Nov 9, 2023
Hi beautiful human! I'm really grateful to be welcoming Shirlee Williams back to the podcast..
This is a co-creative episode arising from our collective experience of ENOUGHNESS.
Simply put, this is an episode about ENOUGH. The concept of enoughness in all it’s derivations.
AND I’m really inspired to be having this conversation with Shirlee Williams, a spiritual mindset coach, yoga teacher, mama to two adult twin boys and a behemoth dog. She’s a partner to a fabulous endurance coach, Andrew. A breathwork facilitator, Yoga Teacher Trainer to women over 45 years of age [her YTT program is called Wisdom].
Shirlee and I co-create retreat experiences together for women - in the form of multiday retreats in extraordinary locations and one day events. [scroll down to see Reclaim - Mexico April 2024 and The Gathering - Ontario Canada July 2024].
In this episode, we talk about:
- Laura open's the circle in a way that we often do during retreats + special events.
- The concept of "enoughness" and the struggle to feel "enough" and "happy" with what one has in life.
- Having enough versus Being enough.
- The importance of knowing and living by one's values to achieve fulfillment and make meaningful decisions.
- Staying present and connected to the present moment to feel fulfilled.
- Complexity as the default and the desire for simplicity in life, referencing the rat race of always wanting "more."
- Listening to the heart's voice and prioritizing feelings over thoughts, as thoughts can lead to overthinking and feeling "mucked up".
- The need to stay aligned with oneself and not be swayed by external influences or judgments from others.
- The pressure to live up to certain standards and expectations in daily life.
- Seeking fulfillment versus seeking happiness.
- Living one's values leading to a greater degree of fulfillment in life.
- Shirlee shares her practices and how she stays connected inward to keep rooting into being enough, doing enough and having enough.
- Shirlee's "brag notes" as a simple technique for reminding herself how exceptional she is.
- The "inner work" involves asking difficult questions, listening for truth, and staying conscious of your inner work through journaling, breath work, and self-reflection.
- Inner work is personal and can change over time, and it is important to have agency and bring it into consciousness, even during busy seasons of life.
- The need to stay aligned with oneself and not be swayed by external influences or judgments from others.
- The one word close of the episode.
The Power of Letting Go: "And it became a metaphor for life for me about what was weighing me down externally and how I could shed more of the external components, almost, of the baggage."— Shirlee Williams
The Importance of Trusting and Listening to Find Truth: "It's asking the really hard, open-ended questions and listening for the truth that I know is there. And it's also, I mean, these days it's taking a tremendous amount of trust to sit and be a little uncomfortable, but know that the answer is going to come."— Shirlee Williams
Self-reflection and Leaving a Lasting Impact: "I ask myself a lot, how do I want to leave the world? What kind of impact? I don't know. Maybe it's like above 50 year old message. I want to leave the world a better place. So then how am I going to show up? What kind of work do I need to do on myself to make that happen? I think that's the inner work for me these days."— Shirlee Williams
The Pursuit of Happiness: "Do you want to be happy, or do you want to be fulfilled? Because I think they're just two deeply different things.'"— Laura Foster
The Power of Self-Worth: "Is it true that you're not enough? Why am I not feeling enough in this moment? Or, why am I not feeling like this is enough in this moment? And I think we have to be willing to tell ourselves the truth of it. Poke some holes in our own story of not being enough."— Laura Foster
Mindful Living: "What you need to do is get very clear on what those actually are like. They're already present, but you just pay attention to them. Because if you focus on living your top four or five values, chances are you're going to feel a lot more fulfilled."— Laura Foster
[00:01:19] Shirlee is curious and effective mentor.
[00:08:50] Exploring feelings of inadequacy and self-comparison.
[00:15:20] Laura discusses deeper conversations with clients.
[00:17:46] "I discern my worth, combat feelings of inadequacy."
[00:24:27] Questioning pursuit of happiness vs. fulfillment.
[00:30:09] Questioning one's worth, seeking external validation.
[00:37:06] Desire for a stunning purse in store.
[00:43:34] Clarify values to make fulfilling choices.
[00:46:28] Younger generation seeks work-life balance, simple life.
[00:49:55] Preparing to walk, pondering life's impact and purpose.
[00:56:51] Debunk limiting beliefs and embrace self-belief.
[01:02:17] Upcoming Mexico retreat, inspiring and joyful experience.
Working With Shirlee:
Website / Instagram / The Circle
Shirlee is a spiritual mindset coach that is deeply committed to living and helping others live a full authentic life. She wants to guide you to understand that every situation, every life experience up to this point has been for your own awakening.
She believes that each and every one of us deserves to take up space in the world. You have a gift that needs to be shared!
Strengths: Yoga Teacher, Creator of Wisdom [Yoga Teacher Training for women over 45 years of age], Elemental Rhythm Breathwork Facilitator, Spiritual Mindset Coach.
Working With Laura + Attending Retreats:
I have recently opened up some opportunities for women to work 1:1 with me in personal leadership coaching. This year my group programs are on pause … I can feel a deep level of 1:1 work that’s emerging for me and I’m creating as much space as possible for what’s coming through.
I have two upcoming group retreats: April 6-13, 2024 Mexico, July 19-23, 2024 Ontario, Canada.
I also curate 1:1 personal, 4-5 day deep-dive retreats that are intimate and powerful – here in Costa Rica. One opportunity Jan 2024. One opportunity March 2024. Contact me for more info on this and future opportunities.
Coach with me and step into yours, fully and completely.
I lead Elemental Rhythm Breathwork in person (Dominicalito, Costa Rica) and online.
You can book a free discovery call right here. You can also reach out to me through direct message on INSTAGRAM and we can take the next step.
Please share, rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. It makes a massive difference in supporting this work and we deeply appreciate it.
Blessings, L