Brenda (00:00:01) - Hello and welcome back to your yes filled life. So I have news. Big news. You know, it's no secret that I love travel. I've been talking about loving travel for. Like most of my life. And there's something that I have been wanting to try for a really long time, and that is living a life of full time travel. And so I made the decision that beginning in June of 2024, I am going to be traveling full time, living in Airbnbs, as I just go around all the different places with people that I love, and I am so excited. So I'm in the stages of preparing to move and going through things, releasing things also, you know, kind of doubling down on the things that I love and. I'm going to be sharing how I came to this decision, how I decided it was the right thing for me and a little bit of behind the scenes. And then I'm also going to be talking to you today about upper limits and resistance, because I don't know if you can hear in my voice, but my voice does not sound normal today.
Brenda (00:01:12) - It's true. I caught a cold almost the same day as I made this big decision. That's exactly how I knew I had hit an upper limit. In fact, I totally, totally blew out my nervous system that day. with with this decision. So that's what I'm going to be bringing to you this episode. So, you know, the format is a lot looser than it would be. Typically, I don't have an outline, I don't have notes. I'm just going to talk to you and tell you what's going on. And I hope that that's okay with you. And if you end up liking this kind of format, let me know and I'll do more of it. And also, if you don't like this kind of format, let me know and I'll be sure to avoid it. I love hearing from you in my DMs on Instagram and also in my emails, so keep those coming. So one of the things that I noticed about myself is that I love having a trip to plan. Like I feel so excited, so excited, so lit up when I'm planning the next trip and it doesn't matter where I'm going or for how long.
Brenda (00:02:28) - I just get so excited about thinking about the actual transportation to the trip. What it will be like when I get there, the people that I'll meet, the things that I do. Or that I'll do that I'm looking forward to. And, you know, when I was teaching full time, I used to try and do a weekend getaway every other month, if not every month, just because it really lit me up. And then, you know, in August, this coming August, it will be two years since I've left teaching, which is kind of mind blowing. It doesn't feel like two years, and yet it also feels like two years. It's a very weird thing. But in that time I have traveled for about one week a month on average. Some months I traveled much more and a couple months I didn't travel, but for the most part it averages out to be at least a week a month. And so I was thinking to myself. You know, I feel a little bit like I.
Brenda (00:03:28) - I want to explore. I know that I'm in this unique window where my daughter is out on her own. I don't have a partner. I am not, you know, clocking in on a 9 to 5 somewhere. I'm in this unique window where I can just go explore. And even if I don't go very far, I can still just go see what it would be like to live in different neighborhoods, in different cities that I love, or go visit friends that I love, and just spend a little bit more extended time there. Or maybe with my family too. And so I realized that the thing that I really was thinking about was. I'm paying double. Isn't that silly? It's like I'm paying to live somewhere, but I'm not there. So what would it be like if I just allowed myself the full permissioning just to go where I wanted to go? And so that's what I'm doing. I gave notice on my townhouse, and, my last day here will be. Like in the middle of June sometime.
Brenda (00:04:35) - And I'm going to end up staying here for probably the next week for sure, just as a way to kind of titrate my nervous system. Taking lots of drinks of water. and also just to, you know, close out the, the townhouse and things like that. But, you know, when I think about what lights me up and what is energetically rich, for me, it's travel and. You know. I love it. I love meeting the people. I love the the experience, the feeling of not quite knowing what's going to happen. I love just that little bit of uncertainty of I wonder what it's going to be like, I love that. And while I do deeply love having a home and I will have home again.
(00:05:26) - Actually.
Brenda (00:05:29) - While I do deeply love having a home and and I will have a home again, you know, I also am really aware that where I am is not home. And so this has been a really interesting thing for me to kind of grapple with over the last three years living in Portland.
Brenda (00:05:46) - I love it here, but I also loved it in Boise. I loved living there for 17 years, and I. Have beautiful friendships here in in the Portland area, and I still have beautiful friendships in the Boise area. And I find myself thinking about all the places I go. And in fact, I spend so much time in California that I have been asked to be interviewed on a Southern California based magazine because I love to spend time there. I've been there, you know, 3 or 4 times already this spring. And so I thought to myself, why don't I just let myself go where I want to travel? And so my intention is to take Bentley along on most of it. He is my puppy who is currently squeaking a squeaky bone that he brought up to play with me right now, which, I don't often leave the the office door open when I'm podcasting because if I close the door, then he'll lay down next to me. But if I leave the door open, he goes up and finds different toys that he might like to bring in and see if he can convince me to play.
Brenda (00:06:52) - But I am going to keep talking to you. You're probably getting a picture of why I often have notes because I'm a little all over the place. But this is also, really unfiltered. Like I'm just really shooting it to you straight. So, you know, the other thing is that in my business, there are some aspects of the business that are growing exponentially and some aspects of the business that are doing very, very well. And there are other aspects of the business that are not growing in the ways that I thought that they would. And I really want to focus on those ways so that I can get them to grow. And one of the things also that's true about travel is you don't have to clean your own house, you know, like you just stay for a while and then you go and you pay an Airbnb cleaning fee, and then that's the end of that. And, you know, while I build the business to this next level, that sounds so appealing and lovely to me and some of my friends and family have had questions like, well, how long do you think you'll do this? And the truth is, I don't know.
Brenda (00:08:00) - I do know that I'm going on a pilgrimage for my soul. Like, this is a completely soul led adventure. And I know this because it just feels so right, so aligned. And I've been thinking about it for so long. I've been talking actively about it for the last 14 months and thinking about it for even before that. And I know that there's something I'm going to learn or do or experience on this, on this journey, that. Is going to take me to the next phase of my own evolution, and I don't know whether that's going to take me a month or a year or five years or or who knows. And so I'm just here for it. I don't know how long this will last. And so I'm just going to enjoy the heck out of it. I do dream of getting into a house again. I have decided that I really want a yard. You know, when I left Boise I was so done with yards. And so the three places that I've had in the Portland area have not had yards, and I've really missed it.
Brenda (00:09:06) - I'm surprised at how much I miss having a yard because I kind of complaint, not even kind of. I did complain about the yard work in my Boise house, but I loved it in a way. And so I do want a yard again and the house again. And so I'm just going to travel around and find out where that yard is going to be. And. You know, my daughter lives in the Portland area and I definitely love our relationship. I love being able to see her and spend time with her. And so at least calling this home base and coming back once in a while feels really, really good to me right now. I don't know if it will be a forever thing that I will continue to use this as home base, but for now, my medical care is here. My daughter is here. my dog's medical care is here. I think we'll just keep coming back to to Portland. So if you live somewhere that's. Well, even if you live in Portland and you have ever thought, you know, I really want to work with Brenda in person.
Brenda (00:10:09) - And I really love to try a breathwork session in person. Reach out to me, because who knows, maybe the place that you live is on my travel list and we could create some kind of an event together. You know, all you need is a yard or a space or yoga studio, some kind of a space for us to be able to create that magic of a breathwork session together. So if that's appealing to you, be sure you reach out. So now let's talk a little bit about the upper limit, or the resistance. So resistance is anytime that we say we want to do something and then we find ways to make that a little bit harder or to make it take longer. So think about the word resistance. And think about resistors like electrical resistors. Stop the flow of electricity resistance does the same thing in our lives. It stops the flow and we all have resistance. It just manifests in different ways for each of us. You know, sometimes it can be that you get really tired every time you get ready to work on the thing that you want to do, or it might be that you get a stomach ache, or it might be that you just accidentally keep forgetting to do that thing.
Brenda (00:11:24) - Or it can be any number of of those types of things. And, you know, those are predictable. Those are things that I kind of understand and, and anticipate a little bit, maybe negative thinking or fearful thoughts. And so I know how to navigate those things. I was honestly surprised by this cold because I don't get sick. And so for me to get a cold, I was like, oh my goodness, my body is talking to me. So, You know, I'd, I had had kind of a difficult conversation with some loved ones in the last week about this move and. Everything was feeling okay after that conversation. And then the next day I noticed I had a scratchy throat, and then the next day I didn't feel good. And so there you have it. So if you've ever read the book, The big Excuse me, The Big Leap by Gaye Hendrix, you know all about upper limits. And if you haven't read that book, invitation to go check it out. It's a really great book and talks about all the ways that upper limits can, can affect us.
Brenda (00:12:34) - So I clearly hit an upper limit, meaning that I came right up to the edge and then surpassed the edge of what my nervous system perceived to be safe. And so the minute that we crossed the edge of what our nervous system is perceived to be safe, we've hit that upper limit. And so that's when those self-sabotaging behaviors can come in, like for example, this cold. So. This was a really good opportunity for me to dive deep and get clear around. Number one, how can I create more nervous systems safety for myself? Number two, how can I expand my nervous system? And number three, what is it that I'm not admitting to myself that feels scary? Or, a way that I need to really address and give some love. And so when I think about creating nervous system safety for myself, I'm always thinking about the activation part of the nervous system. Like when your nervous system is activated, you are in a stress response. So stress response meaning you're in fight, flight, freeze or fawn, which looks like people pleasing.
Brenda (00:13:49) - When you're already in the stress response, your nervous system is already activated. So by creating safety in the nervous system, you can dial back that stress response. So sometimes we might use like butterfly tapping or butterfly hugs or tapping on a collarbone, or just doing the whole tapping, rotation. Like maybe you've done that before. If not, I highly recommend looking up EFT Emotional Freedom Technique tapping. It's a great little thing you can do to help down regulate your nervous system. And breathwork can actually be really supportive as well. So I did a lot of breathwork, got a lot of support last week, did some sessions on my own, did some sessions that were held for me and got back to a baseline of of being in homeostasis where I was no longer in a stress response. And then from there, I realized what was feeling really scary for me and was able to to deal with that, able to, make it feel less scary and scaffold some things for myself. So, for example, one of the things that I promised myself in order to create my own nervous system safety is that as soon as this is not fun anymore, I'm going to go find more permanent housing.
Brenda (00:15:04) - And so I promised myself that at the beginning of every month I'm going to check in, and if I'm still having fun, then I'm going to continue to do what I'm doing. And if it's not feeling as fun anymore, then I'm going to make decisions towards getting more permanent housing. And so that feels so good. I felt an immediate downgrade in the activation that was present in my nervous system. And so invitation to get really clear with yourself, if this comes up for you around things that feel scary, what would make it feel better? What would make it feel safe? How could you put safeguards in place to make it feel just a little bit better for your nervous system, so that you didn't feel scared or triggered? And it's really surprising, oftentimes how simple it is most of the time, our protector parts or our inner children parts just want to be heard. They want a voice. Our inner parts want us to know that we're listening or they want to know. Excuse me. They want to know that we're listening.
Brenda (00:16:08) - And so, you know, the more that we can listen, the better the better we feel, the better we do. So I can't wait to take you along with me. I'm going to let you know where I am each time that I'm recording the intro or the outro, what neighborhood I'm in. And I'll tell you what it's been like. So I hope you stay along with me for this journey, whether it's a month or ten years, I literally don't know. But I'm putting everything into storage. I'm selling lots of things that I don't want to remain in storage, and I think somebody might be able to use now and then. This is all happening in the middle of June. I can hardly believe it. I'm so excited. And, Bentley is going to come with me on most on most of them because we're going to take the car. But on the things that I can't take the car or, you know, it just isn't feasible, then I will I will work out dog sitters for him.
Brenda (00:17:07) - And, yeah, it's just it's quite an adventure. So if you've ever done anything like this, I'd love to hear your best tips. What have you noticed about traveling full time, and what are some of the greatest things that you've discovered along the way that made traveling full time even better? I'd love to hear from you. Or if you know people that have traveled full time and you can put them in touch with me, oh my gosh, let me know. I did happen to meet a friend at a retreat in April, and that's not true in August that travels full time, she travels to Airbnbs in the Florida region. And her family is down there. And so she just, you know, hops around Florida and has a beautiful time. And so we shared some stories and dreams and, and and that kind of thing. And I again, I still have this little dream of a, of a cottage with a yard where Bentley can play in the yard and I can sit out on the patio and we can just listen to the sounds of, of the outside.
Brenda (00:18:15) - I just, I miss that. I can't wait to have that back. at some point. And I know that I'm going to experience it along the way at the Airbnbs. So also, if you own an Airbnb and you want me to come check yours out, email me, message me on on Instagram or Facebook and let's connect. Let's see if we can make that happen. So the Yes to Me challenge is so exciting. It's one of my favorite things. And you know what? I realize as I was preparing for this challenge, which begins on Tuesday, May 14th. This challenge is absolutely a way of giving back to you. It's it's absolutely a way to do that. I just so believe in being able to give freely and generously so that everyone, whether or not they can afford a coach, can receive some really valuable experiences in coaching inside that container of yes to me. But I also realized it's for me, like it makes me feel so good. It's energizing. It reminds me what's important.
Brenda (00:19:16) - It makes me feel brave. It reminds me how I can say yes to my life, say yes to the things that I want to do. And so I'm very, very excited to tell you that there will be a repeat of yes to me in June. And so it's going to be in the middle of June. We're going to be having another version of yes to me on June 18th, June 19th and June 20th. So actually it might be the 21st. But anyway, mark your calendars. I don't have the registration ready for you yet, but mark it in your calendar. And as soon as this yes to me closes out on the 17th of May, I'm going to open enrollment for the next iteration of Yes to Me, which will be in June. And this is one of the highest rated events that I host all year. And it just it does me a world of good. My clients love it. So come hang out with us. And you know what? If you happen to listen to this and it's still, still May.
Brenda (00:20:22) - Sign up and catch the replay. So you can sign up for the Yes to Me challenge by going to Brenda Winkle. Com forward slash yes to me that's y s t o m e all one word, all lowercase. And you'll be able to catch the replays through the end of May. This is just it's such a cool event because every time that we position ourselves to show up more fully in our own lives, we're actually positioning our whole ecosystem to do the same. And you know, the thing that I've learned about showing up fully is there's a want to which many of us have, but then there's also this capacity to which comes down to the nervous system, which is why I offer breathwork and somatic coaching and meditation experiences inside that container, because I want you to be able to get to any root causes that are holding you back, that are making it hard. Thank you so much for listening today. Thank you for just listening to me jam about, deciding to travel full time. I'd love to hear from you.
Brenda (00:21:24) - I'd love your feedback. I'd love to know if you want me to visit your area, or your town, or your community or your Airbnb, and I just can't wait to hear from you. So be sure that you have subscribed or followed the podcast wherever you're listening. There's some great stuff coming up in the coming weeks. Megan Sandy is a mentor at Paws Breathwork, and she is going to be on the podcast very soon, and I have some other incredible guests lined up for you in the next few weeks. some incredible coaches for moms and some just really, really fun conversations. So I also I have a request, if you could please leave the podcast a rating and if you're on Apple Podcasts, also a review, it would be so incredibly helpful. I really, really desire to have this podcast reach more listeners because I believe we all need a yes filled life, and one of the most impactful things that you can do to help this podcast grow is to give it a rating and review and share it with people that you love.
Brenda (00:22:30) - Thank you so much for listening. Bye for now.
