The Not Drinking Alcohol Today Podcast
Meg and Bella discuss the ups and downs of navigating an alcohol free life in Australia's alcohol centric culture. This highly rated podcast, featuring in Australia's top 100 self improvement podcasts, is a must for those that are trying to drink less alcohol but need some motivation, are curious about sober life or who are sober but are looking for some extra reinforcement. The Not Drinking Alcohol Today pod provides an invaluable resource to keep you motivated and on track today and beyond. Meg and Bella's guests include neuroscientists, quit-lit authors, journalists, health experts, alcohol coaches and everyday people who have struggled with alcohol but have triumphed over it. Our aim is to support and inspire you to reach your goals to drink less or none at all! Meg and Bella are This Naked Mind Certified Coaches (plus nutritionists and counsellors respectively) who live in Sydney and love their alcohol free life.
The Not Drinking Alcohol Today Podcast
Maryanne Petkac: A Path to Wellness and Alcohol Freedom
Can the loss of a loved one catalyse a journey of profound personal transformation? Mayianne Petkac, a dedicated alcohol freedom coach and yoga instructor, opens up about her powerful journey to sobriety following the loss of her mother in 2020. Maryanne shares how her casual drinking habit escalated during her first marriage, becoming a nightly ritual to cope with life's challenges. Her story takes a pivotal turn with her discovery of the book "This Naked Mind" and the ultimate realisation that moderation wasn't enough. As of December 31, 2020, she has been alcohol-free and is passionately helping others achieve the same liberation.
Discover the remarkable health benefits that come with quitting alcohol, as Maryanne discusses her significant physical transformations, including the reversal of osteopenia and improved blood pressure management. She emphasises the critical role of dietary changes, such as embracing a plant-based diet, and consistent exercise, including running and yoga. Maryanne's reflections on her past habits, contrasted with her vibrant new lifestyle, underscore the profound growth and well-being achievable through sobriety. Her integration of yoga as both a personal coping mechanism and a professional endeavour exemplifies the holistic approach to wellness she advocates.
In addition to personal health triumphs, Maryanne's story highlights the emotional and psychological journey toward alcohol freedom. From the struggles of moderation to the awakening moments amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, her candid recounting of grief and self-discovery offers invaluable insights. Maryanne also touches on her experience of co-authoring a book and her plans to offer supportive programs for first responders. This heartfelt conversation not only underscores the transformative power of sobriety but also the expansive opportunities for healing and growth in a newfound alcohol-free life. Don’t miss out on Maryanne's inspiring journey and her mission to help others reclaim their well-being.
Maryanne's website: https://sobersunrisescoaching.com/
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/maryanne-t-petkac-ma-ba-56a19018.
MEG
Megan Webb: https://glassfulfilled.com.au
Instagram: @glassfulfilled
Unwined Bookclub: https://www.alcoholfreedom.com.au/unwinedbookclub
Facebook UpsideAF: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1168716054214678
Small group coaching: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching
BELLA
*November 6-Week Small Group Challenge: Learn more: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/alcoholfreedomchallenge*
Isabella Ferguson: https://isabellaferguson.com.au
Instagram: @alcoholandstresswithisabella
Free Healthy Holiday Helper Email Series: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/L4fXEtCb/checkout
Welcome to the pod. Today I have Marianne Petkak, an alcohol freedom coach and yoga instructor. Marianne and I studied together through this Naked Mind. I'm really excited to have Marianne here, welcome.
Speaker 2:Megan, it's so nice to see you. It's so nice to be here. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:My pleasure. It's so good to see you too. Can you start by telling us all a bit about your story and how you got to where you are?
Speaker 2:Sure, thank you. Alcohol wasn't really a big issue growing up. I always say my mom's side of the family was Irish and my dad's was Slovak, so there wasn't a lot of drinking, except when we had parties or got together for Christmas and my mom had two sisters and they would come over and everybody would start drinking and it was fun and people were laughing and you know, that's kind of my first foray into drinking and I didn't go away to college. I went to work right out of high school and so I didn't have that college experience. I went to college later on, but I did move out of the house and I lived with two of my friends and we used to come home from work, take a nap, get up about 11 o'clock at night and have pineapple juice and vodka, vodka and then hit the bars. So that's what we did and that's where I met my ex-husband, at a bar, and again, he wasn't a big drinker because his father was, so there wasn't much drinking until after we got married. I realized just before we were getting married that it was we shouldn't have gotten married, but I went ahead and did it because I was going to change him and I should have known better at age 24, but you know hindsight's 20-20.
Speaker 2:So after we got married, I would start drinking at night because I was just, you know, I wasn't miserable, but I was trying to be happy. I guess you could say and look out, look the other way a lot of things. And then I started having babies. So I had three sons and then, after 16 years, I decided to divorce my ex-husband and I took a job at a university where I started drinking red wine. It was a Jesuit university and Jesuits are Catholic. It's an order of Catholic priests and they're educators. But that's where I was first introduced to red wine. So I would start drinking red wine. And after working all day and going home to three little boys, I felt that I needed wine in order to cope at night. So I started drinking, went back to school because tuition was free, so I would take classes during the day and at night got my bachelor's degree, got my master's degree and met my current husband, who does not drink.
Speaker 2:After a while I just I kind of was doing the same thing a lot of people do Am I an alcoholic? Googling that, you know. I started feeling sluggish, I started running, but I didn't feel like I was giving it my all. I was always interested in working out. I always had a gym membership somewhere, but at night I would sit down and I would start drinking this wine and just drink a bottle a night. That's what it, that's what it amounted to.
Speaker 2:So I happened to be at a yoga studio several years ago and as I was leaving, there was a advertisement for a book club and the book was this naked mind. And I worked at the Cleveland Clinic. I worked every other weekend, so I couldn't commit to this book club because they met every other Sunday. But I went to the library and I took the book out and I was like, oh, this is interesting. So I kind of read it, kind of didn't read it. You know, I perused it.
Speaker 2:But in March of 2019, I said I'm not going to drink anymore. So I didn't drink for 13 months. I just I just didn't. Um. But then in April of 2020, I thought, well, I've been 13 months without alcohol, I can have a drink, I can moderate. And I had two glasses of wine and I was so proud of myself because I only had two glasses of wine, went to bed and then the next night I finished that bottle and opened another one and finished the entire bottle. So there was my theory of moderation, and 2020, you know, for everyone was a bad year.
Speaker 2:You know everybody was COVID and I was working at the hospital and there was a lot going on at the clinic and just it was a mess. So I was drinking and then not drinking because I was reading this naked mind when I went to bed at night and this time I was trying to take it all in and once you learn it, you can't let go of it. So I would drink maybe a couple of nights and then I wouldn't drink for maybe a month, and then I would drink again. And then it went back and forth. My blood pressure was going up, my doctor wanted to put me on medication. I said absolutely not. And then my mom passed away and in October of 2020, she didn't have COVID, but she passed away and I had a bottle of wine and I thought what? That didn't do anything, it didn't bring her back, you know. So it was just up and down the rest of the year from October till December 31st, and on December 31st my husband and I went out to dinner and I said I'm not having any more wine after tonight and I haven't. So December 31st, 2020, was the last time I had anything to drink.
Speaker 2:2020 was the last time I had anything to drink and this restaurant that we were at we used to go to for years. We would go to every Friday night. That was like our date night, and they knew that I liked red wine, chianti actually an Italian wine and every time we sat down they would bring me over a half a carafe of wine, and my husband. They would bring water, and I was so happy I go wow, they know what I drink. This is great, you know, and I would drink the half a craft of red wine with my dinner and go home and pop open a bottle and start drinking more when we got home. So it was just ridiculous, you know, like it was.
Speaker 2:Just, you hear all the facts the link between alcohol and cancer can't? Uh, the the link between alcohol and cancer, the link between alcohol and osteoporosis or osteopenia, um, high blood pressure, just a myriad of things. I was worried that I would have a stroke, you know. I mean, I still had all these background noises going on in my mind, but I couldn't stop. And then that December 31st, I said that's enough, I've got the information. And I would equate it to going to a gas pump and just drinking the gas straight out of the pump. You know, because Annie says it's ethanol, it just flavored ethanol and I haven't looked back. It's just been an amazing journey forward.
Speaker 2:Now I'd like to say everything at once. Like in two weeks, you know, my blood pressure dropped and I felt so good. But it takes time. It took time to get to that point and it takes time to your body to come back to homeostasis and find the new normal homeostasis and find the new normal Um. But I will say that I reversed my osteo um cirrhosis back to osteopenia and you know so my bones aren't so brittle anymore. I'm back to running again and, uh, I'm a yoga instructor now. Um, I just feel that there's so much. I can't believe I wasted so much time drinking, but that's what. That's what people do. I can't believe I wasted so much time drinking, but that's what people do. So, yeah, basically, in a nutshell, that's just it.
Speaker 1:Amazing, like when you're talking about reversing the problems. Like when I stopped drinking, my legs were really painful I know it sounds weird, but it was kind of coincided with menopause and everything. But I feel like it was just this I'd almost sapped my body of everything like a deep dehydration and uh, and so it took a while. But just having that space, you know, that time not drinking and then putting all the good back in it, just it just really helped. And well, it's it gone now. So that's pretty exciting, because at the beginning I thought I'd never be able to walk again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that is scary. It's scary what can happen, what can go wrong. And I don't like to take any kind of medication. I am firmly against it. And my doctor was like we're going to put you on blood pressure medication. I'm like, no, no, I just didn't want to go there Because at the start of COVID I listened to this book called the China study and it's all about plant-based eating and how we should eat more plants and vegetables.
Speaker 2:And you know cow's milk is for baby cows, not for baby humans. And so our eating habits gradually evolved into um, I haven't had a. I can't even tell you the last time I had a burger. It's had to be four years. So little by little, we introduce more fruits and vegetables and I cook with whole grains now and you know I would say I classify my husband and I as vegan. Once in a while maybe I'll have like a little piece of chicken or something, but really I can't even tell you the last time I had that. So I just feel so much better and I want to treat myself better because I felt when I was drinking I did myself a real disservice.
Speaker 2:I ran a marathon when I was drinking and I stopped drinking for four months while I was training for this marathon, and this was back in 2008. So what did I do after the marathon? My husband and I went to a little diner outside, it was spring and I had four glasses of wine to celebrate. Now, anybody that runs or anybody that does any kind of exercise knows you don't rehydrate with alcohol. You know any kind of exercise knows you don't rehydrate with alcohol. You know you drink water or lemonade or something like that. So I just was all. I wasn't right in the way I was treating my body, and I'm glad I'm still here, you know, and feeling better and stronger.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, and I relate to that I did. It's called Coast Trek here in Sydney and it's 55 kilometre walk along the coast. I did that four times back when well, about 10 years ago, so when I was still drinking but I wasn't. I was fine to not drink around that period of time, like you said, the training but every time we finished with champagne and every time I had enough that I would feel tipsy and pass out, but it wasn't uncommon Like everyone was celebrating with that. I see it a lot in sport and or after things like that. It's not like we were the only ones and it is mind boggling because it's so not what your body needs.
Speaker 2:Well, and I've run marathons since then and they have at the aid stations beer. You know aid stations and you know maybe if you're you know a kid or something. I mean it's not right for anybody, but it's certainly not right for you know, anybody older and you know you've got the chance of brittle bones and you know just a myriad of problems that can happen. But I know what you're saying. You know about drinking the champagne and passing out. I had the four glasses of wine and we were driving. It was about a four hour drive from home and my husband was driving and I was sleeping, yeah, and it was like I was just in that mindset, though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, but you do yoga now. Did you do yoga before you stopped drinking? Exactly, but you do yoga now. Did you do yoga before you stopped drinking? Because I do also find, just from talking to people, that a lot of people do drink and then they might teach or whatever and be hung over, like my job. I guess it's just people that drink and then go to their job, but I still can't believe they can do it. But then, thinking back, I did go to fitness classes after I'd woken up with a hangover. I mean, I don't know how we do it, but did you do yoga before or after, or both?
Speaker 2:I started doing yoga in 1997. And it was offered at the university where I where I worked, and I did it to help cope with the divorce I was going through Cause somebody I worked with said you should do yoga and I'd never done it in my life. So I did it for years and years and years and then I liked it so much I decided I was going to train to be an instructor. So when I first started my training, I wasn't drinking. And then it's in 2020 because it was a nine month program when COVID hit and that's when I started drinking again. So it kind of coincided with my training.
Speaker 2:But by the time I actually got out to teach yoga, I wasn't drinking anymore and most of the time when I went to yoga, when I was drinking, when I went to classes taught by someone else, I would go at night and I would go home and have wine after, go home and have wine after. I remember going to a Pilates reformer class and I finished up and I said to the girl next to me I'm going to go home and have some wine and she said well, doesn't that negate everything you just did? But in my mind I was burning calories ahead of time so I could have that bottle of wine. Such a such a wrong way to think. But you know, I I was still getting my fitness in, but I wasn't really. I was kind of leveling because I wasn't. Yeah, I was putting back the calories that I burned off.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I totally, totally relate to that and you know I did that with all the fitness things. It's interesting because I see a lot of clients and people that are on this journey. We've all looked for ways to be healthy in the past but didn't want to give up the alcohol. So it was doing the yoga or the running or the walking or the fitness group and it was eating healthy. I studied to become a nutrition coach while I was drinking. Like let's do, let's do everything we possibly can to avoid giving up alcohol but to help us be healthy. I think you know that's. I just see that all the time and I totally understand it because I didn't want to have to give up my favorite thing. But giving it up has changed everything.
Speaker 2:Well, when you consider the amount of time that you spend drinking, it's such a small part of the day, and I think I could rationalize it with well, I'm doing, I'm running during the day, or I'm working out, or I'm doing yoga, I'm doing all this stuff, and so I sit down for one one evening, which might be like a three hour period of time, and I'm drinking this wine, but the whole rest of the day I'm eating healthy, I'm doing everything. You know so, but the long term impact of the alcohol, you know, stays with you. And I think I was in a position, like you too, where I would go to fitness classes and sweat out all the alcohol. You know, because I would work out in the morning glasses and sweat out all the alcohol. You know, because I would work out in the morning, you know, when they offered all the glasses and yeah, I don't know, I always felt like I was sweating it out of me and then I was good to go for the next night.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, and there's a bit of you know yeah, I deserve it. And balance, I've done the right thing so I can do that. That kind of thing I think is very common. I mean, that's definitely how I saw it. But also, you mentioned at the beginning about moderation and I'm always interested to talk to people about that, because moderation is something that I think everyone on this alcohol-free journey wants to try or is interested in, at least, or wants to do.
Speaker 1:And for me, I was very similar to your story in many ways and the first night I decided, ah, I can, I've had time off you had longer than me, but I'd had five months off and I thought I went to a barbecue at my neighbor's and I thought, yeah, I can have a drink, one drink. I had one bottle, so I was back into it. There was, I mean, red wine, like you were talking about, and so clearly for me that one night said that I couldn't moderate. But I did continue, because it was the beginning of COVID, continued to drink, but there was a seed planted in my mind. Like you said, once we start to learn these things, you can't unlearn it. So I knew the time was coming, but because of COVID. That was such an enabler for me and so I just kept drinking, yeah, yeah, it was a very strange time.
Speaker 1:I was worried, though I saw on because we were all online. Obviously there were memes and all sorts of things, and there was one that was a person holding their teacup or their coffee mug with a teabag hanging out, but it was actually an alcoholic drink. And when I saw that I thought oh, oh, and I had worked Zoom. So I did that once. And when I saw that I thought oh, oh, and I had worked Zoom, so I did that once and I thought, no, that's dangerous, that's dangerous and I didn't. I didn't go there, but it really I started to go. This could get very, very bad and I I started to look at it during COVID and that's when I stopped. So I took advantage of COVID and then I just went. This could just. It accelerated everything and it really worried me. And, like you, I stopped on New Year's Eve, but a year after you and I went, I did the coaching after that. What did you do for the year after you stopped drinking? Because our coaching started the year after? Is that right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I had actually talked with Scott about coaching and, given my situation with my mom passing away, he said we'll revisit you. You know you need to take some time off and you know, and I did, you know, kind of finding myself again and I was busy at that time with because my dad was in his 90s, you know. So I was worried that he was going next, you know, and I like there were so many things to wrap up, you know, some of my mom's car and you know, just give away your clothes and just kind of busy work. But also, not knowing how long my father would be around, I was spending a lot of time with him and cleaning out like the linen closet, taking a trip down memory lane, talking to my dad, because when we were growing up I was always real close with my mom and my dad worked and he was the disciplinarian.
Speaker 2:Well now he's a frail old man and I missed, you know, years of talking with him because I was afraid of him, frankly, growing up, you know. But then I got to have a relationship with him and it evolved into something so nice. He would talk about the old days and you know things I never knew and because I was always busy with my mom. So I took that time and you know, set up bank accounts and transfer houses you know this and that and then I was ready. I was ready to, you know, to do the coaching.
Speaker 2:So, you know, everything unfolds the way it should. We can't rush anything, and I always kind of was in a rush, you know, I was always looking for the next thing, but since and I don't know if drinking had anything to do with that but now I feel like I don't want to rush anymore, you know, and maybe it's because my father finally passed away and I was like, oh my God, you know, and there's such a finality when both your parents are gone, you're next, you know, and and I think I want to slow everything down and treat myself the best that I can, because we don't know how much time we have left. So I want to be good to my body, you know, and nourish it rather than beat the hell out of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm so sorry for your losses, but I'm also really what a gift that you have with your dad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really really was yeah. And just yeah, I mean, I hope I can be around when I'm 94, you know, but the thing, you know, no one knows.
Speaker 2:So, um, yeah, but this coaching, uh, you know, it's just such a gift to listen to people too. And so listen to people's stories, yeah, uh, everybody has a similar thread, you know, weaving through their stories, um, of alcohol, but it's so nice to find freedom at the other side and uh, yeah, oh. And also I should probably mention I co-authored a book, and it's not about drinking, but I actually had a knee injury. I had a torn meniscus, I guess from running We'll never know for sure, but I had a pre-surgery visit with the anesthesiologist and she said, well, how did you do this? And we started talking about my running and I said you know, I didn't start running until I was in my 40s.
Speaker 2:My husband runs 100 miles. He's been running for years and after I married him I kind of got the itch. So I ran my first marathon when I was 49 years old. I am a co author in a book with 11 other authors and they write little stories about their life and I've got a chapter on my story about running and how I couldn't wait to do it. And in the middle of my first marathon, looking down at my fingers which look like sausages, and I was sweating and yeah. So I'm very excited about that. It'll be coming out in September and it's just. You know, the anesthesiologist says you've got a story to tell and I thought you know what I kind of do and I want to be an inspiration to somebody that thinks they're too old to run, because you're never too old to do anything that.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. I love that. What's the book called?
Speaker 2:It's called Torchbearer Chronicles and I hope to get the marketing piece up on my website soon from our publisher. But it's just, you know, a little inspiration for that person that maybe has never tried anything or like this world is full of inspirational stories. Look at us, you know, look at everybody that we went through coaching with, look at the people that you talk to on your podcast, and it's just so inspiring and we can learn so much from one another. You know, there's no, there's so much room in this world to grow into whatever you want to be, and I'm inspired every day by the different people I listen to on the different podcasts.
Speaker 1:Oh, same, and and you being here, so inspiring and I will in the show notes will be your website and people can keep track of when your book comes out. That's so cool and I, just just from talking to you, I think these gifts that we didn't know were going to be part of this journey of giving up alcohol. That's just so special, isn't it? And I've I come across things or I talk to people or I look at my own life and I think it wouldn't have been possible for this to happen and it wasn't something you could plan or know, and that's just another benefit that's just another benefit.
Speaker 2:You're right, megan. You drink and you don't feel good the next day and you don't have any part of yourself to give to any or to anything, and up and you're raring to go because you've got that energy within and you're wanting to. You know, just spread it out. You know to everybody. And you're right, it is such a gift. It's such a gift.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and what would you? Is there anything you'd say to people or that you say to your clients who think, who are in the space of I don't know if I can do this or other people can do it. I don't know if I can.
Speaker 2:I always tell them when we first talk. You know we all, everybody does the discovery call that I believe in you and sometimes that's all it takes for somebody to hear, because perhaps nobody's ever believed in them and they've never had that support. And I really believe if somebody pluck me out of you know, from a podcast or from my website or wherever, and want to spend 30 minutes talking with me, they are thinking seriously about giving up alcohol and I truly believe that somebody that's going to take that step, I believe that they can see it through and I am there to support them and to guide them. And because we all know answers come within and I think everybody holds the key, you know, to being successful in whatever they want to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that and I think you're right. Once people have this thought, it's there. I say to people you know, once that voice started, I needed to look at alcohol, or it was just in the back of my mind. It didn't go away. And so I say to anyone that has that follow through on that, and you and I are proof of what can be possible, because I certainly didn't think I could stop drinking. I didn't think I wanted to. It's that cognitive dissonance.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I want to, or I need to, but I don't want to. You know how will I function socially without it?
Speaker 2:Aren't you so much happier? You are happy, I can tell you know, and everybody we talk to is so much happier. It's like give yourself a chance to experience life on this side, on the other side, because you don't know what's there, especially if you've been a longtime drinker, you know. You just think that this is the way life is going to be. No, it's so much better. It's so much better. Give yourself the opportunity to discover that.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely. And it's like we were saying like you don't know what's possible, because when we were drinking, like you said, you wake up and feel like crap. I was so unproductive, even though I thought I was productive in ways. Now it's just this whole new world of oh my gosh, I've got time, I've got clarity, I feel good about myself. Just so much possibility. So you know, there's definitely hope for people listening. And how do you help people on this journey?
Speaker 2:I'm going to. In September. I'm going to be training with an organization called Warriors at Ease and it's a group that was tested first by the Department of Defense to bring yoga to veterans with PTSD, veterans that perhaps served overseas or maybe not, but they have maybe loss of limbs or you know, some kind of physical ailment and the PTS. So I'm going to learn through deep dive training to teach this and trauma-informed yoga. So I want to also include yoga as part of a journey for people that are also recovering from alcohol, because your nervous system, you know, can be just wired, you know, completely out of control, and something like restorative yoga, which I'm certified in, calms your body down, it brings your breathing down, everything, everything just drops into homeostasis. So I'm developing a program now where I will talk to somebody and find out there are certain issues that they might have. Maybe they're newly sober, maybe they've been for a while, but just to work with them and give them some guidance online with some yoga poses, some guided meditation. There's so much out there. That kind of all wraps together and I think a lot of people think like my husband won't do yoga and I'm like this is you should do yoga. You know your hips are tight, you know I mean, it's not just a girly thing. Everybody should do yoga and I do teach regularly and one of the classes I teach is senior yoga, chair yoga and these people are out there every week trying. And I said, you know, you've got kids that are 20 years old with the video games and look at you guys are out here stretching and trying and shaking. But they're trying it because they know they're going to feel so much better at the end of the yoga class. So that's, that's kind of what I'm doing, you know, fine tuning all that, and there's just so much we can do.
Speaker 2:I've also considered nutrition counseling, you know going into that. Now, of course, I said I'm whole grain, plant, whole food, plant based. I don't know how many people are into that, but I really feel so much better eating that way. So I feel that it would be a disservice to me to learn another, you know, to do something nutrition counseling with, with meat. You know I don't eat meat, so I would do whole foods. So it's the sky's the limit, megan, you know really, and you know that you know there's so much we can open ourselves up to, once we're not closeted with with, uh, with alcohol.
Speaker 1:We feel the possibilities, you know you know absolutely, and I love trauma-informed yoga because so it's all we carry this in our body. It's, it's just so such a great thing you're going to be doing with that. And I love chair yoga for seniors. It's just all gorgeous and I mean it's, it's amazing. I'm studying somatic trauma-informed leadership coaching, so I'm really learning a lot about the body, and even just I was doing yin yoga, yeah, and my goodness, I didn't realize how amazing that was. It's kind of like you release trauma in your body just by doing those poses. Yeah, and the breathing Are you reading the?
Speaker 1:Body Keeps the the score. I haven't read that. I'm writing it down and put that in the notes okay, yeah, I've got that on my bookshelf.
Speaker 2:The body keeps the score is such a good book and it talks about how the issues live in the tissues and how yoga is so good to you. Relax yourself, and yoga is good for everything. It's good for everybody and good for you for doing that course, because so many of us are filled with trauma and that may be the reason some people drink and not know it or have repressed. You know some something. So the world needs people like you, that anytime you you further yourself with education and knowledge, somebody's out there ready to receive it. So that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Good for you oh, thank you, and you too it's. It is so, and again, this is we've been led here from our journey, which is so exciting, but I definitely believe it's in the body and I love, I love your way of eating, I think. I mean I try to incorporate as much of that as possible and I think you will definitely have people that are very interested in that, and I look at so many of our illnesses and I don't want to go down a rabbit hole, but what we put in our bodies and our minds, of course there's disease and illness. You know this is so getting back to basics is one of the biggest things we can do in all areas. That's how we were designed.
Speaker 2:You're right, when we're kids it's all basics, you know, and we're happy, and you know we're not washing things down with alcohol. I mean, you know we're just happy where our imaginations are going wild. And then at some point we become teenagers and things start to get repressed and we care too much about what other people think, and that's true of any high schooler. I mean, that's just what happens. You know we all go through that. And then if you can come out on the other side and you know, not scar too badly, you know that's good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, Amazing. Well, I'm going to put all your information in the show notes so people can find you. And when you were talking about the trauma informed yoga you're going to be doing, you said online so people can will be able to do that. Who aren't?
Speaker 2:Yes, once I finish yes, once I finished my training with Warriors at Ease, I'm going to be able to develop a program and put it online, and I'm also planning to offer it locally to first responders because, like my husband was in charge of the homicide department for years and they see off a lot, you know, and there's a lot of drinking, you know, in the police department. You know my husband doesn't drink and he never did. But there's a need for something like this and you know you have to have people that are willing to be open and receptive, to change and to doing something that will maybe alleviate some of that trauma that they're holding on to, and I'm hoping to be able to. Well, I believe that I'll be able to offer programs like that.
Speaker 1:So that's really beautiful. I love that and I hope more people do become open to that for people that like first responders that do such incredible work for us as a community and just carry so much trauma and stress yeah, exactly this is.
Speaker 1:You know, what you're offering will just be amazing, and I'll let. I'll tell the listeners that I'll put your website there and they can keep up to date via that way. That'd be yes, yes, okay, that'd be great. It's very exciting what you've got planned and I can't wait for you to come out. Uh, but it's been so great to have you on and catch up with you. I've missed you.
Speaker 2:I've missed you too. It's been great to see you.
Speaker 1:I've really enjoyed chatting to you, marianne, and I will talk to you soon thank you, megan, for having me.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it.
