1. Cuddle with Joe

Transcript

I hope your day was fantastic, you've worked hard all day, and it's time to exhale and get you back to your center. The day is done, because now, now is the time for you and me. Welcome to the best part of the day, the part where you get to unwind and completely relax.

It's time for us to cuddle. I love this time with you, holding you, gently touching you, caressing your skin, and helping you transition from the stresses of everyday life and helping you get back to your center. When you come from a place of being grounded, everything is much easier to manage.

Life is the best when we are in flow and not going against the grain. Okay, it's time to get comfortable, wherever you are, on the sofa or on the bed. Lie down and close those pretty eyes of yours.

Your eyes need a break too. You smell amazing, and your skin is so soft. I love the way your skin feels as I gently run my fingers on your shoulders, your cheeks when I touch your lips, and arms and go down your back.

Okay, now I need you to take a deep breath in, and hold for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and exhale for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Let's do that again, and really clear your mind from the day's activities. Take a breath in, and hold for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and exhale for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Now I'm going to tell you a story about a little girl who grew up in a small town outside of the big city in America. This town, as many small towns are, was very connected. There was history between the families.

This was a multi-generational town. If you were born there, you were raised there, and you typically settled down there and started your own family with someone else that was born and raised there too. This was encouraged by many, and accepted as normal.

The little girl was the firstborn of the family, and was a very special girl. She lit up every room she walked into. There was a magnetic energy that she possessed, and she would attract the attention of everyone in the room.

This wasn't forced or manufactured, but a natural occurrence. At an early age, she had a feeling deep down that she must see the world and explore more. She did not want to be confined to life inside the boundaries of her small town.

She wanted to see the world, and had big dreams to create something special, share stories that would be seen and loved by people around the world. She fell in love with the entertainment industry, specifically the film business. She didn't know anyone in the business, didn't know how she was going to make it, didn't know how she was going to make it, but she had a spark, a drive, a fire inside her that couldn't be put out.

But dreams like this were not encouraged by the people in her small town. The movie business was for other people. What if you get rejected? What if you fail? What do you know about making movies? You would have to move to the big city, and there are so many people there, you'll get lost.

She was told you should get yourself a good, safe job at a local business, and settle down with a young man. Get married, raise a family, leave all that movie-making stuff for the city folk. Even though the little girl heard this her whole life growing up, she didn't pay any attention to it.

She knew, deep down, that she was going to make something of herself, play by her own rules, and not let fear of the unknown define who she was. She finished high school, and wanted to move across the country to a big city, and go to a big university and learn about the movie business, but was told she couldn't go. There wasn't money for her to go, and even if there was, she was forbidden to leave the small town.

So she got a job at a bakery, went to a local college, and started making plans to find another way in. She received her two-year degree, and was accepted into a film school at a big university that was near her small town. All the boys she had dated through high school and those first two years of college discouraged her from following her dreams.

They had big plans for her, but none of them, or their ideas, were part of her plan. She had a spark, a drive, a fire in her that couldn't be put out. The summer before she started university, she traveled to Europe for a backpacking trip with a girlfriend for a few weeks.

That changed everything for her. The little girl from a small town, who didn't know what she didn't know, had to grow up quickly. Had to grow up quickly.

This was before the days of internet. She couldn't google it on her smartphone. There were no mobile phones yet.

They navigated through different countries using printed maps, asked for directions, stayed at youth hostels, and met interesting people along the way. Didn't shower for days at a time, but had the best time of her life. She discovered something very profound.

She was resilient. She was resourceful. She had the strength to figure it out and find her way.

Her small town mind grew into a global mind, and her whole world opened up. She finished her backpacking trip and came back home with a new determination. Now there was a bigger spark, a bigger drive.

And a bigger fire inside of her. She took film classes at university and made new friends. Managed to get an internship at a film company in the nearest big city to her.

And started learning about the real world of movie making. There were many other things to learn too. About being a woman.

How to use her femininity to her advantage in a positive way for everyone to thrive. How to nurture the relationships she was in. How to be strong at the same time.

She learned from women that were in leadership positions ahead of her. She watched and admired those that were kind, assertive, strong-willed, and respected. She also learned from those that were mean, nasty, and ugly on the inside.

She was grateful for those experiences too. Knowing how not to treat people that worked for you. She worked her way up the ranks, not knowing anyone.

No favors or inside connections. She earned it, learning everyone's job on the way up by working all of those jobs. Earning respect, solving problems, knowing how to talk to people, being of service, and providing more than what was required of her.

This work ethic served her well, and she became a freelance producer, working for several movie companies. She was very successful, but wanted more. She was making lots of money for these companies, but had other stories to tell that weren't being made.

She knew she had to step out on her own and start her own company. She had been working for other people for so long, but knew it was time to create something for herself. She had a spark, a drive, a fire in her that couldn't be put out.

She paired up with a director and started a company. They made small projects, and she was learning how to run a company. She was very successful, but on a small scale.

After a while, she wanted to grow larger and decided to partner with two strong women that had experience in other areas of the business. She thought this would elevate her company to the next level. But, insecurities of her small-town upbringing got in the way, as she had some doubts about how to contribute to a company filled with big personalities.

She didn't understand her true value. She didn't understand her true value, and let her own insecurities stop her from being her true self. Over time, the company started losing money, losing clients and business, and she understood that her two partners weren't as strong as she thought.

They were good at talking themselves up, but not so good at actually delivering their end of the business. There was jealousy between them, and she realized that all the past success had come from her. She was the glue that made it all work.

She was the one that clients wanted to communicate with. She was the one that connected with people in an authentic way. Over time, her partners had overspent and underproduced.

She knew it was time to move on without them. There had been a lot of fighting in those years, and she wondered why things didn't flow. But she learned a very valuable lesson.

She learned to trust her intuition, trust the voice inside of her, and never doubt the value that she brings. Her small-town fear and doubts had crept in, and prevented her from being her true, authentic self. Authentic self.

Now she was ready to take on the next chapter of her life, growing her company and leading in the way she knows that she can. Life experience had taught her so much, and it was time to grow on her terms. She paired up with new directors and started making new productions that got bigger and bigger.

She found strong stories about resilience, determination, friendship, and love that she believed in, and put people together to bring them to life. She made films that she always wanted to make. The kinds of films that she would want to see.

Films that inspire people to be the best they can be. She has more stories to tell, but is extremely proud of the accomplishments she's made so far. Proud to be from the small town that helped shape her, and proud of herself for not staying there.

She had a spark, a drive, a fire that couldn't be put out. I hope you enjoyed this story. Whatever your dreams are, you can make them into reality.

Wake up every morning and set your intention that today is a new opportunity for magic and wonder. A new opportunity for appreciating all the good things in your life. A new opportunity to love your family and friends, and to give of yourself completely.

I want you to know that you are beautiful. That you are beautiful. I appreciate you for who you are, and the love and light you bring to this world.

I can feel us breathing in and out at the same time, and we're now in sync. Holding you in my arms right now feels amazing as we gently drift off to sleep. Remember, you have a spark, a drive, and a fire that can't be put out.