Welcome to the first Solidarity Sister mini SODE to give you a little bit of a snippet of goodness without having to commit to a longer episode. So here we are and I wanted to share two things today. One, a little bit about an experience I had after Recording the episode that I did with Heidi Lau, so that would have been episode four. And I was able to record that, you know, some weeks ago, even though it just came out this week.
And one of the things that she said stuck with me so much, which was about when someone loses a child, or I think you can extrapolate that to You know, a loved one to any loved one, rather than just saying, you know, I'm sorry for your loss, being able to reach out and give that person an opportunity to share a memory that they had. So I did that. I have a friend who lost her dad and it was super sad and I'm really sad for her and I didn't ever get to know her dad.
And this was an exchange that just happened on Facebook, but I reach out and I asked if she. had any memories as she felt comfortable sharing about her dad. And she talked about him being a musician and some of the recordings that they had of him and how special that was. And I thought about how she has some sons that are really into music as well and what a legacy that was.
And so we just had this little exchange on Facebook and I have to be honest, I don't know if that was uplifting to her in the way that it was to me. I have to just imagine that it was, but I felt a deeper connection to her than I would have had I just said, I'm sorry for your loss. I am sorry. I know she really loves her daddy a lot. And even though we're grownups it's still hard to lose your parents. But having that opportunity to use something I learned from the podcast, it was awesome.
I felt more connected to her and I really appreciated actually knowing that about her dad. And I think it helps keep his memory alive, to be able to share those memories. So that is a great tip if you haven't listened to that episode. There's a lot of good stuff in it. Also in knowing how to better show up for our friends when they have a child loss. So, I learned a lot there.
The second thing that I wanted to bring up was a little quote that I found that said, How beautiful would it be if we said to people we loved, I'm not feeling like my best self today. Can you remind me of who I am? And that person said a few reasons why they appreciate you for you. Appreciation and connection heal us. I thought that was such a beautiful sentiment and I was able to actually practice what I'm trying to preach here. I'm not really preaching, I'm just letting other people teach us.
Well, I learned to, but to lean into community this last week after I launched the podcast, I expected to feel this like rush of like accomplishment, feelings of triumph, like how great this is that I actually. brought this to fruition because I think of way more ideas than I actually am ever going to be able to implement. Let's be honest, this is the ADHD mind at work. There's a lot going on there.
And so I expected to just feel this rush of like, you know, satisfaction, I guess, and feel so good about it. And although I have felt good about every episode that I've recorded so far, even the ones that haven't been released yet and the conversations that I'm having. Instead of feeling those good feelings, I actually just felt really mired in anxiety and imposter syndrome and this whole like, you know, am I really the person to be doing this?
Can I really do something that's going to benefit people? Should I just be quiet? Am I really good enough, I guess, to do this? Is my showing up With such imperfection actually going to benefit people. I just experienced a lot of second guessing and the past me of the last couple of years would have just hidden away. And just sat with that and basically just kind of felt awful about myself and what I'm trying to do.
And instead, I reached out in a couple of places and I received the most beautiful and heartfelt responses of people who helped me remember why I'm here and why I'm doing this. And helped me to put my focus where it needed to be, which actually isn't about me. We're here to be together. It's not about me. It's about this community building. It's about learning from the fantastic people that I'm privileged enough to have as guests from what they're teaching us. It's about becoming.
better at reaching out and allowing others to reach back and receiving that, both giving and receiving. I really like saying it that way rather than the give and take, I think it's give and receive. And as I felt then more connected to the purpose of what Solidarity Sister is about, it isn't just meant to be a podcast, it is a movement.
By where women are able to feel less alone and more connected and the fact that I reached out in vulnerability to say basically here's where I am like I am second guessing myself. I'm feeling really down on myself. How do I combat these feelings of imposter syndrome? These responses were beautiful and uplifting and gave people the opportunity to serve me, which I'm sure they felt good about too. It was a really beautiful experience.
So I want to leave you these two takeaways in this mini sode that one, when you find that a friend of yours has lost a loved one, When it feels appropriate, or if it feels appropriate, ask to hear about a memory they have. It could be a specific memory, you know, a certain thing, like a favorite trip you took, for example. Or, it could just be more broad, but see how that connects you in grief, and gives that grief and that love a place to go and be seen.
And two, When you're feeling down, reach out to someone who can reflect your light back to you, even if you can't see it. And I would be happy to be that person for you. So, I hope you have a fantastic day and a fantastic weekend. And thank you for being part of the Solidarity Sister community.