Curating Connection
Curating Connection is an invitation to open your heart and mind to the undeniable magic that surrounds us. Hosted by Kimberly Brazier, author of See The Signs: Creating Belief, Providing Hope and Affirming Connection, this podcast explores the many ways our loved ones, God, angels, and the universe send us signs, synchronicities, and messages from beyond.
From feathers and feelings to dreams, symbols, and profound synchronicities, these signs carry comfort in grief, gratitude in healing, and faith in the unseen. Kimberly guides you to recognize and receive signs, strengthen your intuition, and shift your mindset so you can live more openly connected to the unseen.
Through heartfelt conversations and inspiring insights with ordinary people, spiritual teachers, and industry leaders, you’ll hear stories of connecting with loved ones who have passed and discover how to recognize your signs waiting to be discovered, deepen your connection, and trust the presence of love that continues beyond this life.
Come back each week to Curating Connection—where we keep creating belief, providing hope, and affirming connection through every sign, every story, and every conversation.
Curating Connection
3 Sign Synchronicities That Made Us Laugh-and Listen
Start here if you’ve ever asked for a sign and then talked yourself out of it. We sit down with hospice nurse and Reiki practitioner Heather Brownlee to unpack how guidance often arrives in humble ways—through a rosary that appears at the perfect time, a cardinal that refuses to be ignored, or a dream that feels more like a visit than a story. Along the way, we compare notes on grief, timing, and the surprising relief that comes when you stop telling the universe exactly how your hope must be delivered.
Heather shares rich, grounded practices for noticing and trusting signs without forcing the outcome. You’ll hear how a simple mantra—“Universe, show me how good it can get”—can reframe a morning, how a five-minute meditation builds space for meaning to land, and why a “God walk” in nature turns curiosity into clarity. We also tackle the hard part: those quiet stretches when nothing seems to arrive. Instead of despairing, we explore how to check for resistance, release the timeline, and let gratitude amplify what’s already working.
This conversation is as practical as it is tender. We talk about becoming the sign for someone else through tiny gestures: a compliment at the checkout, a handwritten card, a paid parking pass for a weary caregiver. By shifting from competition to connection, you create the conditions where evidence of love shows up more easily—both for you and through you. If you’re ready to invite guidance, soften control, and curate real human connection, press play and bring a notebook.
If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge of hope, and leave a review with the sign you’re inviting this week. Your story might become someone else’s signal to keep going.
🎧 Host: Kim Brazier
💫 Connect with Kim: https://seethesignsbook.com
| https://kimberlybrazier.com
📲 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimbrazier_
💌 Subscribe for updates, new episodes, and sign stories: https://seethesignsbook.com
📘 Mentioned: See the Signs: Creating Belief, Providing Hope and Affirming Connection by Kimberly Brazier Order here: See The Signs: creating belief, providing hope, affirming connection: Brazier, Kimberly: 9798218301231: Amazon.com: Books
Signs from the Universe, Everyday Miracles, Spiritual Connection, Grief and Healing, Visitation Dreams, Divine Guidance, Messages from Loved Ones, Saint Jude and Mother Mary, Rosary Stories, Cardinals as Signs, Hospice Nurse Wisdom, Reiki Practitioner, Energy Healing, Trusting Divine Timing, Meditation and Mindfulness, God Walks, Paying It Forward, Acts of Kindness, Curating Connection Podcast, Heather Brownle, Universe Show Me How Good It Can Get, Intuitive Living, Spiritual Awakening, Faith and Intuition, Letting Go of Control, Hope and Surrender
Welcome back to another episode of Curating Connection. I'm so excited to have Heather Brownle with me today. She is a registered nurse, a Reiki practitioner. She's on the board of directors at an Interfaith Spiritual Center in Mankato, Minnesota. And we have got some sign stories to tell you today. And first of all, I'm going to just welcome Heather. Hi. Hello. Thank you for having me. Oh, excellent to have you here. And I am kind of laughing because Heather and I were just kind of discussing a few things that we might go over in the podcast tonight. And I have this altar or this little space set up on my table as we're recording. And it has a couple candles in it. And the candles are from when I visited a mission in Tucson, Arizona early in the year. Just picked them up for to bring home to light for prayer. So there's two of Mary and there's one of St. Jude. And then I have a few other accents. And today Heather has a story that she started sharing about actually both Saint Jude and Mary, unknowingly. Unknowingly. So Heather, let's why don't you share a little bit about what your thoughts are on signs? And then I'm going to let you dive into your first story. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:We'll start with signs. I think the first sign started on my phone call to you today. Because two years ago, I purchased your book. And I was so excited to read it. And I had started and I shared on Facebook this beautiful book. And today it popped up as a memory. And it said two years ago today. And I was like, I am on my way to her house right now to talk about signs and how amazing this book is. But signs for me have always been a way to connect to myself and to something higher, like a more spirit to spiritual, to the spiritual side, to the people and the divinity that exists within the universe. It was just the, you know, little droplets of love. I always said, like from heaven. We used to remember that we're not alone, that we're supported, we're encouraged, and we're loved. And it's always I get so excited now, like looking for those signs and having them when they land and allowing them to come in and how beautiful they are when they do. I can start with this. We'll start with this story. One of the biggest ones, I we hadn't talked about this before. Never. I had never brought this up. I think when all the times we talked about signs, and it landed the other day in my memory. My we were joking, my mom is she's a con artist for Jesus, con artists for Christ, we could say. I like that better. But she is a very spiritually connected per woman. We grew up very Catholic. She taught at a Catholic school. Like she's just prays a rosary every day, and she's very loving, very spiritual. And gosh, I think it's been eight years ago now. My grandma had passed away, and she passed away in September. And it was coming up to be time for all souls mass at church. And they pray a rosary and honor everybody that's passed away from the community. And she had called, you know, a couple days prior asking if I would come with her, if we could, if I we could go save the rosary earlier, if I'd come with her and just sit. And I said, Yeah, I'm like, gosh, I don't know where my rosary is though, because I just moved and I'm like, I'm gonna have to go digging for this. And I do not know where this rosary is. And she laughed, she's like, Oh, I think I can find one. It's you know, I'll find it. I skipped part of this though, where she becomes the con artist for Christ, is that she will bargain with St. Jude. And if something she needs something, if like the lawnmower broke, she'll like pull it and say, St. Jude, if you like come through with me on this one, I will send you$10. And she has like a mission that she sends it the money to. And it works every time. And we just laugh. She's like, it's coming. And she's she diligently sends out that money. Like that is her word, and she sends a check. But when you do that, every other mission like finds your name and address. And she gets so many cards in the mail and all this, and we just kind of laugh. But the day that the morning that we were gonna go pray the rosary at church and on our grandma, she called me and she goes, Well, grandma sent you a rosary. She goes, I got this from little Mary or little our mother Mary, something kind of mission. And it was a rosary that had the name Teresa, which was my grandma's name. It's also my mom's name, but and she goes, I think she sent this to you in the mail because it came just in time. And I was just laughing because I was like, I think it did come from her. And Mary is so special to her, and so special that when she was in her early 70s, she changed her middle name to Mary. She went to the courthouse and we just laughed because it was like, you have lived 70 plus years with your middle name. She goes, I don't like it. I want to change it to Mary. I love Mary. It's like, okay, we're doing it.
SPEAKER_00:I love a woman with conviction. Yes. And that honestly, there's no age limit to what we get to choose in life, is there? Changing it to Mary. The funny thing is, as you're talking about this again, right? Because we just briefly talked about this. I actually purchased a rosary at the mission too that day. Except it's green. It's green. And mine is red. Yeah. And I'll have to go grab it. I was telling Heather that I've been feeling my dad very strongly lately. And he had a very strong connection to Mary. He actually prayed the rosary at the church, like to would lead the rosary at their church in the morning a couple times a week when he was able to, and did that for a few years before things changed. And my siblings and I are going on Saturday to the All Souls event at our church because this will be the first since my dad's passing. So it's very synchronous that these signs are coming together. And I actually did a screenshot on my phone this morning because it said memory with Heather. And I'm like, oh my gosh, what is that? And it was actually your post sharing my See the Signs book. So, you know, the past couple years, and I took the same screenshot you did. Because I was like, I gotta send this. Oh my gosh. So I'll show you mine too. So you guys, what I'm saying right now is you are here to listen to this podcast today, or this podcast in general. Curating connection between Heather and I a little bit prior to sitting down to share our information. I want you to start thinking about what you're going to curate connection with. Okay. So I'm gonna let Heather continue on with her sci stories because you're probably all like thinking, you ladies are crazy at the connections today.
SPEAKER_01:But and I always I always find that when I'm having a moment where I really am needing some guidance or feeling a little down, it is it's stepping some some message gets brought to me somehow. And it's like these are this space right now to know like my grandma, I think she was my best friend. And it was such a hard loss. And I was always felt like when she was gone, I was like, how do I connect with her now? And I think that's the same feeling with for you. Like that it's those those first and those different emotions and those feelings that come through and to be able to have those little signs of love that come through. And it's like, I feel like I'm the sign for you, and you've been the sign for me with different like it's just like there's those connections, and it's just a little, a little reminder from your loved one.
SPEAKER_00:It really is. And I think you were speaking about how we can be signs for each other and getting signs. And why don't you share how you did get a sign from your grandma most recently and how you did that?
SPEAKER_01:So for me, I I have very wild dreams. Like I know, I always have when I was a little sleepwalking. So I've always like kind of laughed about different dreams that come through, but I hadn't shared this shortly after she passed away. I had a very my grandma had lost both of her legs at two separate situations. And it was really hard for her. She was a strong woman. She had been a farmer and like the hardest working person I've ever known. And so losing that, her mobility and her freedom and all of this was very challenging. Shortly after she passed, I had this dream and she lived, she died in the house that I grew up in. Okay. She we had kept her at home. We were able to keep her there in hospice. And I had this dream, which my dad had passed by then too, and my dad had Alzheimer's. And I walked into the dining room with this house, and my grandma stood up, and my dad came up to me, and they both came together and hugged me in my in this dream. And it was a very, I call it a visitation, honestly, at this point. And my grandma goes, I can walk, I can dance. And my dad goes, I'm healthy. And I was like, it was such a peaceful, like they're together. We are all in this space, and it healed a huge part of my heart then. And I was saying, this year, it hit a little harder this year. I don't know what certain there's never a certain, like just like really missed her this year. And that's she had passed away on September 7th.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:That was the anniversary. And the night before, or at I it was, I think it was the night before. I was like, gosh, I just really miss you. And I was like, be so wonderful if you would just come see me in my dream sometime. And that night I dreamt about her. And it was just such a peaceful, loving. It was just like a little hug from her. And it was I haven't had since then again, but I hadn't asked. And I was just thinking what we've talked. It's asking and then losing the expectation of how it gets given to you. And I was like, I didn't say you need to come to me in my dream tonight. I was just like, I really miss you. It'd be really nice if you stopped and said hi sometime soon. And just opening that up and opening that door for that connection and for them to come through. And it may not be that night or, but I just always think it's always putting out there. I have a little note in my bathroom. It says, universe, show me how good it can get. And like it's just allowing that in. So not just how good it can get, but asking people, come in and see me, like allowing it. And I feel like that is that openness and dropping that resistance and that fear. And it allows your loved ones or different, just God, universe, whatever we call it, Gus, God, universe, source, whoever it is, to come in and bring you some sweet little treats along the way.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, sweet little treats on our Halloween days. So, okay, that just made me really pause for a moment. Can you state what you have written down again one more time so the listeners can hear this? Because I think it's really important to think about like if we can get our mindset kind of wrapped around something or have a little mantra or intention that doesn't have to take, you know, 30 minutes, six hours to sit and do, but you're reminded of daily visually. And that could help really shift world the worlds, right? When we are thinking about grief and or memories or even like in celebration. So okay, repeat that again. Universe, show me how good it can get. Universe, show me how good it can get. All right.
SPEAKER_01:Because it's not, and I I we've talked, and this leads into another sign. It's just like these little like I'll throw out there, like in the next 48 hours, like just land a gift to me. It doesn't have to be like, I'm not talking like a million dollars or a brand new card, like just a little gift and make sure I understand that this is what you're showing me. And it's just easily, and I don't believe in challenging like God or the humor, or like just a little reminder, those little sweet kisses. And it was that was the cardinal. I will the story we had a beautiful co-worker who passed away, and gosh, she was wonderful. And different coworkers kept saying that cardinals were landing. And it was a couple of weeks, I'm like, I haven't seen a cardinal. And I was like kind of irritated. I'm like, come and visit me, Cheryl. Like, this is ridiculous. And I had asked one night, I was just kind of not, I wasn't, it was just to put out there. I'm like, you know, in the next 48 hours, like show me something that really like a little, a little reminder of love, and that I will have a deep understanding that this is what you're gifts sending me. And I had gone out really early one morning to finish planting some bushes. And I was because it was gonna be really hot, and I was like, Oh, I want to get this done. And it was quiet, neighborhood was quiet. And I all of a sudden heard this like incessant squawking. And I'm like, what in the heck is that? And I was like, I stopped because it was like so persistent and so obnoxious sounding initially. And I stopped and on the edge of my deck railing, which is not ever a place a bird has ever landed, was a cardinal just staring at me and squawking like a madman. And I was like, and right then it just I sat and it hit, and it's like, Cheryl says hi. And I was like, oh, and I knew that that was my little gift, and so it was just such a special because I got a picture of it and it hung out, but it was just like staring at me. I was like, I know this is this is my visit.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, those animals' signs are so amazing, right? And I like that you kind of took that to the next level because sometimes we can see signs and we think, oh, is that a sign for me? Oh, wait, is that supposed to mean something? But you kind of added that next level as people are kind of trying to create belief, right? And find that hope that nope, I want proof that this is gonna be a sign for me. And I mean, honestly, I'm not sure I've ever heard a cardinal evening.
SPEAKER_01:I know, that's my noise when I said it. Because I'm always like, what is happening like in my yard right now? I thought like birds were fighting and something was getting attacked. And I was like, no, it's just sitting there staring, like staring at me. And I was like, oh my goodness, like, okay. Because as soon as I looked, it stopped making noise. Yeah, it was like trying to get my attention and got it. And I was like, I'm here.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh, you know what, Heather, that just keep popped into my mind when we were talking about this now. So we both worked a community hospital together, as how our paths crossed years ago. And so did the individual that she's speaking about. Uh almost makes me seem or I got this feeling like it's almost like the call light or the one of the alarms is going off until it comes here. And then she knew that that would be like going into that only thing that can take care of that already. Oh, oh, thanks for sharing that with us. I think it just puts a lot of things into perspective on how signs don't need to be big and grand. But maybe if we're not recognizing them, they do need to stand out a little bit. And that persistent squawking definitely was like, I'm here, I'm here, here's your sign. And so, like I always like to say, like, it doesn't have to be a big flashing light, but you know what? There are times that we may get big flashing lights just for our loved ones, God Universe Source, to say, you are supported, you are not alone. And now I want you to use this experience to create that trust, right? To know that trust, this is your sign. And I always feel like I can always like take a sigh of relief when I hear that someone's like got a sign, or if I see a sign, I'm like, oh, it just makes me feel so much more grounded and happy.
SPEAKER_01:So I think I always it always reminds me of that thought of you can move through your worlds and view everything as a miracle or nothing as a miracle. But either way, you're right. And so it's always kind of that self-fulfilling. I always like to think like there's so many amazing things just waiting for you to see them and to recognize it. And it may, like we were saying, it may, you may see something. I have found so many times I will be talking to somebody and they just say something it's nonchalant and it hits, and it's exactly what I needed, and like a question I'd ask, and they'll give you the answer. And I'm like, oh my gosh, like I I know, and it's not always that it's a bird flying at you, it's sometimes the word and how it lands in your presence. And it's how it's I could be saying something to you, and it's just a statement, but to you, it was something that you had put out and asked for, and the universe God used you to deliver that message, and it's such a powerful, and I always think just like I'll say something sometimes, like, I don't know why I just said that. And somebody goes, I know I just said that. And it's like, okay.
SPEAKER_00:I know it's like we get this inner knowing that finally just hits in our heart or in our soul. And I'm just thinking that this is like podcast number four, and this has come up on every single one that somebody else has the information that you need to hear, or they are the sign for you. Yes. And you know, I don't think I even discussed that in my book, to be honest with you. I talked about, I mean, I guess I did because I one of the my stories is I was sharing a sign with another family or a friend and her family. But I'm just like, every time I have sign discussions, I learned so much more from so many people and how you see them, how you perceive them, how you respond to them, what to look for? Was there ever a time that you were really hopeful to get a sign around a specific thing and you didn't? And how did you respond to or yeah, how did you as an individual respond to that? Or how did it maybe disrupt your mindset a little bit? And how did you work through it?
SPEAKER_01:Oh gosh, that's there was a space of time that was really struggling. I had a lot of loss in a very short period of time, and it compounded. And there was a space where I was just like, There's nothing. Like I I'm hurting, I'm not seeing how this the purpose of this. And that what it was like you want like I need something, like show me something that gives me hope in this moment because I'm hurting and I don't understand where I'm going from here. And there was a lot, there was not always answers. There wasn't always like those little god wings and the little things, and it would I remember just like one step, keep moving forward. And a lot of times that statement of the teacher is always quietest during the test when land. And I had it land again recently, because I was like, Oh, I'm just feeling like I'm not getting like a good movement forward. Like, how do I move this? Nobody's you're not showing me anything. And it was like, sometimes it's learning your intuition and your guidance and your that, and eventually something hits. And it's but it's what we've talked in the past about is losing your expectation of the timeline. And also, I think sometimes when we have that resistance, when you're really, really seeking, like it's not happening, it's not happening, you're putting up that resistance, and it becomes where everything's a miracle or nothing's a miracle. So you can kind of block your own way and what the universe is trying to show you, or what God's trying to give to you and trying to bring into your life. So in those moments, I will stop and just see like, am I blocking myself right now? And I don't I don't know that we're always supposed to have it every every minute of every day. You know, it's like sometimes it is just a like a pause. And you can find gratitude, and it doesn't mean that you aren't still being somebody else's in that moment. You aren't giving somebody else their sign in that moment and in that space.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I don't think it means that you're not loved, that you're not that you're not connected, that you're not worthy of receiving the signs, that things just aren't in place. I like how you know that really can be a gift because I feel like each time you do receive confirmation through whatever your sign may be at the moment, you have that experience to go back and recreate those feelings or live through it, knowing, like, no, this is true. I can receive something. You were speaking about just kind of asking um your grandma to come through for a visit. After my mom had passed, I was just really struggling because it was unexpected. And it was a couple months, and everybody was asking me about signs, right? Like, oh, did you get your feathers? This is before I wrote the book, right? I had been documenting on social media signs for years ahead of time. You know, my sisters would see a cardinal or somebody would see something, and I was just in deep grief. And I did have a day where I was lying in bed and honestly just crying for my mom to connect. And just like your grandma did, she came through and she showed the same thing, which I want people to understand that there is connection afterwards because she said, Kim, I can see the colors up here are so brilliant and beautiful. And she had been receiving shots in her eyes so that it would improve her eyesight due to diabetes. And then she had suffered a stroke a few years ago prior to her passing, but didn't have a lot of you know, outward physical ailments, right? But she had died of a sudden cardiac arrest that couldn't bring her heart back and maybe a stroke as well. And the one thing she said is, My brain is so clear. She's like, I'm just healthy and vibrant, you know. And so I like that there is this understanding from our shared signs and stories that everything is whole again.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So as you may be listening to this start or these stories from us today and thinking like life is not where I want it to be. And I am in the depths of despair sometimes, and especially with the holiday season around us, I feel like we tend to get a little bit more emotion driven around memories or things not going the way we want them to. Like my ego likes to try to control a lot of those situations too. But I do want you to take what both Heather and I have shared today about my mom and her dad and her grandma, that life is good after we exit the spot, still.
SPEAKER_01:You are saying that, and it's there's many years I kept having this recurring dream with my dad. My dad had been schizophrenic from the time I was born. And so he had always had a lot of challenges and developed early onset Alzheimer's. And so there was not a lot of clarity, especially at the end. He didn't know who I was anymore. He knew I was safe, but he didn't know who I was. And I kept having this recurring dream, which actually was causing me a lot of agitation for many years. And it kept in my dream, he would call me and he'd be like, Hey, how are you? And I like, Who is this? He's like, It's dad, like you know who this is. And he'd be like, I said, You died. And he goes, I'm okay. And he would sound normal. Like, I don't want to say normal, that's not, but he sounded clear, right? And I hadn't heard him ever be clear. His communication is clear. Yes, communication. Thank you. Mine's not right now, but and I would get really agitated in dream because I was like, How do I explain to people that we had a funeral and we buried you because you are dead? And he's like, Oh, I'm fine. I don't know what you're talking about. He goes, I'm healthy, I'm fine. And I kept having this dream and I'd wake up irritated. I'm like, okay, you are you are still dead. Like, I have to like process this. And it was happening for months, probably actually years. And somebody, I was just saying, we're talking about dreams one day, and I happened to say that, and somebody just said, and they're like, Well, maybe he's just trying to tell you he's okay. And it like never dawned on me that that's what this dream, why it kept happening. Because we had had kind of a difficult relationship at times. And it was him. I now I saw it. And once I recognized that, like, no, that is him trying to tell me I'm okay. Like, I'm I'm at peace. I have peace. I am whole. The dream has not come back. You're calling it. And it was it was happening so much. And I was like, oh my gosh, stop! Like, I can't explain this to people. You are dead, so stop calling me.
SPEAKER_00:So, oh my gosh, you guys, this is so good because I think there's so many things we can branch off with this right now. First of all, number one, like, do we get in the way of ourselves when we are receiving signs and messages, right? And number two, because we tend to have perceived notions of what things should look like, right? Or like you're like, this can't be him because that's not how he was. Yes. And that's not that's more logical thinking than like than we probably want to at times, right? Sometimes we get caught up in like the logic of things and just not processing or understanding it other than what we're capable or willing to look at, or like you said, blocked.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So maybe elaborate a little bit more on that about the perception of things.
SPEAKER_01:I I think it is, it's our own ego getting in the way. Like we create the story of how we think it should go. And if you can release that and just let things flow and let it come and accept other people's messages, like the person thing, maybe he's just telling you he's okay. And it like all of a sudden I step back and I was like, why didn't I think of that? Like it just dawned on me. I'm like, well, that okay, great. I was like, you're right. And it was in I realized it's my it helps in so many relationships if you do think that. Like we are all viewing our world and everything that's happening through our lens and our pains, our happiness, our joy, our hurt, or all of that. And if we can just stop, and I make that sound like it's like, oh, just stop, it's all fine. It takes work and it takes effort and takes that to stop and just see like, where are you getting in your own way? And what is your perception? Like, can we just open up and let see who people are from their vantage point? And kind of a lot of cool stuff starts coming in when you allow that to kind of let us all flow in our own direction.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I just love this so much because it's really curating that connection in so many different forms. And that's really what makes me so excited about having all of these guests on the podcast. But in actuality, like it's kind of ironic that you were getting, you know, a bit agitated when the message was coming through. But yet when a message that some people might have been like, What do you mean it's just him saying that? You could have got agitated over her perception or judgment or thought about it, but you didn't. It like finally just set home and you were okay, except it made sense.
SPEAKER_01:I was like, Oh, okay. Like, yep, that is what's happening. He's telling me I'm okay.
SPEAKER_00:And it's yeah. I love how when we come together, have discussions, we're transparent about what's happening in life, and we are open to receiving messages from someone else through words, words of affirmation, words of confirmation. It just enriches us so much more, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. I think it opens you up, gives you that different whole new shift. I just I love when like you hear something and it's just like changes your whole perspective on something. And it's like that little hit that just you needed to like kind of break through something and gives you a whole new perspective.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Okay, so let's talk about maybe let's share a couple ways that maybe you can shift into being open to receiving signs and messages. Is there any specific routines that you do? It doesn't have to be on a daily basis, but what what makes you connect in or to stay so open that you're able to share your wisdom with us today? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I for myself, I meditate every morning and spend time just kind of trying to clear my brain out. And I always thought, I always hear so many people they're like, I can't meditate. All I have crazy mind. I my mind is just as all over the place. It's actually the meditation, it's not about quieting, it's about when things come through, seeing them and releasing them. And it's that practice, it's a practice has helped me to stop when things start to feel overwhelming or chaotic, when all these messages are coming in to stop and like release it and have that pause. Because I think when you can allow that space for other energy to come in, that's you can start receiving everything that God's trying to give you. For me, I connect very much in nature. I love going on just a walk by myself in the woods, and I always call them my God walks because it's I just will be by myself and I walk, take my first step with the intention that whatever needs to come through, allow it to come through. And I don't question it, I don't judge it. I just allow it, get curious about it. I think that's a huge part for me is not judging being. Maybe what's coming through or what people are seeing and just get curious, like, hmm, isn't that interesting? And that's become like a favorite statement. And I'm like, that's interesting. And I don't mean it in the Minnesota, like, interesting, like all judgy about it. It truly is just a place of curiosity, of like, or even if a moat for me, if a feeling comes up, I'm like, why am I feeling that? I'm like, well, that's interesting. Like, hmm, can I release that? Like, what are we gonna hold on to this? What is this?
SPEAKER_00:So really slowing down right before you get on your god walk in setting that intention. Yep. And I think that something that takes like two seconds, right? I mean, really, just seconds or minutes can really change how your mind is receiving information or just even how your nervous system is settling down to be your best self and tap into your higher self at the same time.
SPEAKER_01:And that's also I have that little post-it that show me, universe, show me how good I can get. Because it's on it's it's on my cupboard when I open it, because it's where all my stuff to get ready in the morning. Like my toothpaste is in there, everything I need is in there. So I always have to open up that that cupboard. And it sets off my day with that intention because then I'm seeking out how good can this be? Yeah. And so so it sets you up to be looking for the good. And it's that same thing, you will find what you're seeking. If you're looking for the good, you're gonna find the good. If you're looking for the bad, you're gonna find it. So it's, I think, just kind of setting yourself up for that because it gets exciting then because I'm like, how can this happen? Like, I don't know how this is gonna happen, but something cool is gonna happen. And it's just like you get surprised because then everything becomes a gift, I think, in a surprise, because it's you're that's how you're accepting it and receiving it.
SPEAKER_00:It's like you win the lottery every day with the most unexpected things, right? It really is good.
SPEAKER_01:And it may seem silly, but it's just like, yeah, somebody will say give you a compliment and it's like, thank you. I just had that. I was kind of like in the midst of some muck with work one day because a lot was happening. And this woman stopped. She's like, You have the most beautiful smile and your patients much just love you. And I was like, Thank you. I don't know you, but I appreciate you because I really needed that. And but then I stopped and I was like that up. I thought I'm like thinking upstairs, like that was exactly what you knew my heart needed right in this moment. And I wasn't doing anything, I was buying like a bottle of water at the gas station, and in my head, I was like running through everything that was happening and I needed to do, and it was just like this stop. And I sat in my car for a minute with gratitude, and I was like, thank you. Like, this is the good. This is how good I get.
SPEAKER_00:So don't forget the gratitude piece either. Yeah, yeah, right. It's really just soaking that up and sending it back to someone else too. I love like if I one time I was on this, I guess, run of I never get coffee through a drive-thru, but sometimes I'll stop and get a water or a muffin or something, and the person behind or in front of me paid for it. And then I like turned the corner and there was a church that was giving away free things in a line, right? And it was like every time I turned around, like somebody was like gifting me something unexpected. And I'm like, wait a second, okay. So then it's like, oh, how much how fun is this? So at the time, well, I was working at a hospital that had a parking ramp. So I went around and put free parking passes, like tickets to get free parking tickets to get forward. Yes, because I thought it's yeah, so costly. And it's just one less thing that somebody would have to worry about exiting, you know, the ramp today when they've been in there all day long, probably sitting at the bedside of their loved one who's ill. So, but that gratitude, and then you know, paint it forward to whether it's big or small. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_01:Well, because then you can be somebody's sign.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, we can be somebody's sign, you guys.
SPEAKER_01:That because I always think like this one thing that you did, like that could have been coming back to their car after you're saying sitting with somebody in their a loved one that's really sick and having that fear and that sadness, and just have that show up on your windshield, like to know you're not alone. Like that would have could have been their sign from the universe that we're supporting you, we've got you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Or sometimes it's their last penny to get out. I mean, like there's a lot of expenses involved when people are not working and caring for loved ones and whatever. That's why I was like, oh, this might be a little relief. But I know that you sound like you're curating connection all the time. But what are you really tapping into connecting with right now at the present time?
SPEAKER_01:For myself, I had been offered a challenge by somebody, and I'm really taking it on because it was I had gone to a meeting about collaboration, and you know, we live in this world where people instead of building each other and really pouring into each other, we kind of like separate and become competition instead of collaborative. And it was it hit a spot when she said you there's those moments where you like kind of know somebody, maybe recognize them, make a little bit of eye contact, and you're like, I just I don't want to do it. I'm just gonna walk right by them. And you both just walk by. And she goes, I would I would encourage everybody, let's look at that. And can we do the greeting? Like, can you really make that connection, especially in the world that we're in right now? There's a lot of infighting and competitiveness and hurt. But it was like just really taking that time to make those connections in those little moments. Because it's not always those big, it's those little day-to-day when you're passing somebody by and same, noticing somebody like I love your nails, like when you're checking out at the gas station, or so holding the door for somebody saying, I love your jacket. And I just had this conversation walking out. I'm a hospice nurse, so I go in a different facility. So I'm always meeting new people. And I held the door open for somebody, and I said, Oh my gosh, I love your jacket. That's so cute. She goes, I got it at Costco. And we know like having this 10-minute conversation. And I felt I felt so much lighter. And I was just realizing, like making this competition for myself, like to do that. But it that connection is really as much for me as it is for somebody else. And like to be able to lighten each other's day and to really just be present with each other. And this been a huge thing for myself, like to try to really, instead of avoiding those connections some days where it's like, I'm tired, I don't want to do this. I know this is gonna like I'm gonna get into a conversation I don't want to get into, but it's not because then you take that step and it ends up being like something that fills you so deeply and so powerful.
SPEAKER_00:So I love that because I really do feel like in 2026 that we are going to see less of the scrolling and the remote and more of the in-person connection that people have been craving for the last few years. But we have to start somewhere again. And we are almost kind of like infants, toddlers, like you know, young children having the I don't want to say releasing the fear of being rejected or not recognized. And we don't, it's not that we want connection for some particular reason, but we have to be like, you know, that excited kindergartner going back to school and being like, you know, like so excited to meet other people, but we have to almost like challenge ourselves to go outside of that little comfort box that we've been in, you know, probably since 2020. So I would love to hear back from anybody that listens to this, what they're gonna challenge themselves to connecting with in the next few weeks. Till the end of the year. Let's say every day till the end of the year, try to make a little more connection, whether it's connecting to God, your loved ones, your coworkers, strangers, church, prayer, you know, whatever it should be. What do you think about that, Heather?
SPEAKER_01:I love that. I think even because I I tend I talk to a lot of people. I'm pretty comfortable, I'll say weird stuff to anybody, but I and it doesn't always have to be that because I know there's people who are shy and like that seems like very overwhelming. So it's not even necessarily that, but like send a letter to somebody. Yes. That there's, you know, ask I always like to ask around like, is there somebody that needs some prayer right now or some joy? Like, do you know their address? Could I send them a card? Could I do this? So it's those little things that don't have to be so public, like talking to a stranger if that's not your comfort zone. Like, I I would always push people, like maybe say, you know, push a little bit on yourself. But if that feels too overwhelming, start small. Like doing, especially coming into the holiday season. So many people could use a little extra choice, like going to your food shelf or going somewhere and just leaving a card that they can give somebody. Do you know somebody that's struggling right now, they could use a phone call or something, just little. It doesn't have to be anything gigantic, just little things. And that all those little things add up and make really big things for people.
SPEAKER_00:So they really do. It's those small acts of kindness that make a difference. And I was just thinking, my sister and her girls actually went and painted nails at an assisted living facility where um my dad used to live. And those ladies just loved that connection and attention and that pampering. And the girls enjoyed it too. So there are lots of things that you can do externally and internally to continue to connect with others. So I can't wait to hear back to see what people are doing. And I'm gonna take note of that every day. I have like a little calendar that I write, like what or like who was over or if I went out for the day, because I'm trying to get out and about in the world more presently and not get caught up with work or sitting at home. Being single, it's sometimes easy to stay home, but trying to do more of that. So now I'm gonna write down those connections that I'm doing every day and we'll keep track of that and share those as well. As we're kind of wrapping up today, now you and I could probably talk for I don't know, 10 hours and we'll probably have Heather back on as a guest again. But what would you like to share with everyone that's listening today? Any words of wisdom or inspiration or just thoughts that you'd like to end on today?
SPEAKER_01:I think the biggest message is staying open and hopeful. Because I know it can feel really heavy in so many areas right now and can feel dark. But holding that hope and asking for little like reaching out and just putting it out there, putting out little questions and requests here and there, and just letting yourself be gifted. I think we're receivership is a really challenge for me. Like I'm I like to be the giver and like out there, and just to sit back and just stop and allow yourself to be gifted and surprised and lose the expectation of how it has to look or how it has to be, because oftentimes it's much better than you think it would be. And so I think it's so amazing, right? And I think coming, I always think like coming into Christmas, like the magic of it and just letting yourself be all year round, like that's just holding that hope and that excitement for what can be. And I mean, what is that? I this keeps coming on. It's like you believed in Santa for eight years, like believe in yourself for five minutes. Like, but it's always that thought of like we held that magic and we believed that so deeply for so long, and like re to reclaim that, especially coming into this, into our winter, into our cold, yes, the holiday season of holiday.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. And I think that you have been a hope dealer here today with us, and I'm really appreciative of your time and the information that you shared with us so that we can start thinking about curating connection in other ways and to receive the signs. And so for today, I want everybody to remain open, see the signs, and receive them.