Meredith Bell:
00:00:04
Amy, thank you for tuning in to The Ultimate Coach podcast, a companion to the transformative book The Ultimate Coach written by Amy Hardison and Alan D Thompson, each conversation is designed to be a powerful wake up call, reminding us of what's possible for you and your life. So if you're on a journey to expand your state of being, this podcast is for you. Thank you for joining me for another episode of The Ultimate Coach Podcast. I'm Meredith Bell, your host for this episode, and I am delighted to welcome as my guest today, Rebecca Shannon, Rebecca, welcome to the show.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:00:52
Thank you so much, Meredith, it's so wonderful to be here with you.
Meredith Bell:
00:00:56
I am really looking forward to our conversation. And as a brief introduction, I want to tell our listeners that Rebecca's presence in the world creates vibrant hot pink ripples reflecting her love and light. She embodies a unique blend of empathy and empowerment in her life and in her coaching, she is known as sources pink angel and the queen of heart led leadership. So Rebecca with with that brief intro, I would love for you to just share a little bit about your journey to the work you're doing today. And then, of course, I've got to ask you about those two names that you acquired over time.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:01:44
Yeah, thank you. A lovely introduction. Thank you, Meredith and yeah, both names have been acquired as part of my journey and sources. Pink Angel, if we start, there was a creation, a co creation, with Steve Hardison when I was in Phoenix, Arizona with him for my be with session, and we were working on my declaration, my document, and that we started playing around with ideas, and he was like Steve's Angel, and he'd noticed that I really love pink. I'm normally dressed in pink. I've gone with blue Meredith, and I have matched up today with our blue and we were just sort of playing with it, and then he settled on. We settled on through our conversation sources pink Angel, and it's that that is now the first line of my declaration of my document, and it's Yeah, become my, my name that I use, and people know me as and being with Steve Hardison is part of the journey of why I'm here talking to you today, of course. And then, um, Queen of heart, led leadership really came about in a really lovely way, actually, because it was just someone put a comment on a post that I'd shared, and I've been playing around with sort of, you know, how do I sum up what it is that I do, particularly in this sort of more corporate world where I do some work as well. Sources pink Angel can confuse people sometimes when you put that out. So I tend to use that more personally. And someone just put a really lovely comment on a post and just said, you know, Rebecca is the queen of heart, led leadership and and then several other people kind of commented like, Yes, she is. That's exactly who she is. And it just it landed a bit like when Steve and I created sources pink Angel, it just landed. It's like, yeah, that is who I am. So, yeah, they both come about really beautifully, actually, and, and I'm very honored to to have those names and to and to share them with people.
Meredith Bell:
00:03:39
They really are great. Well, the queen of heart led leadership that, to me, has a somewhat self explanatory, you know, meaning, but sources pink Angel, I would love for you to share, because, since it's the very first line of your declaration about who you are, what does that mean to you in terms of who you are as sources? Pink Angel, yeah.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:04:08
So, yeah. I mean, the first thing I'll say, though, is it is who I am. It's who I have always been and had lost contact with or had lost connection with, so and what I mean by that is that when I, when I showed up with Steve in his office, I had a lot of other stories going on, a lot of other names that I would use about myself, words that I would use about myself. And in doing the work with Steve, you know, he was always calling me forward into Yeah, but who are you really and Who? Who? Not who could you be, but who? Who are you? If you, if you get beyond those, those names that you've you know come up with for yourself, or those words you use about yourself. And as say, it started with, you know you're my pink Angel. Steve says you're my pink Angel. And because I am, and my branding is pink, I wear a lot of pink. I showed up in pink. Pink to Steve's session. And actually, so did he, he, you know, he gorgeously dressed as always, but had actually chosen very carefully Pink, pink jacket and the shirt that had pink in it. So he's, you know, when we were sort of talking through some of the stories that I have that aren't very helpful, that weren't very kind about myself, which is where a lot of us start with the work around the document and declaration was, he was like, Well, I see you as an angel. I see you as a pink angel. You're my pink Angel. And then that sort of went to, but you can't just be mine, your divinity, your your infinite, your everything. You are everything. And we, you know we, because every time we were talking about my declaration, it was and what more could be true and what more, and Steve would just, very gently, you know, call me forward. And there was something that happened Meredith, when he when he said it, that just landed. So when you say, what does it mean to me? It's like, it was, it was like a homecoming. It was like, Ah, of course, that's who I am. And it's being one of those. So source to me means my connection with something bigger than So, you know, my higher self, the universe, God, whatever. And I don't I the definition is important to me. Really, it's just that there's something bigger than me out there that I am connected to and I am part of, but also that that real for me, it means that real source inside me, like that. You know, it's coming from within, and and I am the source of that. And yes, I'm connected to to the universe, to God, to higher self. But it's really that it's coming from within. So the sources within, and then pink is pink is me. It's pink an angel. I just, yeah, it was just so nice to have something that felt so light and that someone else saw me that way. I think that was the other thing, you know, someone else seeing me as an angel. And when, when Steve said it, and we started playing around with it, I was like, Yeah, I've heard that. I've heard that many times in my life, but I hadn't been able to own it and claim it and be it. So, yeah, I it took me a little while to because I think people do have their own interpretations of what any of those things might mean. And then, you know, it's like most things in life. I practice. I said it more and more, and I was talking to people, and people loved it, and, you know, and people like, yeah, that's, that's who you are. And that for me, then had me see, see myself that way as well.
Meredith Bell:
00:07:32
You know, I just love what you've shared. As I was listening to you, I almost got chills thinking about what it must have meant to you to to really get at the core of your essence. Because I think that's one of Steve's real gifts, is helping people reveal to themselves who they really are. And it sounds like you really embraced that. You discovered that and embraced that. And so now I can truly understand that being a part of your document and what it means to you to say that that's beautiful. Thank you so much. And to me, it's also an invitation to each one of us to ask that question that he asked you, who are you really? And getting past the negatives or the superficial things that we may have said about ourselves to get to the real essence of who we are. Well, you know, Rebecca, one of the things that drew me to you were posts and comments that you had put on Facebook that I feel I was drawn to and led to, and one of those was, I think it was in response to a post that either Gary or ankesh had posted about upgrading, and you just had a beautiful statement in there about upgrading yourself. And, more recently, a room. And I think there's so much for us to unpack there. Talk about your own recent discoveries around this whole idea of upgrading ourselves and upgrading everything in our lives.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:09:17
Yeah, yeah. And it's so it's resonated with so many people. You know, as you said, you were drawn to that comment, and several other people were, and I think it was something that that has been very present for me over the last couple of years, and yet hadn't kind of said it in that way. And of course, when you say it a certain way, suddenly it sparks things for other people. And I think it was anchored shared something about it, and that obviously called me forward, I mean, going back to to creating the declaration, becoming sources pink Angel, that was my first experience of of a, like a really, really powerful upgrade, you know, that happened over the space of a couple of hours, and it did, if. Felt like a, you know, an upgrade like, you know, I'd gone in at gone in at this level, and come out up here and and, you know, the great thing about that for me is that nothing had changed there. You know, my life hadn't changed, you know, nothing. Nothing had actually fundamentally changed. And everything had changed within that upgrade from from who I was being and so from that point and actually going over and creating the experience with Steve and committing to going, I live in the UK, so going over to America was a big, you know, commitment in terms of investment and time, but that in itself, was my first creation around an upgrade. It's like, you know, I read something in the book that called me forward in the ultimate coach book, and something called me forward. And my first reaction was very much like, yeah, that's not for me, though, is it? And then there was this question that came in that was from that pure essence that we were talking about of well, why not? You? Why not? And that has become and over the work that I do, I've done with Steve and with other coaches and with my own work with my clients, has become like a Well, where else can I get upgrade my life, and how do I create that? And obviously, Steve is a powerful creator. You know, he's always looking for ways to create, and whether it's an upgrade or create something new, something from nothing. You know, he's, you know, he lives that. So, you know, being in his world, I could see him doing that. I've also done a lot of work with Devin banderson, who who worked with Steve as well. So he I see him in the same way as always creating and seeing possibility, whether it's solving a problem or or upgrading. So I just started showing up in life with this idea of, okay, well, how do I make this a very best experience that I that I can how do I if I'm going to stay at a hotel? Was the example that I used was, this is going to be the very best stay at this hotel. This is going to be the greatest stay I've ever had at a hotel, you know, they're going to be the best staff, it's going to be the best meal, it's going to be the best experience I have. And because I had that idea, as I showed up, I started to notice that I was getting upgrades. I was getting upgraded in rings because I was showing up. And I not in an arrogant way, not in a demanding that, you know, do you know who I am and I needed, you know, an upgrade, or anything like that, just because of how I was consciously creating myself? And sometimes it would happen naturally. And they'd, you know, I'd go to check in, and I'd be, you know, pleased to be there. I'd be, you know, conversing with people as I arrived, smiling how I was showing up in the world. And then I they just say, Oh, and you know, you've, you've been upgraded, complimentary upgrade. And other times I might ask, so I might say, oh, you know what, last time I stayed here, I had the most beautiful room. Is that available today? And then they'd have a look, and they'd say, yeah, actually, that that is and we'll upgrade you to that room. So I started to just notice that. And you know, as we know, in this world, around who we're being creates our world. So if I'm showing up, and the magic I think here is, it's not an expectation. So I'd already decided that this was going to be the most beautiful stay at this hotel. I was always recreating it that way, and and then the upgrade is happens. It's not an expectation. It's a it's an a wonderful creation from who I'm being if I hadn't got the upgrade, which has happened as well, then it's like amazing. And then I get to the room that I was get to, and rather go in with that energy of, I didn't get the upgrade. This room isn't any good. I'd go in with, oh my gosh, this room is perfect. It's so It's so cozy, it's got a great view, you know, and find the things that meant I still had an upgraded experience. And so that, that's, that's, I think, speaking to the to what you saw, and what what I see, and I, I try. I don't try. Don't use the word try. I am that, you know, and being that in my life. And it can be very simple things, you know, making a cup of tea at home. How do I how do I make that a more, you know, upgraded experience? Well, you know what? I use the best cup, and I get my little, lovely tea cup that I've got at my teapot that I use for making tea. I put it on a nice tray. You know, I treat myself to really nice tea bags from Faulkner and masons in London. You know, there are ways that we can bring that idea of upgrading into very well, into everyday moments in our in our life,
Meredith Bell:
00:14:41
Such great examples. And you know, I love what you said about letting go of expectations so we don't have disappointment associated with whatever the outcome is. I love your gratitude, you know, because I think that's a key aspect of. Of being able to upgrade our thinking and our response to situations that happen to us is going into it with the an attitude of gratitude no matter what happens as the outcome. I think that's an element of upgrading is growing into the attitude of, it's all a gift. You know, it's all good, just giving ourselves permission to think about what represents an upgrade for me in this moment, whether it's an upgrading of my thinking, upgrading of the actual experience that I might have to me that is worth pausing, reflecting and pondering. How can I upgrade this area of my life so we don't feel overwhelmed about upgrading everything? But where am I settling for less than I deserve?
Rebecca Shannon:
00:16:04
Yeah, yeah, and that was very much what? So when I talk about this now, this is present. That's not how it's always been, you know? And I can, I can. I can find many examples where I didn't show up for something because I didn't think I was worth deserving. I There are times where I know that I showed up and I had expectations that came from a place of, you know, ego, and I was disappointed, and then guess what happened? The whole experience is ruined, because I'm coming from a place of disappointment for something that was never, never there in the first place. So you know this, this is a shift, because I know people listening. You know, what people are interested in is where we've where we've moved from and to in terms of how, how and who we're being. So this hasn't, this hasn't always been my experience, and it still is a practice in my certainly starts with my being. It starts with my thinking. It starts with my doing. And, you know, the harder practice for me really is around the more the smaller things at all areas of life. What I noticed was, though, that when I started seeing it in certain areas, then my awareness was switched on, and I was like, Oh, okay. Well, if I can create it here, then I can create it here as well. So the ripples talk about, you know, hot pink ripples at sparkle and shine. It's they happen for me as well. It's like, I see it happening here, and it's like, okay, where else could I bring that in? And how else could I bring that to other people as well? So, you know, if I'm, if I'm living in an upgraded way of being, what's the ripple effect of that of people around me? Because, you know, I'm in gratitude. I'm switched on, you know, I'm lit up, I'm enjoying I'm not living in disappointment or lack, you know, expectations. So guess what? Everyone around me gets a greater experience, so they get an upgrade as well. And that, you know, we talk a lot about the ripple effect and how, you know how, how that changes the world. You know. So this upgrade that we talk about, where we talk about it for ourselves, by upgrading your life, you are automatically having a very positive impact on the whole world, all of us, because we know that that one little action here that I wanted to upgrade. Here has that Ricola sets out in the world.
Meredith Bell:
00:18:24
Makes me think about your work with your clients, that you are a coach. I'm sure now that you become more conscious of this whole ability for us to choose to upgrade. How do you help a client raise their awareness about the opportunities they have? I guess another interesting thing to explore with you is, what are some of the gaps you see people having between where they could upgrade to and where they are currently, where, where is the gap in either their thinking or way of being?
Rebecca Shannon:
00:19:06
Yeah, well, I think, I think what I see, and I saw it in myself, and therefore I see it in other people, is I see that we have learned to to be smaller than we are. So rather than being a gap necessary, there's like a that we've just learned to not shine brightly. You know, to not to feel like that if we shine brightly, it's taking it away from somebody else. And you know, a lot of the work that I do with with my clients, is around the foundational work that has them then be able to see how they can show up more in their own lives. So you know where we're not showing up in our full full potential, in our full light, where we've learned that we believe that life is finite, that. If we have more of the pie, somebody else is having less of the pie. So once we start doing that kind of work, like moving people away from that idea of, you know, if I shine brightly, I'm taking away from somebody else. If I shine brightly, it's not safe. If I shine brightly, people aren't going to like me, you know, if I shine brightly, I might fail. They're the sort of things that we've been working on to build up their their greatness again, you know, so we, because we, we've all be, you know, we can become very small, and then we start looking at areas of their life, as you say, these, all these different areas of like, okay, well, if we now have a different way of being, with our greatness, with our light, with our how we shine in the world, where are the areas like you said that without becoming overwhelmed, by it, that we could just step up a little bit more, you know, could we show up a little bit more? And again, what I do with clients is is look for those, you know, low hanging fruit, where's an area where you can see this quite easily, and let's play there for a bit. Let's go and have some fun there and see what's possible. And then once we get some evidence, because, of course, the learned behavior of I'll keep myself small, I won't shine brightly, will keep me safe. We've got loads of evidence. That backs that up, you know, because that's all we've ever experienced. So of course, we've got loads of evidence. So what we want to do is start creating a new evidence pathway for these for people. So they start seeing that, oh, actually, when I show up here, look what happens. You know, new possibilities come new opportunities. I'm having more fun. I feel better. People notice me, whatever it might be. So they get a new, new evidence pathway, and then it's like, okay, so what would that look like if you took that into your business, or what would it be like if you took that into your relationships? Or what would it be like if you took that into something you've always wanted to do, you know? And for me, those were things like singing, writing, you know, doing things that I loved, that started opening up new possibilities for me, because I could see that it was okay, it was safe, it was fun, it was joyful. And again, the ripple effects were that it showed up elsewhere in my life. So I do think there's some fun fundamental work around those stories that we hold about ourselves, you know, the the ones that limit us and keep us small. And then there's the, you know, where we can see areas that we could, we could quite easily move, move into and show up differently. And going back to my work with Steve, where a lot of this has come from, and there was a lot of work before there, that got me there, and a lot of work afterwards. But you know, one of my favorite quotes is the Marion Williamson quote about our biggest fear is, is, is not that we'll fail, but it's we'll succeed, and that we have learned that if we shine brightly, we take it away from somewhere else. And actually the quote speaks to, you know, when we shine, it actually gives other people permission to shine. So by really owning our own greatness, which was part of the decision to go and work with Steve, that was a decision to step into my greatness rather than my old story, which should have been, who are you to go?
Meredith Bell:
00:23:07
Just love the different points that you brought up, especially as you were describing your work with clients. And some of the things that really landed for me was this idea of playing with it and making it fun. And so there's a lightness to it. You know, a lot of times I think when we imagine making a change, it feels a little scary. It's like, oh my gosh, what am I getting myself into? We take it, I do. I'll speak for myself, but sometimes I take myself too seriously, and so the idea of failing or succeeding can do a number on stories that I might tell myself before I just go ahead and jump in, framing it as something to play with and having fun with it has such a different feel to it. It's not scary. It's not intimidating. It's yeah, let's try it. Let's see how this works. When I do that and and I like the distinction of taking small steps versus a gap, because again, as I think back on my use of the word gap, it implies a lack, you know, or even a leap that I have to make from one's place to another, instead of moving into something in a manner that allows me to build that evidence that then gives me The momentum to continue play in trying new things. Yeah,
Rebecca Shannon:
00:24:42
I found the words play and experiment. And, you know, do have this, this, you know, element that is lighter. And, you know, working with clients, one of the things that sometimes clients will feed back to me is, you know, I just feel so much lighter after our session. Yeah. Which is wonderful feedback. And then I but actually what I started noticing was, when I looked at it, we hadn't stripped a lot of we had stripped things away. But what I mean is they still were going away with some new things to be and do and try, and yet they felt lighter because, as you say, we can all take ourselves too seriously. I can. And, you know, I'm less so now, but I still can, and there are elements of my life that I'll take more seriously than other elements of my life. So yes, this lightness that we can bring to to life, you know. And as you say, sometimes it's like, you know, it's easier to step someone into that in one area, you know, so that they can, they can play here, where they're not giving themselves permission to play somewhere else in their life. And then what happens is, really they get to see that when they play, they get amazing results. They get different outcomes. They enjoy life more life gets easier, more graceful. They've then got the confidence to try it out somewhere else as well, and that, yeah, you know, I love doing that work with clients, you know. And you see people light up suddenly about something that was quite heavy or scary or overwhelming, suddenly just feels lighter and silent. Yes,
Meredith Bell:
00:26:16
Well, and you know, Rebecca, there was another area tying in to me with upgrading, that actually can impact our upgrades of ourselves, and that's this concept of acknowledgement, not just a concept, but a practice of acknowledgement. And I would love for you to talk a little bit about your awareness growing of what does acknowledgement mean when you receive it as well as when you give acknowledgements.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:26:43
Yeah, this is really, really present for me right now around acknowledgements and again. You know, we've mentioned him once today already, but anchors was a very big part of that for me and and really brought it into a practice. My awareness around acknowledgements, receiving and giving has been on a trajectory, which, you know, if you'd said to me a few years ago, I'm not sure I didn't know what an acknowledgement was, and I certainly wasn't hearing it very often or giving them very often. So, you know, I was already on that trajectory of receiving much, you know, acknowledgements much better from other people. And really, you know, I noticed that I was very good at giving acknowledgements. You know, that's one of the things that people will reflect back to me. You know, you're very good at acknowledging people. You're very good at, you know, name dropping people in a good way. You know, when people have worked, you know, you support people have supported you where other people might not mention the people behind the scenes or people that have supported you, you are one of the people who will bring those people into the conversation and really acknowledge them. Anchors. Though, this last month, I think it was ransom being sessions in the being community around acknowledgements. So you ran a series of sessions, listening acknowledgements, being and service or being your word, I think. And the acknowledgements for one I watched, and it really, really landed with me. And it brought, as often happens when we're playing experimented. It brings exactly what we need, exactly the moment that we need it. And I listened to the to the masterclass, or the webinar, which was incredible. And I think Ankush is one of the most powerful coaches that we have in this community, and I've seen him grow, you know, over the last two years with his work with Steve. And this practice that he was sharing came from his work with Steve, which was, you know, go away and fill a whole legal pad lined, legal pad of acknowledgements for yourself. So that was the practice from it. You know, there's much more in the master class, but that essentially was, it was like, you know, we're so good at, you know, beating ourselves up. And, as you said earlier, and you caught it, you know, where's the gap? Where am I not doing what I should be doing, or could be doing, or, you know, want to do? We focus on that. How about if we just took a really intensive look at how we could acknowledge ourselves for everything we have been and done, you know, and in the work that I did with Steve when I was with him, that was very much where a lot of my declarations came from. He was like, Well, how about we look at what what you were doing then, and who you were being, and acknowledge yourself for that. But when Angus did the master class, it really brought it into a very, very defined, intensive and intentional practice. And so, because I'm an inaction kind of girl, I started, you know, for myself, I was like crying, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna practice this, and it's and I still am. I'm still working my way through my my pad. I'm doing it at least twice a day, where I go to it and spend at least an hour writing out all my acknowledgements for myself, and because I like to spread to hot pink ripples in the world, I created my own masterclass, and I brought it to my community and my clients, because, again, that's what I see. I. That's how we create change in the world, right? It's, you know, and again, comes back to this really underlying thing that I have around it. You know, scarcity mindset has shifted so much me into this. You know, there's no, there's no competition, you know, anchor she's sharing for a generous place that he's, you know, got from, and my role in this is to then share it onto other people. And I, you know, made a commitment that I would share it with as many people as I could, and knowing that they would share it with other people. And so I have a community around me at the moment who are all in that practice. And, you know, I'll get messages that, you know, I've, I've done 1100 acknowledgments. I counted up how many I've done. And the shift in in that for people, Meredith has just been, you know, seeing it myself, in myself, and seeing it with people around me is one of the most transformational things I've seen. And people who, if you'd said to them at the beginning of that process, you know, you're going to sit and write a whole pad full of acknowledgements for yourself, their first reaction was, I don't think it had even come up with three, and suddenly they've got pages and pages and pages of them. And that has been, I think, you know, is a real gift. You know, from Steve, from Ann Kirsch, from me to other people, is such a powerful practice. And what it's opening up, and I'm seeing it not just for myself, but people around me, because they're not just my clients, they're people in my world, friends, family is, oh my gosh. You know, the upgrade is happening in that because we're acknowledging ourselves. So we're showing up more as ourselves. We're showing up in a in a way that's, you know, we literally, which, I mean, I'm doing it as I was saying it. We're kind of stepping up into our greatness again. There's less of this sort of, you know, oh, you know, here's all the things I'm not doing. It's like, Yeah, but look at all the things I have done, you know. And then I'm seeing them do it with other people, you know, I'm and I'm really seeing people be that, you know, they're pausing and acknowledging themselves. They're catching themselves. I use the word catching quite a lot with our words and things like this, they're catching themselves, and they're like, Ah, I acknowledge myself for and so it's, it's so powerful, and then also it's a great practice of being able to receive it because, and I'm sure you see this as well, you know, again, we, we in our smallness, we're not always very good at receiving acknowledgements, and we back them away, and we don't land them, and the bad stuff gets in and the good stuff just kind of gets bounced off. That was certainly true for me. And by allowing those acknowledgements to flow, this is out. This is how I see wealth. This is how I see love. You know, when we allow it to flow in and out and receive it and and give it, then we create this beautiful flow of acknowledgements. And you know what? What better way to show up in the world to be fully acknowledging of ourselves and other people, yes.
Meredith Bell:
00:33:02
And you know, as I was listening to you describe that we might all want to take on that very practice of filling up a legal pad. I remember sharing that, and I I did several pages, and I never went back to it. So you've just reminded me of the importance of of doing that. You know what I have done, that I would encourage folks to do in terms of receiving acknowledgements, is when somebody on social media gives positive feedback to you or acknowledges you for something, take a screen capture of that and put it into a document. In fact, I have all of those below my own document, so all my declarations are there, and then below that are these various acknowledgments that I received, and that is so powerful because it reminds us of who we really are, because people are seeing these positive things in us and reflecting them back to us. And so owning those, and some of those very statements have become my own declarations, because I have accepted them and seen the power of that individual to see the real me, to see my real greatness. And I think that if we can develop the habit of graciously receiving those when somebody does acknowledge us, either verbally or in writing, and capturing that to remind us when we have those moments of self doubt or, you know, an experience that was not as favorable as we would have hoped to be able to look at this is the real me. Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:34:48
And, you know, anchors talks about it in his you mentioned they're graciously receiving. I think you know, one of the things is, how we receive those is also, yes, I love what you're showing there about you. Know, saving them, keeping them, because that is, you know, our true self and how we're being seen in the world. And if other people can see us that way, then that helps us see ourselves that way. But also, it's lovely to acknowledge the person who's acknowledged you, but in a very what we can sometimes do is we can do that, but we diminish ourselves in the process. And I think Kush shared this example as well, and I it really resonates with me as a coach. Is, you know, a client will message you and say, and they might not use the words I acknowledge you for, but they'll say something like, oh my gosh, our work together is changing my life, right? So you get this amazing message from this person. And the first thing you say is, it's a it's all you, it's all you, right? Because, as a coach, obviously, we are bringing out, you know, our our role is to bring out the best in in people. We're not doing it. They're doing the work. They're they're shifting their thinking. They're shifting who they're being and what Kush pointed us to, and I believe that Steve pointed Kush to, it is, it's a co creation. It's very easy to be so keen to acknowledge the other palaces for doing all the work that you take yourself out of it. And that's the other thing that happens with this. We that you're shining. So I can't shine. So actually, learning to really receive that acknowledgement. So if someone acknowledges you on, you know, on Facebook or makes a comment or something, is to really acknowledge it, it, receive it and, and I love the word, and it's one of the most powerful words in the dictionary, and then acknowledge that person back. You know, thank you so much for for noticing. Thank you for sharing with me the difference that our work is having in your life. It's a co creation. We make a great team. I love working with you. I love how you show up so and look at the richness that's then created from receiving that rather than just batting it straight back to the other person. And this, again, is this that all the nuances that I and the richness in being and creating, we've suddenly created so much more than
Meredith Bell:
00:37:12
yes, and inadvertently, if we respond to by saying, it's all you, that's where it puts the burden on that person. Oh my gosh, I've got to perform. You know, it's, it's sending a message that's unintentional, about I had nothing to do with it. So, you're right, it does cause us, and that can be for so many areas. Coaching is one. There are so many places where we are co creating with others, and we tend to diminish ourselves and our role in that. And I like focusing on that word co creation so that we recognize our part in that happening. It didn't just happen by accident, it was intentional, and was something that we both contributed to. So I think that's such a good perspective in the relationships we form, the projects we take on, where we're working in a team. There's so many areas,
Rebecca Shannon:
00:38:19
Yeah, one example that I'd love to share there, and it came to me. I didn't come with this example. It just came to me as you were talking then was, obviously, we've had the Olympics happening recently, and there was a, and I don't know all the names, and I don't know what the competition was, but there was a beautiful moment on the podium where, I think it was Simone Biles and the other American lady whose name escapes me. I apologize for not knowing their names, but somebody else had won the gold, and so they'd gone off and received their silver and their bronze. And then when this girl stepped up to get the gold, they had this conversation. We're like, I think we should bow to, you know, I think we should acknowledge her essentially. And there was this beautiful moment where you had the lady stepping up onto gold and these two beautiful smiling lit up women acknowledging her as well. And guess what happened in that moment? Nobody had shined. Nobody was shining less. But the the picture that was created by all of them being in that was amplified. It didn't take away from what they you know, what they'd achieved. And obviously they've both gone on and achieved amazing things on their own as well. But it just lit up the whole and for me, I remember watching it and just just feeling like this whole, like something so much bigger was created. And the look of the on the girl's face who stepped up to take a gold, it's almost like the gold, the gold was great, but these girls bowing down in acknowledgement to her, just took it to a whole other level. And I know there were lots of other examples of that in the Olympics as well. The Olympics has been a fantastic example of how every. Everyone can shine brightly that we don't take away from other people. There was another great one with a Chinese waitlister, a young woman, and she went and she went and got her coach and lifted him up in celebration. Because, again, you know, it's a co creation. Her coach and her have been working together to create, what, what made it possible for her to I don't know whether it was a gold or or what she'd won there, but she she recognized it was a co creation, and she wanted him to be a part of it. And guess what happened? That became a moment that was captured on camera, because it was so amazing. Because how often do we not do that, and how often do we see examples in the world where people don't acknowledge other people that are working with them, you know. And that's like you say, in teams, in leadership, in sports, in life, in coaching relationships, it amplifies. It doesn't take it doesn't dim anyone's light. Well,
Meredith Bell:
00:40:54
I'm so glad you brought up the examples, because you're right. The Olympics, the example that you just described, that picture was just priceless, and there were so many other moments. And the takeaway from listening to you is, where could we notice that we might be withholding acknowledgement of someone else for fear of what you were saying earlier, about there's this scarcity, so if we give too much to someone else, it somehow takes away from us and noticing when we might hold back and think about what's my reason for not speaking up and giving this person the acknowledgement. And I think if we look at the stories we tell ourselves in those moments, I don't want to get a swelled head. I don't want them to you know, think they're the best thing since sliced. I mean, there's so many different things that we can rationalize in our mind in a split second that prevents us from being generous with others, and so that practice of acknowledging and receiving the acknowledgements and looking at it as a co creation, all of those, I think, are just so important to how we show up. And it's all a part of that upgrading that we were talking about earlier.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:42:18
Yeah, and I just want to pick up something from from what you shared, just saying which, which is another practice, if you like, that's helpful for this. I mean the acknowledgements, one go and go and watch anchor. She's masterclass, find me, and I'll share mine with you if you want. But certainly you know anyone listening, we highly recommend it. It's such an incredible practice, and to do it quite intentionally and intensively intensifies it for you? There's something you just mentioned there with these stories that we have and these little cliches and, you know, sound bites that we have. One of the things that I do with my clients coming back to, how do I, how do I get them to think about how they upgrade and how they show up, is, is also to really get those down on paper, like, you know, I'll do it around time. What are our time stories? What are the little stories we have around time? You know, the ones around wealth are another one. You know, we have so many stories about, you know, what we deserve, what we don't deserve? Money's evil. Money's, you know, people who have got money aren't happy. People who've got money are the only people who are happy. You know, there, and some of the things you said there about, you know, you know, don't shine so brightly. Don't have a big head. You know, nobody likes, nobody likes someone who blows their own trumpet. You know, all of these are these little, I think. JP Morgan calls them pickups and burps, right? That we, that we have in our and they're insidious. They seem so harmless, and yet they're insidious in terms of how we show up in the world. So one of the things that I do with my clients is we get those stories out. It's like, right? Dump, you know, dump them all down. What are all these things? What did your mum say to you about money? What did your dad say to you about money? What are your peers saying to you about money? It's all wealth or love or anything, and let's just get them down, and then let's just have a look at them. Because if we can, you know, it's like anything, if we've got awareness of it, we can now have a look at that. And this, this is the work that Steve does, from going from our judgments to our declarations. Let's just have a look at them and go, is that really true, you know? And is it helpful? And if that wasn't true, what else might be more true? And would that be more helpful? And suddenly you can very easily get someone from the all these like hidden stories that are playing out on, like repeat, actually, they now become the very thing that has them show up differently, and that, I think, is another part of the work that I've done for myself and that I do with clients, which is so transformational for people, because they are they're insidious, and they're just here, and we just need to bring them out into the light, shine the light on them, and then what else might be true here? So.
Meredith Bell:
00:45:00
I love that. Thank you for mapping that out, because I think anyone can do that, whether they're working with a coach or not. There's a process you can follow that can be really valuable for you. Rebecca, I've got to make a few minutes here for this one final thing that I also had seen you write about, and I think you even did a video about it. And this is when you had wanted to create a coaching session for your son with Steve. And it it happened like magic. And I think it would be just a wonderful way to wrap up our conversation on CO creating a very special moment, yeah,
Rebecca Shannon:
00:45:41
And this is a really great thing about CO creating is, you know, we are part of this infinite consciousness of the universe. And so co creation happens with other people, but it also happens with, you know, the magic that exists in life. And I talk about magic and miracles a lot as well. So yeah, I was having a conversation from one of the connection bingo calls within the community with Mike Costas, I think it's how you pronounce his name. You taught me how to pronounce his name. So Mike Costas and we were talking about the event in Arizona next year with Judy and Judy thurls organizing, and he was asking if I was going to be coming. And I was like, You know what? I don't know yet, I'd love to create, to be there. I would love to create for my sons, you know, a coaching session with Steve. I'd love to see if I create a bean with session with Steve, and take my sons and take them to Arizona, and go to the go to Grand Canyon, all the things that I did while I was there. And we just, you know, we sort of ended our call with this. Well, we've planted some seeds of possibility here, you know. And it was a lovely call anyway, but that was sort of one of the outcomes. So and I did nothing. Did nothing right? I didn't do anything. I had that conversation. These were planted. Co creation was going on the next day, literally, 24 hours later, I was picking my son up. It was his last day of his primary school, so his year in the UK, and I literally had him for like 15 minutes in the car, because I had to pick him up and then take him back for his school disco. 15 minutes window of me being with my son, Patrick, at that time, and as we were pulling up outside the house, the phone goes in. Steve Hardison, so between having this conversation with Mike the day before and this I haven't done, I hadn't messaged Steve and said, Oh, I'm thinking about creating a I said I'd done literally nothing. Steve had seen something that I'd been posting something, or he'd seen he I mean, I he's the ultimate Time Warrior, because how he finds time to do all the things he does is incredible. So he'd watch something, or I'd seen something, I'd sent him, or whatever, but I hadn't deliberately done anything for this. And so he and he always begins with, Hi, Rebecca, do you have time to talk? And I was like, Yes, I do. I said, naturally, Steve, my youngest son is in the car, Patrick, and I realized that, and they had a 1520 minute conversation, and, you know, and, and it was, and it was beautiful to hear them conversing and talking. And my son was going to an event with Devin banderson A week later, which is a whole other story. We don't have time for today. So Steve, you know, I we talked about that, and Patrick had a message from Steve to Devon to deliver. So he became part of another creation. And then he had delivered a message back to Steve from Devon. And it was only, you know, I was, I mean, I, you know, it was a beautiful moment. I was enjoying it in the moment. And then it was sort of afterwards. I dropped him back to his disco, and I came home, and I was like, wow, that's how you co create. Because I, you know, just from planting that little seed. Within 24 hours, my son was talking to Steve, and they had a conversation, and Steve was, you know, inviting him into possibility. And there was so much else created from that, you know, Steve, because he's always creating. He was co creating ideas in Patrick's head about lots of different things that I know will have ripple effects in the future. And for me, was another example, as you say, of of how we get to co create in this world, just by showing up, just by being who we who we are. That was, that's how that co creation came about. And I Meredith, I could fill another hour full of other magic and miracles that have been created from who I'm showing up to be in the world as as I'm sure you could, because this is not just a story about me now it's the other thing that Steve has really invited me into is when I'm sharing, you know, it's not just a cool story about me and my son and a call with with Steve, or any of those other things. It's a story about you, because we could all find those incredible, magical miracles, co creations, if we're willing to see them
Meredith Bell:
00:49:57
So true. Just love that. That. And you know what is so powerful? I know. JP Morgan talks about this too, speaking your world into existence, this conversation that you and Mike had where you spoke about possibilities and about what you would like to see again, I think sometimes in our playing small we don't even dare to speak some of the things we really want to see happen, and if we can begin the practice of doing that, then it's more likely those are going to show up in our lives. Rebecca, this has just been such a fantastic conversation. There are so many things that you've said that I would like to invite my listeners to go back and listen to again about you. As you say, each one of these topics that we've touched on has such relevance for each one of us to think about it in different parts of our lives in different ways that we're being. How can we upgrade our thinking, our thoughts, our behavior, and how we show up, and also this whole area of acknowledging especially with ourselves? Because I think the more we can be generous with ourselves, the easier it is to be generous with others. It just goes hand in. I want to acknowledge you for everything you've shared today, Rebecca and who you're being in the world. I just love that you are sources pink Angel and all the other ways that you bring light and love to folks in the world. Thank you for being with us today and being a part of this community.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:51:45
Thank you so much. Thank you. It's really lovely to hear that, and I love what we've co created here today. It's been beautiful being with you and and everything you and the team do to bring these these conversations to people so they can hear it for them. It's beautiful. Thank you so much.
Meredith Bell:
00:52:04
Thank you for joining us today. If there's someone you know who could benefit from this conversation, please share this episode with them. Also check out our website, being movement.com, you'll find valuable resources and links to connect to an engaging and wonderfully supportive community. Together, we can inspire and support each other on the path to a greater understanding of being until next time, take care and be kind to yourself you.
00:00:04
Amy, thank you for tuning in to The Ultimate Coach podcast, a companion to the transformative book The Ultimate Coach written by Amy Hardison and Alan D Thompson, each conversation is designed to be a powerful wake up call, reminding us of what's possible for you and your life. So if you're on a journey to expand your state of being, this podcast is for you. Thank you for joining me for another episode of The Ultimate Coach Podcast. I'm Meredith Bell, your host for this episode, and I am delighted to welcome as my guest today, Rebecca Shannon, Rebecca, welcome to the show.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:00:52
Thank you so much, Meredith, it's so wonderful to be here with you.
Meredith Bell:
00:00:56
I am really looking forward to our conversation. And as a brief introduction, I want to tell our listeners that Rebecca's presence in the world creates vibrant hot pink ripples reflecting her love and light. She embodies a unique blend of empathy and empowerment in her life and in her coaching, she is known as sources pink angel and the queen of heart led leadership. So Rebecca with with that brief intro, I would love for you to just share a little bit about your journey to the work you're doing today. And then, of course, I've got to ask you about those two names that you acquired over time.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:01:44
Yeah, thank you. A lovely introduction. Thank you, Meredith and yeah, both names have been acquired as part of my journey and sources. Pink Angel, if we start, there was a creation, a co creation, with Steve Hardison when I was in Phoenix, Arizona with him for my be with session, and we were working on my declaration, my document, and that we started playing around with ideas, and he was like Steve's Angel, and he'd noticed that I really love pink. I'm normally dressed in pink. I've gone with blue Meredith, and I have matched up today with our blue and we were just sort of playing with it, and then he settled on. We settled on through our conversation sources pink Angel, and it's that that is now the first line of my declaration of my document, and it's Yeah, become my, my name that I use, and people know me as and being with Steve Hardison is part of the journey of why I'm here talking to you today, of course. And then, um, Queen of heart, led leadership really came about in a really lovely way, actually, because it was just someone put a comment on a post that I'd shared, and I've been playing around with sort of, you know, how do I sum up what it is that I do, particularly in this sort of more corporate world where I do some work as well. Sources pink Angel can confuse people sometimes when you put that out. So I tend to use that more personally. And someone just put a really lovely comment on a post and just said, you know, Rebecca is the queen of heart, led leadership and and then several other people kind of commented like, Yes, she is. That's exactly who she is. And it just it landed a bit like when Steve and I created sources pink Angel, it just landed. It's like, yeah, that is who I am. So, yeah, they both come about really beautifully, actually, and, and I'm very honored to to have those names and to and to share them with people.
Meredith Bell:
00:03:39
They really are great. Well, the queen of heart led leadership that, to me, has a somewhat self explanatory, you know, meaning, but sources pink Angel, I would love for you to share, because, since it's the very first line of your declaration about who you are, what does that mean to you in terms of who you are as sources? Pink Angel, yeah.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:04:08
So, yeah. I mean, the first thing I'll say, though, is it is who I am. It's who I have always been and had lost contact with or had lost connection with, so and what I mean by that is that when I, when I showed up with Steve in his office, I had a lot of other stories going on, a lot of other names that I would use about myself, words that I would use about myself. And in doing the work with Steve, you know, he was always calling me forward into Yeah, but who are you really and Who? Who? Not who could you be, but who? Who are you? If you, if you get beyond those, those names that you've you know come up with for yourself, or those words you use about yourself. And as say, it started with, you know you're my pink Angel. Steve says you're my pink Angel. And because I am, and my branding is pink, I wear a lot of pink. I showed up in pink. Pink to Steve's session. And actually, so did he, he, you know, he gorgeously dressed as always, but had actually chosen very carefully Pink, pink jacket and the shirt that had pink in it. So he's, you know, when we were sort of talking through some of the stories that I have that aren't very helpful, that weren't very kind about myself, which is where a lot of us start with the work around the document and declaration was, he was like, Well, I see you as an angel. I see you as a pink angel. You're my pink Angel. And then that sort of went to, but you can't just be mine, your divinity, your your infinite, your everything. You are everything. And we, you know we, because every time we were talking about my declaration, it was and what more could be true and what more, and Steve would just, very gently, you know, call me forward. And there was something that happened Meredith, when he when he said it, that just landed. So when you say, what does it mean to me? It's like, it was, it was like a homecoming. It was like, Ah, of course, that's who I am. And it's being one of those. So source to me means my connection with something bigger than So, you know, my higher self, the universe, God, whatever. And I don't I the definition is important to me. Really, it's just that there's something bigger than me out there that I am connected to and I am part of, but also that that real for me, it means that real source inside me, like that. You know, it's coming from within, and and I am the source of that. And yes, I'm connected to to the universe, to God, to higher self. But it's really that it's coming from within. So the sources within, and then pink is pink is me. It's pink an angel. I just, yeah, it was just so nice to have something that felt so light and that someone else saw me that way. I think that was the other thing, you know, someone else seeing me as an angel. And when, when Steve said it, and we started playing around with it, I was like, Yeah, I've heard that. I've heard that many times in my life, but I hadn't been able to own it and claim it and be it. So, yeah, I it took me a little while to because I think people do have their own interpretations of what any of those things might mean. And then, you know, it's like most things in life. I practice. I said it more and more, and I was talking to people, and people loved it, and, you know, and people like, yeah, that's, that's who you are. And that for me, then had me see, see myself that way as well.
Meredith Bell:
00:07:32
You know, I just love what you've shared. As I was listening to you, I almost got chills thinking about what it must have meant to you to to really get at the core of your essence. Because I think that's one of Steve's real gifts, is helping people reveal to themselves who they really are. And it sounds like you really embraced that. You discovered that and embraced that. And so now I can truly understand that being a part of your document and what it means to you to say that that's beautiful. Thank you so much. And to me, it's also an invitation to each one of us to ask that question that he asked you, who are you really? And getting past the negatives or the superficial things that we may have said about ourselves to get to the real essence of who we are. Well, you know, Rebecca, one of the things that drew me to you were posts and comments that you had put on Facebook that I feel I was drawn to and led to, and one of those was, I think it was in response to a post that either Gary or ankesh had posted about upgrading, and you just had a beautiful statement in there about upgrading yourself. And, more recently, a room. And I think there's so much for us to unpack there. Talk about your own recent discoveries around this whole idea of upgrading ourselves and upgrading everything in our lives.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:09:17
Yeah, yeah. And it's so it's resonated with so many people. You know, as you said, you were drawn to that comment, and several other people were, and I think it was something that that has been very present for me over the last couple of years, and yet hadn't kind of said it in that way. And of course, when you say it a certain way, suddenly it sparks things for other people. And I think it was anchored shared something about it, and that obviously called me forward, I mean, going back to to creating the declaration, becoming sources pink Angel, that was my first experience of of a, like a really, really powerful upgrade, you know, that happened over the space of a couple of hours, and it did, if. Felt like a, you know, an upgrade like, you know, I'd gone in at gone in at this level, and come out up here and and, you know, the great thing about that for me is that nothing had changed there. You know, my life hadn't changed, you know, nothing. Nothing had actually fundamentally changed. And everything had changed within that upgrade from from who I was being and so from that point and actually going over and creating the experience with Steve and committing to going, I live in the UK, so going over to America was a big, you know, commitment in terms of investment and time, but that in itself, was my first creation around an upgrade. It's like, you know, I read something in the book that called me forward in the ultimate coach book, and something called me forward. And my first reaction was very much like, yeah, that's not for me, though, is it? And then there was this question that came in that was from that pure essence that we were talking about of well, why not? You? Why not? And that has become and over the work that I do, I've done with Steve and with other coaches and with my own work with my clients, has become like a Well, where else can I get upgrade my life, and how do I create that? And obviously, Steve is a powerful creator. You know, he's always looking for ways to create, and whether it's an upgrade or create something new, something from nothing. You know, he's, you know, he lives that. So, you know, being in his world, I could see him doing that. I've also done a lot of work with Devin banderson, who who worked with Steve as well. So he I see him in the same way as always creating and seeing possibility, whether it's solving a problem or or upgrading. So I just started showing up in life with this idea of, okay, well, how do I make this a very best experience that I that I can how do I if I'm going to stay at a hotel? Was the example that I used was, this is going to be the very best stay at this hotel. This is going to be the greatest stay I've ever had at a hotel, you know, they're going to be the best staff, it's going to be the best meal, it's going to be the best experience I have. And because I had that idea, as I showed up, I started to notice that I was getting upgrades. I was getting upgraded in rings because I was showing up. And I not in an arrogant way, not in a demanding that, you know, do you know who I am and I needed, you know, an upgrade, or anything like that, just because of how I was consciously creating myself? And sometimes it would happen naturally. And they'd, you know, I'd go to check in, and I'd be, you know, pleased to be there. I'd be, you know, conversing with people as I arrived, smiling how I was showing up in the world. And then I they just say, Oh, and you know, you've, you've been upgraded, complimentary upgrade. And other times I might ask, so I might say, oh, you know what, last time I stayed here, I had the most beautiful room. Is that available today? And then they'd have a look, and they'd say, yeah, actually, that that is and we'll upgrade you to that room. So I started to just notice that. And you know, as we know, in this world, around who we're being creates our world. So if I'm showing up, and the magic I think here is, it's not an expectation. So I'd already decided that this was going to be the most beautiful stay at this hotel. I was always recreating it that way, and and then the upgrade is happens. It's not an expectation. It's a it's an a wonderful creation from who I'm being if I hadn't got the upgrade, which has happened as well, then it's like amazing. And then I get to the room that I was get to, and rather go in with that energy of, I didn't get the upgrade. This room isn't any good. I'd go in with, oh my gosh, this room is perfect. It's so It's so cozy, it's got a great view, you know, and find the things that meant I still had an upgraded experience. And so that, that's, that's, I think, speaking to the to what you saw, and what what I see, and I, I try. I don't try. Don't use the word try. I am that, you know, and being that in my life. And it can be very simple things, you know, making a cup of tea at home. How do I how do I make that a more, you know, upgraded experience? Well, you know what? I use the best cup, and I get my little, lovely tea cup that I've got at my teapot that I use for making tea. I put it on a nice tray. You know, I treat myself to really nice tea bags from Faulkner and masons in London. You know, there are ways that we can bring that idea of upgrading into very well, into everyday moments in our in our life,
Meredith Bell:
00:14:41
Such great examples. And you know, I love what you said about letting go of expectations so we don't have disappointment associated with whatever the outcome is. I love your gratitude, you know, because I think that's a key aspect of. Of being able to upgrade our thinking and our response to situations that happen to us is going into it with the an attitude of gratitude no matter what happens as the outcome. I think that's an element of upgrading is growing into the attitude of, it's all a gift. You know, it's all good, just giving ourselves permission to think about what represents an upgrade for me in this moment, whether it's an upgrading of my thinking, upgrading of the actual experience that I might have to me that is worth pausing, reflecting and pondering. How can I upgrade this area of my life so we don't feel overwhelmed about upgrading everything? But where am I settling for less than I deserve?
Rebecca Shannon:
00:16:04
Yeah, yeah, and that was very much what? So when I talk about this now, this is present. That's not how it's always been, you know? And I can, I can. I can find many examples where I didn't show up for something because I didn't think I was worth deserving. I There are times where I know that I showed up and I had expectations that came from a place of, you know, ego, and I was disappointed, and then guess what happened? The whole experience is ruined, because I'm coming from a place of disappointment for something that was never, never there in the first place. So you know this, this is a shift, because I know people listening. You know, what people are interested in is where we've where we've moved from and to in terms of how, how and who we're being. So this hasn't, this hasn't always been my experience, and it still is a practice in my certainly starts with my being. It starts with my thinking. It starts with my doing. And, you know, the harder practice for me really is around the more the smaller things at all areas of life. What I noticed was, though, that when I started seeing it in certain areas, then my awareness was switched on, and I was like, Oh, okay. Well, if I can create it here, then I can create it here as well. So the ripples talk about, you know, hot pink ripples at sparkle and shine. It's they happen for me as well. It's like, I see it happening here, and it's like, okay, where else could I bring that in? And how else could I bring that to other people as well? So, you know, if I'm, if I'm living in an upgraded way of being, what's the ripple effect of that of people around me? Because, you know, I'm in gratitude. I'm switched on, you know, I'm lit up, I'm enjoying I'm not living in disappointment or lack, you know, expectations. So guess what? Everyone around me gets a greater experience, so they get an upgrade as well. And that, you know, we talk a lot about the ripple effect and how, you know how, how that changes the world. You know. So this upgrade that we talk about, where we talk about it for ourselves, by upgrading your life, you are automatically having a very positive impact on the whole world, all of us, because we know that that one little action here that I wanted to upgrade. Here has that Ricola sets out in the world.
Meredith Bell:
00:18:24
Makes me think about your work with your clients, that you are a coach. I'm sure now that you become more conscious of this whole ability for us to choose to upgrade. How do you help a client raise their awareness about the opportunities they have? I guess another interesting thing to explore with you is, what are some of the gaps you see people having between where they could upgrade to and where they are currently, where, where is the gap in either their thinking or way of being?
Rebecca Shannon:
00:19:06
Yeah, well, I think, I think what I see, and I saw it in myself, and therefore I see it in other people, is I see that we have learned to to be smaller than we are. So rather than being a gap necessary, there's like a that we've just learned to not shine brightly. You know, to not to feel like that if we shine brightly, it's taking it away from somebody else. And you know, a lot of the work that I do with with my clients, is around the foundational work that has them then be able to see how they can show up more in their own lives. So you know where we're not showing up in our full full potential, in our full light, where we've learned that we believe that life is finite, that. If we have more of the pie, somebody else is having less of the pie. So once we start doing that kind of work, like moving people away from that idea of, you know, if I shine brightly, I'm taking away from somebody else. If I shine brightly, it's not safe. If I shine brightly, people aren't going to like me, you know, if I shine brightly, I might fail. They're the sort of things that we've been working on to build up their their greatness again, you know, so we, because we, we've all be, you know, we can become very small, and then we start looking at areas of their life, as you say, these, all these different areas of like, okay, well, if we now have a different way of being, with our greatness, with our light, with our how we shine in the world, where are the areas like you said that without becoming overwhelmed, by it, that we could just step up a little bit more, you know, could we show up a little bit more? And again, what I do with clients is is look for those, you know, low hanging fruit, where's an area where you can see this quite easily, and let's play there for a bit. Let's go and have some fun there and see what's possible. And then once we get some evidence, because, of course, the learned behavior of I'll keep myself small, I won't shine brightly, will keep me safe. We've got loads of evidence. That backs that up, you know, because that's all we've ever experienced. So of course, we've got loads of evidence. So what we want to do is start creating a new evidence pathway for these for people. So they start seeing that, oh, actually, when I show up here, look what happens. You know, new possibilities come new opportunities. I'm having more fun. I feel better. People notice me, whatever it might be. So they get a new, new evidence pathway, and then it's like, okay, so what would that look like if you took that into your business, or what would it be like if you took that into your relationships? Or what would it be like if you took that into something you've always wanted to do, you know? And for me, those were things like singing, writing, you know, doing things that I loved, that started opening up new possibilities for me, because I could see that it was okay, it was safe, it was fun, it was joyful. And again, the ripple effects were that it showed up elsewhere in my life. So I do think there's some fun fundamental work around those stories that we hold about ourselves, you know, the the ones that limit us and keep us small. And then there's the, you know, where we can see areas that we could, we could quite easily move, move into and show up differently. And going back to my work with Steve, where a lot of this has come from, and there was a lot of work before there, that got me there, and a lot of work afterwards. But you know, one of my favorite quotes is the Marion Williamson quote about our biggest fear is, is, is not that we'll fail, but it's we'll succeed, and that we have learned that if we shine brightly, we take it away from somewhere else. And actually the quote speaks to, you know, when we shine, it actually gives other people permission to shine. So by really owning our own greatness, which was part of the decision to go and work with Steve, that was a decision to step into my greatness rather than my old story, which should have been, who are you to go?
Meredith Bell:
00:23:07
Just love the different points that you brought up, especially as you were describing your work with clients. And some of the things that really landed for me was this idea of playing with it and making it fun. And so there's a lightness to it. You know, a lot of times I think when we imagine making a change, it feels a little scary. It's like, oh my gosh, what am I getting myself into? We take it, I do. I'll speak for myself, but sometimes I take myself too seriously, and so the idea of failing or succeeding can do a number on stories that I might tell myself before I just go ahead and jump in, framing it as something to play with and having fun with it has such a different feel to it. It's not scary. It's not intimidating. It's yeah, let's try it. Let's see how this works. When I do that and and I like the distinction of taking small steps versus a gap, because again, as I think back on my use of the word gap, it implies a lack, you know, or even a leap that I have to make from one's place to another, instead of moving into something in a manner that allows me to build that evidence that then gives me The momentum to continue play in trying new things. Yeah,
Rebecca Shannon:
00:24:42
I found the words play and experiment. And, you know, do have this, this, you know, element that is lighter. And, you know, working with clients, one of the things that sometimes clients will feed back to me is, you know, I just feel so much lighter after our session. Yeah. Which is wonderful feedback. And then I but actually what I started noticing was, when I looked at it, we hadn't stripped a lot of we had stripped things away. But what I mean is they still were going away with some new things to be and do and try, and yet they felt lighter because, as you say, we can all take ourselves too seriously. I can. And, you know, I'm less so now, but I still can, and there are elements of my life that I'll take more seriously than other elements of my life. So yes, this lightness that we can bring to to life, you know. And as you say, sometimes it's like, you know, it's easier to step someone into that in one area, you know, so that they can, they can play here, where they're not giving themselves permission to play somewhere else in their life. And then what happens is, really they get to see that when they play, they get amazing results. They get different outcomes. They enjoy life more life gets easier, more graceful. They've then got the confidence to try it out somewhere else as well, and that, yeah, you know, I love doing that work with clients, you know. And you see people light up suddenly about something that was quite heavy or scary or overwhelming, suddenly just feels lighter and silent. Yes,
Meredith Bell:
00:26:16
Well, and you know, Rebecca, there was another area tying in to me with upgrading, that actually can impact our upgrades of ourselves, and that's this concept of acknowledgement, not just a concept, but a practice of acknowledgement. And I would love for you to talk a little bit about your awareness growing of what does acknowledgement mean when you receive it as well as when you give acknowledgements.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:26:43
Yeah, this is really, really present for me right now around acknowledgements and again. You know, we've mentioned him once today already, but anchors was a very big part of that for me and and really brought it into a practice. My awareness around acknowledgements, receiving and giving has been on a trajectory, which, you know, if you'd said to me a few years ago, I'm not sure I didn't know what an acknowledgement was, and I certainly wasn't hearing it very often or giving them very often. So, you know, I was already on that trajectory of receiving much, you know, acknowledgements much better from other people. And really, you know, I noticed that I was very good at giving acknowledgements. You know, that's one of the things that people will reflect back to me. You know, you're very good at acknowledging people. You're very good at, you know, name dropping people in a good way. You know, when people have worked, you know, you support people have supported you where other people might not mention the people behind the scenes or people that have supported you, you are one of the people who will bring those people into the conversation and really acknowledge them. Anchors. Though, this last month, I think it was ransom being sessions in the being community around acknowledgements. So you ran a series of sessions, listening acknowledgements, being and service or being your word, I think. And the acknowledgements for one I watched, and it really, really landed with me. And it brought, as often happens when we're playing experimented. It brings exactly what we need, exactly the moment that we need it. And I listened to the to the masterclass, or the webinar, which was incredible. And I think Ankush is one of the most powerful coaches that we have in this community, and I've seen him grow, you know, over the last two years with his work with Steve. And this practice that he was sharing came from his work with Steve, which was, you know, go away and fill a whole legal pad lined, legal pad of acknowledgements for yourself. So that was the practice from it. You know, there's much more in the master class, but that essentially was, it was like, you know, we're so good at, you know, beating ourselves up. And, as you said earlier, and you caught it, you know, where's the gap? Where am I not doing what I should be doing, or could be doing, or, you know, want to do? We focus on that. How about if we just took a really intensive look at how we could acknowledge ourselves for everything we have been and done, you know, and in the work that I did with Steve when I was with him, that was very much where a lot of my declarations came from. He was like, Well, how about we look at what what you were doing then, and who you were being, and acknowledge yourself for that. But when Angus did the master class, it really brought it into a very, very defined, intensive and intentional practice. And so, because I'm an inaction kind of girl, I started, you know, for myself, I was like crying, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna practice this, and it's and I still am. I'm still working my way through my my pad. I'm doing it at least twice a day, where I go to it and spend at least an hour writing out all my acknowledgements for myself, and because I like to spread to hot pink ripples in the world, I created my own masterclass, and I brought it to my community and my clients, because, again, that's what I see. I. That's how we create change in the world, right? It's, you know, and again, comes back to this really underlying thing that I have around it. You know, scarcity mindset has shifted so much me into this. You know, there's no, there's no competition, you know, anchor she's sharing for a generous place that he's, you know, got from, and my role in this is to then share it onto other people. And I, you know, made a commitment that I would share it with as many people as I could, and knowing that they would share it with other people. And so I have a community around me at the moment who are all in that practice. And, you know, I'll get messages that, you know, I've, I've done 1100 acknowledgments. I counted up how many I've done. And the shift in in that for people, Meredith has just been, you know, seeing it myself, in myself, and seeing it with people around me is one of the most transformational things I've seen. And people who, if you'd said to them at the beginning of that process, you know, you're going to sit and write a whole pad full of acknowledgements for yourself, their first reaction was, I don't think it had even come up with three, and suddenly they've got pages and pages and pages of them. And that has been, I think, you know, is a real gift. You know, from Steve, from Ann Kirsch, from me to other people, is such a powerful practice. And what it's opening up, and I'm seeing it not just for myself, but people around me, because they're not just my clients, they're people in my world, friends, family is, oh my gosh. You know, the upgrade is happening in that because we're acknowledging ourselves. So we're showing up more as ourselves. We're showing up in a in a way that's, you know, we literally, which, I mean, I'm doing it as I was saying it. We're kind of stepping up into our greatness again. There's less of this sort of, you know, oh, you know, here's all the things I'm not doing. It's like, Yeah, but look at all the things I have done, you know. And then I'm seeing them do it with other people, you know, I'm and I'm really seeing people be that, you know, they're pausing and acknowledging themselves. They're catching themselves. I use the word catching quite a lot with our words and things like this, they're catching themselves, and they're like, Ah, I acknowledge myself for and so it's, it's so powerful, and then also it's a great practice of being able to receive it because, and I'm sure you see this as well, you know, again, we, we in our smallness, we're not always very good at receiving acknowledgements, and we back them away, and we don't land them, and the bad stuff gets in and the good stuff just kind of gets bounced off. That was certainly true for me. And by allowing those acknowledgements to flow, this is out. This is how I see wealth. This is how I see love. You know, when we allow it to flow in and out and receive it and and give it, then we create this beautiful flow of acknowledgements. And you know what? What better way to show up in the world to be fully acknowledging of ourselves and other people, yes.
Meredith Bell:
00:33:02
And you know, as I was listening to you describe that we might all want to take on that very practice of filling up a legal pad. I remember sharing that, and I I did several pages, and I never went back to it. So you've just reminded me of the importance of of doing that. You know what I have done, that I would encourage folks to do in terms of receiving acknowledgements, is when somebody on social media gives positive feedback to you or acknowledges you for something, take a screen capture of that and put it into a document. In fact, I have all of those below my own document, so all my declarations are there, and then below that are these various acknowledgments that I received, and that is so powerful because it reminds us of who we really are, because people are seeing these positive things in us and reflecting them back to us. And so owning those, and some of those very statements have become my own declarations, because I have accepted them and seen the power of that individual to see the real me, to see my real greatness. And I think that if we can develop the habit of graciously receiving those when somebody does acknowledge us, either verbally or in writing, and capturing that to remind us when we have those moments of self doubt or, you know, an experience that was not as favorable as we would have hoped to be able to look at this is the real me. Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:34:48
And, you know, anchors talks about it in his you mentioned they're graciously receiving. I think you know, one of the things is, how we receive those is also, yes, I love what you're showing there about you. Know, saving them, keeping them, because that is, you know, our true self and how we're being seen in the world. And if other people can see us that way, then that helps us see ourselves that way. But also, it's lovely to acknowledge the person who's acknowledged you, but in a very what we can sometimes do is we can do that, but we diminish ourselves in the process. And I think Kush shared this example as well, and I it really resonates with me as a coach. Is, you know, a client will message you and say, and they might not use the words I acknowledge you for, but they'll say something like, oh my gosh, our work together is changing my life, right? So you get this amazing message from this person. And the first thing you say is, it's a it's all you, it's all you, right? Because, as a coach, obviously, we are bringing out, you know, our our role is to bring out the best in in people. We're not doing it. They're doing the work. They're they're shifting their thinking. They're shifting who they're being and what Kush pointed us to, and I believe that Steve pointed Kush to, it is, it's a co creation. It's very easy to be so keen to acknowledge the other palaces for doing all the work that you take yourself out of it. And that's the other thing that happens with this. We that you're shining. So I can't shine. So actually, learning to really receive that acknowledgement. So if someone acknowledges you on, you know, on Facebook or makes a comment or something, is to really acknowledge it, it, receive it and, and I love the word, and it's one of the most powerful words in the dictionary, and then acknowledge that person back. You know, thank you so much for for noticing. Thank you for sharing with me the difference that our work is having in your life. It's a co creation. We make a great team. I love working with you. I love how you show up so and look at the richness that's then created from receiving that rather than just batting it straight back to the other person. And this, again, is this that all the nuances that I and the richness in being and creating, we've suddenly created so much more than
Meredith Bell:
00:37:12
yes, and inadvertently, if we respond to by saying, it's all you, that's where it puts the burden on that person. Oh my gosh, I've got to perform. You know, it's, it's sending a message that's unintentional, about I had nothing to do with it. So, you're right, it does cause us, and that can be for so many areas. Coaching is one. There are so many places where we are co creating with others, and we tend to diminish ourselves and our role in that. And I like focusing on that word co creation so that we recognize our part in that happening. It didn't just happen by accident, it was intentional, and was something that we both contributed to. So I think that's such a good perspective in the relationships we form, the projects we take on, where we're working in a team. There's so many areas,
Rebecca Shannon:
00:38:19
Yeah, one example that I'd love to share there, and it came to me. I didn't come with this example. It just came to me as you were talking then was, obviously, we've had the Olympics happening recently, and there was a, and I don't know all the names, and I don't know what the competition was, but there was a beautiful moment on the podium where, I think it was Simone Biles and the other American lady whose name escapes me. I apologize for not knowing their names, but somebody else had won the gold, and so they'd gone off and received their silver and their bronze. And then when this girl stepped up to get the gold, they had this conversation. We're like, I think we should bow to, you know, I think we should acknowledge her essentially. And there was this beautiful moment where you had the lady stepping up onto gold and these two beautiful smiling lit up women acknowledging her as well. And guess what happened in that moment? Nobody had shined. Nobody was shining less. But the the picture that was created by all of them being in that was amplified. It didn't take away from what they you know, what they'd achieved. And obviously they've both gone on and achieved amazing things on their own as well. But it just lit up the whole and for me, I remember watching it and just just feeling like this whole, like something so much bigger was created. And the look of the on the girl's face who stepped up to take a gold, it's almost like the gold, the gold was great, but these girls bowing down in acknowledgement to her, just took it to a whole other level. And I know there were lots of other examples of that in the Olympics as well. The Olympics has been a fantastic example of how every. Everyone can shine brightly that we don't take away from other people. There was another great one with a Chinese waitlister, a young woman, and she went and she went and got her coach and lifted him up in celebration. Because, again, you know, it's a co creation. Her coach and her have been working together to create, what, what made it possible for her to I don't know whether it was a gold or or what she'd won there, but she she recognized it was a co creation, and she wanted him to be a part of it. And guess what happened? That became a moment that was captured on camera, because it was so amazing. Because how often do we not do that, and how often do we see examples in the world where people don't acknowledge other people that are working with them, you know. And that's like you say, in teams, in leadership, in sports, in life, in coaching relationships, it amplifies. It doesn't take it doesn't dim anyone's light. Well,
Meredith Bell:
00:40:54
I'm so glad you brought up the examples, because you're right. The Olympics, the example that you just described, that picture was just priceless, and there were so many other moments. And the takeaway from listening to you is, where could we notice that we might be withholding acknowledgement of someone else for fear of what you were saying earlier, about there's this scarcity, so if we give too much to someone else, it somehow takes away from us and noticing when we might hold back and think about what's my reason for not speaking up and giving this person the acknowledgement. And I think if we look at the stories we tell ourselves in those moments, I don't want to get a swelled head. I don't want them to you know, think they're the best thing since sliced. I mean, there's so many different things that we can rationalize in our mind in a split second that prevents us from being generous with others, and so that practice of acknowledging and receiving the acknowledgements and looking at it as a co creation, all of those, I think, are just so important to how we show up. And it's all a part of that upgrading that we were talking about earlier.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:42:18
Yeah, and I just want to pick up something from from what you shared, just saying which, which is another practice, if you like, that's helpful for this. I mean the acknowledgements, one go and go and watch anchor. She's masterclass, find me, and I'll share mine with you if you want. But certainly you know anyone listening, we highly recommend it. It's such an incredible practice, and to do it quite intentionally and intensively intensifies it for you? There's something you just mentioned there with these stories that we have and these little cliches and, you know, sound bites that we have. One of the things that I do with my clients coming back to, how do I, how do I get them to think about how they upgrade and how they show up, is, is also to really get those down on paper, like, you know, I'll do it around time. What are our time stories? What are the little stories we have around time? You know, the ones around wealth are another one. You know, we have so many stories about, you know, what we deserve, what we don't deserve? Money's evil. Money's, you know, people who have got money aren't happy. People who've got money are the only people who are happy. You know, there, and some of the things you said there about, you know, you know, don't shine so brightly. Don't have a big head. You know, nobody likes, nobody likes someone who blows their own trumpet. You know, all of these are these little, I think. JP Morgan calls them pickups and burps, right? That we, that we have in our and they're insidious. They seem so harmless, and yet they're insidious in terms of how we show up in the world. So one of the things that I do with my clients is we get those stories out. It's like, right? Dump, you know, dump them all down. What are all these things? What did your mum say to you about money? What did your dad say to you about money? What are your peers saying to you about money? It's all wealth or love or anything, and let's just get them down, and then let's just have a look at them. Because if we can, you know, it's like anything, if we've got awareness of it, we can now have a look at that. And this, this is the work that Steve does, from going from our judgments to our declarations. Let's just have a look at them and go, is that really true, you know? And is it helpful? And if that wasn't true, what else might be more true? And would that be more helpful? And suddenly you can very easily get someone from the all these like hidden stories that are playing out on, like repeat, actually, they now become the very thing that has them show up differently, and that, I think, is another part of the work that I've done for myself and that I do with clients, which is so transformational for people, because they are they're insidious, and they're just here, and we just need to bring them out into the light, shine the light on them, and then what else might be true here? So.
Meredith Bell:
00:45:00
I love that. Thank you for mapping that out, because I think anyone can do that, whether they're working with a coach or not. There's a process you can follow that can be really valuable for you. Rebecca, I've got to make a few minutes here for this one final thing that I also had seen you write about, and I think you even did a video about it. And this is when you had wanted to create a coaching session for your son with Steve. And it it happened like magic. And I think it would be just a wonderful way to wrap up our conversation on CO creating a very special moment, yeah,
Rebecca Shannon:
00:45:41
And this is a really great thing about CO creating is, you know, we are part of this infinite consciousness of the universe. And so co creation happens with other people, but it also happens with, you know, the magic that exists in life. And I talk about magic and miracles a lot as well. So yeah, I was having a conversation from one of the connection bingo calls within the community with Mike Costas, I think it's how you pronounce his name. You taught me how to pronounce his name. So Mike Costas and we were talking about the event in Arizona next year with Judy and Judy thurls organizing, and he was asking if I was going to be coming. And I was like, You know what? I don't know yet, I'd love to create, to be there. I would love to create for my sons, you know, a coaching session with Steve. I'd love to see if I create a bean with session with Steve, and take my sons and take them to Arizona, and go to the go to Grand Canyon, all the things that I did while I was there. And we just, you know, we sort of ended our call with this. Well, we've planted some seeds of possibility here, you know. And it was a lovely call anyway, but that was sort of one of the outcomes. So and I did nothing. Did nothing right? I didn't do anything. I had that conversation. These were planted. Co creation was going on the next day, literally, 24 hours later, I was picking my son up. It was his last day of his primary school, so his year in the UK, and I literally had him for like 15 minutes in the car, because I had to pick him up and then take him back for his school disco. 15 minutes window of me being with my son, Patrick, at that time, and as we were pulling up outside the house, the phone goes in. Steve Hardison, so between having this conversation with Mike the day before and this I haven't done, I hadn't messaged Steve and said, Oh, I'm thinking about creating a I said I'd done literally nothing. Steve had seen something that I'd been posting something, or he'd seen he I mean, I he's the ultimate Time Warrior, because how he finds time to do all the things he does is incredible. So he'd watch something, or I'd seen something, I'd sent him, or whatever, but I hadn't deliberately done anything for this. And so he and he always begins with, Hi, Rebecca, do you have time to talk? And I was like, Yes, I do. I said, naturally, Steve, my youngest son is in the car, Patrick, and I realized that, and they had a 1520 minute conversation, and, you know, and, and it was, and it was beautiful to hear them conversing and talking. And my son was going to an event with Devin banderson A week later, which is a whole other story. We don't have time for today. So Steve, you know, I we talked about that, and Patrick had a message from Steve to Devon to deliver. So he became part of another creation. And then he had delivered a message back to Steve from Devon. And it was only, you know, I was, I mean, I, you know, it was a beautiful moment. I was enjoying it in the moment. And then it was sort of afterwards. I dropped him back to his disco, and I came home, and I was like, wow, that's how you co create. Because I, you know, just from planting that little seed. Within 24 hours, my son was talking to Steve, and they had a conversation, and Steve was, you know, inviting him into possibility. And there was so much else created from that, you know, Steve, because he's always creating. He was co creating ideas in Patrick's head about lots of different things that I know will have ripple effects in the future. And for me, was another example, as you say, of of how we get to co create in this world, just by showing up, just by being who we who we are. That was, that's how that co creation came about. And I Meredith, I could fill another hour full of other magic and miracles that have been created from who I'm showing up to be in the world as as I'm sure you could, because this is not just a story about me now it's the other thing that Steve has really invited me into is when I'm sharing, you know, it's not just a cool story about me and my son and a call with with Steve, or any of those other things. It's a story about you, because we could all find those incredible, magical miracles, co creations, if we're willing to see them
Meredith Bell:
00:49:57
So true. Just love that. That. And you know what is so powerful? I know. JP Morgan talks about this too, speaking your world into existence, this conversation that you and Mike had where you spoke about possibilities and about what you would like to see again, I think sometimes in our playing small we don't even dare to speak some of the things we really want to see happen, and if we can begin the practice of doing that, then it's more likely those are going to show up in our lives. Rebecca, this has just been such a fantastic conversation. There are so many things that you've said that I would like to invite my listeners to go back and listen to again about you. As you say, each one of these topics that we've touched on has such relevance for each one of us to think about it in different parts of our lives in different ways that we're being. How can we upgrade our thinking, our thoughts, our behavior, and how we show up, and also this whole area of acknowledging especially with ourselves? Because I think the more we can be generous with ourselves, the easier it is to be generous with others. It just goes hand in. I want to acknowledge you for everything you've shared today, Rebecca and who you're being in the world. I just love that you are sources pink Angel and all the other ways that you bring light and love to folks in the world. Thank you for being with us today and being a part of this community.
Rebecca Shannon:
00:51:45
Thank you so much. Thank you. It's really lovely to hear that, and I love what we've co created here today. It's been beautiful being with you and and everything you and the team do to bring these these conversations to people so they can hear it for them. It's beautiful. Thank you so much.
Meredith Bell:
00:52:04
Thank you for joining us today. If there's someone you know who could benefit from this conversation, please share this episode with them. Also check out our website, being movement.com, you'll find valuable resources and links to connect to an engaging and wonderfully supportive community. Together, we can inspire and support each other on the path to a greater understanding of being until next time, take care and be kind to yourself you.
