Get ready for THE TRUE NORTH COLLECTIVE℠ PODCAST: SEASON 4! With co-hosts Rachel Bellotti (she/her) and Jenell Riesner (she/her), this is a gathering of un-sugar-coated conversations celebrating the untold stories of everyday people fearlessly finding and living their true north. 

In our own search to discover and live from our TRUE NORTH, we continue to meet many interesting, courageous people from all walks of life, doing all sorts of amazing things to live life in their own unique way. Stories from all over the world. Stories with heart. Stories with grit. Stories with plot twists. Stories going untold - until now. This season, we continue to celebrate these untold stories of everyday people who are fearlessly living their true north and inspiring each of us to do the same.

Today, we have Lori Marini, an ICF ACC motivational coach, author, and speaker who specializes in empowering women during their healing journey after a life crisis. She is the founder and owner of Lori Marini Coaching + host of Conversations with Courageous Cancer Warriors (check out our episode here where Rachel shares her story). Lori is a cancer survivor and has a Masters in Health Science as a Pathologist Assistant and has worked in the academic hospital system as a tumor expert for 20 years. We talk about heritage + understanding your ancestral lineage, hiding who you are to avoid being made fun of, following your heart, making little adventures every day, cancer’s impact on authenticity, being in integrity with who you are, sacrificing and letting go to get what you want, the roles we think we have to play, the realities of sharing your story, making choices in alignment with who YOU are, co-triggering those you love, and honesty. This is an inviting episode that begs the question of whether you are operating from your ego or your true self and gives permission to bring some respectful lightness to the heavier subject matter. We are honored to host, Lori, and know you’ll love her as much as we do. <3

*note: this episode includes explicit language appropriate for those ages 16+

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• #amplifymelanatedvoices @followthecent
• #amplifymelanatedvoices @blackfemaletherapists
• #amplifymelanatedvoices @blackandembodied
• Music from: https://www.jukedeck.com/

3 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Who you are is shaped by where you come from and your lineage. Yet, many of us don’t have any idea about the stories of our ancestors and our family lines. Just as we can learn from our societal histories, so can we learn about who we are today by taking the time to trace back and unpack who we are from a familial generational perspective. If not, we are actually missing key information and are untethered from major generational realities that live within and through us. What can you do today to start to discover who you are by way of your own ancestral story?
2. What if you CAN? What if you are fully capable of doing that thing that you want to do? Just because you haven’t had someone in your community or family do it before doesn’t mean that you cannot be the first one to give it a go. What would it take for you to shoot your shot? To go for it even if it turned out not how you expected, you will always learn SOMETHING. And if you never do it, you will ALWAYS wonder. So, what if you COULD do it? What next step would you take towards that thing if you assumed it was possible for you to do it?
3. There is choice in every single moment. And the only right choice is the one that is in alignment with who you are + who you want to be. No one can tell you what that is but you. Anyone that tells you what they think is right is projecting their own choice onto you and no matter how much you respect them, it is never the right choice for you unless it feels truly in alignment with your truest self. What can you do to slow down, connect inwards, take a deep breath and listen to your inner voice that is trying to guide you?

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [2:20] How do you know who you are if you don’t know where you came from?
• [15:29] AD: The 3rd episode of That Girl Got Ghosted is now live! This is Jenell’s YouTube Series where she takes her Tinder dates to haunted hotels and films them for our viewing pleasure. The idea for this series is a mashup of the Bachelor meets Catfish meets Ghost Adventures. Check it out here!
• [16:26] Welcome, Lori!
• [20:00] Following your gypsy heart
• [22:00] Making little adventures in your everyday life
• [27:00] How has cancer impacted your authenticity?
• [30:40] Taking the risk 
• [33:45] Before/After - pivotal moments that change you
• [36:00] Making things work for you
• [39:00] Letting go to get what you truly want
• [41:00] Battle between your ego + true self
• [44:08] Being clear + at peace with where you are?
• [45:00] Environmental influence on your TRUE NORTH
• [51:26] AD: Quick shout out to Soheila, the Chief Content Officer for the IsThatSoh! Podcast. The TRUE NORTH COLLECTIVE recently made a guest appearance + we talked about how to hold space for the real + difficult shit, like cancer, trauma, and the darker parts of your story with people in your life. It is a vulnerable and beautiful dialogue that we hope will inspire more people to keep sharing their realities, even when it might seem like too much. It isn’t. Listen here + give Soheila a follow, a like, a share, some love because she’s up to big things!
• [52:30] The role we think we have to play vs who we truly are
• [58:00] It doesn’t matter whether you stay or go, it matters that you listen to what’s right for you
• [1:03:00] What’s the decision that I actually need to make right now?
• [1:06:00] The realities of sharing your story
• [109:00] Taking things personally that aren’t personal
• [1:11:30] The ego is NOT bad
• [1:17:00] Honesty + co-triggering each other
• [1:23:00] How do you live your TRUE NORTH in 1 word?
• [1:23:20] Connect with Lori via lorimarini.com or via IG @lorimarinilgs