Purpose Project

S1E4: The Origin Story with Amy Heleine

September 03, 2024 • Leslie Pagel • Season 1 • Episode 4

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In this episode of Purpose Project, host Leslie Pagel is joined by her best friend Amy Heleine to discuss the origins of Purpose Project. They share insights from a pivotal dinner conversation about acceptance, letting go, and the importance of pursuing one's purpose despite fear. Amy recounts personal stories on how acceptance facilitated unexpected opportunities and how recognizing and acting on one's true purpose can lead to meaningful life changes. The episode emphasizes the necessity of vulnerability, bravery, and taking proactive steps towards realizing one's purpose, providing listeners with inspiration and practical advice on their own journeys.

00:00 Welcome to Purpose Project

01:15 Reflecting on the Birthday Dinner

02:23 The Power of Acceptance

03:53 Unexpected Opportunities

06:59 Manifestation and Taking Action

12:16 Embracing Life at 50

19:04 Overcoming Fear and Social Conditioning

23:43 Reflecting on Parenting 

24:43 Exploring Personal Purpose and Yoga

25:49 Startup Journey and Realizations

28:46 Embracing Fear and Taking Leaps

36:32 The Power of Purpose and Acceptance

42:40 Final Thoughts and Gratitude

 

You can connect with Amy Heleine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-heleine-3514a146/

Purpose Project is a research study on the topic of life's purpose. You can follow along in the making of Purpose Project:
Instagram: @purpose.project
LinkedIn: @purposeproject-media
TikTok: @purpose.project

Captions are auto-generated.

Leslie:

Hi everyone and welcome to Purpose Project. My name is Leslie Pagel and I am both excited and a bit nervous about our episode today because today on Purpose Project, we are sharing the origin story. Today on the show. I have my best friend and soul sister, Amy Heleine. She joined me in a conversation where we reflected back on a dinner celebration. That was the start of what has become and what is becoming Purpose Project. I'm excited to share it with you, but I'm also a bit nervous because one of the things that I am learning in this study of life's purpose is sometimes we've got to face our fears and sometimes we've got to put ourselves out there and we've got to be vulnerable. In this episode very much feels that way for me. but you know what? To pursue your life's purpose, we can't let fear stand in our way. So I'm ready to share this with you. I hope you're ready to listen. Let's get started. Amy, thank you for being here today on Purpose Project. I just would love to start by diving straight in. And I would love to go back to your birthday dinner celebration because that is where this really all started. Do you remember what we talked about in that dinner?

Amy:

So we had just practiced yoga together and then we went to dinner and, I think I was at a pivotal moment in life where I was trying to decide specifically with career, like where things were headed. And was it, we started talking the comment that I made to you was when I just accepted. and allowed things to unfold and I stopped fighting and resisting things. Things came together easily and naturally.

Leslie:

Right. Yes. And you use that word acceptance and it just so happens at that moment in my life. I was reading this book called radical acceptance and it triggered it and you Um, talked about what that word means for you. And it was, uh, a little bit of like letting go. And you talked about you just stop fighting against things and let go and just let things be. Do you remember you gave me very specific examples of, um, of, of how this works when you fight up against things or when you let go. Do you remember any of those?

Amy:

So, you know, I think I remember some of them, but I think one of the important parts of this is accepting was such a pivot for me because I felt like you're supposed to plan and do and do and push and push, and that's how you make things happen. But what I started to learn, and I really do think some of it started with yoga, learning to accept and let go, is that when I was on that career journey that I was talking about, that the path, doors just started opening. Um, so for example, One of the things that happened I went for a facial And I just like they asked me like what's going on with work. What are you doing? And I started talking about this startup that I was working with And what turned into just going for a facial?

Leslie:

Yeah

Amy:

netted out in securing an investor

Leslie:

Yes Yeah, I remember now that you shared that exact story Of Just, um, things coming easier because they just kind of come to you when you just let go.

Amy:

Right, right. You're not, you know, in that situation, I had no intentions of going and trying to secure an investor for this startup. I just simply, you know, I was going about my normal life and talking about something that I just, loved doing and it opened that that door in an unexpected way. You know, another related to this startup to I went to a birthday party for someone and it was a newer friends like I didn't know her that well, I didn't know any of her friend group or any of her family members. And so she invites me to her birthday party. And, you know, I walk in, I was a little timid because I didn't know anybody there. And she said, Amy, I, she said, I want you to meet this couple. And so we start talking. Um, they used to work for a tech company. And so as we started talking, my friend walks over, she's like, tell them about the startup. So I start, you know, talking about the startup again. And they're like, Oh, we might be interested in investing. I'm telling you. Like these unexpected situations. But I think because I was so energized by the startup, right? People could feel my energy and my excitement as I was talking about it. It opened. It opened doors very easily. Like I wasn't showing financials. I wasn't saying. We need money. You know, I wasn't talking about any of that. It was just, I think that the energy that they felt from me and I wasn't pushing anything. I just, that door, I, the door was open. Right.

Leslie:

Right. Well, and I've noticed, I have since that night, um, and you've challenged me to think of what am I fighting against? What am I fighting? It's and, and also we got to talk about this moving into action too, because that was another thing that you told me, like, you got to get out of your head, stop thinking, start acting. Right. So I've started practicing some of that since then. Mm hmm. And I have been noticing. Okay. Purpose project in particular that things have just started to come my way.

Amy:

Right.

Leslie:

People have reached out to me to, to ask, to be on this podcast. Right, right.

Amy:

I think you start attracting things. And I think the other part of it is, is this whole concept of manifestation.

Leslie:

Okay.

Amy:

I used to think manifestation was just like, I wish for it to be true and it happens. Right. I have subsequently become to believe that part of manifestation. is you have to show the universe that you're willing to take a step forward. And so following that path of least resistance or, or that acceptance and things start to come. I think it's also about taking a step forward. And I think once you take a step forward, The universe is like, okay, they're serious about it. And then another door opens, take another step forward and then another door opens.

Leslie:

Yes.

Amy:

I just, you know, I have found it time and time again with my life that when I don't fight it, right. Those things that I fight never, never come together in the right way. Is those paths Where I feel it in my heart.

Leslie:

Yeah.

Amy:

Yes. They, it feels differently, right?

Leslie:

Absolutely. Yeah. Then

Amy:

those like where you feel like you're like climbing a hill and you're like never getting to the top of it. You're just like fighting it, fighting it, fighting it.

Leslie:

And sometimes you don't know why you're climbing it. Right. It's just.

Amy:

And sometimes you just do it because like you feel like other people expect you to do it, or it's what I'm supposed to do because of how you're raised or meeting. It frequently for me becomes about meeting other people's demands when I'm doing those resistant paths, right? Rather than what I'm feeling in my heart, right? That just I purely want.

Leslie:

Yes. That is so powerful on the topic of purpose. Because it's, uh, it is about going in and being in tune within and recognizing the opportunities when or the, the times when that's not in sync and you're, you're doing. Out of expectation or out of others, as opposed to what is within.

Amy:

Right. You would think it would be so easy to just like listen to yourself.

Right. Because I

Amy:

think everybody has this ability. Okay. To dial in to that kind of like deep, kind of like soulful thing. that you have, but it's not that easy because you're fighting all these external, I think that's what it is, finding all these external demands that pull you away from what, when you like quiet the mind and just come to feel what you're meant to do.

Leslie:

Well, and what you just brought to me is this difference in like being in your head and being in your body, in your soul, in your gut or heart, you know, I don't know where else it is within your being and connecting into that. So how have you been able to connect into that? Cause it is hard.

Amy:

It is hard. You know, I really think, Yoga, I, yoga has changed my life. Okay. Um, it has. I think created an ability for, with years and years of this Leslie, like it wasn't, I practiced a few times and all of a sudden I like accept myself and, um, but it has with, you know, years and years of practice, I think created in myself an ability to accept myself. In a way that I never would have been able to do. And why does yoga create that? I don't know. Um, but I feel like that has really come to be what has allowed me to come to that point of. acceptance. And it's not like that every day. You know, I have days where it's anything but that, but I do think that combined with meditation and breath work has allowed me to really come to that point of center.

Leslie:

Right. Is there a moment, as you look back and at this, at our dinner, You use the word acceptance. I've come to realize that when I just accept what is that, you know, it gets easier or the paths open. Was there, was there something that happened in your life where that became known or was it just this process over time? I

Amy:

think, you know, it was a process over time. I will tell you. Since I'll say like December of last year is where I really started to feel it more. It may be some of it, so, you know, I turned 50 in February.

Leslie:

That was our, that was what we were celebrating, I wasn't going to say, but since you did. Put

Amy:

it out there. You know, I do think there is an age component of this too.

Leslie:

Okay.

Amy:

Let's go there. Okay. All right. Um, because, I mean, I have always, I still feel like internally youthful, but I will say the years feel a little bit differently to me at this birthday than they ever have in the past because I'm like 50. You know, you could die at any moment, right? But I will say, you know, if you live to, females live to what, about 75? I could have about 25 years left. I mean, I don't regard that as like sad or depressing. It's actually, I look at it as liberating because you can look at it as you only have 25 years left. So I'm like, go for it. Right. I

Leslie:

call the action. It's a call to

Amy:

action. I regard it as completely liberating because if there's ever a point where you don't want to play it, safe. It's now. Cause if I only have 25 years left, I'm going to go for it.

Leslie:

Right. Yes. Okay. So coming into your 50th, uh, you were, um, real realizing that, life is limited. I only have so many years on this earth and so I'm going to do it. And in that allowed you to release. Whatever it was that you were holding or to accept yourself going back to that word, right?

Amy:

Right. That wanting to go for things Realizing the role that sometimes fear plays in our life with holding us back. Um, but then also realizing that the part of this is also, I feel like the path that we're meant to go down, if we're meant to go down it, There's going to be bumps in the road, of course, but I found time and time again, what really winds up feeling good and where doors continue to open is when you're not fighting it and you start to accept what's meant to be.

Leslie:

Do you have any examples of when you were fighting?

Amy:

I mean work. I have fought time and time again. So, you know, after, um,

and it's really, I mean, I

Amy:

hate to even kind of say this, but I mean, this goes back to my very first job, to be honest with you.

Okay.

Amy:

So I finished, you know, my master's in experimental psych and. I thought, you know, I loved, I loved research. I love studying people and studying behavior. And I thought, what am I going to do with a master's in psych? I'm like, do I try to go into the workforce or do I go to graduate school, get my PhD? And so I start looking for a job and it's how we met, um, 25 years ago. Um, you know, I, I accepted a job as a statistician and, um, you know, when I started that job, you know, it was a great place to start a career, but I also felt like I was forcing myself into something that really didn't feel like me. Right. And to be honest, like I loved, I loved the people side of things. I loved growing my team. I loved kind of shaping them in their career. I loved growing the department. Didn't love some parts of that job. I felt like I had to force myself into,

Leslie:

and I felt

Amy:

like that commonly

Leslie:

for

Amy:

19 years.

Leslie:

And okay, so how did that? I mean, it didn't end well. Okay. Um,

Amy:

my job came to an end after 19 years. And, um, so I, I said it didn't end well, right. But you know, and in at the moment I was like, what in the world happened? Like, what did I do wrong for this to end after 19 years? But I will tell you, I'm so glad that it ended after 19 years because if that wouldn't have ended, I probably would still be there at force and feeling like I was forcing myself to do a job that didn't quite feel like me. And so I am grateful that it ended after 19 years and put me on the Off on all these different paths that I have subsequently been on since that position has ended. Yeah.

Leslie:

Well, in going back to what we were talking about earlier of like, when you release at doors open, well, sometimes that is doors closing.

Amy:

Absolutely. I feel like that has to happen. I, I firmly believe at this point, That in order for new doors to open, you have to close doors where you, when you really come to stillness in that place of silence, I think most of us know a door that should close in order to allow other doors to open. I believe that even though I still have moments where I fight it. I firmly believe certain doors have to close for new doors to open. So there's that space in your life,

Leslie:

right? Yes. Another thing you said is for 19 years, you felt like you were forcing it. You're not alone. Why do we do that? It's

Amy:

fear. I think it's fear. I think sometimes it's more comfortable. live in a known, even if that known doesn't feel well, because it's, you know what it is. If there's a certainty with it, whereas if you take that leap of faith, it's an unknown. Is it going to work? Is it not going to work? Is it going to be worse? I think that it's that fear. That lack of certainty that holds. us back from living these full and complete lives.

Leslie:

So in coming here today, Amy, I went back to my journal cause I've been journaling every day this year. Um, and I read the entries around the time of our dinner and you just kind of spoke to one that I would love to share with you. Are you ready for this? I've never ever read for my journal. Okay. Okay. Is it going to make me cry? I don't know. I don't think so. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. By the way, Amy, you're like in all of this. So this is kind of funny. But as Amy said, I need to open some of those doors on my own. I'm pretty sure that the temptation to avoid doing is because of fear. Avoid doing the opening of the doors. I feel so paralyzed right now. Why am I scared? Because of uncertainty, because the path isn't laid out, because I know I won't be good in the beginning.

Amy:

Right. I think it's all these, like we start that fear, then we start all having all these like self doubts about moving forward. So that's the other thing like that has, I've been like working through in my head, like, why am I, why am I so afraid to take a risk? Has my life ever just like completely fallen apart? Right. Because I've been afraid to take a step forward. No, it hasn't. Why are we so afraid? I

Leslie:

know it is. I, you know, in starting Purpose project, I have wondered how much fear keeps us from living the life that we're like here to live. Yeah. I believe

Amy:

that. And I don't want to get to the last day and feel like I did not do something

Leslie:

right. Because of fear, right? I know. I know it is. That is one of the questions because as you know, I too turned 50 this year. Yes. And around this time of our dinner, I was asking myself questions like, have I done what I'm supposed to do? And the answer is no. Do I know what I'm supposed to do? The answer is no. And have I given everything that I can to figure this out? And the answer is no. And it's because fear, I think it's also because of condition, what I've called social conditioning, right? Like I've, I've lived the life that I feel like society has wanted me to create without like doing the internal work and asking. Is this, is this right with my being?

Amy:

Right, absolutely. I think that's natural, though. I think especially like our age demographic and the period where we grew up, um, you know, my dad, I mean, my dad was very loving, but it was also about, like when I told him I was a psych major, he was like, I don't know how you're going to make any money at that. Like you should have been a business major, you know, it was about how to make money, you know, be able to support yourself, be focused on independence. It wasn't, you know, is this what you love? Is this what, you know, makes you feel energized and free? It was. Are you going to be able to take care of yourself? Are you going to make a lot of money? And so that has constantly been, you know, on this whole like career thing. I think it's one of the, you know, I feel like I was judged by like my measure of how good I was, was like, My income and how successful I, you know, in school, it was like, did you get an a B is not quite good enough. You just, it never became about just living with what energized me and what I felt passion for and what felt like a purpose. It became about all these external measures of success that, you know, can be quite unfulfilling.

Leslie:

As a mom, I'm a mom, I'm sitting here thinking, how have I conditioned my kids? And have I given them tools to instead look within where they're conditioned to like go in. Right. And I'm, I'm pretty sure the answer to that is no. So that's a like something I've got to work on.

Amy:

I think, I think parents have very good intentions, right? You just,

Leslie:

absolutely. You know, there's

Amy:

no bad intention with it. But I think that, I don't know, maybe it's Western society as a generality, We don't, maybe going internally is not the first place we We're not conditioned to

Leslie:

do that. Right. Right. Yes. It becomes about

Amy:

these external factors that we go after. Yeah. Because you can readily see those, right?

Leslie:

Yeah. Yeah. And yeah. Okay. I would love to, we're going to shift gears. Okay. All

Amy:

right.

Leslie:

Um, because I want to hear about your purpose. Okay. Um, well first off, do you, do you feel like you have a purpose? Have you. Do you have a purpose? I, I, I think I have a purpose. Okay.

Amy:

So what is it?

So,

Amy:

you know, so I had a period where I thought, um, like I'm not the best yoga teacher by any means, but I like feel yoga. In my heart. Like I, um, if there's just one thing I will never ever give up in my life, it's yoga. So I thought like maybe, maybe it's yoga. Maybe I'm meant to bring people to yoga. Um, but I don't, I don't think that's my landing point. I think yoga could be a mechanism by which I can, I fulfill my purpose in life.

Leslie:

Yeah.

Amy:

And so this is going to seem like it's all over the place, but it's going somewhere. So that's one part of it because at one point I thought maybe it's yoga. And so then I start working with this, with a startup company and I think part of the reason why I was able to draw in those investors so easily. Was because I would hear from people, like when I talked about the startup, that they could see like how energized and how much I loved it. And so I think that that energy is part of what drew people in. And I absolutely loved it. And you know, it was the creativity and I loved working with the owner and this one sales person we had at the time. And, you know, I loved connecting them with resources to grow the business and I thought, okay, this must be it. This is the path that I'm meant to be on. But I will tell you the product that we were selling, like I believed in it from a health and wellness perspective, but it wasn't like the very fiber. Of my being right and so when I started so some things started going on with the startup and I thought what is going on? Like this was really energizing for me I loved every part of it and I felt like this was going to be my landing point to be honest And so I started thinking about I started thinking about it And I thought, I am leading the owner down his path to purpose. I am not, this isn't my end point. This isn't my landing point. Right, right. And so I started thinking about like where I really get energized.

Leslie:

Yeah.

Amy:

I get energized from leading people down their path to purpose. Oh my

Leslie:

gosh, Amy. Don't make me cry. I'm sitting here thinking like, oh my gosh, okay. You are the whole reason why we're sitting here today. You helped this guy get going with this business. I, so where,

Amy:

What I've come like reflecting back on everything that's what energizes me.

Leslie:

Yeah, like

Amy:

helping people go down their path. So I don't feel like I have one stopping point, right? And So I'm like going through work shake back again but How I'm reacting this time is very differently than going back to when things ended for me at that 19 year career, because where I'm trying to get myself comfortable, I believe I'm going to be going down a lot of different paths to help people hopefully connect to what they're meant to do. So, so

Leslie:

yeah. Okay. I, I'm curious about this in general across the board. So you've just articulated something that's very clear for you in that you, you identify your purpose as being an enabler for other people to realize their purpose. Do you feel like that came to you or did you find it? How did it work for you?

Amy:

So I believe it is within us when we're born. Okay. But I also believe we have to do the work to To follow. Bring it out. To bring it out, right. Because it goes to what we talked about kind of at the start of this. Mm-Hmm. If I think if I remained in a state of fear or if I kept myself shut off. Right. I don't think I would go down my path necessarily. I think it's there,

but I

Amy:

think we have to do that work to take steps forward. And I think how we start to figure out, like, where do I start with this? I think it's dialing in and figuring out, like, where your heart Lead you.

Leslie:

Yeah.

Amy:

And where things naturally flow for you. Right. Like, what are you fighting in your life? Where are you closing doors off? In your life.

Leslie:

Right. Which by the way, I'm not going to read the list, but in my journal, I've got the list of I'm fighting all these things. Um, and I also have the list of here's what. Here's what I think my gifts are what I was born with as a, a gift to the world, you know, and I'm still discovering my purpose, but it, I'm doing the work right now. Yes.

Amy:

And Leslie, like one of the things that I love about you is you're like your willingness to put yourself out there. Like I told you. I would only do this for you. And, you know, there, but you know, there would have been a period like where I would have come up with every excuse in the book to not do this.

Leslie:

I am so glad that you said yes.

Amy:

But, you know, I, I, I believe that's what you offer the world is like this willingness to put yourself out there, Uhhuh, like I respect that so much about you Uhhuh. Um, this is like a

Leslie:

big thing to It's do. Yes. I feel very vulnerable right now. Yes. Through this past three months. Right. Um, but thank you for sharing that because you're right, I do out there. I know it embarrasses my kids a lot of the time too, but

Amy:

they will love it about you one day. There is such bravery in doing this. Yeah. I think especially with girls like having a mom that does this, they might have like, you know, but I am one day they will look back and like, I absolutely love that you've done this and have so much respect that you've done it.

Leslie:

I hope so. Well, I want to tell you something, because when you said, put yourself out there, it drew me back to my 50th birthday dinner with you. Uh huh. Yes. Yes. And it just so happened. So your birthday dinner launched this whole thing. My birthday dinner. We both kind of put ourselves out there. Oh, yeah. Do you want to tell the story?

Amy:

So, I mean, good things happen after yoga. So, we practiced yoga together. Yes. And then we went out for dinner. So we were talking about Purpose Project and, um, you know, we were talking about that fear of starting to interview, it's not just interviewing people, but it's, it's, it's, it's, Putting yourself out of your comfort zone. Yes, taking that risk right and reaching out to strangers, right? Potentially, right?

Leslie:

Yes. Yes,

Amy:

and so we're talking about this and You know, I think sometimes the best way to face your fear is to like Just take a big jump. Yes. And so, you know, we had this waitress Like I could just like feel like good positive energy from her and so You went for it.

Leslie:

Yes, I did what I have now called impromptu interview.

Amy:

Yes. Yes. Where,

Leslie:

well, actually you didn't give me an out. You just said we have a question for you. And then you looked at me and did one of these and I introduced myself to Kate said, I'm researching purpose. Can I ask you a few questions? And she said, yes. And, um, I, I'm I'm glad that you talked about me putting myself out there, but I want to tell you it is so much easier when there are people there supporting you, you know, and that's been you, like you, there's others, but that moment, I don't know when I would have done my first impromptu interview, Leslie, you know, and I know that for purpose project to be successful, uh, I've got to talk to as many people as possible, which means I've got to do these impromptu interviews, and I've got to share it with the world, because we can all learn through what other people are learning as they navigate life. Absolutely. And I

Amy:

believe, believe, believe that those acts of bravery, those steps forward. Day by day, right? We'll grow this into something magnificent. Yeah.

Leslie:

Yeah. So I have since then I have done one other impromptu interview. Uh huh. Um, but I, you know, there's still fear. It's very intimidating to walk up to someone and be like, Hey, and then You ask about purpose, like, you know, Hey, do you have a purpose? What's your purpose? I mean, that's kind of scary, but it's a part of putting yourself out there. And I'm very grateful that you helped. Be a step in building my confidence.

Amy:

Oh, I am so happy to do that for you. But Leslie, I mean, I just, you know, not even beyond this project, like one of the things that I've just always admired, respected and loved about you. You are a brave soul. I have always thought that about you. Yes. From like our first job together.

Leslie:

Okay.

Amy:

It is just, I think probably it's part of what drew me to you is seeing this like bravery in you.

Leslie:

I've got to add that to my list.

Amy:

Yes. Yeah. You very much have that in you. Oh, I've seen it from the beginning. Yeah.

Leslie:

Well, I appreciate that. I do feel brave. Right now in this moment. And

Amy:

I think that's part of like, it'll grow your confidence to each of those brave moments that you have, where you do these impromptu interviews or you do these podcasts with people, right?

Leslie:

Yes. So that makes me think of, the benefits of purpose, I don't know why it makes me think of it, but it does make me think like, what are the benefits of having a purpose? What are they for you? Or how does it make you feel?

Amy:

You know, I will tell you it has, it's, it puts life in a different perspective. So, when those bumps in the road come up, which they inevitably will, I, um, so with this startup, for example, I was so disappointed. When it became clear that it was time for that door to close, and rather than look at it as like a disappointment or a failure, failure, I started looking at it as a positive. So it means there's a new door that's going to be opening And so anymore, when there's those bumps that in the past would have caused me to feel like down or upset and there's moments still crop up, there's still moments where I have like a little spark of sadness, but I also, it's also kind of exciting anymore because I feel like it means. I'm being redirected on a new path. Right. And so that's kind of where I net out with things anymore.

Leslie:

Well, and all of that put the word acceptance in my head, accepting that that's not going to work out. My purpose is, in your, in your example, my purpose is to help others realize their purpose. So I'm done here.

Amy:

Right. I'm done here. Other

Leslie:

doors are going to open for me to help them. That's right. This allows other doors to open. That's right.

Amy:

That's

Leslie:

right. And it just accepting that that's, that's how it's meant to be.

Amy:

That's right. So, you know, we talked a little bit about me being here for this podcast and in the past, like I probably would have tried to figure out every way possible to get out of it. But I think it's important and it was because why I would have done that in the past was out of fear, like making myself exposed and talking about this. But I think part of. Going down your path, you open this door for me. So the path of resistance would have been to fight it. Right. Right. Yeah. And to do everything I could have to get out of it. The path of least resistance is to deal with that fear that I had coming here and just talking with you. Right. That's the path of not resisting. Right. Right. So it's constantly checking in with yourself and making sure you're not reacting out of fear

Leslie:

and

Amy:

kind of following, following that least

Leslie:

fear. Hold you back. Like, why am I resisting that asking I'm fighting against this? Why? If it's because of fear, then go, go, go towards. Yes. If it's because of something else. If it's because. Um, it is something that your heart and beings not pulling, right,

Amy:

right. I think that's an important distinction to between unrational fear, unfounded fear versus fear that like, if you feel a sense of danger or something, that's a whole other thing. Absolutely.

Leslie:

Yeah, yeah. So are there any, from your perspective. negatives with purpose.

Amy:

I mean, I haven't personally found that. Um, I feel like more it's helped me deal with stress and anxiety in a much more effective way.

Leslie:

Yes. Any advice that you have for me, for the listeners out there, as we wrap up? Um,

Amy:

So, you know, the thing that helped me, like I mentioned, was like yoga, beyond yoga, though, is just like meditating. And I think it's important to quiet the mind and come to those places of center. Um, that's one of the things that helped me and then just really dialing into parts of my life where I was fighting things and where I was reacting out of fear. And thinking about those, those things where doors were easily opening for me and following where my energy was really high versus things were zapping my energy and that I was fighting.

Leslie:

Yeah. And as you were saying that was thinking being aware of what's happening so that as you are practicing, accepting, stop fighting, that you see the doors that open, because sometimes we might not even see them or acknowledge that, oh, that opened for us. But kind of being aware of that too will help.

Amy:

Yes. Give you

Leslie:

that courage. I think the

Amy:

awareness is so important. So at one of the yoga studios that I, I teach at, some of the students know like what I've been going through with like work and exploration. And when I, when I quit. a job that offered me a steady income to go for it with a startup. And I talked about like how it energized me. I could see students like light up like, Oh, they talk about like how they don't love their work in their day to day. And just seeing people kind of spark with Seeing examples of taking the leap of faith and going for it. And that's what I think you, you, the purpose that the purpose project potentially serves Leslie is to spark that in people to encourage people to open those doors for themselves.

Leslie:

I hope so. I really do. I do. Amy, thank you so much for. Turning 50 so we can have that dinner and starting this whole thing underway. Thank you for sharing your purpose with us today.

Amy:

Thank you for having me. And Leslie, thank you for your bravery and just being such an amazing friend. Oh,

Amy. Thank you so much for being on the show. And more importantly, thank you so much for your support, for your love, for your friendship. I couldn't be doing this without you. It means so much. Much to me. And for those who are listening, thank you so much for tuning in. I hope that this conversation and in sharing it with you gives you the courage to ask the questions about what are you fighting against and how can I move into action? What are the things that I can do to take a step forward towards discovering and realizing my life's purpose. Thank you all for tuning in.

Leslie:

Purpose project is brought to you for education and for entertainment purposes. This podcast is not intended to replace the advice that you would receive from a licensed therapist or doctor or any other qualified professional.

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Leslie Pagel

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