Ask The Expert: Raising Your Vibe and Connecting Through The Power of Story with Amy Thurman

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Hello Amplify You family Michelle Abraham your host here today. I've got a really special ask the expert interview for you today. I have Amy Thurman here with me today. And how are you doing?

Doing well. Thank you so much, Michelle.

I will let me tell you guys a little bit about Amy in 2014. She had a life altering incident. And she's going to tell you a little bit more about that in just incredible story in a few minutes. But what I want to share about Amy So she's got a podcast coming out and a chapter in a book that's put out by Blair capital minerals, one of our podcasts are such as super cool. And to have very coincidental we didn't even know that before we started recording. And so as part of the Resilience Project plug and so great. So what Amy does now is help people connect with their stories, and rewrite their narratives and better connect with their clients and themselves. And I love what Amy is up to in this world. And I'm excited for you to learn a little bit more about her story. So Amy, take us back to 2014. And share with us your story.

Boris, thank you so much for for having me, Michelle, I'm honored to be here. In 2014, I was working at a major university, taking the kids everywhere doing all the things for all the ones all the kids being a mom running them everywhere. And the very next day, I couldn't even take care of myself. One night I got up and I passed out and landed on my face on the hardwood floor. The impact shared my brainstem caused a traumatic brain injury. And it actually broke my neck. But that went undetected for six months. And so I laid flat in a bed for 23 hours a day for almost a year after that, because no one could figure out what was wrong with me. I was in such pain, I could not lift my head off the bed. So literally I went from one day being able to do all the things to the next day, I couldn't even take care of myself. I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk I couldn't hear or see correctly. And I had to wear a cover over my eyes and earplugs in my ears. And I literally missed that entire year of my kids lives. My daughter was a senior in high school. My son was a freshman in high school, in my little guy was four years old. It's emotional for me. And I completely missed that entire year of their lives. And so I've always been a very independent person doing everything for myself. So not being able to do anything for myself was like a form of torture for me. And my kids, my family were having to do everything for me. And so that was just a horrible, horrible feeling. And so I began to pray. And I prayed and I prayed and I prayed that I would die. Because I was not living I was merely existing and everyone was having to do everything for me. And I knew that I had enough medication to make it happen. And I fully plan to do that I had a plan to just end this. This is not living, I can't put my kids through this anymore. And so I had this plan. And then I remember this moment of clarity, which is the only way I know how to describe it. But I remember thinking, but if I don't have to do this, what if Dying isn't the answer? What if I have a different choice? What if I can make a different decision? And what if instead of fighting so hard to die, I take that same energy and I use it to fight to live instead. And if I can get better, maybe I can use my experience to help other people. So I began to fight to live with the intention of using my story to help other people. And that's what motivated me as an A former educator and social worker. The thought of being able to help other people was a motivation for me. So I began to fight to live and started to get better. And so that's that's where I am now I continue to live with a broken neck. I can only hold my head up for a few hours at a time. I had to relearn to walk I had to relearn to do all the things. But I'm now here being able to use my story to help other people.

Wow, your story is so, so so courageous and inspiring and I thank you for being brave to to share it because I know the impact it's gonna have on those listening. You know, not all of us get to the point of facing death by and coming all the way back from that is is a huge feat in itself and and then to be able to share that message to to change people's lives is is so the so inspiring and I thank you for thank you for sharing that because one of the things I learned in my life to through a tragedy our my friend was killed while we're backpacking is a semi on a different trajectories, the person who was the sower, A, that exiting the person, they became afterwards, I was totally different person and trying to figure out who that person was. And now why I do things I do. Because of that, that thing that happened is a really a different place to be in. So take us to what that's been like for you. Now were you always sharing your story and helping people with their messages before or that was something different, you are in a different different space, different career racial.

Now this is something totally, totally new for me, I, you talked about the person that you were you were before your minds knows when I was laying in that bed, fighting so hard to die, I was grieving because of the person that I lost. Like I was trying to get my life back, I just wanted to be the person I was before I have a life that I did before. But Michela didn't even like that person that I was before, she was not the best version of me. But I was fighting so hard to get her back. But a person said to me recently that my plan B has become my plan A, because I was fighting so hard to get her back. But that was a losing battle. That's not the battle, I should have been fighting, because that's not the person I was supposed to be the person I am now is this, the person I'm supposed to be to be able to use my story to help other people. But I was an educator and a social worker, and you know, always wanted to help other people. And it's, it's interesting that now with all that I've been through, I consider it a gift. Because I'm able to help so many more people with what I've been through now than I ever could in the classroom or, you know, as a social worker. And so I really do consider it a gift and love the person love this version of me so much more than the version that I was before. And it's exactly what you said, it's it just changed the trajectory of my life and put me on the path that I was supposed to be on that I never would have chosen for myself. I never ever would have chosen this path. It's the one that was meant for me. And so being able to accept it has been life changing.

Though, for some of our listeners that are sitting at home, you know, they want to, they want to share their story with the world. You know, for me, I knew as I was sharing my story, I still get a bit emotional. And I saw that emotion comes through for you too. And oh my gosh, it hit me too. I have small children. And just I can't imagine being where you were feeling helpless and missing that time with them to how do how do you then begin to? I know you heal when you share your story, but how do you begin to be okay with sharing your story and having that that first steps of like, you know, knowing that it's going to help people but it is hard. It's hard to start sharing without, without the emotion taking over. What are some some of the suggestions for people that are maybe wanting to share their story, but not quite there yet?

Yeah, absolutely. It is still an emotional thing for me. And then in writing my book, it's extremely emotional. I tell my story enough that I think that, like you said, it's more healing, but writing it down in detail, and the book is still very emotional for me. But as far as when you start a lot of it, you know, they say acceptance is the first place or acknowledging it, acknowledging those a problem or just acknowledging is the first step. And that's absolutely true. And acknowledging who you are. Getting to know yourself is what most people would say, but I don't agree with that. I think it's getting to know your soul instead of getting to know yourself. Because our selves are have been impacted externally by so many other people's expectations, that that's what we have taken on. That's not who we really are. We get to know our soul. That's who we really are. That is without all of the external expectations that we have taken on. And so it sounds like a simple thing. And it is simple, but it's not easy. Because what happens is when we start to get to know who we really are, all of that stuff starts to come up that we have been pushing down and trying to hide that we don't want to admit that there. We don't want other people to know that that's who we really are. But it's when we allow it to surface and we allow ourselves to feel it and say this is part of who I am. This is part of what has made me who I am today. This is who I am at my soul level. That's where the change comes in. That's where we really are at To access who we are and what our story is that we can use to share with others that can be life changing.

So timely that you're saying, you know, turning internally, and listening to our soul, because there's so much external noise right now like so especially in the online marketing space. And you know, you should do this or you should do that. And I think that internal and turning internally and like seeing that alignment, and, and having the courage to follow the follow and one thing and get to know that saw the message, because as I'm sure I I've experienced, and I'm sure you've experienced too, sometimes those things that come up are like bites I'm doing what that I know. My, you know, turning, I think it's more important now than ever for us to, to have that internal compass instead of the external, a seeking externally for all the answrs

Absolutely, yes, it's so important. And it literally is life changing. And it's, a lot of times we have this uncomfortable feeling like, I just don't know if this is right. But when you're able to get to that level of the Soul level, it's just like, everything is happening as it's supposed to. And you're just like, Okay, I'm just going with the flow here. I don't know what's happening, but we're doing it, you know, and it's just things to start to happen. It's a really cool place to be it really is. Yeah,

That's really cool. Hey, you speak a lot about your vibration levels. So take us there, how do you go from lying in bed 23 hours a day, that must be a pretty low vibration level to be in to then being in such a high vibration and living from such a high vibration place?

Yeah, when I was in that deep, dark place in that bed, I you know, I had to wear earplugs on my ears. So I had someone load up a podcast or an audiobook or something that I could listen to that I put them earbuds in a turret and real low so my brain could handle it. And I began listening to Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Rumi, all those luminaries. So I was introduced to Rumi than and one of his quotes really, really struck a chord with me. And it goes like this, you who seek God apart, that which you Seek thou art if you wish to seek the beloved's face, polish the mirror and gaze into that space. So that told me that every answer I seek can be found within that I don't need to look outside of me for all of the answers. Yes, I do need help from people. But the answers I'm looking for all within me, I have to polish that mirror, look myself in the eye and see what's inside of me. Because all the answers are there. And so from that I started that's why I called my business polish the mirror from that, that goal right there. But I realized that I am living in this lower vibrational I began to research a lot of emotions because I was feeling so many different things as you can imagine. And I noticed that when you ask someone how they're feeling, they named one of five things like we're only really taught even as kids like five different emotions, but there are so many more out there. And so I began to put together these I call them 100 100 different emotions, the program that I have deals with 100 different emotions. And I took these 100 emotions and I put them into 10 different stages according to the to their vibrational frequency. And so what I do is I help people identify where they are, which stage they're in. And then I help them learn to move up the stages to live in a higher vibrational frequency emotions. And what happens is, we're living in the when we're living in those lower vibrational frequencies are life is like, we're like trudging through everything's going wrong or yes, we feel horrible. But as we can move up those levels, life is different. It's the perspective is different, the motivation is different, you wake up in a different mindset, life just seems to happen more naturally. And so that's what I do is I help people learn to move up the scale on that in that vibrational frequency to live the life that they intended to live and to help them connect with their soul. And to figure out how they want all of that to work together to develop their story.

I love it. I think that's so I think that's such such a great way of looking at it too and how to raise that vibration. I mean, that's my new business is all about high vibe is the five five leaders so that's very much in alignment with my new business and I think the magic happens at the high vibration level. And I know the difference between like when the Iowa is lower vibration having to get up and go to a job and you know, do all these Seeing that seemed hard and not fine and all that to like being able to live the life in the way that Avon is like such a difference there's such a different such a different space. Oh so fascinating in so I love that you have a your new podcast coming out in the new year and your chapter in your book you share with our listeners, how else can we connect with you? And we'll reach out to you and see if your message has resonated with them and they want to have you on their podcast, please let us know how we can connect with you. Absolutely,

They can go to my website, it's www dot get a nice help that calm that's GE T Amy s h elp.com. And I have the all of my social buttons are there you can connect with me on the socials. Or I haven't I also have a button for you to schedule a call with me just to get to know you call to see if we resonate if our our stories resonate with each other. And I also have a podcast publish the mirror podcast, I'm looking for guests, where it's just all about sharing your story in a way that will help others. And so I would love to connect with you in that way as well. Right?

Well, I love it. Amy, thank you so much for sharing your story. You're such an inspiration. And I know your story is changing lives everywhere. So for our listeners, I was sitting at home today and you're thinking about sharing her story was sent back to me sorry, and all the things that she did to go from, you know, 24 hours or 23 hours a daylian on plot on her back to being able to salmon on stages in front of 1000s of people and share her message today. So, such an inspiration. Amy, thank you so much for being here with us.

Thank you so much. It's been such an honor Michelle, I appreciate it so much.

You are so welcome amplify US ally, go out there and have a fabulous day. Start thinking about what your story is. And we'll see you again next week.

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