This weeks episode I share more about my Gratitude Grams. A new card deck I created in April. It is a 54 card deck full of hope, inspiration and motivation. I created all the art work on each card and wrote each saying on the back. These cards are intended to be a useful tool in your toolbox. Pull these out when you feel stuck or alone or in your head. They will guide you back home to your heart again and again and again.
Soon these cards will be available for purchase on my website but if you’re interested in a deck please let me know.
I hope you enjoy the card I pulled for us this week.
In Gratitude,
Rachel

Friends,
Lets just start talking about fear. I barely scratched the surface but I hope this episode fills you with hope, love and the understanding of how wonderful this one and precious life is.
Our fears are stopping us. Holding us back. Slowing us down. We see right now a powerful movement happening across our country where they are using their FEAR to create change and peace – so powerful. That reminder – we can use fear to propel us, to grow us, to teach us or to stop us. How are you using it?
This poem also, I shared today from Joy Harjo. A Native American poet. Such incredible words.
I Give You Back
Joy Harjo
I release you, my beautiful and terrible fear.
I release you. 
You were my beloved and hated twin, but now, I don’t know you as myself. 
I release you with all the pain I would know at the death of my daughters. 
You are not my blood anymore.
I give you back to the white soldiers who burned down my home, beheaded my children, raped and sodomized my brothers and sisters. 
I give you back to those who stole the food from our plates when we were starving. 
I release you, fear, because you hold these scenes in front of me and I was born with eyes that can never close.
I release you, fear, so you can no longer keep me naked and frozen in the winter, or smothered under blankets in the summer. 
I release you I release you I release you I release you. 
I am not afraid to be angry, 
I am not afraid to rejoice. 
I am not afraid to be back. 
I am not afraid to be white. 
I am not afraid to be hungry, 
I am not afraid to be full. 
I am not afraid to be hated. 
I am not afraid to be loved,
to be loved, to be loved, fear. 
Oh, you have choked me, but I gave you the leash.
You have gutted me but I have you the knife. 
You have devoured me, but I laid myself across the fire. 
I take myself back, fear. 
You are not my shadow any longer. 
I won’t hold you in my hands. 
You can’t live in my eyes, my ears, my voice, my belly, or in my heart 
my heart my heart my heart. 
But come here, fear.
I am alive and you are so afraid of dying.
 
Friends, thank you so much for your support. Share this episode with a friend and don’t forget to leave us a review on how ever you listen to the podcast!
In Gratitude,
Rachel

Friends,
Leaning in strong to this quote from Desmond Tutu “If you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor” I have chosen to share on this weeks episode on how we as a family are having bigger conversations to be a better ally, to take off blinders and support our friends.
I have to use my platform to make sure folks know where I stand – for peace and love and justice for all, not for those that only look like me.
I wanted to share in today’s show notes – resources that have been shared with me. I am also saying as a community can we raise some money to donate. This week – you can venmo me (@racheldesrochers11 or PayPal – Rachel.desrochers@gmail.com ANY size donation – $2 ADDS UP) and I will take all funds raised and donate them to two organizations- Mortar Cincinnati & Rachel Cargle.  I have chosen them – one locally and one nationally who are doing real work to help PROGRESS our communities and RAISE up black people, entrepreneurs and help us learn better.
I wanted to share resources with us- start reading, start talking, start widening your circle. NOW IS THE TIME.
I love this site for kids resources: https://www.prettygooddesign.org/blog/Blog%20Post%20Title%20One-5new4?fbclid=IwAR0YVodiKKazD3neCjbiyYS4ZzD-ctRVFJUuQB7qvgiJoWrJfywBkFja_RU
I have ordered – The Hate you Give & Dear Martin for my kids to read this summer. I will also be ordering This Book Is AntiRacist for them but it is currently sold out – EVERYWHERE.
Live in Cincinnati? Check out this very extensive list of Black Owned spots in town. Support them. I know we will get to Black Coffee Lounge this week and will also be grabbing some Kombuchinnati too.
Looking to diversify your social media?
Here are some folks I am really loving (and some new ones too) and LEARNING a ton from right now- these are their instagram handles. These are mostly black and some white who are allies and creating great resources for white women to learn from!
@Rachel.cargle
@kylawoodstv
@wearemortar
@iamrachelricketts
@morethanpeach
@blackandembodied
@jessicawilson.msrd
@nettaaaaaaaa
@desireeadaway
@morgandebaun
@morganharpernichols
@missymisdemeanorelliott
@thelovelandfoundation
@ebonyjanice
@theconsciouskid
@theblackfairygodmotheroffical (she’s amazing!!)
@mspackedyetti
@amandaseales
@catpowerofficial
Here are more groups you can donate too:
Greater Cincinnati Association of Black Journalist (GCABJ)
Cincinnati Bail Fund
Mortar
Black Lives Matter
Ohio Justice & Policy Center
Books that friends are reading:
Stamped By Jason Reynolds & Dr. Kendi
White Fragility
Americana
A Black Woman’s History of the United States
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
Anything by Dr. Ibram Kendi (I just put in my queue – How to Be an Antiracist)
Friends, I am so grateful to be doing better work to learn and be a better ally. That is where it all begins – in our own hearts. I appreciate your support and love and please share this with anyone you know who needs to hear it. We can keep adding to these resources. We can and we must keep showing up.
In love and gratitude and peace,
Rachel

Grace. An action. An offering.
In this weeks episode I talked about extending grace as we are slowly waking up from our pandemic. That deep reminder- we can’t do any of this work for others if we are not doing it for ourselves. Where do you need to extend your self grace?
Three thoughts on my heart right now:
What world do I want to wake up to?
Go slow. Slower. Don’t rush. 
Hold the prayer – hold it. 
I hope right now that we all lean in a little bit further. I hope that we give ourselves a little grace and we also offer that to others around us. The great unknown is quite magnificent and unnerving. We will be ok. We have grace on our side.
Hope you enjoy this weeks episode! Don’t forget to share this episode with a friend or on your social media! As always thanks for tuning in!
In Gratitude,
Rachel
 

In the dictionary advocating is defined as: “a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy”. In this weeks episode I tried to dismantle this thought a bit.

* What is advocating
* Who are we advocating for
* SELF advocacy is where it has to start
* STAND UP and so much more

I hope you enjoy this weeks episode. I scratched the surface here. I want to keep coming back – we dig deeper over time. We have to start before we finish.
I hope you walk away from this episode with a confidence of starting for no one else but yourself. YOU matter.
In Gratitude,
Rachel

Sharing in episode 25 more on grief.

* How grief is showing up, affecting us and how to use it for healing.
* Grief is this big emotion that has just come and sat upon our laps the last 9 weeks of quarantine.
* I share more how I am getting through all these big feelings right now!
* Can you grieve and be grateful at the same time?

Shared Marianne Williamson’s – Return to Love. A great book if you’ve not read it yet. The line “If we want to be rid of the darkness, we must turn on the light” 
In Gratitude,
Rachel

Friends,
A gentle reminder – you are doing enough right now. Enough teaching your kids. Enough cooking. Enough cleaning. Enough working. Enough doing. Please make sure you slow down, rest, enjoy. This time as weird and as challenging as it may be a gentle reminder that you deserve to slow down, to get some much needed and long over due rest.
How will you find ways to rest this week?
I am hoping for some time in our hammock, a social distance visit with a friend and hopefully some painting. All ways I’ve found to slow down and just be.
In Gratitude,
Rachel
Ps: EXCITING NEWS ALERT- Episode 24 of In Gratitude is finally done. After a lovely 6 month break it feels good to be back. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Stacy is a woman I was so lucky to connect with a few years ago. She leads with such an authentic open heart and is here to do good deep work. I am grateful to bring her story here to share with you all!
More about Stacy:
Stacy Sims is a mind-body educator, wellness activist and author. She is the founder of The Well.World which encompasses City Silence, an international network of community mindfulness gatherings, Mindful Music Moments, an innovative school program combining mindfulness and music, and the True Body Project, an award-winning trauma-informed wellness program to help girls and women, men and boys connect to their best selves and each other.
Sims is also a novelist, playwright and children’s books author. She has produced multiple site-specific performance works as part of her social practice of gathering stories out of community engagement.
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do!
In Gratitude,
Rachel

Episode 22 – Nicole Chase
When I heard Nicoles story I knew I wanted to share it with you all!
Nicoles story is about advocating for herself, being brave and asking for what she needed. This isn’t a sales pitch either though I have to say I typically have diffusers going in my house with doTerra Oils. I love that she knew she had a purpose and so she shared her story, her vulnerability, her pain and said – we have to help more people.
I just honestly couldn’t believe that Kentucky has the highest rate of cancer in the US. I also couldn’t believe a local hospital wanted to integrate more holistic care. I just honestly couldn’t believe and knew that I wanted to share how powerful no matter how big or wild an idea is – the ASKING is where all the good stuff happens.
I love that modern medicine is really looking at natural ways to help ease the treatments on their patients. That they are finally speaking up about self care and integrative whole person care. I love that a local hospital took a stand and is trying something new. You hear this story and more in this weeks podcast!
You can connect with Nicole through email: nicssentials@outlook.com or on her Facebook page.
In Gratitude,
Rachel

Episode 21- Fr. Phillip DeVaul
I love a conversation that brings goodness to the world. This conversation definitely does just that. A few moments that brought me stopped in my tracks and biting my lip to not just start crying. Crying because when your heart opens to words that are so perfect – it moves you.
I hope this episode moves you the same way too.
We spoke about the church, the world today and our work in it. We shared openly about a lot here. I am grateful to this Priest who got real and honest and honest and real.
More about Fr. Phillip Devaul:Philip DeVaul is a husband, a father of three, and a priest in the Episcopal Church. He serves at The Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati. Philip is from California and New Hampshire, so he’s not an Ohio native, but he got here as soon as he could. He loves Jesus, Mexican food, Coen Brothers movies, sad songs, bourbon, and baseball. He believes that we were born from Love and born for Love, and he hopes to devote his life to the work of bringing people into relationships and communities of love that transform their lives.
 
In Gratitude,
Rachel
 

Friends! EPISODE 20!!
A couple firsts- This is my first episode talking to a few podcaster. YES! And super bonus, one of my first guest that I haven’t met before! This episode was so much fun! Also please excuse the phone calls from my mother, yep, good ol mother Mary called and well she keeps calling a couple times until I let her know I am on a call. (Yes I had airplane mode on too, go figure she can get through that some how!)  This is real life. It happens. And Brandon was so gracious about it all.
This conversation is so good. Brandon shared very much his journey as an entrepreneur and from the highs – a booming beverage biz to some lows – like eventually closing that said booming beverage biz. This is entrepreneurship – the starting, the doing, the growing, the pains, the highs and the lows. We talked so much more about the art of giving and helping and how we both feel at our best when we are doing that work. So much that Brandon said resonated with me, I hope you enjoy this so much!
Some great ways to connect with Brandon are below!
Find The Distiller Podcast at the links below:
Website: http://thedistillerpodcast.com
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-distiller/id1323100966
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4pVBz9zmjP2bb3FVchwjDA

Connect on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/distillerpodcast/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDistillerPodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDistillerPod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-distiller-podcast/


Hope you enjoyed this weeks episode, I know I sure did!

In Gratitude,
Rachel

Episode 19
I am grateful for this weeks convo. Whitney has been a friend for about 5 years, for me she is an expander, someone who helps me think bigger, believe that it is possible and can clearly see the way there. Her business brain is strong and yet so is her faith and will to do.  I love that Whitney left her “dream” corporate job for joy and purpose. We talk about this and so much more!
Books you heard in today’s episode:
“The Great Work of Your Life,” Stephen Cope
“Big Magic,” Liz Gilbert
“The Awakened Woman,” Tererai Trent
“Between Two Worlds,” Zainab Salbi
“The Artist’s Way,” (25th Ed) Julia Cameron
“Quantum Success,” Christy Whitman


Enneagram Resources:
“The Road Back To You,” Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile
“The Enneagram,” Helen Palmer
“The Enneagram in Love & Work,” Helen Palmer
“The Milleneagram,” Hannah Paasch


Cincinnati/NKY  Enneagram Offerings:
The Hive, various workshops coached by Leslie Hershberger and Claudia Lopez
Corporate Consciousness, Deni Tato, Executive Coach
If you attend church, check with your church


If you want to connect with Whitney you can find her on Instagram at @whitsbooks

If interested in contacting her directly for public speaking, workshops or coaching: whitneyeellison@gmail.com

Hope you enjoyed this weeks episode!

In Gratitude,
Rachel

PS: Want to hang out with me this week? Find me Tuesday at The Hive for “Gratitude on the Front Porch” you can find more info out here.

Hi Friends!
I am so excited to be back recording episodes for us. I so much love this platform, being able to share the stories of amazing people in our community and really just highlighting the abundance of good that is right in front of us!
Ena walked into my office last week and I knew right away I need to talk more to her. She just lit up the space in this way of being a crone (we talk more about this in the episode) and how as she is nearing 70 how she LOVES her work. How it brings her alive and how it is never too late to start. This.
Our conversation entailed her life in art, her new partnership with the YWCA and her upcoming art show.
You can find out more about her company and the upcoming art show by visiting her site here: https://www.ywcacincinnati.org/womens-art-gallery/ 
You can find Ena and Ten Talents Network on Facebook too!
Thank you Ena The Great for chatting and being part of In Gratitude!
 
In Gratitude,
Rachel

FRIENDS!
It has been too long. Summer. This odd time as a mom-preneur where balancing all the tasks and kids and work and home and more .. So things fall off and though I’ve missed making these episodes the slow down has been much appreciated.
I am excited to have my friend Reba on todays show. Reba is an author, her book Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome is her debut memoir that recounts her spiritual quest of experiencing thirty religions before her thirtieth birthday. We chatted about her book and we talked a lot about kindness. Reba even started a crazy kindness challenge for herself to help guide her out of a very deep depression. We talk about depression, tools and how the kindness of one stranger led her my way. It brought tears to my eyes. Seriously.
You can read more about Reba here.
Order her book here. 
It is good to be back, we have some amazing folks still to come and of course if you love this episode share it with a friend! Subscribe! Leave a review, you know all those groovy things!
In Gratitude,
Rachel

I am back after a week hiatus as life continued to settle into our summer routine! My dad Gerry Grubbs is back on In Gratitude and talk a lot more about grace, gratitude and of course poetry. He read multiple poems today that kept reminding of us on our journey to waking up. This process of waking up and being in a state of gratitude to further explore this amazing thing called life. From his own poems to Robert Frost to many others I hope you enjoy listening to the words that inspire and motivate.
You can catch Gerry teaching two classes this summer.
Communiversity – University of Cincinnati’s community campus. You can find out more about his class- The Practice of Writing to Develop Creativity here.
The Hive – Poetry class. Find out more about this class here.
I will be at The Hive for a fun 3 part series – Gratitude on the Front Porch in July/August/September.
Hope to see you all at The Good People Festival on July 21st – more details coming out soon!
In Gratitude,
Rachel
 
 

Oh! Episode 15 what a treat. Earlier this year I took Logan’s 2 week Ayurveda Spring Cleanse and it was SO SO GOOD! I was looking forward to talking to her to learn more about her practice and learn more about Ayurveda. Logan dropped so much good stuff in this episode. If you are looking for a way to learn about nourishing your self I’d definitely give her a follow to be part of her next cleanse. It was the first time I’ve done a cleanse that felt so gentle and nourishing! A game changer for sure.
Want to connect with Logan? Check out these links below!
flourishayurveda.com
IG @flourishayurveda
flourishayurveda@gmail.com

In Gratitude,
Rachel

Friends,
On this weeks episode I spoke with Sue Hunt & Dan Jensen founders, creators and dreamers of Live Lightly. They live in Taos New Mexico and have created an amazing platform for growth, healing, yoga and a new line of supplements. We talked about the work they are doing to help us find our way back to our core heart space. This work that they are creating is so important. We talked about food, yoga training, their travels and the new supplement line that all helps you live lightly.
It was such a pleasure talking to them both. I hope you enjoy this weeks episode. To learn more about them visit them at https://www.livelightlyyoga.com
Thanks to Chelsea Ford & The Trouble for the music.
Thanks to James DesRochers for production.
And thank you for listening in to hear new tips and tricks of living a life in gratitude.
 
In Gratitude,
Rachel

What is contemplation?
What is being mindfully engaged?
What is intentional social engagement?
In this weeks episode I had the honor to talk to Troy Bronsink who is the Founder/Director/Spiritual Direction of The Hive.
From their website: “The Hive cultivates mindfulness which manifests as creativity and intentional social engagement” It is a center for truly nurturing our creativity. In this episode we talked about all of these big terms and what the actually mean. We also talked about The Hive and how Troy’s mission for impact through this space is bringing the community together in new and amazing ways.
You can find out more about The Hive and how to become a member by visiting:
http://www.cincyhive.org
Troy thank you so much for this conversation. I am just in awe of the work you are doing and am super excited to be part of the Porch Series coming this July! (Stay tuned for more info)
Hope you enjoy this weeks episode. Now grab a friend and go grab a class at The Hive.
In Gratitude,
Rachel

I am super happy to share this weeks episode with you. I talked to a long time friend, a mother and a doula. Lisa Suttchenko has been mothering for 18 years and I’ve known her almost that entire time. I’ve always been in awe of her mothering as she pours out so much love and generosity. She has boundaries and has weaved her own self care in through the years. She is also a doula, a doula is a non medical person who provides guidance and support to pregnant women, so she is literally helping women become mothers.
I think we all need mothering. I also can count on my fingers and toes women who have never birthed a child who mother me, my family, our community, one another. This idea of mother as someone who loves unconditionally and is there this constant. I have a lot of love and gratitude to those mothers too.
On this episode we talked about all of this. We chatted about self care for mothers, mothering our self, watching women becoming mothers and so much more.
Lisa it was an absolute treat to talk to you. Thank you so much for sharing your mothering journey with us!
Ways to connect with Lisa:
Best Cincinnati Doulas

Facebook: Gentle Seed Doulas
Thank you Chelsea Ford & The Trouble for the music.
In Gratitude,
Rachel

So much good on this weeks episode. Rich Husseiny is an amazing man, dad and trainer. He shares with us how after a tragic loss he discovered his true self, his calling and all the things that made him come alive.
He is married to Anna Sugarman who you heard a few weeks ago. They cohost amazing retreats together which you can find out more at the link below.
Again, oh my my my the importance of breathe. I love this as a follow up – the next level from what Meriden from Cincy State of Being offered us a month ago – this is the next level. Keep growing. Keep breathing. Keep transforming into your highest selves. All because of the breathe.
Ways to connect with Rich:
https://www.husseinyperformance.com/olympic-essentials
Website info: https://www.husseinyperformance.com

Upcoming retreat information: https://www.husseinyperformance.com/retreats


Thanks to Chelsea Ford & The Trouble for the music.

In Gratitude,
Rachel