We are already in the month of June, and June happens to be one of my favorite months! Not only is it my birthday month, but it is also Pride Month. Pride month celebrates members of the LGBT community & promotes equality and anti-discrimination. Today’s guest shares what it was like to come out gay to her Mormon community of family & friends and survive conversion therapy.Elena Joy Thurston is an inspirational speaker, retreat host & writer who landed on the Tedx stage in 2019. Her talk titled “Conversion Therapy Almost Took My Life, Mindfulness Saved It” has been watched 41,000 times. It’s a raw & emotional recollection of Elena’s life and realization of being gay.Today’s story is about finding happiness, living in your truth, and loving yourself for who you are. Elena talks about the struggles & discrimination of being gay, how conversion therapy almost took her life and what she’s doing today to ban it altogether in America. Elena’s Ted Talk mentions that mindfulness saved her life, so we dive into how mindfulness or self-awareness can shift your mindset, and we end with daily rituals you can start implementing in your life today to become more mindful & present.You’re listening to the Cultivating Curiosity Podcast where everyone has a story to share. This is the story of Elena Joy Thurston.SHOW NOTESBLM RESOURCESRevolution Now video with Rachel Cargle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leBPMyQ60HMMARIE CLAIRE Article: How Can I Be A Better White Ally?https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a32741905/be-a-better-white-ally-black-lives-matter/MARIE CLAIRE Talks: Videos To Better Understand Racismhttps://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a32742892/ted-talks-videos-to-understand-racism/PETITION To Sign: Demand Justice For Breonna Taylor:https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylorGeorge Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloydMinnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/Black Lives Matter: https://www.Blacklivesmatter.comMinneapolis NAACP Branch: https://www.paypal.me/mplsnaacp4050B**Text “Floyd” to 55156 to sign a petition a demand justice for George FloydSign-up at Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org/ to be notified of more opportunities to take actionEPISODE RESOURCESElena’s TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIhPZMC4UEgElena’s Website: https://www.elenajoyexperience.com/Pride & Joy Foundation: https://www.prideandjoyfoundation.com/Connect With Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabripierotti/Connect With Me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabripierotti/Connect With Me on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sabripierotti/pins/Watch The Video Portion of this Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoPKl_lkG88c_RWkL9KWW9Q?view_as=subscribe