[00:00:00] Hey y'all, it's Natalie. Surprise. I'm popping in today with a quick midseason update.
First of all, thank you so much for joining me on this journey. It's been just about a month since I premiered the first episode of Tipa Revolution, the podcast and I have been so overjoyed and grateful for the responses and the feedback that I have gotten about the season so far.
When I dropped the season, I knew that I had a 10 episode arc story arc that I wanted to complete and that I only had the first five episodes recorded.
And these first five episodes took me about two years to complete.
As I've been in the journey of learning my creative process and in [00:01:00] my ongoing Tipa Revolution, I get to continue to be in the practice of paying attention to the wisdom of the present moment and what feels like the next right step as I am present to it all.
Releasing the first half of the season was undeniably the best thing I could have done after holding onto it so tightly for so long, I have just been overcome with a sense of joy and aliveness as I have let this piece of creative work, this love offering, go out into the world and let it land on the hearts and minds and ears that need and want to hear it right now.
So thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment, to review, to message me. It has been a sense of reward that I couldn't have anticipated.
And then coming off the heels of starting to release the episodes was riding the wave of this energy of excitement and wanting to [00:02:00] be in conversation around what was unfolding for people or stirring within people, and I unexpectedly started doing these weekly Friday lives called Tipa Talks, where I've been bringing in members of my community who are feeling excited about sharing their reflections, real time with folks through doing these YouTube lives.
So it has been the most woo rewarding month, and one of tremendously steep learning curves. I went from barely being online and never having used my email list to emailing folks because I've been really excited to share about the episodes, and then also posting both for Tipa Tuesdays, and then also for our Tipa Talks on Fridays.
Had you told me three months ago, even two months ago, that I would be sharing my creative work and introspection and insights that came from the, like depths of my soul [00:03:00] and be doing that in such a joyful and largely easeful way, I wouldn't have believed you. So I am soaking in how incredibly good this all feels.
And that said, I released the episodes knowing that I had the second half of the season to record. And at the time I decided to trust that it would not take two years to do the second half of the season. Trusting that I am and knowing that I am with every step, becoming someone new and different, as I'm doing what was once the scary, unimaginable things, I'm truly expanding what feels like my comfort zone and deriving insight and wisdom from the feedback I'm getting from the world and from my own body about how good this feels.
And, the truth is that I'm also creating alongside many intersections in my life, mother and wife and business owner and community [00:04:00] member, and so my choices and my capacity and my pace all are affected by all these beautiful things that are going on simultaneously in my life.
And so when it came time to start to record this month, I kept scheduling time to record , to really reconnect with the story I wanted to drop into, and the wisdom and the insights, and I was finding it hard to flip the switch and dive right into my creativity in these scheduled blocks. And I found myself feeling this sort of tightened feeling in my chest and contraction within my body as I was getting worried about not meeting this deadline, which was to release episode six on November 18th, which at the time of my recording is today.
And then last week I got to relax into the practice that I am [00:05:00] so passionate about, which is taking a moment to slow down and tune in to the wisdom of the present moment, and through that sort of awakening to choices and options that I have, like getting honest with myself about what is, what is realistic, what feels right and good right now.
And so a couple things got clear to me. One is that I, in my ongoing journey, want to be wholly and fiercely committed to honoring my creative process and honoring my pace.
My creative process is one that I have been learning how to nurture and hold with non-judgment because for many years I saw myself as someone who is not creative, and when I started wanting to do this work, it is [00:06:00] a creative process developing these podcast episodes that combine storytelling and introspection and reflection and insight, and then inviting folks into their own reflection. That was the experience design that I felt most called to lean into and to create.
And it is a creative process. And it's interesting because, as I think about this as just one creative outlet for me to share, the podcast, sometimes I've thought of this as a book, right? That every episode feels like it could be a chapter in a book. I was telling my husband, if I were creating a chapter a month or every few months of my book, I think I'd feel pretty proud, but there's something about this medium that I associate with the podcast that I somehow need to get it out.
That I need to follow these rules about when to get it out weekly or biweekly, but whatever I [00:07:00] set, I have to stick with that.
And then I was talking to a friend, who was saying, well, you know, what's wrong with taking a mid-season break? They do that and television shows all the time. And I was like, huh. Yeah. If this were like a television show, I could take a break, and we'd come back after, you know, the holidays or something and then that helped me connect with my younger creative self who loved theater, and from the ages of eight to 12, I spent a lot of time, doing a lot of plays. And that's when this idea of an intermission dropped in and I'm like, yeah, you know, what if this were an intermission? We finished act one...
and what do folks do during an intermission? They refresh their beverages. They stretch their legs, they get a snack, and they process a little bit the first act. So I'm like, yeah what does it look like if I claim this intermission?
Because the other thing that I'm deeply committed to is honoring my pace. And for a long time, I used to create whatever it was, presentations, [00:08:00] workshops, reports, and I would always put forward a solid product, but oftentimes, the process behind the scenes was not pretty, and I'm like rushing and contorting myself to other people's deadlines.
My process is one where I'm like sleep deprived, I end up sick, I am stress eating, and it is just not fun, but I put forth a good product. And I'm so clear that I am done with the days where I do that, and I am so committed to being kind to myself through this process, through this creative process.
And that means also honoring my pace that feels nourishing, good and that works with my life.
When I do all that. I know that that helps me create from the place that I want to be creating from rest, from nourishment, from service, from love, [00:09:00] and not from stress, fear of missing the deadline, whatever it may be.
So yes, this is what's been going on for me last week, and I got clear that the most important thing for me was to honor my process and honor my pace so that I could create from a place that felt so fricking good, because I know that creating from that place is what's going to that that will be felt through whatever I put out into the world.
This season is about reclaiming your power one step at a time. That is what I am doing. I am reclaiming the power that I have to choose a process and a pace that works for me.
My biggest fear when I decided to drop the season was that we would get to the moment where I need to release the second half of the season and I wouldn't be ready. And it's [00:10:00] actually pretty awesome to be in this moment where I am in what felt like the scariest scenario possible, and I am facing it and moving through it. In fact, I'm noticing the ways that it is helping me build the trust and the confidence that, well, first of all, it ain't that bad, and then second, whatever comes my way, I can handle it.
Like we can flex and flow and we can figure it out as long as I keep reminding myself of my agency and the ability I have to write my own rules. The truth is, is that I'm not in a place where I need to be abiding by anybody's rules about how this needs to be done but my own.
So with that said, we are taking a mid-season break, probably a minimum of two [00:11:00] weeks. We've got Thanksgiving right around the corner family to welcome turkeys to make good times to be had, and I am going to allow myself to be free from the pressure of needing to meet this rigid timeline.
And honestly, I want the next five episodes to come from a place of alignment and inspiration: not urgency, not fear, not pressure, and definitely not self-imposed pressure.
So this gets to be your intermission too. I know there are folks who have shared with me that they're still gently honoring their own pace, have just maybe moved through episode two or three. There are some folks who are all the way up to five and were asking me where the episode was today.
But this is my invitation to you all too: honor your pace. That's what I want for you.
So some things you could do during this intermission. If you haven't gotten through [00:12:00] the episodes, please listen to them, catch up, soak them in, be with the reflection questions. You can sign up for our email list and you'll get immediate access to the reflection guides. The link is in the show notes.
There's also Tipa Talks they are different sort of, creative endeavor and it's been very easy for me to do because they don't require planning or prep, just showing up real time to have conversations with incredible humans who are in their realtime reflection.
So you can access Tipa Talks on YouTube.
And sign up for my email list. That's the first place I will notify folks when episodes are going to be released. If you prefer socials, you can follow on Instagram at Tipa Revolution or find me on LinkedIn.
As we wrap up, you know I can't resist I gotta leave y'all with a reflection question. I have two that I wanna share with you.
First, where in your life would a pause or intermission [00:13:00] support you?
And two, where might you be acting like you can't rewrite the rules even though you absolutely can?
As always, I would love to hear what's coming up for you.
I do have one more question for you all. Okay. Be honest. How is this mid-season break, this intermission landing with you? Is it giving you space to savor the first half of the season or are you like, Natalie Girl wears episode six? I genuinely would love to know. Please drop a comment, send me an email, find me on socials. I would love to hear.
Thank you for being here, for listening, for journeying with me in this real time ongoing practice of living intentionally and [00:14:00] authentically.
We will be back soon. See you after the intermission and until then, Tipa Tipa.
