Dealing With Dystonia While Reaching Goals With Becky Johnson

During this episode, you may notice that Becky is struggle with her speech. This is one of the side effects of Dystonia and some days are better than others. But she continued through and shared her incredible story on this episode!

In this  episode I chat with Becky Johnson again! This time we chat about her duathlon while dealing with Dystonia. She did it!! She completed the swim and the bike in Boulder, Colorado.  But it was NOT easy. 

Becky  shares the many different challenges she had during the swim and bike portion.  The challenges most people face during a dualthon might be fatigue, soreness, low energy. Becky faced so much more. Not only with Dystonia but other effects that presented themselves during the event.  Some while swimming causing this to be very dangerous. She felt she was going to drown and even had a kayaker following her to make sure she was ok. Other challenges were on the bike such as, bike parts jamming up. Yet, not only did her competitiveness keep her in it, her fight did as well! Her fight was not just for her, but for her family and friends who were there to support her and cheer her on, and for others facing Dystonia. 

Becky has most recently been diagnosed with seizures.  During this fight it seems she takes one step forward, then several steps back but again, she proves that no matter what one is dealing with, you can keep moving forward and finding the JOY.

She continues to use her meditation and her guiding light to keep her focused, sane, JOYFUL, and moving forward. She also uses her healing and therapeutic modalities she has been trained in. 

I know you will enjoy the conversation with Becky. I took so much of it to value, especially what she says near the end....(You have to listen).

Please share this episode with one person you know who needs this sort of inspiration. Plus you will be providing them with a gift if they decide to connect with Becky. 

Here is Becky's Bio.

In 1997, she had to make the heart-wrenching decision to quit her senior year as a college swimmer due to a debilitating condition that caused her neck to involuntarily pull to the right. Despite intensive therapy and support from trainers, her performance declined, and she ultimately left the sport. This issue persisted even after transitioning to triathlons, where she continued to struggle with her condition.

In August 2022, after starting her role as a social-emotional teacher, she faced a severe migraine that led her to the ER, where she learned she had Cervical Dystonia, a condition that runs in her family. Following a series of treatments, including Botox and consultations with specialists, she prioritized her mental health and began exploring cognitive therapies and nutrition, which significantly improved her well-being. The support from her current medical team of holistic and medical doctors has been invaluable in managing her condition.

Drive-A-Logue link at Bark! https://www.bark.us/blog/drive-a-logue/?srsltid=AfmBOop-1zhhdhu3tNfMSZfR5oMYS6BZMtDnWpsAt4hIIiWFaZMrUlUJ

Lauren's Book, My Dad Died From ALS and How I Found Joy 30 Years Later
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2J15M3Z

CONNECT WITH LAUREN AND HER FAMILY

Email: lauren@dailyjoy.us
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Transcript

*AI Transcribed*

00:01
free audio post-production  by alphonic.com

00:15
Hello and welcome to Navigating Joy Together. My name is Lauren and I'm here with my family.  Mark.  Addison.  Hunter and our dog Onyx.  Each episode you will hear about our experiences with Navigating Joy Together in our family  as well as tips you can bring back to your family.  Thanks for spending time with us.  Now let's get to it.

00:48
Hello everybody and welcome back to Navigating Joy Together. Before we get to this week's episode, I just wanted to give you a couple of reminders.  If you are looking for a research-based strategy to encourage meaningful conversations with your children, I want you to check out Drive-A-Log. The mission of Drive-A-Log is to provide a vehicle for families across the country to have meaningful and brave conversations. You can order these decks of cars online.

01:14
and they come in different grade levels. There's one for grades two through five, six through eight, nine through 12.  And the benefits of these, kids are more likely to have honest conversations when they're not forced to have direct eye contact. You can make this a day-to-day conversation that's easier and provides a higher percent that your kids will talk to you when they are having challenges.

01:38
The cards have questions about real life things that kids deal with. And sometimes those things are very difficult for parents to ask and start a conversation. They also build connection and  they are engaging and that conversation is proactive and they're definitely age appropriate. So you just decide which deck you want. Go ahead and look on the show notes. The link is in the show notes and you can get your set of cards today. We love them.

02:08
We've used them  and it's just created wonderful conversations while we were driving.  The other thing I wanted to just remind you, if you haven't checked out my book that I wrote, it's on Amazon. It's a memoir called,  My Dad Died of ALS and How I Found Joy 30 Years Later. And it's just my story about my dad being diagnosed with ALS when I was in eighth grade  and the four years that followed up until his death and even how life transpired since

02:37
his death, which has been over 30 years. It's affected me in many ways.  And one thing I did learn  is that we can still find joy in suffering and in grief.  And it took me a while to really find that true joy. And I talk about that in the book. So  go and get it, share it with one person, just one person you know, who might be struggling with something or has a family member who has me have an illness or terminal illness.

03:02
There is some value in there  and I would love and be grateful if you checked it out  and you shared it with one person. I know that it will impact other people and give them some hope. The link to the book you can also find in the show notes as well. All right, now we will head over to this week's episode. Welcome back to this week's episode. I'm so excited to bring back my dear friend, Becky Johnson. uh

03:31
The last episode I published  several weeks ago was with Becky and she started to tell her story about her  life and diagnosis with dystonia.  The challenges it has brought her  and also how she has worked to even discover more joy during this time.  And I'm so excited to have her back. I decided that I wanted to follow her journey because I keep following her on Facebook and seeing her amazing

04:00
Positive spirit amongst  all the challenges that she is enduring and new challenges come up Pretty often actually  and she still  just keeps going and she's such an inspiration So I wanted to bring her back  in my last episode We talked about how she was excited for the duathlon that she was training for and she has already accomplished it And so this episode you're gonna hear her story. You're gonna be so amazed  at

04:30
what happened. don't want to say too much, but I'll tell you what, when I was listening to her story, there's a lot of people that would have quit in the middle of their race  and she did not.  And so we're going to hear her journey,  what it was all like, how she felt after, and then some things that have come up even after that she wasn't expecting that have again,  make her feel like she's taking a step backwards.

04:55
even though she probably felt like she was taking several steps forward after finishing this duathlon.  But she keeps moving forward  and again, I'm just in  awe of her  and her inspiration that she is sharing with others and how she just continues to find joy  during this challenging time. And these are things that she's gonna have to live with for the rest of her life. And she still is  really searching and

05:25
working on finding joy for herself so she can still live a very joyful, happy life. So  if you want to know more about Becky, listen to the previous episode um that shares her bio.  I'm just gonna jump right into it  and here we go. Okay, well, hi, Becky. I'm really glad that we're here today. Thanks for having me back. Yeah, thanks for coming back. And the last time we spoke, you actually shared about your whole journey with Dystonia.

05:54
where that's brought you in life, what you've been experiencing, how you're tapping into joy, all the support you've had up to this point. And then you also talked about the duathlon you were training for and you've had it. Yeah. um I can't believe I did it. feel like um every

06:17
Everybody and everything was on my side that day.  I have always been a morning person, so I am tickled that it was in the morning.  And um I  ended up having  21 supporters, seven of which  up at 5 a.m. in the morning for me, which I couldn't believe it. So that  even  if  nothing else happened, even if I didn't

06:46
touched the water and I kind of halfway started the race. That would have done it for me that, that I showed up and I started the race and I saw those people with all their posters cheering for me.  Um, it just gave me such joy and,  um, I'm skipping way ahead to the end of the race, but coming around the final corner of my bike race after so many highs and lows,  um,

07:17
Gosh, there were, I think about 10 of them standing there and I just heard them all cheering my name.  I just can't quite explain um the joy that came over me  at that moment and  the adrenaline in the final push because once I crossed over the finish line of the bike piece of it, I thought I was done and I was celebrating and they're like, you're not.

07:47
Run through the whole transition area. Oh my gosh. I had no idea. And I'm in my bike shoes, which are clickety clackety. And I also can't really walk, let alone run. So I had to run across a whole like transition area where all the bikes are. And then through, through down to where we started the swim. And then

08:17
I don't know. It felt like I ran a whole other mile.  After the transition area,  I tried not to throw my bike shoes at a friend who was cheering on the other side of the transition area, but I think I did throw my shoes at it home.  I'm like, take these. And I ran through the finish line  in my socks. And  I call them my holy socks now and I still wear them. I'm not throwing them away. They're very special to me now, but  it was a miracle.

08:47
That is so awesome. I can just picture that scene. Picture the scene and I bike and I know what those clickety clackety shoes sound like. I can't even imagine running in those. Especially after I just did a swim and then a massive ride. And not that comfortable to move around in. Oh my gosh. Well, and it was actually amazing because I was standing upright.

09:17
And I started, I felt like, and maybe this was us talking or I was talking to somebody else, felt kind of like Forrest Gump. Was that us talking? Where I just, I kind of started walking and then I started running and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm running. I couldn't believe it. I thought I was cured and I...

09:46
could run and I could walk again. then of course, next day I got up and I could not do all these things. think they were all the crazy endorphins going through my body, but just for race day, was very special. I get off my bike, I could get out of the water and run and walk to where I need to be. And so that felt really nice to.

10:14
do be able to do that with everybody watching and just to be able to do that for myself. Do you mind revisiting a little bit because finished, which is so incredible. You hit your times. Yes. Wasn't super simple, was it? No,  it was not. um So um I've been a swimmer my whole life  and it has come.

10:41
It's been second nature to me. I swam starting when I was six years old, swam in college  and,  um,  and  even when I began to train, I was feeling really,  really good.  And about three to four months into training, I, all of a sudden  my coordination and my breathing started to  be  off  and

11:09
My physical therapist thought it um was a function of my dystonia that was kind of  acting up  a muscular  twitch or something going on in my throat or in my diaphragm, um causing it to um inhale  or my breathing couldn't coordinate as I wanted it to. And so I kind of thought it was a fluke and

11:38
And because I knew how to coordinate swimming so well with my body, I thought that I could kind of overcome that.  And um I could to a point, but training  became more difficult and then the actual race was um the most difficult.  And um so  that continued to happen and  I

12:08
I, what happens is I end up inhaling a ton of water and choking. And in addition to that,  I,  um, during the race, which didn't really happen a lot in training, I also lost coordination of my body, which, um, later, we could talk about this a little bit later too. I was diagnosed just recently with non-traditional seizures. And so I am wondering if.

12:38
that loss of coordination  of my body  as well as the breathing episodes were part of the non-traditional seizures. And so um between those two things in the water, it did not make for  easy swimming in the water because there were three major times when

13:08
I started choking  and,  um,  a kayak kind of was watching me on the first one. I could see her from a distance and she started paddling towards me, but I started swimming before she got to me.  And then  about halfway, halfway through the race, I had a really big choking episode and, um, um

13:33
had a tread and stopped for a minute and I went on my back and started to swim backstroke and started swimming breaststroke instead of freestyle. um And then I started choking again,  even without swimming freestyle, nearly having my face in the water and just having to pause, which was just so frustrating because I had submerged passing me and I had done fairly well up until that point.

14:03
um The kayak who had been watching me was right up on me and she just asked, are you okay? Are you okay? And I said, yes, just give me a moment. And she was like, okay, let me know. And  so  I gathered myself and then I kept swimming. um And I was  about at the middle and I decided I would start swimming breaststroke. And let me back up just a little bit.

14:32
because, uh oh my gosh, Lauren, a little, and  this is not because of my dystonia. This is because  I am  a terrible triathlon lake swimmer because I've this before. I'm swimming in lakes. They're very murky and I just  put my head in and I go. So, um, this happened in, in this race as well, where I just, um

15:01
kind of in the beginning towards, and before my first choking episode, I think it was, I just started swimming and I started swimming. And before I knew it, a huge boat started honking its horn at me. And I was like, ma'am, you need to get back on course. And I am like, 500 yards off course. I'm telling you, this happened to me.

15:30
before I was swimming in Fort Collins and some triathlon. And so I swam well over my mile. Oh my gosh. And so that happened. So, oh my gosh. So that was a little bit embarrassing because I'm sure they tried to get my attention. And so I get beyond the halfway mark and I am about

15:57
I don't know,  300 yards to the finish line.  And I have another pretty bad episode where I pretty much lose total control of my body.  And I start choking  really  bad to the point where I can't even tread.  And I'm kind of um starting to go underwater.  And the lady um

16:27
Lydden watching me is now like a fly on poop. I'll be appropriate. And it's like, I don't think you're okay. I'm pulling you in. And so she, reached out. And I am so rebellious. I can see the finish line.

16:55
still choking really bad, like I have no control over my body. And I just start trying to swim breaststroke  and I would have been disqualified um in any official race of swimming.  I  just did whatever I could and finally I gained control of my body again and continued to swim breaststroke and made it to the finish line and got out of that water.

17:25
It's crazy because with this disease and Parkinson's patients will say this too, when I got on my bike,  I felt total control over my body. I felt complete alignment. I felt like my breathing was back. didn't have any  weird like, um

17:54
any weirdness that I have even when I'm not in the water or even when I'm talking or walking or any of that I can just get on my bike and ride and and it's such a fascinating neurological um symptom  of this disease and  some Parkinson's patients or dystonia patients say that happens to them with running.

18:22
That does not happen to me with running, but it does happen to me. I'm getting on the bike. So once I got on the bike, I was, um, I was golden. So let me backtrack.  You said that it's the same with Parkinson's. You were talking about how your body felt total and control on the bike.  Can you tell me that again? Yes. Yeah. So the minute.

18:52
I get on the bike, um my neck actually looks pretty straight right now in the picture we're looking at one another. at um the time of my race,  I was actually um leaning pretty far to the side because I hadn't had um my Botox injection for about eight weeks and my neck was starting to hurt pretty bad. so um

19:21
But the minute I get on my bike, my neck muscles loosen up and my balance gets in alignment. it's like my pain goes away and it's wild. It's this neurological response. When I get on the bike that...

19:50
All my stuff seems to go away. That's so fascinating. Isn't that crazy? And the only other situation where that happens is when I do uh handstands or I'm upside down in some capacity. So I joke with my physical therapist that if I could just walk on my hands or if I could bike ride everywhere, I'd be golden. oh

20:20
So when you were on the bike, then it was just kind of smooth sailing. Well, well, no, but  it,  um,  it, my body was totally in control. So that was awesome. I had total coordination of my body. What, what I experienced in the water, I do think was,  um, my dystonia or the

20:48
these secondary non-traditional seizures. um Whereas on the bike, was purely my lack of training  and not looking  at how many hills there were.  And so there was a massive hill um kind of at the beginning of the race. um

21:15
I think I could have made it up, but my left gear,  which I only would tap into with a really hard hill, it jammed up right in the hardest part of the hill. um And I have trained on hard hills before  and I've tried to just keep going and I've been known to just...

21:43
over on my bike and so instead of tipping over I was wise and I got up and I  and I was walking my bike but the the humorous part of that  is walking my bike again in my clicky shoes trying to hold my bike  on a hill I mean I just kept  tripping  and um

22:12
coordination it took to  to actually lift my right leg with even without holding a bike. I mean the coordination it takes to walk on flat ground and regular shoes is hard enough and so um and so again a truck pulled up beside me and is like ma'am are you okay do you need assistance and I said

22:38
No, my gear just got jammed. think I can get back on my bike in a little bit.  Um, and he offered to fix my gears, but I'm so darn competitive, Lauren. I'm like, no, you just keep going because I'm almost at a point where I can get on my bike. I don't want to waste my time with you, fixing my gears for half an hour when I can get on the bike. So I'm tripping up this.

23:04
the huge mountainous hill to the point where I can get on my bike. So again, that was hard because  I  felt like I was  ahead of at least a few people still. And at that point, um quite a few people had tasked me.  So that was kind of humbling. um But I did get to the point where I could get on my bike  and um

23:34
They're, they were funny because they said at this one part, there will be a police officer. And if you go over 35, you're going to get disqualified. Um, and so I have no fear going down hills and they said there would be, you know, one of those, um, things as a driver that you can see that.

24:02
tells you your speed. Well, it was broken. So I didn't know my speed, but I felt like I finally was going downhill after that big hard hill and tripping over and I had my shins were bleeding because I kept running into my gears trying to walk my bike up the hill. I finally felt like the wind was in my hair and

24:30
Everything was right in the world and I was just  going full throttle.  um, and my son, Adam, who's 17 is like, there's no way, mom, there's no way you were going over 35, but I'm pretty sure I was going 70 miles per hour.  But, um, but,  and the police officer took his hat off  and like,

24:58
like, I don't know, did something with it. And so I don't know. I thought that was the fact that I got DQ'd, but at that point I didn't care and they didn't mark down that I got DQ'd. So I don't know what happened. I don't know if I went over 35 miles per hour or not, but that downhill was glorious and I was going really, really fast. And, and I knew

25:27
from looking at the  course path that we didn't have to go back up.  was a circle kind of around Boulder. um So that was lovely knowing that we didn't have to go back up.  And um it was really cool because  in  all races I've experienced this where there's one or two people that like,

25:55
you'll pass them and then they'll pass you and that  happened on the bike. And um so there was a guy that um I would pass him and on the hill he had to stop and walk. And so finally when I got  back on my bike, I did end up passing him and I said, good luck to you. And then he got on his bike and um he ended up passing me.

26:24
And um then down the way I saw him take a wrong turn and I'm like, hey buddy, it's this way. And I don't think he heard me, but I felt so bad for him. um But then I caught up to him um towards the end where he almost took a wrong turn again.  And he's like, believe it or not, I'm taking less wrong turns than I usually  do.

26:55
And congratulations. And I said, don't feel too bad. I swim way far in the swim. he's like, oh, you are the one. I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, you know, when you think you are the only one who knows what you do, no, everybody knows what I did in the water. So that was amazing.

27:23
But so he was my buddy and we were motivating each other and cheering for each other at the end too. um, so, and there was definitely some cramping and just normal race stuff, but the bike, the bike was amazing because it felt, it helped me feel like, um, I was my normal self again. it's me.

27:51
get excited to know there is something in my life that I can sign up for a bike race again  and be successful with that and  training and  just be confident to do in my life. That's so awesome, Becky. I  love that discovery and I think some people  would have quit.

28:19
with all that you endured, what kept you going literally? Like what was that drive? You said you're competitive, but I think there's something else because you're in the water, like probably almost drowning a couple of times. Yes. So beforehand, I had, well, since Dystonia began, I've been practicing a lot of meditation and

28:49
and breathing techniques and just emotional healing. And for this specific race,  I had written up a meditation and I asked um five specific friends to um record it for me so that I didn't have to worry about um reading it.  I could just kind of take it in and...

29:15
listen and visualize and take in all the senses  and um listen to voices I know and love. um so especially during the swimming and the hardest parts of the bike, it was so incredibly cool, Lauren, because I really was able to go back to some of those moments in my meditation.

29:44
that, um

29:47
that  put conditions in almost a perfect way  where conditions in  the actual situations were obviously not perfect and almost reframed my brain  to  kind of push through  the negativity  and um just  get back to that point of joy with a little self-regulation and not to say that my

30:17
body  was  working any better, but just something about the motivation and the grit to  keep going when  I maybe would have stopped and  let the lady pull me in  instead of swimming away from her um or  the moment on the bike when the guy wanted to help me. um

30:44
There were various moments where, were hard and there was even one moment on the bike where I kind of went to a place of like, why is this happening? Why is this happening to me?

31:09
and  why am I having this detour and why can't I fulfill  my dreams, how  my husband and I have dreamt about it.  And even  in that place, I remember going back to um a place in my meditation that was so very special  and  just kind of reliving that part  and getting a big smile on my face and

31:38
and  just focusing on that and moving forward. So that was a huge part. The other huge part was just remembering  like right before the race started, the seven people who were there.  One who happened to be my friend's dad, who  was really a dad for me when I was in high school, who

32:08
Um,  I adore my father and also  he  is a,  um, uh, a father who holds me highly accountable  and he was in the military and,  and he's this kind of a father and my friend's father  is,  um, was the first father I had known who was just so tender and

32:36
and really talked about my strengths. he was one of the people who was there before my race began. And he just kept hugging me  and he started crying and um told me how proud he was of me. And um there was something so sweet that his daughter, my good friend, um got a photo of it and we were fist pumping each other.

33:06
And he's almost 80. And so I'm in my suit, fist pumping him. And so that was a special moment. And so those moments of, um, during the actual race, the people who showed up, not only on the day of, but who showed up before,  um, the race in every way, um, cheering me on. that's incredible to be able to.

33:35
shift your mind in the moment like that from the struggles and maybe the anger, like you said, why is this happening? And kind of we can go down that spiral, right? But you were able to pull yourself out. That's such the power of meditation, which I've never experienced really, because I don't spend a lot of time meditating. But just to be able to latch on to that, pre-plan your meditation, know how it's going to support you in this journey.

34:05
using it when you're struggling, thinking about those people  and everything that happens. That's incredible. You are definitely  an inspiration and you're showing people that no matter how life is or what's going on, you can still do  what you want to do and accomplish  your goals, even though they're challenging. Yeah. You know, and it's that mindset. Yeah.

34:34
So thank you for sharing that. I'm so grateful that you're talking about this here. Yeah, you're so welcome. So that brings me to this last thing. If I can share this,  something you wrote  on the 6th of August  on your Facebook  page, Becky's Neurological Journey. Because I think this sums up everything you were just talking about. And I have a question after I read this. OK.

35:04
Update 8625, highs. I went to camp, helped out a little, but more than logistical help. I connected, I laughed, and was filled with immense joy by some people I've known for 30 years and some people I had just met. I completed my race in Boulder, accomplishing all my goals, being supported,

35:32
by 21 people the day of. Is this how it will feel being welcomed  to the kingdom of heaven? I attended a writing conference, which gets me fired up to get serious about writing and becoming an author. I continue to learn and grow and help others learn and grow. Despite setbacks,

36:01
I'm learning to release hard emotions quicker and regulate back to joy in healthier ways. I am able to see more beauty in just how much my parents,  husband, children, and chosen family friends have been taking care of me spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially.

36:29
My medical team remains above the rest. They all make eye contact. They listen to what I say. They try new things with me. They are for me. They are not just there to get yet another patient through  like so many doctors. Lowe's. I've been diagnosed with non-traditional seizures and I'm starting medicine. And I also,  and also,

36:59
I am very grateful. Lifting willows backside into the car, I tore my right bicep tendon, which will take six to 12 weeks to heal. This is requiring even more surrender and rest. And also, I can do this.  This is both a high and low. I've tapered two heptam medications

37:28
down to the barotrains, which is exciting. The hope was that I didn't have  as much fatigue. Unfortunately, that's not happening, which is the low.  And also, I'm going to try to function on the lower medication dose. So despite all of this, you say in here, despite the setbacks,

37:55
I'm learning to release heart emotions quicker and regulate back to joy in healthier ways. I'm assuming part of this is with meditation. How do you handle this? Sometimes it's like another thing is happening and another thing and another thing. How do you really just get yourself back on track? Yes. Something else is coming to mind that I've earned

38:24
three certifications on um just some healing and therapeutic modalities that  I get to use during  for my life coaching business. But in every one of those modalities, there's a concept of um most of them deal with internal family system theory, which talk about that there's just like parts  of us in. m

38:52
inside every human being um that  deal with like there's  a part of us that um protects us  that's like our that is our defense mechanism  and there's a part of us that's on our left side of the brain that

39:14
is a more logistical part and our right  side of our brain is our more creative emotional part and um there's also the truest sense of ourselves. And so there's all these parts of us and m in every certification they talk about um in the emotional centers of our brain there are  all of these emotions on the emotions wheel. I'm looking at my emotions wheel right now.

39:44
talking, but,  um,  and  that we really don't want to ever,  um, wish  any,  anything away.  Um, especially some of the negative emotions, we,  kind of want to bless those negative emotions or welcome them because they  teach us so, so much. And so that's what's coming to mind when you're asking.

40:14
Um, along with some of the other things I've mentioned, how do I get through?  And that's, think one of the ways that I can regulate a little bit,  um,  better in getting back to joy  is,  is  wondering  how,  how will this challenge, how will this anger, how will this sadness, how will this frustration teach me?

40:44
And thank you, like actually thanking this hard emotion for teaching me  to um help me get to be a better person than I was before the emotion came  or before the circumstance came. Instead of pushing it down or instead of numbing  or instead of letting our defense mechanisms take over.

41:14
just to protect us, just to  deal with life and get through life,  allow those negative emotions to teach us so that we can  become better people,  essentially. That's so incredible. Becky, you're awesome.  just,  what you're doing and it just makes sense. And I think about how  we could even do that in the classroom, the kids.

41:41
Yes, you know with anybody Mm-hmm. That's really powerful. Well, thank you for sharing that I am so grateful for this conversation as always  and uh People can follow you  and reach out to you right if they need support in anything you're going through or if you  are  in the dystonia world and some

42:08
form or another, I know you would be open to supporting people and having people reach out to you.  Absolutely.  Do you want to share again  how to reach out to you or how to find you?  Sure.  My website is 813therapies.com.  I am on Facebook.  Lauren mentioned it.  I believe it's called Becky's Neurological Journey.

42:38
And it's a private  page, but you just ask for approval. I'll approve you and you can kind of read about my journey there.  I  also have a private page called Becky's Transformative Art Healing um page. I believe it's called, which there's some cool stuff on  there. You can get some

43:07
many master classes of some art healing and my email is 813therapysllc at gmail.com. yeah, reach out. I'd love to hear from you in any capacity and we'd love to chat with you.

43:36
Thank you for sharing that. And I know girl, you are going places  in a good way. You've got it. You got it down to your soul. Thank you.  Thank you so much for talking again. And until next time, because I think there's going to be another one.  I love it. Thanks for having me on, Lauren. You're so amazing as well. I'm  going to have to interview you next

44:03
and all the amazing things you're doing.  Okay.

44:12
All right, my dear, have a good rest of your night. Okay, you too. Bye-bye. you. I just love this conversation with Becky. What an inspiration. And this is why I wanted to have her back. When I read her post that I just shared at the end, I was so amazed. She's such an inspiration and she's truly showing that anybody who has any kind of challenge can still move forward.

44:41
I think about all the difficulties she had during that duathlon where  she was drowning. I mean, a couple of times where she almost felt like she was going to drown, but yet she kept moving because she wanted to finish. And every other challenge after that, and then what she found out about her seizures, it's literally like taking  one step forward and several back, right? We've all felt that way where we just don't feel like we're getting anywhere.

45:08
she keeps moving forward no matter how many steps she takes back. And I love that she can laugh through all of her experiences. And that's Becky. Becky's always been that way. And you can tell that she is full of life no matter what, and her heart is always filled with joy. So as I wrap this up, I ask you all

45:32
to share this episode with one person. Every single person knows somebody who's struggling in some form. It doesn't have to be with Dystonia,  but struggling in some way where they don't feel like they can live their life or move forward. And Becky is a true example of you being able to do that.  Not only will you be sharing something where they can gain value and insight, but maybe they connect with Becky and who knows, it could be a life-changing experience for them. So  please share this with  one person that you can.

46:01
And if you know more, go for it, but I just asked for one. Thank you so much for listening. And if you want to share what you took out of this episode, I would love to hear it. My email is lauren at dailyjoy.us. My Facebook is Lauren Goldman-Raymond and Instagram, lauren'sdailyjoy. Thanks for being here. I am out of here. Did you enjoy your time with us today? If you did, please give us a review on Apple Podcast.

46:28
Your review will make navigating joy together much more fun and we would be truly grateful if you would share this with others who you know would gain value from our podcast. Thank you again and we look forward to sharing our next episode with you in two weeks.

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