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Our Defining Moments

Our Defining Moments

Written by: Mary McClements
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Our Defining Moments: Life has inflection points, moments that send us in a different direction. This podcast is about the moments in our lives — whether exhilarating or devastating, colossal, or minuscule — that changed everything. Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and these defining moments transform us and those around us.Copyright 2022 All rights reserved. Social Sciences
Episodes
  • That’s Not God! The Defiance of a 12 Year Old, Sets his Stage for Life.
    Mar 7 2023

    In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dave Buck. He’s an MBA, master-certified coach, and the CEO of CoachVille. To date, he has around 36,000 members in over 70 countries. He collaborated with Thomas Leonard, the founding father of professional life and business coaching, and was named the 7th most influential person in personal coaching. He is known for his great diversity and strength.

    Dave grew up in a small town called Freehold, New Jersey. During his childhood, his family was very church oriented and at the age of 12, his dad ran into a great deal of stress and seemingly had a breakdown. His Dad renewed himself in the eyes of the Lord and began to preach to Dave.

    However, Dave and his father had different views. Dave believed that the bible and the main character in it was not God, and openly expressed his beliefs, resulting in Dave’s dad shunning him. Although his family stayed intact, the difference in opinion put stress on them all.

    A short time later, Dave got his first glimpse of soccer and became intrigued. He made an effort to play and learn the game. Ultimately, this intrigue triggered a defining moment for him. He realized that if he just looked, he could learn indefinitely.

    The path of choosing for himself and discovering who he is, influenced the type of transformational coach that Dave became. He constantly searches for answers. While coaching, he remains judgment-free and practices awareness. He’s open to ideas while allowing others to believe in what they choose. These days, he’s working on a book called “You Were Born Awesome” in hopes of inspiring others.

    Connect with Coach Dave: https://coachville.com/connect/ceo-dave-buck/

    Sponsored by: https://www.takepassagecoaching.com/

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    45 mins
  • I Had Enough: Cutting off a Family Member. For Good.
    Feb 7 2023

    Today we’re joined by guest Jen Ruddy. Jen shares a little bit about who she is and where she’s at in her life now, before jumping into discussing her defining moment: the moment when she decided to no longer speak to her mother at the age of 34.

    This decision was made after a weekend visit with her mom. They were all on the way to a national park with her mom trailing behind, who ended up getting lost on the way. She was in hysterics when she arrived, convinced that losing her along the way was purposeful. This was when Jen knew she couldn’t take it anymore.

    Jen’s mom does have her own share of trauma and Jen believes she likely chose to have kids to uplift her and encourage her self-esteem. The role of her kids in her life was always to agree with her. If she didn’t get the exact compliment she wanted, all of her kids would get in trouble. Additionally, she always wanted perfectly beautiful, skinny kids. This behavior was difficult to endure.

    Another person Jen had to cut off completely was her first husband. When he tripped her during an outing on purpose, she decided she was done. We often feel like we need to suffer when this isn’t really the case. You have to find the courage you need to move on.

    Over the years, Jen has decided to focus more on enjoying her life and healing her trauma. Making tough decisions has been helpful not just for Jen, but for her family as well. It’s okay to do what is necessary for you to feel safe.

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    24 mins
  • A Mother’s Journey of Self-Discovery and Letting Go. On a Motorcycle.
    Jan 24 2023

    Today’s guest was a high school dropout at 16, a college graduate at 20, and a single mom at 30. She’s been a cook for a broke orchestra, an SEO expert, a yoga teacher, a welder, and so much more. C. Jane Taylor is also the author of the book “Spirit Traffic: A Mother’s Journey of Self-Discovery and Letting Go”.

    Jane Taylor has had such a rich variety of experiences in the work she’s done. So, what do welding and cake-making have in common? Well, they’re both structural in nature. However, she isn’t too concerned about a common thread between her career choices—she’s just a natural learner who’s drawn to discovering new things.

    She also has a passion for motorcycles, which started when she was a kid. Her mother owned a motorcycle shop, and the mechanics there became her babysitters. They were scary-looking, scar-faced rebels who looked after her. While she rode as a child, she hadn’t for a long time until she got her own bike at 50 years old. Spirit Traffic is about the epic cross-country motorcycle trip she took.

    Getting down her driveway on that motorcycle is C. Jane Taylor’s defining moment. It felt like entering a new world—a world where she could go anywhere. It made her realize she could do anything, which would turn out to be the catalyst behind her writing her book.

    At that moment, her perception of herself changed. She accomplished something she wasn’t sure she was capable of. There were so many times she sat at the top of the driveway, too afraid to head down the hill. But at that moment, she found it within herself to continue.

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    34 mins
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