Meant To Be

Kids can be stubborn for a million different reasons. Sometimes it's because they're hungry, over-tired, have eaten too much sugar, or spent all day on a screen. Teens, especially, might see Mom or Dad as too strict, or feel that their freedom is being squashed. It may be that they've been ordered around at school all day, so they have zero patience left to comply with house rules. Energetically-speaking, though, stubbornness can emerge because our energy, as parents, comes into contact with our kids' energy, and together, we form a powerful, sometimes contrasting, conflicting, resistant bond, simply by sharing the same physical space. Other times, depending on who we are and how we parent, we just perceive kids as stubborn. BUT! 

There are also those special beings out there who were just born to defy -- and that doesn't have to be a bad thing! 

This week Janeen shares snippets from one of her recent videos explaining 3 of the most common places she sees in the Human Design chart that reveal why people of any age are experienced by others as stubborn, hard-headed, strong-willed or defiant. She offers tips and tools on how to work with these big energies so you can help your child turn them into superpowers instead of into shame-causing character flaws. 

If you have a stubborn, spirited, strong-willed child, reach out to Janeen to see if she can help. She's got loads of experience working with kids, is the mom of two spectacularly spirited 'tweens, and was, herself, an extremely stubborn child who gave her parents a hard time! Learn how to view this challenging energy from a new perspective so you can experience more compassion for those powerful beings you're raising AND create more peace in your home.

Are you languishing in the dark, stinky sewer of shadow work? Stuck in a cycle of inner child healing that never seems to end? Do you believe you will manifest whatever you want...as long as you can finally heal all the stuff that's ever wrong with you first?! If so, you're wrong (there's nothing you need to 'fix' about yourself before you can manifest whatever you want). More importantly, you may be addicted to, or at least obsessed with, self-help, personal development or spiritual growth. If this is the case, it may be time for an intervention.

In this episode, Janeen covers some of the signs and symptoms of self-help addiction, based on her own experiences, and shares a few simple ways to break the habit and break free from the belief that you need to heal more before you can access your dreams. Learn how believing you need to be 'fixed' somehow could actually be the thing that's holding you apart from all you've ever wanted, and learn how to embrace the real magic of your life right here, right now, exactly as you are.

What's it like to be a Human Design Generator? How can we use our Human Design to step into alignment? What does it mean to live in integrity with your spirit? Find out in today's episode of Meant To Be! Janeen is joined in a very special guest interview with the inspiring, motivational Human Design Reader and Alignment Coach, Lori Lisai. Listen to her story about losing enthusiasm and becoming less and less satisfied with her path as a longtime public school teacher, and learn how she started paying attention to her body's response signal to draw her toward a major life and career change, one that's filled with Zen and Grit, is creating deeper connection between herself and those around her, tons more enthusiasm for experiencing all life has to offer, and loads more satisfaction by the end of the day. 

Are you disassociated from your body? Are you listening to its cues, paying attention to its critical messages? In this episode, we talk about reconnecting and reintegrating the parts of us -- body, thoughts, feelings and soul -- that we may have once abandoned, so we can get back to center and become one complete, aligned being again. 

Janeen shares her take on why re-integrating the body is so important, and how she uses Human Design as the tool for illuminating where there's deeper self-development work to do. Also in this episode, get a rundown of what Human Design is, and what it definitely is not. Before delving into and using this complex system, it's worth taking note of some common mischaracterizations and confusing perceptions that are out there about what Human Design is. Join us as we debunk some myths and get to the work of reconnecting our bodies back into our full radiant existence.

Continuing in our Holiday Help series this week, we cover four of the Gates, or 'energy themes,' in Human Design which could be the source of conflict or friction at upcoming family get-togethers. 

Learn what kinds of energetic themes might be presenting themselves, through us and through our loved ones, at holiday gatherings so you can become aware of these dynamics if/when they come into play. Build your awareness around how we exchange and experience these energetics so you can bring more compassion, comfort, peace and joy to your family togetherness. Find out how to make adjustments in your life that will allow you to step into these energies at their highest vibration rather than emitting them as 'negative' or low-vibe traits.

Are you one of the many people who are dreading more face-time with family over holidays? It's too bad, but a valid reason to be hesitant to attend more gatherings if you've got family members who are critical, judgmental or passive aggression, especially when it comes to your life choices and sense of identity.

Join me for this conversation about the G Center in Human Design, that diamond in the center of the chest on your bodygraph. The G Center is responsible for our sense of self and our direction in life, and in my opinion, is one of the most vulnerable areas where we're prone to conditioning.

Learn what it means to have a Defined, Undefined or an Open G Center, how it works in the body, and how it gets conditioned for people in different ways. You'll find out how you can protect your G and build a relationship with it, so that when you walk into your next holiday gathering, you'll be armed with awareness and compassion about your identity and direction, both for yourself and for others.

This episode is packed with tools and tips on how you can begin the process of deconditioning, or deprogramming, any false, limiting beliefs you may have picked up throughout your life about who you were taught you were "supposed to" become, so you can start to truly honor and embrace the radiance of the real you who has been living inside all along instead. 

Let's talk about authentic communication and the power of the Throat as an energy center. This episode covers what happens when we experience shaming and criticism about the way we express ourselves early in life. What results is what we call, in Human Design, a Throat wound. Janeen shares how Throat wounds can show up later--both emotionally and physiologically--to cut us off from sharing or expressing who we really are and what we really want to say. 

Learn about the differences between people who have Defined and Undefined or Open Throats in Human Design, and get some very simple, practical tips on unblocking this crucial energy center to use your voice for good. 

It's time for a mug of cider, a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds and some spooky ghost stories to make the hairs on your arms stand up! In honor of Halloween, this week I'm joined by three incredible guests from right here in my hometown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who share their stories of the paranormal, the unexplained and the downright blood-chilling. Join us as we amble through the tales of visits from passed loved ones, eerie energetic events, a haunted jail and resentful house-ghosts! 

Strap on a costume, light up a jack-o-lantern and gather 'round your digital device for some good ol' fashioned storytelling! (*This episode is family friendly...mostly!) The stories here might creep you out, but I hope they also leave you with a little more compassion and reverence for those who've left this world and transitioned to the next. Remember: Our energy is never destroyed; it simply changes when we leave these fleshy meat-suits and resume a life of eternal light and love. 

Have a very happy, safe and joy-filled Halloween, everyone! And don't forget to honor your dearly departed on Nov. 1, All Saints Day (or Dia de los Muertos). 

Nature symbols, in all their glory, are back again! This time, featuring the mighty woodpecker. Learn what these majestic creatures represent and why spotting one could suggest a whisper from the universe that's telling you, "Hang in there, kiddo. You got this!"

A lot of people are talking about how to do shadow work these days, but what is it? In this episode,  you'll learn why it's deeply transformational, healing self-reflection that is absolutely valuable and necessary for anyone seeking to grow and transcend on this human journey through life. 

Meanwhile, when you hear people talk about another buzz word, 'spiritual bypass,' they often do so in a way that kind of shames people who aren't endeavoring into this difficult work. 

That's why I've put these two topics together in one episode. Because skipping over the hard stuff in life and not facing the ugliness that lives inside us in order to make peace with it and release it is spiritual bypass. It's easy to sit down and journal your list of intentions or what you appreciate. And it's fun to create a vision board. But positive thinking doesn't get you to the deep, dark, gnarly place of shadow, which is desperate for your attention and love. The irony is, that deep self-love and unconditional acceptance of both the good and the bad inside each of us is what we're all yearning for. And they, in my opinion, are our keys that open the doorway to abundance and happiness. 

In this episode, I share some snippets of the shadow work I've done, how you can incorporate these practices into your life, ways you can begin to build a safe and loving relationship with the shadow inside you, and why it's so essential to stop trying to hide and shame her. 

What does it mean when you keep seeing the same series of numbers everywhere you look? Maybe the sequence 4-4-4 keeps showing up for you every time you look at the clock, check your odometer or see the price listed at the gas station. Could it have any significance? Actually, yes. Seeing the same repeated number pattern may be a sign from your spirit guides urging you to make a certain decision or to look at your life through a different lens! 

In this episode, you'll learn what angel numbers are, where they come from, and how they tie in with our daily lives and with the greater universe. Janeen covers the meaning behind some of the numbers most commonly seen in repeating patterns in everyday life. She also dips into some basics on Numerology, the Fibonacci Sequence and Voronoi diagrams--but don't worry, there won't be a math quiz at the end! 

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses a traumatic event which may be triggering for some listeners. 

*****

Everything has a vibration; people, animals, even inanimate objects. And so, too, does forgiveness carry its own energetic frequency. The energy of forgiveness, when offered in full authenticity to someone who's done you wrong, is immensely powerful and can be extremely healing for people who are yearning to move past old wounds and proceed with their lives by telling a different story--not one which erases history or denies any wrongdoing, but one that vanquishes victimhood and makes room for the power that's always been there, as well as for new growth, more strength and wider expansion.

As long as you're ready to really and truly forgive.

In this episode, Janeen tells a story from childhood of a traumatic assault which has haunted her for years. But, she explains, she's received new guidance for what to do about it. Hear how she recently channeled a message of forgiveness straight from Source, and took it as divine intelligence for what she needed to do in order to finally heal from an event that created repeated triggers 35 years on.

She'd never even once considered forgiving her attackers all these years; not until now. Learn how the possibility of forgiveness can open up a new perspective, generate new questions that have never been asked, and create an enormous sense of relief in you, too, if you're grappling with an old hurt that's caused anger, resentment, the label of victimhood, or contempt for others. 

Get helpful tips on how to process the trauma that lives inside your body, including suggestions for vagus nerve toning, shaking, and prayer. But of course, always consult your physician or mental health practitioner to guide your trauma recovery journey. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sex Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for 24-hour support.

Thank you for sharing this space today. Our connection was Meant To Be.

What does a New Moon even mean? Are we actually affected by what the planets are doing in the sky? Why should you care where the Sun is right now? 

How do we show up for a friend who's been given a serious health diagnosis? How can we be helpful and supportive of our friend, be sure we're not imposing, and feel certain that however we offer help, that we do so in a way that's actually useful? Moreover, what do we do if we just can't handle the challenges our friend is facing? 

This week's solo episode with Janeen answers a listener question: "How can I communicate that I've had my feelings hurt without breaking the friendship?" Join us as we delve deep into the connection between emotional hurt and physical pain, and why it's so important to get quiet and let that physical pain work its way into--and more importantly--OUT of your body. We explore whether some friends' actions are patterns, whether they were insensitive jabs versus major infractions, why some hurt feelings come about merely as a friend's attempt to cheer you up but land in poor taste or with terrible timing. We ask whether you're in a toxic friendship and whether it's worth trying to mend things, what's in it for you if you do need to make sure the friend knows they've hurt you, and ways to show up compassionately and vulnerably to inform your friend you felt hurt by what they did. Even if they don't reciprocate that compassion, and even if they don't issue an apology from the heart, at least you know you did what you could to save the bond, and at least you grew from this experience. There's a lot to unpack here! Join us. Get more at www.women-friends.com, join the private Women Friends Facebook group, and follow us on IG @womenfriendsthepodcast. Send your questions about friendship to janeen@women-friends.com.

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Happy Valentine's Day! Celebrate friendship in love and in marriage with my guests for this very special episode, Niki and Caitlin. Hear how they paved their own road to achieving the "American dream" of finding love, marriage and parenthood. Despite societal pressures, health challenges, past relationships that were toxic and more, Niki and Caitlin have built a life that's filled with love and TONS of giggles. They chat about finding balance in each other, discovering that there are options and choices for each of us far beyond what our limiting beliefs often tell us, and why they find comfort in knowing there's no B.S. when it comes to their partnership. 

It's the final wrap-up to Season 1 of Women Friends! We're taking a look back at all the lessons learned throughout our first collection of interviews and reflections: on making commitments to friends, being intentional, showing up with our full heart to friendships -- vulnerability, challenges and all -- having the willingness to explore our deepest selves, and so much more. With a closing reading of Yung Pueblo's recent Instagram passage that focuses on connection with others and connection with self, and a glimpse into what's in store for Season 2.  

This Thanksgiving, we're handing the mic to listeners to find out why they value their friends! Host Janeen asked people to contribute notes on who they're thankful for, and women delivered. But, as it turns out, talking about gratitude for friendship is tougher than it seems for many. Our friendships are complicated. Along with all the shared celebrations, comfort and loyalty friends provide, a lot of women have experienced heartache, betrayal, friend breakups, and long stretches of isolation, leaving them feeling burned and alone. Yet the 'feeling' of friendlessness might actually be a mindset that we choose to stay stuck in. 

In Ep. 12, we talk about turning toward gratitude for everything that we have, in order to feel like we actually have friends to be grateful for. Instead of focusing on the people we don't have in our lives, perhaps it's time to focus our energy on those we do have surrounding us. We discuss how to turn away from wallowing in sorrow, and toward basking in your own self-worth, even if this is a season of alone-time. We discuss moving away from negative self-talk like, "No one ever calls me," to a narrative that comes from a place of thankfulness like, "I'm glad I met her, I'd like to get to know her better." It's a slight shift of perspective, but one that can truly be transformative, and it does take lots of practice.