Episodes

This week, Alexandra explains her discomfort with the idea of the good, bad and ugly. We are all good and have parts or pieces of ourselves that others perceive to be negative. Those parts and pieces come from us as kids to protect us and keep us safe. We are all good inside. Links: Episode 295: https://momastery.com/blog/we-can-do-hard-things-ep-295/ Episode 296: https://momastery.com/blog/we-can-do-hard-things-ep-296/ Letting Go: The Path of Surrender: https://a.co/d/f0IFKT6 The Dark Side of...

This week, Alexandra shares how easy it is to assume what someone else has going on. Not everything we, ourselves, have going on is obvious to others. We are called to be more compassionate with others because we don't know what is going on behind closed doors. Also, we all have something we need to maintain our mental and emotional wholeness. No one is immune to needing support to handle life. It's hard to maintain compassion for others and yet it is necessary. Connect with Alexandra on her we...

This week, Alexandra celebrates Forward to Joy turning 50. Such an accomplishment and exciting as the podcast morphs and changes along the way. Alexandra also share the things she has learned since doing this podcast and during the journey of rebuilding her life. Connect with Alexandra on her website, forwardtojoy.com, or send her an email at alexandra@forwardtojoy.com. Portions or topics on this show may be triggering. Please seek professional help or assistance if needed. Learn more about y...

This week Alexandra encourages all her listeners to rock the boat. As we heal, grow and become more grounded in our authenticity, we shift dynamics with those around us and that can be challenging to those relationships. Everyone we are around are mirrors for us. We are also mirrors and we show each other what we need to work on. It's easy to not want to handle the fall out of these shifts but so much more rewarding when we continue on our path to authenticity. Boundaries episode: https://www.s...

This week, Alexandra and Sabrina Miller have a raw, authentic chat about the importance of nutrition and movement when working through the grief process. Additionally, to really make gains and be able to feel the impact of good nutrition and working, it is essential to evaluate the messages and conditions we ascribe to as children. The experiences do not need to be large and can actually just be a flippant comment with a lasting impact. Connect or Work with Sabrina: Bodiesbybrina.com Instagram:...

Recently, Alexandra was debating to finish the basement in her house and found that she was paralyzed by the decision. Mentioning it in therapy brought on a huge emotional reaction indicating that there were feelings around items in her basement, that she would have to clean up. Simultaneously, coming out of winter hibernation, Alexandra did some spring cleaning around her house and after doing so, found she had created space for more creativity, pings and messages for how to keep going. She kno...

This week, Alexandra talks about the different characteristics of ego and humility. Ego can absolutely have a healthy and necessary perspective. It does not always have to be considered a negative thing. Ego is protective and attempts to keep us self. The more we are our authentic selves and in our self worth, the more we can be aware of how our ego is part of us without succumbing to comparison and impostor syndrome. Humility is about knowing ourselves and truly understanding how we are it all ...

This week, Alexandra has the honor to speak with Certified HeartMath Coach, Jacque Timple. Something as simple as breathing, which sometimes can seem so hard, is actually a fantastic way to benefit us all in multiple ways. Just doing some intentional breathing can help the aging process, bring down our energy (in a good way), help others with their anxiety, help with attention and the list goes on. This was such a fun conversation and definitely worth tuning into for all the amazing things that ...

This week, Alexandra shares about her own experience with working through childhood pattern and messages. There are so many ideas and tips out there for self-discovery and personal healing that some will say they are the ultimate resource, a guru. Alexandra cautions against following gurus because there are always others that we are learning from. After a big loss, we don't just rebuild our lives and livelihood but rebuild ourselves as well. Who we are, what are our interests, what is meaningful...

This week, Alexandra chats with Rebecca Johnson, host of the Love Is Not Dead Just My Husband podcast. Widow to widow, their conversation covers so much from finding ways to move forward to questioning how to even tackle dating. Rebecca shares her wisdom, which is a treat for all. Ways to connect with Rebecca: Instagram- @Loveisnotdead_justmyhusband Facebook- Love is not dead, Just my husband TikTok- @widowyourway Connect with Alexandra on her website, forwardtojoy.com, or send her an email at...

This week, Alexandra chats about impostor syndrome. It is so easy to feel like an impostor when we step out of our comfort zone. Stepping out of our comfort zone is where the most growth can happen and yet feeling like an impostor can lead to self-doubt and not trusting ourselves. Alexandra encourages everyone to keep going even with impostor syndrome because whatever you are doing is needed and it’s needed to be done specifically by you. Connect with Alexandra on her website, forwardtojoy.com,...

This week, Alexandra talks about the slippery slope of comparision-itis. We all do it. It’s easy to do with how much access we have to seeing what others’ have going on in their lives. It’s easy to see what others are doing and wish we were doing the same. No one has had life turn out the way they thought it would. It’s a hard trap to avoid but also feasible. Connect with Alexandra on her website, forwardtojoy.com, or send her an email at alexandra@forwardtojoy.com. Portions or topics on this ...

This week, Alexandra talks about a perspective or block that some people have when their needs were not fully met as a child and are not currently met now. This is the “What About Me” perspective. It is hard for us to put others first or be able to meet others’ needs when we are relying on our needs to be met externally. The goal is to release others from meeting our internal needs. It is within ourselves to feel safe, secure, soothed and seen. Healing what parts of these areas our parents or ca...

This week, Alexandra continues laying the groundwork for becoming more aware of the messages and projections from childhood that impact us as adults. She touches on what is self-worth versus self-confidence. Self-worth is about how we feel about ourselves and self-confidence is about how we think about ourselves. Deservingness is about what kind of life we want for ourselves and how it is accessible when it is from our true authenticity. Quieting what is around us and becoming grounded in who we...

This week, Alexandra talks about how much Should’s and Supposed To’s can keep us from really being our truly authentic selves. Being caught up in what others are projecting onto us can prevent us from making decisions that are authentic. Thinking about the should’s and supposed to’s is more about the person who may be talking to us versus what is really right for us. On the other hand, saying “No” is very powerful. It’s possible to say “No” without having to provide a reason or a justification f...

This week, Alexandra talks about ancestral and familial patterns and how they can impact our lives. Not only do old patterns impact our lives but they can impact our grief process. This is a good starting point for recognizing what messages from our childhood contribute to how we make decisions as adults. How our caregivers and other important adults in our lives were raised and influenced as kids, can have a direct impact on our own lives. Giving some thought to this helps to increase awareness...

Today Alexandra dives into the importance of healing past grief and trauma in order to truly face grief in the present. Certain blocks can arise when dealing with grief that can cause us all to end up stuck. When this happens, it is important to evaluate what might be causing these blocks and hurdles. Alexandra shares a process she created to really start to look at a variety of aspects in wellness including physical, nutritional, emotional, mental, spiritual and cellular. It is also important t...

This week Alexandra shares how being a parent, single parent and a parent with grief is really hard. Children just know what hot buttons to push with their parents and it's all in a continued need to feel safe and secure. It seems the opposite of what we would all think, that it is an attempt to push us away and yet, it's really to connect with us. This can be incredibly hard to keep in mind when our own capacity as adults is not great and then add a layer of grief. In the end, we are all doing ...

This week, Alexandra dives into the difficulty with talking to kids about grief and death. It is hard to figure out how to manage our own reactions, let alone our kids' reactions. It's important to be honest with children at an age-appropriate level and there are some resources to help. Alexandra offers a few suggestions for ways to allow kids to bring up their passed loved one and to help keep channels of communication open. Book- Finding the Words: How to Talk with Children and Teens about De...

This week Alexandra talks about the plan for this year for The Widows Club and taking healing to the next level through examining the different areas of holistic wellness: emotional, mental, physical, nutritional, spiritual and cellular. This helps to understand the grief process more and how to make healthy decisions for how to approach all the experiences life brings. Connect with Alexandra on her website, forwardtojoy.com, or send her an email at alexandra@forwardtojoy.com. Portions or topi...

This week, Alexandra chats about her end of year rituals and how she likes to bring in the new year. The focus is less about New Years resolutions or a manifestation list and more about internally, what she wants to leave behind and what she wants to embrace. Manifestation lists are great and she recommends checking out the To Be Magnetic community for more information on how to go about writing one of those. While 2023 has been rocky, hopefully the lessons learned will help set up 2024 for even...

This week Alexandra chats about the importance of having an end of day ritual after a busy or stressful day. It could be a hot shower or a hot bath. It could be journaling or going to bed early. It could be exercising or moving. There are many options. Having an end of day ritual can help to release any inadvertent energy we take on from others and situations we are in. Connect with Alexandra on her website, forwardtojoy.com, or send her an email at alexandra@forwardtojoy.com. Portions or topi...

This week, Alexandra talks about the possibility of changing traditions. She also mentions that it can be helpful to have a therapist or a friend available should any activating situations not be resolved with the strategies we already use. While changing traditions can impact others and they may react largely, we ultimately need to do what is best for us. And this can include changing our traditions. If you travel and don’t want to, then don’t. If you don’t travel and want to, then do. It’s oka...

This week, Alexandra talks about the importance of having planned responses for potential situations. This does not mean you are bringing about negative events. This is not a “What you think about you bring about” situation. This is an opportunity to feel prepared for what comes your way. This is a way to feel more secure and grounded, which will lead to increased trust in ourselves to handle whatever situations arise. Connect with Alexandra on her website, forwardtojoy.com, or send her an emai...