This is My Teacher What is My Lesson

This is My Teacher What is My Lesson

This Is My Teacher. What Is My Lesson? What if the most important lessons in our lives come from the people and experiences we would never have chosen? In this episode of Growing Up Late, I explore a question that has fundamentally changed the way I move through the world: This is my teacher. What is my lesson? Using the ancient story of the Taoist farmer as a guide, I reflect on the mentors, critics, adversaries, disappointments, and life events that shaped me in ways I never expected. Some of my teachers arrived carrying flowers. Others showed up with flamethrowers. Along the way, I share: * What a "frenemy" taught me about finding truth inside criticism * The mentor who became a teacher in more ways than she intended * A surprising lesson about boundaries, relationships, and the difference between healthy limits and cutting people off * How standing my ground in the face of public criticism helped me discover my own authority * The lessons hidden inside divorce, financial collapse, loneliness, and reinvention * Why curiosity is often more useful than judgment I've spent much of my life deciding whether events were good news or bad news. These days, I'm less certain. What if the question isn't whether something is good or bad? What if the better question is: What is this here to teach me? KEY TAKEAWAYS * Some of our greatest teachers arrive in packaging we would immediately return. * Criticism may contain a small piece of truth worth keeping. * Every teacher teaches more than they intend. * Growth often happens when we stop defending our ego and become teachable. * Life's most difficult experiences can leave behind unexpected gifts. * We don't always get to choose our teachers, but we do get to choose whether we learn. REFLECTION QUESTION Think about a person or experience you've labeled as difficult, unfair, disappointing, or painful. If that person or situation was your teacher... What might the lesson be?

Your Life is Already Telling the Truth

Your Life is Already Telling the Truth Episode 8 of Growing Up Late explores awareness, avoidance, and the uncomfortable process of waking up to our own lives. Jeannie reflects on a powerful “168 Hours” exercise that revealed the gap between what she said mattered and how she was actually spending her time. From unopened bills to podcast procrastination, she explores the universal human tendency to avoid discomfort — and the surprising emotional cost that avoidance carries. Along the way, she shares stories, insights, humor, and hard-earned perspective about: * living on autopilot * turning on the observer * procrastination and vulnerability * recurring life lessons * why awareness is ongoing, not one-and-done * and how even chaos may contain “a pony in there somewhere.” This episode is thoughtful, funny, psychologically observant, and deeply human — a reminder that your life may already be telling you the truth, if you’re willing to listen. IN THIS EPISODE: * Anthony DeMello’s “wake up” story * The 168 Hours exercise * Why our behavior reveals more than our intentions * “The carrying cost of avoidance” * Podcast resistance and perfectionism * Pema Chödrön on recurring lessons * Looking for the pony in difficult seasons If this episode resonates with you, please follow, share, and come back next week. We’re just getting started!

The Human Agorithm

The Human Algorithm Emotion makes memory stick. In this deeply reflective episode, Jeannie explores the “human algorithm”, the way our minds feed us more of whatever we focus on most. After years of believing she would always overcome adversity, a devastating personal and financial collapse shifted her thinking into fear, catastrophe, and certainty that everything would fall apart. Using vivid metaphors like a vinyl record stuck in a groove, a terrible movie you can’t stop watching, and thoughts as trains moving through a station, Jeannie examines how emotional loops form and how awareness can begin to interrupt them. At the emotional center of the episode is the story of a fairy garden built from anger, resentment, and a cracked terracotta pot. What began as an outlet for rage slowly became an unexpected lesson in transformation, creativity, and letting go. This episode is about: • catastrophizing and rumination • familiar pain vs. truth • emotional programming • observer mind and awareness • creativity as healing • beginner mind and curiosity • loosening certainty and rebuilding identity Key Quotes: • “Emotion is what makes memory stick.” • “Familiar is not the same thing as true.” • “Not every thought deserves a ticket.” • “Awareness interrupts repetition.” Thank you for listening to Growing Up Late. If this episode spoke to you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone walking their own rebuilding journey.

What Survived the Collapse?

WHAT SURVIVED THE COLLAPSE? What happens after everything falls apart? In this deeply personal episode of Growing Up Late, Jeannie reflects on the collapse of the life she thought she was supposed to rebuild — and the surprising things that survived instead. From a crack in the house that now feels symbolic to an emotional breakdown in the grocery store snack aisle, this episode explores identity, reinvention, self-worth, and the quiet process of learning who you are when no one else’s preferences are shaping your life. Jeannie shares: * Why hardship doesn’t build character — it reveals it * The moment she realized she no longer knew what she actually liked * How honey roasted peanuts became a symbol of rediscovery * The unexpected freedom that can emerge from collapse * Why “the audacity of organic raspberries” became a personal philosophy * How rebuilding wasn’t about returning to who she used to be — but becoming someone more honest and authentic This episode is about trying things on: Ideas. Food. Friendships. Beliefs. Boundaries. Dreams. And learning that sometimes the collapse is not the end of the story — it’s the beginning of finally becoming yourself. If you’ve ever had to rebuild after loss, divorce, disappointment, burnout, or a life transition you never saw coming, this conversation will resonate deeply. Because sometimes what survives the collapse is the real you. #GrowingUpLate #Reinvention #PersonalGrowth #DivorceRecovery #WomenRebuilding #Authenticity #SelfWorth #LifeAfterLoss #Podcast

The Humbling | Starting Over After Losing Everything

THE HUMBLING In this episode of Growing Up Late, Jeannie shares what happened after the house was sold and the life she knew was gone. Sitting alone in a mostly empty house, surrounded by memories, she begins to face the full emotional weight of starting over. Grief, shame, anger, fear, uncertainty. No plan. No clarity. Just the realization that life had changed completely. Then came the bank. What was supposed to be a simple fresh start turned into another devastating setback when Jeannie learned that money she desperately needed was suddenly gone. With few options left, she found herself digging through a shoebox filled with currency collected from years of world travel, hoping it would be enough to begin again. This episode is about: * rebuilding after collapse * learning humility * letting go of pride * redefining success * taking the next step before you feel ready * and discovering that resilience sometimes looks a lot less glamorous than we imagine From washing her hair with bar soap to learning entirely new skills and rebuilding a life from the ground up, Jeannie reflects on the quiet, difficult, deeply human reality of starting over. And how sometimes… the humbling becomes the beginning. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS * Sitting alone in the empty house after the sale * The “House of Usher” realization * The devastating bank account moment * Funding a new life with a shoebox of global currency * Being “overqualified” while desperately needing work * Taking small jobs and learning new skills * The emotional reality behind the “bar soap” moment * Discovering resilience through action instead of confidence MEMORABLE QUOTE > “I didn’t have everything I needed, but I always had enough to take the next step.” CTA Follow Growing Up Late and join Jeannie each week as she shares honest stories about rebuilding, reinvention, financial sovereignty, identity, resilience, and creating a life you never expected—but grow to love.