When Words Become Medicine: How Writing Can Be a Powerful Healing Tool | Izumi Favia

Welcome back, my beautiful friends, to the I was born to do this podcast. I'm your host, Kira Brinton, and it is my honor and my deepest joy to bring to you one of our JOA authors, Izumi Fabia. I'm so happy you are here, Izumi.

Thank you so much for having in your podcast so exciting to be here.

So excited because your book is going to be live to the world tomorrow.

Yes.

And anyone who's listening, that was a few weeks ago, but in real time. Your book goes live tomorrow. How are you feeling?

Oh, it's exciting. And I'm here like, I'm here, like I'm reaching this big milestone of this project that I started. I don't know how many years ago I had this feeling of I want to write a book and never really, I never put energy into it until like a year ago. So I'm just excited that I'm here tomorrow. It's tomorrow.

It's tomorrow. I remember the day you joined my mastermind last year. I remember the power inside of you. I remember this message and I remember that we were like, it needs to be on November 1st. And we'll talk about that. You know, we'll talk about that a little bit. But it wasn't last year's November 1st, it was this year's. And I feel like you needed this year. This year was like almost like a gestational year for your work. Yeah, yeah, here it comes all the way here. I would love for you to just introduce yourself, talk to our listeners who are you? Tell us a little bit about what you do in the world.

Oh, gosh, yes. My name is Izumi Fabia. I'm originally from Japan and I moved to United States about 11 years ago. I was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan, actually, which, as everyone knows, what happened in the past. So I wrote, I realized as I was writing or finishing this book project or reaching the milestone that the, the fact that I was born and raised in that city gave me a resilience. And that's. Yeah, that's what I realized that, my gosh, I think that city carries so much grief from that, that day in that history. And I used to not liking to say that I'm from Hiroshima because I knew the moment I say that that name of the city, people have that reaction. Oh, can I ask more about that? Or can we just move on to the next subject? And that's happening to me again with this, my grief. But as I said a couple moments ago, I think that. I have resiliency Because I'm from that city which did not give up. Like they rebuilt the city. It's a beautiful city now. And people in that city never gave up. And there are praying for the peace in the world. And that's what they have in that Peace Memorial park. And that's where they held that the D6 summit this past summer to. To say to express to the world that that's what we want, the peace is what we should seek for. So anyway, we're in the sight way. But like that. Yes, I am.

Intro.

Yeah, it was very powerful realization. As I am completing the editing of the book, start writing the description of the book and my author bio, it's like, wow, this is why I have to say I'm from Hiroshima. I lost my daughter and that's who I am as a human. Yeah, yeah. So that's a start. And now I not just wrote a book, I am a coach. I coach especially moms to help them shift from feeling overwhelmed. There are a lot of moms taking on a lot of different things. Whether they're working mom or say a home mom, single mom or any other stages of their motherfood. I won't help them to shift feeling overwhelmed to sense of calmness that they can come back to grounded and centered so they can enjoy the little moment that they have, whether there was. It's a moment for themselves or moment with their family, their spouse, their children or other, you know, extended families, their parents so that they can really, really enjoy their life that they have in the midst of all the chaos that we have. And, and I want them to, I want everyone to know it's okay to go crazy, it's okay to be overwhelmed, but they can bring them back to center and grounded.

What a beautiful offering that you give to mothers. And I mean, I can relate, right. I'm a single mom of five kids. Like overwhelm is the river I swim in. So I'm like you, you give such a beautiful offering. Mothers need this. And. And you are a mother and that is why you wrote this book. So you mentioned that you lost your daughter. I would love for you to tell us a little bit about her, her name and how she was the catalyst to the book that you wrote.

Yeah. So this is our daughter who was 4 years old when she passed away, 20, 21. From rare form tumors that we don't know really, we don't have. No name for it. It was just. It became a ligament and just spread. And she passed away after seven months of treatment. And as a Parent. The biggest fear as a parent is to lose our children. And I never thought that could happen to me when I had Alice and I have another daughter. But again, like, it never occurred to me that this could happen to me. So I lost my daughter on November 1st of 2021 and now two years later, I am publishing a book in memory of her. So yes, she's being a part of this massive project for me. About a year ago, I met Kira there, another. Mastermind. I don't know what, how we say it, but I met you virtually and I was so drawn to your energy. And I think that same night I heard this little voice or thought that I can write to heal. And that's where the whole thing started. Like I. That's when I really put my emotions, actions into writing a book. Before that I, yeah, I had idea that I wanted to write a book eventually, but I never really put anything, any actions into it. And yeah, last year in was it in July, August, summertime, I heard this message. I'm like, yeah, why not? So I follow that voice. I reached out to you. We did channeling and enemy joined your mastermind. And I know you don't buy into this, but for me it was a challenge to write a book because, Because I was still grieving. The pain was still so raw to me.

Yeah.

So six month in, when you, when I was in your mastermind, it was a challenge. The holy days, like Thanksgiving and you know, holidays were in, in. In the middle of the six month container, I got flu and I was down for two, three weeks in the middle of it. And I was. In another coaching academy that I want to be. I wanted to be certified. So I have to submit all the coaching demos and everything in the midst of writing this book. So looking back, what was I thinking? But at the same time I have to trust that everything happened to help me through it.

Yeah.

And I'm sorry. Glad that I was able to write that raw, painful emotions and feeling and thoughts and everything when I was in your container.

Yeah. Yeah. And.

And then six months later I'm like, I. I guess I have something. So I started working with my editor, Lisa. She's wonderful. Part of your team, right? She's so wonderful. And I was able to incorporate everything that I was learning at the time and still do. But I was able to incorporate what I learned in the coaching academy and through me, going through my grief, how I processed it. And if you remember, almost every week in the Mastermind, I was crying because either it was too painful to Write or I don't know what to write. Like, there are so many. There were so many challenges when I was writing this book, but I'm so glad that I did through it. And that was that resiliency that I. That I was, you know, from being from Hiroshima. Like, that really struck me when I'm like, I did not give up. I came to Mastermind every week, even though I. It was challenging for me, except, you know, a couple weeks I was going live. I was very sick, but I did not give up.

You didn't?

No. And I came into your, like, free VIP day, and I. I just did not give up.

No, you didn't. And.

One time after. Well, when I started editing this book, I was a part. I joined your VIP Day, and I wanted to know what my book cover looked like. And in that channeling session that you did, I did see the vision or the design of the COVID and it is exactly how I imagined.

Oh, let's see it. Let's see it. Because this will be a YouTube, so.

Oh, yeah.

Listening to the podcast, either go look at on Amazon or go to our YouTube. Pull it all the way up so we can see it. Oh, my gosh, look at that.

This is the vision that I had. And that's exactly. And number two, he made it like, I. I know I was probably pain in the butt that I was like, I don't like that. I'm like, oh, can you change that? Can you move a little bit? But I'm so happy that this came in. As I imagine, like, what I channeled in that session, it is.

It looks just like that vision that you told me about. And this, I really want to highlight how powerful that is to receive a vision and then see it. Birth. Isn't that such a powerful experience?

Yeah.

Yeah, it is. And I really want to touch on the point that I do say that writing a book is easy in the fact that it doesn't have to be a struggle of the mind. But where a book is not easy is when we are writing about something that was traumatic for us. So it wasn't that the book wasn't easy. It was that you lived and breathed all of the grief and emotions, again, real time when you were writing the book. And that takes resiliency and that takes grit. And you didn't let it swallow you. You move through it. And the brilliance of that is that this becomes a deeper healing agent for you to write the book. But also your rawness is what's going to go out and change other people's. Lives.

Yeah.

Yeah. And people, so many people have been through this unbearable loss and they need this book. And I'm so proud of you for pushing through, pushing through and moving through and that it gets to be birthed tomorrow on Alice's anniversary. Yeah. What a beautiful gift to the world. Yeah.

Oh, gosh. Yeah. I did not give up. And it. You're exactly right. Living through that pain over and over by writing it was the challenging part.

Yes. Yeah.

It's not easy. And.

And it's beautiful and it's horrible. It's all at the same time. It's like beautiful because you can feel it turning into something. It's almost like the emotions. It's alchemy. We take the grief and we're putting it into new form in the of a book. But it's also horrible. And it's anguish and it's pain and rightfully so. Like, no mom should have to walk the path that you've walked, but there are many. And so you have stepped into the role of guiding and helping. And I just honor you for being that even in the midst of the pain.

Yeah. So literally, this writing, this book was healing for me. And I cannot, I could not have done this without all the support that I received from you from other coaches, my. My friends and peers and family, especially families and very close friends. So this book is not in the memory of Alice. It's to dedicate to my husband and my surviving daughter and all the family and friends who supported me through this past two years. And because of that, I was able to do this and write this book and then. And then publish on the day that I wanted.

And that was top priority. I told my whole team, this day cannot be missed. She must be published on November 1. It is a non negotiable. And we set that back in June.

And there are so many books about grief. So many. And I received so many books for griefs. And as I am like started to feel this is becoming real, I had that also fear, like, who would need another book about Greece? But I had a great conversation with my. My friend said, you have to let her fly, let Alice fly in the full book so that she can touch other people's heart, soul, whoever needs this. And yeah, the books about grief, there are types that resonated with me so well in the earlier stage of grief. And there are books that like, yeah, not for me.

Yeah.

So I am understanding or I'm just knowing that this book may not be for everyone. It's. It's not I know for sure this book is not for everyone, but could be for someone that needs to hear. Even one message that I wrote in here could help that person to shift their perspectives. I would be honored. And my Alice would be so proud that we did this.

Yeah, she has. She's been with you this whole time. And I want to remind you that it is certain people that will only resonate with your voice and your message and your energy and your experience. It's like you are the recipe that somebody else has been looking for because their life is a mirror to yours. And that's why we write our books, because there's so many humans on this planet and we all hear differently, receive differently. And you, my friend, you are so tender and you are so authentic, and you are so beautiful in the way that you share your heart. And that is why you needed to write this book, because there are people who are grieving, and your book is going to be like the blanket for them. It's going to be the thing where they're like, I feel seen here with her. I feel heard here. And it will be the healing agent. Yeah. It's gonna be so beautiful.

Yeah.

So what I want to ask you as we close up today, I want you to go into your heart and I want you to just share. What do you want your readers to receive from this book? What do you want them to take away from being in this book?

So many. But the first word came to me, so I'm gonna go with that. This. That. Trust.

Trust. What. What do you want them to trust?

Trust that. So many way we can say this, but I want them to trust that. Everything that they're feeling is. There is space for what they're feeling, what they're going through. To. Expressed. Well, no, I think there's so many things. But what. What. Through writing this book, I was trusting that first voice and I was trusting that during that process, I can get through this. I can. I can. You know, the. The support that I need will be here. And. And there was space. There were space, the safe space for me to process my grief.

And.

I want my reader to trust that that space for them to express their grief is going to be there for them, whether it's a form of like my book or support group or your friends or family. I want them to trust that there is a safe right place for them to express their grief and move through it and there'll be. There'll be support that they need. Yeah. It could come in different form again. It's. It could be a book. It be. Could. It could be someone that they run into, or it could be songs. I don't. There. There are so many things that help me through. So at the end of this conversation, I want readers of whoever put their hands on this book to trust. There's. There's the. I want them to trust that they're on the right path. I mean, that's what I wrote in the first passage. Like, I want them to know and trust that they are on the right path, whether they're going through grief or. Or the challenges, heartaches, or. I'm sorry, I'm rambling, but that's what I want them to know. I want to know.

I feel it. I feel it. And I know that that is what will come through. That's what's going to come through for everybody who reads it. So everybody who's listening. Izumi's book is live on Amazon. We'll have the link in our show notes. It's called Right to Heal. You'll also have access to her Instagram so you can follow along with her if you feel pulled and you'd like. Oh, you want her to help you. Whether it's through your grief or whether it's through being a mother who's navigating overwhelm. We'll have access to everything in the show notes. What is the fastest way for someone to get in contact with you?

They can email me or. They can reach out to me through Instagram.

Okay, perfect.

Yeah, perfect.

But we will have those in the show notes for everyone to get access to. But go grab Izumi's book. Anytime we have a book like this, I say buy 10. Why? Because you are always. Everyone's going to run into somebody who's grieving. And we never know what to say in those moments. We never know what to do. But you can gift them this. And this isn't a book written on grief by some psychologist. This isn't a book written on grief by a doctor. This is a book written on grief by a mother who has lost. And it will be a book that will change other people's lives. So, Zoomy, it has been my deepest honor to know you, to walk beside you, and to have my team help you birth this book into the world. And this is just the beginning of a beautiful work unfolding. Now, as we leave our beautiful listeners, I want to leave them with this message. And the message is just as a Zumi said, no. No matter where you're at in your life, whether you are in loss or grief or just feeling lonely or feeling unheard. That if you can lean in and trust that you are on the path, there will become a peace inside of you that can rest. Rest in the trust. And your trust will guide you with that, my friends, I will see you on the next episode of I was born to do this.