Overcoming Limiting Beliefs - Mindful Moms Movement Podcast - Episode 005

Hi friends, I'm your host, Mary To-Saturnio. I am a mom to 2 little munchkins and creator of IZZAROO and Mindful Moms Movement. Join me in honest conversations about motherhood. Learn creative ways to strengthen your relationships with your kids and husband, optimize your health and home, and leave a legacy of fun and intention. I'm so excited to be spending this time with you today, let's get started!

Hi friends, I'm super excited for today's episode. In episode 002, I talked about my story and how Mindful Moms Movement was started from my desire for community and because I felt like I kept falling short as a business owner. I was working so hard to empower families to live and be intentional through IZZAROO, and I wanted to make a huge difference in this world, but I felt like failure because I was so attached to the results that I forgot my vision for the business and for the world. I regained this vision after started a leadership program called Ascension Leadership Academy.

Here's a fun little back story of how I learned about ALA, which is short for Ascension Leadership Academy.

A little over a year ago, I created my free community on FB for Mindful Moms Movement, which is still active and I'll include a link to it in the show notes. This community is a place for moms to come and feel welcomed, just as they are. It's a place where we can share about any and all things motherhood. Whether it's struggles or celebrations, we're here to support, lift each other up, inspire and empower each other to be the best mom, wife and individual possible. As you know, motherhood is challenging, especially when we do it alone. So it's been beautiful to see the community grow to be a space where moms from all walks of life can feel included, heard, and important. I am so happy that it's become a place to have real conversations and get real, judgement-free perspective.

Although that community was great for sharing, it was lacking the true, deep connections with other Moms that I, and many of the women in the community desired. It was lacking structure and accountability for growth. This is when I started to think about how I could create this platform for Moms that could include all those things. A place for us to lean on each other, learn form each other and, this part is super important to me, a place to laugh together and form lasting friendships. Ultimately, it would be a place of transformation for Moms, giving them access to a community that is eager to improve themselves and those around them.

I knew I wanted to create some kind of membership site that could offer this for Moms. I knew it was needed. I wanted this for myself, the women in my community wanted this, but I had no idea how to make it happen. This is where my limiting beliefs, and the core message of this episode comes in. I had so much fear, hesitation, and self-doubt that I could build something worthy.  Who I am, I thought. Who would trust me enough to be part of this community that I know will such a positive impact on the world? I have zero experience starting a membership site. I have zero expert knowledge on any of the topics I wanted the community to learn together like strengthening marriage, parenting, physical and mental health, finances, organization. All I knew is that, I wanted this to be a platform for us to all learn from each other, especially me. I am learning right along side all the other Moms.

I was really struggling with the idea of starting something else when I felt like my plate was already full to the max caring for my family and managing IZZAROO. I happen to be talking to my friend Cortney about how I was feeling and the community I wanted to create, which you by the way, is now up and running and it's called Mindful Moms Movement Mastermind Community, I'll link to it in the show notes. I told her I wanted to create this community around authentic relationships, learning, growth and fun for moms, but I had zero confidence I could do it. I was constantly comparing myself to other successful women in the similar space of empowering other moms. I didn't realize it at the time, but this was self-sabotage. I let my lack of confidence, lack of trust in myself, lack of self-worth, comparison and perfectionism tendencies sabotage my desire to help people and make an impact in this world.

Cortney happened to be going through this leadership program called Acension Leadership Academy, ALA for short. She told me this program is designed to help leaders step into their power by identifying and shedding their self-limiting beliefs that hold them back. I thought, that is exactly what I need. I wanted to sign up right then and there, but first, I had to run it by my husband, Chris first. And since Chris is a researcher, I had to do my due diligence and research before committing to anything. So that's what I did, I searched on google, found some great reviews, but also found some strange ones, too, that had the word cult in it. At this point, I was super suspicious and weirded out. I asked her about it and discovered that since the program is all based on experiences that can't be shared because it would ruin the experience for anyone that goes through it, it has this secretive aspect to it and gives off that cultish feel.  Once I got past that this wasn't a cult, I asked for references of people who had gone through it before to see what they got out of the program, especially from a business aspect. They said they learned tools from this program they use everyday that allows them to connect and communicate with their current clients and attract the clients they want. They said it had a massively positive impact on their business relationships and revenue.  I was sold, but then I thought...how was I going to get childcare for my kids so I could go, how was I going to pay $3500 for it. I had never been away from my kids for more than one day other than for a death in the family. I had never invested this much money on self development, the max I've done is purchased self development books, but even then, I'd try to take advantage of free books at the library because I couldn't justify spending the money on myself.  Again, this low self-worth was another story I was telling myself. I didn't deserve to spend time or money on myself - it felt selfish as a Mom to do this. After talking to so many ALA alums for hours and hearing their testimony first hand, I was convinced this would help me grow my business. Little did I know, what I would get out of this program goes waaaay beyond business and affects every single area of my life.

This program is all about building emotional intelligence and effective communication skills. Let me tell you, after the first weekend, level 1 of ALA, I was blown away. Since I can't tell you specifics, I'll just say the experiences I went through had me dig so deep into my past that it uncovered a ton more things that were affecting me, limiting me, than I didn't even realized. I had no clue I still carried the weight of my childhood experiences with me and they have such a huge impact on why I have so much fear, shame, guilt, embarrassment and that feeling of being stuck, as an adult. Through the process in that first level, I experienced unconditional self acceptance and self-love for who I am. I forgave everyone that had hurt me in my past. And I learned to love so deeply - like a love I'd always been yearning for but never knew how to achieve.  I learned to let down all my walls so that I could give and receive love in the most pure and beautiful way. For the first time in forever, I loved myself completely, realized my worth and the power I have to make a difference in this world. After that weekend, I was creating massive ripple effects of positivity into the world, with my kids in tow. I realized that I am the source of positivity. And this is what you get to learn from listening today. You are the the source of your own happiness. You are the creator of your environment. And ultimately, you have the control and it all stems from the beliefs you have of ourself. Once you can identify what is not serving you, you have the ability to shift out of that mindset and redefine that moment.

I had such a great experience with level 1 that when I started level 2, I thought, how could they possibly make it any better. You guys, let me tell you, Level 2 had some of the most impactful moments I have ever experienced in my lifetime. It was the source of my transformation. I walked out of there with so much confidence in myself and so much clarity in my vision on how I could help the world be a better place. 

I suffer from harboring an insane amount of resent in my relationships, especially with my husband.  As a result of what I learned, we were able to have the most intimate conversations and interactions we've ever had in the past 17 years we've been together. This all stemmed from my new level of courage and confidence I gained in the program.  It truly allowed me to let go of all the shame, guilt, embarrassment that was keeping me from being my authentic self with my husband. It elevated our marriage to a new level of vulnerability and honesty. I had no idea I was holding so much back in my marriage and it was affecting the connection with my husband. In hindsight, what I thought was so expensive, seems so little compared to what my transformation and the transformation of my marriage is worth. I can't even put a price tag on how much it's worth to me now.

In level 2, I learned tools to break through the limiting beliefs that were discovered in level 1. I learned how to shift quickly out of victim mentality and into becoming my own hero. Without giving away the experiences, I'll give you a tip on how to do this yourself. Know nothing is more powerful than you, except for those thoughts in your head. If they are negative thoughts that are not serving you, they will take over, become more powerful and create fear in you. And this is what FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. Those thought that are relentless and never stop - are false, it is false evidence that is appearing real because you mind cannot distinguish what is reality and what is not. That's why visualization is so powerful and we have the ability to manifest things we visual and believe in. If you can identify that the narrative going on in your head is false, you have the ability to shift and get out of that state of fear that keeps you from your greatness.

Every level of this training has just been more impactful than the level before. Right now I am currently in level 3, which is when I get to practice what I learned in the first 2 levels in real-life. I get to practice identifying my behavior and thoughts that are not serving me, not aligning with my vision and practicing shifting into ways of being that do serve me.  In this level, I have access to a ton of coaches to help me along the way. I ever feel like I'm failing, they're there to remind me how powerful I am. The coaches, along with my entire SD26 team is the most incredible support system I've had. And the connections are truly unbreakable and I consider these people my family. I've never felt so loved in my life. 

During level 3, I get to see how i've been showing up in my relationships, most importantly, how I have NOT been showing up for people. I get to be there, as support for my family, friends, and YOU!  Right now, during this podcast, I get to shift into an intimate 1-on-1 conversation with just you. If you're still listening, something you've heard has resonated with you to keep you listening. So I want to ask you... what is YOUR vision for the world? What dreams do YOU have? And most importantly, what's keeping you from achieving them? If you're anything like me, you're guilty of setting the same goals every single year, especially on NYE. I'll finally gonna go to the gym 5 days a week, I'll finally eat healthy and take care of my body, I'll finally start that business I've been talking about, I'll get at least 7hrs of sleep at night, I'll finally have a relationship with my sister i've lost touch with, I'll finally have the marriage of my dreams. 

We have such great intentions, but without the follow through and accountability, our dreams are just that and they never become reality. This is what level 3 does, in 3 short months, we achieve what most people would take 2 years to achieve. Launching this podcast is a direction reflection of the accountability in ALA that helped me achieve this massive goal of mine. So whatever your goals are, this program can give you the leadership skills needed to achieve them.

As a creative, one of my favorite things about ALA is how beautifully orchestrated all their experiences are. Some of the things they do make me laugh, they are seemingly unrelated, super fun, silly and crazy, but they all tie back to the inner transformation that is meant to occur. I geek out over how creative their process is. Just to give you an idea, I woke up one morning after a full day of training and my abs were on fire. Can you believe I laughed so much the night before that my abs were sore because of it?! It's hard to explain words how great it is. In addition to being the most transformative process I've gone through, it's been the most invigorating and joyful thing I've ever experienced. If you've been following what i do with IZZAROO and Mindful Moms you know how important fun is to us, so I love that ALA aligns so well with my vision for the world and the good I am spreading through my business. That's why I'm here whole-heartedly promoting this program. It may sounds like some ad, but it's not. I am not being sponsored or compensated for any of this. It's just coming from my heart.  I am sharing my experience because it's had such a positive impact on my life and you have the opportunity also. You all have the opportunity to experience your own freedom and I want to help be part of that. I want you to love yourself so fully, your cup is overflowing and you have enough for the world. I want you to see your dreams come true. 

The truth is, your life is now. And you get to have everything you ever wanted. Going through this program has showed me that I CAN have everything (good health, family, marriage, business, everything) and you can you. I want to be that person that helps you get everything you ever wanted. I am a real person, not just a voice on a podcast. Contact me and I will personally reply and schedule a time for us to talk. I created this podcast because I WANT to connect with you, so reach out. If this is an invitation you've been waiting for, I'm waiting to hear from you.

If you're listening to this and you already know you want to sign up, just head to alasandiego.com. Be sure to add my name, Mary To-Saturnio, as the person that referred you, not because I'm getting any cut from it what so ever, like I said before. This is not an ad, but it's for me to be part of your experience. That's right, I get to be a real, physical part of your experience in the program and help support you through the process. And we'll likely be BFF's afterwards, just so you know. So what are you waiting for, go sign up or email me to connect and I can tell you more.

I hope you enjoyed this episode the Mindful Moms Movement Podcast. Did you know that we have an exclusive community with Moms from around the world to have conversations just like this. Conversations that are vulnerable and authentic about motherhood. It's total free and I want you to join, go to Facebook.com/groups/mindfulmomsmovement. 

If you are really ready to up-level and take real action on creating an abundant, joy-filled, and intentional life - I created a community just for us Mommas, that's right, I'm very active in there and I want you to come hang out with me. It's called Mindful Moms Movement Mastermind Community. In there, we have moms from all walks of life forming authentic relationships that support and inspire each other to be the best mom and wife we can be for our family. We meet face to face on virtual zoom calls, form authentic friendships with other moms, learn from and have access to experts to help us improve our health, parenting, marriage, finances and so much more. We have high levels of accountability to achieve our goals and my favorite part, we have a lot of fun together! We have challenges that remind us to have fun with our kids and husbands. Let's face it, Mom life can get really overwhelming and stressful and unless we're intentional about having fun, it just doesn't happen. For more details on how to join the community head to mindfulmomsmovement.com.

Thanks for tuning in. You can find all the show notes at izzaroo.com/podcast/005. Let's be friends on Instagram and Facebook, you can find me @mindfulmomsmovement. If you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast to get notified every time a new episode is released. When you have a minute, leave a us a rating or review, and share the podcast with your friends on social media. it really helps us get found and be able to serve more people.  I appreciate you more than you know. Until the next episode keep creating a legacy of intention and fun.  See ya next time!

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