The Altitude Talks Podcast

Thriving Through Transitions: Embracing Change and Finding Stability

• Alissa Duhon • Season 11 • Episode 3

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After facing the challenges brought on by Hurricane Laura and the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself on a journey of personal and professional growth as I navigated life transitions. In this episode of Altitude Talks, we will explore these experiences together and share valuable insights from our community to help you confidently embrace change. Through a combination of personal stories and community wisdom, we will show how transitions, though often daunting, can serve as crucial steps on your path to development.

We will highlight the benefits of welcoming resistance and discomfort during life changes. This approach involves evaluating opportunities and making intentional choices that align with your true life purpose. Engaging in self-reflection and informed decision-making can be a transformative experience. Discover how tools like vision boards, self-care practices, and spiritual rituals can provide grounding during challenging times, helping you maintain emotional balance and stay aligned with your aspirations despite external pressures.


In addition, we will reflect on the resilience that emerges in the wake of natural disasters and how adversity can foster significant personal growth. We will discuss how to identify hope under challenging situations and create a positive narrative about your experiences by emphasizing strength, community support, and a proactive attitude. You won't just be navigating these transitions; you will thrive with a growth mindset, ready to seize new opportunities.

Join us for an uplifting discussion filled with practical tools designed to empower you as you step into new chapters of your life. Connect with us on Alissa Avenue dot com for more resources and insights to support your journey.

Copyright 2025 AlissaAvenue.com

Alissa Duhon:

Welcome to the Altitude Talks podcast, where we help you get back in the pilot seat of work and life. Learn helpful strategies for navigating the unpredictable twists and turns that come with the pursuit of happiness and work-life harmony. Here's your host seasoned success coach and applied positive psychology practitioner, alyssa Duhon.

Speaker 2:

Season's greetings, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Altitude Talks podcast. I'm your host, Alissa Duhon, founder and CEO of the Alissa Avenue Company, and today we're going to actually share some insights from a poll that we conducted for the past couple of months from our private groups and members and clients and, of course, our public forum on our social media pages. So, those of you who participated, I want to thank you so much. You've contributed so many amazing stories and insights and it's helped us. But what we actually can extract it from those responses is that there's a common theme there, and most of you had shared how you were experiencing some type of change or transition in either your personal lives or your professional life.

Speaker 2:

And when we hear the word transition or change, we know that there's something happening in our lives that most of us may not feel is familiar. Change can be scary. So when we're moving forward, we feel that sense of that unfamiliar feeling and even if we've gone through change before because most of us humans have, of course it seems like every time we experience something like that, we never get used to that. We never get used to going through it in the initial stages of change. We never get used to that feeling. You never get used to that drastic feeling or even if it's minor, those minor pivots in life or minor blips that we experience, and it seems to kind of knock us off track initially, and there's like this feeling of overwhelm that most of us have. And just speaking to clients over the course of the past 20 years, I have realized, even in my own personal life, that some of this it stems from a little bit of fear and doubt. But it's just an emotional thing. It's something that happens to us as humans because we are so comfortable with where we are, or we're familiar with where we are, and then if something comes along and changes that, we start to have this feeling of I'm not used to this, this is unfamiliar. What do I do now? Right, and so the fear of change is really like a resistance that builds up. And so there are types of changes that happen to us every day, though. Change happens every single day to us, but most of the time they're so incremental, they're so slight and so small that we don't even feel them. So these types of little incremental changes that happen to us, we're familiar with a little bit of that, or they're not so massively life altering that we kind of like. We're like, oh my God, what's happening? We don't feel them as much so, even though if we're conscious of the small things, they're not so drastic that they make us pull over and go. Okay, I need to collect myself.

Speaker 2:

But then there are those broadsided events that occur. Right, we talk about the pandemic, a lot, and natural disasters that happen. Those are examples of broadsided events. Most of us have experienced at least one of those or examples of broad-sided events. Most of us have experienced at least one of those or several of those in our lives. It may be a major loss, may it be a major career crisis or casualty or some type of huge change that happened to us physically or mentally, and perhaps it was somebody who you were close to, or significant other, or your children or whatever and you experienced that along with them. Perhaps maybe it was finances, whatever area of your life. Maybe you had to stop a relationship and it seemed at the moment that it was devastating, and now you have to recollect yourself and realign so that you can move forward. So I always, of course, have the example.

Speaker 2:

I bring up the example of COVID. I know a lot of people don't want to hear about the pandemic anymore, but now that we're on this side of it, we can look at it, even if it's not easy, because a lot of us I myself included had family members who contracted it and then we lost them. And then there were the lockdowns that we experienced, and for us it was even more so dramatic or drastic, because we experienced the lockdowns and COVID and loss in the same year that we experienced this huge disaster, hurricane Laura. So we were displaced for a year, almost two years, outside of our city and our home, while during the you know as, the pandemic was raging, of course. So most of us experienced some level of it and what it was like going to go through that and and and know that we tried desperately to restore some type of equilibrium and some type of sense of normalcy in our lives.

Speaker 2:

So, um, we know what that feels like. We I often revisit it because it was so unfamiliar we, everybody, was like what is happening, what is going on? And so a lot of us, we reacted with a lot of resistance, we refused to believe that this was what it was, and then a lot of us also hunkered down and we retracted from the public and we're trying to be extra careful because we really wanted to be safe. So everybody experienced it in some way. But knowing that this was going to be, I think most of us started to realize that, whatever this is, whatever caused it, but whatever it is, it was going to be life changing. And when we had that epiphany, when we going to be life-changing, and when we had that epiphany, when that thought finally settled into our minds, that's when we started to process. So we wanted to know what you guys were experiencing though presently and what you define as a life transition, and we asked you all to share a few insights, just to kind of help. We want to share some insight also to help you navigate this and to get clarity.

Speaker 2:

And we know that transitions can occur. For a lot of us, transitions are unpredictable, yes, and they are painful for a lot of us as well, depending upon what you're going through. But we also know that some transitions are initiated by us. We initiate these changes and even when we initiate change, even if we are initiating the change ourselves, the transition ourselves, there's still some level of unpredictability to it. There's still those things that we cannot control, like the consequences. It's like going on a trip. You plan for it, you plan for it, you pack for it, you do all the research, you look at pictures and videos and you ask questions. You do all of it and then, when you get on the road and you're moving toward where you're going, you have no control over the traffic or the scenery or what's happening in that present moment. Right, so we can plan for it, we can go through and initiate these changes, but there's still going to be some not so positive aspects to it, and so we want to make sure that you know that those of you who are initiating change in your life you know that you're probably doing this because it's for you have an overarching, long-term goal you're trying to meet, or you know a personal life goal that you're wanting to experience, and for a lot of us, it's just something that we have to do in this moment.

Speaker 2:

It's time, and you know that you're going to miss someone or some aspect of the past life that you're leaving behind. So, for instance, there are some of us who some of you also who shared that you've moved and you're physically moving to a new, like a geographical location, not even in the same city or the state. Even if you are moving across town, it's still some. There's a level of change that happens where you miss some aspects of where you were before. Now, for those of you initiating, you might say, yeah, where I would live, I was ready to go. I was going to say something else, but I won't say that.

Speaker 2:

But you needed to move because it was not so good area. However, there's just some things. If you were there long enough, you're going to feel that you miss. It's the same thing with a job, a new career path. It may not have been something that you enjoyed all around, but there are some aspects of leaving that particular area. Maybe some people you may miss, maybe you have some memories about the space or the area you're in and you're like, wow, I'm going to miss some of that. And so maybe it's the environmental aspects of it, maybe it's not the job or the place itself, maybe it's just the area.

Speaker 2:

So it happens right, even if you initiate the change, you experience something what a lot of real estate agents call buyer's remorse, where they have clients that purchase a home or purchase property and they get in there and they go oh my God, I don't know if I did the right thing and they start to miss where they were, or there's some level of doubt and fear. That happens because now they've taken on this drastic change and they experience some level of resistance. And what I'm trying to say is that this is all very normal. It happens to the best of us. Even if we plan for these changes and transitions in our lives and they're not always positive we're going to experience that type of resistance or some type of fear and doubt. That happens. The trick here is to not allow the doubt and the fear to force you to make decisions based off of those emotions, and those are part of the transitioning.

Speaker 2:

That's part of the journey of transitioning, even if you voluntarily did this, uh, and you may have decided that you know this relationship is not for me anymore, this space or place or this circle of friends, or they're not for me anymore, and for a while, you may feel a sense of loneliness because, um, you used to have to have a group of people or that significant other along with you, but you know deep down inside that it's time for you to experience some growth in that area. Perhaps this relationship or this connection is not for you anymore and so you have to go through that really tough stage of feeling like you're by yourself until you attach yourself or connect again with some healthier friends or a person who is better for you you know so or just being used to being alone. You know and understand, being comfortable with that. So it happens and maybe for those of you who talked about how you were given a lot of you actually shared that you were given some responsibility on the job or you're promoted, and it's huge change, right, and for a lot of people that's a positive. But a lot of you are experiencing this and you did not want this type of drastic change because of all the responsibility that comes with it. So now you're like I don't know what I should do. I don't know what to do about this. I don't think I'm ready for this.

Speaker 2:

Now, let me just stop here. If you are in any type of transition in your life where you do not want something, then it may be time for you to examine that and then, to some people, just turn it down. Some of us think we have to. Oh, these people are counting on me, I should go for it. Right, they must believe in me. Excuse me, I'm going to get a sip of water. But we start to feel that and a lot of us know where we want to go in our personal and professional lives. We know what it is and even if we're given an opportunity, we go. You know what, even though this opportunity seems great, that may bring you to another level, it may not be where you're headed.

Speaker 2:

And then there are those of you who are open to change. It may be something that you might not have planned for, but you want to see where it takes you. So it's up to you to really examine and assess where you are in your life, where you want to go, and, before you just make any type of decision, think about how this will help you to grow, how this will help contribute to where you really want to go in your future, before you say no completely. So it's really tricky Sometimes. We have to look at transitions and really fully understand what they are, who we are and where we are as it relates to the transition, and sit down with ourselves and really think about the aspects of change and what it's going to do to our lives. Now we can't, of course, forecast what's going to happen in the future, and there may be some type of remorse or some level of grief that we experience. But remember that, no matter what this happens, even when you initiate these changes, even if things go great in the future, no matter what happens, this happens to us, and so it's a human thing that happens to not all of us, but most of us. So it's not always going to be negative and you want to embrace, just like where you were before. It wasn't all negative, maybe it wasn't all negative all the time. There was some positive. So you want to remain optimistic but also remain aware right that I'm not telling you to shut your awareness off or to not try to stay positive the whole time. I don't want to be toxic with toxic positivity in there. You do want to remain aware of what could happen. You want to do some risk management. You want to examine the situation and make sure that it's safe for you and that it's what you want. But at the same time, you want to embrace the fact that in any journey forward, any type of change, any type of starting a new situation, you're going to experience some level of resistance or you're going to miss something.

Speaker 2:

So you made a conscious decision. If this was you, you made a conscious decision to move and productively and proactively to pursue a new direction in your life. You knew that it wasn't going to be rainbows and unicorns, right. You know that you did the best you could by collecting the best information and data, and you collected all the facts and you talked to all the people and you did all the right things data and you collected all the facts and you talked to all the people and you did all the right things. And does it have to always be positive across the board? No, it doesn't always pan out that way all the time, and there may be seasons where, while you're getting used to this change, it's going to feel a bit rocky. You have to find your feet, you have to get planted, you have to get your roots in there, and that takes some time.

Speaker 2:

So, before you just completely say absolutely not or allow your emotions to force you out I'm not saying ignore your intuition and your discernment here what I want you to know is that, even when we know this is something that we needed to move forward, you're going to experience some ups and downs and I want you to embrace that. Even if the situation is more favorable moving forward, there are some aspects. You know it's like walking across a bridge and you look ahead and it's exciting and you're nervous and you're like, oh my gosh, this all looks very amazing and terrifying and there's that bit of resistance and remorse that creeps in. And then you look back and it's all familiar and it may feel a bit comforting, but then you may look in that rear view mirror and feel like, yeah, no, I can't go back there, this is not for me, and so you're going to have to acquaint yourself with feeling uncomfortable and that's okay. Right, that's okay. You're going to have to get acquainted with not feeling comfortable and make it your friend so that you can continue to move forward.

Speaker 2:

Of course you want to evaluate where you are. You want to make some stops along the that you can continue to move forward. Of course you want to evaluate where you are. You want to make some stops along the way. You want to ensure that you're still moving in the right direction. You want to make sure that this is still what you want to do.

Speaker 2:

But embrace that resistance will happen. It's very common and it's very normal. So the difference is and I understand that if you're pursuing something moving forward and you did the self-reflection and you've done the step, you did the assessment, you've taken stock of your life and inventory of your life and you assess what's happening and you collected all the information and the data you needed, you're going to experience a twinge of resistance. For some of us, it's overwhelming. Some doubt and fear will creep in. So starting over is not easy. Letting go is not easy, but it is a part of growth, it's an opportunity for growth and it's a positive. It's something that's amazing for us to experience as human beings.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so we're we're going to help you to navigate this, and that's really what this whole episode is about is to help you navigate through it and help you to feel a sense of ease. Um, in some way it may not be, you know the tell all, be all the help that, the full support that you need, but it should help you and you're going to feel some sense of grief. You're going to feel like oh my gosh, this is not what I experienced. Or a flood of emotions may happen once you get where you're going, or you get yourself in there, and then that buyer's remorse oh my gosh, I didn't expect that this would happen. I don't know anybody, I don't know what's happening right now, and that feeling of limbo will happen. So first step in starting over, first step get your journal out and jot this down.

Speaker 2:

And moving forward or initiating change or even just going through life transition or whatever area of your life, is to acknowledge and process your emotions. Okay, allow yourself to feel what you're feeling. Allow yourself to feel the grief, allow yourself to um, to pour it out on paper and to talk to a friend about it. Make sure that you are absolutely honest with yourself about what you're, what you're feeling. Understand what you're going through. There's no right way to emotionally process. You know everything it happens and understand that what you're feeling right now is not going to stick around the entire time for their duration. Right, it may be just in this moment. You may have an ebb and flow with this, it may pop up here and there, but just know that it's a part of the process, it's part of navigating change. So, be patient with yourself, be compassionate with yourself and be fair with yourself in this moment.

Speaker 2:

All right, you want to reflect and assess. Number two we often roll right over these types of steps and stages, but it's important for you to reflect and assess. Taking a retrospective look is okay, just as long as it doesn't pull you backwards. You want to take the wisdom and the lessons you learned from before into this new season, moving forward. So that's why reflection and assessment and a retrospective retrospection is really very important, and I talk more about that, and I think I have another episode coming up where we're going to go into this a bit deeper.

Speaker 2:

And again, we don't want to sit with anything for too long. That's negative. I'm not saying ignore anything negative, because sometimes when we sit with something and we analyze it, we can extract some good out of it. We can extract some information that we need out of it. But to stew in it and sit in it is not good. It's like pulling over into a really bad situation or a bad area, and if you're there for too long it's risky. Right, it's a risk that you don't want to take, but you're giving yourself the opportunity to assess what's happening within you and reflect on your experiences and your values and your priorities. And this might be the best opportunity for you to do that anyways, because once you get into this new season, you hit the ground running most of us do and you're so busy doing what you need to do to familiarize yourself with this new area or this new thing. So this is the opportunity for you to do it, to sit with it, and I'm not saying that it's gonna be too late when you get in there, because we should be practicing reflection and assessment anyway. We should be practicing initiating, when we're initiating any type of change or just living life, how to really truly acknowledge and process our emotions. I'm just saying, when you're going through this type of change or transition in life, this is usually a good time to do it.

Speaker 2:

A lot of times when change happens, we're so busy, we're plugged into the fact that change is occurring that we don't realize that there's some good that can happen from these things. For a lot of us who experienced the pandemic, it was a really wonderful time of self-reflection and we started to realize that there were things that we no longer wanted to do or we experiencing our personal and our professional lives and we hadn't even realized before because we were so busy and burnout and we didn't. We were, but we were too busy doing what we were doing. We're too busy being busy, and so with that awareness came some clarity and we took the time to reevaluate where we were and a lot of us pivoted, myself included. We pivoted into a new direction. We grew in a lot of ways and that period of reflection really can help you gain whatever insight you need moving forward into your new situation. It'll help you to develop, like this whole, newfound appreciation for your journey moving forward. So this is the time to do that.

Speaker 2:

You want to consider creating an action plan and a vision board. I know you've heard that before, but a vision board should not just be something you look at that looks like a pretty board, even if that's great. And you look at it and you go I love that. You want to absolutely make it strategic and constructive, and so attaching an action plan to it will help you break that vision board down. It's almost like being in a hot air balloon you get up there and you take this huge panoramic look at what you would like to see, but then at some point you have to come back down, anchor yourself and walk that out.

Speaker 2:

So that's what the action plan is you break a breakdown of steps, moving forward so that you can become proactive at pursuing what it is you saw and what you see happening, and I'm excited about moving forward. But what do I do? Right, we have that moment. These are the tools that will help you, a couple of these tools, actually, that will help you to really empty out what's going on within yourself and it helps you to fully imagine and reimagine what it is you want to experience. In this time, in this new season, you become really, really clear, without assumption. You've extracted real, true information and facts and you're not assuming anything. And what you are wanting to experience, what you want more of, you're going to start to ask those questions. What?

Speaker 2:

do I want more of? What do I want less of? And you begin to consider how you want this whole thing to unfold. Even if it doesn't unfold perfectly or exactly as you planned it, at least you have an idea. And even if the action plan when you created it in the vision board, you visualize the next chapter and it represents aspirations. Right. But it also helps you to align with your goals. And when you use those tools, they become a guidepost. So if you get really knocked off track, you have something. You have these tools to help you to get back where you on the main drag, on the main, on the main highway of where you're going. And so next you want to focus on what you can control.

Speaker 2:

Honestly, during that pandemic time, it felt like everything was out of control for a lot of us. It was chaos for many of us because we didn't understand what was happening. We didn't really, and the people we looked to to have the answers, they didn't have the answers. So during that time of change and that we were overwhelmed, it was a lot of uncertainty, but we found some sense of alignment, we found some, we started to ground ourselves and even in that valley experience and that was bleak times. We realized there's some peaks and valleys. We started to feel the ebb and flow. We started to find our feet again and we went back to some constants in our lives. We started to refocus, we started to get back into ourselves, a lot of us. Our prayer lives grew, our spiritual lives grew, our awareness, our clarity became better. We had to slow down, we had to stop, we had to distance ourselves from one another and during that time it was uncontrollable. It's very emotional to think about because, um I, as I said earlier, I lost a few family members to during the pandemic and to the, to COVID. So trying to maintain, um, some level of, um emotional balance was hard. It was hard to do, but nevertheless, balance was hard. It was hard to do but nevertheless we did it and it wasn't perfect. It wasn't perfect at all, but we found ourselves. For a lot of us, we found our true selves in the midst of crisis. That happens in crisis Oftentimes.

Speaker 2:

People began to get really creative during that time. We began to connect virtually. We wanted to touch the people we loved. I remember seeing videos of people finding ways to visit the people they love without physical contact. People started to play music outside their windows to share their gifts and talents with the rest of the world. We began to share our compassion in different ways. A lot of us began to innovate. Businesses were born out of the pandemic, different types of ideas and tools and different ways for us to communicate. It was just amazing what we saw, and so we started to establish new daily routines and we believed that we could overcome. We believed that we were going to get over this and hope was restored for a lot of us I'm not saying for everyone, but a lot of us.

Speaker 2:

So I tell people all the time if you want to navigate this any easier, hook yourself to some constants in your life, those things in your life that you did even before, maybe before you worked out. You want to keep that as a constant. Maybe just taking a walk, praying every day. That's a constant in your life, no matter where you are. You do it anyway, and maybe you got up early in the morning and you meditated. Revisit those constants that helped you to move closer to where you want to be and helped you to stay grounded. Sit down and plan or set goals, follow a schedule. Set goals, follow a schedule, organize your surroundings and sit down with friends, even if you would go to the local coffee house, you can't do that anymore. You may be able to do that virtually now and grab your favorite hot beverage and sit down and have a phone call or talk to someone virtually Whatever you can to ground yourself. You want to practice that, that mental awareness and that self-care that you need. Those are constants in our lives that help to keep us from really falling apart. So revisit those traditions and those things that helped you to feel happier and joy. It may not be the same space, but hey, or the same persons or whatever, but you can find a place, find ways for you to practice those constants, excuse me, in very unique ways now. So just because there's change occurring doesn't mean that you can't sift through what's happening and gather the things that still work for you and those constants may help to move you into that.

Speaker 2:

And I use that word sift because when we came back from Hurricane Laura, we were devastated here. Our area was coined the most weather battered city in the nation Southwest Louisiana, and that was. We lived here. So we knew that people absolutely did not know that, the gravity of that statement and what that really was like on a day-to-day basis here specifically, but those around us who experienced natural disasters there were so many people that came from all around to help us to rebuild and to restore. It was significant that change. And coming back into our city, coming back into to see our family I have a family home where my kids grew up and to see it devastated the way it was, it just broke my heart.

Speaker 2:

But what healed, what helped with the healing, was to sift through what we could. To sift through the debris and collect what we could from it. Lessons learned, sentimental items that we wanted to keep, and even though we knew that we had to rebuild, it still hurt. It still hurt. It still felt overwhelming for us. But something beautiful happened out of that. We learned a lot of new lessons about preparation and mitigation and different things about insurance and everything. We learned a lot about ourselves. We learned a lot about our location, our area, and then we started to talk to professionals that, had this not happened, we would never have spoken to before.

Speaker 2:

And the shock value wore off and pretty soon we became very strategic and proactive and intentional every day about the rebuild. We became very hyper-focused on getting our lives back on track. We helped our community, our community helped us, and that's what happens, right. We start to really move into. Nothing else matters but us getting back on track. We had people praying for us, we would pray for others and we started to gather those tools and the things that we needed and once we would finish doing what we needed, we started to help others do the same. So when you're experiencing something that's unpredictable and negative and involuntary, something as drastic as that, you do find the silver lining in there. There's moments where that happens. This happened to me in 2005 when Rita hit us After New Orleans experienced Hurricane Katrina, we in our community had to become advocates and to help those who had evacuated the New Orleans area, and they became evacuees here in our city.

Speaker 2:

So we immediately I started to our church at the time and Red Cross and we started to help and then pretty soon, not even a couple of weeks later, we were running. We were, you know, having to leave and evacuate because Rita was right on the heels of Katrina and a lot of people remember Katrina, but very few remember Rita, and so we used to call it the forgotten storm, and we were devastated in 2005. I remember my husband and I, my children, my in-laws, my brothers, my family members everybody had to leave. My grandmother was in shelter not far from here, but we had to travel for hours because Rita had devastated all those areas. There were so many people who had to evacuate. They took up a lot of the hotels and the shelters before that. So we had to travel much further out to seek shelter, to seek aid, further out to seek shelter, to seek aid. And those two storms happened so close together that there was so many. There was help out there, but it was just very few and far between and they had to share it. We had to find ways to navigate through this and we ended up way in Northern Mississippi, almost to Memphis, tennessee.

Speaker 2:

But I remember being, we were displaced in that hotel. We were there for weeks and there were evacuees from New Orleans there, people from all over. And I remember thinking to myself sitting in that hotel. I can't just sit here and do anything. For those of you who've been with me for a really long time, you've heard this story before and I remember thinking to myself sitting in that hotel. I can't just sit here and do anything. For those of you who've been with me for a really long time. You've heard this story before and I remember sitting in the hotel, we finally found one, and we were praising God because of that, because we slept in our vehicle overnight. We were all huddled together in our cars and those who went caravan with us we were family members and some people from just who saw our plates and were like we are leaving too, and so we just started to converse with people on the road who knew that they must be evacuating as well, and we started to help one another.

Speaker 2:

And I remember just having this moment where I said I got to get out of there, I got to get out of this room and I went to the lobby and I asked the manager could I, you know, use the copier? And? And I had my laptop and things like that, and I started to just work. And then there was a small group of individuals in there who were talking about things and I started to share information with them that I had, you know, doing research, and they had no clue and they were like where'd you get this? Oh, thank you so much. And I thought, listen, I can help someone, I can help someone else. There's nothing I can do about home right now, there's nothing I can do about us being here and I just I want to be able to help.

Speaker 2:

And so, in the midst of that, I found a silver lining. I started to pursue what I had already I was passionate about and I was helping other people and I sat and had conversations with people all day for days while we were there. I didn't even realize it, and this was when I was getting into my coaching business. At the time, I was just a coach, I was just coaching and I just started to have sessions and I didn't even realize that I was doing it. I just felt like people needed me. So you want to look for those moments, those silver linings, and there may be times you just want to get busy so that your emotions don't flood you out. Just get busy, get intentional and start working.

Speaker 2:

For those of you who need to work on your health goal for a while, go work out, do something productive and constructive with your time and, believe me, it'll help you. So I want you to also understand that you don't have to face transition alone. There's there's another tip there. Um, for those of you, I remember reading into the comments and a lot of people were saying well, I'm doing this by myself and if you feel like you need to, I understand, but you don't have to face transition alone. Of course, um, a lot of us don't have a full support system or a group of people we can rely on, but you can absolutely establish or elect a purpose partner or someone, um, a new person, um, that can help you. Maybe tap some new someone, a new person that can help you. Maybe tap some new friends or a new circle. Maybe you want to start with a Facebook group and, if you're more comfortable with that, perhaps you want to you know, talk to some people in a meetup or there probably is already a group for what you are experiencing and you may want to join, maybe at your church, maybe at your local university, maybe at the local library. There are places you can go, but I want to encourage you not to face this full transition alone, if you can help it, if you feel like it's best for your understand, but it absolutely helps you to connect with people who are equipped with some intervention strategies and tools that will help to ease you through this process and, at the same time, you're acquiring wisdom that you never would have. Okay. So therapists, counselors, teachers, support group leaders, community advocates, your doctor, you know find people who have some tools that you can use to help you to move forward. You want to do your research, of course. Make sure that you're getting to know the right kind of people who can encourage and guide you forward.

Speaker 2:

This is a new transition, so you want to talk to people who have some experience in this. You don't want to talk to people who will what's the word? Be biased, I guess, and go oh, you know, are there. I don't need a lot of yes, men around me or, yes, women around me. I want somebody who's going to shoot straight from the hip, be honest with me, right? But I also want to speak to people who are going to tell me the truth and give me the right kind of information. I don't want people I don't want to get on the phone during this time of transition and go. I'm scared, and they're like me too. You know it's not really helping me.

Speaker 2:

You want to talk to some people who can say, ok, realize that you're going through this, but and they start to really be encouraging and they really start to offer you um, they start to interject with more constructive ways, uh, advice and and things like that. So, um, that person can be someone you just talk to, that's fine. Or they can be somebody that you actually hire, someone that you work alongside, and it could be a person or a group that you've never spoken to before. Just know that. Just make sure you do your research and, of course, you establish there's some trust there.

Speaker 2:

Not everybody that you elect as a support partner or a purpose partner or a part of your system will know what to say all the time. Okay, they're just there to be a listening ear or perhaps even a sounding board, just to give you some type of clarity and encouragement. But make sure that you elect people who are equipped to help you professionals, people who run, you know, support groups. I'm not saying that to discourage you. I'm saying don't be, be careful of your expectations. Not everybody has all the answers right, but you're going to have to have faith to move forward and collect where you can and move forward. You know, um, maybe your local church. Make sure that if you do feel that you need to go get to a therapist, do so quickly. You seek out individuals who can refer you to someone who can help People who care about you may know someone right. Excuse me, so for those of you who don't have a support system, this might be a good opportunity for you to start to create one and maybe create a group of your own. So you need this. When you're navigating transitions we all do so.

Speaker 2:

When our business was in trouble during COVID, like many others, we started to tap our network and ask our business buddies and our colleagues how are, how are you navigating this and what are you doing to stay afloat or move forward? I'll never forget this, and it started off as like four people, and then we started to meet up and it grew to like 15, 20 people talking on a weekly basis. So it may just be that you need to be a part of a circle or create a circle, maybe even online and the most beautiful thing happened we started to share. We would have lunch together and coffee dates, virtually Okay. And next thing, you know, we had created a constant and people were like I'm sorry, I'm late, I didn't want to miss group, and we started calling it group. I don't know, we had themes and everything. As the time went on, we started calling it group. I don't know, we had themes and everything as the time went on.

Speaker 2:

We had to do that. We had to embrace this new way of life in very positive ways so that we can cope. We did that and, even if it was involuntary, it became positive for us. So what you're experiencing, or your transition, uniquely in your personal and professional life uniquely in your personal and professional life it may be that you need to be around some very unique individuals and it may mean that you can't connect with the old friends that you used to. May just be that it's healthier for you and more helpful for you to connect with people who are like-minded or higher minded in some ways.

Speaker 2:

So again, I talked about Laura and the pandemic and what we've experienced. So all of that hit like a freight train and it caused a massive devastation right, and we started to connect quickly to supporters and when we couldn't do anything else, we rested. We had to stop. We had to completely stop everything, and that is also a tip when you've done all you can that's one of my favorite songs stand, stand or lay down and take a nap. Go to sleep. Stand or lay down and take a nap. Go to sleep.

Speaker 2:

Right, you've done everything you possibly can for this day or this week. Get some rest, get some risks. You've examined, you've assessed, you've reflected, you've taken steps, you've met with other individuals, you've collected data, you've asked all the questions, you've cleaned, you've organized, you've scheduled, you've implemented the intervention strategies. You've done those steps, you've taken all of those steps? If you haven't, then it's a good time for you to go back and see what you've missed of those steps. If you have it, then it's a good time for you to go back and see what you've missed.

Speaker 2:

But once you've done what you could for the day, even if the day was not perfect, it's time for you to rest. Rest your mind, body and your spirit. That is a constant that we all need as human beings. Getting sleep, getting the proper rest, is one of the biggest things that restores us in our health, in our minds. You know all of it, okay, so I hope that these tips have helped you and I want you to realize that a life transition is absolutely an opportunity to revise.

Speaker 2:

It's an opportunity to hit refresh, to reboot, to retell your story, to change the narrative. It's an opportunity for you to develop a new story, a new chapter, a new narrative. You can take time to reflect on how this experience is shaping you or has shaped you, and how you want to incorporate it into your personal narrative and moving forward. This is a beautiful thing that can happen. You get to decide a lot of this. You have autonomy over it, right? You full autonomy over how you your perspective on it, how you think of it. You get to decide how you're going to react to it, and this opportunity may be one of the most profound, pivotal moments in your whole life. If you see it that way, if you embrace it in this way, it may be just the thing that you needed to grow and to really take a leap.

Speaker 2:

And I know that many of us have gone through some tough things in 2024 and before. I say that a lot with my clients, 2024 and before. But we're here, you're listening to this and you can look back, you can take a retrospective look and reflect. You can assess. You have the opportunity to look at things. So we know that that transitions are non-linear and it's okay to progress at your own pace. It's okay that you have to think outside the box or reimagine things and use your creativity to do so. It's okay that you have to use more effort rather than seeing it in a fixed mindset and adopting that.

Speaker 2:

You want to adopt a growth mindset and say, listen, it's okay that in this season I have to use more effort, I have to equip myself with new tools and new you know for lack of a better phrase weaponry. You need some new things in your arsenal, right? So if you're wanting to build something, you have to have the right tools, you have to have the right blueprint and maybe, just maybe, what you're you're building is different from before, of course, and you need something that you've never used before. So it may just mean that it's time for you to acquire that. It's time for you to acquire new skills. That doesn't mean that you made a mistake, that you made a mistake. It doesn't mean that you've you know. It just means that you're you're getting equipped for a new chapter moving forward because of this change, and the traditional route just doesn't work. The things that you used to do doesn't work. For this it's all right, it's okay. It's okay. You're still progressing and moving forward. So embrace it and understand that those new tools you're going to need, um, and and you're going to have to practice. You're going to have to practice using these new things being around, new people and all that.

Speaker 2:

I always say, um, we're all going to fall at some point in our lives, we're all going to stumble, we're going to experience struggles. I love Les Brown's quote. If I fall, I try to fall on my back because if I can look up, I can get up and these are ways for you to move yourself intentionally forward. So if you can see forward, if you can just kind of stop all the mental chatter and the melee and all of that and block out the melee and all of that and block out the negativity and give yourself the opportunity to think positively, moving forward, and you begin to seek out the positive every day. I know a lot of people. No, really, it's important for you to restore your hope and your faith and to expect and speak positivity, speak life into your situation and then have a spirit of expectancy, moving forward, and just tell yourself this is going to work out. It may not map out the way I planned it, but it's going to work in my favor and hit the ground running. And it may not be a sprint, it may be a marathon, it may take some more time.

Speaker 2:

So these are moments, of course, and seasons that happen where we have. There will be sometimes where we have to sprint and sometimes we have to slow down. There may be, you know, during the ebb stage of it. You have to stop and pull back, and I always say this this is one of my quotes in my book that I'm publishing next year. Oftentimes, stepping back and pulling back is a good thing. It gives you a better view for a good aim when you see your target clearly. Sometimes you do have to take a couple of steps back. That's okay, doesn't mean that you're losing ground or whatever.

Speaker 2:

I posted about this a few weeks ago and I said a lot of us have this idea or this sort of I don't know it's belief system that we're falling behind in life, and that usually happens when we're doing that compare and despair thing. We're scrolling, see somebody else advancing and we think, oh, we're falling behind. What? No, no, you are right where you need to be. You're still equipped, you're still gifted, yes, and you have wisdom and your dreams are still your dreams. Your goals are still your goals. Yeah, sure, we are experiencing some ups and downs. Sometimes we are in the valley longer than we want to be. Sometimes we have to come. We have. It's time to leave that peak. So we're going to another one and we're going to climb down and anchor ourselves again. That's okay. This is your walk, your journey, right? This is your story. So you get to decide how you're going to map this and what you want to move forward doing. Remember that that's a blessing for a lot of us. We don't.

Speaker 2:

There are a lot of people who don't have that type of authority, but you do, and it may be that we have to embrace for longer than most because we're still learning in that area. Whatever, or it just it may be that it's time to take another leap. But do these, you know, practice these steps, and I promise you you're going to extract from it some of the best advice. You're going to extract from it some of the best advice, especially when you elect people who are equipped to help you. They have the best wisdom and insight. Engage in healthy activities that nurture your physical, your emotional and your mental well-being. It's needed For those of you experiencing the involuntary, the devastation of a storm and everything you may not be able to clean your space Devastation of a storm is, I know from experience and everything you may not be able to go to your area for a while.

Speaker 2:

For some people they can't even go back. So maybe those of you who are experiencing that level of transition, it may be time for you to gather what you can and begin to connect yourself with people who you can. You to gather what you can and begin to connect yourself with people who you can speak to about what you're going through. You gather the right kind of information and just don't let go of your hope. I know it's hard, but you know, when we have any type of transition, if you can hold fast to your faith and your hope, it'll begin to just keep moving. Just keep moving. Don't pull over and let it wash over you and just stay in that very dark place yourself, a safe space for you to you know and your family, and begin to connect with people.

Speaker 2:

Practice those constants prayer, meditation, exercise, take time to sleep and recharge. And remember that for a lot of us, we've gone. You've gone through change before and you've overcome before. You will again. You will again and you want to embrace and believe that. You have to be the first person to believe it, no matter what anyone else does, even if you have to go back to an apartment for a time. My husband and I we lived in temporary housing and it was an apartment for a year before we were able to get back home. There are a lot of friends and family of mine who could not come back to the area. They had to put down roots in a whole other city and some another state. But remember what I had mentioned before Breathe, give your body and your mind a chance to relax.

Speaker 2:

Whether the transition was negative, positive, unpredictable, predictable, initiated by your voluntarily, or it was involuntary, remember to reflect and process. Take the time to acknowledge and process your emotions. You are still important, so set realistic expectations, moving forward. Understand that transitions take time to adjust to and it's normal to have ups and downs. It's normal when things you know there's a lot going. Normal to have ups and downs. It's normal when things you know there's a lot going on and you're not familiar, it's normal to experience that overwhelm.

Speaker 2:

Avoid just putting that excessive pressure on yourself to do all the things Some of us are doing too much. Be realistic and take care of yourself In this moment. We all have this 24 hours in a day and a lot of those hours you need to commit to rest. A lot of us we're in a season of rest. We can't do anything but sit there right, you can read and all that relax, and then you can set small, manageable incremental steps or goals and try to tackle what you can and visualize you know, moving forward, what that looks like for you. Get whatever help you can. Right now and I know for a lot of us we experience hopelessness during those big transitions. Right, we have, but don't allow it to wash over you to the point where you just lose yourself.

Speaker 2:

So make sure, now that you're planning to move forward. It helps. It helps Even if you're unsure of what moving forward looks like at the moment. You know one foot in front of the other and maybe you have to get back to the basics and the simple things. It helps to create a detailed plan, though for the logistics, of course, but also just remain flexible, even if the plan isn't going precisely the way you want it. Remain flexible. You never know where this will take you. You know what safe looks like, you know what, you know who you are and you know what your family needs or what you need, and maybe you have to just slow down and take very precise steps, and there are going to be seasons where it's going to speed up. Embrace it all. Embrace that as also is. This is an opportunity for you to learn. It may be a time for you to just watch and listen, connect.

Speaker 2:

Some of you are in a service season. You know it's not about you. It's about you helping others and it could be that this is going to be a constant in your life. So establish a routine. Remember to keep those constants, those healthy constants prayer, exercise, getting up in the morning. If you don't have a schedule, create one. If you have not established a routine, it may be time for you to create a new one. Write it down, map it out, journal what you're feeling. Write it down. Write it down. Maybe you have a video recorder. You want to journal it. Some people find it very cathartic and therapeutic to go and post it on social media if that helps you, right. So nurture your body, nurture your spirit, nurture your mind. Cultivate that growth mindset.

Speaker 2:

I've always speak up and try to view whatever this transition is as an opportunity for growth and, you know, an opportunity to gain wisdom and to learn. This is important. So I hope this has helped you. We're going to continue on the next part, helping you to transition into this new season. Um, we're going to be looking at. Um, helping you to the for the look ahead. That's what this is about. And um, we're going to help you to plan moving forward. Whatever forward looks like for you, we're going to help you through it. Okay, so I hope this has helped many of you.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for taking this time to listen in. Make sure, if you want to review some of the things throughout this particular episode, you visit us at Alyssacom AlyssaAvenuecom excuse me, alyissaavenuecom and go to the blog. We're going to post this particular episode's summary and notes and we may even include some planning tools pre to you so that you can download that and start planning forward. This entire series is going to be helping you to transition and move forward optimistically and confidently, and we're going to help you to do that. Ok, thank you for listening. I can't wait to connect with you. I can't wait to come alongside you in your new season moving ahead. Thank you for your support. Happy holidays. See you on the next episode of the Altitude Talks podcast.

Alissa Duhon:

Thanks for listening to Altitude Talks. Make sure to share the show and subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Be sure to visit our online store and blog for more resources at alissaavenuecom. Follow us on Facebook. At facebookcom slash Alyssa Avenue and on Instagramcom slash Alyssa underscore Avenue. Until next time.

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Alissa Duhon

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