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Episode 24: Persistence: Devotion Over Hustle
46 Plays19 days ago
What if persistence isn’t about pushing harder… but staying aligned?
In this episode of Don’t Trip On Your Cape, we continue our exploration of persistence by reframing it away from hustle, burnout, and forcing outcomes… and into something more sustainable and real.
Persistence isn’t about constant intensity. It’s what happens after the excitement fades. It’s the quiet decisions, the small steps, and the ability to stay devoted to what matters even when it’s not easy or convenient.
We explore:
The difference between hustle and devotion
The gap between clarity and action, and why it can feel so confronting
How lack of motivation is often feedback, not failure
Why discipline is really self-respect
The power of small, consistent actions over time
How persistence requires ongoing alignment and course correction
The role of discomfort, disruption, and growth in the process
How persistence builds trust, identity, and long-term impact
We also talk about how persistence shows up differently in different seasons of life, and how growth often requires contraction in other areas.
This episode is a reminder that persistence isn’t about proving something.
It’s about becoming someone you trust.
And staying with it long enough to see what it creates.
Links
Visit our website
https://donttriponyourcape.com
Can We Grok?
https://donttriponyourcape.com/can-we-grok
Aligned Living & Leadership (Leslie Arboleda)
https://alignedlivingandleadership.com
Mush Love
https://mushlovellc.com
A Human Being With Love (Alex Embry)
https://ahumanbeingwithlove.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Theme
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome on to Don't Trip On Your Cape, the podcast where Leslie, the founder Align Living and Leadership, and her amazing co-host Alex from Much Love dive into the very things that weigh us down, only to reveal those burdens are actually our greatest strengths.
00:00:12
Speaker
Together, they help listeners recognize that what feels heavy is often just your own unique superpower in disguise. So grab your cape, and let's explore how to wear without stumbling. Hello, everybody, and welcome to this episode of Don't Trip On Your Cape. I'm Alex.
00:00:26
Speaker
And I'm Leslie. And this month we're talking about persistence, not the kind that burns you out or pushes you past your limits, but the kind that builds something real. Because the truth is most people don't fail because they lack vision. They fail because they don't stay with it long enough to see it through.
00:00:44
Speaker
Persistence is what happens up after the excitement fades. It's the steady steps, the quiet decisions, and the discipline to keep showing up even when it's not convenient, not easy, and definitely not glamorous.
00:00:57
Speaker
So if there's something in your life right now that you've started or stopped, questioned, or avoided, this conversation's
Redefining Persistence
00:01:04
Speaker
for you. So let's get into it. When you think about the idea of persistence, what is it and what isn't it?
00:01:15
Speaker
Persistence. I've been thinking about this a lot in my life because of, for me, it's like having being able to hold a vision or a frequency or a vibration no matter what the outside circumstances, things like that happen to be. And being willing to be discerning enough that if some of those outside circumstances, people, places, things are not within your vibration,
00:01:43
Speaker
being persistent enough to also be cut those things out. Persistence is to me kind of all encompassing in every part of what you do. It's just a undertone.
00:01:58
Speaker
Yeah, i think I think a lot of times people think about it as hustle, right? And that leads us to burnout and that feels forced. And for me, it's really more about devotion to what matters and staying so focused on what is aligned for us that those things that could pull us out of alignment don't, you know?
00:02:23
Speaker
I love that word, devotion. That's perfect because, like you said, it comes along a lot of times with hustle. or i hate that word as far as i'm hustling every day because I feel like hustling is stepping outside of yourself. It's doing things literally. a lot of the connotation of the word has to do with ah inauthenticity more than what it feels like. But a devotion, that's the authenticity that I feel like is the persistence that serves you in the long run. it is Esther and Abraham talk about upstream and downstream a lot. And I think about the hustle as swimming upstream.
00:03:03
Speaker
Like I'm a strong swimmer, i can But why would I not realign myself so that I can flow downstream and work with the flow of the universe and work with what's really supporting me instead of you know showing up with that need to do it the hard way? i I just had a conversation this week with someone and they were talking about if if it's not if you're not working hard,
00:03:28
Speaker
then it doesn't feel as good. And I was just blown away because i so that so does not resonate with my perspective. To me, you certainly can invest effort. You can certainly overcome challenges and those things can be an aligned expression of who you are. But when you're persistent and aligned, I think that's really where the sweet spot is. And so many of us you know get these messages in our childhood about the connection between effort and success. and you know what does it mean to quit? And sometimes quitting is aligned. Sometimes redirecting it requires you to let go of an effort or a relationship or or whatever it is in order to really be on track with your vision.
Alignment and Vision Clarity
00:04:16
Speaker
Absolutely. i love that you said about childhood messages too, because we pick up all of these things about what people think persistence is and a lot of times the message you're given is that it should be hard or when it's hard that's when you push more. And what I've sort of learned even just most recently is some of the persistence comes where you actually can set yourself up for ease, where it's not as hard. and The longer you do something, the more it kind of starts to like I'm thinking specifically with Mushlove right now, we have made a huge jump in the last year ish, but even just the last six months. And in it's so interesting to see how that can set us up to do it with more ease. We can align with more tools to help us more you know events that we can put on more places we can go and things we can do. But it's more about
00:05:12
Speaker
this persistence of alignment is this under structure, this tone of actually supporting your life, supporting it with the tools that you need, making it easier, not harder. And I think that's the opposite message that I was certainly given young. Yeah, you know, my grandfather was an Alabama farmer and you know the early nineteen hundreds as like to say, and I think There's certain certain circumstances where that messaging maybe feels aligned, right? Farming is hard work. You don't get a day off. If you take Sunday off, the cows are hungry, right? Like there's all these things.
00:05:48
Speaker
But when I think about my grandfather, he was so aligned with that expression of his life purpose, that even though it was hard work and even though it was every day, all day from the sunrise to the sunset, he knew how to do it in a way that felt aligned for him. And I think that's that was his vision.
00:06:09
Speaker
And so many of us, think there's so many of us walking around unclear, on the vision. And so we tap into those external ideas of what persistence might be. And when we get that clarity of the thing we said we wanted, the version of you who can create that becomes clear too.
00:06:33
Speaker
You know what I'm thinking too, as I'm listening to you, when you have a vision, there's there's often like an end outcome you're trying to get to or a feeling you're trying to get to. And so often the idea that we have of how to get there is like, you know, A, B, C, D. But what i've I've learned and we've talked about this between us, it's often...
00:06:55
Speaker
a very different path with maybe not potentially shortcuts, but the long routes, but somehow they take you to a better route. And so like, for example, you know i have in a lot of times in my life had jobs that felt like better than other jobs, but they still weren't my vision. And so it still didn't feel a aligned, but i was I was looking for the money. It really is what I wanted because we have to live. But with Much Love, I never thought about it that way. i had a vision of helping people, of putting these things out into the world and returning people back to themselves, even with this podcast. It's all about the vision that...
00:07:32
Speaker
we are connected to, but I did not choose it. I didn't choose Mushlove. I didn't even mean to start a company. That was the universe collaborating with me into where I needed to be. And now I can support myself and do the thing that I wanted to do with all the other things that I was trying to do it with. But I really think this persistence that we think the difference between the hustle and the ease comes with allowing the universe to be your collaborator and looking at the steps in your life where's the energy from the universe? Where is this path going to try and take me? And it doesn't always look direct. And sometimes, to be honest with you, I felt like Mushlove was going the opposite way because what I had wanted to do was my book, do speaking, all of that. And the universe had told me, write this book. And then I finished writing the book and I was like, okay, now set it aside and build this other company. And I was like, what the fuck? What? Why didn't you want me to write this thing? It's like a whole year of my life. And now you're putting me in this other company. And I had, I mean, not that I didn't love mushrooms, but that wasn't what I thought my vision was. But my real vision was connecting with people, helping them return to themselves. And sure, the book will come back around and it is in some ways.
00:08:35
Speaker
But the universe gives you this different path. And this is what I wanted. i just didn't know it. and When you were talking, I was thinking about how human design supports us with that clarity and alignment too, right? My my conscious son sits in ah and a part of the sky, gate called the the gate of shock in traditional design. But in in quantum human design, it was re-language to the gate of initiation and understanding that my life purpose is really activated by that idea of initiating others into aligned action,
00:09:10
Speaker
It's been a game changer for me. And to your point, it's been a very scenic route. It's taken a lot of security, just acutious turns, right? There's been, I've done so many different things. I've been a serial entrepreneur for 20 years and it was everything from preschool teaching to teaching yoga to coaching to business consultation. It's been all of these different things. But when I can reflect back on them through that lens of what my true aligned purpose is, they were all beautiful steps in the journey to get me where I am now, which has never felt more aligned.
00:09:45
Speaker
And if I hadn't been persistent in course correction and being like, oh, I might still be a preschool teacher, right? Hungry and hungry and dissatisfied in a system that needs changing. But now I understand I can go into any corporation and help the teams realign who they are individually in order to contribute to the collective goal of the team or the organization. And if I hadn't been maybe subconsciously persistent in finding that aligned path, there's no telling how it would have played up.
00:10:21
Speaker
So when you think about the disruption phase of persistence, right, where we all fall off track, where we all get misaligned. What do you think about the gap between clarity and action?
00:10:36
Speaker
c Clarity and action. For think i think I feel like a lot of times I know what I want to do, but I don't know how to do it. or even if i want to do it, there's like parts of it I don't want to do. like Sometimes you have to let go of processes. like I keep using Mash Love right now, but it's a great example. like I'm going to start giving over some of the processes to other people, people that are very aligned, that feel good. But for so long, I've been like, mine. i love doing every part of the process. It matters to me.
00:11:10
Speaker
And giving that up in some ways felt like I was giving up. And I think that is the disruption that comes into your life a lot of times. You don't always know, you know you need to make a step, but you don't always know what the steps are and when it needs to happen or how it needs to happen. And you have to look at, well, if you have the clarity, something needs to happen.
00:11:32
Speaker
between the action and that, there's a lot of like filtering and centering and being able to see what the aligned steps are that can get you there in the discernment. Because i didn't have the aligned options until I was ready too. So you have to like, the clarity is the decision. Okay, I need to make the thing. I have the understanding. Now find the alignment. And then there's the action.
00:11:56
Speaker
And crossing that gap is really confronting,
Growth and Motivation Challenges
00:11:59
Speaker
right? That liminal space, that in-between the disruption and the expansion, right? That that is confronting for all of us, you included. I'm not a big fan of the not knowing. I'm not a big fan of having to figure out the new thing to do to get me back on track sometimes. And I think with a lot of the people that I work with,
00:12:22
Speaker
they're inconsistent with their actions, right? They're not really persistent and staying on track. But we use that excuse of waiting for the right time rather than choosing now as the right time to be uncomfortable in the gap in order to get to that next phase of expansion. And I think there's...
00:12:44
Speaker
so many tools and feedback that we can use that we don't even realize we can, right? Whether it's emotional feedback, whether it's, you know,
00:12:55
Speaker
taking ownership of our distraction, right? I could i could definitely justify scrolling all of my inspiring feeds on, you know, posts on my on my feeds and all the things.
00:13:07
Speaker
Those things make me feel good. But if I'm being really honest, are they the aligned action that gets me to that next step of expansion? And the answer's no.
00:13:19
Speaker
Yeah. At the end of the day, you have to make the decision for yourself of where that energy is best served and let the universe collaborate with you. But you have to be honest about it because so much of comfort and ease are not the same thing. And you think that they are, they sound similar.
00:13:39
Speaker
And in a lot of fact, a lot of times for me, ease comes with the discomfort. Growth is hard. Growth is, confronting, especially when you have growing pains. That is going to happen. I don't think you can grow without pain. I really don't think that's a thing in this plane, on this planet, in this realm of reality. It's part of the process. And, you know, i i have my adopted mom who talks to both of us a lot, and she actually says that When you grow, there's like a rubber band that kind of pulls you back. That's part of the energetic process of this universe right now. And so it's almost like, are you sure? are you sure? are you sure? Until you have the persistence of, yes, I'm fucking sure. And I'm going to keep going until i'm i make the change or do the thing or whatever it takes. And so it is so confronting to be able to say, OK, this is going to be very uncomfortable in order to grow.
00:14:32
Speaker
but growing feels so good. It's it worth it. It's like a balance of both of it. It is. And the struggle is a natural part of the growth cycle. But so many of us are slapping a meaning on the struggle that feels like suffering.
00:14:49
Speaker
I'm not getting what I want today. Oh, woe is me. Versus today is not the right time for me to receive that. So what is the thing I can do? What's the thing inside my circle of control. And I think so many people quit because they aren't feeling motivated to do the thing rather than just being really honest about what have you stopped doing and what could you start doing? That persistent recalibration in order to move forward. And maybe it's not leaps and bounds.
00:15:22
Speaker
Maybe it's the smallest little step forward that still keeps you on track. I think sometimes persistence is really It is so much more a collection of those small incremental steps and progress.
00:15:39
Speaker
And we want it, especially when we have the clarity of vision, we want it now. And we we aren't really honest about what what are those incremental steps that we need to take?
00:15:51
Speaker
What are the need to say yes to? What are the things we need to say no to? And where are you breaking your own trust in self? I think lack of motivation, maybe the biggest disruption there is, to be honest with you like Whenever i i have that that thing, i was listening to you say that, and was like, that really is One of the most confronting things because you feel like there should be the energy there. Whenever I have the quote unquote lack of motivation, what I've found is that is, like you said, it's a feedback. I have to really look, why don't I have the motivation? Because I want to do the thing and this is the vision. This is how I get there. So why do I want to do the thing? And it's usually...
00:16:34
Speaker
some friction, some resistance, something I need to let go of, something within me I need to look at There's always a reason. And so I think even the lack of motivation you can use to serve you and say, why don't I have the motivation?
00:16:45
Speaker
What do I need to get? Do I need to accept that this is going to be uncomfortable and move on? Sometimes it's as simple as that. But looking at your lack of motivation too is probably one of the biggest ways that you can get past that disruption.
Managing Resources and Emotional Feedback
00:17:01
Speaker
And being really honest about your resources, right? I can be really excited about something and super stressed in other areas of my life. And I've invested my resources to manage the stress in the other area of my life. So I just very plainly don't have the resources to be motivated to do the other thing. Everything we say yes to means we are saying no to every other option in the quantum field. and That's, I think, part of the nature of the human condition is sometimes that's actually what's happening. And so do you need to redirect? Do you need to give yourself grace?
00:17:38
Speaker
Do you need to be patient and pause on that thing in order to do this thing? Like what, what, where is the real breakdown? And then tapping back into that trust and knowing I didn't have the motivation to do the work thing, because I've got to manage the stress of the personal thing.
00:17:55
Speaker
I still trust that that's exactly where I'm supposed to be putting my energy and having faith that I will get back to the other thing exactly the right time and exactly the right way. But I have to take empowered action too.
00:18:11
Speaker
And remember that sometimes as a finite being, i can't do all the things every you know in every moment all at once. So what is that you know how does that persistence show up in the long term?
00:18:25
Speaker
And also, how does that persistence maybe show up in those incremental steps forward? Yes. So I'm thinking about the rebuild.
00:18:37
Speaker
when it comes to persistence and what real persistence looks like. And we've talked a little bit about those small repeatable actions over time, but also how do we leverage our awareness of alignment with that intensity, that excitement, that passion?
00:18:56
Speaker
Yes. I've been thinking about this a lot because we have a hard world that we live in. And so much of what I said in the beginning and what you built on as far as persistence is knowing your vibration and not really being impacted so much by the outside. And I think that that is where the rebuild starts is getting in tune with who you are and what you want and your vision and starting to look at your own patterns because so much of what we've been taught is about victimhood or you know the hustle culture and all and a lot of just what's kind of cool and a lot cool it's kind of a weird term as far as like it's cool to be sad like right now or struggle or you know everything's bad and all of that and we take that as a part of our identity and i think the rebuild is really looking at our own patterns that have
00:19:50
Speaker
we're trying to get out of. for For me, I certainly felt like when I was starting to get back into my rebuild as far as coming back into the world, I had felt like for so long, like I had had a hard life. I was born raised in a cold. and trans. like I had all these stories. I mean, there's way more stories than that about why I was a victim and why i couldn't do it and why the world should have been easier on me and all of these things. And I had to look at all of that and go, well, I'm here and I got past all of that and look at all this wisdom I got out of it.
00:20:21
Speaker
And maybe I could use it to make myself better. So I think the rebuild is starting to really look internally, not just at the steps you need to take, but the things that you want to drop out from your identity and rebuild into the new part of yourself.
00:20:37
Speaker
I think something that came up for me too when I was thinking about this is discipline. Younger me, firing me, would look at discipline as punishment. Like, I don't want to do the thing and somebody's making me do the thing. And that felt like a punishment of sorts.
00:20:55
Speaker
Whereas now, at at you know, halfway to 100, I look at discipline as a reflection of my self-respect. Right. Nobody else can do it to me, but also nobody else can do it for me. And if I am truly aligned with my purpose and I am clear on the small steps or the big leaps, discipline is easier.
00:21:17
Speaker
It's easier to say no to the things that are not for me and and be persistent and stay true and be on track with the things that are for me. But I had to do a lot of personal inquiry and deep reflection on Where have i been disrespecting myself quietly, silently, not putting words to it? Nobody knew it but me.
00:21:42
Speaker
And how do i give myself the grace and the power to step back into that self-respect? It's been a game changer. Yeah, especially like I said about my patterns I had had. How much more respect do I have for myself now that I've given myself the discipline to change my mindset and build a life that I want and go out into the world and do all the things that I obviously am very capable of doing but did not think I was for so long. That has built such a self-respect in in myself. And not just that, being able to share that with others gives them the ability to have
00:22:20
Speaker
a different perspective on their own struggles in their own life and give them respect for themselves. And then also obviously it goes both ways. And so it's nice to be able to have discipline. Like you said, it feels like yeah even the word, it has like a connotation. Yeah. It's like you thinking of like being shushed by the librarian. But like for me,
00:22:42
Speaker
It isn't doesn't feel that way at all. like Even recently, Lisa, my adoptive mom, said to me, like make sure you're taking time for personal stuff. And I said to her, nope, that's not what I'm doing right now. it' like I am working a lot. And that feels good to me because i am building something that I am proud of and that i want to put into the world. And I have so much love for every single day of what I'm doing. But if you had told me a long time ago, I'd be working as much as I'm working and I'd be happy about it.
00:23:09
Speaker
That was not what I would have thought of. But that self-discipline, and it gives me the ability to go to these shows and meet all these people and have these amazing conversations when I put all that time in, and it comes out in other ways.
Process Devotion vs Outcome Obsession
00:23:24
Speaker
and God, it feels good to be able to look at myself in the mirror and look at, like, I had a really long day this week where I worked genuinely 14 hours. And at the end of the day, I was like, fuck, I'm awesome. Like, look at all this work I did. That fucking shit is awesome. Like, I felt so good about everything I did. I was like, look at this.
00:23:41
Speaker
I did that. That's a good feeling. I never had that one when I was in those other days. And so that self-discipline comes on the other side as, you know, like, this really self-confidence. And that feels good.
00:23:55
Speaker
I think a big part of the shift too is moving from outcome obsession, right? i Focusing so far ahead on the outcome that we get burnt out, that we do feel doubt, that we do experience all those things that are, again, a natural part of the experience. But shifting from that outcome obsession to process devotion, right?
00:24:19
Speaker
And I know for you, especially with much love, putting systems in place that actually make growth easier was a big shift for you. But being clear again on what's aligned for you makes that clarity of the process.
00:24:40
Speaker
easier to take action on, right? It's, it's, we move from that all or nothing thinking, oh, well, I didn't do it today. So fuck it versus consistent, consistent enough to win. And I think that enough part is really important because we are going to show up inconsistently from time to time, but are we showing up consistent enough to make that small step forward, to get to that next place where we have a new perspective, that's a huge part of the shift and the rebuild when it comes to persistence.
00:25:14
Speaker
Yeah, you talk about Kaizen for a long time, the 1%. If 1% feels like fucking nothing, you're like 1%, but you have the numbers better than I do because you're the one that teaches it, but it adds up. And even just if you think about angle, angles of 1%, 1% degree off,
00:25:34
Speaker
over time is a very long day degree off. So think of it the same way, closer and closer if you're just getting 1% over time. And that feels small in the moment and maybe it is, but we're not thinking about things and in short terms and especially the more into spirituality and the universe you get, i start thinking about things in terms of lifetimes and soul and all of that. It gets bigger and bigger and bigger by these little tiny things that we do.
00:26:02
Speaker
Well, think on a practical nature too, Instead of seeking perfection, we can just start tracking our proof. Right. I went to yoga this morning. I feel better, a better version of myself. That is proof that that was an aligned action for me. Did it help me build my business while I was spending 60 minutes on my mat? No. And if I was seeking professional perfection, I could use that as evidence to invalidate the choice.
00:26:28
Speaker
But when we start tracking proof of our alignment, that's how we build the muscles for the persistence. And we're such multivariate beings with so many different needs.
00:26:43
Speaker
I think sometimes we can feel like persistence is just focusing on the one need and the one thing and the one way we show up in the world. And that's just an incomplete process. way to support ourselves.
00:26:55
Speaker
We are so multifaceted and we have to feel supported in all those different ways that we show up in the world. in order to be the collective amazing, unique, once in a lifetime cosmic event that we are here to contribute to the collective.
Natural Cycles and Persistence Identity
00:27:09
Speaker
I think it's just, there's, there's something about tracking proof of those, those aligned choices that helps us build that persistence. And then the flip side of that is make your choices ahead of time, make, make the choice ahead of time so that when,
00:27:27
Speaker
those pain points show up, when those choice points arrive in life, we've got the answer to the question. We're not trying to figure it out on the fly. And we can do it or don't, right? Succeed or fail. Like that part's probably not inevitable, but at least we've taken one small step to be better prepared to take aligned action.
00:27:52
Speaker
I'm also thinking too, like you were saying earlier about you take one from one part, you know, you can't give to the other part. There's seasons in your life too. Like, you know, I'm in a very expansive phase business-wise, but that also means personal-wise I'm in that very contracted stage. and I don't have space for that right now, but I also know that that will change. It will flip at some point. At some point my business is doing is we're setting up systems. So it will be ah able to be without me at some point more. and i will be able to go okay well now my personal life's gonna expand again and being able to say it's persistence is not one thing all the time for the rest of your life it's being able to know what what season you're in as well and being happy with that as far as you are going to make quote unquote sacrifices but it doesn't really feel like that when you're being served and this is aligned right now And then when you get to the next season, don't compare it to the last season.
00:28:46
Speaker
Or also looking back, it always does feel like clearer to me. And so don't compare. It's more forward. Don't compare what the next season is going to be. Because right now, whatever you're in is the the important season. Some things are going to expand and some things are going to contract. And know what you're building long term is going to be served by all of it.
00:29:08
Speaker
I think also something that was coming up while you were talking is understanding how to align your individual human experience with the greater cycles of the universe, whether they're daily cycles, weekly cycles, monthly cycles, annual cycles,
00:29:25
Speaker
you know, however you want to look at it. I know when we were, before we started recording this morning, we were talking about how, how awesome it is that in our lives, the, the monthly themes that we highlight in, in this podcast are so reflective of what we've got going on. And part of why that is, is because we very strategically chose our monthly themes in conjunction with the annual cycles of, you know, the universe at large. And,
00:29:54
Speaker
I know that you and I are not the only ones that are that are feeling this energy and that are embodying this energy or are struggling with this energy for that matter. But I think it's really important to know that when we feel confronted by something that's pulled us off track,
00:30:12
Speaker
It's not that we need a new plan, right? and I don't need to scrap the whole fucking plan and and start. you It's really about following through with what we've chosen and gotten clarity on that is alignment. It's just, you know, to your point earlier, one degree off, you know, in 10 feet, you're probably still in the same room, but one degree off in 30 miles, you're in another city.
00:30:35
Speaker
think the same is true for our life path and our purpose. And that course correction piece is so integral to being able to be persistent in those small steps, but also in them in that long term.
00:30:52
Speaker
Yes, 100%. So when you think about the integration phase of persistence and really becoming the person who follows through,
00:31:03
Speaker
How do you how does that relate to identity for you? Either clarity of identity or identity shift. I think that's far this is the fun part to talk about because this is where it gets good. like i mean, we've all been through the struggle and and I think that's part of why I love our podcast and love the work that we do. in you know I was just thinking about this last couple of expos we've been doing and the integration, when you start to integrate who you are into everything that you do. it's crazy how it starts to resonate with other people and give them permission to do the things. And also like,
00:31:44
Speaker
so For so long, i've I've wanted to be able to help people and be able to have a way to return them back to themselves. And like I said, I didn't pick mushrooms, they picked me. And so being able to be out in the world as their ambassador has been so interesting because of the stories that we get to hear. Like this last week, and this one's about DMT, in which again, I did not, that was not a plan of mine to be able to provide this to people. But we had a woman come with it to us in October and she had really bad anxiety. And being able to talk about my experiences with anxiety and PTSD and being safe in those within myself and being able to share them with her, she felt safe enough to tell me about all the stuff she was going through. And that integration in my life has been so powerful to be able to share my story when for so long, my story was I was a victim. Now my story is I'm a victor and being able to share that with her and some of the tools. And now we just saw her this month. And she she said the tools that she got through us, she's been using DMT whenever she has an anxiety attack and then rebuilding with neuroplasticity through mushrooms, these new habits. But she said she hasn't had a panic attack since she saw us. That was six months of her life. If I hadn't integrated my experiences, if I hadn't been able to say everything that I've been through and be able to talk about those openly, and somebody else had told her about us and said that I was the person to talk to and because they had heard my story. And that is where I think the magic starts to happen because it's not about hiding the struggles. It's not about being perfect. It's about integrating the fact that this is a multifaceted experience that we're going through and we're all in it together and we're all here to be superheroes. So integrating those struggles is where we start to fly. And I think that building that internal trust
00:33:39
Speaker
through keeping your commitment to what's aligned for you is also a big piece of that integration,
Emotional Role in Persistence
00:33:44
Speaker
right? You know, you know I believe part of the power of sharing our stories is because i am you and you are me, and we are all part of this bigger thing. And when I can share my stories transparently of both success and failure, it gives perspective.
00:34:00
Speaker
access, I'm a portal, but it also gives permission for other people to see those same parts of themselves and perhaps see those victorious expressions of themselves first in their imagination and then in their action. And if we can't be committed to being the unique ones in a lifetime cosmic event that each of us is, it makes it harder to integrate that trust, that internal trust,
00:34:29
Speaker
And when we do keep those commitments, that trust is is undeniable. It's unavoidable. And I think it's contagious because if you trust yourself and the power of your story,
00:34:43
Speaker
someone hears it and then she's able to trust herself and the power of her story and no telling how far those ripples go, but she gets to share her experience with the people in her lives who get to see that reflection. And then they get to share their experiences and so on and so forth.
00:35:00
Speaker
It's just, it really is simple. And I think even when our minds want to turn it into this complex strategy with all of these, you know, variables, know,
00:35:12
Speaker
when we come back to that simple trust, that simple truth of internal trust, the integration is organic. It really becomes a part of us. And by virtue of that, a part of everyone that we get to be in relationship with.
00:35:30
Speaker
I think another piece of the integration part is the emotional feedback. I think emotions are such a powerful tool for tool for us. And so many of us,
00:35:42
Speaker
reject or avoid the feedback that the hard emotions bring. But when we can show up when it's boring, when we can show up when it's hard, when we can show up when no one's watching and we're not going to get credit for it, I think that's also a really important aspect of the integration piece.
00:36:04
Speaker
And knowing it's not going to always be great days. like I mean, some of this growth, like i and we've been saying, is growing pains because that is part of the theme where it's talking about is persistence. And sometimes you don't want to persist if you have this roadblock or you're facing that rubber band like Lisa talks about because you think that might be a signal that you're on a wrong path. But what it usually just is is just either a bad day or or a necessary step to get to the better things. And I think we're so hard on ourselves when we have those negative emotions or those hard experiences. I'm super sensitive, so sometimes they hit me like a fucking brick wall when it's not that big of a deal, and I know that, but I take it to where it feels really hard. And so part of the persistence and the integration and the rebuild and all of that is knowing that it doesn't mean it's going to be perfect
00:36:57
Speaker
And when you have those days, giving yourself the grace of, I'm doing a hard thing right now. That is part of the persistence, is being able to say whatever thing you're going through, whatever steps you're needing to take as a part of these growing pains,
00:37:13
Speaker
that's okay. And give yourself grace that it doesn't mean you're wrong when it's hard or painful too. And I think that was part of the hardest thing for me in persistence is sometimes I feel wrong or like I'm doing something wrong when I'm taking a step that I know is going to be best for me in the long run. And I think that that is something we all need to remember. It's hard does not necessarily mean bad. In fact, it might be the best thing.
00:37:41
Speaker
Well, and those those challenges are invitations for us to get that deeper certainty, right? i I use human design in my coaching. And a lot of times, you know, my coaching container is really about a goal achievement. It's really quite simple. You have a goal that you want to achieve in 12 weeks.
00:38:00
Speaker
Where do you need to be 11 weeks from now? Where do you need to be 10 weeks from now? What are the things you need to do in each of the weeks between now and then in order to achieve the goal? Like it's, it's not woo woo. It's not elusive. It's very concrete and strategic.
00:38:15
Speaker
And, We can't plan for everything. So if we can come back to that center, if we come back to that certainty, then we can be flexible. And if you didn't you know achieve two of the five tactics on your weekly list this week, what do we need to do in the next week in order to either get back on track or acknowledge that maybe those weren't as important as we originally thought they were and they're not necessary to correct and and duplicate. But I think there's that integration, the integration piece of the persistence is having that inner trust and knowing persistence isn't necessarily about proving anything. It's really about becoming
00:38:57
Speaker
the person you trust yourself to be. and then all of those other potential distractions fall away, including that internal narrative.
00:39:09
Speaker
I think that's probably the biggest distract potential distraction that we can have is we start telling ourselves we can't, we're wrong, we're not worth it, you know all of those that negative self-talk.
00:39:22
Speaker
And having someone in your community that you can be vulnerably honest with and say, oh, well, I'm, you know, I feel like I'm a total failure because I didn't do this one thing this week. And now I feel like the whole thing is shot versus I feel like a total failure. I feel like this whole thing is shot. And someone says, hey, remember who you are.
00:39:40
Speaker
Remember that you are worthy. Remember that you can do this thing. What do you need? How can I help you to get to that place? think is another is another big piece of
Community and Relationship Influence
00:39:52
Speaker
the integration. While integration is personal for sure, having the right support in your life that can help you stay on track or get back on track is often the the the biggest deciding factor or determining factor between having that inner trust and knowing and not listening to it.
00:40:16
Speaker
Yeah, and how I'm just thinking when I said that, like because we have that in each other, and I know we have that in our community, and but I know a lot of people who are going through struggles, even with like, i have one friend who with their partner, they'll also say they don't support me in a lot of the things that I do, and they just got like a big promotion and all this stuff and still don't feel supported by their own partner. And that's a really hard feeling to go through when you don't necessarily feel supported by the people in your life, by your community and all those things. And one of the things that they often feel this particular person is they're such a giver and it's not reciprocal.
00:40:55
Speaker
and and a lot of the people. And I feel like that's such positive feedback for you. And like, look at how much I've grown and I've outgrown, or maybe I need to have of the conversations with certain people to be able to support myself in a different way. And we outgrow so much things when we do these big level ups. And the feedback when we're giving so much and we're not receiving what we need is actually you've grown and you need more, you need different, you need expansion. And that is the thing that I think people really need to be honest with themselves that I i know so many people that they have grown and the people around them have not and they feel judged and they judge themselves because they don't have that support and they don't want to let go you know that's the near enemy it really is is because you still love them and you still want them to be a part of you but now you have new needs that you need to make space for and i think that's one of the keys that
00:41:55
Speaker
If you do not have community that you feel supported by, but you have community you don't feel supported by, that's such big feedback for you that the universe is now ready for you to find this community. That's why we're building what we're building. But know that you deserve that and that just because you don't have it yet, because I did it for a long time. And it's really important to know it changes everything. It's available to you. It really fucking changes everything. I cannot stress it enough that when you hear and have that support, it makes you feel so much better in that you can do the thing and you're not alone. And it's not just you and the universe. The universe wants to conspire. And I'm just saying like one more time as far as...
00:42:41
Speaker
You deserve it. These people deserve to be able to have that reciprocation. It's not being needy. It's not anything other than what you're ready for and the universe wants to give it to you.
00:42:53
Speaker
I think something that came up too, I was hearing my grandmother's voice, like, don't put all your eggs in one basket. I think that's another piece of persistence too, especially when we're in intimate relationships and they don't feel supportive.
00:43:06
Speaker
It's back to that all or nothing thinking, you know, so many people in, in marriages think that their partner is supposed to be the other half, the thing that completes them and all that bullshit, quite frankly, ah a proper healthy relationship is not two halves make a whole, a proper healthy relationship, whether it's personal or professional is I am complete and you are complete. And together we get to be expansive and,
00:43:32
Speaker
And so if you've got those relationships that don't feel supportive, maybe kick them to the curb. Maybe that is the aligned action. Or maybe be honest with yourself about how many eggs you've put in that basket. And is there a better way to disperse said proverbial eggs? So that if one basket drops, you've still got the resources. You've still got the support. You've still got the opportunity to have those conversations that can keep you on track or put you back on track.
00:44:01
Speaker
And and be really, yes, discernment for sure, but also maybe think about the expansive expression of self and knowing that if you are truly complete and aligned with what you're here to do and how you're here to do it, what's for you can't miss you. And maybe those relationships bring something. Maybe they do bring some value.
00:44:23
Speaker
But if the exchange or the sacrifice feels like you have to give up that alignment of self and purpose, Maybe that's a hard conversation. Maybe it's a hard choice. Maybe it's a hard left and how you'd be in that relationship. There's so many different alternative ways to, to express your realignment.
00:44:44
Speaker
And it's okay to to, you know, to your point earlier, it's okay to feel bad about something that's right for you. That's kind of a natural part of being human. What is right for you sometimes will still feel crappy. Yeah.
00:44:55
Speaker
And that is not necessarily feedback that it is the wrong choice. That is feedback that you have invested your energy or your time or your resources in a place that just wasn't aligned in this moment. And you know what worked before might work again, but maybe what worked before no longer will work again.
00:45:14
Speaker
And those are both expressions of alignment that I think we need to give ourselves permission to explore. Yeah, and the right partners, the right people will want you to keep expanding, will want you to fill your basket in all the ways that is necessary for you. And so that alignment will keep showing up as long as you're persistent and you know following through with it on yourself because you're the only one at the end of the day that knows what you need and and is responsible for filling your cup. That's what we usually talk about. And if you are the one trying to get it from someone who cannot fill it, then that means you got to do something else. And that person should support you as well in in filling your cup because we all deserve to be whole and full at the end of the day.
00:46:03
Speaker
Absolutely. So let's talk a little bit about the legacy of persistence. What persistence actually creates persistence? over time and probably beyond this particular lifetime.
00:46:16
Speaker
There's, there's really these compounding results of these incremental steps and these aligned expressions of our purpose and what we're here to do that most of us never see because we could quit too early or because we don't realize the the divine timeline of how that impact is going to show up in the world. And I think Having the quiet confidence of knowing that you can rely on yourself is part of the legacy that your persistence contributes to the collective.
00:46:51
Speaker
Yes. was thinking about Mush Love this time last year. hoof but It was a rough time, my dudes. If I had not stayed persistent, I would not be getting to where I am now. And you were a big part of that for me, for sure. Being able to keep realigning me and keep redirecting me and keep going. is There are so many times I was like, is this the right fucking thing? like So many times. But now, like...
00:47:20
Speaker
we're only really two years into this thing and the persistence and the legacy that it is building on its own is healing of so many people. mean, we could, we could have episode after episode of all the stories we hear right now. You know, it's just amazing that people are getting to have these tools and,
00:47:40
Speaker
Just looking back, if I had not stayed persistent, I would not be reaping what has now become one of the greatest blessings of my life, being able to connect with people in this way, being able to have them trust us to be able to bring these things into their lives.
00:47:54
Speaker
And that legacy, is. it goes across many, many ways. you know We're doing it with Mushlove, but now they're coming to the podcast. you know We're getting to communicate with them outside of that. We're getting to build a community. And a lot of it is feeding off of this thing. And so the legacy of this persistence, I'm telling you, you already know, but last year, people, did not know I was going to keep going on this persistent path, but we are here. And so that's kind of why I'm thinking about this Marshall was the perfect e for this episode as far as the legacy will build if you just keep going to your
Legacy and Breaking Cycles
00:48:30
Speaker
vision. And my vision was always healing and love. And that is what we're building now. Well, and I think the legacy is also the life expression that actually matches what you once talked about, which again, in the context of your business, in the big picture, you know what the vision was.
00:48:51
Speaker
And now because you've exercise that persistence because you have had the faith, because you have had that self-trust, it's starting to actually look that way on the outside. You know, again, that's kind of the physics. The feeling we have on the inside manifests into the experiences we're having on the outside. and When we can stay true to that alignment, when we can stay persistent in those small or large steps forward, that's part of how that legacy becomes infinite. you know And I think the the bigger picture too of of the legacy of persistence is this is how our visions become a reality, right? This is how leaders are created, right? Like the best leaders in our human history
00:49:36
Speaker
human history were were built through persistent aligned action. And I think that's, it's also important to know that that's how the cycles that don't work are broken, right? We talk about, there's a lot of cycle breakers coming into humanity in this moment. And i don't i think people use that buzz term maybe without fully understanding what that really means in the human form, right? We know about it like intergenerationally we're breaking cycles, but like how are we doing that? We're doing it through persistent aligned action that's changing the trajectory of family timelines, of infinite you know timelines across lifetimes, right? We're healing the wounds of the past and we're avoiding the wounds, those same repeating those same ones of the future. And you know what would it really
00:50:36
Speaker
I think for people to think about, like, what would it really look like if you actually stayed with it? That's a that's in a really powerful inquiry for us all to be in.
00:50:49
Speaker
I was thinking about it. It takes certain kind of, we're saying persistence, my brain keeps saying hardheadedness in like a good way. As far as like, I remember listening to Abraham Esther long time ago and she would just be like, stay focused on being happy and on your joy and on the vision. And if something would come up, she'd be like, you just ignore it. That is not my reality. And I just used to think like, how the fuck would you do that even? But now I get it because it's like,
00:51:16
Speaker
I know my vision. I'm i'm Alex Embry. I know what the fuck I'm creating. I know what I'm carrying into the world. I know who my friends are. like It is a persistence of no matter what anything anyone else says, what their visions are, it's not going to compete with mine. And seeing being able to say, like I'm the only one in charge of my reality. That is the the cycle that we are not just breaking, but now creating. There's so many paths to where people are like, you can't do that, or that's not possible. Well, watch us. so We can just change the whole story and decide that we can be at like, have a certain hardheadedness of you can't say that, like you can say whatever you want, but watch me do what I'm going to do anyway. And I think that that's the legacy that I really love about this.
00:51:59
Speaker
go ahead. Yeah. Well, no, I was just, I was just thinking, and that's also like that comparison to anything outside of you, it's not a relevant metric. So irrelevant and we make it. So we, we tell ourselves it is relevant and then we slap a meeting on it when it doesn't feel good, but it's not what anybody else is doing, how anyone else is on track or off track completely and totally not a relevant viewpoint for how we are and what we do. And that's not to, to disregard what we could learn from other people's experiences or lessons or learnings or wisdom. Because I think truly, as I said at the very beginning, sharing our experiences and our wisdom is how we help grow that infinite pool of said wisdom and knowledge, but also knowing that, again, where will where will my life go if I stay on this track, whether I'm in alignment or out of alignment?
Vision Fulfillment and Universal Alignment
00:52:58
Speaker
And why not choose the aligned version so that we can contribute to the collective in that way that feels you know expansive and beneficial and and in ways that we can't even imagine yet. That's the other part of this that was kind of coming through when you were talking is To your point earlier, you couldn't have imagined what 12 months of business growth would look like. And then this really pushy broad came on the scene and was like, system, system, system. If you are the system, you are the breakdown in the system. We need to delegate. We need to offer operationalize. when We need to do all kinds of things. It's a good thing I listen to you, huh? Part of why I love strategy and business is because you can be so passionate about the vision.
00:53:43
Speaker
But if you don't have the aligned tactics to execute said vision, it's just a passion that feels unfulfilling because it's unmanifested. You need the team, you need the certain hardheadedness, and you need, like I said, the ability to start to believe that you can conspire with the universe because it's the other half of the equation that will, you know, I don't think the 12 months was just you and me. It was the universe matching up with people who were ready for what we're putting out there with our blinders on. We know what we're creating and relying on the universe to
00:54:20
Speaker
collaborate with us on the other half and those other people are having you know their vision and their alignment and the universe is the one lining us all up and I think like I said earlier i don't even know what we can create when we start to like say watch us like just imagine what you can do and then singularly ignore everything that says you can't because that's kind of what we're doing in so many other ways in our lives as well not just mush love but A lot of you know being trans is one of those things. Where I came from, that was not a thing. And it is such a narrative right now as far as there's ah a whole dichotomy about it. But I'm was speaking out and being loud about it because I think it's one of the greatest expressions of love we can ever have, not just for ourselves, but we're expanding the way that other humans love each other and being able to really see someone as their soul and not just as ah you know the meat suit we walk around in.
00:55:18
Speaker
How much more of an expression of love are we able to grow? These things, we can't even imagine the impact they're gonna have on other people and on ourselves and on our planet in a year five years, 10 years. It's gonna be amazing.
00:55:31
Speaker
Maybe even tomorrow. but So I wanna challenge our listeners this month to pick one thing and commit to it for the next 30 days. And it doesn't have to be a big thing.
00:55:45
Speaker
It can be one of those small incremental things. And then refuse to negotiate with that commitment with yourself. And then let us know what happens. Yes, i was going say, keep us updated because we we would love to follow around. And remember, it takes 21 days to build a pathway in your brain usually. And so that persistence, it becomes easier after that. I saw a quote the other day that said, the first time you do something, it takes willpower. The 22nd time, it costs nothing. because of the way that your your brain works. And that's why neuroplasticity is so important with, you know, microdosing and things like that. but When you build a habit, that first willpower in those persistent 21 days, that's where everything changes. So we can't wait to hear about it.
00:56:27
Speaker
All right. Well, until next week, remember to fly high and don't trip on your cape. We'll see you then. Bye, everybody.
00:56:40
Speaker
Thanks for joining Alex and Leslie on Don't Trip On Your Cake. I really appreciate you being here and walking this path with them. If today's episode sparked something in you, if it helps you rock something new about yourself or your journey, show your support by subscribing to the channel, liking episode, and leaving a comment to show your thoughts or takeaways.
00:56:55
Speaker
Your voice helps to grow this community of brave, curious humans learning to wither kitchen confidence. Until next time, fly high, stay curious, and Don't On Your Cake. Step into your superpower.