Sedona Arizona Archives

Are you giving (and receiving) what you need in your relationship?

If you have any issues going on in your relationship (and let’s face it, most of us do) I REALLY want you to watch this video. After being a divorce attorney for 20 years and working with couples here at Sedona Soul Adventures for over 17 years, I know that the #1 problem that most couples have is not communication – it’s the lack of nurturing each other…of getting what you need and giving what the other one needs. Watch this and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Let us help you get back into the Nurturing Zone. Come to Sedona and do a Couples Retreat. Can you imagine how good it would feel to come back into the love and connection that brought you together in the first place?

Call us and connect with one of our Retreat Guides. They’ll connect with both of you separately and really dig deep to discover what’s keeping you out of the Nurturing Zone.

Then they’ll put together a retreat that’s custom designed for exactly what you need and want, and to bring you back into the love, connection and sizzle that you crave.

Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada, call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.

You might also like to download your free copy of our “Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats.” That will give you a real idea of what we do and how it works. But please — for the sake of your relationship, do something to get yourself back into the Nurturing Zone.

Sherri completes her 4th Retreat (!) her 2nd Couples Retreat, and says, “Every experience has been unique and special, and worth every penny!!!”

sedona soul adventure retreat testimonial

Today I’m going to talk to you about How to get what you want in your relationship. If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably already know that I was a divorce attorney in Omaha, Nebraska for over 20 years. And then in 2002, I started Sedona Soul Adventures, where we do retreats for individuals and couples. So I spent 20 years divorcing people, and now I’ve spent almost 20 years helping people stay together.

Our record for helping people with their relationships is absolutely stunning and it’s because we’re able to dig deep to get at the root of the problem, and sometimes the problem is not what either person thinks it is. A big piece of this is finding out what each of you need in your relationship and deciding if you are willing to give it to the other person?

We had a couple here last year and it was stunning. The husband had an affair and on the surface it looked like just one of the usual situations that sadly we see a lot of. They had grown apart and the husband, I’ll call him Mike, had an affair. Even though he said he loved his wife, I’ll call her Linda, and he adored their two children, the affair had happened and it had gone on longer than Mike had originally told Linda. Linda, of course, was devastated and really, really angry and felt like she could never trust him again. And of course, those reactions are completely natural.

Mike’s father was a womanizer and his mother left his father when he was very young. He and his mother went to live with relatives in a household that was basically full of men-hating women. Mike grew up hearing about how terrible men are, how you can’t trust them and they’re all womanizers, and he grew up afraid that he would be like that too. But he wasn’t, he’d been married for 20 years, had never had the urge to have an affair and was even saying to us over and over again, “I can’t believe I did that, I can’t believe I jeopardized my whole life” like that.

Linda grew up in a family where her mother constantly criticized her father and so Linda thought that’s how you communicate with a husband. You get him to do what you want by criticizing him.

We discovered through our process that the needs that Mike has are Words of Praise and Gifts.

At this point, this might sound to some of you like the Love Languages work that is out there, which I like, but what we do is very different and very specific for each person.

We discovered through our process that the needs that Linda has are Listening, Conversation and Protection.

Which also made sense because Linda’s mother also criticized Linda and her father would never stand up for her with her mother, so Linda grew up believing, “I have no one to protect me.”

So Linda needs a man who will talk to her and protect her. And we quickly discovered that Mike just simply wasn’t talking to her and really hadn’t been throughout their marriage and she was, quite understandably, upset about it. And of course, the affair was the ultimate betrayal, how could anyone feel protected by someone who had betrayed them?

Mike didn’t want to have a lot of conversations with Linda because she was constantly criticizing him. She thought she was “helping him” by telling him what to do and how to do it, but it all just felt like criticism to him and Linda got it, how it would feel like that to him.

So here we have a man whose most basic relationship need is Words of Praise and all he’s getting is Criticism. We have a woman whose most basic relationship need is Conversation and we have a man who won’t talk to her.

But then here’s the kicker:

When we discovered that Mike’s other need was Gifts, we asked him about that. He started tearing up as he told us that he never got gifts when he was growing up, not even for his birthday.

And guess who gives him gifts? The woman that he had an affair with. And guess what else she gave him? Words of Praise. His other deepest need. It wasn’t about sex, it was about him feeling valued.

When Mike and Linda realized they were living in this crazy, vicious cycle of he needs Words of Praise and she’s criticizing him, and she needs Conversation and he doesn’t want to talk to her because he doesn’t want to get criticized…and how this had much more to do with their childhoods than with what is going on now…and it’s just this crazy thing that keeps on happening and keeps on going back and forth until someone finally says, “STOP! Wait a minute. He needs Words of Praise and Gifts, are you willing to give that to him?”

And we say to him, “She needs conversation and protection, are you willing to give that to her?” It was harder for him to say yes, because they had 20 years of not really talking to each other. But when she saw him tear up over the gifts thing, her heart just melted. When he got that she was just doing what her mother had taught her to do, he got it. They both got it — that you have to give the other one what they need, not what you think they need, but what they need and want, you have to nurture them in what they need.

If you’re not willing to do that, you don’t have a relationship. And you certainly don’t have a relationship that’s going to last for very much longer.

Now understand, I’m not saying that what Mike did was okay, far from it. Having an affair is simply not okay, but when Linda understood all this, she really got it, her heart opened and she was able to forgive him and love him again.

So How about you?

Do you know what you want in a relationship? I’ve been surprised to discover that most people don’t.

Do you know (really) what your partner wants?

Do you care? That’s actually the most important one, because if you aren’t willing to give your partner what they want, things aren’t going to work.

Have you spent any time thinking about how your parents were with each other because that can be really telling.

Were they happy?
Were they loving with each other?
Did they talk?
Did they fight?
What did they teach you? (Even though they probably didn’t think they were teaching you.)

But even more deeply, how was your childhood?

Did you feel loved?
Did you feel valued?
Were you criticized?
Did you grow up believing there’s something wrong with you?

Sadly, for many of us, things happen to make us believe that we’re not enough, that we don’t deserve love and then we bring all that into our relationships and it comes out in all kinds of crazy ways, like having affairs and mistreating the person we’re supposed to love.

What do you really want?

What do you crave?

What do you need?

Come to Sedona and we’ll help you discover that and help move out the blocks that are keeping you from the loving relationship you desire. That’s what we do all day, every day with our custom-designed retreats.

What you need is probably different than what your partner needs. The blocks that have happened for you are the result of different things that caused the blocks for your partner. We’ll dig all that out and bring you into the love that’s waiting for you.

Go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.

Or even better, if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for exactly what the two of you need, call us at 928/204-5988.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it and subscribe to our channel.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it!

The “Fun” (Almost Magical) Way to Get Out of Debt

Last week I talked with you about what your debt says about you and gave you very important (but unfun) ways to get out of debt. It’s very good and we got a huge response from it (if you didn’t see it, click here).

Today I want to talk to you about the “fun” (almost magical) way to get out of debt and I’ll tell you the story of the day that $50,000 dropped out of the sky (it’s almost unbelievable, but it’s true).

Being in debt is so awful – it just crushes you, it feels like this giant weight that is constantly there and you think and worry and fret about it all the time. At least that’s what I did.

Find out how I turned that around and how you can too!

As I said last week, I want to be very careful about what I say to you about doing a Soul Adventure if you’re in debt. I don’t want to encourage you to be irresponsible, but as I talk about in this video, I was $50,000 in debt the first time I came to Sedona and it changed everything around for me.

Let’s explore this together:

In my last video, I spoke with you about being in debt. And I spoke with you about what that reflects in your life and what I called the Unfun ways of coming out of debt – important things that you can start doing that will start to help you right now:

Spending less
Paying off debt
Saving more

Important, but sort of boring and not fun. But today I want to talk to you about Really Fun ways to get out of debt and change things around for your money situation.

Here’s where this gets very interesting and exciting. Because no matter what you’re telling yourself right now, you can control how you think and feel about money

And you can turn the energy around.

The Journey to Happy Book by Debra Stabgl

I spend a lot of time talking about this in my book, The Journey to Happy, and I want to encourage you to spend 99 cents to buy the Kindle version of my book – yes, now I’m talking to you about spending money, because it’s the best 99 cents you’ll ever spend, because it will help you understand these ideas more deeply.

What I talk about in my book is that one of the truths that Einstein discovered (and that Quantum Physics continues to prove) is that Everything is Energy. Even this desk, which feels so stable and strong, is – at its core – just a bunch of particles racing around.

Money is energy. Most people don’t believe that and don’t understand it, and that’s why they have so much trouble.

If everything is energy (and now we know it is), that means that everything is much more elastic, much more malleable, and much more possible to change than we think it is.

Quantum physics has also proven that.

Putting our attention on something in any way changes it.

So, if everything is energy and if putting our attention on something in any way changes it, that means we are all creating our reality in every moment.

What we focus on expands.

We get more of whatever it is that we think about and talk about.

If you’re in debt, you are probably like I was when I was deep in debt: Thinking about it all the time, worrying about it all the time.

Because I was thinking about it all the time and worrying about it all the time and talking about it all the time, I was getting more and more of it, no matter what I did.

But here’s the good news – because everything is energy and because putting our attention on something in any way changes it…

You are creating your reality in every moment.

That means: You can change the parts that you don’t like.

That is really great news! If you are creating your reality, that means that you can change the parts that you don’t like – the parts that aren’t making you happy.

The trick is, you need to learn how to flip the switch.

The easiest way to do that is to Stop THINKING about what you don’t want and Stop TALKING about what you don’t want.

When I was afraid about money, it could never come to me or if it came, something else came along after to take it away. It’s simple physics – you have to be in the same high Vibration as the money. If you’re fearful, frustrated and upset about money, it literally cannot come to you.

Which makes it pretty difficult, right, because when you’re in debt or your money situation isn’t the way you want it to be, if you’re like I was, you’re thinking about it all the time…obsessing about it all the time…worrying about it all the time. Which makes it impossible for it to come to you.

But if you can learn to go with the flow, magical things happen.

Let me tell you the story of what happened to me and the day that $50,000 dropped out of the sky…

When I first came to Sedona over 20 years ago, my entire life was a mess. I had just started my 20^th year of law practice and I hated it, I was in an unhappy marriage, I weighed 40 pounds more than I do now, and I was $50,000 in debt due to some very bad business decisions.

I worried constantly about money. It was always on my mind. I would wake up in the morning and start worrying about it and I would go to bed worried about it. I was always fearful, frustrated and upset, so of course money couldn’t come to me.

During those five years, I spent a lot of time praying and meditating, saying, “God, I’m so unhappy! Please tell me what to do!” Almost every time I did that, I would hear a voice say, “You need to leave your law practice.” I would immediately respond, “I can’t do that! I’ve got a mortgage and two car payments! I’m the sole supporter and I’m $50,000 in debt! I CAN’T leave my law practice!”

So the last thing in the world I should have been spending money on at this point in my life was a spiritual retreat. But I put it on my credit card and I came.

I came to Sedona and did one session – and in that session my Higher self appeared to me and told me I had to leave my law practice or I was going to die. Well, this time I heard the message.

I went home and after two weeks of trying to figure out how I was possibly going to leave my law practice when I was $50,000 in debt, there was a day where something just happened. I was meditating and praying, and I just felt all the worry and concern just lift off me. I just felt it. I remember saying, “Ok God, I’m going to do this. I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but I’m going to do it, but I need some help.”

Within about 8 hours, a former client called to ask me some questions and at the end of the call told me he had just bought a new business refinancing mortgages. I asked him if he thought he could get my mortgage payment reduced. He took my address and called me back in 10 minutes and said, “I can get your mortgage payment cut in half and I can get you $50,000 in cash.”

Now I had never told him I was $50,000 in debt. He certainly didn’t know about my going into that high vibrational state where I just released the worry and concern. But suddenly, within a few hours, the worry and concern that had haunted me for five years was gone.

And ever since then, whenever I feel worried about money, I just stop.

Because I know these principles:

Whatever I’m afraid of, is coming faster.

Whatever I’m excited about, is coming faster.

If I’m afraid of not having enough money, I do everything I can to take myself out of that feeling, because I KNOW my fear is keeping the money away. In my other videos, I’ve given you lots of things you can do to bring yourself out of those energies, such as:

Tapping
Deep Breathing
Change Your Story, Change Your Life

I never talk to people about not having enough money, I only talk about abundance.

You can use other little tricks like…

Listening to Music
Petting your pet
Going outside in the sunshine
Writing in your Gratitude Journal

The trick is getting there and staying there. But the key is all in these three simple steps:

1. Get happy
2. Stay happy

And in order to get happy and stay happy:

3. Don’t think about what you don’t want and don’t talk about what you don’t want

It all comes down to stop worrying about money.

Again, I know that’s much easier said than done, because I was someone who worried about it for years and years, but I’ll tell you, when you can stop worrying and instead start getting excited about what’s on the way, money will start to flow to you.

So do this: When you start to worry – stop and instead, think about how great it will be to have your money woes behind you, think about how fantastic it will feel to have your credit cards all paid, visualize your bank statement having a balance that is really large. Feel the feeling of what it feels like to have money in savings. Feel what it feels like to have all that worry off your shoulders. Start appreciating what you have and really feel that.

This is so deceptively simple. It’s simple, I know it’s not easy, because I’ve been there through those sleepless nights, but I will tell you, when you flip the switch — and you can tell when that’s happening — miracles can actually happen.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it and subscribe to our channel.

And If you want an even more direct path to dealing you’re your money issues, I’m going to say to you – think about doing a Soul Adventure. Money blocks for most people are huge and go way back and run deep. I don’t want you to be irresponsible, but look at what happened to me – I came here and $50,000 dropped out of the sky three weeks later.

I can’t tell you the number of people who have come here and gone home, and gotten the job of their dreams and had their entire life change around. You need to listen to your own guidance, but you may want to just start exploring the possibilities. Excited expectation is the key to all of this. Go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Spiritual Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that can turn your life around call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it!

My Favorite Spiritual Movies – “Groundhog Day”

Have you ever seen the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray? It’s one of my favorite spiritual movies of all time. It has such incredible messages – watch my video:

Do you ever feel like Phil (the Bill Murray character) feels? Feeling stuck in your life and there’s nothing you can do about it?

There is something you can do about it.

Call us, let us help.

It’s all about moving out the gunk and the blocks that are holding you in disconnection and then moving you back into connection on all the levels – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The specific ways are different for each person. That’s why our custom-designed retreats are so powerful and effective.

Would you like to speak to an Angel Guide today? Or later this week? Call us – connect with one of our Angel Guides and let them design a retreat that can bring you back into Heaven on Earth.

And remember, we even work on Sunday, we’re here for you.

If you knew what could happen you’d be contacting us right now.

Kelly says her Soul Adventure “surpassed all my expectations” and
was “worth every penny.”

“Sedona Soul Adventures surpassed all my expectations. The practitioners are deeply committed, knowledgeable, and caring. I felt like l had the best possible experts all working together to help me find and focus on my ‘true’ self. I have a tool box that I can use when faced with challenges and am better able to recognize triggers and instead of reacting, I’m able to reconnect with my inner voice and follow a path that is informed by love, instead of ego or fear. Worth every penny, and I plan to go back again for a refresher and/or to continue my development.”
~ Kelly R., Chicago, Illinois

In these series of videos I’m talking about concepts from my book, The Journey to Happy– How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is wrong can transform your life…with processes that can help you feel a lot happier right away.

And most of the time when I’m doing these videos, I’m talking to you about very heavy issues – and today I want to do something a little bit different.

I have a list of what I call, “My Favorite Spiritual Movies” and I’m going to be talking to you about them today and into the future for two reasons:

They have messages that are really amazing, wonderful and helpful.
Watching a movie can very often immediately make you feel better.

One of the things that I talk about a lot in my book is that when you start to feel yourself beginning to slip and just starting to not feel great, do something – anything – to start making yourself feel better… like listening to music, petting your dog or your cat, or watching a movie that makes you laugh or simply feel good.

So here’s one of these movies for me: “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. Have you seen this movie? Your first reaction might be, “This is a spiritual movie?” Because it is very, very funny, very irreverent; it’s Bill Murray at his best. But yes, I want to assure you it’s definitely at the top of my list of the top 10 spiritual movies of all time.

And you may not know the backstory of this – that it was written and directed by Harold Ramis, a Buddhist (he passed a few years ago), and this movie is all about consciousness. It’s all about how we perceive things and how everything can shift in an instant.

So if you’ve never seen it, watch it. And if you’ve never watched it from this perspective, definitely watch it again and you’ll see what I mean.

In the movie, Phil, played by Bill Murray, is reliving the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over again. He plays a weatherman who is covering whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow. He is stuck in his own personal hell with himself – he’s selfish, egotistical, shallow and doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.

Worse, he can’t get out of it and he can’t get away from himself. He even tells us that he hates himself.

He’s completely stuck.

And when he figures out what’s happening, that he’s reliving the same day over and over again, he goes through anger, frustration, manipulation, depression and even suicide (which doesn’t work) until something changes. He falls in love and begins to live his life from a completely different perspective; in that instant, his life changes.

It’s such an incredible parable:

When we start allowing what is, our life transforms.

When we love with no expectation or demands, we get exactly what we want.

We can transform from living in hell, to living in Heaven on Earth. It’s our choice and it just takes an instant.

Do you sometimes feel like you’re living in a kind of hell?

Do you feel like there’s nothing you can do about it?

Well, I’m here to tell you there is something you can do about it. Your life can be transformed if you’re willing to take responsibility for your life and your creations. The way you perceive the world and the way you move in the world can be changed in an instant. I see it all the time and it is truly miraculous.

It’s all about moving out the gunk and the blocks that are holding you in disconnection and then moving you back into connection on all the levels:

Physical
Mental
Mmotional
Spiritual.

The specific ways are different for each person. That’s why our custom-designed retreats are so powerful and effective.

So call us – connect with one of our Angel Guides and let them design a retreat that can bring you back into Heaven on Earth.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.

To get more information, go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

Are You Focusing on the Right Thing?

In my last video, I spoke with you about the idea that the first 90 minutes of your day are the most important. Studies have shown that’s when you are most productive, you have the most focus, and you have the highest level of energy and the highest level of will power.

Today I want to talk to you about what to do in the first 90 minutes of your Work. And the point of all of this is about FOCUS.

Watch my video to get some really surprising information about how important focus is. And if you have trouble staying focused, you’ll really want to watch this:

If you’re having trouble staying focused, let us help you with that. Let us clear out the gunk so that you feel more connected and focused. Connect with us and we’ll custom design a retreat that’s perfect for you.

Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada, call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.

Carol (a therapist) came to us and says, “After my Soul Adventure, I have remained centered, focused, loving, open and giving with a clarity that I never had before. My husband said he sees a ‘new woman.’”

“After my Soul Adventure, I returned home feeling truly renewed. Though ‘life’ continues to twirl with a vengeance around me, I have remained centered, focused, loving, open and giving with a clarity that I never had before. My husband said he sees a ‘new woman.’ I clearly have ‘new tools’ for both my therapy practice and my life. My wish is that both my husband and I will return and experience Soul Adventures together. Until then…”
~ Carol H.

I spoke with you in my last video about the idea that the first 90 minutes of your day are the most important. Studies have shown that’s when you are most productive, you have the most focus, and you have the highest level of energy and the highest level of will power. And I spoke with you about things you can be doing in those first 90 minutes to set the tone for the rest of the day, which is really about setting the tone for the rest of your life.

If you want to set the tone, here are the suggestions I gave you in the last video:

HeartMath Heart Coherence Technique (if you don’t know what that is, Google it; its effects are sort of astounding)
Meditation
Exercise
Write in Your Journal
Do a Gratitude Journal
Read Inspirational Books
Plan Your Day
Drink Water (with lemon)

Today I want to talk to you about what to do in the first 90 minutes of your Work.

Depending on the kind of work you do, you may not have total flexibility with this, but if you do, this can be magical.

The point of all of this, is FOCUS.

Most thought leaders these days are in agreement that FOCUS is the most important thing we need in our lives – that it’s even more important than intelligence and creativity

Did you really rear that?

Yes. Most people agree and studies have shown that focus can be even more important than intelligence and creativity.

When we’re unfocused, we’re scattered, we’re adrift and the worst part is, we feel like we are never accomplishing anything. It’s a terrible feeling.

So let me ask you – What do you do with the first 90 minutes of your work day?

Hopefully you’ve started the first 90 minutes of the day with meditation, gratitude and exercise, but what do you do next?

Do you have a process for keeping yourself focused?

Are you prone to distraction throughout the day?

Do you…

Check your email, texts and other social media constantly? (Do you have special dings for notifications? — That will definitely make you distracted).
Do you spend a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram?
Do you spend a lot of time on YouTube watching videos of cute kittens and puppies?

Don’t get me wrong, videos of cute kittens and puppies and laughing babies make me happy. And I’m not perfect in this area — it’s so easy for me to get distracted. All of a sudden I’ll get a notification of something on Facebook. I’ll go to check that and then on the sidebar I’ll see that some celebrity has done something outrageous and then I’ll give myself a guilty pleasure and click on that… and then on the sidebar there’s some YouTube video that sounds especially interesting and uplifting, so I’ll click on that, until I finally Stop!

And this is the big reason why you have to stop this:

Studies have shown that it takes 21 minutes(!) to really get back into what you were doing. So think about it, if you let yourself get distracted 6 times during the day, that’s over 2 hours that it takes to really get you back into what you were doing.

I’m not saying don’t go on Facebook anymore, but honestly, does it really help you that much? And I’m not saying don’t go on YouTube — there are lots and lots of inspiring videos on YouTube. What I am saying is that living your life with FOCUS will make you feel better. It will make every area of your life feel better.

So let me ask you:

Do you feel unfocused?
Do you feel scattered?
Does your mind race while you lie in bed trying to get to sleep?
Do you feel anxious?
Do you constantly feel like you should be doing more and more?

What I’ve found in these 17 years of working with people here, is that these feelings are usually on top of something deeper. When we find those, clear them and come back into connection, everything changes.

Let us help you with that. Let us clear out the gunk so that you feel more connected and focused. Connect with us and we’ll custom design a retreat that’s perfect for you.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.

To get more information, go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Spiritual Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

Sexual Abuse

Have you or anyone you know been a victim of sexual abuse or assault?

I’m asking because I’m so stunned by the sheer numbers of people that come to our retreats who have this as something that happened to them. And so saddened by the fact that this haunts them throughout their lives.

It’s happened to both men and women, sometimes when they were very young, and almost none of them told anyone about it.

So the terrible parts for this, for me, in addition to what happened, is then what happens after that.

I’m amazed at the number of stories I’ve been told of people telling their parent, usually their mother, and not being believed.

Or worse, being blamed that they somehow brought this on themselves.

And then the number of people who somehow blame themselves for what happened. Especially teenagers or people who were on a date and because they were being friendly or because they had something to drink, they’re blaming themselves.

And it’s people from every walk of life – every ethnicity, male, female, upper class, middle class, lower class – it’s so pervasive that I actually feel it is a type of epidemic.

I was reading recently that when Freud did his initial work, he was working primarily with women in the upper class of Vienna and he was discovering that huge numbers of them were saying that they had been sexually abused by a family member, usually a father or a brother. When he first started talking about it, there was such an uproar, that he changed his analysis. He started talking about it as though the women had made it up, that they were “hysterical.”

And the worst part is the cover up. The person tells someone, they’re not believed and so they shut up about it. And then they carry it with them, this huge weight that is dragging them down.

And then here’s another worst part, (I keep saying this is the worst part, because there’s so many terrible parts to this), it gets twisted into this terrible belief that they take on that this happened because there’s something wrong with them. Or now that it happened, there’s something wrong with them.

And then, like I said, they carry it around.

We’ve had people come to us where this happened over 40 years ago and they’re still suffering, or 30 years ago, or 20 years ago, and they still feel it like a scar, like a wound.

If this is something that has happened to you or someone you deeply care about, I want to reach out to you to lay this burden down. This pain doesn’t need to be carried around any longer.

This energy can be released and you can come back into connection on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Because it affects people on those levels.

Some people don’t physically enjoy sex any longer because of the abuse, or it’s painful for them, either physically or emotionally.
The emotional pain typically shows up in feelings of inadequacy.
The mental part is all the thoughts racing in your head of “there’s something wrong with me,” “this is my fault,” “I’ll never get over this,” “my life is ruined.”
The spiritual part shows up in different ways. The spiritual aspect is about beliefs, so you take on those untrue thoughts that there’s something wrong with you. But on an even deeper level, we’ve found many people who have lost their faith, in that “how could God let something like this happen to me?” It’s especially insidious when it’s been a father, because for a young child, the father can represent God.

We have helped so many people who have had this happen to them. If this is something that is still haunting you or someone you deeply care about, please call us and let us help.

Call and speak with one of our Angel Guides. For some people, this is the hardest part, speaking about it, sometimes for the very first time. Our Angel Guides, are incredible, they are so compassionate and caring, you’ll feel better just having spoken with them. And it’s so freeing to finally talk about it with someone who cares.

When they speak with you, they’ll tune it and determine exactly how the impact of this is showing up for you, because it’s different for everyone. Some people are depressed, some people are angry, some people are ashamed. For some, it has greatly impacted their relationships, for others, it has greatly impacted their feelings of empowerment or inadequacy, for some, it has even impacted how they show up in the world. And it can definitely impact how you are as a partner and as a parent.

However it’s showing up for you, they’ll get to the root of it and put together a retreat of private sessions designed to move out the old, hurtful energy and moving you into connection on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Julianne says that after her Soul Adventure she feels happier, enlightened and TALLER! “I was freed from this shame I have carried through my life.”

“I was totally meant to go to Sedona. It is a magical place with incredible people. During my retreat, I felt myself change, a warm yellow light grew from inside of me. By my last day, I felt taller, happier, enlightened, I felt I finally awoke that wonderful, beautiful spirit deep inside of me that was afraid to come out. I was freed from this shame I have carried through my life. I wish for every human person to go through an experience like mine, it was worth every penny. I will go back to Sedona without a doubt.”
~ Julianne V., Ottawa, Canada

I love it so much that Julianne’s retreat helped her so deeply and isn’t it sweet, she says her Soul Adventure made her feel TALLER! That’s a new one.

But that’s exactly what happens. Shame (or depression or feeling “less than,” etc.) does that to you. It makes you feel smaller. It makes you feel less than. When those blocks are gone and that “wonderful beautiful spirit deep inside of you” comes through, you’re suddenly lighter and happier, and that literally makes you stand up taller! It’s so amazing.

What To Do About Burnout

In the past few months, I’ve been focusing my newsletters and videos on burnout because it’s such a huge problem.

Did you know that the World Health Organization has now recognized burnout as a legitimate condition that needs to be managed and treated?

In this week’s video, I have some really good ways to help you deal with burnout. It’s so important – it could save your life!

If burnout is happening with you, it’s time to do something about it!

As I say in the video, simply getting better organized is not going to reduce your level of burnout. You need to do something to turn this around, to get at the heart of what’s really the problem. What is really causing your stress, what’s really going on?

Let us help you. Let us get to the root of what’s going on. It’s in there somewhere and we’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out and bringing you back into connection.

Call us – we can help.

Brian says, “Before my Soul Adventure, I was completely burned out…
I had a complete awakening and am now happy and at peace
with myself.”

“My experience with Sedona Soul Adventures was unimaginable. I arrived in a complete state of desperation and total burnout. Life made no sense to me and I really had an incredible amount of hatred toward myself. Things started to become clear so quickly. An understanding of my purpose and what life is and means began to appear, and then every session built upon that so powerfully that by the fourth day, I had reached a complete awakening.

I cannot describe in words the feeling of relief that I had finally experienced. I was finally back home in my heart. Let me include the fact that I was not a very spiritual, religious or very loving, caring person. I just opened up my mind and allowed things to happen without resistance. I was very skeptical of SSA in terms of if it was some hokey sort of thing and was going to be a complete waste of time. That could not be further from the truth. If you are serious about changing your life and becoming happy and at peace with yourself, this is the best next step you could take.”
~ Brian R., Los Angeles, CA

In this series of videos, I’ve been talking to you about burnout, because it’s such a serious issue and so many people are suffering from it.

In fact, it’s become so serious around the world, that the World Health Organization has recognized it as a condition that needs serious attention and treatment.

In my previous videos I’ve talked about:

Burnout in your Work
Burnout in your Relationship
Burnout in your Life

And today I want to talk about what you can do about it.

If this is the first of these videos that you’ve watched, let me back up just a little to talk about what burnout is. HelpGuide defines Burnout as:

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.

And it’s important to note that burnout is different than stress. Stress spikes, burnout is just getting to the point where you feel like you just can’t take it anymore and you just don’t want to do anything, you’re listless and just disinterested.

If this is happening in your life, I can’t tell you how important it is to deal with it. Study after study is showing the kind of continual stress that leads to burnout is directly linked to heart attack, stroke, cancer and a compromised immune system.

This Can Kill You!

So please, do something about this before it’s too late. Do it for yourself, do it for your family.

How do deal with Burnout

So the question is, how do you deal with Burnout? The obvious first answer is don’t let it happen in the first place. Of course, that’s easier said than done, but if you’re not at burnout yet and you’re just stressed out a lot, you can save yourself or someone you love a whole lot of problems if you do something before you’ve gone completely over the edge.

So this means Managing Your Stress.

What are things that can reduce your stress?

Study after study shows that three of the easiest things that you can start doing right now, today are:

Get 8 hours of sleep

Exercise

Meditate

Breathe

And of course, everyone’s first reaction is, “I don’t have time for any of those and I can’t meditate, I have monkey mind.”

Get up 1 hour earlier. Studies have shown that just 30 minutes of exercise is optimal for everything that your body needs. And even the Dalai Lama says that he has monkey mind – everyone has monkey mind – so find a meditation that will work for you and keep at it. Stop watching TV at night, stop playing video games, go to bed one hour earlier.

If you do this, you are handling the first three by giving yourself the time to exercise and meditate. And isn’t it worth it to save your life?

The final one is to breathe. And everyone has time for that. The problem is that you’re just not doing it. And don’t think this is New Age, woo-woo stuff. This is what doctors and scientists are telling people to do and here’s why…

When we get stressed, we go into fight or flight and our body starts pumping cortisol and we start breathing rapidly. It’s our caveman brain acting like we’re running away from a tiger. The problem is our brain doesn’t know the difference between a tiger and an upset at work; our brain makes our body react the same way to any stress.

What doctors, scientists and yogis in India all know is that when you start taking full deep breaths, you are signaling to your body, “I’m safe,” and your rapid heart rate slows down and you stop pumping the cortisol that’s filling into your body.

When something happens in your life, just stop and take a moment to breathe. Go into a bathroom if you want to, but just stop and take slow breaths.

All of this that I’m talking about is about Being Mindful. Notice what’s happening, be present, stop, breathe.

And now, here’s what I think is the most important one. Figure out how to not sweat the small stuff. And I’m going to pull out the big guns on this one: in a study of stressed out men, they found that stressing over the small stuff kills you:

“People who always perceived their daily life to be over-the-top stressful were three times more likely to die over the period of study than people who rolled with the punches and didn’t find daily life very stressful.”
Carolyn Aldwin  
Center for Healthy Aging Research 

Think about it. They had people dying during this study and they were the ones that stressed out over small stuff.

How about you?

Does a glitch in traffic make you crazy?
Do you lie awake at night worrying about stuff?
Do you get anxious when you’re late?
Do little annoyances make your heart start pumping?

If so, you’ve got to figure out a way that works for you to calm yourself down. This is what I talk about in my book, The Journey to Happy – How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is Wrong Can Transform Your Life. This is the way to flip the switch out of stress and back into peace.

It’s simple, but it’s not easy, but I’ll tell you as someone who used to overreact to absolutely everything absolutely all the time, this concept saved my life.

Do I still react and over react? Yes, I must admit that I do, but I’m happy to say that I do it much less often and when I do, I’m able to stop and pull myself back much more quickly than I used to. The Kindle version of the book is only 99 cents on Amazon (you can buy it here). The book has nine processes that can help you to flip that switch.

Because here’s the thing -– stress comes from what you’re believing about your situation and yourself, and that’s making you fearful and triggering the stress response.

If your boss says to you, “I’ve got to have that report by 5,” and you know there’s no way you’re going to have that report by 5, your heart starts racing, you go into panic mode, you yell at your wife when she calls you 10 minutes later, you start thinking things like, “I’m going to get fired,” “I can’t do this,” “There’s something wrong with me,” “I’m not smart enough,” “I’m not good enough”… All of which are lies.

Simply getting better organized is not going to reduce all that. That’s why you need to do something to turn this around to get at the heart of what’s really the problem. What’s really causing your stress, what’s really going on.

Let us help you. Let us get to the root of what’s ailing you. It’s in there somewhere and we’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out and bringing you back into connection.

hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.

To get more information, go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

SSA named one of Inc.’s Fastest Growing Companies in US

I am so happy to announce that this past week. Sedona Soul Adventures was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in the US. Other companies who have received this honor include Microsoft, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, Pandora, LinkedIn, Zillow and many others. I’m still in shock!

I feel so blessed and I’m so grateful to our incredible practitioners and my amazing staff. It’s mind blowing to me to think that I started all of this over 17 years ago in my living room and to see what it’s become – 13 staff members and over 50 practitioners.

But the best part is our wonderful clients. We’ve served over 9,000 people, which is kind of amazing when you realize we do all this one person (or couple) at a time.

And all of this has happened because this works – and it works in such an (almost) unbelievable way. It’s because of our unique approach and our Proven Process. All of the retreats are custom designed for each individual or couple. The retreats aren’t cookie cutter. We spend a lot of time really talking to people before they come, to really get an idea of what’s happening and what they want to have happen, and then we custom design the retreat based on their needs and desires. We work with a network of over 50 of Sedona’s most advanced and experienced healers, and our clients work with them in private one-on-one (or two-on-one) sessions, not in groups. I’m still amazed at what happens even after 17 years and all these thousands of people!

And the most important thing for me is that these are real and lasting changes. Not a week goes by where I don’t get an email or message from someone who came here last year, or 10 years ago, who says something like, “Sedona Soul Adventures changed my life” or “Sedona Soul Adventures saved our marriage.” Here’s one we just received 2 weeks ago:

Most of you know I was a divorce attorney in Omaha, Nebraska for over 20 years until I came to Sedona for the first time in 1999. At the time, every part of my life was a mess. I had read a zillion books, I had gone to a ton of workshops and seminars, I even did therapy and nothing really helped me. I thought my trip to Sedona was going to just be 3 days of rest, but instead, I did one session (with Ranjita, who is still one of our most beloved practitioners) and in that session I got the message I had to change my life. Little did I know what would come out of that one session!

I went back to Omaha, closed my law practice and started coming to Sedona for months at a time, working with different practitioners, doing my own personal healing (The joke at the office is that my Soul Adventure took 3 years – everyone else does it in 3 or 4 days!). I finally discovered what worked – doing sessions one-on-one with these amazing practitioners in private sessions, where they were taking me from where I was to where I wanted to be. It changed everything for me. I moved to Sedona and started Sedona Soul Adventures because I wanted other people to be able to experience the same incredible transformations that changed my life.

People come to us burned out, stressed out, not knowing their purpose and they leave here feeling connected and ready to live their purpose to the fullest. Couples come to us wanting to reignite the spark or on the verge of divorce, and everything gets turned around (one couple told us, “After our Soul Adventure, we feel like we are on fire!”) And after divorcing people for over 20 years, it’s really gratifying to now have spent over 17 years helping them stay together!

Again, I’m so grateful. A special thank you to my wonderful husband, Richard, who has become such a huge part of my life and of Sedona Soul Adventures. To be able to do this life’s work and now to be able to do it with my beloved soul mate, is such a huge blessing.

So let me reach out to you. If you haven’t done a Soul Adventure yet, please think about it. We have so many people who come and say, “I’ve been wanting to do this for years.” What’s it going to take to get you to make the decision?

Or if you’re one of our beloved grads, is it time for a tune-up?

What’s happening with you? Are you living the life of your dreams? Does your relationship feed you and nurture you and add to your happiness every single day? If not, something is off.

I started all this 17 years ago because I believe that happiness, peace, satisfaction, abundance and joy are our natural birthright. When we’re in connection on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – every part of our life is smooth and happy. Stuff happens, but when we’re operating in connection we can more easily roll with the punches, understanding the underlying truth that “All is Well” and “Everything Is Happening As It Should Be” (all the stuff I talk about in my book, The Journey To Happy).

Most people don’t feel that way because they are disconnected on one or more of the levels (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual). What they don’t realize is that the stuff that’s causing that disconnect are just blocks and gunk that can be moved and lifted up and out. Once that happens, you can come back into connection and stay there.

And that’s what we’re masters at – figuring out the blocks and gunk, lifting them up and out, utilizing processes to bring you back into connection and giving you tools so that you not only maintain, but continue to deepen all these transformations after you go home. That’s why our Proven Process works – and works in such amazing ways.

If your life or relationship isn’t all that you want it to be, please give us a call. Speak with one of our amazing Angel Guides, they are so incredible and one of the secrets of our success. They will design the retreat that’s perfect for you (or both of you for a couple) to take your life (or your relationship) from where you are to where you want to be.

Here’s our most recent testimonial from Trustpilot, from just yesterday:

And watch our 2 min announcement video on You Tube (and leave a nice comment? – Thanks!).

Are you burned out in your relationship?

In my last video, I talked to you about burnout, but I was primarily talking about burnout in your work, because that’s the classic condition that seems to affect most people.

I hope you’ll watch this video on burnout in your relationship, because I’ll tell you from personal experience, it’s the worst.

Do you feel unappreciated?
Do you feel like whatever you do, it’s not enough? And that it’s probably never going to be enough?
Do you feel hopeless?

Like I said, when a relationship goes into burnout it’s the worst and I hope this video helps, or please forward it to someone where it might be of help.

As I said, if you’re feeling burned out in your relationship, give us a call and let us help you. Do you want to save your relationship? If there’s even a glimmer of hope, it’s worth saving, both for you and for your children. Please connect with us now.

Josh and Jen say their Couples Retreat was “the most amazing experience of our lives and as a couple. We feel like we are on fire!”

“This was probably the most amazing experience we have had in our lives and definitely as a couple. We came out of the adventure much closer and with a renewed sense of direction. We feel like we are on fire! Our lives have changed forever because of our Soul Adventure and it was just the boost we needed to grow in marriage and in life. We have a whole new perspective on our lives.”
~ Josh & Jen B.

In my last video, I talked to you about burnout, but I was primarily talking there about burnout in your work, because that’s the classic condition that seems to affect most people and that’s the condition that the World Health Organization has recently recognized.

But today I want to talk about, “Are you burned out in your relationship?”

Because if you are, that can be really terrible.

What are the signs? Well it’s very similar to work burnout:

Do you feel unappreciated?

Do you feel like whatever you do, it’s not enough? And that it’s probably never going to be enough?

Do you feel hopeless?

Do you feel like things that used to interest you or excite you no longer excite you?

Do you have any excitement for the relationship?

Are you fighting all the time and not having much sex?

Does the thought of the other person bring up negative feelings?

These are all signs that you’re burned out on the relationship.

What about your partner? Does it feel like they’re experiencing the same thing?

Do you see their eye wandering and watching other people? A lot more than they used to?

If you’re saying “yes” to a bunch of these things, you’ve got a problem on your hands.

If the relationship is that bad, is it possible to save it?

Well, the answer to that is, it depends.

Are you interested in saving it?

Is it worth it to you to save the relationship?

These are big questions and I invite you to sit with those a moment.

Has something happened, like infidelity or a betrayal of some kind?

Usually when things like that happen, if you’re feeling angry, upset and betrayed (all very normal emotions, by the way), that probably means we’re actually NOT talking about burnout, because burnout means you just kind of don’t care anymore.

If you’re angry and upset, there’s some juice there, some energy which you can build on, so it might actually be a good thing.

More likely, if you’re just feeling like you just don’t care anymore, then that’s the question – Do you care? Do you want to do something to save the relationship?

Very often in situations like this, couples have stopped communicating. They go through the motions, but they’re not really talking. They go along, to get along, but nothing real is happening.

This is the first place where you need to stop. You have to start engaging your partner, you have to connect with them.

Maybe some things have happened that have built up resentments and you’re holding your partner in a space of “I don’t like him, I don’t love him.”

Here’s a quick energy process you can do, that’s a variation on the HeartMath process:

Close your eyes
Place your hand over your heart
Slow down your breathing
Think of your partner. Think about the issues that you’re upset about, that you don’t like. Don’t give them a lot of energy, just acknowledge them.
Now that you’ve identified these things, go back to a time where things were really good in your relationship, a time where you felt love for your partner and you felt love from them. It might just be one time, but think about that and feel it. Keep breathing.

Just do this for a few minutes every day and do it for a week. After a week, see if that has made any kind of difference, it can be amazing what happens when the energy starts to shift.

A woman came to us a few years ago, telling us that she was married for the second time, she’d been married for 6 years and she was feeling no love for her husband, she just felt nothing. The thing that alarmed her was that she had been married before and at the point she was married for 6 years, the same thing had happened. We knew that this probably wasn’t just a coincidence.

As we delved deeper, we discovered that her mother had left her father when she had been married 6 years. She was 5 when it happened and it was absolutely devastating and traumatizing for her. We made that connection and this huge light bulb came on. She remembered her mother telling her all the time, that she just felt nothing for her father. And here she was, playing out her mother’s life all over again.

When she did her breath journey, this image of her husband came in and he came up to her and just kissed her hand. She said it was the most amazing thing, that suddenly, she felt a spark. She saw that nothing was wrong with him, this was all about her own emptiness at losing her father. They came back the next year and did a couples retreat, and it was so wonderful to see them so happy together and so in love.

If you’re feeling burned out in your relationship, give us a call and let us help you. Do you want to save your relationship? If there’s even a glimmer of hope, it’s worth saving, both for you and for your children.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.

To get more information, go to SedonaRetreatGuide.com and get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Couples Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

Are you burned out? It’s more serious than you think

We all talk about being burned out, like it’s a normal thing that happens all the time. But did you know that the World Health Organization has now recognized burnout as a legitimate condition that needs to be managed and treated?

It’s gotten so serious all around the world, that people are really starting to understand that this kind of stress is literally killing you. Watch my video:

She found her happiness

I love reading our reviews. Sometimes (confession time) I go into Trustpilot to see what new reviews have come in because it makes me feel so good to see what’s happening. Also, because I meet all these people when they first come in and I can see how much help they need, and then to have them have such huge turn-arounds each and every time is just so wonderful. It just warms my heart.

And I have to admit that sometimes when I meet people, at the beginning they are in such a state that I have the thought of, “Oh gosh, they might be the first person in a very long time to not have a life changing experience.” And as I leave, I say a silent prayer of, “Oh, God, please let it happen for them.” And you know what? It always does, it’s just absolutely amazing.

So would you like to find your happiness? Worse, are you feeling burned out? If so, you’ve got to do something about it — as the WHO has recognized, this can kill you!

Call us and speak with someone today. We’ll dig deep, finding out what’s at the root of your burnout – you probably think you know what it is, but after all these years of doing this work, I’ll tell you, it’s probably even deeper than you think. We’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out and bringing you back in connection, joy and happiness!

Wishing you a week filled with peace, quiet and happy!

In these series of videos, I’m talking about concepts from my book, The Journey to Happy– How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is wrong can transform your life, and also the things we teach to help people have incredible transformations in their retreats with Sedona Soul Adventures.

Today I’m talking about Burnout…

Did you know that the World Health Organization has now recognized burnout as a legitimate condition that needs to be managed and treated?

That’s really important because that makes it a legitimate concern and something that people can get treated for.

So what exactly is burnout?

I love this definition from Help Guide, which is associated with Harvard University:

“Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.

Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.

The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of life—including your home, work, and social life. Burnout can also cause long-term changes to your body that make you vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu. Because of its many consequences, it’s important to deal with burnout right away.”

And it’s important to note that burnout is different than stress.

Stress spikes, burnout is just getting to the point where you feel like you just can’t take it anymore. There are many scientists and doctors that have done studies showing that the ongoing, continual stress that many people feel can lead to Burnout.

Now the condition that the WHO issued their findings about was specifically Burnout in the Workplace. But if you’ve ever experienced it, you know that it very much affects every area of your life and that’s exactly what they say in the definition above.

The first time I came to Sedona over 20 years ago, I was completely burned out.

I had just started my 20th year of law practice and the thought of spending another 20 years literally felt like a prison sentence. And the worst part is that it was affecting absolutely every area in my life…

I weighed over 40 pounds more than I weigh now.
It was affecting my marriage and ultimately led to divorce.
My ex husband and I had made some bad business decisions during that time which led us into debt of over $50,000, which just added to the pressure.

And that’s the insidious thing about burnout – it creeps into every area of your life.

There were days I didn’t even want to get out of bed. It felt like nothing I did was making any difference.

The thing that changed everything for me was coming to Sedona.

I came here for three days and was lucky enough to connect with an amazing practitioner who now works with me in Sedona Soul Adventures. The three days that I was here changed my life.

I’m going to talk in other videos about other types of burnout and how to spot it, and also some things you can do to deal with it.

But I’ll tell you, if you want to really deal with your burnout, or if you’re married to or friends with someone who is suffering from burnout, the fastest and most effective thing I know to do is to come here to Sedona and do a retreat.

Now the difficult part is that if you’re suffering from burnout, very often you just don’t have the energy or the desire to do anything; it’s just easier to lie in bed. Or if you’re married to someone or friends with someone who’s suffering from burnout, they’re probably not going to be interested in doing anything.

If that’s how you’re feeling, if you’re just thinking, “What’s the use?” that’s exactly the indicator that tells you you’ve absolutely got to do something! You know this is affecting all the areas of your life. You know it’s affecting your family, you know it’s affecting your kids, and I’d be willing to bet money that it’s affecting your health. Because this is the stress that kills.

Let us help you. Let us get to the root of what’s ailing you. It’s in there somewhere and we’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out, and bringing you back into connection.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.

And If you want an even more direct path to dealing with your burnout, click here to get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Spiritual Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life AND the relationship you want – I know it.

Happy July 4, Happy Anniversary and I can’t believe she said that!

This past week was a big one. Not only was it Independence Day, but it was the 17th Anniversary of Sedona Soul Adventures going live on the internet – July 4, 2002! We specifically wanted it to be on Independence Day!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and got some rest and relaxation, and that you were able to reflect on the amazing liberties and freedoms we have – we are truly blessed.

Last week I spent time reflecting on all that has happened over the past 17 years and while I was doing that, I had the most amazing thing happen. I was at a gathering for women in California, and I was in a small group when someone asked me about my work. I told them about Sedona Soul Adventures and one of the women said, “Yes, I did a Soul Adventure 10 years ago.” To which I replied, “What?!!?”

She said, “Yes, I did a Soul Adventure 10 years ago and of all the things I’ve done in all the 10 years since, all the workshops and all that, it is hands down the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.”

Well, of course, that was just the most amazing thing. So we spent time talking and she told me all about her life. It turns out that after her Soul Adventure, she has made the most amazing life for herself. She’s become a very sought-after publicist in Hollywood and I was so impressed by her roster of clients. She started a new business a few years ago and even she is amazed at how well it is going. She’s in a wonderful relationship and she told me that none of this would have happened without her Soul Adventure.

We had already been there for three days and when I asked her why she hadn’t said anything to me, she said she didn’t want to intrude on my privacy (she’s very conscious of that with her own clients). She said, “It’s so funny, I’ve kept up reading your newsletters all these years, I know everything about you — I know about Richard, I know about your dog, I know everything. It’s actually a little stalky!”

It was so cute because then she told me, “I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt with you, but I couldn’t, because it’s always at the time of the Oscars and my clients are always at the Oscars! But they moved it up one week this next year, so now I really want to make it happen!”

Oh my Goddess, can you imagine this? I didn’t get to meet her when she came the first time, because I was in Peru with my group. To run into someone ten years later and have them tell me that this changed their life and that the transformations have just kept on coming all these years — well, all I can say is, Happy Anniversary! What a fitting thing to happen right at this time.

If you would like that kind of transformation, the real, long-lasting kind. Please give us a call. This is not unusual, this is what happens all the time, all day, every day.

They’ll connect with you (or both of you if it’s a couples retreat) in deep conversation. Then they’ll custom design the perfect retreat for you, working with our Master Practitioners here in beautiful, mystical Sedona to.

Wishing you a week filled with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

I was lucky enough back then to connect with Jorge Luis Delgado, our shaman and guide. Jorge is a master and as everyone in all my groups always say, they can’t imagine doing Peru without Jorge, that it quite simply wouldn’t be the same. That’s a photo of my fabulous 2008 group.

On my first trip in 2008, I met his wife and son, who at the time was 14, a gangly teenager, and he spoke great English. He and I started talking and sat next to each other on our bus ride from Lake Titicaca to Juliaca.

We started talking about American politics, as the 2008 election was in full swing, and Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton were slugging it out in the primaries. He asked me if I thought it was possible that Obama might be nominated and possibly win, and we had a very spirited and enjoyable conversation.

Jorge told me later, “It’s so strange, I’m not sure how this happened, he’s so interested in American politics and all kinds of things from other countries.”

Over the years, I’ve always asked Jorge how his son was doing and the news just kept getting more and more interesting. He did very well in school, went to University, then ended up living and working in Japan, spent some time in China, and learned to speak Japanese and Chinese fluently. Now this year, he decided to return to Peru and he’s working with Jorge!

He was working with a Chinese group and he came to the airport in Cusco when we were about to depart for Lake Titicaca, and we got to spend some time talking. What a joy to see and feel what an incredible young man he has become.

I asked him why he had returned to Peru and he told me, “I want to really learn all the spiritual teachings.” Isn’t that fantastic? This gangly little kid I met 11 years ago, has become a worldly, accomplished man interested in all aspects of the world, including spirituality. He said he plans to stay here for about two years and then he’ll be off to some other place in the world.

It’s reminiscent of my godson, Anthony, who I also got to see on this trip and what a joy that was. Back in 2008 when we went to Amantani for the first time (a very rustic, beautiful island in Lake Titicaca where at the time they had no electricity and no running water), we did a very special ceremony and we spent the night in the home of his family.

Anthony was 6 months old at the time, a tiny, adorable baby.

I spent a large amount of that evening holding him and at times I was crying gently and processing. His parents, Juana and Joaquin, don’t speak English, but in some way we really connected.

It turns out that two days later they were doing a ceremony with Anthony that is somewhat similar to what we know as baptism.

They asked Jorge to ask me if I would like to be a godmother for Anthony because they felt I had such a strong connection to him. They said they didn’t want any obligation from me, just the spiritual connection. I was honored and the ceremony was very beautiful.

After that, I would see Anthony every year and I’ve also happily contributed to the family and Anthony’s education. This photo is from 2014, when I brought him some blowing bubbles. At that time, Anthony was six and he told me he wanted to become a doctor. He also said he was learning traditional Peruvian dance and he enjoyed that very much.

Starting in 2015, Anthony started going to boarding school on the mainland so that he could receive a really good education, so he was never at home when we would spend the night at Juana and Joaquin’s home on Amantani. But this year, what a surprise. They brought him, along with his sister, to Chiquito where we had a reunion.

He showed me his school Certificate of Excellence and his parents told me what a good student he is. One of the members of our group interpreted (thank you, Rhonda!), and he told me again that he wants to be a doctor and how much he still enjoys dancing. But now he also really enjoys football (soccer).

To think that this boy from a small island, where they have almost no electricity or running water and when you take a walk you continually run into people who are herding sheep and donkeys, is going to become a doctor…this reminded me of Jorge’s son. Anthony’s energy is so sweet and pure, yet he is also a determined little boy and I can’t wait to see how this unfolds.

Another really fun thing we do every year is to go to Seminario Ceramics in Ollantaytambo. Pablo Seminario is one of the premier ceramic artists in the world, his works are displayed in various museums around the world, including the Field Museum in Chicago.

When I brought my first group in 2008, when we were returning from Machu Picchu by train after a very long day, Jorge asked me, “Would you like to go to the ceramics place?” Not having any idea of what an incredible place this was, I said no because everyone was tired.

One of the members of the group, Jennifer Watt, overheard us and said, “What are we talking about?” and I said, “That we’re not going to the ceramics place.” She said to me in her usual very direct way, “Who made that decision?” and I responded that I did. I then said if she wanted to go, we’d go and I am so glad I did. His work is so incredible and over the years, I’ve brought many of his pieces to my home and each year he speaks to our group and we have a wonderful interaction with him and his wife Marilu.

After that trip, Jen and I became great friends and in 2010, I asked her to lead my Peru trip two years in a row (I had Egypt in March, Peru in April and Bali in June, and it was becoming too much to handle), she loved Peru and she had experience leading groups. She did a fantastic job and from that, got a job leading trips to Peru, especially for high school and college students and teachers.

She has now been to Peru 54 times! And one of the things she has incorporated into the tours is an intensive piece of learning about traditional ceramics through Seminario! She, Pablo and Marilu have become great friends.

So when we were there last week, we took a photo of all of us to text to Jen saying, “Wish you were here.” Jen had just been in Sedona the week before visiting us at our home and we showed Pablo this photo of Jen and our friend Ranjita (who had been on the Peru trip with me in 2008 and again last year).

I told Pablo this is the view from our home, and he and Marilu should come and visit us in Sedona. He said, “If Jen will bring me, I will come to Sedona!”

So it’s so incredible to me, all these connections that started with this first trip and have woven their way through my life, and all these other lives, through the years. Not to mention the other close friends I have made through these trips, people who came on the trips, people I love who are a huge part of my life.

Because at the end of the day, all of this is not so much about the sites (although they are absolutely incredible), it’s about the amazing people we share them with and keep connecting with.

This year again, our group has bonded in such a beautiful, special way. One of the women said to me yesterday, “I can’t believe how I love everyone in this group and feel so close to them. Doing this with other like-minded people has just been so wonderful.

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