3 Life-Changing Lessons That Helped Me Find My Purpose

In this first episode of the Mind Body Manifest Podcast, Laura Gilley shares her journey of self-discovery and transformation. She emphasizes the importance of embracing your true self, trusting your intuition, and the role of self-care in uncovering your soul purpose. Through personal anecdotes and insights, Laura discusses the significance of expanders—people who inspire and motivate us—and how navigating life changes can lead to profound growth. She encourages you to follow your bliss and build a purposeful life aligned with your true essence.

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Mind Body Manifest Podcast
01:19 Discovering Soul Purpose
02:09 The Role of Intuition
06:12 Navigating Life Changes
09:51 Understanding Stress and Intuition
12:53 The Saturn Return and Spiritual Awakening
14:47 The Year of Laura: Self-Discovery Journey
17:59 Following Your Bliss
20:02 Building a Purpose-Driven Business
21:00 Journey to Self-Discovery and Transformation
28:49 The Power of Expanders in Personal Growth
28:53 Laura

Transcript

Laura Livermore (00:00)
Welcome to episode one of the Mind Body Manifest podcast. Oh my gosh, I am so excited that you are here joining me on this journey. I feel like this podcast has been on my heart and soul for quite a while now. And here we are. I'm sitting in my beautiful office in our brand new home in Denver.

looking out over the mountains and I'm just feeling so grateful for where I am in my life right now. I am married to my best friend. We have an amazing baby boy named Jack who recently just turned one and I'm getting ready to host my seventh spiritual wellness retreat in Tulum in a couple of weeks.

and I've built this amazing business that not only transforms women's lives, and helps raise the vibration of the planet, but also one that truly fulfills my soul. And I can honestly say that I feel like I'm living my dream life. and that was not always the case. So in this first episode, I wanted to share with you a little bit about.

How I got here and the three biggest lessons I learned that helped me uncover my soul purpose as a spiritual entrepreneur and completely changed the trajectory of my life. I truly believe that we all have a soul purpose, a divine reason why we're here.

which is to share our unique light and our fullest expression with the world and to expand our consciousness through lessons along the way. And how we express and experience our soul purpose is gonna be different. And that's what we're each here to find out. So if you're feeling stuck, unfulfilled, like you're meant for more or you're just unclear on what your soul purpose is,

This episode is for you. I hope that the lessons and the tips and the stories that I'm going to share with you today will help motivate you, inspire you, and ultimately help you connect with your unique soul purpose. Okay, let's start with lesson number one. Your intuition will lead the way. You gotta calm your nervous system and quiet your mind so that you can decipher it.

So your intuition is like your direct connection to God. It's the way you receive divine guidance and it will never lead you astray. Having a strong intuition is like becoming a clear channel for your true voice, your soul, your highest self to come through and communicate with you. It's your navigation system in life.

and you decipher it through your body. And the more connected you are to your body, the easier it is to receive the information and trust your intuition. And there's four different ways you typically receive information through your intuition. And everybody has access to all of them, but you likely are gonna resonate with one or two more than the others.

So you could be clairvoyant, which is when you see something in your mind, you get a vision or the info comes in through your dreams. Clairsentient is when you feel it. Maybe you get shivers down your spine when you walk into a room with bad energy, or maybe you get like butterflies in your stomach when something excites your soul, something that you know is meant for you.

Or you could be clear-audient, meaning you hear the information. It may sound like a voice in your head, or you might think it's just a thought, but it's so clear and direct that it's, you know that it's a divine message. Or you could be clear-cognizant, which is more like an inner knowing. It's a gut feeling and...

There's really no other way to explain it other than you. It's something you just know. And I can think of several times in my life where I've received some sort of intuitive download through each of those channels. But what I've really come to understand, what I've really learned is that you have to be present and aware and feel safe in your body to actually be open to receiving.

the intuitive messages. so growing up, I want to just kind of give you a little backstory about myself. Growing up, I took dance classes and I really loved creating art. And I think that that really truly helped me to connect with my body and to build self-awareness, to become more present. And I think that that really strengthened my intuition muscle.

And this served me really well in life. feel like I've generally been really good at trusting my intuition. it's led me to meeting the right people at the right time. It's helped me get jobs that I've loved. It's helped me manifest my husband, dream homes, find my purpose. It's really given me a lot of rich experiences that have shaped who I am today and trusting my intuition actually

led me in college to get an interior design degree. Yes, my background is actually an interior design, not in spirituality or coaching. I've been a coach since 2020. So after college, I, with my interior design degree, I started working for a corporate windows, corporate window coverings company as a design consultant.

And I worked for this company for about eight years. It really taught me a lot. I thrived with this company, this corporate company. I started making six figures. I kept increasing my pay every year. I was making more money every year. This job was commission only, which meant that you only make money on what you sell.

So this taught me to work really hard, to hustle, to get the sale. And even though I was making really great money, I was nonstop working. Like, you're driving from house to house in traffic because I did in-home design consultations. And then when you get home, you have to finish working, send emails, send quotes. And it's just, it's like nonstop.

and I really wasn't at this time making time for my own self care. I was just hustling, working really hard and then living for the weekend to party. And I was also going through a lot emotionally because my parents were getting divorced. There was a lot of drama and trauma with that whole situation. And I was also going through

my own breakup in a relationship with someone that I had been with for about four years. I thought I might marry and I had also just moved to Los Angeles and I didn't know anyone. And while all of my friends were getting married and having babies at the end of my twenties, I felt like my life was falling apart. I was super stressed out.

because all of this is happening at once. My mental and emotional states were just a mess. And I was having thoughts like, why can't I just have a normal family? Why do I feel so far behind? I don't know what my purpose is. I just started to feel really lost and I didn't know what I wanted to do. I felt like my career was no longer fulfilling.

that I was meant for something more, something bigger, a better life. I just had no idea what that was or where to start. And because I was so stressed out, my adrenals were fatigued. I was getting anxiety. I had to stop drinking coffee. My body was screaming at me to make a change. Now, when you are chronically stressed out,

your nervous system goes into fight or flight like survival mode, which makes it really hard to connect to your intuition. All you can focus on is just getting by just surviving because your nervous system is working on overdrive and everything feels like a threat. So your thoughts reflect that your actions get stifled. It's like your energetic field is

mucky and clouding your perspective and blocking you from receiving those clear divine intuitive guidance, those clear divine messages. So I want you to think of yourself like a radio tower and you can really only receive the clear channel, the clear messages when your energy is aligned, like you're on the right radio frequency.

But when you're constantly really stressed out, everything shifts. Like your whole energetic field shifts. You start thinking negatively, you get worried, your nervous system's dysregulated. It's like your energetic frequency is low and you're not in alignment. And so your divine channel gets clouded, gets mucky, and it's so much harder for you to receive the intuitive guidance, for you to know what steps.

is next for you. So if you don't know what you want, if you feel like you're not sure what your purpose is, you likely have somehow unconsciously shut down your intuition. Your body may be giving you signals and you're just not listening to them. And this is what was happening for me. Stress can be a major reason why

you're not trusting your intuition, but there could be other reasons as to why this is happening as well. So I'll give you an example. If when you were young, your parents or your caregivers weren't able to meet your emotional needs, you likely learned to attune to their needs in order to receive love. And when you attune to their needs, you shut down

your own wants and needs. And so over time, you stop listening to your intuition because you're putting everyone else's wants and needs above your own. You're basically telling yourself my wants and needs aren't important.

And since 95 % of our actions and our reality is shaped by our subconscious beliefs that were formed in early childhood, your subconscious mind is like a computer and your early childhood experiences created beliefs that were downloaded into your subconscious. And now those become the programs that you operate from throughout your life. So if you have a subconscious belief that your wants and needs

aren't important, you stop trusting your intuition and you start just people pleasing. You do what everybody else wants. And then you wake up one day and you're like, how did I get here? How did I get my life get to this point? I'm unhappy.

So it's no wonder you feel stuck. It's no wonder you feel lost. It's no wonder you're not sure what your sole purpose is. Now, at this time for me, I was approaching the age of 30 and I didn't realize that I was actually going through my Saturn return, which triggered a spiritual awakening for me.

Now, if you're not sure what that means in astrology, I'll give you a very basic general understanding of that. In astrology, the planet Saturn takes like about 30 years to go back to where it was in your chart when you were born, which is why they call it a Saturn return. And Saturn is all about transformation. And typically during your Saturn return, people experience big life changes, sometimes good like

People are getting married, they're having babies, or they're having a peak in their career. But if you're not living out your purpose, your Saturn return will likely push you towards it by clearing out what needs to go in your life. And this is what happened for me. It felt like everything in my life was just falling apart and changing all at once. My family life, my romantic relationship, where I was living.

my career, all of this was changing and it was so stressful that it was keeping me stuck. Now, the key here for me was learning to put myself first. I had to slow down, slow down, prioritize my self care, really get to know myself on a soul level much better.

uncover what I really wanted and needed in my life. And I had to shift my mindset. Unfortunately, because I was newly single, living in a new city where I knew no one and going through this spiritual awakening, I really decided to make that year all about me. I called this the year of Laura and this was the very beginning of

completely transforming my life and sending me on an entirely new path. And at first it just started with trying new workout classes, going to events, meeting new people, like finding things that were fun for me and inspired me and made me feel more alive. And I started going to yoga and something really shifted for me in yoga classes.

It's like I got out of my overthinking mind. I got more into my body. I just felt more grounded and connected. And it was that same feeling I remember having when I took dance classes as a kid. So I knew it was like it was opening, opening something up with me. It was opening up new energetic channels within me. I started going consistently.

And I even downloaded a meditation app and I started meditating every morning. And this was a huge, huge turning point for me that shifted a lot, especially with the stress meditation and yoga, really calmed my anxiety. It helped me to feel more grateful, empowered me to take control over my thoughts and

rather than feel like a victim to them. And I just had so much more inner peace. I started responding to things differently that normally would trigger me and I felt lighter, just so much lighter. And then one day in a yoga class at the end, we're laying down in Shavasana and this intuitive download.

just came through and hit me like a lightning bolt. This voice that said, do a yoga teacher training. And it was like the clouds had parted energetically. And I finally got this very clear, divine, intuitive message on my next steps. And I wasn't clear at the time on why I needed to do that yet, but it just felt like an inner knowing that this

was meant for me. And so I trusted that. And then I did the yoga teacher training and during that time it opened up the floodgates to learning more about spirituality, manifestation, personal development, ancient yogic wisdom, the mind-body connection, really learning how to regulate my nervous system.

And the more that I did that, the more I worked on my mindset and healing my body, the more clear I became on my path. And things just started to shift and align. It was like following the breadcrumbs of my intuition, leading me to the next step and then the next step and the next step towards my purpose. But what I did was I just started following my bliss.

I started following the things that felt like a yes within my body. And as I'm taking yoga and I'm doing these meditation classes, I was able to understand that message of my body more easily. I became super interested in learning really everything I could about manifestation and the laws of the universe. And as I started to apply what I was learning,

My life started changing for the better in every area. And I knew, I knew deep within my soul that if I could change my own life with this information, that I needed to help other women do the same. Something within me knew that this was connected to my soul purpose.

And so I just kept trusting the little intuitive nudges. I'd get a nudge or an idea or a download to go a certain direction. I remember I, I got invited to a networking event and I met a woman there that was a successful life coach and hosting wellness retreats. And she was like this beautiful example of what my life could be. And then.

I started following more women on Instagram that were successful entrepreneurs that were traveling, making millions of dollars, helping other people. And all of a sudden I had this epiphany that this was a possible career, that I could actually do what I loved. I could teach yoga, manifestation, become a coach and have a successful online business helping people.

and live life on my own terms and get paid more than what I was getting paid, my mind was completely blown.

I had no idea that this even existed, that this was even possible. But because I was trusting my intuition, things just started to align and the universe kept showing me people that were living examples of what I desired. And this lit a fire within me. I finally knew what my sole purpose was, or at least what the next step in

living my ever evolving sole purpose was. So I started hiring coaches and mentors to help me build a business and to continue to heal and grow on my own in my own life. I got certified in a bunch of subconscious reprogramming modalities because I learned that reprogramming your subconscious mind really is the key to personal transformation and manifestation.

Laura Livermore (20:33)
And so I got certified in all of these subconscious reprogramming modalities so that I could truly help people transform their lives and become really good coach. got certified in neuro-linguistic programming, NLP, is tools to help you rewire your subconscious, hypnotherapy, emotional freedom technique, or EFT tapping, meditation, breath work, and of course, yoga.

But the point here is that I would have never been able to find the next step towards my sole purpose. I would have never been able to find the right coaches, mentors, the certifications. Like the path unfolded only once I learned how to slow down, prioritize my self-care.

regulate my nervous system so that I could actually hear my intuition come through. And for me, daily meditation and a consistent yoga practice were vital in that process. Those two things, yoga and meditation, completely changed my life. And I highly recommend

You meditate. I recommend this to all of my clients, to everyone that I meet. If you've never meditated, you do have five minutes. We always have five minutes and there's a lot of different types of meditations out there. You can even just sit down and do a guided one, but it is so powerful and really sets the foundation for personal transformation because it builds

self-awareness. helps you to get out of your mind, more into your body, it opens up and clears your energetic channel. It's just so powerful. Trusting your intuition is key. And in order to do that, you have to slow down.

So let's just pause right here. I want you to take a slow deep breath in.

And a slow exhale out.

Do that in, do that again. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose, fill up the belly, ribs, hold the breath at the top of your chest.

and slowly exhale through your mouth. Let it all go. And just notice how you feel. Okay, let's move on. This leads me to lesson number two. Within that story, the second lesson I learned was to find your expanders. Your expanders are the people that are doing the things you want to do.

They're the people that are living the life you want to live, or they are a living, breathing example of what is possible for you. They're showing you that what you desire not only exists, but is meant for you because you would not desire it unless it was meant for you. So had I not seen other successful female entrepreneurs that were hosting transformational yoga retreats, had

online courses and successful coaching businesses, I would have never even taken the steps to get certified and to start my own business. I didn't even know that existed at the time, but seeing these people online expanded my belief of what was possible.

I probably would not have even gotten certified to teach yoga because I really didn't think there was any money in teaching yoga. I thought that the only way to teach yoga was to teach multiple classes a day at a yoga studio where again, you're like hustling, making 30 to $40 a class. And that really would have just felt like I was repeating that toxic hustle burnout.

cycle that I did in corporate with zero time freedom. And that was, that is not the vibe. That is not, that is not the vibe. Now at the time I also didn't know anyone in my immediate friend group or family. didn't know anyone that was into personal development manifestation. didn't know personally know any other coaches in my life. And this was like,

2018 when I first started learning about this and manifestation really wasn't as widely accepted or talked about. It was not all over TikTok like it is today. So I just, really didn't have any inspiration or clear role model to look to in my immediate environment, but I found those people online and who you surround yourself with makes all the difference, right? You are the sum.

of the five people you spend the most time with. So I started to get into rooms with the people that I wanted to be like. I started going to wellness events, taking consistent yoga classes, signing up for group coaching programs with other women that were building online businesses. I was listening to all the personal development podcasts. These were the women that were my expanders.

And they were the women that inspired me to keep going, to keep following my bliss, to keep trusting my intuition, to live my sole purpose as a spiritual entrepreneur, even when I didn't have any proof or guarantee that it would work for me. And your brain loves proof. It will constantly seek to prove you right. So whatever you show it more of, whatever you focus on, it's going to reflect that back to you into your reality.

If focus on lack, you're going to get more lack. If you focus on finding the people that you see yourself in, that inspire you, that have maybe a similar story to you or are doing what you want to do, your brain will start to associate with that and believe that it's possible for you too. The more examples you have, the deeper it strengthens your belief that it actually is possible

and inevitable for you. So start looking for examples of people that have aspects of what you desire in your life and use them as an expander to expand your belief of what's possible for you. Okay, this leads me to lesson number three in uncovering your soul purpose is that it's not so much what you're doing, but who you become along

the way. Your soul purpose is not just doing the thing that lights you up and inspires you. Absolutely that. But that's not the only thing. It's also about the journey of becoming a better version of yourself. Your purpose is about the journey of expanding your consciousness and your soul. The part of you that is eternal, that is connected to the divine.

that is connected to everyone and everything in this universe.

Laura Livermore (28:07)
It's about learning from your mistakes and deepening your capacity for love. And in doing that, you come back to your true self. Your true self is who you are without all the labels, mom, coach, wife, whatever it is, without all the fears and the limiting beliefs, your true self is the essence of love. And since we expand our consciousness,

and our capacity for love through lessons, your sole purpose will require you to evolve and to change and to grow. And change is not always easy, is it? Transformation can be hard. Think about the butterfly wrapped up in the cocoon and right before it breaks through into a beautiful butterfly, it's...

really uncomfortable.

But evolving, evolving is worth it.

Evolving does require you to be brave. It's gonna require you to have courage to take risks, to do big scary things, to feel the fear and do it anyways, to persevere when times are tough and you want to give up. But that is all part of the plan. God's plan, the divine.

plan of uncovering your soul purpose is learning to embrace the journey. Because the journey is everything.

And so what I learned along the way was to be brave. I learned to find the lessons, look for the lessons in order to keep going.

I learned that living your soul purpose doesn't mean you have this perfect life where nothing ever goes wrong. There's going to be times when you doubt yourself, when you want to give up, when you feel like it's not working. And I've faced a lot of challenges and a lot of setbacks and periods of feeling stuck. But what, but when I remember this lesson that living your purpose is about evolving.

and becoming the best version of yourself, it empowers me to keep going. It empowers me to find the silver lining, to look for the lesson, to turn the shit into gold. Because you always can.

And your purpose is going to require you to step into your higher self, your next level self. Now your higher, your higher self is not this like unattainable, perfect version of you who never makes mistakes, who never has negative thoughts. I think of your higher self is more like your wiser self. your higher self loves and accepts all parts of you.

while striving for more. So instead of shaming yourself when you make a mistake or you get triggered or you know, something happens that you thought you had already healed, your higher self recognizes that, shows compassion and chooses again. And you know that you are living your sole purpose when you're doing what you love and

you're evolving and growing into your highest self. So learn to enjoy the journey along the way. When I started to integrate this lesson, doing the brave and the scary things that your soul purpose is going to require of you, it became so much easier. I didn't just give up the second it felt hard. Now, I truly believe that

Everyone is deserving of living their sole purpose. And if you haven't quite figured out what that is yet, if you're still feeling stuck or unfulfilled, I really hope that those three lessons I shared with you today served as a beacon to inspire you, to motivate you, to get you started along your path. That is it for today. Thank you so much and I will see you.

in the next episode.