Wake Up With Marci

Welcome to Wake Up with Marcy, a deep dive into self-discovery. I’m your host, Marcy Hopkins, and this is the space where we get real about life, transformation, and finding our true selves. Welcome to Wake Up with Marcy, a deep dive into self-discovery. I’m your host, Marcy Hopkins, and this is a space where we get real about life transformation and finding our true selves. Whether you’re navigating life transitions, parenting challenges, or simply seeking more joy and balance, you are in the right place. Through expert interviews, real life stories, and actionable advice, we’re building a community where women can grow, heal, and thrive. And today, I am so super excited to welcome Jen Drummond, a mom of seven, a world record holding mountaineer. She is an also an entrepreneur and author of the powerful new book Breakproof. She’s the first woman in history to climb the second highest peaks on every continent. A feat that mirrors the inner mountains she’s overcome in her own life. From a near fatal car crash to building a life filled with purpose and adventure, Jen now helps others move beyond survival and into a life of thriving. and we are so excited to have you here. Welcome, Jen. I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for having me. I’m telling you, you have overcome so much and your accomplishments are just so admirable and I’m grateful you’re going to share such inspiration and I know you’re going to make a true impact. Well, thank you. It’s fun to share the story and I’m just grateful I’m alive. Okay. like that car accident almost took my life. It did not. And every day as a celebration of just being here. So, thank you. Thank you. I know. So, it it is so interesting that that such a traumatic event has taken you to where you are today. But let’s go back let’s go back to that car accident and what happened what happened during that time. Yeah. Um, you know, I think the universe has a way of helping us along. Does that make sense? Um, I was going through the motions of life, checking the boxes, doing the things, kind of saying like once my kids get to college, then I’ll do me again. But right now, I’m just in the season of motherhood and this is what it looks like. And we have that. All of us have that, right? That if then story. And so for me, I was running a holiday party, Thanksgiving, and I was running it with another mom. And this other mom comes into the classroom and she has a turkey sweater, turkey socks, and like a turkey hair tie for me. And she’s all excited to share this thing with me. And I’m like, uh, are you kidding me right now? So, I go into the bathroom and I am fighting back tears, wondering what decisions I’ve made in my life that right now I’m putting on a turkey sweater, right? And I just was like, “Okay, like this is just the season. Like, we’re going to be fine. Like, it’s okay, Jen.” And then a few weeks later, this car accident happens.

And when you’re in an accident like this, it’s almost like time dilates, right? Like, I could see it happening. And it was happening so fast, it was happening slow. Yeah. And the minute like I saw that it was going to go, I just remember negotiating with death saying like, I promise like I’ll do something good with my life. Just let me live. And I lived. So So tell us what happened though. Like I mean, how long were you in the hospital? What ended up happening to you physically and then mentally from this? Yeah. So, you know, like the car collides with the semi-truck. I tell myself, I’m like, the only way I’m going to survive survive is if I surrender. And so, I need to just like roll with the car. I did one roll, did a second roll, did a third roll, and then I’m like, I’m not having enough momentum to go end over end again. I’m going to start doing these sideways rolls. So, I did a whole bunch of sideways rolls and was hanging upside down in the median. And this guy is like running towards the car and he’s yelling like, “Are you okay? are you okay? And I didn’t register that he was yelling, right? Like you hear the sounds but you’re not connecting that that’s to me. And then he peels back the windshield and we connect eyes. He’s like, “Are you okay?” And I was like, “Oh, he’s talking to me.” And I remember looking at him thinking, “I must not be okay because that guy’s facial expression is telling me that I’m in a bad way.” Yeah. And I was so afraid to look at myself. Yeah. that I closed my eyes and I wiggled my fingers and toes. Yeah. And I’m like, I can feel my fingers and toes. Like, I can I can feel my fingers and toes. I was so shocked that I could feel my fingers and toes. And the and the guy’s like, “Okay, well, I think you’re going to be okay. We’re just going to sit here till the ambulance comes.” So, the ambulance came. I went to the hospital. I went home the same day. Holy moly. Are you kidding me? Bananas. Yeah. 100%. And so I go home the same day. I remember like like getting dropped off by an Uber at my front door and I remember like just staring at the front door like paying attention to the details that I’d never really paid attention to before. And then I open the door to the house. Yeah. I just listened for a minute. Right. And then I walk in and I’m just an observer in my own home and I’m watching like two kids kind of argue. Someone went by in rollerblades. There’s pizza on the counter. Like there’s all these things that normally I would have been in just mode. And right then I’m just like, “Wow.” Like this. Wait a minute. So they had no idea this happened to you. We didn’t tell. No, they had no idea. They did. You didn’t want to put them in fear. So what was really interesting is the there was a car about five behind me on the highway. Yeah. And they knew me. And so when they saw that I was going to the hospital, they actually drove to my house and talked to the babysitter and said like, “Hey, she was in an accident, but it looks like she’s going to be okay. Do you guys need anything?” And the babysitter and they they didn’t tell the kids because the kids didn’t need to know and we didn’t know what was going on. So when I walked in, nobody had any idea what I had just gone through. And it was just like mindblowing that I almost didn’t get to see any of that again. So, it was like a a real awakening that happened. Very much so. Very much so.

Because here’s the interesting thing. Physically, I was fine. Yeah. Mentally, I was not because I’m like, “Okay, my car is totaled. I’m going to have to go get a new car.” So, I took an Uber down to the dealership and I was like, “Hey, I know my car is going to be totaled. I need a new one.” They’re like, “Okay, well, let’s help you get a new one. We have this one right here.” So, I’m filling out all the paperwork and then they hand me the keys and I’m like, “Oh, I got to drive because I had taken an Uber so far, right?” And so, I’m sitting in this parking lot with this car and for 45 minutes I’m having a conversation with myself. I’m like, “If I don’t start driving now, it’s only going to get harder.” Blah blah blah blah. So, I’m like, I’m visualizing what it would be like to be at home and safe and driven. Like, I’m going through the whole thing. And finally, I get enough courage to just start driving. It’s a 35 minute drive to my house from this dealership. I got home, I took a nap. I was so physically exhausted. Mentally, mentally exhausted. And it took me about six months of driving where I had to swallow my heart when I passed the semi and all that kind of stuff until I realized, okay, I’m okay. Like, I got through this. So, you had major PTSD, which I’m not surprised by any means. Did you get any support, any therapy through this? Um, I I mean, I did meet with a therapist just because I mean, my there it was a line in the sand moment. Does that make sense? Like my life could not go back to the way that it was. No. And um like I just remember having a meeting with my kids even. I said, “Hey, mom is gonna start doing life a little bit differently and it’s going to shift everything for everybody. And so, we just need to have conversations about what’s working and what’s not and we’re going to figure this out together, but there’s some things I want to do and we’re going to do them.” So, and is this where like the six months like you’re healing, you’re talk because you were saying it took you about six months to drive comfortably. So, we’ll give that that frame. Yeah. Now, are you having conversations with yourself and and are you talking to God during this time and like really going within to try to figure out like why did this happen and what needs to look different for me? Oh, 100%. Like I was journaling and documenting and because I had lost myself like I didn’t if you asked me like what my favorite prior to the accident you lost yourself. Yeah. Like if you would have asked me like what my favorite meal was, it would have been like whatever. I don’t care. You know, like I was just so in the mode. And I’m like, “No, actually we’re each placed here by God with a mission and likes and dislikes and preferences and things. And my job is to live that that version of me. Not to water it down, not to apologize for it, not to pretend it doesn’t exist, but to live that version of who I am. And I need to discover who that is.”

So, Jen, there’s a lot of women out there that, well, let’s hope they don’t have to go to through what you went through to have some sort of awakening, but you know, they’re like, but I I have to take care of my kids. I can’t really focus on myself. I don’t even know who I am. Like, I I too lost myself, right? And I had to go through uh some really difficult things myself to have that awakening and and start not apologizing for needing to be to feed my my own soul, right? So So how can you encourage someone out there that is like feeling so lost, feeling guilty if they ask to do anything for themselves, and how do they rediscover themselves? Yeah. Okay. Well, one, it’s a process and it’s a decision you need to make every single day, right? So, it’s not like, oh, I’m going to do this and then you let it sit. It is every day I’m going to do this and learn something about myself. Um, the biggest permission slip I gave myself, which really turned the whole story on its side, was my kids are watching and do I want my daughter to have my life? And if I don’t want my daughter to have my life, what do I need to do so that she feels empowered to do what she desires? Because I’m showing her what it means to do what I desire. And so that was really my check-in, right? Are my kids going to want to have a life like mine, whatever that looks like for them? And and then just starting to get curious again and ask questions. And you know, there’s this book called The Artist Way. Mhm. Have you ever heard of it? I haven’t heard of that one. Okay. It’s a journaling like 12week journaling process and every day you have a journal prompt and then every week you’re supposed to take yourself on a date. I like that. It was really interesting because I’m like, I don’t even know what I would want to do. And one of my dates with myself was literally listening to music on my car and driving and singing out loud. Yeah. Right. I mean, it was so simple and just like playful and fun. Doesn’t have to be big, right?

Yeah, I I too like you say get curious and I think sometimes it’s hard when you lose yourself to get curious. I remember uh just someone may relate to this out there like I’m with a guy right and and I’ve got my life going on and we end up breaking up. This was before marriage, before kids and everything. And I remember I was with this person and they were like, “Well, what is your passion?” And I couldn’t even answer that, right? Because I was just going through the motions of life. Yeah. And and so and I didn’t even know where to begin. So I know that you have gone through many processes to make this happen for you. So what what are just like maybe three things that someone even two one you know that they could just right now just start? Yeah. Okay. This is going to sound so silly, but I bought a pack of pens and I every day I would journal with a different color pen. Yeah. And so I found the color pen that I wanted to journal with. And it was funny because like when I wrote in red I’m like oh I feel like I’m always correcting myself. When I write in orange I’m like it just feels like too fluffy or whatever. And so like for me the color was purple. And it was just like by trial and error and letting it go. And then what I did one month is like every week we would go to a different restaurant. Yeah. I’m like, “What is our favorite Italian restaurant in town or what is our favorite pizza place?” And so we would try all the pizza places and be like, “Okay, this is my favorite pizza place.” And you like just those little teeny tiny things and it’s fun. I love that. And what did you discover about yourself? What would fulfill you? You know, I realized like I like to be outdoors, you know, and for me, I like movement. So, I think when I would get stuck on things, I would just double down and go harder. And now, when I’m stuck on something, I give myself permission to just take a lap around the neighborhood. And that lap around the neighborhood physically removes me from the situation, mentally removes me from the situation, and just allows me to take a few deep breaths and come back. Yeah. And there is something about just being out in nature. I now when I get out, I really embrace like walking my dogs and and listening to the birds and really like looking at the sky, looking at the trees, taking it all in and just really praying in that moment. Is there something that I need to know right now? So, because when you’re quiet and you’re more centered like that, you’re going to get those intuitive hits. Definitely. Right. But I know what you’re saying too like even if something feels very stressful, overwhelming or you’re upset about something that really makes a difference like you know taking that beat. So then you are responding instead of reacting to life. Definitely. Definitely. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, you decided to climb mountains. So I know. Isn’t that funny? I know. So here’s the deal. So 2019 is the year of my bucket list. Like why was I saved? What am I here? like that. I gave myself an entire year to just be curious and like learn about myself. And so then at the end of 2019, I realized in 2020 I was turning 40. And so when I was looking at my bucket list of all the things that I got curious about, I’m like, “Oh, I want to do something epic for my 40th birthday.” So when I was looking at that list, I’m like, you know, I want to climb a mountain. I live in Park City, so I’m surrounded by mountains. So that was on my list. And I kept thinking it’s only going to get harder as I get older. So, let’s do this mountain thing. And so, I asked some friends. I’m like, “Hey, if you could climb one mountain in the whole world, just one, what would you climb?” And a handful said this mountain named Amma Delom, which I had never heard of it, but it’s the Paramount Pictures logo. So, they’re like every single time you go to a movie with your kids, you can be like, “I climbed that mountain.” and it’s located in Nepal. It’s like gorgeous, you know, all those things. I’m like, “Oh, this would be an awesome 40th birthday climb.” Yeah. And so that’s kind of how all that got started. Okay. So, let’s talk about you’ve made this decision. Yeah. What was it like sharing with your family the expectations of your family? And did I mean did you have guilt about it? Yes. It’s not without guilt at first. Right. for sure. Um, and then it’s like anything, you get a little more comfortable with it and then you realize, oh, even though I’m not there for every single detail, other people get to step up and be a part of that story, too. And now my kids have more people helping them become adults versus just myself. And so, like, there’s always these different stories that you can write about what’s happening, and it’s up to you to write the story that puts you in power of your narrative. So, how did your children respond in the beginning versus today? And how many years? So, right, five years. Okay. So, I’m going to like everybody was fun with the curious thing because we made it a family thing, right? Like what’s your favorite color pen or what’s your favorite pizza or whatever, right? That was a big whatever. Then when I set this goal to climb a mountain, everybody had a goal that they were going after, too. So, it just looked different for each of you. I like that. Yeah. So then we all had something. Well, when we I was training for this mountain, co enters the scene, right? So now I’m not training to go anywhere and I’m homeschooling all the kids because the world shut down. And during a homeschooling session where I’m doing that parent pep talk that we do, one of my sons was struggling. And I’m like, “We do hard things. You’ve got this.” And he looks at me and he goes, “If we do hard things, why are you climbing a mountain called I’m a dumb blonde instead of a real mountain like Mount Everest?” And I’m like, “One, it’s I’m a dablom, not I’m a dumb blonde, but thank you.” And you know what? Finish your homework. We’ll look at Everest. And so, I mean, it was like that conversation, right? And so, then he goes to bed and I kind of have like a little bug in me and I’m like, “You know what? I’m going to climb Everest and I’m going to show him whatever Everest is, we’re capable of summiting. So, I called the coach and the coach is like, “Yeah, I can get you ready. You used to be an athlete. No problem.” And I told my kids and my kids were so excited because my mom’s going to climb Mount Everest, right? Like it was this huge thing. So, all of a sudden, I was climbing Mount Everest because my kids were holding me accountable. Yeah. What was the age span? So my oldest right now is 18 and my youngest are 12. Okay. So at the time that I started this, the oldest was 13.

And who did you have to support you? Because some of us don’t really have many people that support us. Husbands working all the time, maybe divorced, whatever the case may be. How can you get the support that you need? Like maybe you feel guilty about asking for that. There’s a lot of guilt around here, Jen. There is a lot of guilt around here, right? Like let’s get rid of that story. everybody who’s listening. Um, you know, I am very blessed in that fact that I have a nanny that’s been with us for 18 years, right? So, she’s family. My family is super supportive. So, I’m very lucky there. I got very early involved in like hiking communities and like running clubs because those people are training for big things too. So you’ve when you set a huge goal like an Everest like goal, you have to build community. And so it’s just not an option. Big mountains take big teams and it takes a big team to make it happen. So you like the nice thing is is like when you’re doing something big, people love to be a part of it. Yeah. Right. And so that was very helpful. That is really helpful. And let’s talk about the people that we surround ourselves with. Mhm. Yeah. Because that’s huge. Huge. Well, I’ll tell you, my mom was not my first phone call. Yeah. Right. When I said, “Hey, I’m gonna climb Everest.” If I called my mom, she would have been like, “And no, you’re not.” But I called a coach. Then the coach introduced me to a couple people had climbed Everest before. So then I met with them. I went for a hike with them. I’m like, “Okay, they’re normal.” So it normalized this thing that I was going to do. I trained for a while to build up my confidence so that when I did tell my mom and others, there was less space for negotiation because I was further down the road. Love that. So, you got yourself all prepped and prepared like what is going to happen and then it was easier to have those discussions and not be talked out of it. Correct. Correct. Yeah.

So, how do you get rid of like somebody that that is toxic in your life? What do you what do you think about that? Yeah. I mean, you squeeze them out, right? I mean, I think the most important thing we have is our energy. And so, we really need to pay attention to what’s charging it and what’s draining it. And things that are draining it are like need to be dialed out. So, I like to say like, right, you’re on a phone call and well, first of all, somebody’s number pops up. How do you feel about it when that number pops up? And then after you’re on the call with that person, how do you feel? Have they brought you down or have they lifted you up? Because there are people that are just so heavy. And those are the ones I don’t care how long you’ve known them that you’ve got to try to create the distance or let them go. Oh, it’s terrible. I just I had a friend breakup in the last year. Yeah, that is a hard breakup. hard and it is but it was just like I don’t have the energy to be the power bank of this relationship anymore and so I just started gradually filling my time with other people and other activities and I want that person to have the best life ever. It just can’t be with me. Yeah, absolutely. And I will say when you make space for other people, they’re going to come into your life. They do. I mean, tons. It’s been such a fun adventure meeting new people and a different side of myself. Exactly.

So, let’s talk about some of these great tools that you’ve created, the trigger meditation and the grump dump journal. I love those things. Tell us about those. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, let’s talk about the grump dump journal. So, the Grump Dump Journal happened because I had a horrible experience on a climb and when I came back, one of my teammates passed away in an avalanche. So, it was a very heavy experience. When I came back in the United States, I was like, I’m not ready to go home. I need to unpack a whole bunch that happened here. So, I took out a journal and I did what I call a grump dump. I dumped every piece of grumpy feeling onto paper. And actually each piece of paper got its own story. So then it allowed me to organize the stories into categories of here’s bad things that happened that I can control. Here’s bad things that happen that I can’t control. And so then I could start going through those like experiences and be like, okay, what would I do different to not have that show up again? Or here’s things that I can’t control. There’s no point in putting energy there because there’s nothing I can do. And so that grump dump journal I still do today and it just allows me to put everything in one space. Yeah. And allows me to actually look back too. So here’s the thing. When you like you put it all in there and then a month later you can look back and some of those things that were grumpy actually like put me on a new path. It put you on a new path. That’s right. And I was like, “Oh, it was grumpy in that moment, but I needed it to be grumpy to pivot to the left or I needed to be grumpy to pivot to the right.” So, the grump dump journal for me is like, I don’t want it in my head. Like, I want it on paper because then it’s like it’s been acknowledged. It has space. Now, I can look at it and start analyzing it and fixing the things. And guys, listen, it’s so true. Like, you don’t put it on paper and get it out of yourself. I mean, it is just eating away at you. It does. just stays in your head over and over that loop. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, that’s the grump dump journal. And um more often than not, I can go back on that thing and be like, “Oh, that failure wasn’t so bad. That failure actually introduced me to this, why, this, and this. So, I’m okay.” And I think it’s good for us to train ourselves to look at those grumpy moments. Yeah. again because then when they happen we have a story of oh that was bad in the beginning but then we saw how it played out and it turned out to be good and it gives us like more courage to face those activities. I I totally get that like with my daughter and and just how I think today because I used to be a victim of my circumstances, right? Life is happening to me. It’s so awful. Um nothing ever goes right. But when you start looking at the things that didn’t work out for you or you go through that difficult time, it really is how you t you look at it because it’s a learning experience. It takes you to in a different direction that’s that’s better for you. And then it it’s so and I tell my daughter that, you know, she’s in college, something bad happens and it’s like, okay, it’s bad, but what are you learning through this process? Yeah. Right. Yeah. So, I love that.

So, trigger meditations. Yes. So, trigger meditations, um, I do them still, right? Because I think we just get on autopilot. And a trigger meditation allows us to interrupt ourselves from being ourselves. And so, for me, and I change it up because I get bored. And so, for me, like right now, my trigger meditation is every single time I touch a doororknob, Yeah. It’s a cue to pause and ask myself, am I doing something I want to be doing or am I doing something out of habit or things like that? Um, and it just is a check-in, right? And so, I like that. Yeah, we have a pantry. So, like all of a sudden, do you ever find yourself in the pantry and you’re like, why am I in here? I’m not even hungry. But like when I open the door, I’m like, wait, am I in here because I’m bored? Am I in here because I’m hungry? Um, when I’m like running out the door right before I get in the car and I like touch the door m I’m like it gives me a second to pause. Do I have everything I need? Where am I going? Is there anything else I should bring with me so I’m more efficient on this trip or am I going to run out the door 10 times today or you know just things like that. I like that because it’s really bringing you present, right? Yeah. You’re you’re grounding yourself in that moment and just like really taking a look. this is what I’m doing and I love am I doing this to because it makes me happy or because I have to or I’m just like on autopilot pilot like you said and I mean those are really really great things to think about. Yeah, absolutely. And so I’m sorry. No, I just think it’s really helpful to just interrupt the pattern of being yourself because interrupt the pattern. Yes. Break the pattern and be like, “Oh, okay. I want to show up more intentionally. Here’s how I do it.” I interrupt myself and make sure I’m showing up intentionally.

So, okay. So, with these major accomplishments you’ve made and you were talking about, you know, you’re trying to teach and empower your children, how are they responding now five years later and how many mountains has it been? Yeah. Okay. So, let’s bring the audience up a little bit. So, I was climbing I’m a dumb blonde that got up to Everest. Everest then got up to a world record. So my coach was like, “Yes, I think you should be the first woman to climb the second highest peak on each of the seven continents.” Um, that record took me what we thought. I finished June 1st of 2023. I had climbed all seven mountains, but when I registered it with Guinness, they said, “Actually, there’s a dispute on what’s a continent.” And so, we want you to climb two more mountains because sometimes Indonesia is considered a part of Australia instead of Asia. Okay. Okay. So, that one I’m like, I’ve never met that, but okay. And then they wanted me to climb a mountain in Europe in case we took Russia out of Europe. I don’t know, whatever. So, I had two more mountains to do. So, I just finished all of those mountains um October 9 of 2024. So, nine mountains for seven continents. And you know, three of those mountains it took me twice because it just wasn’t safe conditions and I had to go back and do things like that. So, that pursuit took me almost five years, a full four years. And my kids were part of that front row the entire time of Yeah. the failures, the setbacks, the challenges, the things that went well and the things that didn’t. And it was so fun because that’s life. Yeah. Right. It is messy like perfect thing. It’s this Yeah. Sometimes you have to climb down to climb up and all those stories. I just want I want want to take a moment here, Jen. Nine mountains. nine mountains. I mean, most people are like Mount Everest and they’re doing it right. So, and I’m a dumb blonde. I love that because that um my husband works for Paramount, so I’m going to think about that every single time. I love it. I love it. I love it. So, that is so fantastic. So, that was 24, your last mountain. Yeah. What has been happening in the last year for you? Yeah. You know, I wrote a book that came out that Breakp Proof, seven strategies to build resilience and achieve your life goals. Basically, I take the reader to the mountain, highlight a lesson from that mountain that’s played out in my personal life, my business life, and my climbing life so that people can identify those mountains in their own lives for whatever pursuit that they’re pursuing. Um, so that’s been fun, right? launching a book, speaking on stages, traveling, meeting book clubs, things like that. Um, still speaking on stages today. That’s probably my favorite part of this whole thing. Yeah, I love it, too. Yeah, I’m I’m getting more and more into that, which is fantastic. So, it’s so important because every time you get up on one of those stages, you are really making an impact. Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. We all have a mountain to climb, right? It it’s just metaphorical for most of us. So, I don’t recommend the physical ones unless you really like mountaineering. Yeah. I I always say like if things aren’t going right, one of the things I do say is maybe you’re climbing the wrong wrong mountain. Do you ever have any idea around writing about your experiences on those mountains? Yeah. You know, I think I will. Um it’s interesting with my kids at the ages they are right now. They’re busy. Like when they were younger, it was a little more controlled chaos. I have a house full of teenagers right now. Yeah. And so a lot of discipline takes 30 minute explanations as to why. And so I think I’m just in that season again. And when they start going to college, then I’ll have a little more time to do that. But I don’t want to miss these moments. No, I I totally get that. I totally get that. And I just for some reason I envision like you could do like nine individual short even ebooks about these experiences on these mountains which I mean I can only imagine the stories you have to tell from that. Oh it’s unbelievable. Yeah. Unbelievable. And and I mean you must connect very differently to people going through something like that. Yes. Very much so. right? You’re in high stakes environments doing high stakes activities that your life is on the line and so like you’re you’re trusting each other with each other’s lives and doing these pursuits together. It’s a bond that I don’t know how you forge otherwise. Oh, I know. And that and that brings me to vulnerability because that’s that’s huge for me. I think a lot of people feel that being vulnerable is um is weak and honestly in my opinion and what I have found through my healing process is being vulnerable is the strongest thing I’ve ever done and it actually shows that you’re aware of self. Right. Yes. Yes. And so what what is your take on vulnerability and how have you learned about this through your process through your journey? Yeah. No, vulnerability is just ownership of who you are and accepting yourself as a human that’s not perfect, right? Like it’s just like perfect is an illusion that does not exist. And so understanding that hey, I’m Jen. I’m 5 foot five, 115 pounds. I will climb this mountain with you, but I’m not carrying a whole bunch of weight up it because I don’t have the ability to do that. Yeah, there’s no reason to shame that, guilt that, make you feel bad about that. That’s a fact. But I can shovel. I can tell jokes. I can add value these other ways. And this is who I am. So when you’re in these environments, like there is no space to pretend you’re something you’re not. Everybody just has to be like, “Here’s what I am. Here’s what I’m capable of. Here’s what I’m not capable of.” Because otherwise you’re putting everybody’s life on the line. So just to take that into real life. Yeah. I’m thinking about like someone in work, someone that’s, you know, on the PTO or or or volunteering at at school. Like we try to be everything because we think people are going to think less of us, right? But the reality is you show up with your strengths and you celebrate other people’s strengths and you make a strong team because you’re not good at everything. And that’s what you’ve got to realize and accept. And that’s okay. And it’s just being okay with that. And going back to that perfectionism and a lot of that has to do with how we were raised or how someone, you know, talked to us or trauma. And like for me, like I just thought I had to be perfect all of the time to get validated. Yeah. Because I didn’t know how to validate myself. Yeah. Yeah. So true. I mean, even me, like I remember like there’s Pinterest moms out there. I’m so jealous of you Pinterest moms. Like, your skills are amazing. I am not a Pinterest mom. So, when I show up at the PTA with like brownies from the grocery store, I’m doing the best I can. And I’m so glad that you have special frosting and things that are all piped into place. Like, it’s beautiful. And I’m going to celebrate you, but celebrate me in a different way. And I and and that’s so true, Jen, because I will say I felt so judged. And I’m going to get real here. Um, being a mom, being on that black top, participating in in elementary school, like I felt more judged in that environment than in most most environments that I’ve been in. Yeah. Isn’t it crazy? It really is. And, you know, I’d just like to say like to the ladies out there, like we’re all at the same place, right? Maybe you were an executive at the in work or maybe you were a secretary. It doesn’t matter. We’re all showing up kind of at the same place. We’re moms. We’ve got our kids. We need the support. We want to be there for them. Now, we’re volunteering so we can be a part of of women that are doing the same. And like you said, like I would have been the one that is bringing the brownies from the grocery store. Don’t look down. Fantastic. You can bake a brownie, right? But I can do a lot of things a lot better than you can creatively, you know? So allow me to do what I do. Great. And let’s come together. So, I guess I’m just I really want to talk about that because I there’s so many women that are out there that that are competing with one another and I have to be celebrating with one another and I have found a community of women that we are celebrating. I didn’t know it was possible to not be in competition and it’s a beautiful thing when you start really getting behind one another and celebrating one another. Oh, it’s awesome. Right. It is such a gift. Yeah. It’s such a gift. And don’t you like I won’t speak for you, Jen. I’ll ask you like did that shift for you when like this major catastrophic thing happened? God stepped in. You started looking at things differently. You started doing the inner work. Did you find that you became different with others? You were better at celebrating others? 100%. Uh yes, all day long when I learned that my path is different than yours on purpose, not better, not worse, different. And so let’s all just celebrate who we are and elevate each other because that energy connects. Yeah.

So let’s uh let’s talk about that someone out there that that feels stuck. Yeah. Yeah. And they want to start their own self-discovery, what would you say to them right now? It starts with being kind to yourself, right? Like really being kind and curious and be like, “Oh, this is unique about me, right? I’m a morning person or I’m a night person or I am this or that.” And just really celebrating what makes you you. Because when you learn to celebrate that in yourself, it’s easy to find in others. Yes. Especially our children. Our children are not us. They’re individuals too. So I think uh that’s really really important. And you know for those out there that are just and on autopilot like you said, what’s a couple of steps that you could give them to right now? I know you shared some steps earlier, but can you give us just a couple of other things that we could incorporate right now? Yeah. Okay. So, I have two things that I do religiously. One, I live by the short side of a red light. Okay. Like, so every time I hit this light red and it used to drive me bananas and then finally one day I’m like, the light doesn’t care that it’s red. Only I care that it’s red. And so, I’m going to turn this light into my gratitude light. So, every single time I hit that light red, everybody in my car out loud starts saying things that they’re grateful for. It could be the sky is blue, it could be I have my homework done, it could be we’re going out to dinner, it could be whatever, right? And so, like getting into that mode of gratitude. Love gratitude, Jen. Life changing. Yes. And like, okay, so you can’t do a gratitude list at night or you don’t have time to do that. every red light, just start listing it and that gets that momentum moving. Yeah. Right. So, I think that’s a big piece. Another big one for us is we call it the toothbrush talk. Okay. This happened because when I’m on the mountains and I’m brushing my teeth, I don’t have a mirror and I just get to look at the world and think it’s absolutely stunningly beautiful. When I came home from my climbs and I’d wake up and brush my teeth and I’d look in the mirror, I realized that I would start picking on myself like, “Oh, you look tired or you didn’t sleep well enough or like is your face breaking out?” Or like silly things that are not helpful. And all of a sudden, I caught myself. I’m like, “Wait a minute.” Yeah. I need to be my biggest cheerleader. And so during toothbrush time, which is those two minutes that you brush in the morning, at night, we have a rule that you’re only allowed to say positive things about yourself. M and it sounds so silly and so ridiculous, but it’s a way to start the day and end the day on a positive. And you are your biggest cheerleader. You are your biggest cheerleader. I absolutely love that. When I brush my teeth, Jen, I try to find other things that I can do so I’m not wasting that time. Oh. Yeah. Yeah. It’s terrible. So, I am going to absolutely start to incorporate that. I mean, I have many things that I do, but every one of these little acts that I that I have included in my daily routines are life-changing, and I love that one. So, thank you for that. I am definitely going to start that. Yay. Good. Perfect. Yay.

So, tell us um listen, I’m sure it’s everywhere, but you know, break um where can we find it? Where can we find you and um and also your podcast, SeekerSummit? Yes, definitely. Okay, so you can find me at jenrummen.com. Um in fact, if your audience wants to text the word Everest to the number 33777, you’re going to get a video of the Milky Way galaxy going over Everest base camp. anytime like my life gets overwhelming or I get caught in this narrative that keeps me limited, I look at that video and I just remind myself that we’re on this big magical planet to have fun. So, look at that video, get out of your head, and live your life. Um, follow on social, say hi. I love connecting with people. So, do not be shy. Okay. 33777 because I’m doing this because when we feel overwhelmed or we don’t want to react, right? And we need to calm our nervous system to look at that and do a short breathing exercise. Yes. That alone is life-changing. Yep. And if you do that daily, I mean that is fabulous, Jen. So, thank you again. I am texting you. Perfect. Thank you. Have a great day. So, I just want to really thank you, Jen, for coming on Wake Up and sharing your heart and your wisdom and your journey. Um, because I know so many people need to hear these conversations, to feel empowered, to feel that they too can do it, whatever that is, whatever mountain that is for them in their lives. So, thank you again, Jen, for coming on. And I want to thank all of the listeners out there for tuning in. If this episode has moved you, inspired you, or given you a fresh perspective, please share it, leave a review, and uh please subscribe, and you can watch this episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, remember, selfdiscovery starts with one on a step, and you are worth the journey. Wake up to all of your possibilities. All right, guys. See you next Thursday.