Episode 32 - If I can just fix this situation… then I’ll feel better.

Episode 39: - Feeling Overwhelmed? Try Art Journaling Your Feelings

Visit my website:  https://realpositivechange.com Have you ever wondered what a feeling would look like if you painted it? In this episode, Cathy Freeman explores how art journaling can help women process emotions, reduce stress, build emotional resilience, and renew their minds through creativity and faith. Learn two simple approaches to art journaling: create what you're feeling, or create what you want God to grow in your life. If you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally exhausted, this episode will help you slow down, notice what's happening within you, and find peace one small step at a time.   Podcast Episode 39 What Does a Feeling Look Like? Hello, my friend. Today I'd like to ask you a simple question. What does a feeling look like? Not what does it sound like. Not how would you explain it. But if you could paint it... collage it... or simply choose a few pieces of paper to represent it... What would it look like? I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I've been creating pages in my art journal. Sometimes I sit down with my paints and collage papers, and I don't really know what I want to make. I just know there's something going on inside of me. Maybe I'm carrying disappointment. Maybe I'm feeling hopeful. Maybe I'm excited about something new. Or maybe I just feel unsettled, and I can't quite put words to it. Have you ever felt that way? Where you know something is happening inside, but you can't quite explain it? I think that's one of the beautiful gifts of art. Sometimes our hands can express what our words cannot. A few scraps of paper. A little paint. A piece of lace. A stitch or two. And somehow, without trying to make a masterpiece, we've told the truth about what's happening in our hearts. But here's something I've also discovered. There are really two ways we can approach our art journal. The first is to create from where we are. Maybe today you're feeling anxious. Lonely. Grateful. Discouraged. Peaceful. Whatever you're feeling is welcome on the page. You don't have to fix it before you create. You simply notice it. You give it a place to land. You let your hands tell the story. The second way is just as beautiful. You create from where you want to go. Maybe you're longing for more peace. More courage. More joy. More patience. More trust. You begin filling your page with colors, words, images, and scriptures that remind you of the life you're asking God to grow within you. Neither approach is more spiritual than the other. Both are honest. One says, "This is where I am." The other says, "This is where I believe God is leading me." And sometimes... those two pages belong beside each other. One page tells today's story. The other tells tomorrow's hope. You know, one of the things I've learned over the years is that we often try to think our way into peace. But sometimes we need to create our way into awareness. As our hands slow down... our thoughts begin to slow down too. That's when we start noticing things. "Why did that conversation bother me so much?" "Why did my chest tighten?" "What story am I believing?" That's where the S.T.O.R.Y. process has become so meaningful to me. Instead of judging myself for having emotions, I've learned to become curious about them. What's the situation? What thought am I believing? What emotion am I feeling? How am I reacting? And what result is that producing? Those questions aren't there to make us feel guilty. They're there to help us become aware. Because awareness gives us the opportunity to choose. And that's where change begins. As I work in my journal, I often ask God, "Show me what You want me to see." Sometimes He reminds me of a truth I had forgotten. Sometimes He reveals a fear I didn't know I was carrying. Sometimes He simply gives me peace. You know, I don't think God is nearly as concerned about what our pages look like as He is about what happens in our hearts while we're creating them. The page becomes a place to meet with Him. A place to slow down. To listen. To notice. To remember that we don't have to carry everything by ourselves. So the next time you sit down to create, ask yourself one simple question. Am I creating from what I'm feeling... or from what I'm hoping God will grow in me? There isn't a wrong answer. Maybe today you'll create your fear. Maybe tomorrow you'll create your courage. Maybe next week you'll create your gratitude. Every page becomes another reminder that God is gently shaping you, one small step at a time. Before we finish today, I'd love to leave you with this thought. You already have everything you need. It's within you... and it's all around you. Ask God to show you. Trust your hands. And let your creativity become a conversation with Him. Until next time... keep creating... keep noticing... and keep walking with God, one small step at a time.

Podcast 38 Art Doesn't Have to Have Worldly Value to Be Worthwhile - A Chat with Kim Pepper

Visit my website:  https://RealPositiveChange.com Visit Kim's website:  https://kimpepper.com [https://kimpepper.com] There are not show notes due to the fact that this was a live conversation.  You can watch the whole program on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/dQsm72jt6wg [https://youtu.be/dQsm72jt6wg]

Episode 37 - Feeling Overwhelmed? How to Build Emotional Resilience One Step at a Time

Podcast 37 - Learning to Trust the Woman You Are Becoming Real Positive Change Podcast Event is July 13-17,  2026 - ONLINE -  Live Calls @ 4:00 pm Central - Replays Hello friends, and welcome back to Real Positive Change. Today I want to talk about something that has been on my heart for quite a while. Over the past several months, I've become aware of the struggles many women around me are facing. Some have lost their spouse through death. Some are walking through divorce. Others are still married, but life has changed. Their spouse may be dealing with illness, work demands, caregiving responsibilities, or simply unable to carry the added burdens that life has recently presented. Whatever the reason, these women find themselves carrying more than they ever expected. And with that comes a flood of thoughts: "I can't do this." "This is too much." "I don't know what to do." "I have no one to help me." "How am I going to handle all of this?" Maybe you've had some of those thoughts yourself. What strikes me is that the challenge isn't always the situation itself. It's that life has changed, and the woman who used to navigate life in one season is now being asked to navigate a completely different season. What worked before may not work now. The routines are different. The responsibilities are different. The support systems may be different. And often this change is unexpected and unwelcome. Most women naturally ask: "How do I survive being alone?" But I don't think that's the question underneath the question. I think the deeper question is: How do I trust the woman I am becoming? Because change, whether we want it or not, creates a new season. And every new season asks something new of us. Today's main thought is this: Keep the strengths that have shaped you. Release the fears that limit you. Trust God as you become the woman this season requires. I want you to hold onto that thought as we talk today. Because I believe many women spend so much time mourning who they used to be that they never stop to notice who they are becoming. Now don't misunderstand me. Grief is real. Loneliness is real. Disappointment is real. I'm not suggesting we ignore those feelings. In fact, I think part of healing is allowing ourselves to sit with them. To acknowledge them. To honor them. But not to build a permanent home there. You can feel grief without becoming grief. You can feel loneliness without becoming defined by loneliness. You can miss what was while still moving toward what is next. That's a difficult balance. But it is possible. One of the things I've learned over the years is that there is a difference between being alone and feeling alone. Being alone is a circumstance. Feeling alone is an emotional experience. Many women are surrounded by people and still feel completely alone. Others spend large amounts of time by themselves and feel deeply connected to God, friends, family, and purpose. The difference is often found in the stories our mind tells us. When something difficult happens, our brain immediately begins trying to make sense of it. And often those thoughts sound like: "I wasn't prepared for this." "I can't handle this." "I don't know enough." "Everything depends on me." The problem is that those thoughts create fear. Not necessarily because they are true. But because they feel true. And when we feel afraid, our mind wants to solve everything all at once. Have you noticed that? The mind starts racing through next week, next month, next year. It wants guarantees. It wants certainty. It wants a map. But confidence isn't built by solving your entire future. Confidence is built by handling today. One phone call. One bill. One doctor's appointment. One difficult conversation. One decision. One next step. That's it. And honestly, that's good news. Because most of us can manage one step. The problem comes when we try to carry tomorrow, next month, and next year all at the same time. I often think about a flashlight. A flashlight doesn't illuminate the entire road. It illuminates enough for the next few steps. And that's often how God works. He gives us enough light for today. Not because He's withholding something from us. But because He wants us to walk with Him. Not ahead of Him. One of the biggest struggles I see in women during these seasons is trying to figure out what to keep and what to let go of. They know life has changed. They know they can't go back. But they aren't sure what parts of themselves belong in this new season. Here's what I would say. Keep your faith. Keep your compassion. Keep your kindness. Keep your creativity. Keep your resilience. Keep your wisdom. Keep your love for others. Keep your ability to persevere. Those qualities are part of who you are. But maybe it's time to release some things too. Maybe it's time to release the belief that you have to do everything alone. Maybe it's time to release the idea that asking for help is weakness. Maybe it's time to release the belief that your worth comes from how much you do for everyone else. Maybe it's time to release the need to have all the answers before taking action. You see, many of the strategies that protected us in one season become burdens in another. And that's okay. We don't have to criticize the woman we've been. She got us here. She carried us through hard things. She did the best she could with what she knew. We can thank her. And then gently release what is no longer needed. Another thing I want to mention is that healthy thoughts are not the same as positive thinking. Healthy thoughts are realistic thoughts.  They are faith driven thinking. For example: Instead of saying, "I can't do this," you might say, "I haven't done this before, but I can learn." Instead of, "I'm all alone," you might say, "I feel alone right now, but I am not without support." Instead of, "I have to figure out the rest of my life," you might say, "I only need enough light for today." Do you feel the difference? These thoughts don't deny reality. They simply create room for courage. And courage is often what we need most. The truth is, trust isn't built through certainty. Trust is built through evidence. Every difficult conversation you handle. Every challenge you survive. Every new skill you learn. Every obstacle you overcome. You are collecting evidence. Evidence that says: "I can trust myself to figure things out." And more importantly: "I can trust God to meet me here." One of the deepest fears women carry is the question: "What if I don't have what it takes?" But God never asked us to be self-sufficient. He asks us to walk with Him. His promise was never that the road would be easy. His promise was that we would not walk it alone. And that changes everything. Before we finish today, I want to share something exciting. For those of you listening close to the release of this episode, I'm going to be hosting a special online creative retreat called Tiny Book of Becoming: One Small Step at a Time. It's a five-day creative retreat where we'll create a beautiful tiny book together. Each section of the book helps us notice the ways we are growing, learning, trusting, and becoming. It's really going to be an artful journwey A chance to slow down, reflect, create, and collect evidence of God's faithfulness in our lives. If today's message resonates with you, I think you'll absolutely love it. I'll share the details in the show notes. As we close, I want to leave you with this thought: You may not be where you want to be yet. But don't overlook how far you've come. The woman you are becoming may feel unfamiliar. But unfamiliar does not mean incapable. You are not starting from nothing. You are building on a lifetime of faith, wisdom, resilience, creativity, and experience. Keep the strengths that have shaped you. Release the fears that limit you. Trust God as you become the woman this season requires. One day. One decision. One faithful step at a time. Until next time, take good care of yourself, and remember, real positive change happens one thought, one choice, and one small step at a time.

Episode 36 - The Space in between Shame and Blame

The Space Between Shame and Blame The House I've Been Living In Have you ever noticed how quickly we judge ourselves when we're struggling? We tell ourselves we're doing life wrong. We should be happier. We should be stronger. We should have figured this out by now. Or we move in the opposite direction and start blaming someone else. If only they had changed. If only life had been different. If only circumstances had worked out another way. When we are hurting, our mind naturally wants an explanation. Blame points outward. Shame points inward. But there is a third place we can stand. A place right in the middle. And that place is curiosity. In the middle, we still take ownership of our choices, but we stop making ourselves the problem. We set ourselves free. Because there is nothing wrong with you as a person. There is nothing wrong with feeling lonely. Nothing wrong with feeling exhausted. Nothing wrong with feeling disappointed. Nothing wrong with feeling afraid. Your feelings are not evidence that you are failing. They are information. They are invitations to pay attention. Most of us learned ways of thinking, reacting, coping, protecting, pleasing, achieving, withdrawing, controlling, or caretaking because those things served us. The way you've been doing life has been useful. It has gotten you this far. It has protected you. It has helped you survive difficult seasons. So when you begin noticing patterns that no longer serve you, there is no need to attack yourself. You don't need more shame. You don't need another self-improvement project. You don't need another thing on your to-do list. The invitation is simply to become curious. Instead of asking: "What's wrong with me?" Ask: "What story am I living from right now?" That's a very different question. Because now we are not looking for a problem. We are looking for understanding. I often think about it this way. I love the woman I have been up until now. She has carried me through difficult seasons. She has shown up when things were hard. She has done the best she could with what she knew. But life changes. Seasons change. Needs change. And eventually we have to ask: Who do I want to become now? Not because who I've been is wrong. But because life is inviting me into something new. And that's where fear often shows up. Because the version of you that has gotten you this far has worked very hard. She has protected you. She has developed habits and ways of thinking that have served you well. And she will be afraid to let go. The challenge isn't becoming a completely different person. The challenge is letting go of the parts that no longer fit. Not all of her. Just parts of her. And that's scary. Which is why observation is so important. Instead of saying: "I'm doing this wrong." Try saying: "I see that I've done it this way in the past." "I wonder what would happen if I tried something different." Do you feel the difference? One creates shame. The other creates possibility. One closes the door. The other opens it. So rather than becoming the judge of your life, become the observer of your life. Become curious. Become the detective. Like Sherlock Holmes, begin gathering clues. Observe your thoughts. Observe your reactions. Observe your feelings. Ask yourself: What am I believing right now? What am I afraid might happen? What am I trying to protect? What need am I trying to meet? Because underneath every reaction is usually a story. And stories are discovered in layers. Not all at once. Layer by layer. Which is why creativity can be such a beautiful companion in this process. Creative Exercise: The House I've Been Living In This isn't a project to finish. This isn't a project to do perfectly. This is an ongoing conversation with yourself. Begin with a journal page, watercolor paper, or mixed media paper. Start by adding a layer. Torn paper. Paint. Tissue paper. Book pages. Anything you like. Then draw several horizontal lines across your page. Let them gently rise and fall like rolling hills. Imagine they are pathways moving through your life. Choose one line. Somewhere along that path draw a simple house. Nothing fancy. Just a roof. A door. A few windows. This house represents the person you have been up until now. The house you've been living in. Around the house, write words that describe who you've been. Caretaker. Strong. Responsible. Independent. People pleaser. Helper. Provider. Creative. Anxious. Organized. Whatever feels true. As you look at the house, remember: This is not a house to criticize. This is a house to honor. It got you here. It served a purpose. It provided shelter. It protected you. Then continue drawing along your path. Add trees. Lots of trees. Tall trees. Short trees. Skinny trees. Crooked trees. Strong trees. Place them all along your rolling hills. As you draw each tree, simply pause. Take a breath. Listen. Notice what thought, memory, feeling, or word comes to mind. Then write it beside the tree. Don't overthink it. One word is enough. A phrase is enough. A question is enough. Maybe a tree says: Fear. Maybe another says: Lonely. Maybe another says: Loved. Maybe one says: Tired of carrying everything. Maybe another says: What do I want now? There is no right answer. The trees simply become markers along the path. Moments of awareness. Moments of observation. Moments of pause. And here's the important part: You do not need to finish the page. In fact, I hope you don't. Leave room. Come back tomorrow. Add another tree. Add another word. Add another path. Add another layer. Because the story isn't discovered all at once. The story reveals itself slowly. Just like life. One layer at a time. One tree at a time. One question at a time. And as you walk this creative path, notice that you are no longer standing in the boxing ring of shame and blame. You are standing in curiosity. You are standing in compassion. You are standing in grace. And from that place, you can begin creating the next version of yourself—not because there is something wrong with you, but because there is still more of you waiting to be discovered.   This would pair beautifully with your closing thought: "Art gives us a place to observe our story without having to defend it. It calms our nerves and allows the deepest changes to happen.

Episode 35 - Change People Pleasing to Christ Centered Living

You want to be creative, but you are tired of looking for ideas of what to create.  Maybe you time is limited and you would love having a place that you could choose classes from painting to journal making.  Take a moment and click on over to https://cathyfreemanart.com [https://cathyfreemanart.com].  Coming up with ideas of what to create will never be a problem again.  In My Art Sisters, I provide new online classes every month.  Classes are easy to access and always available for our art members.   Take a moment and visit our site.   One of the greatest emotional struggles many people quietly carry is the fear of disappointing others. We do not always call it people-pleasing. Sometimes we call it: being nice , being helpful being easygoing being loving being selfless But underneath it can often be something much deeper: a fear of rejection a fear of conflict a fear of being misunderstood a fear of losing connection a fear of not being loved And what makes this difficult is that many people who struggle with people-pleasing are genuinely kind-hearted people. They care deeply. They are compassionate. Empathetic. Sensitive. Helpful. But somewhere along the way, the nervous system began associating approval with safety. “If everyone is happy with me… then I’m okay.” “If no one is upset with me… then I’m safe.” “If I keep the peace… then I will feel secure.” And because of that, boundaries can feel terrifying. Honesty can feel dangerous. Even simple words like: “No.” “I can’t.” “That doesn’t work for me.” “I need rest.” can create anxiety inside the body. Tightness in the chest. Guilt. Panic. Overexplaining. Fear. Second-guessing. Why? Because the nervous system interprets disapproval as emotional danger. And this is important to understand: People-pleasing is often not simply a personality trait. It is a learned survival strategy. Many people learned early in life to stay emotionally useful. And what I mean by emotionally useful is this: You became highly aware of other people’s emotions. You learned how to: keep the peace avoid conflict comfort others manage tension make life easier for everyone else Maybe being helpful earned approval. Maybe staying quiet avoided criticism. Maybe caretaking created connection. Maybe keeping everyone emotionally comfortable helped you feel secure. So your nervous system slowly built an internal equation: “If people are pleased with me, then I am safe.” But eventually this creates exhaustion. Because you begin carrying everyone else emotionally while quietly abandoning yourself. And this is where resentment often appears. Not because you are selfish. But because the soul can only override its own truth for so long before it becomes emotionally exhausted. And this is where Christ-centered living changes everything. Because healing people-pleasing is not about becoming harsh, selfish, or uncaring. It is about shifting whose approval defines you. When our identity becomes rooted primarily in other people’s reactions, emotions, or opinions, we become emotionally unstable because human approval constantly changes. People are inconsistent. Emotional. Imperfect. Distracted. Sometimes wounded themselves. One day they approve of you. The next day they may misunderstand you. If your peace depends on constant approval, your nervous system will remain trapped in emotional hypervigilance. Always scanning: “Are they upset?” “Did I disappoint them?” “Do they still love me?” “Should I fix this?” “What do they think about me?” That is exhausting. But Christ-centered living slowly teaches the nervous system a different truth: My worth is not determined by human approval. When your heart becomes anchored in Christ instead of approval, something powerful begins happening internally. You stop needing every person to validate you in order to feel okay. Not because you stop caring about people. But because your identity becomes steadier. You begin realizing: I can disappoint someone and still be loved by God. I can set boundaries and still be kind. I can say no without becoming selfish. I can be honest without being cruel. I do not have to abandon myself to maintain temporary peace. That is emotional freedom. And honestly, this work is deeply spiritual because so much of people-pleasing is rooted in fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of conflict. Fear of abandonment. Fear of losing connection. Fear of being “bad.” But scripture repeatedly reminds us: God did not create us to live enslaved to fear. Christ-centered living helps calm the nervous system because it moves us from: “What will everyone think of me?” to: “Am I walking in truth, wisdom, honesty, and love?” That shift changes everything. Now this does not mean boundaries suddenly feel easy. Your nervous system may still react. You may still feel guilt when saying no. You may still feel anxiety when disappointing someone. You may still feel uncomfortable when someone misunderstands you. But now you begin learning how to sit with that discomfort instead of immediately abandoning yourself to remove it. That is growth. Because emotionally mature boundaries often feel uncomfortable before they feel peaceful. Especially for those who spent years overfunctioning emotionally. And this is where we must learn to calm the nervous system spiritually and physically. When you feel the urge to people-please: pause. Breathe slowly. Pray before reacting. Sit quietly with God before immediately fixing everything. Allow the nervous system to settle before responding emotionally. Ask yourself: “Am I acting from love… or from fear?” “Am I helping because I genuinely want to… or because I’m afraid of disappointing someone?” “Am I seeking peace… or am I avoiding discomfort?” Those questions create awareness. And awareness interrupts automatic patterns. This is also where creativity can become deeply healing. Instead of spiraling mentally: paint journal collage stitch write prayers sit with color and quietness Creativity helps regulate the nervous system because it slows the mind and reconnects the body to the present moment. And often when the nervous system calms, clarity returns. One of the healthiest truths a recovering people-pleaser can learn is this: Someone else’s disappointment is not always an emergency. That sentence can feel shocking at first. Especially if your nervous system has spent years trying to keep everyone emotionally comfortable. But Christ never called us to live controlled by fear of human reaction. He called us to live rooted in truth, wisdom, love, peace, and obedience to God. And sometimes obedience requires honesty. Sometimes it requires boundaries. Sometimes it requires disappointing people. Even Jesus disappointed people. Not because He lacked love… but because truth and love are not the same thing as constant approval. That realization is incredibly freeing. Because Christ-centered living is not about becoming emotionally hard. It is about becoming emotionally steady. Gentle without collapsing. Kind without self-erasure. Loving without losing yourself. Honest without guilt controlling you. And perhaps one of the most healing things your nervous system can slowly learn is this: I do not need everyone’s approval to be secure. I am already loved by God. And when that truth becomes deeply rooted inside the heart, people-pleasing slowly begins losing its power. Not overnight. But one honest boundary… one truthful conversation… one peaceful no… one surrendered fear at a time. And maybe that is what true freedom really looks like. Not becoming less loving. But finally becoming free enough to love others without abandoning yourself in the process.