Welcome to See'rs, Be-ers, Knowers and Doers, a podcast about intuition. Do you know what that is? Intuition to me is that inner sense for knowing that something is true and yet I have no proof, but there's so many definitions and there's so many ways it can come and what you need to bring together and share with you some amazing guests who have some amazing life stories and also some insights into how intuition can come and I'm looking to gather those crows in the trees.
I hope you're one of them. I hope that this podcast inspires you to be more connected to your intuition and I hope that by doing that we make the world a better place. Thanks for coming on this journey with me. I guess today is someone who can be a great example to all of us. She has a huge heart. She fly fishes. She's been a world class athlete, she's a world traveler, and she's someone who isn't afraid to look deeper within herself to find what truly brings her joy in life.
My guest today is Emily Rodger . I am super excited to have Emily. Roger joined me today. We had a serendipitous meeting probably in January and since then I feel like a kindred spirit . So thanks for joining me today, Emily. It's been wonderful to connect with you again.
Yeah, thank you Heather for having me. And we were supposed to be meeting face to face today , um , but due to the unique times in this world right now we are chatting via telephone, which is lovely in itself and I look forward to connecting with you face to face very soon.
Yeah, me too. We'll see where the world goes here. But uh, I'm pretty certain if we all behave we'll be okay and be able to do that sooner rather than later. Yes, absolutely. So Emily, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Well, I am from new Brunswick and born in Ontario, but pretty much I 've spent the majority of my life in new Brunswick. I come from a family of four girls,, the second youngest f ew nieces. If you n ephews, just a very j ust beautiful family. I just feel very, very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.
I worked as a dental hygienist for a while after university and then I got into sports and started racing a bike road racing race at the professional level and y ou k now, had success in that and also had a lot of hardships and decided to take a step back from that about a year ago and just pursue other things that I have found that I am passionate about in life.
And so now I am most of my time fly fishing and, u h, you know, still do a little bit of w orking and still involved in the cycling community, but my heart is on the water and this last year and a half I've just been traveling to incredible places and just kind of, you know, pursuing opportunities that have opened up. So that's, yeah, I guess that's a little bit about me
for sure. So how on earth did you get involved in fly fishing? Like that's quite a leap. Like, did you fish when you were a kid? Was this something that's involved in your family? Like what was your exposure to fly fishing?
Well, I was exposed to fishing as a kid for sure. Um , I have a lot of memories of being out with my dad fishing at the cottage and, but I had a really bad, like a two really bad cycling crashes. And back in 2013 I was hit by a car while riding my bike. You know, air lifted to a trauma hospital in critical condition, broken bones , brain injury, multiple, you know, soft tissue damage , um, facial injuries.
And while recovering from that physically, the thing that I struggled with the most was the emotional and , um, mental of recovery from that and from the trauma that I experienced. And , um, you know, I got right back to racing as soon as I was physically able to do so and back to training, but I wasn't happy and like there was just this joy that was missing from my life.
And I, you know, there was one day in particular that I remember just kind of reflecting back on, you know, that that child like joy that I found on my bike, like I needed that back. And that's kinda when memories , actually a fishing as a kid came back to me and a memory in particular of being like four or five years old and being down at a brook by my parents' house.
And there were these brook trout in there and I would try and catch them and then I would try and make little homes and the Brook for them and then they would always get out and we're trying to catch them again. And even just thinking about those memories of how captivated I was by these fish and the beautiful Brook that they got to live in. And it just felt like a fairytale to me, you know, being in that moment as , as a kid and how joyful that was.
And that was the joy that I was missing in my life. And so the more I thought about that, the more I thought, huh, fly fishing and it wasn't something I've ever been to exposed to before. You know, my dad didn't fly fish. Um, it's not like I had a boyfriend who fly fish which, both of those tend to be ways a lot of people get into it. It just, it just naturally just came to me.
And so I went out, I tried it when it was some guides learned and I just love to be out there and I loved to be out there on my own. And so I continued, you know, I would fish on my recovery days while I was racing and training. And then I was actually racing in France and the 2017 and had just won UCI grant funder world championships over there. And this is my second time winning that race. And then the following week I was in a stage race in France and stage one , um, for, it's like still.
It's amazing how, how just such traumatic experience can just , uh, yeah, pull at your heartstrings. But , uh , well I can only imagine Emily, I , yeah. So I was hit by a car , um, again, just descending down a mountain at very high speed. And , uh , my goodness, you know, luckily again lived to tell that story, but By the Grace of God. Absolutely. By the grace of God. Yes. And you know, I spent eight days in hospital and France, broken bones again and my right shoulder was pretty busted up.
And so that was a time where, you know, not only was I may have been able to ride my bike, but now I wasn't even able to fish. And it was in that moment that , or in that week that I really became aware as to how passionate I was. And I was in France by myself and didn't have family with me. I didn't have friends over there who were with me. And , uh, you know, so it was just me and God. And you know, after that I did go back and I raced again.
I was able to get back on the bike a few months later when bones were healed and I raced it that season. And then there was one race. It was actually in New Mexico and the real just kind of eye opening experience, but my heart was not in it anymore. And I just knew right then that it was time for me to step back from the racing. And you know, at first I said, okay, well I'll just give it a couple of months.
And I talked to my coach about it and the plan was that I was going, that was in may, the plan was that I was going to go in September and race world championships again. And so it kept training throughout the summer and my power numbers, fitness, everything was just like on point. And I knew that I had what it takes to what it took to go back and defend my world title for the third time and about a month before the race and then opportunity opened up to go down and fly fish and Beleze.
And I just knew like that invite came and I knew that was where I was supposed to be. And so yeah, I went on that trip and I didn't raise my bike and it was probably one of the best choices I've ever made. And since then just more opportunities keep opening. And so you have fly fishing. I guess it's just kind of found me
beautiful. Well and I am so glad you listened. You don't want to tempt fate three times.
Yes. Yes. And even with your, you know, your podcasts . Yes. Essence of your podcast is on intuition and looking back at, even for my second accident when I was over racing in France, I knew prior to that that I shouldn't have been over there racing at that time. And that was a prime example of I did not listen to my intuition and you know, look what happened. And yes, by the grace of God I was saved.
But it just kind of was a Testament more and more to trust those instincts, to trust those spiritual knowings of when you know that something is not right and to not let your pride and not let your ego get in the way of what maybe your plan in life really is.
Yes. It's so true. I mean you had pretty harsh lessons though, like , but it can be as harsh and profound is what you've lived through or it can be so simple and tiny in another way. But I'm so also intrigued that the spark of joy came from your childhood because I'm a firm believer that that's when we're most connected to our spark of joy and that's when we're most connected to our intuition too , right?
I mean it hasn't been stamped out of us in some ways it can be stamped out of us because the ego develops or the influence of the outside world takes over or whatever the case may be. So like when you said that, Oh, I did that when I was a kid. I'm like, of course you did. How lovely. Thank you so much for sharing your story of how you got here. I didn't realize the story. We hadn't talked about that before. So thank you so much for sharing that. So how does your intuition show up for you?
How does it come into your life?
Well, I'm a Christian and for me intuition is just my, my way of knowing. Just that feeling inside, whether it is hearing it from God or just feeling that I either should be doing something or shouldn't be doing something and t my intuition.
I had just learned to, to trust, to trust in God and that he is faithful and that he will show me the way if I just kind of sit quietly and learn to listen and that, that listening, whether it's intuition or however you want to call it, it's just that that inner way of knowing and yeah, I mean just for so much experiences it's just made me be able to trust that more and more and it just made me become more aware as to how powerful it is.
Well, and we're in this precarious time where so many people are well we are, we are self isolating here just like so many in the world are. And that's part of the reason why we're doing this on the phone today or is the reason why we're doing this on the phone today and we , we talked a little bit before podcast recording about how we're all being given this opportunity to be still and be silent and be with ourselves more in some instances.
I mean if you've got a house full of kids right now, finding stillness may be difficult but it might be something to teach the children as well because I think, you know, not being a parent, I admire parents who parent and, and the amount of engagement that's involved mentally, physically, emotionally is incredible.
But to, to learn to play on our own, to learn to be still in our own space is something that I've had to learn in the last 10 years cause I used to run, I used to come home, go shop, come home, go shop. Like being still with myself when I worked corporately was not on the radar screen. Like I had to be out with people. I'm an extrovert. But now I don't know if it's partly being 50 or just the evolution of what's happened to me in the last 10 years.
My personal love of self isolation is almost something I protect. It's like don't come to my house unless you invite it . But it's an interesting time. It's an interesting time. And you, you shared some of that before the call, so I just wanted to bring that into the conversation.
Yeah, for sure. Well it's even, I mean right now, like I spent so much time traveling and being in other countries that I just so happened to be home last week for a visit when all of this happened. So I do feel very blessed that I am not one of the ones kind of scrambling to try and find a way home right now. But you know , I think a lot of people would look at me or know me and really think that I am an extrovert and much like you, I did live so much of my life just like on the go.
Always, always, always had to be doing something. And it was actually a few years ago that I just like really put thought into that and I was like, Emily, what is that about that you just always have to be chasing something, always having to be doing something. And it was a lot of stuff that I of worked through and now I love my quiet time so much.
Like I can just go radio silence for like a week at a time and I just think in a time of such a, I mean there's just so much sadness, so much grief, so much uncertainty going on in the world right now, but for those of us who are not in the healthcare field or who not, who are not in a position where we can be on the front lines helping right now, that the time just really look after yourself and whether you're with the family and looking after your family or just being on your own, self
isolation. I just value this time that we have to just sit still to be quiet, to be with our thoughts and time is precious and to not be just kind of living in anxiety of just wanting this to be over. Yes of course we all want this to be over and that will happen. But you know, just embrace every day for what it is.
Yeah. Well and there is this opportunity to get back to those childlike fun things like start coloring, start drawing, start playing music starts doing something that brings you joy or reflect on what brought you joy. I think that's been a fun thing for me to witness some of the people in my circle doing is that they are engaging their creative side way more because they have the time to, because they're not able to work for eight hours a day.
And and yet I so feel for the people that are still in the overwork place cause they, there's that other side of the population that's, and that's where our kindness and compassion thing have to be directed is to those people to keep them, keep them okay. So is there something that you find can be helpful to people who are in that still state and finding it uncomfortable? I can't put words on it. I don't even know how it happened with me.
But have you had reflection in your, in your time fishing or other in your time traveling that you know, how do people that transition to allowing this stillness, is it just surrender? Is it just getting through the uncomfortable part? I, I can't put words on what my process was. I haven't really thought about it until I've said these words. But in case you have knowing.
Yeah, I think that the surrendering is a lot of it for sure. And also letting go of the world thinks that you should be, I mean I think it'd be kind of live in a world where like we are kind of expected to constantly be doing something all the time and we're, we're always told that, you know, you have a goal, we'll get up there and do it. You want to achieve something, we'll just get up there and do it. Just make it happen.
Like we're taught to just push through, push through, push through all the time when sometimes we just need to sit back and think, okay, well is that goal of really something that I want to be doing? What is that about again? Is that pride? Is that ego, is that like what is the feeling going to be when I accomplish that and am I going to get everything out of it that I'm hoping to get from it? Mm.Yeah, that's it . It's a good question.
Yeah. Well it just struck me that we had this opportunity in case there's people that are struggling with that aspect that are listening. It's like, Oh well we've, we've come across the other side and, and how did we do that? A let me think about that. I'm not sure, but I think a lot of it too for me was having the time to go out in nature in my busy corporate world, going for a walk before work just wouldn't happen.
But once I stopped working and had the dogs every day, we were getting in the car and I was going out to the woods and I was walking in the woods for 40 minutes to an hour. And I think in that space where it was just me and my dogs in the woods, I think that's where my reward of being alone and still, and that's still to this day when I do my gratitude and my , my morning prayers is always like, it's almost like Pavlov's dog. I get out into the woods and Oh blah , hi, thank you.
Wow. Oh my goodness. You know, like it's the woods will trigger that nature triggers that. But I think I had to get into nature first to be rewarded for stillness. Now that I reflect on it.
Yeah. And I think that whether that's out in nature or wherever it is, because surprisingly enough, not everyone is outdoors . The people, which like baffles my mind is that you can't be, but they're not. And that's okay. But one thing that I, I do, and I've done this for a long time actually and now let me back at like 10 15 years ago when I was just running and I'd be out running and just feel so good and I would outloud, I would kind of say that to myself like, gosh, this feels good.
And just being, being aware of that, being aware of those moments where you are happy, where you are content invoicing that because our words are powerful. Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. And then other side of that is that when something doesn't feel good, it's like, okay, why am I doing that? And whether that is people who you surround yourself with, which sometimes you could maybe be with a group or it would people in there , certain people or you just don't feel good about it.
You get home and it's like, gosh, what was that about? Talking it over with yourself, processing it. Because as we process certain things, so much other stuff kind of opens up in the meantime.
And it's that pause and asking those difficult questions sometimes that we just are on autopilot and when we actually assess the situation, that's when the intuition comes in. That's when the knowing shows up sometimes is when we allow the listening to happen. When we ask the question, it's like, Oh, there's the answer cause all the answers are inside or We're in that direct optic connection. If we just stop and listen or ask the question,
yeah , no for sure.
Or maybe we don't get the answer we want. Maybe maybe the answer doesn't come, but it's because we need time to gather more information.
Learning to be patient. That is one that I had struggled with and I like to think I have overcome it in a lot of ways but it's like, yeah , I mean gosh, we live in a world where it's instant gratification and we want answers and we want answers now and we want to be able to figure things out. Right now on our own. It's like, no, just slow down, wait for God's timing on it all.
Yeah, it is true. We don't control the timing and usually it's perfect timing. It's , well always it's perfect timing. It's just not our timing necessarily, so we don't see the whole picture
and that has something that like for me, for being an athlete and training myself to be an athlete that is a year constantly training towards achieving goals and kind of conditioned that like the more work you put in, the better and which isn't always necessarily the case. Yeah, just kind of taking it slow and ultimately if you are very driven and very tuned with yourself in all aspects, then things will all eventually unfold as to where they should be and what you should be doing.
Yeah. I'm still reflecting on you going to Belize like how cool.
Yeah. Oh , it's all kinds of surreal experiences with it , that's for sure.
So if people want to see your adventures, I know that you publish them on social media.
I do, yeah. There is quite a bit of stuff I do share. Not all of them because sometimes I'm just out there just for me, but no, a lot of that I do share them through Instagram. It's @ Emily Rodger RODG ER or on my Facebook page as well, which is just under my name Emily Rodger.
I've virtually traveled with you already
and a lot of people have and I love that so much. I was actually at a Denver fly fishing show in January and there was nine different people who came up to me and were like, we followed your story on, you know when you went to the Rio marae in Brazil and they have since have booked trips. A few of them, a few of them are planning trips for 2021 and yeah, it's pretty exciting that you know, me just kind of going and doing what I love to do.
That encourages and inspires people to do that for themselves.
Yeah, I think it's lovely. It's that aspect that is part of why I started this podcast, because if people just all did what brought them joy, and I know there's things in the world that need to function and we can't all be those people, but maybe there's the hobby aspect of life. If he can eat, go time to do the things that bring you joy. I just think that the world would be a happier place.
I agree.
Well, thank you so much Emily, for sharing with us today. I really appreciate your time and I do have this feeling we'll be doing this again.
Thank you so much Heather and God bless you and stay safe and say social distancing and self isolating and soon enough we will connect in person.
Looking forward to it. Thank you, Emily Thank you so much for giving us your time today. We truly appreciate our guests for sharing their stories and insights about how intuition has impacted their lives and I'm so grateful for Peter trainer for his time and giving me this original music. It's now your turn. It's your turn to listen and act on your own intuition and help make the world a better place. Until next time, keep seeing being, knowing and doing.
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