you know what it was that if that how that was serving you? Like, what was the feeling that you were getting from being that person? It began very young.
Misty Lucas [00:06:50]:
I would say that it created safety because I was in control, and it created safety. My family stay together. If I made sure everything was okay, then I, you know, I wouldn't be taken away from my mom. My you know, everybody would see that we were okay. We were functioning. We were functioning. I use air quotes because we clearly were not. But It created this sense of safety and security that nothing would change if I just kept it together if I held everything together.
Mahara Wayman [00:07:23]:
Fair enough. I think that that a lot of people that are listening are gonna be able to resonate with that. We may not know why we're doing something, until we're older, we can look back. But there's always a reason why why we're bringing things into our into our world. I'm curious, though, as you navigated your way through your thirties when you got ill. How did you tackle that with your beginning to understand that you needed to do something different. Like, what was what was the driving force of your change and your your thought process in that moment?
Misty Lucas [00:08:00]:
Well, it was I was still, like I said, resistant When I went off work like, I immediately went off work. I knew something had to change, but it was I still went into fight mode. I was ready to fight my way through this illness. Like, in my mind, it was like, now it's a battle for my health, and that did not serve me. but I that's how I approached it. And then it came to a point where I actually was just laying on the couch crying every day. I couldn't do anything. And I finally went to a yoga class. I had been a yoga practitioner for years years, like, hot yoga, very, like, Vineyas the flow? How many Chaturangas can I do? Can I stand on my head? Like, very challenging push my body to the brink. That was how I liked my yoga. So but, finally, I couldn't do anything. So I went to a yoga class, and I just met this beautiful yoga teacher, and she said, like, sharing with her what I couldn't do, and should I really be here? And She just said, Misty, if you lay on your mat and breathe, you're doing yoga. And in that moment, I remember thinking, oh my gosh. You're so full of shit. But I've got nothing left to lose. So I did it, and I left feeling so much better. It was being in the silence and just laying their breathing created a spaciousness. Like, I was no longer feeling this contract that I had been feeling for so long, there was this glimmer of spaciousness that I was like, there's something here. And that started me to realize I needed to actually slow down and let my body rest and take care of me and let go of needing to take care of everybody around and just allowing myself to be in the moment. Like, stop cleaning the house because I'm not working. Stop doing all these things because I'm not working. And that was really the beginning, and then I started seeking restorative yoga, ways to rest, mindfully, ways to and that just sort of started my journey at my, like, sort of getting curious and playing with it, and then I did a 200 hour yoga training for me. And that just, like, blew the doors open. That was it. I was done. So yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:10:12]:
So interesting that this idea of slowing down to move to move forward in your life And it can be I know when I first heard that concept. I'm like, no. No. No. That's not what I was taught. I was taught if I want something, I have to go for it. Like you, bust bust through the feelings and just do it at all costs and get her done, baby, and, you know, that idea of I will feel worthy when I have accomplished. So I totally resonate with this with what your comment about when to clean the house if you're not working. Well, I have to do something. I can't just sit here. But the truth is we can't just sit here. I was just finished a retreat, and we read I read this poem, and I should have pulled it up. But it's this beautiful poem. It's made its way through you know, social media, and it talks about our struggle, this person's struggle with his head and his heart are fighting all the time. the head is thinking is is the ego and the heart is thinking about what's gonna happen in the future. And, really, the gut just says to says to him, you know what? You need to hang out with your lungs because your lung your lungs are all about the breath and when you can just be so present in the moment that you are literally just thinking about and experiencing the miracle of breathing. Everything else quiet. It's such a beautiful poem, and that's you made me think of it when you shared that. So you are a trained yoga, restorative practitioner. you bring that into your coaching. What else do you bring into your coaching?
Misty Lucas [00:11:53]:
I really bring into my coaching. So I love for stored yoga. I love the idea of slowing down, but I really loved about it when I went through all of my trainings was understanding our nervous system and understanding that when we're activated, and how our thoughts activate our nervous system and how we if we're living in this high alert, we're actually missing all of opportunity surround us because we're narrowing our vision. It's this fight or flight is probably what a lot of people have heard because I think it's becoming a much more popular term. It's this idea of, like, when we go into that activation of the sympathetic nervous system, we actually are closing our eyes into seeing the opportunities that surround us. But when we slow down, it's this idea that we're opening our viewpoint. We're able to see what we can accomplish and where we wanna go more clearly. So I really work with people like, with the women that I work with, it's about Let's slow it all down and take a moment and reconnect to the essence of who you are. What is it that you truly want? Because that message gets lost as we get older. That message is layered upon layered of the identities that we carry. You know, I'm a mom first. I'm a wife. I'm CEO, whatever we put all these identities on, and we lose where our dreams are, what our dreams actually were and how we wanna show up in the world or how we wanna be in service. So for me, I start my starting point is to, like, help them slow it down and start to tune into what your nervous system doing? What's activating it and tools to be able to come out of it? To be able to come into the parasympathetic nervous system to breathe and to tune in and to feel into their bodies and notice, well, is this really right for me? So I really start there so that they can then create division of what they want.
Mahara Wayman [00:13:48]:
Have there been any big surprises with your with your clients when they do this? I imagine, yes. But I'm just curious if you could share anything, some feedback on how on the type of transformations or the type of experiences that these clients are feeling when they learn how to slow down and then ask themselves those beautiful questions about what it is that I want.
Misty Lucas [00:14:07]:
I think the most surprising thing I find with clients so I had I do some inner child work with clients, and I had one client who she just had no idea that she had been so disconnected from her inner child. And from that experience, she was just like, you just blew my mind and opened the doors to see how I had been judging myself for so long. And now she I think her feedback was and now I just hug my inner child and let her know it's all okay before I take the next step.
Mahara Wayman [00:14:42]:
so so powerful. I love that you brought up this idea of judgment because what I and for those of you that don't know Misty and I, we're in a we're in the same coaching course. We we took a long a year long session, a year long course to be certified as mastery method coaches. And when we came upon the module that was around judgments, I was so obnoxiously naive about judgments. I'm like, what about judge people? well, maybe a little bit me. But when I went through it, I was really quite floored. And I remember thinking, oh my god. I live in judgment of myself. how did I make it to mid fifties being so mean to me? Right? How did I get here with with those with the and For me, I wasn't even aware that I was being so judgmental. So I'd love it if you'd share with us a little bit about this idea from your perspective of the the poison that is judgments, mostly on ourselves.
Misty Lucas [00:15:43]:
I talk a lot about, like, I just did a workshop yesterday yesterday of procrastination, and we I brought in self compassion. really because I think that that is something we're not good at. If we procrastinate, we flip into judgment, I should I should do this. I should do that. My husband has a joke because I often walk around when I hear him saying that and I said, stop shitting on yourself. Right? Like, we just don't need to have that judgment, but What I often talk about is the inner critic, which I think everybody can relate to. Everybody has that voice that has opinions about what we're doing and and really sort of getting cozy with it. I think it was my first mentor who talked to me getting cozy on the love seat with it and actually spending time and diving in this, what is why is the inner critic there? What is it trying to tell you or do for you and what is the intention of the criticism. So spending time with it as opposed to ignoring it or buying in it. So it's not about buying into what it tells you. And then to just like for me, it's like hand to heart. Hand to heart and be like, Thank you. Thank you for showing up, and I'm okay. Right? Allowing that inner critic of its voice, but also to know that I don't have to buy into it or buy into the judgment that I'm giving myself and to be able to just hold the space and then move forward. Right? Knowing, like, sort of like an integration of what that voice is saying and taking it for what it is, but also moving forward without judging. without having that fear or that judgment of self and being able to just have that self compassion and say, I'm doing it. I'm gonna be okay. I got this.
Mahara Wayman [00:17:26]:
so so powerful. And yet, it can be very, very difficult because to your point, well, for speaking personally, I spent, you know, 50 6 years ignoring that little voice. Well, maybe maybe 50 because I didn't I don't think I started with the inner critic until I was a little bit older. But we are so, for the most part, have gotten into the habit of I'm not dealing with you. To your we either believe it. Yes. I'm an idiot, but I just don't wanna deal with it. or we just ignore it totally. But, really, and I agree with you a 100%. The only way to break free from it is to show it some love and and to give it the voice. to give it space and to listen to it. And it may seem a little woo woo or wackadoodle for those that have never done it, but honestly, the power in putting hand on heart I'm just saying, I hear you. It's okay. That's interesting. Tell me more. all about what's going on in your head. It's incredibly powerful. It is incredibly powerful. And I think what's so important and I love that you touched on it is there's nothing wrong with it. if you can put it in perspective and understand why it's there and how it can serve you. It really is. It's like breaking free from these chains. I was listening to a podcast with Gabby Bernstein just today actually where she shares a session that she's having with her therapist. dealing with the inner critic. She calls it you know, it's it's the parts the the family parts that she's got. And it was incredibly powerful, so I love that you do that with your clients as well. What's been your biggest as an entrepreneur? just switching gears for a moment because I we're both entrepreneurs, and I'm I'm loving what I'm hearing, but I'm curious from a business point of view, can you share with us what you've learned, what's been one of the biggest for you as you've been on this journey of entrepreneurship?
Misty Lucas [00:19:17]:
I would say that it can be really isolating. That that that it's been really isolating. It can be isolating, and that for me, it taught me to be vulnerable and to reach out and to make connection. And whether that's having my own coach, whether that's building relationships with other coaches or other entrepreneurs so that I have that that connection, that feedback, I have a woman that for years, I we were partners in believing, and we would meet up. That sort of we paused it for a bit. summers here, but we really would connect and be together once a week. Like, what's going on? What do you got on your plate so that I have that connection and wasn't feeling like I was all alone. So it really taught me to be vulnerable and to listen to those parts of me and to reach out for support and to help and that it's not meant for me. Entrepreneurship isn't meant to be a lonely journey. Even if you are working alone, it's it's meant to you've meant to build your community around it.
Mahara Wayman [00:20:20]:
Yeah. I think community, I've always felt community was so paramount to me. We are, I believe, spiritual beings having a human existence. People will hear me say that all the time. And part of being human is that need to connect. And I think that's why so many of us struggle because we are pretending so much. it's hard to connect with the pretense. It's easier to connect, believe it or not, when you are being vulnerable because that's when people relate to you. like, oh my god. I feel that way too. You know? For years, I worked for a health and wellness company, and we had group sessions. And it was so clear the power in a group conversation, the power of knowing that you're not alone regardless of what your challenge is or whether you don't challenge. You just wanna be. No. You just wanna feel connected. So so powerful. So to everybody that's listening or to anyone that's listening that feels really alone it. Know that you're not. There's always help for you. Reach out to friends, reach out to family, listen to podcasts, you know, get a coach if if that's what if that's what calls you, but we are human beings that want to feel connection for sure. even with our fur babies, and I'm just chuckling inside because her dog just barked. And I had to put my dog out in his little in her bed so she wouldn't bark because it's hard for me to take barking out of my podcast. But we love our fur babies so much. And truly, Those of us that have animals know that they give us such unconditional love. I think it's interesting that sometimes we just stop there because it hurts too much to look for that unconditional love with other humans so that we just We kind of give up on that and just pour it all into animals, but it is absolutely possible to have that with other humans as well. Misty, is it safe for you to take yourself off mute?
Misty Lucas [00:22:13]:
Yeah. I think it is. I think it is.
Mahara Wayman [00:22:17]:
Thank you for that. So, you know, this this podcast is called the art of badassery. And my goal is that every woman listening or every person listening for that matter recognizes that their badass just because they don't have to prove themselves. You know, hand on heart, just take a deep breath and say, I matter, and you're on your way to being fully badass. I'm curious though, what does being a bad ass mean to you? And and why are you bad ass?
Misty Lucas [00:22:46]:
I would say what does it mean to me? I would say that it is being able to wholly and fully accept yourself as you are and to really just show up and shine your light and not get stuck in the loop of what are other people thinking about me. And I think for me, I'm bad ass because I have really embraced this idea of radical rest. I have embraced this idea of I need to rest. I'm gonna rest, and nobody's gonna tell me that that's not okay. And so setting really good strong, healthy boundaries around what's gonna work for me. So I always always hand to heart Is this something I can commit to right now, or is it going to be pushing me to a level of it's too much? So I do a really internal search So I feel like my badassery comes from I check-in with me before I overcommit, before I do something. I make sure I get the rest that I need. I tune into my body, and I listen to my own needs first. And I used to think that was selfish. I used to think that that's not okay. And now it's like, no. That's actually badass because I'm showing up my brightest and lightest self when I take care of me first.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:01]:
I wanna just give you a high 5 for that because I will struggle with this idea of restorative. Well, you said wrath radical rest. And I still struggle with that. Just the other day, I had nothing to do, and it was hard for me to not pick up the phone and scroll. I knew I didn't want the housework. I knew that. Like, that was okay. But I still felt that I needed to be reading something or listening to something or or, you know, take I Oh my god. I have to take the dogs for a walk. Well, I actually didn't. They'd only they'd recently been for a walk. But it is something that I too struggle with. So what is it that you say to yourself? when you catch if you catch yourself into that old habit of go go go. What's your what's your number one self talk? sentence, shall we say?
Misty Lucas [00:24:52]:
If if if I'm in that well, first off, I'll notice if it's a distraction. So if I'm trying to distract myself, I'll be like, am I just trying to find something to do because I need to distract from what I what's going on in my life? And then Really, it's just like I tune in and I notice am I tired. I very much follow Kate Northrop, and that this year have been working on following cycles of the moon, which are tied to my cycles. So I'm really in tune to do I need a little extra rest right now? And I ask myself that. And when I catch myself, because I have caught myself, it is a practice. It's a practice. I mean, I look at life as a practice, so everything I do is a this. But I did catch myself a couple weeks ago of, oh, I need to work out. I need to work out. It's my workout day. And then I went downstairs, and I'm like, No. I need to rest. And I just laid, and I did a 20 minute Shavasana. Like, I just laid there, and I just let myself rejuvenate, and then I was able to get through the day. without the workout. Like, I didn't have to push my body. So I do catch myself, but it's how I do it. It's by checking in. Do I really need to do this right now? It's like asking myself because if I'm feeling the port if I'm feeling like I'm pushing to do something, that's my cue to ask, do I really need to do this?
Mahara Wayman [00:26:09]:
I love that you brought up this checking in not only with yourself mentally, but with yourself physically because we I mentioned earlier, somatic work is all about recognizing that your body have all the answers. Right? Also got it holds the questions, the answers, the fear, the happiness, the joy. So what I'm hearing Misty, is really you have learned to ask to get very clear with yourself. Why am I doing this? How am I feeling? What do I need? And I'm curious, was there ever a time when you asked the question you didn't have the answer to the what do I need?
Misty Lucas [00:26:48]:
I think I've always had the answer of what do I need in the moment. I mean, if I'm looking at a bigger perspective, sometimes I might not have the answer, but what I do is I just become present. I I I love the breath The breath is like my go to. It's hand to heart. Feel at my chest rise and fall with my inhale and exhale, and it's like, I will know what I need in that very moment, and that's enough
Mahara Wayman [00:27:15]:
right here, right now. That's all I need to know. that is so key is understanding. And it's why mindfulness has become such a buzzword, and so many of us practice it is when you are fully mindful, then there is no worry about yesterday. There is no fretting about what's gonna happen tomorrow. So it's almost like giving our permission going back to my idea. Just breathing. You mentioned it as well. The breath is so so important. So very honest answer, I like that because I think there's a miss a misunderstanding maybe that when people are on a journey of self discovery and they feel enlightened that they've got it. Like, oh, you're good now. Right? You got it. You're good now. And that is just not true people. It is just it's constant. Right? You learn one thing, and you're like, okay. I like, I got this. And then something else, the UniFirst bring brings you something else to learn, and you're like, wait a second. Wait a second. I'm not ready for that. can't I just have, like, 2 weeks of bliss where I feel completely in charge? But we are always learning, and I love that you're able to tune into your body and to slow right down. So I'll take that as absolutely being bad as giving your submission. to just slow write down and ask yourself what, you know, what you need. I'm curious, and I'm sure that our listeners are curious too what's on the horizon for you? Is there anything coming up? You you just finished that great masterclass on procrastination. What else can we expect coming up from you?
Misty Lucas [00:28:45]:
Well, I'm going to be offering a master class probably about every 6 weeks because I think it's really important just to to be out there, meet people, support people any way that I can. So I do love doing those. I just opened the doors to a group coaching program called Elevate. So it's a 6 month group coaching program. It starts 2nd week of July, and that is for 10 women So I have few I have nine spots left because we just opened the door, so I'm really excited for that. And I still do my one to one coaching, and I love that as well. I have a client who is taking a break, so I've got a spot that just opened up. So I'm excited to be sharing that with the people and my husband and I are working on a journey creating sort of like a retreat center place it's called spruce tips. You get away from the everyday, and, basically, we have monkeys and yurts in our 23 acres of woods, and you can come and spend the night in nature. It's completely off grid. And we're happy to bring people out because we know the importance of reconnecting to ourself in nature. and how healing it is.
Mahara Wayman [00:29:56]:
I'm sorry. I don't know what a yurt is.
Misty Lucas [00:29:59]:
It is it's like a tent, but you can stand up. It's like, a really cute it's a really big tent, so they're on wood platforms, and they're canvas. So it's a canvas tent and We've got furniture in it, like a little of loveseat. And yeah. So they're all done up with rugs and tables, and so you can actually be in it if it's and it's not like you're crunched in a little tense, so it's a much bigger tent. And when do you think when is the planned opening out of this? Should be next week. We should be I everything's up and ready to go. We're just working through some business pieces that yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:30:37]:
That is exciting. That's so exciting. So just to recap, and I still I actually do have another question for you. from a young age, you were a caregiver, and you shared that your father had MS, your mom had schizophrenia, had schizophrenia. when you think back to that time when you when you think of and you've done inner child work. So when you see yourself as that little girl, what would you say to her today if you could have traveled back in time?
Misty Lucas [00:31:09]:
I would probably I would. I would. I have said that she is safe and that I don't need to pick up everybody else's messes, right, like, that I get to just be and to play. because that was one thing I didn't do as a child was play because I took that role on at such a young age, so I'm learning to play now. So I would tell that little girl go out and play. Be playful. Have fun. Be with your friends.
Mahara Wayman [00:31:38]:
So good. So what do you do for play today at Atlanta?
Misty Lucas [00:31:43]:
Well, I took line dancing. I signed up, and I did line dancing this year because I committed to to playing. And I play a lot outside. Like, with my dogs in the woods, my husband is a character if you've ever seen him social media. And so we we love to just to be silly together, which is really fun and and to sort of share that with the world of how you can just, you know, play with that inner child and and not worry. Well, I think dance like nobody's watching, I think, is what we try to do around here.
Mahara Wayman [00:32:18]:
Oh, so good. So good. You know, having fun, honestly, it's an it's an art form. And many of us have forgotten how to have fun because we're so busy paying the bills and and fretting and worrying and, you know, doing going, going, going, I would love to know what is a fun activity that you would like to do that you haven't yet tried. Is there anything that you guys have thought about and so on your bucket list of fun. Just let's have a little bit of levity right now.
Misty Lucas [00:32:48]:
Bucket list of fun. Well, I really wanna learn to play guitar. k. My husband bought me a guitar. It is here, and I really wanna learn how to play guitar. So that is on my bucket list. I'm going to learn how to play guitar.
Mahara Wayman [00:33:04]:
Love it. Love it. Anything else?
Misty Lucas [00:33:11]:
Try to think. What do I think could be really fun? You can do whatever you put your mind to. I know. I know. And I'm like, oh, this is a good question. because sometimes you get stuck in the the idea of what you need to be doing and not just that explore exploration of what could be a lot of fun. I think that while I really, really want to travel to India, and I wanna go on, like, a 3 week tour and just really immerse myself in that, the cultures, and see the temples. I'm so intrigued by all of the temples that I think that would be a lot of fun inspiring and just, like, take my whole journey to a new level.
Mahara Wayman [00:33:54]:
I'm sure it would. I think I know when I talk to I work with my clients and the work done on my own, I thought that I was a great day dreamer, but I really wasn't in so much as when I was daydreaming, it was sort of I don't wanna say they were average daydreams, but I daydreamed about just making ends meet. Like, mean, they were there wasn't it wasn't dreaming dreaming. It wasn't anything big and and mystical and magical. And I I had to work at that. So I love that you brought it up because the truth is so many of us have forgotten how to dream. You know, you ask a kid For the most part, what they wanna be when they grow up, and they're like, oh, I'm gonna be an astronaut. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this. You know, their dreams are amazingly magnificent And they're so innocent and and powerful. As we get older, though, so many of us have forgotten to do that. It's one of the things that I do with my clients is, so what do you want? What do you mean what do you want? I just wanna smile. Right? I just wanna get out of bed every day. And that's a good place to start, but it can be a lot of fun. to give yourself permission to dream big because what I'm learning is that you can't get it if you don't ask for it. you know, it can't come into your can't come into your life if if you haven't thought of it first because I really do believe that everything starts first in your thoughts and then with and then it becomes you know, real. I love that. Guys, let's keep let's keep this in mind that one day, we're gonna have Misty back on the podcast, and she's gonna play the guitar for us. and regain -- stories of her trip to India. I love it. So just to recap, my friend, you realize through a lot of work as an adult that all your life, you had adopted this persona, this need to be the fixer. But at age thirty, That all came to a crashing halt when you became very ill with rheumatoid arthritis. How are you today, health wise?
Misty Lucas [00:35:54]:
I am amazing. I am off all my medications. I have not been medicated since, like, 2000 and 15 or 16. I've not taken any medications for my arthritis. I have some little flares, but it's then I know what I need to do. It's like I'm pushing So I'm really attuned to my body. I'm really attuned to what I need, and I offer and I give it to me. Like, that's it. That needs to slow it all down. I slow it all down and and reset. So I am doing health wise amazing and stress levels are way down, even being an entrepreneur, even having to do, like, because it's a lot of work. It's not easy. But it's I do what I love, like, what I am passionate about, and I think that makes all the difference to keep me on that even keel, and there's ups and downs like everything in life. But because I'm doing something that's so full of purpose and so aligned with my values, that it's just it it doesn't feel like work, I'll be honest.
Mahara Wayman [00:36:56]:
Yeah. So so beautiful. So if anybody listening wants to connect with Misty, just know that you check out the show notes because I'm gonna drop all of the best ways to connect with her in the show notes. Misty, I can't thank you enough for joining us today. Is there anything else that you want our listeners to know about either your journey or the work that you're doing today that you haven't already shared with us.
Misty Lucas [00:37:19]:
No. I think that you this was amazing. This was so much fun. I'm so grateful to have been able to do this with you, Mohara, and I love the work that you're doing. and and really encouraging women to just show up as their badass selves. Thank you. You are so welcome. You're so welcome. Well, everyone, thanks for joining us today on this episode of the art of badassery. I hope you have an amazing week, and we will see you next week. Take care.
