Live Well. Be Wise

"It's Never Too Late"

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2261618/fan_mail/new] Meet Naomie Peasley. She is a Survivor. A Teacher. And a beacon for Hope. She shows us how it’s possible to move from victimhood to accountability one day at a time.  In today’s episode we sit down with Naomie Peasley, a Colville Tribal member from the Okanogan Valley. She shares about her life growing up on the reservation, surviving abuse, poverty, generational trauma, and her own alcoholism. With a non-Native mom and a Tribal member father she tells what it was like to straddle both worlds. We talk about the unique struggles of a people who carry so much pain and trauma, knowing how and when to honor that pain and when to move forward with empowered choices to heal and prosper in healthy communities.  Her super power is eliminating excuses for people who need help but can’t quite seem to see, or walk the path, she now walks. Listeners this conversation is REAL. We talk about the colonization of the Native American people in our region. We talk about the abuse that happened in local boarding schools. We talk about the horrifying statistics of abuse, alcoholism and suicide for Tribal members.  Yes this may land hard, and maybe that's ok. Maybe we can offer our open hearts and minds to listen to the stories of our Native neighbors, like Naomie. To honor the people who's land we live on, who still live here, whose stories are ready to be heard. In the midst of this painful reality, trust me when I say, Naomie's story is one of hope. She is a passionate helper in our regional communities and her story will remind you of what potential lies in us all. You won’t want to miss her message —today. Bio: Naomie Peasley is a proud member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, and a member of the Sinixt Nation. Born and raised in Omak, Washington, she carries deep roots in her community and a lifelong commitment to giving back. After earning her bachelor’s degree from Lewis-Clark State College, Naomie returned home to serve the place that shaped her. Her professional journey has included roles such as managing the Okanogan County Fairgrounds and helping with fire recovery efforts there, as well as working for the Intertribal Agriculture Council to help Tribal producers navigate USDA programs.  Today, she serves as the Tribal Engagement Manager with Thriving Together NCW, where she works alongside the Tribe and partners to support efforts that support healthy communities. She also wears the volunteer hat for many different groups. Naomie stays actively involved in her community by coaching youth, referring basketball, volunteering on local boards, supporting youth events, and organizing gatherings that create connection, opportunity, and a sense of belonging. While her career and community involvement reflect her deep commitment to service, Naomie considers motherhood her most important role. She is a proud mom to two teenage daughters who attend Brewster High School and keep her busy year-round with sports and activities. Outside of work, their family cares for a 20-acre farm where they raise hay, horses, pigs, and lambs—staying grounded in the land and the values it represents. Naomie’s journey has not been without challenges. Having faced and overcome significant hardships, she now uses her experiences to uplift others. She is deeply committed to showing her children—and her community—that resilience, growth, and hope are always possible. Resources: 1. St. Mary's Mission [https://sourcenm.com/2021/10/14/st-marys-mission-this-place-is-the-devil/]: A news report on the Omak Catholic Indian Boarding School 2. Only 7 Seconds [https://only7seconds.com/]: Local non-profit addressing youth loneliness by encouraging and empowering individuals & partners to connect with others who matter in their lives.

Celebrating Year One--A Wisdom Round Up & Reflection!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2261618/fan_mail/new] Today Dorrinda and I sit down to give our thanks to each other, our listeners, and this community of incredible storytellers! To celebrate the first year of Live Well Be Wise. We reflect back on the year, and share what we're learning through hearing and sharing people's stories of healing through hardship. Additionally what we feel the wisdom process is shaping up to be. Of course we are not social scientists, we are curious humans who are having a conversation about what is bubbling up inside of us. (ps. don't hold us to anything we've said, we are not giving advice of any kind) We do a really fun "mash-up" of wisdom at the end of the episode, with a small nugget of wisdom from each of our Season-1'ers! Huge shout out to Chandra Villano, Ana Gonzalez, Scott Kreiter, Linda Congdon, Juan Pablo Suarez, Kelly Condefer, Blake Suzelis, Jaime Donegan, Briseldy Hernandez-Ramos, Zo Jaspers, Kim Fowler and Jamie Johnson. Please listener, let us know what you think, we want to hear how these stories are sparking something inside of you? If so, reach out, we'd love to hear from you! With gratitude, Kari & Dorrinda kari@meditatewenatchee.com

"What if Burnout Isn't Your Fault?"

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2261618/fan_mail/new] We sat down today with Jamie Johnson, a new friend and neighbor in the Upper Valley. She shared with us about how she came to leave the vocation that she loved, teaching. Suffering from overwhelm and demoralization, Jamie says she was no longer willing to be the face of success in an education system that was failing to give it’s students what they needed. We talk about how systems set us up to fail. How burnout isn’t as much of a personal cause as a systemic one. What is the cost of staying in a system and culture that doesn’t align with your values or allow for you to care for your most basic needs like taking a bathroom break? Hence the title of her book, “Teach and Still have Time to Pee.” We unpack the deeper threads of overwhelm, motivation and getting comfortable with allowing struggle, for ourselves and those we love and support.  Her business, is called, Kickass Teacher and she has been involved with education in various ways for over 25 years.  Bio in English:  Jamie Johnson is an overwhelm support coach and former bilingual elementary school teacher who spent years working in one of the highest-pressure school districts in the country. After experiencing demoralization inside a system that conflicted with her values, she joined the Peace Corps and discovered that educator overwhelm is a systemic issue, not a personal failure. Jamie has since founded Kickass Teacher, written Teach and Still Have Time to Pee, and directed museum education programs. Today, she helps high-capacity professionals untangle burnout, reclaim agency, and align work with integrity. She believes overwhelm is a signal of misalignment—and that when we get curious instead of critical, we can focus on what truly matters, creating a life rooted in freedom and balance. In Spanish:  Jamie Johnson es coach en manejo del agotamiento y fue maestra bilingüe de primaria durante varios años en uno de los distritos escolares de mayor presión en Estados Unidos. Tras enfrentar la desmoralización dentro de un sistema que no estaba alineado con sus valores, se unió al Peace Corps, donde descubrió que el desgaste profesional en la educación es un problema sistémico, no un fracaso personal. A lo largo de los años, fundó Kickass Teacher, escribió Teach and Still Have Time to Pee y dirigió programas educativos en un museo. Hoy acompaña a profesionales comprometidos y de alto desempeño a desenredar el burnout, recuperar su agencia y alinear su trabajo con su integridad. Cree que el agotamiento es una señal de desalineación y que, cuando elegimos la curiosidad en lugar de la autocrítica, podemos enfocarnos en lo que realmente importa y construir una vida con mayor libertad y equilibrio. Resources: 1. Jamie's Coaching Website [https://jamienikoledesign.wixstudio.com/coach]: Coaching to overcome Overwork & Overwhelm 2. Kickass Teacher [https://www.kickassteacher.com/]- her business 3. Teach and Still Have Time to Pee [https://www.facebook.com/teachandstillhavetimetopee] her book! 4. NCW Healing Arts [https://ncwhealingarts.com/] -the new Collective where we met Jamie! Books she recommends: A) "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" [https://gregmckeown.com/books/essentialism/] B) "Demoralized: Why Teachers Leave the Profession They Love and How they Can Stay" [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37690705-demoralized]

"Rise Up-- A Cancer Warriors Journey"

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2261618/fan_mail/new] Welcome back friends for Season 2!  Dorrinda and I are profoundly grateful for your support (listening & sharing) and are thrilled to be back with a full year worth of episodes that aim to inspire hope, connect us across the divide, and foster learning & growth for ourselves and our communities. Today we kick off Season 2 with an incredible story as told by community member, Kim Fowler. She is a cancer warrior and now a survivor, in full remission from stage-3 metastatic breast cancer. Her journey is not just about the fight against cancer, but what was required to heal her life in multiple layers. Kim shares her fiercely won wisdom on the importance of community, what it means to be your own best advocate, when to ask questions and when to rest. She hides nothing and shares her heart in such a way that will warm your heart and give you hope if you too are living with cancer.  A fierce advocate, a compassionate ally and the “wig lady” at Cancer Support Community Central Washington, (formerly The Wellness Place of Wenatchee).  She is ready to be of service to those who now stand where she once stood.   Kim is an inspiration to us all and her “shine,” as she calls it, is truly the product of her life, cancer and all. She even says how grateful she is to have had cancer, "it's like the weirdest thing, but it changed my life inside out." She closes with saying how cancer has been a mind-altering, soul-altering journey. It helped her find a more meaningful way of living and being in relationship with her body-mind and heart.  Bio: Kim is 64 years-old and married to Mr. Wonderful, Kurt Fowler, her 2nd hubby, of 32 years. Her marriage is his, mine and ours on kids. Three kids from her first marriage, twins from his first and a boy and girl together. All together 5 girls, 2 boys and 13 grandchildren. Kim retired from JCPenneys Salon 4 1/2 years ago, where she was the salon manager. She was in the beauty business around 40 years. She loves to read, do yoga, listen to music and play with her grand-babies. Being in nature is always good medicine for Kim. She loves meeting new people, making friends and connecting with like minded people. Life is beautiful! Local Cancer Care Resources Recommended by Kim: 1. Cancer Support Community [https://www.csccentralwa.org/]Central Washington (formerly The Wellness Place) 2. EASE [https://www.easecancer.org/] - Exercise & Survivorship Education

"Cultivando Mis Raíces" "Cultivating My Roots"

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2261618/fan_mail/new] In episode-11 Briseldy Hernandez - Ramos tells us how growing up Latina in a white world had her constantly wondering what it meant to belong.  Facing the challenges of growing up in a migrant farm-working family, moving from school to school, in environments of racial bias and prejudice, she struggled to see herself in the spaces she found herself in. After years using heavy cosmetics to lighten her dark skin she says, “I had to learn what it was to really be me.”  She began writing in middle school, finding an outlet to express her raw feelings and experiences. It was here she could finally give words to what it was like to walk in her "worn out shoes."  Then she spent 3-years doing community organizing work, with Rural People's Voice. This, she says, helped her fully find her voice and uncover those parts of herself that had previously been hidden. She highlights how she learned to meet conflict with skills of active, intentional listening and personal vulnerability.  Briseldy shares her first published poem, "Minecraft Audios & I" [https://clamor-journal.com/minecraft-audios-and-i/] and how she  brought together Minecraft audios and the insidious fear for Latino families in current times. Be inspired by this young woman. She models with grace and vulnerability, how we can all choose to grow through hardship on purpose. She plans to fight for social, racial and economic justice. Bio: Briseldy Herandez-Ramos is a 20-year-old senior at the University of Washington majoring in Law, Economics & Public Policy with a minor in Creative Writing. Briseldy is involved in over six cohorts, multiple political leadership councils, and holds a variety of leadership roles that push for racial, social and economic justice. This includes being a council member for Sage Leader’s Political Leadership Council, a social services intern at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, an Organizer at Rural People’s Voice, a field manager at Environment Washington, an active member for Washington State’s Public Health Association, being awarded the Seattle Poetry Fellowship and selected for the Washington Youth Arts Leadership program and finally, a published author. Briseldy has made a profound impact on the lives of many. Specifically, with in-depth canvassing experience at Rural People’s Voice, she helped stop the repeal of I-2109 and I-2117 (Capital Gains Tax and the Climate Commitment Act) that provided immense support for working families, students, and children. Focusing on creative nonfiction, she writes about immigrant injustices stemming from her own. Briseldy is deeply inspired by her brother, Kevin, who, alongside her, continues paving the way for those who once stood in fear. Resources: 1. Briseldy's poem "Minecraft Audios & I" [https://clamor-journal.com/minecraft-audios-and-i/]  2. Rural People's Voice [https://ruralpeoplesvoice.org/en/get-involved] En el episodio 11, Briseldy Hernandez-Ramos nos cuenta cómo crecer como latina en un mundo blanco la llevó a preguntarse constantemente qué significaba pertenecer. Al enfrentarse a los desafíos de crecer en una familia de trabajadores agrícolas migrantes, cambiando de escuela, a menudo en entornos de prejuicios y prejuicios raciales, le costó reconocerse en los espacios en los que se encontraba. Tras años usando maquillaje intenso para aclarar su piel oscura, dice: "Tuve que aprender a ser realmente yo misma." Comenzó a escribir en la secundaria, encontrando una vía de escape para expresar sus sentimientos y experiencias más crudas. Fue allí donde finalmente pudo expresar con palabras lo que era caminar con sus "zapatos desgastados." Luego, pasó tres años trabajando en la organización comunitaria con Rural People's Voice. Esto, dice, la ayudó a encontrar su voz y a descubrir esas