Stories From Women Who Walk

Hello to you listening all around the world!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and quite a bit more) for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.My choice for today’s episode is to use my voice as a political choice by bringing to you The Hill We Climb, a poem by Amanda Gorman, the nation's first-ever youth poet laureate, read during the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021.Read full text of The Hill We Climb HEREWatch Amanda Gorman read her poem at the 2021 Inauguration HEREWatch Amanda Gorman’s 2018 TED Talk "Using Your Voice Is a Political Choice" HERE In this fierce talk and performance from TED-Ed Weekend, she explains why poetry is inherently political, pays homage to her honorary ancestors and stresses the value of speaking out despite your fears. "Poetry has never been the language of barriers," Gorman says. "It's always been the language of bridges."Access Poetry in America - Student Lesson and Teacher Materials HERE Watch James Corden's interview with Amanda Gorman on Jan 21, 2021 HERE Check out Amanda Gorman's book "Something, Someday" HERE You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn, as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Asheboro, North Carolina!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Maybe like me you’ve dreamt of your life changing. You want this or that or the other thing to be different. Maybe even a clean slate. Start all over again. New place, new job, new partner.But what if nothing changes. Nothing except the way you act. What if you looked at all the miracles and mistakes of your life and decided that - for right now - you would begin to practice living as if what you wanted to change had changed.Story Prompt: Imagine this: nothing in your Life changed as you wished it to, but you acted as if it had changed. What happened next? Write that story!Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is you have a story.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn, as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, and now on Pandora Radio!Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Seal Beach, California!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga. I remember hearing about a woman who sat down at the bar in a pub, placed her order, turned to the person sitting next to her and said, “Hello.” When he turned to her she asked: "What is something you are really satisfied about?" Why does that story stand out in my mind? Because everything in our personal and professional lives rests on our willingness to connect and engage as well as our ability to communicate.Nothing communicates better than your heartfelt story artfully told in your own voice designed to connect, engage and influence your audience. When you have your origin/personal brand story well in hand you can:Declare what you do, how you do it, for whom, and the benefit of your product or service;Give your elevator pitch in a clear, concise, and confident manner;Invite your clients to feel the way you do about your business;Clarify your ideas and amplify your message to the audience who needs to hear it; and Simplify the process so you stand out from the noise.This calls for a Story Architect. Let’s have a 20-minute, no pressure, no sales, no obligation Discovery Chat. Email me at [email protected] OR DM me on LinkedIn and let me know how I can help.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn, as Wyzga on Words on Substack, and now on Pandora Radio!Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening on Orcas Island, Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.I volunteer as a story docent at Admiralty Head Lighthouse. Sailing in from the Pacific Ocean through the treacherous Strait of San Juan de Fuca ship captains would look for the blazing lighthouse beacon 127 feet above Admiralty Inlet warning them to steer a hard right to starboard, avoid the cliffs, and continue safely south to Puget Sound and on into Seattle, Washington. How did the captain know he was seeing Admiralty Head Lighthouse? Each lighthouse - no matter where in the world - has its very own distinctive light pattern, or signature. Like your fingerprints. Lighthouses mark points of navigation, warn about dangerous coastlines, and guide boats into safe harbor.But no one harbor serves all boats. Different boats - different harbors. Lighthouses don’t chase boats; why do you chase clients?Ask yourself: What is it only you have to offer? Who needs it and wants it? How will you attract your particular client with your own distinctive beacon of light? And, how will they know you are signaling them? Once you have your answers, you will be well on your way to business success. Guaranteed!CTA: If you’re looking for someone to help navigate you and your message, contact me on LinkedIn or Quarter Moon Story Arts for a no-sales, complimentary consult. You’re invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn, as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, and now on Pandora Radio! Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

Hello to you listening in Glossop, Derbyshire, England!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Tuesdays are a respite for me. A chance to contemplate for a moment the beauty of a world that might seem to have turned its back on all things beauty-full. I seek out poetry - some I understand - some I ponder as a wander, as with this poem by Czeslaw Milosz entitled “Love”: Love“Love means to learn to look at yourselfThe way one looks at distant thingsFor you are only one thing among many.And whoever sees that way heals his heart,Without knowing it, from various ills—A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.Then he wants to use himself and thingsSo that they stand in the glow of ripeness.It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves:Who serves best doesn’t always understand.” It is no wonder this Nobel Prize-winning poet also wrote these lines:“Not that I want to be a god or a heroJust to change into a tree,Grow for ages, not hurt anyone.” [Czeslaw Milosz] Question: Who are you aspiring to be, to change into? You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Start-up Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn, as Wyzga on Words on Substack, and now on Pandora Radio!Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Hercules, California!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Recently I had the opportunity to share the mic with my friend and colleague Dr. Keith McNally on his popular podcast, The Question Guy! One Story at a Time. During our value-packed 30 minutes Keith and I shared stories about: Resilience,Falling down 7 - Getting up 8,Faith, Family, Friends, and Surviving to Thrive; andForging a New Path.Click HERE to Access the YouTube link. CTA: Tune in when you can. You'll enjoy the listening. And while you’re there make sure to like, comment with nice words and subscribe!You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Start-up Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn, as Wyzga on Words on Substack AND now on Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Post Falls, Idaho!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t but once there was a soldier walking home from the war. He had been walking many days, sleeping rough, eating little, and was very hungry. He stumbled into a small village that looked worse than he felt but surely, he thought, someone could spare a bite to eat. He knocked at the first door he came to but the woman who answered his knock said ......How we treat each other, help each other, brings people together, makes food taste better, makes life better. Going into the coming days we will need each other like never before. We will need to feed each other with stone soups and nourishing stories.Story Prompt: Think of a time when you were nourished by someone or something that felt as magical as ..... stone soup! Write that story! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Verbier, Switzerland!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga. Maybe like me you keep pursuing your angels for a guide to important work. I want to do important work; but what is important work?A story by Kai Skye of Flying Edna shows me important work is more than what I thought it is. I’d like to share an Everyday Angels words with you."I want to do important work, I said ...... Tap this LINK to purchase a copy of the Everyday Angels art and story created by Kai Skye of Flying Edna. You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Ferndale, Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.Earlier in life I had tendencies toward behaving like a spring-butt. You know the type. The over-eager know-it-all with her hand in the air. Teacher! Teacher! I know! I know! Think Hermione Granger in the early years of Harry Potter. Over time I learned to take to heart what my mother always said: “Just because you thought of something, Diane, doesn’t mean you have to say it.” I can still hear her voice as mom continues to pull me back from “I know! I know!” Practical Tip: Prompted by Jim Burke in a recent BizCatalyst 360 Friendship Bench discussion, I offer 3 questions that might have the same effect on you that mom’s voice has on me:Does it need to be said?Does it need to be said now?Does it need to be said by me? To be continued because ..... I still have learning and practice to do.....You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in St. Paul, Minnesota!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories from Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.While I don’t go for Begin Anew resolutions I’ve found that I can do pretty well with a factory reset. Those who have been following me for some years now have heard me seeking the genuine in life, women having a voice in the world, letting go of the unnecessary, and making room for what nourishes in these finite days of a human life.What’s my factory re-set for 2025? Advice to Myself by Louise Erdrich whose writing and wisdom I have coveted since reading Love Medicine in 1984. Perhaps her poem will reset something wild and unexpected in you. Advice to MyselfLeave the dishes. Let the celery rot in the bottom drawer of the refrigeratorand an earthen scum harden on the kitchen floor.Leave the black crumbs in the bottom of the toaster.Throw the cracked bowl out and don't patch the cup.Don't patch anything. Don't mend. Buy safety pins.Don't even sew on a button.Let the wind have its way, then the earththat invades as dust and then the deadfoaming up in gray rolls underneath the couch.Talk to them. Tell them they are welcome.Don't keep all the pieces of the puzzlesor the doll's tiny shoes in pairs, don't worrywho uses whose toothbrush or if anythingmatches, at all.Except one word to another. Or a thought.Pursue the authentic—decide firstwhat is authentic,then go after it with all your heart.Your heart, that placeyou don't even think of cleaning out.That closet stuffed with savage mementos.Don't sort the paper clips from screws from saved baby teethor worry if we're all eating cereal for dinneragain. Don't answer the telephone, ever,or weep over anything at all that breaks.Pink molds will grow within those sealed cartonsin the refrigerator. Accept new forms of lifeand talk to the deadwho drift in through the screened windows, who collectpatiently on the tops of food jars and books.Recycle the mail, don't read it, don't read anythingexcept what destroysthe insulation between yourself and your experienceor what pulls down or what strikes at or what shattersthis ruse you call necessity.""Advice to Myself" by Louise Erdrich from Original Fire. © Harper Collins Publishers, 2003. PDF in Library of CongressYou’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Lutz, Florida! (City tour on YouTube)Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Today we’re celebrating Epiphany - a time of revelations - and what I’d like to reveal to you is the launch of a wonderful new book by my friends and fellow Camino travelers, Dennis and Ali Pitocco. Their book “Rites of Passage: Through the Landscape of Our Souls” is NOW ON AMAZON.For those who are curious about walking a Camino you will learn that while you can prepare for a pilgrimage it is only by walking one that you let go of what no longer works for you and become who you were sent here to be.The detailed essay posted by Dennis J. Pitocco on January 1, 2025 reveals what you can expect from their Camino journey of 40 days, 500 miles and 1,300,000 steps: walking, talking, laughing, crying, praying, and witnessing. You can read his essay in its entirety in the Episode Notes where you will also find a link to purchase your own copy of Rites of Passage on Amazon, with proceeds going to American Pilgrims on the Camino. ESSAY Forty days. Five hundred miles. One million, three hundred thousand footsteps echoing across ancient stones. We emerged transformed, our spirits awakened to life’s true purpose. The path became a mirror, reflecting our authentic selves and our place in the vast tapestry of existence. In the end, we realized that the Camino wasn’t just a journey across Spain, but a pilgrimage through the landscapes of our souls.We walked through dawn mists that cloaked the Pyrenees in ethereal light, through sun-drenched Spanish mesetas where shadows stretched like memories across endless golden fields, and through ancient forests where pilgrims’ footsteps had worn smooth paths in the earth for a thousand years before us.We talked with strangers who became family, sharing stories in broken Spanish and perfect smiles, with ourselves in those long stretches of solitude where the mind finally quiets enough to hear the whispers of the heart, with the ghosts of pilgrims past, their presence palpable in the worn stones of medieval bridges and the cool shadows of Romanesque churches.We laughed at blisters that mapped our journey across tender feet, at the absurdity of carrying our lives in backpacks, at the joy of simple pleasures – a cold fountain on a hot day, a warm bed after miles of rain, the taste of rustic bread shared with fellow travelers in the fading light of day.We cried for the weight of burdens finally laid down, for lost companions who never made it to Santiago, and for all those whose journeys ended too soon, leaving behind empty beds in albergues and half-finished stories in our hearts.We prayed not always with words, but with footsteps, with breath, with the rhythm of walking poles against ancient stone. Prayer became as natural as breathing – in the silence of pre-dawn departures, in the golden light of cathedral windows, in the simple act of placing one foot before another, again and again and again.We witnessed nature’s symphony – the wind through wheat fields conducting an orchestra of rustling leaves, the percussion of raindrops on stone walls, the soprano calls of unseen birds, and yes, that rare and precious gift: the absolute silence that exists only in places where the modern world hasn’t yet laid claim.Our story is not merely a travelogue of our journey from the French Pyrenees to the fields of Galicia, but of a transformation. Our memories, like the path itself, wind and weave, double back and leap forward, and we honor this fluidity by allowing our story to seamlessly flow between what happened and what might have happened, between what we saw with our eyes and what we knew with our hearts."The true Camino de Santiago begins when you finish it."We invite you now to shoulder your own pack, to step onto this ancient path with us. Come walk the Camino de Santiago through our eyes, our hearts, our transforming souls. Let us be your companions as you discover, as we did, that every pilgrimage is both universal and uniquely personal, that every step takes you both forward and inward, and that the real distance covered is not measured in miles but in epiphanies.CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR COPY OF “RITES OF PASSAGE” ON AMAZONThis is our story, but it could be yours. The path awaits.Author’s note: All proceeds from Book sales (net of actual publishing costs) will be donated to American Pilgrims on the Camino, a Charity Navigator 4-star-rated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster the enduring tradition of the Camino by supporting its infrastructure, by gathering pilgrims together, and by providing information and encouragement to past and future pilgrims.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Mea

Hello to you listening in Port Talbot, Wales!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.The old year has turned and the new one is barely awake. We’re standing on the portal of Begin Anew balanced between what was and what will be. To give yourself a bit of direction for the unwritten future use this 3-part template to celebrate the challenges you have overcome, the doubts you have erased, and the fears you have undone. Three phrases and you fill in the blanks, like so: If you had told me 20 years ago that I would [fill in the blank]I might have [fill in the blank]but instead if you could see me now I’m [fill in the blank].Here’s mine: If you had told me 20 years ago that I would walk 500 miles across Spain estoy solo on pilgrimage I might have shaken my head in disbelief at such a ridiculous notion but instead if you could see me now I’m set free deserving of what I have loved all along. Story Prompt: Now you. Write that story!You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Doha, Qatar!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Imagine this: you have an image of an idea but don't know how to translate that into words or action.With over 40 years of public speaking as a storyteller, educator, attorney, and keynoter I’ve learned how to listen the story out of you so that you develop your story message in your own voice, in your own words, in your own way.Truth whispers; everything else shouts. Your voice may sound like a whisper; but it is our truth we are often struggling to express. It’s time to get out from under the burden of not being heard, understood or listened to.My clients have discovered how to share their values, purpose and vision confidently, decisively, standing in the power of their own words.I can help you craft the stories for the future you want to create so that you empower those around you to unbalance the status quo, shift attitudes, behaviors, cultures on a deeply human, engaged level.CTA: Curious? Let’s have a no-obligation conversation. E-mail me to get your 2025 off to a storied start!You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening on this first day of the future 2025! What will come will come; let’s prepare to greet it “heads high and hearts open.” [PlutoLiving] Perhaps you are feeling apprehensive, open, poised for the race ahead, curious, or, even a little stranded as 2025 makes its way toward you. I have a suggestion because what you’re looking for is looking for you:Lost"Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside youAre not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,Must ask permission to know it and be known.The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,I have made this place around you.If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.No two trees are the same to Raven.No two branches are the same to Wren.If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knowsWhere you are. You must let it find you." [David Wagoner]From Traveling Light: Collected and New Poems. Copyright 1999 by David Wagoner. Used with permission of the University of Illinois Press.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Svendborg, Sweden!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.After almost 5 years and over 1,250 podcast episodes on the airwaves what have I learned in another year’s worth of podcasting? This much I know: I write to be heard. I believe in the music of the spoken word and the power of the human voice to connect. For those of you around the world in our global community you know I’ve been living my life out loud. I’ve been working out the deeper parts of my life story in public to become the best voice of myself I can be. I believe I’m called to use my voice to inform, heal, delight, illuminate, provoke, and push back on injustice, and ignorance. Why? Because if I live on a superficial level I live shallow and out of reach of the gold coins in the deep well of my life. My podcast episodes call me to write myself into being a better person; but I don’t do it alone. I rely on you. I rely on faith, family, friends, and books. To me books are the bread of life. They help fill in the gaps of what I don’t know or have yet to imagine. Someone said that writers are beggars who tell other beggars where we found bread. My episodes are a means of breaking bread with you, sharing it in the hope that you will wave to me and say, “What! You, too! I thought I was the only one.” [C.S.Lewis]Question: What have you learned in another year’s worth of the work you offer to the world?You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Cairo, Eqypt!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.“What if we could accept periods of rest? “Being” is as essential as “doing”. Enjoy life in its different phases, in its changing colours and moods. Watch the perfect pattern unfold and develop.It is not what you say that matters. It is what you are and how you live. Accept these periods of rest. Your inner guidance will make it clear when it is necessary for you to go into action.” [Findhorn Foundation]Question: What one small gift might you give to your own good self to accept a period of rest for now?Tune in to hear our Chorus Tree Frogs, the state frog of the Great State of Washington: You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn and now Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Mobile, Alabama!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga Once in a land far away there was a farmer. His most treasured possession was a fine stallion. Oh, said the neighbors: what good fortune! Perhaps, said the farmer.One night the stallion ran off in a storm. Oh no, said the neighbors, what a disaster. Perhaps, said the farmer........For more, tune in to listen - this could happen to you. Story Prompt: When have disaster and good fortune met up to turn your world around and how did you choose which would win out? Write that story! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn, and now on Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Casablanca, Morocco!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Recently, one of my global listeners wrote say “Thank You” for continuing to produce this podcast. I’m sharing this unexpected delight with you to say “Thank you!” from down here on the knees of my heart for our community going and growing around the world! This is what she wrote:“Thank You! for so consistently generating healing, illuminating, provocative, meaningful, and inspiring content. Thank You! for creating a global community of listeners who are encouraged to actively share hopeful, life-affirming stories, puzzling stories, difficult stories, all the while believing in the possibility of life going on with grace and humor despite these times of chaos and discord. Thank You! for your words and voice to soothe our souls, like a lighthouse that beckons us to safe harbor.”Practical Tip: Take a moment to share a Thank You! today with someone on your life who steadfastly listens, supports, encourages, delights, inspires and gives you very good reason to keep on going.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn, and now on Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening where your feet touch the ground! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey Christmas Day and your host, Diane Wyzga. Years ago I learned to tell this story by heart because it became extra special to me when I was dating a fellow named Alan who took me on a cross-country skiing weekend at the Garnet Hill Lodge in upstate New York. Since then not a Christmas goes by that I don’t get to tell it in domestic abuse shelters, libraries, family gatherings, anywhere that story is welcome. So settle in all comfy and listen.From my home here on Whidbey Island to you where your feet touch the ground I wish you and yours a time to celebrate our hearts growing three sizes this day! Let us be of Love a little more careful than anything else this Season! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn, and now on Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello, to you listening in Parramatta, Australia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.No matter who you are, where you are, and how you are celebrating (or not) the various end-of-year holidays, this remains - if we make it so - the Season of Love. Let’s be of Love a little more careful than anything else just now. Together if we practice Each One Lift One we will be better for it. Guaranteed! Question: What might happen when we practice "Each One Lift One"?You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn, and now on Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Estacada, Oregon!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Recently I had the privilege of sharing the mic with my friend and colleague, Deborah Kevin of STORYTELLHER podcast to delve into the profound connections between our personal stories, values, and identities as women. Have you ever questioned the origin of your story and how it defines you? Perhaps you’ve felt detached from your own narrative. If you’re curious about how to reclaim and resonate with your true self, this episode is for you!What to expect in this episode:• How Diane's experiences in law school helped her develop confidence.• The transformative power of storytelling and the interconnectedness of human experiences.• What does "be your story" mean, and how does this concept relate to your identity?• A method to help women reconnect with their values and purpose as women.Watch and/or listen to the full episode on these platforms:YouTubeiTunes Podcast Spotify Amazon Music CONTACT Deborah KevinChief Inspiration Officer, Highlander Presstel: 410-627-9670website: www.highlanderpressbooks.come-mail: [email protected]: https://www.youtube.com/@DeborahKevinAuthor You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, LinkedIn, and now on Pandora RadioStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in The Bronx, New York City, New York!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.There are promises we make and promises we break; but for those promises we keep there are untold joys we could not have imagined. As in this story. Settle in to listen. This could happen to you.A Christmas Love Story Story Prompt: A promise is a promise. When did you keep a promise that turned out even better than you could have imagined? Write that story! 60 Seconds is your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Lake Villa, Illinois!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.As the old ones say, “If we are not grateful for what we have in this present moment, what makes us think we will be happy with more?” Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t but long ago and far away there lived a man in a small country village. He had everything he had ever asked for: friends, livelihood, wife, family - and yet and yet something was stirring in him: Looking around he asked himself, Is this all there is? Perhaps he was meant for something more. Perhaps he should go and seek it.One summer morning he left his home, carefully closed the garden gate behind him and walked away. He walked for miles and miles until he could no longer see where he had been. Night fell and he found himself deep in a dark forest. Having no other shelter he took off his shoes, spread his coat on the ground, and fell asleep against the trunk of a tree for he was very tired.Watching him sleep his angel shook her head at the folly of his adventure. But what could she do? She could turn his shoes around facing them back in the direction from which he came. And so she did.When the man awoke he pulled on his coat, put his feet into his shoes and began to walk. After many miles of walking the man began to see familiar fields, a few farmhouses, a village - all looking very much like what he had left; but how could that be? People in the village market greeted him as if he was familiar to them; but how could that be? Arriving at a cottage with a garden gate he was startled to be greeted by children and a woman as if he were their long lost father and husband; but how could that be? They welcomed him inside, took off his shoes, sat him at a table very much like one he knew, fed him food that tasted like home; but how could that be?To this very day the man lives with that family in that home in that village and wonders, if this isn’t happiness, what is? Practical Tip: As the old ones say, “If we are not grateful for what we have in this present moment, what makes us think we will be happy with more?” 60 Seconds is your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Lake Chelan, Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. Unpacking boxes of Christmas decorations the other day I came upon a faded red folder I had first received in early December of my freshman year when I was away at college. It held faded multi-colored sheets of construction paper. On a side of each one was carefully glued the face of a re-purposed Christmas greeting card and under each card was text in mom’s careful Palmer style handwriting. A poem, a quote, a few favorite remembered lines. The cover sheet reads: “Kris Kringle Vitamins One-a-Day Brand. Take 1 while supplies last.” It was mom’s way of helping me prepare for the Christmas Season so I didn’t get lost in the bright lights of the HoliDazed. This is the verse I read today:“The weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him, and which worthily used, will be a gift to his race forever.”Question: What particular gift of yours will be a gift to your race forever? 60 Seconds is your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Madrid, Spain!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.It’s that time of year when it feels like the hurrier we go the behinder we get. I have a solution for you. For just a moment let’s breathe and practice keeping still with Pablo Neruda. KEEPING QUIET Now we will count to twelveand we will all keep stillfor once on the face of the earth,let’s not speak in any language;let’s stop for a second,and not move our arms so much. It would be an exotic momentwithout rush, without engines;we would all be togetherin a sudden strangeness. Fishermen in the cold seawould not harm whalesand the man gathering saltwould look at his hurt hands. Those who prepare green wars,wars with gas, wars with fire,victories with no survivors,would put on clean clothesand walk about with their brothersin the shade, doing nothing. What I want should not be confusedwith total inactivity.Life is what it is about;I want no truck with death. If we were not so single-mindedabout keeping our lives moving,and for once could do nothing,perhaps a huge silencemight interrupt this sadnessof never understanding ourselvesand of threatening ourselves with death. Perhaps the earth can teach usas when everything seems deadand later proves to be alive. Now I’ll count up to twelveand you keep quiet and I will go." [by Pablo Neruda]Translation of this poem by Pablo Neruda is by Alistair Reed60 Seconds is your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Millinocket, Maine!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday.In 1955 she sewed a sack out of old denim and stuffed it with “a blanket, a plastic shower sheet, a cup, a canteen and baby bottle for water, a small pot, a spoon, a Swiss Army knife, a first-aid kit, pins, flashlight, a piece of rope, a raincoat, a warm coat, a change of clothes and Keds sneakers.” She set out from her home in Ohio telling her children she was going for a walk. And walk she did. 2,050 miles. Alone. On the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Her diet for the most part was raisins, nuts, chicken bouillon cubes, berries and leaves she found along the way. Her bed was often a pile of leaves, a picnic table, maybe a stranger’s barn or porch. After 5 months in the wilderness Grandma Emma Gatewood reached Mount Katahdin, Maine. She was 67 years old.Not one to retire, Gatewood returned to thru-hike the AT again; she was 69 years old. Several years later she hiked the trail for a third time, in sections. This wasn’t the end of her walking; more like the beginning.Question: What wonderful longing beckons you to begin? 60 Seconds is your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Yamaguchi, Japan!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and closer to 9 minutes) for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t, but long ago and far away there lived a fisherman and his wife. ......For more, tune in to listen - this could happen to you. Story Prompt: When has something or someone wonderful come to you unexpectedly during a time of loss, or sadness or despair and that turned everything around? Write that story! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Skagit Valley, Washington! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Decades ago when I was in college in New England and mom was a teacher in New Jersey she would mail items of interest, comic strips, bits of this and that she expected I might enjoy. I still have this poem typed on a faded green sheet of paper and mailed during the Advent Season. Why am I sharing it with you? Regardless of our religious beliefs, creeds, leanings, and so on, one can’t help but wonder about the story they say took place some 2,000 years ago. Mom's PoemYou’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Morden, Manitoba Canada!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds (and a bit more)for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane WyzgaIt’s been years and years but I’ve never forgotten that moment in time when my baby brother, Paul and I were in the kitchen washing up the dishes after Easter Sunday dinner at the family home. I was riding high then, flush with success in Lightning Rod Communications, my nationally-recognized litigation consulting firm. I had been going on and on about the good work I was doing, the income I was earning, and so on and so forth, as we do, when he asked me: “But are you flourishing?”Interesting word, flourishing, from the Latin & Old French meaning to blossom, to flower, to grow. I forget what I said in response; but my long ago answer doesn’t matter because his question keeps coming around: "Are you flourishing?"Some of you might feel frustrated that I’m not offering an answer, maybe feel I’m holding back something of myself. The truth of it is my answer today is my clue to finding another hidden treasure in my Origin Story.Question: What about you? Where and how are you flourishing? And, if not, how will you create the conditions to flourish?CTA: Consider beginning with your Origin Story: how you got from There to Here and why that matters. As you learn to say what you mean and mean what you say your story will leverage your business, bring your wisdom and experiences to bear, and offer a guiding light to other women who are ready to create and share their Origin Story. If you need a hand up, let’s have a short Meet & Greet conversation. DM me on LinkedIn or email me at [email protected]’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Start-up Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn and as "Wyzga on Words" on SubstackStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Santiago, Chile, S. America!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.I cobbled together a short list of questions to muse upon as I go walking for the hope, comfort and healing the answers might reveal to me. Perhaps they would be of use to you:1. What dreams did I manifest today?2. Where did my eyes linger?3. Where was I blind?4. How could I have risked something different?5. What charmed me?Question: What have you been musing on to comfort, heal and be of hope? Email me at [email protected] to share your thoughts. You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Start-up Session,✓ Stay current with Diane as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack and on LinkedIn.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Warsaw, Poland!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Recently, I had the pleasure of sharing the mic with my Canadian friend and colleague Beverley Glazer of Reinvent Impossible, Inc. who helps “woman over 50 discover their true purpose, to reinvent themselves and live a life with meaning, passion, and fulfillment.” Together Beverley and I are helping women who desire to rewrite their narrative, speak their truth, and discover just how influential their Origin Story can be for beginning anew, human connection, engagement, and leadership.If you are curious about exploring courage, resilience, and the undeniable ripple effect of embracing all the potential that is your origin story, to connect more deeply with yourself and others this episode is for you! Join us and be inspired!Highlights:• Diane's resilient journey from incest survivor to professional story activist wielding her voice as a tool for change;• The unstinting pursuit of engagement and authenticity in a world that often encourages women to be anything but;• The crucial role of reclaiming your voice no matter what you're going through;• How overcoming personal challenges and fears can lead to a life filled with adventure and purpose; and• How storytelling is not JUST expression, but a powerful medium that can have incredible impact.Click HERE to listen to our conversation on AppleClick HERE to listen to our conversation on SpotifyPlease be sure to spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment; it helps us all.ResourcesBeverley Glazer MA., ICCAC“Create a life you love.”Premier Custom Coaching Solutions for Business & LifeReinvent Impossible, Inc.: https://reinventimpossible.com/Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/reinventimpossiblePodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aging-with-purpose-passion/id1562514982E-mail: [email protected]: 1-514-288-1891 You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you please subscribe, spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Opt In to my Every Now and Again NewsAudioLetter for bonus gift, valuable tips & techniques to enhance your story work , and✓ Stay current with Diane on Substack (Wyzga on Words) and on LinkedIn Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Limassol, Republic of Cyprus!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.My friend and colleague SB Rawz writes a wonderful column in Substack, DeathnStuff. Recently she suggested that her readers: Take a moment to answer a question and tuck your response somewhere you’ll be sure to find it in 365 day’s time. The question is: What would you want your Future Year You to know about the You of Right Here and Right Now?This is what I wrote: “That I had the heart to say what I mean, and mean what I say, know what I stand for, what I won't stand for, add to the peace, not go to war, and that life is all about falling apart and coming together in a never-ending cycle if I just give it room - all of it - fear and grief, joy and relief. I’m grateful to be living in my "MiddleEarthAge." Story Prompt: What would you want your Future Year You to know about the You of Right Here and Right Now? Write that story! And read it in 1 year’s time.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in The Hague, the Netherlands!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Who is Saint Nicholas? Little is known about the historical Saint Nicholas who was born during the third century in the village of Patara in Asia Minor on what is now the southern coast of Turkey. Click to learn more.The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his death. But it is believed the life and deeds of St. Nicholas gave rise to the Christmas character we know as Santa Claus. Click to learn more.For decades my family has celebrated December 6th as the Feast of Saint Nicholas; a reminder that Christmas is on its way and someone is watching us - from a distance - to be sure we stay on the nice side of naughty. On the night of December 5th each child put a pair of shoes outside their bedroom door. On the morning of the 6th there was a small gift left by Saint Nicholas himself, reminding us to be of love a little more careful than anything else this season. Question: What family tradition do you continue at this time of year? You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in the Great State of Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane WyzgaOrcas are an integral part of my life on Whidbey, in particular the Southern resident orcas pods. Our Langley Whale Center celebrates and shares the lives of orcas, as well as gray whales, humpbacks, and other marine mammals of the Salish Sea. Volunteers regularly share sightings and soundings of this much loved and revered mammal iconic to the Salish Sea and the Pacific NorthwestI’m delighted to share a moving short film capturing the essence of Tribute to the Orca, an Indigenous-centered public event that took place during Orca Action Month (June 2024) at the Seattle Aquarium. The short film was produced by Se’Si’Le, an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization based in Bellingham who collaborated with Salish Sea and Northern Straits Native Nations and NGOs to host Tribute to the Orca.All Our Relations: Tribute to the Orca delivers powerful voices of regional Indigenous leaders delivering somber and urgent narratives. The short film highlights Indigenous communities' ancient kinship with orcas and salmon, and the importance of reciprocity in our relationship with our caretaker: Mother Nature. A special focus is on the Southern Resident orcas whose survival, like the survival of Indigenous lifeways here in the Pacific Northwest, depends on scha’enexw (the Salmon People). Click to watch on VIMEO EPISODE NOTESLearn more here: Columbia Snake River CampaignQuestions to ponder to support your activism: Jay Julius, Se’Si’Le co-founder and board president, who spoke at the Tribute event, introduces the film: “I am a Lummi Indian, a fisherman, a father, and, like all my people, a relative of Sk’aliCh’elh (the Southern Resident Killer Whales). I am President of Se’Si’Le that helped make possible the June 12, 2024 Tribute to the Orca. This video is based on that gathering where Indigenous voices honored an obligation to our endangered relatives. We ask, ‘Who has the moral authority to permit their extinction?’ We wonder, ‘What can be more grievous than watching the last of our relatives go under the waves for the last time?’ The speakers at the gathering shared a sense of urgency and empathy, heartbreak and hope, anger, anguish, and a call for action. We ask you to take to heart their words and the suffering of these dear ones, and take action now in the spirit of right and respectful relations with the Creation.” - W’tot lhem (Jay Julius)CTA: After watching the film, please take the next step and act! Urge your policymakers to recommit to upholding treaty rights and support tribal leadership in developing comprehensive solutions in the Salish Sea and the Columbia-Snake River Basin to protect salmon and orcas from extinction. You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Stockholm, Sweden!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.I have walked, bathed and rested in many forests. Some with trees 300 or 400 years old. Others, less mature. Trees are wise in ways that can’t be taught. As mortals perhaps the best we can do is wander among them in sacred silence, listen, learn, revere, and sustain these forested communities.Hermann Hesse wrote: “For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when I live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfill themselves according to their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves.... Whoever has learned to listen to trees no longer wants to be one. He wants to be nothing except who he is.”BONUS: Click to access the pdf: Trees: An Anthology of Writings and PaintingsYou’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Thune, Switzerland!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.If you know me you know that “Each One Lift One” is the way I roll because when we help each other, we help all of us.My long-time friend and colleague, Susanne Mueller, can run circles around many of us. 700+ weekly blogs / 400+ podcasts / 26 marathon races / 5 half Ironman races / 3 books / 1 Mt. Kilimanjaro / 1 TEDx Talk / 1 Ironman race. How? Motivation! Pure and simple.Today I’m showcasing Susanne and her latest book, 50 Shades of Lipstick Leaders. Her book delves into the essence of learning, listening, and leading through the insightful journeys of 50 remarkable women. Based on enriching conversations from Susanne’s podcast, Take it from the Ironwoman, these stories offer profound life lessons and empowering narratives that speak to the seismic shifts these women experienced professionally and personally. Shifts which led to even greater resilience and leadership skills. Click HERE to purchase your copy on AmazonClick HERE to check out the upcoming Lipstick Leadership Learning Labs with the focus on learning, listening, and leading to make the world a better place for all!Contact Susanne MuellerWebsite: www.susannemueller.bizPh: +1.917.494.4043www.susannemueller.bizTEDx Talk: Running & Life: 5KM Formula for YOUR Success [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT_5Er1cLvY]Substack: https://takeitfromtheironwoman.substack.com/BONUS: 1 free Lipstick Leadership Lab with a yearly subscription plus 1:1 & group coaching for a discounted rateLipstick Leadership: Purchase in Paperback You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in McHenry, Illinois!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t but once there was a corrupt politician in the 1920's named John A. McCarthy; but he was known as Fishhooks McCarthy. He lived and worked on the Lower East Side of New York City. Being a devout man every morning he stopped at a little Catholic Church, St. James Church on Olive Street, to pray. For more, tune in to listen because this could happen to you.Story Prompt: While you have health and strength what can you do to shape and share creative and compassionate ways for us to come together? Write that story! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Geneseo, New York!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thanksgiving Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Here in the US Thanksgiving Day is a designated holiday. I am deeply thankful for you and each of you on this podcast journey of almost 5 years. Together we have shared so many intersecting tales of the human heart.Following are a few story-making prompts to inspire some reflecting on good fortune, thanks and how “Each One Lift One” is still the way we roll here. Who showed you unforgettable kindness or forgiveness?Who kept you from making a big mistake?Who reassured you when you were afraid?Who taught you an important lesson by example?Who inspired you by standing up for what is right?Question: What prompts would you like to add? You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your Story Session,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Sumner, Washington!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.If this is the day before Thanksgiving I’m elbow deep in boxes of pumpkin pies cutting and boxing slices for upwards of 700 turkey dinners being prepared by 200 Mobile Turkey Unit volunteers who have been busy carving freshly roasted turkeys, peeling mountains of potatoes for mashing, stirring vats of stuffing, spooning up cranberry relish, bagging rolls and butter, napkins, utensils and even coffee. On Thanksgiving morning I’ll help to deliver some of 700 *complete* turkey dinners to those on the Island who otherwise might not have one. We are celebrating our 26th year since this nonprofit community event was founded in 1999 by Tom Arhontas, who had a special place in his heart for people in need.Click HERE to share in the spirit of volunteer giving, check out the story, photos and videos of what we do and how we do it here on our Island.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your Story Session,✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedIn Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you Keith McNally of The Question Guy podcast listening in Suffolk, Virginia! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.The other day Keith mentioned feeling sad that we might have lost the old ways, the sacred ways of teaching wisdom. And then - as these things happen - I stumbled on a favorite poem that might show us how to return to those old ways:Birdfoot’s Grampa "The old manmust have stopped our cartwo dozen times to climb outand gather into his handsthe small toads blindedby our lights and leaping, live drops of rain. The rain was fallinga mist about his white hairand I kept sayingyou can’t save them allaccept it, get back inwe’ve got places to go.But the leathery hands fullof wet brown lifeknee deep in the summerroadside grasshe just smiled and saidthey have place to gotoo." [~ Joseph Bruchac]Episode NotesClick to read Study GuideOverview“Birdfoot’s Grampa” is a poem by Joseph Bruchac, a Nulhegan Abenaki storyteller, author, poet, and musician. Originally published in 1975 as postcard #28 in a collection of poetry postcards, the poem is Bruchac’s most widely anthologized piece. It appears in one of Bruchac’s early chapbooks titled Entering Onondaga (1978) and in Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry (1994), an anthology of poems aimed at giving voice to the everyday experience of diverse peoples in America. The notes to Bruchac’s 1980 essay, Translator’s Son indicate that “Birdfoot’s Grampa” presents a snapshot of a moment between a young person and an elder that teaches lessons critical to Native traditions.Joseph Bruchac is a prolific author, and his published works span a number of genres that include poetry, nonfiction, adult fiction, and children’s books. Bruchac first published a book of poetry in 1971, “Birdfoot’s Grampa” is part of his earlier work. It is representative of Bruchac’s ability to deliver solemn, important messages in a playful style. When asked about the poem’s meaning in a 1996 interview, Bruchac explained that the poem was inspired by a drive he took with Swift Eagle, an elderly Pueblo Apache storyteller. The pair were driving to a speaking engagement, and they were running late, but Swift Eagle and Bruchac stopped repeatedly to move toads off the road, much to Bruchac’s frustration. Swift Eagle said the last lines of the poem to Bruchac, providing him with the inspiration to write “Birdfoot’s Grampa.” Of the poem, Bruchac himself says it is “about being stupid and having your eyes opened by an elder.”You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Round Lake, Curtis, Michigan!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Things in this country are upside down and backward in ways we have never ever seen before. Is that good? No! It’s a nightmare. What do we do now? I’m glad you asked.First off, you can rely on me to be here with you and for you. Thanks to your devoted listening this global podcast is edging close to 200,000 plays. There will be stories and more to inform, delight, inspire, and motivate in the days ahead.As to, “What do we do now?” get comfy and relish Colorado Poet Laureat Andrea Gibson’s Letter to a Friend. Click HEREor read the letter in the Episode NotesPractical Tip: Pay particular attention to how grief and fear can give way to relief, clarity, what needs doing, and how to go about it. Ask yourself: “What is my job in this moment? What do I specifically have to offer? Where can I be of most use and service to others? How can I creatively, actively participate in pulling the arc of the moral universe toward justice for all?A tight bundle of sticks cannot be broken as easily as a single branch. We are in this together. Our lives are in our hands. More than ever before this is our opportunity to cherish life and work for it! Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson’s Letter To A Friend After the ElectionBy Andrea GibsonNovember 16, 2024Architects of ChangeFriend,I am writing about the text you sent the morning after the election. “What do we do now?” you asked. My first response was to stare blankly at a blank wall for an hour. But I’ve had a week to sit with it, and here’s what I want to share:Last April, after two years of chemotherapy, when my oncologist told me the cancer was now considered incurable, I felt the expected fear and grief. But something I didn’t tell you was this—I also felt relief. Why relief? Because when I heard the system say, “We can’t save you,” it was the first time since my diagnosis that I felt as if my life was in my hands. Watching the election, I felt something similar: grief, fear. Then this thought—Our lives are in our hands. They always were, but it’s clearer than ever now.I think I’ve told you about my friend Liza. She was one of the most committed activists I’ve ever known. She built her life like an altar to social justice. She was also a Buddhist. A couple of weeks before her death, when asked how she wanted to be remembered, she said, “Just don’t let anyone say I was the best at anything. It’s so obnoxiously American.” As we look for creative paths forward, I want to beg “the left” to stop tearing each other to shreds over who is The Best at fighting for change. When we allow our egos to do our heart’s work, what needs to get done doesn’t get done. I understand that people are frantic for a clear and direct answer. But it’s so important to choose curiosity over certainty in a moment that asks us to create something entirely new. This is that moment.I keep asking myself, “What is my job in this moment? What do I specifically have to offer?” It’s empowering to ask those questions because no one’s job will be the same. There were many years of my life that I did not feel I was actively participating in change unless I was in the streets protesting. As my health worsened, I knew that wasn’t where I would be of most service. Creatively explore where you might be most useful. Throw a What’s My Job party and explore the question with your community. Friends may reflect a specific talent or gift they see in you that you haven’t yet recognized.My friend Oak, (great name, I know) used to say, “If we can’t imagine it, we can’t create it.” Right now I’m putting active energy into imagining what’s possible. What does a compassionate world look like? What would it feel like to wake up every morning to a planet fueled by community and not capitalism? When I’m glued to my phone doom-scrolling the news, it’s almost impossible for me to creatively imagine, but anytime I’ve got my feet in the grass I open in a new way. Even in a city, you can notice the way your body changes with the seasons. You can mirror the earth’s steady and persistent pace. Save the seeds of an apple. Grow veggies in plant pots in the windowsill of your apartment. Feed a stranger. Drive a neighbor through the sunshine to a doctor’s appointment in another state. Never forget how alone we are not. The moss, the mountains, the redwood tree, the marigold, the mourning dove calling for her love’s return—are our allies. Every natural thing in this world is invested in the peace of this world. All that is good and gracious whispers, “We are with you.”I keep thinking about something I learned in my early 20’s—the rural poor are more likely to survive a catastrophic world event than the wealthiest billionaires. It's really out of touch to use the word educated to refer solely to college-educated people. Everyone is educated i

Hello to you listening in Salta, Argentina!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Claiming your origin story is not for sissies. Claiming your origin story begins with an archeological dig - on yourself. What’s that? An archeological dig is an excavation! Excavation exposes, processes and records archaeological remains. Those remains are the clues to your life, how you live, what you value, your experiences, hardships and achievements. It’s not an easy project; not everyone gets to do this. But for those who say “I want to know who I am!”, there are treasures untold to be found.CTA: I invite you to leave behind the habitual parroting of boring story lines to delve deep into emotions, sensory images, and experiences with compassion, insight and humor. When we consciously engage with our story we practice genuine communication with ourselves. When we learn how to genuinely communicate with ourselves, we can use these same tools to share our message, values, and truth so we are seen, heard, understood, and listened to. Story Prompt: What’s your excavation project? Write that story! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn and Wyzga on Words on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in San Jose, Capital of Costa Rica!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Did you ever wonder: How did I get here? Where did I come from? How did I get started?You can’t really imagine your own beginnings any more than you can imagine your parents beginning them. Think about it: how do you begin to imagine all that went before - the end result of which is you? All you know - all you can ever really know - is that this was, something changed, and that is. Your world began.All along the timeline of your life you’ve come from where you were; but *how* is often more puzzle than open road.I like that some stories leave out details because you have to go look for them and that is always another story.Question: How did you get here? Where did you come from? What got you started? How do you know you’ve arrived? You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn and Wyzga on Words on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Belleville, Ontario, Canada!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.What if you invested in your brand/origin story with a co-creator? For 30 years, I’ve helped professionals take their story from a message only they could hear to the publishing world, the courtroom, hospitals, board meetings, the airwaves, and more. Stories that swayed juries. Built markets. Spread ideas. Changed things.Today I help people find the words they didn’t know they had to tell the most consequential story of their life: the story of how they got from there to here. What happens next? You connect with, engage and enliven your audience to action while transforming the lives of those you serve.What might you get personally and professionally when you co-create your brand/origin story with me? • Discover your Who, your genuine self, values, How you work, Why, and for whom; • Become increasingly adept at claiming your talents, skills and contributions;• Demonstrate your particular expertise;• Stay motivated while developing your projects; and,• Come face-to-face with the fact that no one in history has your voice, your mix of skills, talents, and ways to use them. You are your brand story!CTA: Investing in co-creating your brand/origin story is absolutely critical for personal as well as business and marketing purposes. It’s the most consequential story of your life. How you got from there to here so that you connect with, engage and influence your audience to action while transforming the lives of those you serve. Curious? I can help. Email me at [email protected]. When you summon the courage to say “Yes!” that’s the place where your story changes.You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn and Wyzga on Words on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Walking home from a trip to the library and post office the other day in the damp chill that has settled on Whidbey Island I heard them before I saw them. Looking up I could make out two bald eagles hunting over Holmes Harbor. Like a child I held steady in silent witness and thought of this from Kenneth Grahame: “All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” ~ Kenneth GrahameIf you are curious and would like to learn more about the bald eagle, click HERE to watch 11 minutes on the Nature Here TV show featuring bald eagles wintering in Oregon and Washington.Question: What has prompted you to be still, live breathless and wonder?You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ For a no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Perry County, Pennsylvania!Coming to you from Whidbey Island Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday, and your host Diane Wyzga. Imagine yourself talking with a very good friend and telling them a story about something that happened in your day. Imagine them listening with energy and delight. It helps you and your story to bloom, right? Your creative energy flows.Now, imagine yourself telling the same story to someone who really can’t be bothered to take the time or be interested in you or what you have to share. When we feel unsafe, judged or misunderstood our creative energy stops.Sometimes we end up standing in our own way by coming up against our fears that we have nothing worthwhile to say, to produce, to express. Our creativity stops. Practical Tip: When you come up against fearful feelings blocking your creativity imagine yourself back with your delighted friend. Visualize yourself basking in the warm glow of their delight, support, encouragement. Imagine that this feeling is all about protective love and energy for you and what you have to offer the waiting world. Now, let go of what’s holding you back, and create your good work!You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your Story Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn and as Wyzga on Words on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Ellicott City, Maryland!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga."I did it! I really did it! I didn’t believe I could do it! But I did it!"Imagine my client’s enthusiasm when she produced a radically genuine origin story of her very own! It had been a work in progress as heartfelt creations can be. Yes, origin story work takes time and dedication; it is the most consequential story of your life. Why? It tells the story of how you got from there to here. Origin stories are designed to connect with, engage and influence your audience to action while also transforming the lives of those you serve.Funny thing: when my clients create their origin story they often feel as if it had always been there. I believe that it has been, waiting for you. “Loud,in a whisper so obvious I’ve always knownin words I’ve always been able to hear the answer Was always there.”[The Wild Silence Raynor Winn]Story Prompt: Know this: your story matters; it can help you advance your profession, claim your voice, communicate effectively, or drive innovation in a world anxious to hear you. What words are you using to share your singular message? Write that story! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your free Story Start-up Session,✓ Opt In to my monthly NewsAudioLetter for bonus gift, valuable tips & techniques to enhance your story work, and✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Dudley, West Midlands, UK!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.Challenge: Are you struggling with articulating ideas clearly, effectively communicating with clients, or grappling with the challenge of creating compelling and memorable narratives that resonate with your audience? What about crafting emotionally meaningful stories that convey your message in a powerfully memorable way?Solution: I have a risk-taking, unorthodox solution. Let it all go. Take a few hours off. Go for a walk. Think of nothing. Appreciate the rhythm of walking. All good writing has a rhythm. All good sentences start off with a beat like that first confident footstep toward beginning anew! Enjoy the sensation of walking. Give thanks for this opportunity to clear your mind and heart.Result: When you return to your work confidently invite the story that wants to be told, the idea that is already becoming clarified, the genuine communication you wish to have to connect with others in a heartfelt way. Now you are ready to create.CTA: Need a little more? What’s your project? How can I help? I’m here at [email protected]! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your Story Consult Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening all around the world!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.It feels like a year-long week since the circus of epic proportions rolled into town. Maybe like me you feel anxious, apprehensive, alarmed, afraid, even angry. But here’s the thing. We don’t have to buy a ticket to the circus. We don’t have to give away our power to circumstances.The 2024 election isn’t our problem, any more. Our choices going forward can forge new narratives out of old fears, habits, attitudes, and behaviors. Rather than getting caught up in the specifics of the outcome, let’s talk about how to hold space for peace and understanding, stay centered, and remember the incredible influence we each have to create change — beginning from within.Here’s a bit of courage for your (seemingly impossible) mission should you choose to accept it:✓ "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." [Rumi]✓ “The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us.” [Dorothy Day]✓ “We can all do the right thing, act for the good of all, even when the walls feel like they are closing in on us.” [Jon Stewart] ✓ “Take care of yourself and help each other. How? Each One Lift One!” [Diane Wyzga]ResourcesA Conversation between Jon Stewart & Professor Heather Cox RichardsonMetaphysical and Spiritual Perspectives About the US Presidential Election from Mike DooleyWhy Progress Is Possible with Steven PinkerRely on your brains, your courage, your strength. Make it different, don’t complain, and get moving with Maria ShriverYou’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer ✓ Arrange your no-obligation conversation about your communication challenges, get in touch with me today✓ Stay current with Diane as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack, and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Hello to you listening in Muscat, Capital of Oman!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Time Out Tuesday and your host, Diane WyzgaMy very dear friend, colleague and newly launched podcast host, Mark O’Brien, invited me to share 60 minutes of radio air time with him on his program The Anxious Voyage talking about living life, making a ruckus, and lifting up this tired world as only two storytellers can. Together we demonstrate how much we can overcome, how much we can accomplish, and how much farther we can get when we believe in ourselves.Our conversation was intimate, insightful, and illuminating ranging from adversity to accomplishment, tragedy to triumph. As Mark said, “If you don't know Diane Wyzga, you should. If you watch this show, you'll want to.” NOTE: You can find recordings of the show on:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd97EVpYOeYLinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/ezZYpE-xFacebook: https://lnkd.in/emAvkGXBand on your favorite podcast app. All links are in the Episode Notes.CTA: Please be sure to watch our show on The Anxious Voyage on Dreamvisions 7 Radio Network, subscribe to Mark’s program and leave good words as thanks! You’re always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out What I Offer,✓ Arrange your Story Consult Session,✓ Stay current with Diane on LinkedIn.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.