Imagine having to deal with a traumatic accident that impairs your ability to function. Then, after recovering, you enter into an abusive relationship that does not go well and creates stifling ramifications to your ability to function and hold on to hope. To top it off, imagine being told that you are now allowed to act on a dream career that would propel you to new heights both personally and professionally. Today's guest, Elizabeth Meigs, fits all of these qualifications (and much more!) as she shares her story of survival, overcoming the odds, and becoming the best version of herself in the truest sense of the phrase. Despite life's many obstacles, the choices that we have in terms of processing the various situations we face, and the opportunities that we are granted, come from a single source: yourself. Being brave enough, just as today's guest was, can reward itself in many multiple ways if you are willing to be brave enough to have a voice against all odds that you face in life and beyond.

Guest Bio

Elizabeth Meigs is an overcomer and a fighter who knows her purpose is to inspire, provide hope, and encourage those going through the toughest challenge of their lives not to give up. She was born and raised in a small rural town in Southeast Kansas, where her family raised horses. She was an “outdoorsy” girl who loved fishing and riding her horse. Her dreams and goals were coming true when her world was turned upside down in a car accident one week into her first year of high school. That night, everything for her and her family stopped abruptly. She learned how to overcome the hard obstacles, and deep down, she knew there was a purpose for all she was going through. Not only did her dreams change, but a new purpose was revealed. Whether you're dealing with job loss, a failed marriage, a divorce, an abusive marriage/relationship, physical challenges, or other setbacks, the natural solutions and strategies she now teaches can help you stay focused on achieving your dreams.

Website: https://elizabethinspires.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMeigsInspires

Instagram: @Elizabethmeigsinspires on Instagram

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethinspires

• The EI Method | Elizabeth Inspires (https://elizabethinspires.com/the-ei-method/) - Mentioned during today's episode, grab your free copy of Elizabeth's EI Method, available at this link.

Visit Our Website: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/

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Support The Mission Of The Business! Donate Here: https://speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm/support

Intro/Outro By: Michael Dugan, Podcast Host: Voice4Chefs

Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

2

determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

3

This is Speaking From The Heart.

4

Joshua: Welcome back to episode number

82 of Speaking From The Heart, and this

5

is an episode that will strike you to the

heart because of what this next guest on

6

our show will be sharing with us today.

7

My guest is Elizabeth Meigs, and she is

an overcomer and a fighter who knows her

8

purpose is to inspire, provide hope, and

encourage those going through the toughest

9

challenge of their lives not to give up.

10

She was born and raised in a small

rural town in southeast Kansas, where

11

her family raised horses, and she was

always an outdoorsy type of girl who

12

enjoyed fishing and riding her horse.

13

Her dreams and goals were coming

true when the world was turned upside

14

down in a car accident one week

into her first year of high school.

15

That night, everything for her and

her family stopped abruptly, and she

16

learned, from that moment on, how

to overcome the hard obstacles, but

17

deep down, knew there was a purpose

for all that she was going through.

18

Not only did her dreams change, but a new

purpose was revealed, so no matter whether

19

you're dealing with job loss, a failed

marriage, a divorce, an abusive marriage

20

or relationship, physical challenges, or

other setbacks, the natural solutions and

21

strategies she teaches as a coach that

she does today in her work, can help you

22

stay focused on achieving your dreams.

23

Now I have to say, that even with all

these things that I've shared about her

24

bio, nothing will compare to the fact

that in this interview, I have never

25

been struck by so many different things

that have happened to a guest, but yet

26

has kept on getting back up and kept on

persevering no matter what, and has such

27

a positive outlook, that to me, it just

shows that even with the severe things

28

that we go through in our lives, it's just

a matter of what kind of attitude that

29

you take in order to keep moving forward.

30

I will say in this episode that it might

be a little bit hard for you to understand

31

what Beth is saying, but you'll quickly

understand why once we start getting into

32

the conversation, so I encourage you,

if you need to, please use the episode

33

notes that are located on my website,

speaking-from-the-heart.captivate.fm,

34

or visit my webpage,

www.yourspeakingvoice.biz/podcast, in

35

which you can access the link directly.

36

I think that you will be blown

away by this woman's tenacity

37

to keep moving forward.

38

But with that, let's go to the episode.

39

All right, we have

Elizabeth Meigs with us.

40

Elizabeth, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

41

Elizabeth: Thank you very much for

allowing me this opportunity to share my

42

heart with you and all of your listeners.

43

I'm excited to be here today.

44

Joshua: I am so excited just

because of our conversation before

45

we even got started today to talk

to you, and I'm really pumped,

46

so, Elizabeth, I love asking this

question when I start out with guests.

47

Can you tell us a little bit about

your backstory as in how it got you

48

to where you are today, because as

I shared with the audience already,

49

you're an inspirational speaker.

50

You do a lot of awesome things for

what you do to serve others in that

51

realm, but can you tell us a little

bit about yourself to kind of get

52

the picture of essentially why

you're doing what you're doing today?

53

Elizabeth: Sure.

54

I would love to, so I was a

beautiful 14 year old girl.

55

I was chasing after my goals and my dreams

of becoming a country music singing star.

56

I had been performing and singing since

the age of seven, taking voice lessons.

57

I was known for my voice.

58

I was very popular; played

every sport, cheerleader.

59

Everyone wanted to be my friend.

60

I always had a boyfriend.

61

In the spring of my eighth grade year, in

fact, my voice teacher saw my gifts, my

62

talents, and she arranged for me to be in

a recording studio, cutting a demo tape.

63

I had professional pictures taken, with

everything moving full speed ahead for

64

me to graduate high school and move to

Nashville to pursue my singing career,

65

but then, one week into my freshman

year of high school, my life was

66

completely turned upside down when I

was severely injured in a car accident.

67

My best friend, her mom, was driving

us to the movies when all of a sudden

68

we were struck from behind which sent

us into a tailspin and then proceeded

69

into a barrel roll multiple times.

70

With every roll, my head

was at the point of impact.

71

Joshua: Wow.

72

Elizabeth: I had to be cut from the

vehicle, resuscitated multiple times

73

at the scene, then I was transported by

ambulance to the nearest rural hospital

74

that was not equipped to take care of

all of my health needs, so I was then

75

life flighted to the nearest trauma

center an hour and a half away by car.

76

My parents were given a very

dim prognosis; less than a

77

25 percent survival rate.

78

My brain was swelling rapidly, and

the doctors didn't give me much hope.

79

I was placed in a drug induced coma,

which I would remain for three weeks.

80

Once I came out of my coma, I basically

was reduced to that of an infant, and I

81

had to relearn to do everything again.

82

I couldn't even sit up on the

edge of the bed by myself.

83

Joshua: Wow.

84

Elizabeth: Therapists would get me

into the recliner at my bedside, and

85

I would stay to sit up for 30 minutes

and then sleep the rest of the day.

86

It was going to be a long road

of therapy and intensive rehab

87

in order to get me back to caring

for myself again independently.

88

Joshua: Wow.

89

First off, wow.

90

I mean, to have that kind of trauma

early on in life, let alone have it

91

that you have to relearn everything,

especially at a young age, I can only

92

imagine the difficulty that you've had

to go through to get to this point,

93

which I have to tell you, it was shocking

to me to even just hear that because

94

I've known of people that have been

in traumatic accidents, gotten out of

95

their cars, no injury whatsoever, and

for you to go and have this opposite

96

sort of situation happen to you.

97

I mean, I noticed that you grew up in

Southeast Kansas, and you said something

98

along the lines of not really having

that ability to really get a really

99

good medical treatment, I guess, as

a result of that, I mean, if things

100

were different, even if you had the

best of care, do you think that you

101

would have had a different life?

102

Would you have been able

to be a country singer?

103

I mean, do you feel that that

would have been your calling?

104

If not, do you feel like you've fulfilled

with what you're doing now as a result?

105

Elizabeth: Oh, definitely.

106

As I reflect back on my life, my

experience with singing, actually all

107

leads up to me being a speaker on a

stage because I know how to work a room.

108

I know how to work an audience

and make them feel like I'm

109

singing directly to them.

110

I spoke in May of 2023 and a

couple of people from the audience

111

said, "Beth, I felt like you

were speaking directly to me.

112

There's a room full of us right here,

but you spoke directly to me, so it all

113

definitely led up to what my purpose

was as a result of this accident.

114

Joshua: Walk us through what it meant

to be rehabilitated, because you started

115

to mention some of those things, like

relearning the aspects of probably

116

speaking, which I'm sure our audience

has already noticed there's a little

117

bit of a difference between some of

our guests that we've had and what

118

you go through, and that's to commend

you for the fact that you're able

119

to have conversations with people.

120

That is incredible in itself.

121

I have to commend you for working so hard

and being persistent, but outside of that,

122

from what we can hear, what other things

have you had to go through and relearn?

123

Elizabeth: I had to relearn everything.

124

It was 43 days before I even spoke a

word because of the ventilator that

125

was in place for two and a half weeks.

126

My vocal cords were very weak, so

when I did speak for the first time,

127

my voice was nothing but a whisper,

and it would be months before I would

128

be able to talk in full sentences

without my voice cutting out.

129

It was a long road, and honestly,

the rehab portion and the relearning

130

to walk and care for myself again,

being either able to bathe myself,

131

dress myself, that was not the

most difficult part of any of this.

132

It wasn't until I was back in school

after three months of hospitals and

133

intensive rehab that I discovered

that I was going to be facing the

134

biggest challenges of my life.

135

I was not the same girl that

I was before the accident.

136

I was a new person and I

had to rediscover who I was.

137

I wasn't able to sing.

138

I could barely speak sentences

without my voice cutting out.

139

My parents actually had begun to

wonder if I would ever speak again.

140

They were concerned because of the

fact that I was known for my voice.

141

Everyone knew me for my voice.

142

That's who I was.

143

Once I got back into

school, my life was over.

144

My friends lives had gone on.

145

They were still playing the sports

we loved, still going out on the

146

weekends, working their part time jobs.

147

I had to do outpatient therapy

after school every day of the week.

148

We had to hire tutors to help me

to stay caught up with my classes.

149

My mom had to help me

with all of my homework.

150

She had to read everything to

me so that I could remember it

151

in order to pass my classes.

152

I was alone and isolated.

153

I dealt with judgment because people

would see something physically wrong

154

with me, and if they didn't know

me before the accident, they would

155

decide that I wasn't worth their time.

156

That hurt.

157

Joshua: Man, I feel like I can

resonate with that so much.

158

I've always been overweight.

159

My listeners have heard this in other

episodes about my struggles with school

160

and trying to deal with bullies and trying

to overcome that stigma of what other

161

people are saying about me or judging me.

162

I can so relate to what that feeling is,

which it took me decades to go through

163

that process to just get to where I

could love myself, and I can only imagine

164

what that could feel like for you.

165

Was there something that really

stood out to you when you were

166

going through that, that really

left a lasting impression on you?

167

Was there somebody that really did

something really bad that maybe reflected

168

on, maybe this is going to be a tougher

road than I thought towards recovery?

169

Elizabeth: No one really

did anything to me.

170

It was just the judgment in general.

171

It took me years to learn that

if people are going to judge me,

172

I don't need them in my life.

173

It took me years.

174

I would come home from school multiple

times a week for four to five years

175

and burst out in tears, screaming and

crying and tell my parents I should

176

have died; I wish I was dead; I want

to kill myself, because I knew this

177

world would be better if I wasn't in it.

178

I thought everything would be easier.

179

Little did I know, I didn't

see that that broke my parents

180

hearts every time they heard it.

181

I was just in, in my own little world,

feeling all of the pain, all of the

182

heartache, all of the difficulty

that I had to face on a daily basis.

183

I'm telling you right now, if

you're listening to this, you're

184

listening to this for a reason.

185

I want you to know that you are

worth so much more than any of the

186

people who may be judging you and

you do not need them in your life.

187

You are worthy of being loved and being

in this world and you have a purpose.

188

I didn't know what my purpose was

at that time, but the voice in my

189

heart that brought me nothing but

comfort and peace was the voice of

190

God saying, "I have a plan for you.

191

You can't stop.

192

You have to keep going."

193

I knew that if I had been able to talk

to someone who had been through what I

194

had been going through when I was going

through it, It would have made a world of

195

difference in my life, but I didn't have

that, so I knew I couldn't quit because

196

I needed to be that for someone else.

197

Joshua: Speaking of which, I mean, I

know our listeners have already heard

198

so much about what you had overcome

at a young age, but if that wasn't

199

enough, I understand that you went

through a marriage that was kind of

200

messy in itself and also lost your

job and had other sort of setbacks.

201

Can you just touch on some of those

things that later on after you recovered

202

or had continued to do the recovery

process that really helped to motivate

203

you into what you're doing now, because

my goodness, I was literally just

204

talking about in episode number 80,

I had Lorayne Michaels on the show.

205

We were just discussing that sometimes

just the number of things that we go

206

through would have left people for dead,

but yet they continue to keep going

207

forward and keep being strong, and I just

sensed that there's just nothing that's

208

going to stop you, but yet you had this

happen to you, so can you describe a

209

little bit about that for the audience?

210

Elizabeth: What got me through was the

voice in my heart every night before I

211

went to bed, no matter what had happened

that day, I would pray to God, thanking

212

Him for my life and my blessings, and

asking Him to lead me and help me to

213

make the right choices so that I could

help those He placed in my path, and

214

I prayed for everyone in this world,

because what I was going through,

215

I wouldn't have wished on anyone.

216

My faith in walking through the

doors that He has opened in my life,

217

fully trusting in Him and his plan

for my life, is what got me through.

218

I graduated with my class by the

grace of God, went on to college,

219

which changed my major four times,

going to school for eight years before

220

finally graduating with my associate's

degree in occupational therapy.

221

It was when I walked into my

first patient's room, who had

222

suffered a stroke, and they told

me that they couldn't do this.

223

They couldn't get through the recovery.

224

They had lost hope.

225

The fact that I could sit across from

them and share with them my story,

226

that gave them hope, and they would

hug me on the day I would discharge

227

from home and say, "Beth, I couldn't

have gotten through this without you.

228

Thank you."

229

That kept me going.

230

That was the first part of

me discovering my purpose.

231

I had the opportunity to move

232

God has guided my path for

the last two plus decades.

233

He will use anything to get you where

you need to be, even online dating.

234

I was on an online date in July of

235

I didn't know where this

town was; this church was.

236

It was in a suburb of Waco.

237

I had heard of it, and one of

my co workers lived there, but

238

I didn't see God pointing me to

that church, so I never went.

239

November of 2016, I ended

up moving to this town.

240

Every time I passed the church,

I would think of the invitation,

241

see the gentleman's face who had

invited me, but still didn't see

242

God pointing me to that church.

243

In January of 2017, I was

in a Walmart before 7 a.m.

244

in the morning, buying cooking ingredients

to do a cooking task with my patient.

245

As I am walking away from the cash

registers, I hear a familiar voice

246

talking to cashier behind me.

247

I don't know where I know this voice

from, but I turn around, and it was the

248

gentleman who had invited me to church.

249

Joshua: Wow.

250

Elizabeth: I slowed down.

251

I waited for him to catch up.

252

We recognized each other.

253

We did small talk after our vehicles

parked right beside each other.

254

Saturday morning, I sent him a

message in the dating app saying,

255

"I moved to Spring, Texas.

256

What time is church?

257

I have yet to find a

church I feel at home at."

258

It would be by joining this church

that I would find friends that would

259

become family; friends that saw me.

260

This was the first time in 17 years since

the car accident that I found a place

261

where I really felt like I belonged.

262

Two weeks after I joined this church, I

found out they had a Celebrate Recovery.

263

I didn't know much of what Celebrate

Recovery was other than drug, alcohol

264

abuse, depression, anxiety, and I

knew that me sharing my story from

265

the stage would bring hope and

I would be able to help people.

266

That's what opened the door for me

sharing my story on a much bigger level.

267

Joshua: That's incredible, because for

some people to get even that opportunity,

268

which I do public speaking coaching

amongst other things, trying to get

269

broken into that market can be very

tough, because not only is it highly

270

competitive, but you also have to have a

unique niche sometimes to understand how

271

to connect with your audience and also

different people, but to hear this kind

272

of fall on your lap, especially with the

way in which God built that for you, is

273

nothing short of not only interesting,

but really is an important lesson for all

274

of us, I think, as I'm writing this down

and to share even later on, I think that

275

it's so important to never lose faith

in even the biggest of situations that

276

might seem like chaos, to put it bluntly.

277

Beth, I really am curious.

278

You could easily say, "Yeah, I am

a victim of this", and not give up

279

and keep doing what you're doing

and keep living a normal life.

280

Why be a speaker?

281

Why inspire others with

what you've been through?

282

It's so easy to just dismiss it and just

say, "Yeah, I'm just like other people.

283

I just want to fall into place with

where everybody else is at", but

284

you kind of resisted against that.

285

What was your motivation?

286

Elizabeth: I was broken.

287

I was broken.

288

I was lost.

289

I wanted to end it all, but I have a

purpose, and my purpose is to provide

290

hope to those who feel broken, feel lost,

feel like there's no way to keep going.

291

I'm supposed to inspire them.

292

There are strategies that I learned

going through the darkest moments in

293

my life, through the car accident.

294

These strategies actually

helped me in my marriage.

295

I continued to do online dating, and

296

had insecurities that he hid from

me while we were engaged in dating.

297

Insecurities that wouldn't come to

the surface until five to six months,

298

eight months into our marriage.

299

God was continuing to open the doors for

me to be able to grow as a speaker, and

300

mold my message and get it out there to

everyone who needs to hear it, but my

301

husband would tell me multiple times a

month for over two years, no one will ever

302

pay you to speak; to share your story.

303

The only financial security that

you will ever have is through

304

your degree, but I knew better.

305

God's voice was always so much stronger

in my heart than his voice ever was.

306

In March of 2023, I would have the

opportunity to do a two day speaking

307

seminar, where I would learn to outline

my talk, and be able to share it so that

308

I could get paid speaking opportunities.

309

This two day seminar was going to get me

a professional demo reel for my website

310

to share with potential conferences and

organizations that I wanted to speak at.

311

It was going to get me professional

pictures for my website.

312

I had to get permission.

313

I had to speak to my husband on three

different occasions to get him to

314

allow me to use my business money in

order to invest in this opportunity.

315

He finally agreed.

316

After I shared my story, in that five

to six minute clip from that stage,

317

everyone in the audience was crying.

318

I was getting applause.

319

I got a standing ovation.

320

One gentleman stood up and said, "You

need to take your story nationwide

321

today because you can help so many

people who are lost in this world."

322

I felt great.

323

I went home after the second day.

324

My husband didn't even

remember that I did it.

325

At the end of that week, I would hear from

that friend who invited me to church that

326

I hadn't seen in over three and a half

years, hadn't been close to in over four.

327

He reached out to one of my best friends

in Waco and asked how I was doing.

328

He was the first person that God had

brought into my life that I knew without

329

a doubt saw me, the beautiful person

I was on the inside, because he told

330

me he saw the beautiful person I was.

331

He would continue to tell me

332

2018 and not let me forget it.

333

He was placed in my life to

help grow my confidence and

334

what God was calling me to do.

335

On Monday, April 3rd, I would get a call

from the speaking coach who did that

336

two day seminar where I was told that I

was chosen to be gifted the scholarship

337

for his four month speaking coaching

program to get me to where I learn how

338

to get paid speaking opportunities so

that I could share my story with many

339

more people and help so many more people.

340

Joshua: I have to stop you for a second

because you've seen my various reactions.

341

I'm like all over this camera right

now thinking, "What the heck is

342

happening?", because who would ever

say to somebody else, me being a

343

public speaking coach, mind you.

344

Why would anybody ever say that you

don't have a story and that you have

345

to be stuck in your degree that you've

learned and your education that you got?

346

First off, you blew my mind.

347

It exploded, honestly, and just so that

our audience understands this, this

348

happened in the last year, correct?

349

Elizabeth: Yes.

350

We got married.

351

Joshua: Holy moly!

352

Elizabeth: We got married in 2020.

353

I would be told from 2021 to 2022,

354

would ever pay me to share my story

with the economy the way it was.

355

It was the enemy using

my husband to stop me.

356

My husband came home from

work the evening of April 3rd.

357

I knew that the conversation about the

scholarship wasn't going to go well.

358

I had fear.

359

I was sure that he was

going to make me cry.

360

I made dinner.

361

After dinner, I shared with him the story,

how I got the call about the scholarship.

362

His response to me was, "Until I see in

writing that there are no fees involved

363

with this, you are not allowed to do it."

364

I immediately broke down, started crying.

365

He glared at me and in a nasty voice

said, "Why are you crying?", and

366

I said, "Because this is who I am.

367

This is what God has called me to do, and

now he's opening the doors for me to do

368

it, and you're telling me that I can't?"

369

I knew in that moment, God has

consistently used one person over

370

and over again in my life since 2016,

always get me where I needed to be.

371

He needed to consistently use that

one person so that my eyes would be

372

opened in this moment and I would

see that I didn't make the best

373

choice when I chose to get married.

374

Now, I wouldn't be where I am in my

speaking career if I didn't get married

375

and hadn't moved to Dallas, but God

brings people into your life for a reason.

376

My friend that God has continually

used was how he opened my eyes.

377

I saw in that moment the manipulation,

the verbal and emotional abuse I had

378

been enduring for over two years.

379

I realized my husband never saw who

I was, and the one person that has

380

always seen me, God used that week to

open my eyes and I knew I had to leave.

381

God moved mountains for me that week.

382

I was able to, within 24 hours, transfer

from the hospital I was working as

383

an occupational therapist in Dallas,

to their sister hospital in Waco.

384

I was able to find an

apartment that I could afford.

385

I did all of this in secret.

386

I made my plan to escape.

387

I had to protect myself because I

had been living in constant chaos and

388

confusion for all of our marriage.

389

I lost my peace when I got

married and moved to Dallas.

390

I had grown further away from God,

because I had to work two to three days

391

a week so that I could pay my half of

the bills, and the only two days that

392

I could count on were Saturday and

Sunday, so I hadn't been going to church.

393

I hadn't been feeling the Holy

Spirit, which I felt every Sunday.

394

As soon as I got back to

Waco, I found my peace again.

395

Joshua: I'm sitting here and I'm like,

not only shocked that somebody would ever

396

say to someone else, first off, that they

don't have a message and I'm not going to

397

pay you to give it this message because it

costs money, but just the sheer fact that

398

you're sitting here, with a straight face

with me, like, I'm determined to do this.

399

I see that fire right now, and I know

that I can hear it from you, as if this

400

is something that you were meant to do;

whether that is God, whether that is some

401

higher calling, whether that is something

that has set you up to where you're at.

402

It's something that, even in the

public speaking business, I like

403

to call it not only your message or

your story that you're selling about

404

yourself, but it's really the punch.

405

It's the punch in which that one

sentence just radically shifts the

406

whole audience into a completely

different mindset, and that's literally

407

what happened, I just got punched.

408

I literally did, and not

even through the camera.

409

It's one of those things that I sit

here and I think about what I've

410

been through to get to where I'm at

today, Beth, which we were talking

411

about a little bit before we started.

412

It is so interesting that sometimes

these waves of different things that

413

have happened in our life get to where we

ultimately need to be, and it's just, I'm

414

amazed that you have still conquered that.

415

Beth, we're almost at the end of our time.

416

I can't believe that we are, but this

is so impactful that I think there's

417

many takeaways for it, but my final

question to you is this: What if there

418

was this opportunity to be a country

singer, going back to that a little bit.

419

Hearing everything that you said, if

you were able to sing, do you think

420

that it would make a big difference

in how you communicate your message?

421

Because even for my public speaking

audience, I always think that it's

422

really cool to be able to not only have

this special talent that you share,

423

but It's always cool to radiate in a

different way that maybe people aren't

424

expecting, so, if you belt out a singing

tune right now, this will be just the

425

clincher to this overall interview, I'll

tell you that much, but in all honesty,

426

and maybe to rephrase the question, if

you were given the choice, even with

427

everything that you've been through,

would you still be a public speaker,

428

or would you rather have been a singer?

429

Elizabeth: I would not change anything

the last 23 plus years of my life.

430

If I had made it to the country

music stage, my life would not be

431

near as rewarding as it is today.

432

I'm still pinching myself.

433

When I shared my story from the stage

434

come up to me after they heard me speak

would say how much hope I gave them.

435

One night, there was a woman who came

up to me and said, "Beth, I wasn't going

436

to come to church tonight, but something

was telling me I needed to be here.

437

I know now that that was God.

438

I needed to hear your story

because it gives me so much hope.

439

Thank you."

440

I am doing what I was called to do,

and I wouldn't change any of it.

441

I have learned to grow, become

stronger, become the resilient woman

442

that I am today by facing all of my

challenges head on and not giving up.

443

I encourage all of you who are

listening, I know it seems hopeless.

444

You feel lost.

445

You feel like you can't go anymore.

446

You don't believe in yourself.

447

I want to tell you, I believe in you.

448

I know you can do it because whatever

is on your heart, God put there

449

for a reason, and I promise you, He

has placed everything within you to

450

make your goals and your dreams a

reality, whatever is on your heart,

451

you can do it, but you can't give up.

452

I know you have what it takes.

453

Joshua: Definitely true words from

a very appropriate podcast called

454

Speaking From the Heart to be on

to share that important message.

455

Thank you for that, and either

way, I think, Beth, you are

456

doing your calling, like I said.

457

I know that was sort of a foolproof

question that maybe had an obvious

458

answer, but I think sometimes we

have to pinch ourselves to realize

459

that we are doing what we are set

out to do, and I'm really inspired

460

by your story and what you shared.

461

Thank God that you're here to

be able to tell it because it is

462

something of great significance.

463

To wrap us up, I would give

you the last few minutes.

464

How can people book you as

being an inspirational speaker?

465

How can they contact you?

466

I know that you do some coaching that we

didn't even get into, but if they would

467

be interested in something of that nature,

I would love for you to share it with our

468

audience, but I'm going to give you the

last few minutes to go ahead and do that.

469

Elizabeth: The best way to reach out to

me is to go to ElizabethInspires.com.

470

You can see all of my social media,

Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram.

471

You can send me a message

through any of those platforms.

472

You can also download my free

strategy that I am offering

473

to all of my listeners today.

474

It is the EI method.

475

It's one of the strategies that

I had to learn facing the most

476

difficult challenges of my life.

477

I wouldn't be here today if I

hadn't learned that strategy.

478

In fact, I have created a 30 day

course so that I can help teach these

479

strategies to anyone who is struggling

with anxiety and depression, and if

480

having any difficulty with overcoming, I

want to help you to find your strength.

481

I want to help you to become

resilient, just as I have.

482

These strategies work.

483

I am living proof of that.

484

Joshua: You are living proof of

definitely a lot of things, that's

485

for sure, and I think that it's

really impactful to hear all this.

486

For those that are listening, Beth

did give a free resource which I'll

487

put in the episode notes, go check

that out along with her website

488

and everything she's mentioned,

but Beth, I want to end with this.

489

It is always amazing to me, that I'm up to

episode 82 when we're doing this, and it's

490

always been amazing to me just the number

of guests I've had on the show that have

491

talked about what they have gone through,

whether it's going on a movie production

492

set to going through drugs, going

through domestic abuse, going through

493

some of the trials and tribulations of

opening a business, even finding their

494

voice to be a public speaker, but I

have never encountered somebody quite

495

like you that has gone through so many

different things: divorce, abuse, neglect,

496

accidents, being on a recovery mode,

still dealing with some of those things

497

even to this day, but yet, still have

the power and the will to change other

498

people's minds, hearts, and souls with

the message that you have, and for all

499

those reasons, I've really enjoyed what

you've shared with our audience today.

500

Thank you for being on

Speaking From the Heart.

501

It was really a privilege and an

honor to hear your story, and I

502

can only wish the best of success

for you and your speaking career.

503

Elizabeth: Thank you very

much for inviting me on.

504

It was such a blessing to be able to share

my story with your audience, and please,

505

if you are feeling lost and if you can

relate to any portion of my story, don't

506

hesitate to reach out and don't hesitate

to download my free strategy today.

507

Thank you.

508

Joshua: Thanks, Beth.

509

I really appreciate it so much.

510

Thank you for what you shared today.

511

Tragedy can strike at any time, and I

think that no matter what you're going

512

through, no matter what is broken and

lost, you have to find a way in order

513

to gain that strength back, in order to

gain that attitude of inspiration and

514

hope, so you can keep moving forward.

515

Those are just some of the many lessons

that I think we all heard from Elizabeth

516

Meig's story today, and I really want to

thank her from the bottom of my heart for

517

being part of this show, and just showing

the fact that no matter where you are,

518

in this vast world that we live in, that

there's a lot of different opportunities

519

to learn about what's involved with just

staying the path and moving forward, no

520

matter what circumstances take place.

521

Now, I've had a lot of people on this

show thus far, in which we've talked about

522

so many different things that have been

challenges and obstacles, but nothing

523

like a physical impairment, just like

I had growing up as a kid, to shake you

524

to the core and remind you of how many

times it can be a challenge to understand

525

and rediscover the ways in which when

things go upside down, you know that

526

you still have a place on this earth,

in order to find the ways to navigate

527

through them, which really leads into my

first question that we should all start

528

thinking about, immediately: is it better

that you are not part of this world?

529

Is it better that you are

not part of this world?

530

I think that we all want to

say, "No, we absolutely don't

531

want to say that to ourselves.

532

I think that's an absurd question, Josh.

533

Didn't you talk about this in so many

other episodes?", and yes, I have, but

534

sometimes we have many people, whether

we want to accept it or not, that have to

535

ask that question every day, especially

if they're going through some of the

536

most challenging things, whether they're

physically impaired, socially inept, or

537

financially behind in their bills and

obligations, then it might be better off

538

asking that question more than anything

else, but what if you lost everything and

539

you just need to keep pushing forward?

540

Could you do it?

541

I think for many of us, we might not

even be able to take on that question.

542

It would be a struggle, no matter what

would happen, to try to address what those

543

things are, and I think that we have to

find the ways through the broken pieces

544

that might be left, especially from a

car accident in Beth's case, in which

545

we have to find that purpose, but being

told what you want to do in your life

546

from somebody else, I think that even

for my guest today would say that that's

547

not something that is entertainable in

our lives, and I think that sometimes,

548

trying to address those big challenges

that stay in front of us, no matter

549

what those causes are, can create

some of the most biggest ramifications

550

that we often don't want to face.

551

It's almost as if we're putting it off

because we know that the decision that

552

we're about to make might change radically

the direction of our lives forever.

553

I recently had that happen to me, in

which, I think that we all think about

554

the ways in which we want to be the most

encouraging type of person in the world.

555

We really want to find the ways in which

we can navigate all these different

556

challenges and be our best cheerleader,

even if being the best cheerleader

557

means being able to encapsulate that

feeling of success, means that we

558

often have to take a big step back

and think about all the blessings

559

that we have in our lives, in which

sometimes there are too many to count.

560

There might be even so many

different things that are happening

561

in our lives, that really, we

don't know what to do with them.

562

I like to call those things, fame

and fortune, because, if you think

563

about it, some of the most successful

people, especially in the United

564

States and even abroad, if you're in

my international audience, you think

565

about all the celebrities and all the

influencers, that are on social media,

566

that are able to have that success.

567

They're able to understand and

capitulate all the different types of

568

opportunities that they have, but they

have a platform in being able to do that.

569

While some of the Joe Schmoes,

like yours truly, your podcast

570

host, might have to resort to

other devices, such as a podcast.

571

With all joking aside, Isn't it

true that sometimes we're left with

572

very little choice in terms of the

options that we have available to us?

573

While some people might think it might

be as easy from going from name brand

574

to maybe the cheap generic brand at

the grocery store to buy our items,

575

some people have to make the decision

between what we can actually eat and

576

maybe what kind of bill that we have

to pay because of the limited resources

577

that we have and I think that is what

the crux of this whole conversation

578

today with Beth has really been about.

579

Who is really opening your eyes?

580

Who is saying no in your life and

when you don't have the opportunity

581

to really make that choice, because

some people don't even get to

582

make that choice for themselves.

583

There are other people that make that

controlling factor happen in their own

584

life, and I've had one or two guests,

if you've been a long time listener,

585

that have had that situation play out in

their own lives, and you've seen where

586

they have come, from zero to having

it all because they stopped letting

587

someone tell them what they are not.

588

Beth went against the grain

of society, and said that, "I

589

want to make that influence.

590

I want to inspire others.

591

I want to bring healthy

alternatives to the table."

592

That is what you need to be doing to be

able to give yourself that calling of

593

what you are potentially able to do; to

be able to say to yourself, "I am worthy."

594

that I am able to make such a big

difference in what other people are

595

saying about me, and I'm going to dispel

them no matter what, but I know that

596

nagging question: Do I know my self worth?

597

Do I think it's better that I'm not part

of this world, might be some of those

598

questions that you might be asking, and

by all means, if you are having those

599

sort of thoughts in which you want to

act upon them, I still encourage you to

600

call 988, especially if you're in the

United States, or seek out your local

601

health alternative in your country that

you're living in, and determine why you're

602

thinking the way you are, because I know

that situations like this, the financial

603

security, the ways in which your income

might not be bringing enough in because of

604

the vast amount of expenses that you have.

605

In this world that we live in still

plagued by inflation and all other

606

troubles that we have in our lives, the

things that we got going on that we might

607

need that prayer to be sent to us, those

sayings in which we have to be able to

608

understand what is it that we are able to

do to have that significance in our life.

609

It does take a lot of contemplation and

a lot of strength to keep moving forward.

610

I think the question really is, instead

of asking yourself, "why is it that

611

I should live on this earth?", should

be, "What purpose can I continue to

612

have on this earth, given the God given

talents that I was provided?", and

613

I know there's going to be skeptics

out there that say, "Josh, why do

614

you keep bringing religion into this?

615

I thought this was a non partisan, non

religious show.", but the truth of the

616

matter is, we all have some sort of

faith, whether we believe in religion

617

or not, in the choices that we're going

to make, and in itself, that means we

618

have some sort of religious ideation.

619

Whether you believe it or not, it's about

really rediscovering those choices that

620

we have in our lives that we continuously

make, whether they are from the outside

621

in or the inside out, we are making that

conscious decision every single day.

622

We, in other words, are trying to make

the best version of ourselves come

623

alive from the things that we do, but

Beth challenges the status quo, and

624

I think today we have to really think

about what if we did lose it all?

625

Will we have the faith that Beth has?

626

I think that we all have those

moments in which we fall down,

627

but we need to get back up.

628

It's almost like Rocky Balboa, the

famous fictional character played by

629

Sylvester Stallone in the five Rocky

movies, plus all the extra movies

630

thereafter, that have talked about the

importance of tenacity, to keep moving

631

forward, to keep pushing, even when

you've been shoved down to know your

632

self worth, because sometimes the world

ain't all full of sunshine and rainbows.

633

We have to keep fighting, especially if

we get knocked down, but being told what

634

you needed to do and being told what

you need to say means that you are a

635

subservient to some other voice, to some

other pattern, and I think that you have

636

to understand that there is much more in

this world than just thinking that you

637

are just a servant to some other whim.

638

You do have a voice.

639

You do have something that says something

even stronger than what you are hearing

640

right now, and if you are in that negative

headspace, just remember, that isn't

641

just about what you're feeling today.

642

It isn't just about the short term,

but it's about what you're creating

643

as your long term success plan, and I

think that you are able to make that

644

success plan happen if you're just

willing to stay committed, so don't wait.

645

Fame and fortune is not

everything that you need in life.

646

I think that it's a lot more than just

what is in the material sense, the

647

physical interpretations of what we have.

648

It's about what we're willing to do,

even if we're broken and lost, to find

649

our purpose because serving our purpose

is what really counts the most, and

650

I think that you all have purpose,

especially in Beth's case, to keep moving

651

forward, so dust yourself off, pick

yourself back up, and keep on fighting.

652

Keep on striving, keep on learning, keep

on growing, and keep on, keeping on.

653

Thanks for listening to episode

number 82 of Speaking From the

654

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

655

Outro: Thanks for listening.

656

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

657

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

658

Visit us at www.

659

yourspeakingvoice.

660

biz for more information about

potential services that can help you

661

create the best version of yourself.

662

See you next time.