WILD Tribe Talks with Val Nichols

Hey everybody!

Hello, Val Nichols coming at you live here from beautiful Central Oregon where it is amazing and sunny and bright. And today you are in for an amazing treat. I want to welcome you to the High Vibe Tribe Talks. And today I have an amazing woman. Her name is Anna and she is coming at you. She is a body image coach, so she is all about, you know, accepting and loving and embracing who you are. Exactly who you are, exactly in the body that you have. She is an amazing woman who began working with me. I think she came into a program of mine back in March, and what happened is we ended up— she signed up for another one of my programs called The Woman of Worth and Wealth, and through that she has gone through a complete and total transformation. So let me see if she is on here now. I'm gonna go ahead and invite you, Anna. So she has gone through such an amazing transformation, and the reason why I wanted to bring her on here today to talk to you guys is because we were on a conversation last week. I think it was last week, um, and she had this amazing story. It was just so empowering. She had such an amazing message to share, and I just thought, you know, there is no way that we can allow this beautiful woman to go through such an amazing transformation and have such a beautiful story without jumping on here and sharing it with all of you guys, because it is just such an amazing story. I cannot wait to connect with her and have her on here. Let me see, I went ahead and invited her, so hang with us while we have some technical issues here with Facebook sometimes. I'm going to add you in here. Anna, I cannot wait, you guys. Anna is such a beautiful woman with such an empowering message to be sharing with you guys today. Um, like I said, I was blown away by the transformation.

She is— oh my gosh, you're so beautiful. Oh, thank you.

Hi.

I'll try not to move my phone too much.

Oh yes, yes. All the technical, all the things, all the details.

Oh, I know.

How are you?

I'm good. How are you doing?

So good. Oh my gosh, it's beautiful and sunny here. We're having like another summer. So it's, it's amazing. Can't complain.

We haven't left summer yet.

Nice. Great. So, Anna, tell us a little bit about you. I shared a little bit that you are a body image coach and that you help women to really love and embrace who they are. Tell us a little bit about you.

Uh, you know, you know, like you said, I am a body image coach. I'm kind of transitioning to being more of a just a women's empowerment, women's empowerment coach. And, um, basically learning how to love yourself and forgive yourself for any, anything that, any issues that you've had in the past. And, um, following who you're supposed to be and who you're supposed to— your dream, your passion. Uh, one thing that I was telling somebody, that whatever your dreams, your goals, anything that comes up, even if they seem crazy and, uh, unrealistic, that's your inner goddess coming out and saying, this is what you're supposed to do.

Hmm.

So, um, that is what I'm That's what I'm all about, is finding who you really are and going, going that path.

That's beautiful. That's so true. And I, I know that, um, you know, that inner goddess— I love that because there's that, that inner pull, you know. There's always that, that nudge where you, you feel like you're called to something deeper. And I love that you talked about being in transition because, um, I started getting into it a little bit, but the transition you personally have gone through has been so amazing. And it was so beautiful talking with you a couple weeks ago, you guys. Just to fill you in, we were on a conver— we were on a call for one of my programs, the Women of Wealth and Worth. And she starts— Anna starts in on her story and talking about this new human, this new goddess that has evolved. And I was just like, Who is this woman? Because I've known you since like March, at least you've been in programs of mine since about March and just watching the transformation of what's happened in your life, just I mean even in the most recent weeks is beautiful and I didn't want to not share this with the tribe because it's such a beautiful transformation. So what is— What was encouraging— what's encouraging you to— what's your pull in becoming— going more from body image to empowerment? Like, what is your, your draw in that?

Well, a lot of it is the body. Um, the body image is very important, but it's— that's more of a— of your physicalness. And as we all know, our bodies change all the time drastically. Sometimes. And if you have inner self-love of yourself and you accept yourself, no matter what your body looks like, you'll love. And so that is where I'm coming from. It's more of an empowerment of your, your, of your soul, of who you are. And that's the way you accept everything. And like I was telling you in the call we had a couple weeks ago, You know, I did go through Women of Wealth in March and I just kind of dipped my toes in. I didn't do the work and it didn't work for me because I didn't— I wasn't all in. This time around, I was like, I'm going to be all in. I'm going to do it. And I've been doing the work. And like I was telling my wife, it's very physically simple things and not very time-consuming things. But on the other hand, the most difficult things I've ever done, and that has changed everything, my whole outlook on everything. And I want to share that with as many people as I can.

That— oh my gosh, I'm gonna cry again. That is so beautiful because I think there's a lot of women in the High Vibe Tribe here that can really— I mean, women everywhere that can resonate with that feeling of Not being all in. And I think that that really, that holds back a lot of women, you know, when they're, even if they do commit to something like you had purchased the program and you were in it, but not quite being all in, that commitment piece of just deciding and just doing it and facing the things that sometimes are hard. Because sometimes even that self-love and compassion can be hard for women. You know, I'm sure it's hard for men too, but you know, for women especially, it's hard. So tell me a little bit about how you were able to walk through that.

It was hard. I mean, it really was because I, you know, I have things in my past and things that's happened to me, and I was holding on to the victim victim victimization of that. You know, I was playing the victim, and I was letting letting. All that dragged me down, and I finally got tired of it. I got tired of being upset. I got tired of being sad and being broke and being broken. And I realized, going through this work, I realized that me holding on to all that— what happened to me, it doesn't change it. You know, it's still there. It doesn't change it. Uh, the people involved, they have, you know, with me holding on to it and the resentment and everything else, it doesn't affect them at all. It was affecting me. And I got to the point where I was like, I'm better than this. I'm a survivor. And started doing the work and I let it go.

Mm.

And it was hard. And, you know, I'll be, I'll be very open and honest about that. It was very hard. There was sleepless nights, there was nightmares, there were tears of physical pain coming from this. But since after it's all gone, I'm free. Hmm. That's, that's the best way I can put it. I am free from it. It's gone.

I love that. There's, you know, there's so much power in that. The— what I hear in that is acceptance and then surrender. You know, like when there's so much freedom in surrender, when you finally surrender to what is holding you back. Because, you know, our stories are very similar in that, you know, details may be different, but, you know, very, very similar in that. You know, when you hold on to something and it's not hurting that other person, you know, it's not—

No, not at all.

It's, you know, and you're not saying— and I don't want to— I don't want anybody to hear this and think that I'm saying that, you know, it's easy to forgive or that, you know, it's any of that, but there's something very true about the fact that, you know, we can do things to ourselves that will cause us harm.

Mm-hmm.

If we don't do the work to forgive, and we're not— I'm not saying, you know, that person is right, or, you know, we're not saying that what they did is right, but the release of that and being able to take a responsibility in your life and be able to move forward, I know, is such a powerful thing. Can you describe after that happened, What was life like? Like, you know, it was— you described what it was like before. So after that release and you had that freedom, describe what that feels like, if you can put that in words.

It's, it's weird because, you know, I, I live in Texas and it's hot here all the time. And before then, it was, it was, uh, really hot and miserable. But afterwards, it was like, you know, it was enjoyable. I mean, it's just, it's I'm trying to make sense. It's weird because every little aspect changed. My relationship with my wife— she's not a smiley person, she's just not. She smiles and laughs now.

Oh.

She didn't do the work, I did it. But me doing it affected her. My daughter— my— her relationship is a lot better, and she's not as Catty as she can be, she's 15. So, you know, she's— that's improved. My, uh, the relationship between my daughter and my wife has improved. My relationship with my dogs has improved because I'm more patient with them.

Yeah.

You know, it's just every— whoops, almost dropped you— every, every little aspect of my life just opened up and improved. You know, the coffee tasted better, the sky was brighter, the roses smelled sweeter, or however. I'm not a poet, but you know, you get the drift. Everything was just so different. It is. It's really hard to explain.

I love that. And I do— I know that feeling you're talking about where nothing outside of yourself has changed, But everything has changed.

Exactly.

It's like, it's almost like you get this new pair of glasses to look out of, or you get this new filter which you're seeing the world, and all of a sudden things are different. Things are different. I love that. And how is that with your self-worth? Like, Your own self-worth, how you carry yourself, how you view yourself, like how has that changed?

It's changed so much because, you know, I've always had problems with my body image. I've always had problems with how I look and I was always overly concerned with all that. Even when I was, when I was a police officer and my most fit ever, I thought I was fat. When I went to prom and when I was a senior, I thought I was fat. You know, all these things. And I'm actually bigger now than I've ever been in my life, but it doesn't bother me. You know, it's something that I'm going to change about my— you know, I'm going to work on as, you know, for improvement. But if it happens tomorrow or if it happens 5 years from now, it does— it's no different to me. Because I accept my physical body, just like I said, accept my inner— my inner goddess.

I love that too. And I love that you said that because I feel like so many women out there, you know, in the High Vibe Tribe, maybe there's a woman who's watching this that feels this way. A lot of women will put their lives off until they're at a certain weight. You know, I, I'm sure you probably hear this all the time, but they're like, when I get to this weight, then I'll go on that cruise, or when I get to this weight, then I'll go buy new clothes or whatever. What would you say to that woman right now?

It's not going to happen. You, you know, if you get to that weight, you're not going to go on the cruise because then it'll be— there'll be another weight you need to get to. You know, it's, it's, it's not going to happen. You have to accept who you are right now in this body.

Mm-hmm.

And you have to accept it and respect it and forgive it and forgive yourself because you— your body is with you your entire life and is your best friend. So, you know, and, you know, I was like that. I was, you know, once I lose this much weight, I'm gonna do this or whatever. And it's not— it doesn't happen. Like last year when I went, when my family went to the lake, I had a 2-piece swimsuit and I covered up the entire time. This year I'm a little bit bigger than I was last year, same swimsuit, and I didn't cover up at all. I strutted myself out, you know, and I was more confident. And that's what it is. You have to have It's inner work. It's all inner work.

Oh my goodness. Your message is so beautiful. I love it because I think that, you know, so many women are waiting for— you talked about like not, you know, when you hit that number, it's not going to be good enough and then you'll have a new number you want to hit. And then so you never really get there. And I think that that's so common in, you know, weight or business or whatever it is. You know, people can hold themselves back thinking that As soon as they get this, as soon as they get to this point, then they'll jump. And in that, you yourself, in the work you've done, you went all in. What gave you the courage to do that?

I was tired of being mediocre. I was, you know, and I've been, I've been telling, I've told you this before several times. I know I'm meant to be something. I know it, and I've always known that. And there was a time that I just— I kind of shut that part of myself up and say, well, just shut up, go away. But after doing this work, I realized, no, I am meant to be something. I am worth it. And the only way I can do it is by going, going all in. There's no plan B.

I love that. And you did experience that. I remember you said that the first time you went through the Women of Wealth and Worth program, you didn't really commit. But then this time you went all in. That's such a powerful message, you know, such a powerful message that, you know, I'll compare this to business because I'm a business coach. But, you know, a lot of the women I work with, they will just not go all in in their business or, you know, they'll kind of give themselves They're one foot in the door, one foot out of the door. And that's a really, you know, it's a really uncomfortable place because then you're in indecision and you're not really making a decision. If someone here is watching, I feel like we need to touch on this. If someone is watching and maybe they're in that place where they're one foot in, one foot out in whatever it is that they're doing, if it's their weight loss, if it's their, you know, accepting their body, if it's their business, whatever it is. What advice would you give them as far as somewhere to start, to just start trusting yourself for going all in?

For me, I think that meditation is the most important thing. And that's actually going to be one of my programs that I'm working on this weekend. I'm going to release meditation because there are so many negative connotations toward meditation. A lot of people think, oh, I can't do this. I can't sit still. I can't. And when I— so when I say meditation, I don't mean become a Buddhist monk. I mean find your inner stillness. Give your monkey brain something to do by counting your breaths, or, you know, mala beads are wonderful, something like that. And find your stillness.

Mm-hmm.

And you— once you find your inner stillness, then That is when your inner goddess speaks. And then when she does, you better listen to her because she's a lot smarter than you are. I can guarantee it. So that's the biggest piece of advice I'd give anybody.

That's beautiful. That is so amazing. It sounds like a lot of your, your messaging, your empowerment is that connection to the inner goddess. Where in your life, having been a police officer, where I'm sure, you know, they're not talking about inner goddesses and meditating and, you know, going within and accepting your body, like, where did that start? Like, where did that— where did this all come from? Like, what got you into going into your, um, this work?

Well, um, I've always been I was— I've, for probably about 10 years now, I've been doing yoga. Well, I say back then I said doing yoga. Now I say I practice yoga because it is a practice. And that is actually what started me in meditation, because if anybody knows anything about yoga, yoga and meditation really go hand in hand. So, you know, I thought, well, I like yoga, might as well try this meditation thing out. And it was hard at first. It was really hard because I had the misconception that you had to do all this perfect stuff all the time. And believe it or not, when I was a police officer there, my sergeant was actually big on meditating and yoga, and he was Buddhist. A Buddhist cop. Weird, I know, but—

Cool.

So, you know, he— you know, a lot of, a lot of what he talked about kind of got me into it because I saw he was always just so Happy all the time, annoyingly so sometimes.

Mm-hmm.

So that kind of what started me looking into that. And then when I was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, I couldn't be a cop anymore. So I had to find another avenue to help people because I've always known that I've meant to help people. So I guess in a roundabout way, that's where it all came from. Wow.

Wow. That's amazing. Where did you— if I can ask, in that after you got that diagnosis and you realized you couldn't do that anymore, where did you get the courage to start over again?

At first I didn't. At first I gave up. I mean, for probably two years I gave up and I did nothing. I didn't practice yoga. I didn't do anything. And I just had a dream one night to where my inner goddess was like, "Okay, it's time to wake up. You've had your nap. Get up." And it was kind of you know. I don't know if you've ever watched NCIS, but Gibbs. Smacking the nose on the back of the head. That's kind of like how it was with me. And that's what gave me the courage, is I finally just woke up and I was like, this is not who I am. And it's been a— it's been a long road back.

Wow. I think so many people can resonate with that message. I love that you talked about that, um, and thank you for being so raw and vulnerable That is amazing. So when you say that, you know, like discovering who I am, so who is Anna? If you could describe yourself in like a couple words or sentence or—

Um, I am an empowered vision of my inner goddess.

Oh my goodness. Wow. That is— I am seriously, I'm blown away, you guys. If— I mean, I am blown away by the woman that is in front of me right now. You have just come alive. You've awakened. You've blossomed like into this flower and now you're just showing off, girl.

Yeah. I'm bragging on you.

That's me bragging on you. But seriously, you have blossomed into this just Amazing, empowered. I think those are the perfect words to describe you. Just incredible, incredible woman. And I am so honored that we got to have you on here today and hear a little bit about your story. So if anyone watching wants to get connected with you, how do they get connected with you?

I do have a Facebook page, a business page. It's Anna Spirit Mind Body. And also have a Podia storefront. I can't talk. Podia storefront is annahume.podia.com. And that's where I have like my programs and a couple of freebies on there.

Awesome. So they can connect with you that way or friend request you, of course. Hang out with you here in the crowd. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Anna. Again, I am just so grateful for you and for knowing you and for Facebook for putting us in contact with each other. And, you know, just being able to share this space with you and having you share your story of empowerment and how you've gotten to where you are today. So thank you so much for coming on here.

Well, thank you for having me. And also, I'm so grateful for you because you You helped this transformation. You helped bring it about, and I don't know where I'd be if I'd never found, found your tribe. So I am so grateful for you every day.

Oh, thank you so much. Oh my goodness, when did I become such a girl? Now I'm crying again. Well, thank you, Anna, and, um, tribe, thank you so much for tuning in and for Watching our live here today. Oh, looks like someone just jumped on. Facebook sometimes doesn't tell me. So, um, thank you guys so much. Thanks again, Anna. I love you so much, and I will see you guys soon. Mwah! Bye!