Optimistically salty: Recent Episodes

Trace M Thompson

Welcome to the Optimistically salty podcast, where real life is happening. This is going to be awkward.

I am noticing a swing of the pendulum is heading my direction, and that leaves me questioning how far have I slide. Before hustle culture was all the craze, and now living slowly (my jam) is the ideal. Why does this work for me? Is it the answer to how to live life well, or just the swing of the pendulum? Also, I invite you to watch Hi Ren. 🙏

Oh how I wish there was one simple answer to life’s challenges. It seems that is just not the way of things. Reflecting back on the years and a few books that keep me coming back. Also, optimistically salty has hit 12 thousand listers?!?

Maybe, just maybe, your weird side passion is taking you on a journey. And maybe, just maybe, you were created for joy. This is a brief conversation on my passion for animals, and seeing how my love for design, problem solving, animals and behavior meet.

Really amazing insight from YouTuber Heidi Priebe, on how we can lose ourselves to the safety of future Day dreaming, and miss out on what life is really about. What can you do in the next 72 hours?

I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to share, well anything personal, let alone my age. So this podcast is been gathering some dust. But so much of what is happening currently, shifted with this birthday. So, here’s to being lucky enough to be 40.

Gag, I have felt a little stalled out in life. As I am getting older, it feels like a waste to continue to avoid experiencing these things I have read so much about.

Equine therapy, actually feeling the difference between fight/flight and rest/digest, and then abandoning the practice of trying to drag and force life. There is something pretty awesome, when you can feel the boundaries of “yes and no” in my life.

Caught up in The magic of thriving and surviving, I found my spark. Catching up on creativity and how trying new things helps you reconnect with yourself. As always, thank you to my listeners.

Just a quick pop in, talking about making plans.

Rabbit hole ahead, horse behavior and working with my own avoidance patterns.

Life in my own lane, seeking less, and settling into self transcendence.

Oh how I wish I could make massive changes overnight. However, the slow steady progress of 2022 has still brought me to a new place. And so the bud began to blossom.

Writer’s block, bored, content? I have the desire to create, but there is a space of balance.

Sitting on my yoga mat, probably picking up background noise of my dog licking his foot, the jets and kids, but I wanted to mark this moment. I have been working a CBT program for the past 6 weeks, and had one of those break through weeks. May you be inspired to choose a different life.

Almost the end of July, aka the month of trying new tools, and it is time to try to remember the plan, revisit failure, acknowledge growth, and my initial thoughts after working with a coach. Onward to August.

The beautiful thing that happens with self discovery and acceptance, is that you can finally start living!! Using both Neurodiverse and time management tools in the month of July, to see if I can get this brain and body working together again.

More to come.

Hello, hello, hello! 2022 has not disappointed, when it comes to life lessons and self discovery. Today is a dive into personal responsibility and reflections on addiction, while appreciating trusting yourself.

A conversation about information, eating disorders, rants, and infantilizing of the adults. Growing is painful. Making mistakes is embarrassing. Sharing it helps a bit… Good luck out there.

Lessons after 2 years on ice, life must be lived in movement. To quote both my therapist and a friend, “Stop thinking and feeling, and start doing.” I have a plan.

I think the anti diet community is almost as bad as diet culture. Welcome to the new year, quick catch up and making a plan to function in 2022. Enjoy.

Post sickness anxiety/ ocd/ agoraphobia, everything I want is right there! Why can’t I reach it?! Just a quick update.

My post sickface podcast, losing taste and smell while recovering from an eating disorder. Also, woo woo November feels. Enjoy

Back after depression and therapy collided, with a few tool and tricks. Quick touch on codependency, reparenting and mindfulness. Podcasts are not therapy, but they are amazing tools for self reflection.

In the past, I might not notice my depression until it began to lift. This time, I saw it coming. This seems to be a new chapter in my story with depression. Maybe it’s therapy. Maybe the desire to have something new. Maybe, maybe, maybe. #depression #therapy

A conversation about How we give ourselves up for a ideology. Is wokeness and SJW just a social media cult? Also, back to therapy I go.

Story time, I am going to process my experience working an MLM and the damage of a commercial cult. If you have not experienced working in network marketing, that might seem a little extreme. As you will hear, it seems extreme to me… but I drank the kook-aid. If you care to you tube dive Emily Baker, #savy writes books, and Kiki Chanel all have some painfully amazing content around MLMs. Let the brainwashing begin.

A reflection on trash friend qualities. I notice I only like to show up when I am at my best. Let’s be honest, that is not often. How do radically accept ourselves as a whole messy person and then show up in our friendships? Be sure to check out Kristen Newton’s Ted talk. Time to dive deep.

More than 2 months without social media, trusting both myself and others more, and acknowledging all the feels, anger, sorrow, guilt and joy. 2021 is bring out some big opportunities.

The wellness Industry, 2020 weight gain, and Walter Mitty. Have you ever done the “drink a gallon of water a day” water plan? Okay, how about this, have you ever stopped listening to all of the people outside of you, and drank water when you were thirsty? Moving away from the wellness movement and getting quiet, here we go.

At some point, between rock bottom and now, I realized what it means to be worthy. But remembering your worth daily, and seeing the worth in others, that’s when the you realize how far you still have to go. Welcome to 2021

One of those podcast, that you don’t actually want to share, but it might help someone. Depression, giving up on life, and the people who bring you back.

Sometimes you need your friends to get you moving again. A little talk about enneagrams, diet, and moving into action, finally. Oy.

For years and years I have been collecting information about and observing feet. And once you understand something, it is time to start putting things into practice. A conversation about shoes, walking and toes. PS feet completely fascinate me.

For the first time, actually turning to myself for my own body. Never in my life have I ever had the confidence to think that I might have the answers, with the help from humans who actually know me, I am rebuilding.

The horrible realization that your patterns in life are in all areas of your life, and most of them are considered socially acceptable. And the big question, are the books you are reading telling you that you are whole and have all the answers within yourself already?

I have taken advantage of this opportunity to completely take my life back to nothing, and then slowly begin to recognize my own behavioral patterns, and start to rebuild.

The thing you don’t always notices when you have an eating disorder, your life is standing still. People are moving all around you, but you are hiding and avoiding life. I didn’t realize I had fallen into my old habits. It is time to get honest about what works for me and what doesn’t. Back to recovery. Resources: National eating disorder association helpline 8009312237 and https://www.feast-ed.org

We all have bad habits we want to change. But they are somehow comforting, and we are literally programmed to be lazy. We also LOVE planning big habit changes. We think we can research our way into perfect habits. This book has me completely flipping my ways when it comes to habit building. Enjoy

Enneagram, have you heard of it? This personality test stitched all of the pieces together.

I am deep in Brene Brown territory right now. Looking back at how I have been showing up, how to be vulnerable and the painful awakening of my core values. I knew what they were, but I didn’t want to actually acknowledge them or live them.

I have been working on a little habit of correcting my physical alignment over the past few weeks, now let’s add in emotional alignment.

Happy new Year! I have been reading, of course, and making plans for 2020. This year is about reconnecting here on this earth. I classically spend a ridiculous amount of time in my own head. It’s time to move back into my body, and explore what it means to live in an aging body and to spend time scrolling my phone while sitting on the couch.

Started the year working on my mindset, ending the year working on my mindset. And a painful realization about my walled fortress. Apparently I need to let people in to help me... which I knew, but I couldn’t change it.

Taking things personally, the lesson I have yet to master apparently. A reminder about the second agreement, do not take anything personally. Also little reflection on your values.

Living with boundaries. Down sizing my life has given me the freedom to set all kinds of boundaries, the space to crave new things, and the clarity to see the difference between boundaries and control.

Creativity, spiritual growth, and sorting out religion and woo woo.

Been a while, with summer ending and running at life. I also experienced my first reiki session and cried a lot.

I finally was handed a copy of The four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. I believe the right books find us at the right time, and I am just grateful to be in This place to receive the agreements. My new Instagram name is tracy_nitenite_thompson if you have any questions about past episodes, or books to send my way.

While that cats away... all of my people are super busy living their best lives, and this is my chance to do the same. Continuing to declutter my home and life, and setting my intentions on downsizing my home, paying off debt, and getting past my lazy habits. Big but though, everyone is busy and I can be completely selfish with this time! Also my favorite read for the week, The Fuck it Diet by Caroline Dooner. This book best describes when I am with my food and how I am learning to simply accept myself and move on already. Keeping it salty and optimistic as always.

Today is the last day of school, and I accept that my life needs to shift focus for the next few months. I will be back with episodes periodically, but I need to let go of some things I am still clinging to. Enjoy your summer travels, your new adventures, your time with family, and letting go. Stay salty my friends.

I have been talking about the mind, body, spirit connection from day one. Since my little breakdown... uh... spiritual awakening, I have had the opportunity to really tune into the spiritual journey I have been avoiding. Here comes some God talk y’all.

Sharing Baby steps to rebuilding my life, minus a LOT of clothes with #project333, and figuring out how to start letting go of control... because I just realized how far past control freak I have been floundering.

As per the usual, I am continuing to unpack my boxes and sort through my life. This week, the realization that I have welcomed WAY TOO MUCH into my life, and my habit of More, More, More is under investigation. Currently reading The Bhagavad Gita and Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver

Sure we have all been ghosted, but what happens when you realize YOU are the Ghost? More books and acceptance of necessary endings as well. Enjoy.

Super quick “ howdy ya’ll!!” Getting on with life and researching for my next podcast. But here a a few quick peeks into my week and a beautiful intention to start your week off right.

I had the lucky opportunity to be half of a very manipulative and controlling relationship in my late teens. Following the wisdom of Brene Brown, I am working to accept all of the parts of my story, even the deeply embarrassing and painful bits. -Wesley- “Life is pain, Highness! Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.”

This is me giving you permission, and myself permission, to just feel the feelings as they come.

The realization that you might not actually know what Love looks like... so now what? A bit about recognizing my true nature and how I am living with intention. As well as my current books and my soul song of the week.

I have been recording and deleting episodes for weeks. And the longer I put off being brave, the more I worry about perfection. So today is about getting it done, sharing and letting go of my deep hope to please everyone.

Do you ever have those moments... you realize things that you read or heard in the past are now becoming your reality? I set out to change who I am as a person about three years ago and I’m realizing that it happened, obviously painfully slowly, obviously a lot of sweat and tears involved, but it actually happened. I am becoming a weird little adventurer.

At some point, you will have read so many books that it’s time to put all of that information into action. This is the year of potential failure, and a lot of action! Aka, when you finally get your mindset right.

New year, new mindset. I have been stuck for so many years, and not completely sure why. And I finally get it, it’s my mindset. It’s my self talk, my limiting beliefs, and my desire to control how others see you. This year is about changing the way I think about myself and the world around me. Enjoy.

Back to research mode, and learning about codependency and the stages of overcoming it. Today is a little reflection on my family history and what is possible with overcoming codependency. The books I reference are You’re not crazy, you’re codependent by Jeanette Elizabeth Menter and Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle. Sorry for so many segments, as I said my kids are home sick and there were several interruptions. Enjoy.

Just a mini episode before you face your family at Thanksgiving. Remember, this life is about connection, and loving people as they are, not as you wish they were. Good luck out there!

Depression, anxiety, and suicide, oh my. Reflecting of my past of numbing out life and how to change your perspective and start to be present with painful feelings. 8002738255, save it in your phone. Also check out the amazing teachings of Pema Chodron. She is all over YouTube, and hoopla with amazing free insight.

I’m finally old enough and wise enough to realize that it’s going to take a while to figure out exactly how to feed and care for this body I’ve been given. This episode is all about macros. I am not a nutritionist, a doctor, registered dietitian, or trainer. I have a coach who tracks my macros and my job is to eat the food and live my life. This is just a little bit about macros to get you started.

This week I am here to talk crabs... like in ocean... and their crab like behavior. And safe people. What characteristics make a safe person? Are you as a person?

We all have some life experience that we would rather not claim. But there is power in claiming it, and letting go of the outcome.

What if being stuck in life is part of being stuck in the grief cycle? Just talking through being stuck in life and moving to acceptance.

We are all about vibes and tribes these days. Just my thoughts on belonging to a tribe, relationships and finding true belonging.

First competition is complete. I can see myself standing taller now And i can feel myself reaching for the now But i know who i am and i'm gonna show I feel it now, yeah i feel it now I can see myself standing taller now And i can feel myself reaching for the now But i know who i am and i'm gonna show I feel it now, yeah i feel it now.... and we have been watch Spirit on Netflix.

My response to the idea of removing toxic people from our lives. “ if you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit next to me.”

A little reflection on how to hear others, how stop the hamster wheel of thinking, and other thoughts. One week out from competition yo.

Don’t worry, this is not a sales pitch on any specific diet plans! If you really truly want to change your life you have to figure out how to live your best life. A little bit about how important it is to have community around you, while you grown.

Live from my closet, it it time to look at my clothes and adjust my attitude. That negative self talk has founds its way back into my life.

Just a snippet of the inner workings of my brain as I face self doubt.

What happens when you start to take care of your physical self? This episode dives into how I manage my salty.

There is a big scary world out there. What are you waiting for?

Books for days! Reflecting on Miracle morning, five second rule, and extreme ownership. Wake up early, live your life with intention.

selfcare ... "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." — Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

Quitting life, one scroll at a time.

Lessons from a drum meditation. There is always a chance for something amazing outside of your comfort zone.

Coming soon. 😜