109: How to Get Unstuck and Start REALLY Living with Michelle Petitpas

After experiencing an assault while on duty as a nurse, Michelle Petitpas essentially shut down and stopped living. After years of being stuck in a state of deep depression, anxiety and hopelessness, she woke up one day and decided to truly LIVE her life.

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

• How to shift your mindset from hopelessness and despair to positivity and silver-lining-thinking.
• Why it’s critical to have a positive tribe of like-minded friends.
• Michelle’s secret mindset trick that helped her lose 95 pounds.
• And much more.

Nuggets of Wisdom from Michelle:

“Have courage and be kind.” from Cinderella

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” -Romans 12:2

“I consciously made the decision to not stay stuck anymore. I consciously made the decision to step out of the spot that I was in, and move towards the spot that I want to be in – to live differently than I had lived before. I have to fill my mind with good things, lovely things, pure things, and things that build me up rather than those that tear me down, focusing on positive things rather than negative things. You can find the silver lining in the cloud.”

“I’ve come to realize that sometimes you need to find your support in non-traditional ways. For me, having been brought up in a church, and girl movements for years and years, I knew I had support from strong women. But sometimes, you have to find support from other ways. And those particular ways for me, were being real, telling people that I was struggling, letting my mask off a little, taking down my shield and letting people get under my skin. It was really hard for me and understanding that women who’ve been assaulted naturally put up a bit of a shield around themselves. And sometimes they can be everything for anyone else and not give the attention to themselves that they need.”

“I am now mining for diamonds instead of being a lump of coal.”

Recipes from Michelle:

No Bake Energy Balls

1 Cup Oatmeal
2/3 C Toasted Coconut Flakes
1/2 C PB
1/2 C Ground Flax
1/2 C Semi Sweet Choco Chips
1/3 C honey or Agave Nectar
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

Mix all. Form into bite-sized balls and refrigerate or freeze until eaten.

Breakfast Cookies (from Leelaliscious.com

1/4 C Coconut oil melted
1/4 C honey
1 C Old Fashioned Oasts
1 C Quick Oats
2/3 C unsweetened cranberries
2/3 C Pumpkin Seeds?
1/4 C Ground Flaxseed
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 C pumpkin puree
2 eggs beaten

Mix all. Drop by rounded teaspoon on parchment-covered cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

What does it mean to be a Vibrant Happy Woman?

“Having courage – doing those things that are scary and doing them anyway. Being kind to other people and to yourself as well. Consistent and persistent actions to get you to a happy place. Set yourself up for success. Love yourself enough.”

“You have to find joy in the journey. I guarantee you, when you start focusing on one little thing that you can do for yourself, everyday, it might be buying a lipstick, or going for a walk, having a bath, buying a friend a coffee, driving, or whatever – something that will get you to where you want to be.”

A Challenge from Michelle:

“Choose to live out loud while you are alive. Today is a great day to start living your dreams. You need to look at what they are. Write them down. Do a vision board. Connect with other women. Create a vibrant happy women community around you.”

“Create the life you want because it is all up to you.”

“Be the lighthouse for somebody else – it’s OK if you get off course. Know that light is always within you. Be that light for someone else. Because you might truly be the only light that someone sees at the end of the day.”

Links From This Episode:

• Get in touch with Michelle here: michellepetitpas@gmail.com
• Get a free digital download from Michelle by emailing her at michellepetitpas@gmail.com
• Michelle on Facebook
• jenriday.com/survey (enter for a chance to win $200!)
• Follow Jen Riday on Instagram
• Jen on Facebook
• Real Paper Books
• Anne of Green Gables
• Anything by Brene Brown is high on my list
• I go back TO the Bible regularly. It’s got a lot of good stuff in it.

…and never miss an episode again by signing up for the Vibrant Happy 5 (includes free guided meditation from Jen), which is a weekly digest of quick n' easy bullet points listing everything Jen created the previous week (including Vibrant Happy Women episodes and Happy Bits), plus other self-love-related goodies you'd enjoy. Make your inbox more positive and inspiring by signing up here.

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