639: Woman of Grace & Grit: Lindsey Sills

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Courtney Townley 0:00
Today, I get to do something that I genuinely love, which is introduce you to one of my past clients. Her name is Lindsey Sills, and she agreed to sit down with me last fall and do this interview. So I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to get the interview in front of you, but there’s been a lot of pivots in my business this year, and it just is what it is.

Courtney Townley 0:20
Welcome to your Daily Hit of Grace and Grit, your quick dose of inspiration to kickstart your day. I’m Courtney Townley, and here is today’s hit.

Courtney Townley 0:34
So let me tell you just a little bit about Lindsey before we get into this interview. She is 62 years old, living in what she describes as the most liberated, powerful, and free chapter of her life, how beautiful is that?

Courtney Townley 0:46
She is a public health strategist, a wife of over 40 years, a mother, and a brand new grandmother whose grandson, by the sounds of it, is one of the greatest joys of her days. Three years ago, she and her husband made the bold decision to leave the place they had lived their entire lives and relocate to a small town, so they could be present in that grandson’s life-a risk, she says, but one that they have not regretted for a single moment. So Lindsey and I worked together through a lot of different seasons of her life, and what I find most remarkable about about her story is where she started versus where she stands today.

Courtney Townley 1:27
She came to this work as so many women do with a fat loss goal. It was the metric that had dominated her thoughts and her energy for most of her adult life, and what she found through years of consistent practice and real self inquiry was something that she never anticipated. Freedom, not the freedom of a smaller body, but the freedom of a woman who no longer needs to look outside herself for the answers. Her word for the growth that she’s experienced is self awareness, and I think that you will hear exactly why when she speaks.

Courtney Townley 2:07
I always say that this work is not about perfection, right? It’s about becoming someone who knows herself well enough to lead herself powerfully. And Lindsey is such a beautiful example of that. And I think you’re going to love her. I think you’re going to love hearing her speak. So, without further ado, I introduce you to Lindsey Sills.

Courtney Townley 2:30
Hi, Lindsey. Thanks so much for joining me today.

Lindsey Sills 2:33
Good afternoon, Courtney. It’s a pleasure to be here with you.

Courtney Townley 2:36
Oh, it’s such a pleasure to be with you. I always enjoy my time with you. We’ve worked together on and off for several years now, and we’ll get into that. But I wanted to start this episode today with a little slice of an email that you sent me a while ago, because I think it really speaks volumes to where you are now versus maybe where you were when you first started working with me. So this is from an email that you sent.

Courtney Townley 3:04
At this moment in my life, I feel that I have finally shed the snakeskin or emerged from my chrysalis, and feel liberated, powerful, and free with most of my adult life. Considering that my priority for my health was always weight loss. This one metric of my health dominated my life. Now it no longer holds me back or has the power over my thoughts that it once did. I think so many listeners can relate to that because so many women have been in that space, so can you tell us more, like about the space that you wrote that from?

Lindsey Sills 3:49
As I said, it did dominate so much of my life, and I absolutely believed they always would. And even when I started working with you in the early days, plowing through The Consistency Code, doing the coaching calls, I still felt that it would always be that one thing that I never controlled. And then somehow or other, working through daily, as you say, consistency, consistently, just working through the exercises, living, following the journal, sort of doing all the day-to-day things that I know are the basics of it. It just changed, and it really changed. So the one metric was what the scale said. Yeah, I’ll still use it, and it’s still valid for me, but so much more. My strength in my early 60s. I want to be as strong in my early 70s as I am. So the strength training, the the mobility, the getting out, sort of the the walking, the swimming, the all of the things that you list within The Consistency Code. They now all are actually more important than what the scales say. Yeah, and that’s that’s where I’m at.

Courtney Townley 5:07
You know, I think that we don’t have enough examples of women who are aging in a powerful way, like really taking ownership not just of their health, yes, of their health, but but on a deeper level, right? Mind, body, and soul health, and I’ve always seen you as one of those people, and so I have no doubt in my brain that you are going to be someone in your 70s who a lot of women are looking to saying, “Yeah, that’s how I want to age. And you know what? It’s not going to have anything to do with your weight.

Lindsey Sills 5:39
No, no, no. The interesting thing that did occur to me on one of our coaching sessions, Courtney, was that I used to think, “Why did I waste so much time on this one particular thought that didn’t serve me? But then, when I reflected, actually, in so many ways, although the thought didn’t serve me, I did so many things, met so many fantastic people because of searching for that that information that I didn’t have, and actually had the information most of the time. I didn’t just put into place the steps that I needed to, the self-care the self love. I didn’t put that into place. I slipped up and did all of the years on dieting and different things that the hard time. I would never have spoken to any of my girlfriends in the same way I spoke to myself in those decades. Now I don’t. Now I don’t at all. Now it really is with loving kindness and with grace that I support myself in whatever I’m doing.

Courtney Townley 6:47
It’s interesting. I remember a distinct conversation you and I had. This was I don’t know, probably months ago, where you said, “Man, I wish I had known all this earlier in my life, and yet think of what it would have robbed you of, because, like you said, there was a reason you were on this quest and this search, and it introduced you to a lot of people. It ultimately led you into a place of kind of having to unlearn some things, which I think happens for so many of us. But it is so unuseful for us to be in that mindset. That right, like I, I wish I had known this sooner.

Courtney Townley 7:23
No, you, it all is landing at the right time, you know. And you had to have the experiences with all the different programs and all the different things to be able to be open to an experience like this. And so I think the timing is perfect. You know, I wish we could. I wish we could pick when we learn lessons along our lifeline, but we just don’t get that privilege. And the fact that you learned it at all, and now you’re in a space of just really enjoying your life and your body and your physicality-it’s such a beautiful thing.

Lindsey Sills 7:56
And when I reflect back and I look exactly where I am in my life, I just count my blessings. I am exactly where I would like to be. So, if the journey that I had brought me to this point, like I have to be very careful because I just want to smile and sort of count my blessings over and over again. Because how lucky I was. Because I love where I am now.

Courtney Townley 8:20
Okay, this this is so important to highlight because I often work with women that are they’re just not in a good place, right? They’re they’re being very hard on themselves. They’re they’re kind of down in the dumps about everything in their life, but it’s all through the lens of weight loss, right? It’s all they’re looking at everything through that lens, and then it’s robbing them of so much joy in other areas, I know you because I’ve worked with you for a long time. I know you’re a very multi-dimensional human. Every woman I work with is. We aren’t just this meat suit, right?

Courtney Townley 8:52
We’re also mothers and wives and friends and coworkers and all the things. And I think that when we are narrowing down our identity to this one metric of weight loss, man, do we rob ourselves of so much joy in those other areas? And one of the places I often start with clients-I probably did this with you at some point-when I see a woman kind of floundering and like being in the muck and mire of her health journey, I’ll often pause her and ask, “What does success even mean to you at this stage of your life? Because what I hear you saying is, “I’m exactly where I want to be. I’m counting my blessings every day, but I think perhaps you couldn’t see it as clearly when you were so focused on weight loss being that one metric. Is that true?

Lindsey Sills 9:47
Absolutely, absolutely. And then you learn the lessons, and the lessons are that there are so many other things that I am, that who I am, that are meaningful to me. So when you learn that, when I. I learnt that lesson. It just opened. It was like a opening, just fabulous, absolutely fabulous. And as I say, I have to be careful now because I feel that beautiful sense of feeling that buzzes in my tummy. That I think all people might think are a bit weird, but but it is. It is just. It is because there was a lot of times. I’m smiling now, but during those decades, there was a lot of times where I was really not very nice to myself. You know, I really was unhappy.

Lindsey Sills 10:32
And as you just said, people get caught up in that negativity and only can then see the negativity. Whereas, sort of, yeah, I don’t have that now, and I never believed that that would exist, and it does, and nothing’s changed. So I’m still with the same husband, I’m still in the same family, I’m still working in the same arena. So nothing’s nothing radically’s changed. Like sort of no new relationship, no new job, no sort of nothing on the outside. It is all on the inside, and how I look after myself, how I give myself grace, and boy, do I give myself grace nowadays. Absolutely.

Courtney Townley 11:15
Also, I think you allow yourself to feel good, and I’ve had this conversation so many times this week, where I have asked clients, “How good are you at allowing yourself to feel good?

Courtney Townley 11:29
Because so often we are surrounded by blessings, and life is going swimmingly well in so many different ways, and yet because of this one metric, right, or this one area, or because of the way that our body looks on the outside, it’s like we we deny ourselves that joy, and or we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop, right? Because we know that we’re like life is always going to present us with periods of hardship. Yeah, but I just find in general that a lot of my clients do not have a strong practice of allowing themselves to feel good. So I love hearing you describe just like feeling so good internally because it shows externally too, right?

Courtney Townley 12:12
Like just I know like a lot of people are listening to this podcast and not necessarily watching it on YouTube, but just your face and your your like you’re just such a vibrant person, and that is an extension, I think, of the work that you’ve done internally. So, anyway, so I want to ask you this because I think this is also a question I really encourage every woman to get clarity on. What does health mean to you at this age and stage of your life?

Lindsey Sills 12:42
Gosh, I would say health means to me being able to. I would say health means to me being able to daily live my best life in every every element, whether that’s growth, whether that’s movement, whether that’s friendship, whether that’s relationships, the love of my family, health means being in the right space to be able to get every single day my best, best times, best year, best life. Yeah, yeah.

Courtney Townley 13:17
So it’s so simple and so potent. I love it. So, answer this question right now. Would you say you’re healthy? I think we know the answer.

Lindsey Sills 13:26
I would say yeah. And and that health is still that same metric. Nothing’s changed. I’m still someone who carries a little bit of extra weight. Yeah. And so what? I’m still someone that gets up, goes to the gym, does strength training, does my outdoor swimming. You know, sort of. I still manage to get out and listen to fabulous podcasts, audio books. You know, like walking every day. So and making sure that all of the other things that we know we need the nutrition, the good sleep, the hydration, all of those things. That’s important to me every single day. Yeah,

Courtney Townley 14:09
it’s almost baseline for you now. Like you know that those are things that they’re. I always call them the anchors, but they’re the things that just help you to show up, to have the capacity to live your best life, right? You’re not reactive. You’re living in a space of of proactivity. So yeah, it’s really well said. And

Lindsey Sills 14:28
at times, at times, curveballs come in, and and and they do. That’s reality. And at times, I slip. I do. I slip, not quite living my best life. Sure. And the language, like you often say about pivoting, whereas for many years it was on and off a diet, yo yo yo yo yo. Now it’s oh okay, so so that wasn’t the best self-care that night, or or whatever I’ve eaten, or whatever I’ve done, or however it is. So what? Next day, get up, rock up. Here we go again. Best life. Come on.

Courtney Townley 15:06
Yeah. So you you realign a lot faster. And I just because this is such a this is such a great place to introduce this. You sent me an email literally just a couple days ago that speaks directly to this. So I want to just read a little snippet of that. You said on Saturday, an evening out with friends for the first time in many months. I had too many glasses of wine, right? Like, like it happens. And you probably liked your reasons, by the way. Is that true?

Lindsey Sills 15:31
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely

Courtney Townley 15:33
amazing. And then you go on to say on Sunday, I felt tired and sluggish, as whilst I still made the most the most of the day. My mood was low, and I felt sluggish and lethargic. Pivot moment. I did not speak to myself harshly, but rather with the same loving grace I would treat any of my girlfriends. I had a gentle walk during the day. I fed myself good nutrition, nutrition-rich food, and took myself off to bed early for a good night’s sleep. This morning, my alarm went off at six a.m. for my early outdoor swim before work. As I completed the 45 minute swim in the cold water, I thanked my body for her strength and for showing up for me unconditionally, once I finished, the lethargy and low mood had completely gone. For so many years, Courtney, I would have given myself such a hard time for a number of days. That is in my past. So liberating to treat myself with the same beautiful, loving kindness as I treat others.

Lindsey Sills 16:46
Absolutely, and I’d put a hell yes there asking for that because that is exactly, exactly, and it for decades it would have been different, and now that’s my new normal. That’s my new baseline. That’s my new anchor. I won’t overdrink again for a while, but I’m not saying I won’t ever do it again because, as I said, it was great fun on the night and I enjoyed it. But I just now know how to, as you called it, realign myself.

Courtney Townley 17:18
And would you agree that that realignment in this case happened quicker because you were kind to yourself because you extended yourself the grace.

Lindsey Sills 17:27
Without a doubt, 100% 100%

Courtney Townley 17:30
I really want to highlight that for the listeners because so often I see women push back against this idea of being kind to yourself, even when, especially when you have made misaligned choices, because women will say to me, “But if I’m nice to myself, I won’t be, I won’t be inspired to get back at it. And it’s like, well, no, we’re talking about true, authentic consideration for yourself, and if it really comes from that place, of course you’re going to realign, because you don’t want to feel like hell, and you don’t want to feel lethargic and sluggish.

Courtney Townley 18:09
I think that if if someone is willing to try it on, just try shifting your self narrative the next time you make a mistake, you fail, you screw something up, you get a little lost in the woods. Just try coaching yourself like you would a really good friend, and see where that takes you. Because I bet you’ll be surprised. Yeah, so good. Okay, what do you think is the biggest mindset shift that you’ve made in the in the time that we’ve worked together because there’s been a lot I know, but what do you think is the biggest?

Lindsey Sills 18:44
In all honesty, I think it is to do with accepting that I am now in my 60s, that I am in a different phase of my life, that my husband and I are moving towards retirement, and the biggest mind shift is that my best years really are still ahead of me. You know, I really can still have and choose to have excitement.

Lindsey Sills 19:13
So whilst I’ll be might be a little bit more mindful of sort of taking care of sort of, I’m not going to go and do any fantastic, outlandish challenges. Sort of, I did a sprint triathlon when I was in my 50s. Sort of, I did London to Brighton cycle ride. I’ve probably got something still rumble in there to stretch me a little bit, and I probably am. I probably am. I’ve utilized a personal trainer for strength training. I’m a real believer. I’m out there working. I am grafting. I’m earning my money, and there are things that I don’t know how to do, or perhaps need extra support with them. Hence, coming along with you for the coaching. Hence, using a PT. Sort of, all of that.

Lindsey Sills 20:00
I just think the biggest mind shift is I’m worth it, and sort of there’s a on English TV there’s a an advert where someone shakes their hair and goes I’m worth it, and that’s that is what I feel, I’m worth it, I really am worth it. So so now it’s about I do come up there in the priorities. Yeah, I still want to be the best daughter, wife, mum, sort of nanny, best I can be. But also, I want to be my best friend, and I come up there in the priority list now. Yeah,

Courtney Townley 20:34
I love how you say that. That I am worth it because you say it with such conviction. Like I know that you really, truly, deeply believe that, and there’s no shame. There’s no self-effacing. I see a lot of women do that. They’ll say something like that, and then they’ll almost immediately take it away because they don’t want to seem too powerful or too, I don’t know, self self liking. You know, and and that’s not at all what we hear, and we need more women in that space. Of yeah, I’m totally worth taking care of because I have a lot of things to create and inspire and impact in this world. And like you said a while ago in this show, I can’t do that work if I don’t feel good.

Lindsey Sills 21:17
No,

Courtney Townley 21:17
and so yes, I’m worth it. I love that so much. I also really appreciate this reminder that healing is a team sport. I always say that, but it’s it’s not. I talk a lot about self-leadership and that’s really the work that I teach is skills of self-leadership But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to hire people along the way to teach us the things that we don’t know, or to show us maybe a shorter path or a better path.

Courtney Townley 21:47
So it’s both and along our journey, right? It’s it’s taking responsibility for what I can control. It’s recognizing my gaps in education and skill sets, and then seeking out the individuals and communities who can support me in filling those gaps.

Lindsey Sills 22:06
Absolutely, absolutely, yeah,

Courtney Townley 22:08
yeah, so great. And the other thing I wanted to speak to is, you use the language of stretch myself, and to me, I hear hear grit in that. Like grit is such a beautiful thing, and it is so necessary for expansion and for doing awesome things in the world and for being our best selves, for being our healthiest selves. We can’t do that work without grit and stretch. Just reminds me of that. Like, what are the things that you’re doing in your life right now that you’re stretching yourself on purpose, right?

Lindsey Sills 22:47
Yeah, yeah. I it’s really interesting because I feed a lot of podcasts, sort of books, sort of trying to continue growth, and it’s almost like you have two voices. War lyons, you’re 62. Do you really? Do you really need to be doing that? And then comes this more powerful voice. And it is true. We need to always have growth.

Lindsey Sills 23:14
So, so you mentioned earlier that I swim absolutely at the moment. I’ve found an outside loadout with a girlfriend who we rock up and meet. So you’ve got that added sort of sense of inspiration. And Courtney, it is cold. You know, it’s 18 odd degrees in the water. It is cold, and as you’re swimming, you’re thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve got this. Yeah, and the first couple is just get going, and then afterwards, as you finish, they we only have 45 minute sessions, and as you finish and you get out, we both give each other a high five and say yeah, another one under our belt, and it is those.

Lindsey Sills 23:59
They’re not massive. They’re not mighty. They’re not sort of a marathon or whatever. But for me, if I can get something most days in that I’m a little bit uncomfortable with, believe me, I’m uncomfortable with this. We were laughing at the very beginning of this because when you first mentioned to me about doing it, all I thought was no.

Courtney Townley 24:20
When I asked you to do the podcast, right?

Lindsey Sills 24:21
No, initially, first, and that’s like you sort of I’ve settled into it, and like as I say, I’m enjoying having a chat to you. You’re a beautiful person to have a chat to. So, what pleasure?

Courtney Townley 24:35
I love it. Well, and I love how you said before we hit record that, like initially it was like no because the fear was making the decision, and it’s so often the case when we’re trying new things, fear just takes a hold, and fear is going to tell you to stay in the cave and don’t live your life. And when we have the skill sets of self coaching, which is what I largely teach. We’re able to recognize what is that fear?

Courtney Townley 25:05
Like, is my life really at risk here, or am I just excited but also a little nervous because I’ve never done this before? And that’s what you ultimately landed on, right? Was like, actually, I’m really excited to do this, but I’ve never done it before, so of course, there’s a little fear. Yeah, yeah. And I did share that quote with you that I I think I’ve shared on the podcast a million times. So listeners, I’m sure will be familiar with it too. But fear, I think it’s so important to discern if it is fear that is trying to protect your life, like a semi truck is about to hit you on the highway, versus is it fear that’s really just excitement without breath? And so much of our life, we are misinterpreting fear of losing our life with the fear that really is just excitement in disguise, and it’s just new.

Courtney Townley 25:58
I love that you said yes to this, and I’m sure listeners are going to feel the same way because of what you’re sharing, and they’re just-I’m sure-they’re nodding their heads like, “Oh yes, oh yes, I’ve-I’ve been there. I know this, and that-that is really why we do this. So, what would you tell someone who is starting their health journey, or I would even say someone who just feels really lost along their health journey, and maybe someone who’s still using that one metric of weight loss to drive their process, which obviously doesn’t feel super inspiring for most of us. What would you tell them?

Lindsey Sills 26:35
I would, I wouldn’t try and change that their metric of weight loss. I wouldn’t try and take that away. What I would try also to do is to share what other metrics are worth their while. So when I first started my strength journey, I could barely do a a press up from my knees, and gradually I can see I can see that my body shape is changing. That I’ve got strength in my upper arms, in my legs. I can see the difference. I know that when I very first started, my idea of cooking was very much something from one of the supermarket sort of freezer areas into into the oven. That’s changed.

Lindsey Sills 27:24
I now really try to adapt sort of unprocessed food. Sort of let’s let’s take it from basics and then cook it. So it’s not a case of just taking trying to ask anyone to stop doing something. I would just say why consider doing other things as well? And because I still have that one metric, it just doesn’t have that power. It is just data. It is just a statistic, and and no different from all of the other things that are going on in my life. How many hours sleep I have sort of how how I feel how my energy levels are all of those things it’s all data and it’s all metric and I will just keep looking at what other things bring great health and just add them in. Does that make sense, Courtney?

Courtney Townley 28:18
It makes total sense and it’s so important. It’s it’s um it’s so important to have multiple metrics of success because it’s just true that along your health journey, you are going to have certain metrics that you’re tracking that aren’t moving for a period of time. That’s the way of it. But if we’re looking at other metrics as well, we don’t get deflated so easily, right? We can still acknowledge that goodness is happening, and this is worth pursuing. And when we keep pursuing, ultimately, what happens is those other metrics start moving. So I love that. That that that is such a a good reminder to all of us that having multiple metrics of success, and it doesn’t have to be.

Courtney Townley 29:07
Actually, Laini Gray and I last year did a workshop, and I wish I could remember the URL because it’s a freebie that people can download. I’ll put it in with this podcast on the website, but we talked about measurements of success, and we talked about qualitative and quantitative.

Courtney Townley 29:25
Quantitative is your weight, your cholesterol level, the data we get from our doctor’s office, right? The the measurement of our our clothing size, these things. But qualitative is how much life is in your life right now, right? On a scale from one to 10, how much life is in your life? How much do you like who you are, what you do, and why you do the things that you do? How much energy do you have in the day? Right, like these are so; these are just as important of questions as the quantitative. But man, we. Tend to focus on the metrics and rob ourselves of all the goodness that’s happening in other places and spaces. So again, it’s both and

Lindsey Sills 30:09
absolutely, absolutely,

Courtney Townley 30:12
yeah. So good. Okay, so how has been how has being part of a community like Rumble and Rise And sort of growing alongside of other women in that community impacted other areas of your life, like and and and also what the skill sets have you learned, but how has it carried over from just being about improving health to improving the your the quality of your relationships, improving the enjoyment of work, things of that nature. Like, how has the work that you’ve done in this space expanded into other areas?

Lindsey Sills 30:50
I think one of the biggest gains there is in relationships, whether it’s with my husband, with colleagues, with girlfriends, whatever. So the lessons that I’ve learned working in the coaching calls and working with others is able to translate into other areas of my life. I’ve been able to look and reflect, and I think think differently because I’ve learnt to think differently. I have numerous post-it notes posted around my work desk around things like small things like where your focus goes, your energy goes.

Lindsey Sills 31:27
So I know absolutely in a day where am I putting my focus because that’s where my energy goes. And as I’ve said to you a few times, sometimes I’m aware that too much of it goes into work, and if I put too much into work, then what’s left, the bandwidth that I’ve got left, isn’t really fair to my husband. So, but it that’s something I’ve learned. But as I listen on the coaching calls, when we’ve done sort of various different showing up for 21 days, etc. the lessons other people have had is a really good affirmation or sort of reminder to myself of how we can think differently, and when we think differently, we feel differently and we act differently. So their lessons learned, and and it’s been a constant, Courtney, for as I say, I think probably about three years.

Courtney Townley 32:21
I hear in that that when you’re in community with people who are sort of in a similar pursuit, we borrow their beliefs, right? And we need to borrow beliefs. That’s that’s what coaching is, right? Like I’m giving my client a lot of beliefs to borrow until those beliefs become just a part of their own thinking, and and and that has to happen because you know we know that kids co-regulate, like kids kind of adopt the attitude, the beliefs, the energy of the people they’re around.

Courtney Townley 32:56
Well, as adults, we don’t stop doing that, so it’s really important you get very discerning about the spaces and places and people that you spend time around. So being in community, whatever that kind that community is for you, because there’s a million communities out there to be a part of. But the value is that it can normalize hardship? You’re not the only person going through this, not by a long shot. And when you hear another woman sort of coaching herself and sharing with the group how she’s moving through a hardship, it’s like we almost cling to those and we adopt those and borrow those beliefs to practice in our own life, yeah.

Lindsey Sills 33:45
And to add on to that, when you see people rumble and finding solutions to those rumblings and rising at the other side, cheerleaders for females, and sort of, I just think it’s fabulous. I just think it’s it’s one of those absolute beautiful gifts, and thankfully I’m surrounded by a few communities where there are people there that, when I’m rumble in with something, I do step in and say, “Oh, I’ve got a bit of a challenge here, a bit of a curveball. You talk it through, come out the other side, and often there’s a quote you use a lot about releasing beliefs that no longer serve you, and if I remember that when I’m caught in some way of not really being my authentic self, looking at what the belief is underlying, and then doing a pivot and thinking actually what is the fact, but you actually asked me what what is it the the community that really helped, and without doubt, it’s the normalizing, knowing you’re not on your own. That all of these different rumbles and challenges, they’re just that’s part of life. But actually, there’s a way through them and out the other side. Yeah.

Courtney Townley 35:00
And there is no point. This is, I think, this is so important to not overlook. There is no point in life where we just become rumbleless, where we no longer have challenges, where things no longer feel hard. There, there’s a saying that you know, life is one long series of problem solving, and the sooner we accept that, the less suffering we’ll experience, and it’s so true. And and I think that we create a lot of unnecessary hardship when we think we’re supposed to arrive in this utopia where all of my problems and all of my health challenges have just gone.

Lindsey Sills 35:39
No,

Courtney Townley 35:40
I don’t know anyone who’s ever arrived in a place like that, and so it’s just ongoing work for as long as you have breath in your lungs. And when you’re surrounded by the right people, be it friends at the swimming pool or coworkers who understand a problem better than you do, or health communities, I think it just makes the the commitment to our own healing and the pursuit of continued health a lot more grace-filled.

Lindsey Sills 36:07
Absolutely, absolutely.

Courtney Townley 36:09
So, if you had to summarize your growth over these past few years into maybe one phrase or one idea, what would it be?

Lindsey Sills 36:17
Oh, gosh, Courtney, that’s there is so much learning to to summarize it into just one caption. Oh, I mean, it’d be something probably like it’s been a journey and it’s been worth the ride and and the best is yet to come. Seriously, because that’s what I do believe. I do believe it,

Courtney Townley 36:42
and what I mean. I hope that you always have that belief. I mean, literally until you’re well into your 90s

Lindsey Sills 36:50
or yeah, 90s or

Courtney Townley 36:51
hundreds. Truly, because otherwise, what’s the point? You know, when we have when we lose that excitement for life, and that hope, and that a quest for leaning into possibility-like I just think that it-it-it’s things just start to deplete when we lose that spark. So I love, I love that you definitely believe that the best is yet to come because I certainly believe that for you. I believe that for all my clients. What else do you want listeners to know? Just in closing, is there anything else you want to share?

Lindsey Sills 37:22
I think we’ve covered so much, Courtney. I I do. I’m so grateful and so thankful. I’ve had that shift in belief in perspective, but it didn’t come easy. So anyone anyone who’s still rumbling with whether this pathway, whether this way of thinking differently, not focusing on one metrics, is it worth it? I would say hold on, hold on really tight. Keep doing the daily practices that we know what works. We know all of the different things. You cover it all in your new book. Thankfully, we know what to do. But just do small gains every day and be consistent and hold on tight because it is so worth it, and we are so worth

Courtney Townley 38:18
it. Yeah. Is that

Lindsey Sills 38:18
okay?

Courtney Townley 38:19
I love that. It’s so beautiful. It’s so beautiful, and I love that you’re ending on that note because the rumble is, I think, where the magic happens. Right, that willingness to rumble and the willingness to not have it all figured out, but still take action anyway. I mean, that is the name of the game, and I know we are conditioned largely by culture, by our you know the households we were raised in, all the things. Sometimes to believe that we’re supposed to have it all figured out. It’s supposed to be a linear path. I’m not. I’m not supposed to be making mistakes at this stage of my life. Well, who says? Like that’s craziness. And so, giving ourselves permission to be messy. As we sort out new ways of being, it’s the ultimate self-care and self honoring is giving ourselves that gift,

Lindsey Sills 39:13
and it’s a gift every day. Every day is a gift.

Courtney Townley 39:16
Yeah, I keep stressing to my son lately. We’ve had so many conversations about this. Like, there is no epic lesson I have learned in my life without hardship,

Lindsey Sills 39:28
absolutely,

Courtney Townley 39:28
without struggling, without the rumble. And so, as much as we would love to avoid it, there is so much gold within it. And so, keep rumbling forever and always. And yeah, I just thank you so much for doing this with me and for leaning in to that discomfort because it doesn’t just grow you; it also helps. Right? It makes an impact. It helps other people too. And I’ve long been a believer that improving our health, of course, isn’t just about us. It is about us, but it’s about our ability to go out and serve and create and do all the amazing things that just help the world be a better place.

Lindsey Sills 40:10
It’s those ripples when we’re in that beautiful state; it ripples out, and it is all encompassing. And if I could reach across this camera, Courtney, and give you a great big hug to say with my whole heart, thank you so much. You really have made a difference in my life, big time. Thank you.

Courtney Townley 40:27
Well, what what a blessing for me to cross paths with you, and I truly believe we will meet in the flesh someday, whether that’s me coming to the UK or who knows where we’re going to listen to each other. But

Speaker 1 40:36
wow,

Courtney Townley 40:38
yeah, I

Lindsey Sills 40:38
feel a challenge coming on this.

Courtney Townley 40:39
Yes, right. I love it. Thank you so much, and I’m sure we will be seeing each other again soon.

Lindsey Sills 40:46
Thank you, Courtney.

Courtney Townley 40:51
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