We are in the last two weeks of the year. It’s exciting for some people, but for others, it’s a difficult time.

Endings can be hard. The end of the year. A breakup. A lost job. Your child graduating. Closing a business. Moving out of your home. Retiring.

There are so many endings in life. And those changes are tough. But those endings lead to new beginnings.

Tune in to discover five things to focus on to help you smoothly navigate the transition from ending to beginning.

Thank you for joining me today on the Story Shepherd podcast. Keep creating your epic life story movie.

Stories shape the world. They are that powerful. That is one of the main reasons literacy is so important.

So how can you use stories to promote literacy? You can start by sharing personal stories that make others want to know more.

You may not be a writer or a speaker, but you still have a story. That story is your life. You tell that story every day through your words, your actions, and your beliefs.

That story is the most important one you will ever tell.

That story has the power to motivate others. It has the power to inspire change. It has the power to promote literacy.

So what is your story?

Tune in to discover five ways to share your story, change the world, and leave a legacy.

Thank you for joining me today on the Story Shepherd podcast. Keep creating your epic life story movie.

The world is full of spectators and critics who love offering their opinions from the sidelines.

So stepping into the arena—the metaphorical battlefield of our ambitions—can be one of the hardest things we ever do. It demands a unique blend of courage, resilience, and determination.

These words from Theodore Roosevelt's famous speech resonate with profound clarity: "It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena."

Tune in to discover five compelling reasons why overcoming fear and stepping into the arena and following your dreams is so important.

On today’s show, I welcome Teresa Syms. Teresa is a Personal Development/Life Coach who specializes in helping individuals who feel trapped in a no-win situation.

Teresa knows what it’s like to be broken and damaged. Her childhood was filled with abuse, violence, alcohol, sexual assault, and emotional trauma. Because of that personal knowledge and experience, her passion is strong for helping others break free of their challenges.

Whether it’s the weight of their past or the constraints of their present, her clients yearn for something more in life. She works closely with her clients to help them dismantle limiting beliefs and reprogram old habits and patterns, while paving the way towards ultimate success.

Through a blend of Neurolinguistic Programming, Timeline Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Breakthrough Point Assessments and Motivational Interviewing, Teresa empowers her clients to overcome obstacles and achieve their fullest potential.

Teresa is an award-winning author for her book, A Century of Secrets, she has created an eBook series called, Six Strategies for Living Life Full On, and several magazines have published her articles.

As you can tell by her bio, Teresa is a wonderful woman doing great things in the world to help others.

Tune in to find out how she mastered trauma and now uses that in her coaching to help others do the same and live their best lives.

You can find out more about Teresa and contact her through her website: https://teresasyms.com

You can also listen to her podcast Powering Through Life.

And you can find her book "A Century of Secrets" on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Century-Secrets-Teresa-Syms/dp/0995234809

Thank you for joining me today on the Story Shepherd podcast. Keep creating your epic life story movie. And please join me next time as we continue transforming lives, one story at a time.

This week, Americans all across this great country gather together to celebrate the United States’ 248th birthday, almost 250 years of freedom.

That leads to the subject this week – what does freedom mean to you?

Tune in to learn what freedom means to me and discover what it means to you.

Fight for your freedom to create an epic life story movie!

The topic for today is dreams. Not your waking dreams, the dreams you have while sleeping.

We know that the dreams we have for our life are important, but did you know that the dreams you have while sleeping are also important to your wellbeing?

I find dreams fascinating, and even get story ideas from them. But there is more to them than that.

They also serve several important functions.

Tune in to learn why our dreams are important and how to decipher and direct them, to make your dreams work for you and help you create your epic life story movie.

On today’s episode of the Story Shepherd podcast, I welcome Nancy Ormon.

Nancy Ormon has a heart to give HOPE to others by sharing God stories around her testimony and helping you to connect hearts with God and life lessons you can use on your journey.

She has been a speaker/teacher in many different platforms and is a #1 Best Selling Author of her book called Stronger Than I Thought. It’s a book about heartbreak and pain and how to come out on the other side of that and soar.

If you've ever had a broken heart, fears of the unknown, or been so tired you could not take one more step you will want to hear her story.

Nancy resides in the North Texas Panhandle with her husband, Tommy. She has 3 children, 2 granddaughters and lots of grand pets.

Nancy is also one of the kindest, strongest, and most amazing women I have ever met.

Tune in to hear her story of overcoming many obstacles in life with the power of her strong faith, gratitude, and mindset.

You can learn even more of her story by purchasing her book at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Stronger-Than-Thought-Nancy-Ormon/dp/B09PM786BW

Thank you for joining me today on the Story Shepherd podcast. Keep creating your epic life story movie. And please join me next time as we continue transforming lives, one story at a time.

We live in a busy world. And it seems to get busier every day. Although technology has made many aspects of life more convenient, it has also created a constant stream of information and communication that can make it challenging to disconnect and relax.

And many people now juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, such as work, family, education, and community involvement. Balancing these demands can leave little time for rest and relaxation.

But rest and relaxation are crucial for your health, your success, and your happiness.

Tune in to discover eight ways you can rest, retreat, and renew.

Today's guest on The Story Shepherd podcast is Rachel Best. Rachel is a Keynote Motivational Speaker, Author, Podcast Host, and the Founder of "How to Make a Mark in the World, Finding Your Signature." She is certified as a Neuro-linguistic Empowerment Mindset Coach. Rachel specializes in guiding women to generate income online through multiple streams of passive income, working from home with just a 2-hour workday. She also teaches you how to attract your ideal customers, build your brand, and grow your email list.

Join us as we discuss the power of faith, mindset, pursuing your passion and purpose, and God's power to transform lives so that you, too, can build a beautiful life.

You can follow and learn more about Rachel through these links: Digital marketing https://www.makemoneynowwithrachel.com/ FB (https://www.facebook.com/iamrachelbest?mibextid=LQQJ4d (https://www.facebook.com/iamrachelbest?mibextid=LQQJ4d) ) https://linktr.ee/Rachel_Best

Rachel is an amazing, smart, kind, and strong woman! We hope that her story, and our conversation, will motivate and inspire you to find and follow your faith, pursue your passion and purpose, and create your own epic life story movie.

Change is inevitable. At times, it can be frightening and intimidating. It’s that fear of the unknown, wondering what is waiting for you on the other side of that change.

But change can also be exciting and encouraging, with something new and wonderful waiting for you around the next bend.

Most of the time, the outcome of that change depends on your attitude and your approach to it. So it’s important to learn how to embrace change, to adapt, learn, and grow.

Tune in to hear ten ways you can learn to embrace change.

Learning how to embrace change leads to more success and will help you build the beautiful life you deserve.

You have one precious life. That life should be full of joy.

Living in joy can improve your mental wellness by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. It can increase your creativity and productivity. Joy is contagious, which can help strengthen the bond in your relationships.

We are all unique, so finding your joy is a personal journey that involves incorporating practices and habits into your life that promote those feelings of happiness, contentment, and fulfillment.

Tune in this week to discover seven things that can help you on that journey to joy.

Writer’s block is real. As an Author, I have experienced it more often than I care to admit. I’ve sat staring at a blank screen, with the blinking cursor taunting me.

And as an entrepreneur, I discovered that there is something similar I call Brain Block - when you struggle to work through an idea or concept, to find the right way to bring it to life. It happens sometimes to all creative people, to those who use their right brain.

Both Writer’s Block and Brain Block can hinder your progress towards your dreams. But I have found some ways to help you conquer them.

You can beat writer’s block. You can beat brain block. Tune in to learn 8 ways to do it.

To grow, to expand, and to be successful - truly successful - in life, we must take ownership of our lives.

There are events in our lives that change us, events that we can’t control, but we can control how we respond.

Are you happy with your life and feel good about the choices you’ve made? Or is your life lacking in some way, and you are not proud of the choices that led you to this point?

Have you been blaming someone or something else for your lot in life?

Stop blaming. Stop whining. Stop complaining.

Take ownership. Take control.

Tune in to hear 5 ways you can take 100% responsibility for your life and create your epic life story movie.

Spring is upon us! And as the temperatures rise, we throw open the windows to let in the fresh air, and we start cleaning the dark corners that were buried in winter’s gloom.

The warm sunny weather renews our energy, so as we clean house, it’s also a great time to do some spring cleaning in our lives.

Tune in for 10 tips on spring cleaning your life to make room for a new, beautiful future.

Life can be a wild roller coaster ride! Full of ups and downs and twists and turns.

What can we do to navigate that rollercoaster ride of life, to make it a little less scary?

Tune in to hear 5 ways to assist you on that ride.

Disappointment is a tough part of life that we must all deal with at some point.

We may fail a test. We may lose the race. We may not get the job or the promotion. We may be overlooked. We may be lied to, cheated on, bullied, or abused. We may lose someone.

You are the hero of your life story movie. And like every other great hero, you will have to overcome some disappointment and some obstacles. Don’t let them defeat you.

Disappointment is a part of life, but it is not your entire life. Deal with it, move on, and take the next step towards success, joy, and fulfillment.

What are you doing with your one precious life?

We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Therefore, we must treat every day as a gift, celebrating each one, so that we don’t end up living, or dying, with regret.

Tune in to hear 11 things you can do to start living your life without regret.

Today's episode is about fighting our fears.

Fear can emerge in many forms, and it can be detrimental to your career, your relationships, your dreams, your health, and your life.

But you are powerful, stronger than you know, and you can overcome your fears.

Tune in to hear 7 things you can do to combat them, including the power to choose faith over fear.

Today’s episode is about the power of poetry.

For a writer, poetry is one of the many genres you can write in to share your ideas and stories. It’s fun learning and practicing the different styles of poetry, including ballads, odes, haiku, limericks, sonnets, and free verse.

But there’s much more to poetry than that, and I believe a poetry practice is beneficial to everyone, even non-writers.

Tune in to hear five ways poetry can be a powerful tool in your life and help you with creating a beautiful life story movie.

Here is a second prompt to write a poem of your own: Write a poem about love and include the words love, passion, and forever in it.

And here is the link to my poetry book, Expressions: https://www.amazon.com/Expressions-Inspirational-Journey-through-Journaling/dp/1954592051

Have you ever had a back itch that can’t be reached? The itch gets so bad that it starts to drive you crazy, and you have to find a way to scratch it.

That itch is like an idea or a dream. It starts small, bugging you just a little. If you don’t scratch it, though, it gets stronger, and you know you must do something.

It is imperative that you scratch that itch; Vital that you follow that dream.

Tune in to hear 5 ways to scratch that itch and follow that dream.