Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should

What if some of the things you've always believed about life aren't actually facts, but assumptions you've never thought to question?Sometimes, the most interesting discoveries begin when something doesn't make sense — when an experience challenges what we've always understood, or when a simple question opens up an entirely different way of seeing things.In this episode of Embodied Soul, Joanne explores the underlying assumptions that shape how we experience life, ourselves, our relationships, our purpose, and what's possible for us.Even when we've done considerable work recognizing and changing limiting beliefs, there may be deeper assumptions operating beneath our awareness — ideas about how life is supposed to work that we've simply accepted as the way things are.Together, we'll explore how these assumptions develop, how moments of disruption and unexpected experiences can bring them into view, and how following our questions can reveal things we didn't even know we were assuming.We'll also look at what happens when we create space between what we believe and what might be possible, and how a willingness to question our familiar understanding can open us to new perspectives and ways of experiencing life.You don't have to know what the alternative is. You don't have to immediately replace one belief with another.Perhaps you can simply become curious.Because sometimes the opening isn't in finding a different answer. It's in discovering that there were questions you never knew you could ask.Join me for this exploration, and allow yourself to consider what else might be possible.With love,Joanne ✨ ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/95NP83kkDQE (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening COMPLIMENTARY 3-DAY EMBODIED SOUL RESETA gentle guided experience to reconnect with your body, soften out of over-efforting, and allow a deeper expression of your soul to emerge. Begin here: The 3-Day Embodied Soul Reset Experience FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00 Exploring the Assumptions We Live By01:41 The Beliefs and Expectations Beneath Our Awareness03:19 Discovering Our Assumptions Through Life Experiences05:35 Following Questions and Exploring New Possibilities10:43 Bringing Awareness Into Everyday Life13:11 Closing Reflections

What if being able to make something work doesn't necessarily mean it's what you really want? Could you just choose to be happy with your circumstances? Perhaps. But what if you've become so accustomed to meeting expectations, adapting and doing what you're supposed to do that you've stopped asking yourself what would actually bring you joy? In this episode, we explore how family expectations, cultural conditioning and our own internalised beliefs can shape the lives we build — sometimes so completely that we lose touch with what we genuinely want. We'll look at the difference between being good at something and choosing it because it feels right, acceptance and resignation, fear and discernment, and why we don't have to reach breaking point before we're allowed to want something different. Most importantly, we'll explore the possibility that happiness isn't the whole picture. That we're also allowed to want joy, curiosity, expansion and a deeper sense of being alive. You don't need to have all the answers, or know exactly what a different life might look like. Sometimes the first step is simply allowing yourself to ask: What would I choose if I allowed myself to want what I really want? ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/USDsCZoM05Q (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening COMPLIMENTARY 3-DAY EMBODIED SOUL RESETA gentle guided experience to reconnect with your body, soften out of over-efforting, and allow a deeper expression of your soul to emerge. Begin here: The 3-Day Embodied Soul Reset Experience FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 Choosing to Be Happy00:03:47 Expectations and the Meaning of Success00:07:51 When Success Doesn't Feel Right00:10:10 Acceptance, Desire and Discernment00:13:15 Understanding What Shapes Our Choices00:20:46 Choosing a More Alive Experience of Life

What if you haven't lost your momentum? What if you're moving in a way you haven't yet learned to recognize? Sometimes life unfolds very differently from what we expected. The plans we had, the ideas we wanted to bring into the world, or the new beginnings we imagined may seem to slow down — leaving us wondering whether we're stuck or doing something wrong. In this episode of Embodied Soul, I reflect on my own experience of a year that became much more inward than I anticipated, and what I've been discovering about the movement of becoming. We'll explore the inner shifts that can be difficult to see from the outside, how changing perspectives can change the way we meet our lives, and why we don't need to get everything right the first time. Sometimes, trying something, learning from it, and changing direction is exactly how we discover what's next. We'll also look at how conversations and different perspectives can open new possibilities, and how the insights we receive inwardly begin to find expression in our relationships, our choices, and the ways we live. Perhaps becoming isn't about reaching a destination or turning every idea into something tangible. Perhaps it's about learning to recognize what's moving, allowing what we discover to inform what comes next, and being willing to participate in what is emerging — even when we don't yet know where it's leading. If your year hasn't unfolded as expected, I hope this conversation offers a little space to be curious, to recognize the changes you may not have given yourself credit for, and to meet what's next with greater openness. You may not have lost your momentum. You may simply be moving differently. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0pf2GnkZVFU (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening COMPLIMENTARY 3-DAY EMBODIED SOUL RESETA gentle guided experience to reconnect with your body, soften out of over-efforting, and allow a deeper expression of your soul to emerge. Begin here: The 3-Day Embodied Soul Reset Experience FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 When Life Unfolds Differently00:05:19 The Inner Changes We Don't Always See00:08:34 Learning Through Exploration00:1:23 Connection, Perspective, and Embodied Living00:15:35 Tending the Seeds of Becoming00:19:33 Bringing Becoming Into Our Lives  

What happens when an experience that opened up a whole new way of seeing becomes an expectation that limits what you can discover next? In last week's Beyond Labels episode, I shared my experiences of connecting with two trees in ways I hadn't experienced before. So, when I returned to connect with them again, I expected those same experiences to happen. Except… they didn't. What unfolded became a wonderful reminder that even when something has expanded our understanding, we can unintentionally turn that new understanding into a definition of what we expect to experience again. And this got me thinking about how often we do the same thing in our everyday lives. How often do we continue to see someone through the lens of who they used to be? How often do we hold ourselves to an old definition, or assume we already know how something will unfold? In this second part of Beyond Labels, we'll explore what it means to hold our understanding loosely — without dismissing our experiences, ignoring patterns, or abandoning our boundaries. I'll also share three simple experiments you can try, whether you're reconnecting with nature, noticing the labels you use for yourself and others, or simply moving through an ordinary day. These aren't exercises in trying to make something different happen. They're invitations to notice what becomes possible when we leave a little more room for what we haven't yet discovered. 💕 A question to carry with you: What might you notice if you allowed yourself to meet something you think you already know with fresh eyes? And if you've been experimenting with connecting with trees, rocks, or other aspects of nature since the first episode, I'd love to hear about your experiences. I'd also love to hear what comes up for you as you explore these ideas in everyday life. Thank you for being here and continuing this exploration with me. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/M0Aa60jns4g (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening COMPLIMENTARY 3-DAY EMBODIED SOUL RESETA gentle guided experience to reconnect with your body, soften out of over-efforting, and allow a deeper expression of your soul to emerge. Begin here: The 3-Day Embodied Soul Reset Experience FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 The Two Trees and the Unexpected Experience00:03:41 Seeing Ourselves and Others with Fresh Eyes00:06:13 Holding Labels Loosely00:07:55 Three Experiments in Noticing00:13:33 Staying Curious About What Comes Next 

What if there's more to the world around you — and to yourself — than you've learned to recognize In this episode of Embodied Soul, I share an unexpected experience with a tree that changed the way I approach connection with the natural world It led me to explore something I've been considering for years: how the labels we give things, the identities we build, and even the things we believe we've learned on our spiritual path might shape what we're open to experiencing What happens when we loosen those assumptions and allow ourselves to become curious again We'll explore the relationship between labels, identity, awakening, and our understanding of consciousness, along with a simple practice you can experiment with yourself You don't need to have a particular ability or experience anything extraordinary. You simply need a willingness to explore what might happen when you meet something familiar without deciding in advance that you already know all there is to know about it Because sometimes, returning to something we've explored before — but approaching it differently — can open the door to a whole new discovery And perhaps the same is true of who we are and who we're still becoming. A gentle invitation to remain curious, keep exploring, and stay open to what you haven't yet imagined. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H32YEAILyHM (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening COMPLIMENTARY 3-DAY EMBODIED SOUL RESETA gentle guided experience to reconnect with your body, soften out of over-efforting, and allow a deeper expression of your soul to emerge. Begin here: The 3-Day Embodied Soul Reset Experience FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 Beyond the Labels We Give Things00:04:31 Identity, Awakening and the Gift of Not Knowing00:11:02 My Experience Connecting With Trees00:15:21 Exploring Connection Beyond What We Know00:25:19 Staying Curious About What Is Possible

What if the person who’s getting under your skin is showing you exactly where your own power is still being given away?  On the spiritual path, there’s a subtle trap that can look a lot like awareness: we begin to see ourselves as the one who understands—and other people as the ones who don’t. But even when someone genuinely behaves badly, their behavior doesn't have to become the owner of our internal experience. In this episode of Embodied Soul, we explore what it means to distinguish their part from our part, recognize the information contained in our reactions, and stop trying to change the reflection in the mirror. We explore boundaries, leaving relationships that no longer work for us, the energetic “tethers” that can keep us tied to old patterns, and the spiritual ego's tendency to sometimes choose being right over being free. Because reclaiming our power doesn't require another person to change. It asks us to become willing to see: What am I being invited to see, choose, release, or become? And ultimately: It’s not all about me.But my part is always mine. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cdobdz1qZjU (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 The Hidden Trap of Spiritual Awareness00:02:05 Taking Back Our Power00:05:34 The Mirror, the Tether, and the Lesson00:11:14 Choosing Freedom Over Being Right00:12:07 Your Part Is Always Yours 

What if you're not going backwards—you've simply changed the place from which you're meeting life? Have you ever felt like something inside you has changed, but you're still surrounded by the old? You're feeling more connected, more aware, more peaceful—and then suddenly something happens. An old pattern gets triggered. Someone says something. You hear some news. You find yourself feeling fear, anxiety, frustration, or heaviness. And you wonder: “Wait. Am I going backwards?” In this episode of Embodied Soul, we explore what it really means to navigate these two worlds—to hold a different frequency while still moving through very human experiences. What happens when the world around you doesn't seem to match the world you're creating within yourself? How do you stay connected to who you are without avoiding the difficult parts of being human? And how do you know whether a challenging experience means you've lost your way—or is simply part of the path? We'll explore these questions together, along with a perspective that may change the way you understand your own progress: Maybe the floor has moved. You may still encounter the valleys, the difficult moments, and the low notes. But perhaps you're not where you used to be. And perhaps you don't need to know exactly where the trail leads. You only need to take the next step. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y_epqGGZoa8 (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 Navigating the Old and the New0:06:03 Shifting Your State and Your Perspective00:09:14 Choice, Agency, and Difficult Experiences00:15:55 The Trail, the Octaves, and the Floor Moving00:22:47 Embodiment, Community, and Trusting the Path  

What if you're not actually procrastinating? What if the fact that you're not taking action is information — something worth getting curious about rather than judging? In this episode of Embodied Soul, I explore a question I've been sitting with myself: Why am I not making some of the changes I say I want to make? Sometimes we know what we want to do. We have the clarity. We make the plan. And still… we don't do it. So what if we stopped assuming that means something is wrong? What if, instead of pushing harder, we became curious about what's happening underneath? I share some of what happened when I came home from Canada with a clear list of changes I wanted to make — and then found myself making very few of them. That simple observation opened up a much bigger exploration of the patterns we live inside, the ways we organize our time and energy, and the possibility that our inaction may be telling us something we haven't yet heard. Because sometimes the question isn't: “Why can't I just do it?” It's: “What is this telling me?” And perhaps the next step isn't always action. Sometimes it's curiosity.Sometimes it's making space.Sometimes it's understanding something we hadn't seen before. If there's something you've been saying you want to do — but haven't — I invite you to come explore it with me. Maybe you don't need to push yourself harder. Maybe there's something here worth listening to. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/V_POx2xyaMc (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 The Question Behind Inaction00:01:28 The Non-Routine Routine00:05:55 Making Space for Change00:08:17 Environment, Patterns & Protective Parts00:11:39 What Are You Really Protecting?00:17:32 Curiosity, Tethers & the Next True Step

What if you already know something—but don't want to know that you know it? In this episode of Embodied Soul, Joanne explores a question she's been sitting with: What do I know that I don't want to know? Sometimes the challenge isn't that we don't know the truth. It's that we're afraid of what the knowing might require of us. A change. A boundary. A difficult conversation. Letting go. Becoming someone different. And then the mind can take one small piece of knowing and turn it into an entire imagined future—complete with consequences, logistics, other people's reactions, and everything we think we'll have to do next. But what if knowing something doesn't automatically tell us what it means? What if a chapter can end without the entire book being written? In this episode, Joanne explores the difference between what we actually know and what we've decided that knowing means, and discovers a gentler possibility: perhaps we don't have to make a decision, take action, or figure out the whole path. Perhaps we can simply allow something to be a possibility. And then see what comes. The invitation this week is simple: What do you know that you don't want to know? And if something arises, can you be with the knowing without immediately trying to solve it? Because sometimes the next step isn't action. Sometimes it's making room. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/V_POx2xyaMc (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS  00:00:00 The Question00:03:15 Why We Resist Knowing00:08:29 Knowing vs. Meaning00:10:47 Allowing Possibility00:15:14 Being With the Knowing

What if tomorrow never comes? This week, an unexpected death brought me face-to-face with a question I've contemplated many times before: What are we assuming we'll have another day to do? And as I sat with the grief, another layer emerged. Sometimes we're grieving because someone has died. And sometimes we're grieving because something in us has died—or is dying—or has simply completed. In this episode, we sit with grief, change, completion, and the quiet things that may be calling us forward. Not from fear. Not from the belief that we need to change everything immediately. But from presence. What if something you've been putting off until "someday" is asking for your attention now? What's on your heart? And what might happen if you simply listened? We're not guaranteed tomorrow. But we do have this moment. ⸻ LINKS My Website: https://joannecary.com/ My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joannecary Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LYRh9QZ_pUU (Recorded at the Beach) Award Winning New Book: Get Ready; They’re Here: Preparing for Open Contact – A Guide for Humanity in the Age of Awakening FREE REALIGN TO YOUR DIVINE BLUEPRINT ACTIVATION Just like you take your car into a mechanic to get it tuned up, the Guides tune up and energetically realign our systems so that we’re clean, clear and ready to take the next steps in our lives. This recording will benefit everyone. Get the FREE REPLAY here: https://www.joannecary.com/offers/tMe9GZoL GIFT OF APPRECIATION If you enjoy my content and wish to send a "Thank you", you can donate to: https://paypal.me/JoanneCaryGlobal  ⸻ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 The Shock of Sudden Loss00:03:33 Grieving in Your Own Way00:06:28 Grief, Change and Identity00:10:24 What Grief Is Asking Us00:14:05 Honour Your Grief, Hold Space for Others