Navigating Life’s Wilderness with Heart and Intuition
Listen in as Veronica Lewis, a beacon of optimism and avid adventurer of West Virginia’s wilderness, joins us to share her profound journey towards personal equilibrium and mindfulness. We navigate through her transition from being swamped by life’s hurdles to her pursuit of peace through stress management and the art of mindfulness. Veronica’s transformative experience not only brought her happiness and harmony but also a sense of purpose. Our conversation further explores masculine and feminine energies, shedding light on how balance can influence our daily existence. Veronica’s narrative is a powerful reminder of the significance of self-care and the relentless quest for wisdom in the face of life’s trials.
Brief Bio for Our Wise Guest
Veronica Lewis has been involved in policy, politics, government and community affairs in various roles since 2012. She was recognized as one of West Virginia’s Generation Next 40 under 40, enjoys public speaking, and has a passion for exploring the outdoor gems of West Virginia. When she’s not chasing waterfalls and hiking, you can find Veronica working on her personal development through mindfulness training, or with a book in her hand. Veronica resides in Jackson County, WV where she volunteers her time and invests in her community.
Get ready over the next nine minutes, you will discover why Veronica Lewis is one of the wisest people I know.
Resources
Connect with Veronica Lewis on LinkedIn.
Book mentioned on this show – “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday
Wonder and Grow website – providing mindful nature experiences
Credits
Editor + Technical Advisor Bob Hotchkiss
Brand + Strategy Advisor Andy Malinoski
PR + Partnerships Advisor Rachel Bell
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Episode Chapters
[0:02:47] – Veronica’s love of West Virginia’s outdoor beauty
[0:03:37] – How we’re connected; Wonder and Grow
[0:04:53] – Veronica faced a challenge; her decision to change
[0:06:51] – Masculine and feminine energies; the importance of balance
[0:10:50] – Veronica shares her Main Thing
[0:12:15] – Recognizing the body’s distress signals; taking time for yourself
[0:13:53] – Trusting our intuition
Full Transcript of Episode
0:00:00 – Announcer
Wisdom. It’s an incredibly valuable asset, someone say, more precious than gold. It’s attractive, appealing, admirable. Conversely, a lack of wisdom is the basis of immaturity, blind spots and bad decisions. Wisdom, it can be gained over time, but it can’t be rushed. But wisdom can be shared. That’s precisely what we are here to do right now, today. We are here to hack wisdom, to distill it, to understand it and to process it. Why? To get better at life.
Welcome to The Main Thing. This is your new, nine-minute podcast. I’m your host, Skip Lineberg, and I’ve set out to interview the wisest people I know. We’ll see what we can learn from each one when they’re faced with an incredibly difficult, soul-piercing question.
0:00:58 – Announcer
Welcome to The Main Thing Podcast. I’m your host, skip Lineberg, coming to you today not from Parkwood Studios, but from the gorgeous, newly renovated and transformed Kanawha County Public Library. A special, warm welcome to our subscribers and a shout out of gratitude to our newest patron, Connie, from Tennessee. Patrons like Connie and the 20 other folks that support this show in a monetary way help to keep our pipeline of wisdom flowing.
Our special guest today is energetic, curious, optimistic and just a ray of light. Veronica Lewis has been involved in policy, politics, government and community affairs in various roles since 2012. She was recognized as one of West Virginia’s “Generation Next 40 Under 40.” She enjoys public speaking and has a passion for exploring the outdoor gems of West Virginia.
When she’s not chasing waterfalls and hiking, you can find Veronica working on her personal development through mindfulness training or with a book in her hand. Veronica resides in Jackson County, where she volunteers her time and invests in her community.
Get ready over the next nine minutes, you’ll discover why Veronica Lewis is one of the wisest people I know.
0:02:20 – Skip Lineberg
Veronica Lewis, welcome to the Main Thing Podcast.
0:02:23 – Veronica Lewis
Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here today.
0:02:25 – Skip
Yeah, it’s great to be with you here in our gorgeous new transformed Kanawha County Public Library. What do you think of this building now?
0:02:33 – Veronica Lewis
Oh, it’s remarkable. This is an absolutely stunning building. It’s a gift to Kanawha County and its residents. I just really enjoy coming here and just deep diving into all of the wonderful things the library has to offer.
0:02:47 – Skip
Veronica, in the introduction folks heard me say that you are frequently out chasing waterfalls and I was curious that you have chosen to disobey the advice of TLC from 1995, that you do go chasing waterfalls.
0:03:05 – Veronica Lewis
I do, and I do it often. I find a lot of joy in getting out into the mountains and exploring those different nooks and crannies of West Virginia. Yeah, it has been an absolute joy of mine. I think I have now seen 32 of West Virginia’s waterfalls.
0:03:26 – Skip
Let’s talk a little bit about how we’re connected. We always like to take our audience behind the relationship between me and my guest and how we’re connected. Would you like to start that part of the conversation?
0:03:37 – Veronica Lewis
Yeah, I’d love to. So, as I like to say, Skip and I met on top of a mountain as strangers. We were part of a guided nature experience hosted by Wonder and Grow, which is Kate Reed and Valerie Warner. It’s their group. We used guided meditations and different exercises to sort of peel away many of the different layers of ourselves together in this cohort and then we rebuilt ourselves with the best parts and basically reprogrammed our subconscious and found inner peace.
0:04:15 – Skip
Grounded with the earth.
0:04:18 – Veronica Lewis
It was a beautiful experience where just a group of strangers essentially came together and a three day retreat right there in Canaan Valley and out of it we grew lifelong friendships out of this and it was just such a very vulnerable and enriching experience.
0:04:34 – Skip
Yeah, Kate, thank you so much for connecting me with Veronica. Do you want to talk a little bit about what you came into that with Veronica? What were some of your struggles prior to that, that weekend and that work that we did and those, those practices that we learned?
0:04:53 – Veronica Lewis
Yes, so quite literally, starting on the first day of 2023, I was faced with a series of life changing events, which brought an immeasurable amount of stress and anxiety to my life. The events during the first half of the year wrecked my nervous system. I was in fight or flight. I remember saying to my mom that it felt like I was standing in the ocean and waves kept crashing and knocking me down.
0:05:27 – Skip
Oh my gosh.
0:05:27 – Veronica Lewis
As soon as I’d feel like I had a grip, another wave would come and knock me down, and at that time I was pouring from an empty cup in all of us were suffering, which I think a lot of people can relate to. I think all of us, at some point or another, have felt that … felt like they have been depleted and needed to fill their cup back up, but maybe didn’t know how. When I realized my cup was totally empty and all of us were around me my friends, my family I was bringing them into my struggle because I was having a hard time with everything going on.
That’s when I reached out to Kate Reed, because I knew that she had offered private coaching for stress management and mindfulness, and so at that point I sent Kate this text and she said absolutely, let’s get you started. And that’s what started my journey into a more mindful life.
0:06:24 – Skip
Talk to us now about the work that you’ve done and the fruit of that, how you feel different, what it’s done for you, what impact it’s made.
0:06:31 – Veronica Lewis
I am more balanced. I am happy. I have goals and dreams for myself that I did not even have six months ago. I’ve built resiliency skills, which is so important. I just feel more energized … and just happy.
0:06:51 – Skip
You and I have had some really fascinating discussions about energy. We studied that. We learned a bit about it. I still have a lot to learn. Do you want to take us down that path? The masculine and feminine energy and how that’s not an “either / or.”
0:07:13 – Veronica Lewis
I have discovered through research this year, so this is still very new and fresh to me. I’m still very much learning about this, which makes it more exciting. What I have discovered is that everyone has both masculine and feminine energies. For me personally, before my journey into a more mindful and purposeful life, I had the “Boss Babe” … say yes to everything persona.
0:07:41 – Skip
Striving.
0:07:42 – Veronica Lewis
Overachieve, do it all. I found fulfillment through hyper-independence and self-sacrifice. My identity was tied to being busy 24/7. If that calendar was filled, that’s what I was looking for …
0:07:58 – Skip
“Boss Babe.” I’ve got the busy badge.
0:07:59 – Veronica Lewis
I’ve got this, I can do this. I can do everything. I don’t need anyone else. That was my mentality prior to this. I’ve realized that is such a toxic mindset for me personally, a very toxic mindset because it wasn’t until I was able to balance both feminine and masculine that I found more fulfillment in peace.
I think it’s important to recognize that how I see masculine and feminine energy. Masculine would be more of your action, oriented, self-reliant, the energy of go, go, go. Then your feminine is more soft and confident, playful, intuitive, and it’s a yin and yang.
0:08:45 – Skip
It’s a balance. We all need both. There’s a companion persona to the “Boss Babe.” That’s the souped up super duty, silent, solo stallion, the hyper-masculine who doesn’t recognize any need for others and doesn’t need to ever be compromising or come off of that dominant, competitive persona. I think that is also ineffective.
0:09:12 – Veronica Lewis
I have learned that I can be just as successful in happy and have a great work-life balance by balancing those two energies. I think there is a misconception that to be a successful career woman, you need to be more in that masculine.
0:09:30 – Skip Lineberg
You and I think, share a desire to kind of shatter those stereotypes and to peel back those personas.
0:09:36 – Veronica Lewis
Yes, absolutely, and it starts here. It starts with these conversations, and we are both very fresh into learning about these concepts, and that’s step one. Just have an open mind to realizing everyone needs that energy balance.
0:09:51 – Announcer
Hey listeners, we have to learn to get better at caring for ourselves. I’m no exception. In fact, last month, I began a program of self-care, mindfulness and relaxation with Wonder and Grow. Wonder and Grow guides you through natural spaces, interweaving mindfulness, movement and sensory awareness experiences.
Your senses are awakened. You’re more creative. You experience the healing properties of nature. Wonder and Grow is for all ages and backgrounds. They offer monthly events, workplace wellness and much, much more. Wonder and Grow is a community of people who share a passion for nature and a desire to live a balanced, inspired, fulfilled life. Head over to Wonder and Grow and find out how you can join the adventure.
Mindful nature experience from Wonder and Grow. Start yours at wonderandgrow.org.
0:10:49 – Skip
Veronica Lewis, what is the main thing you’ve learned in your lifetime so far?
0:10:55 – Veronica Lewis
Skip, I have learned that the best view comes after the hardest climb.
0:11:03 – Skip
Oh, I love that. Way to take it into the outdoors! Tell me more about that.
0:11:09 – Veronica Lewis
So your climb might be scary, lonely, exhausting, confusing. You might even get a little lost during your climb.
0:11:19 – Skip
For sure.
0:11:20 – Veronica Lewis
My wisdom I’m sharing is that, after climbing through one of the most challenging years of my life, the view … once you are on the other side, is better than you could ever imagine. And you know, I love to hike. I love to be in the mountains.
So, for me … this whole experience has come full circle. Knowing when you asked me to join you today and share my wisdom, it was an easy choice.
0:11:48 – Skip
That’s beautiful. I think about special places in West Virginia. There are many of them, and most of them are off the beaten path. You’re not just going to walk a paved park trail to get there.
0:11:58 – Veronica Lewis
There have been tough hikes that I’ve been on where you have to maybe take a break, have a seat, catch your breath. And that is the same way it is going through life. Sometimes you need to take a break, catch your breath and then keep climbing.
0:12:10 – Skip
That’s part of it too.
0:12:11 – Veronica Lewis
That’s part of it.
0:12:15 – Skip
The best view comes after the toughest climbs. If someone has not yet embraced your main-thing wisdom principle, what might be some of the struggles they’re feeling, the pain points, the symptoms that they’re suffering with?
0:12:27 – Veronica Lewis
They would be overwhelmed. They would have scattered thoughts. They would have a hard time keeping focus on any certain subject or for any certain period of time. They would have, you know, the elevated heart rate. They would have stress, anxiety. They would feel a sense of being overwhelmed. Maybe they don’t know what’s coming next, and maybe they don’t know where to start. And so, at that point, I would recommend that they just take a tiny baby step.
0:13:01 – Skip
Yeah.
0:13:02 – Veronica Lewis
Yes, so maybe that means for them going into their bedroom, shutting the door and just taking a few minutes to yourself to listen to your thoughts. Just take a deep breath, because breathwork is a large part of what helps. The key is—if you are feeling these things and you know that there is better out there,—you know you are capable of feeling better. Don’t suffer in silence. Take a minute for yourself. The return on investment when you invest in yourself it’s unbelievable.
0:13:31 – Skip
Yeah, it’s immense! For a listener who was coming into this feeling, intuitively, feeling that they needed a sign or a signal, or a nudge or something in the universe to say, Yep, it’s time for you to change course. Take action, reach out for help. This was it. Trust your intuition, trust the Holy Spirit. If this resonated with you, and you felt like, Oh my gosh, this was the sign. Then, it was. Yes, take that step.
0:14:04 – Veronica Lewis
This is your sign. Do it.
0:14:06 – Skip
Absolutely! Veronica, thank you so much for coming on today to The Main Thing Podcast and sharing your wonderful wisdom. I will always treasure what you shared with us today.
0:14:16 – Veronica Lewis
Thank you for having me. This has been great.
0:14:18 – Skip
So long for now.
0:14:20 – Announcer
Wow, that goes by incredibly fast, doesn’t it? Time flies when you’re hacking wisdom. I hope you’re left wanting more. Sync up with us again next time on The Main Thing for nine more minutes of wisdom.
Transcribed by https://podium.page
