[00:01] Valerie Beck: Rise. Renew. Reconnect.
[00:04] Welcome to from the Ashes, a podcast where every episode ignites hope and healing.
[00:09] I'm your host, Valerie Huang Beck, and I'm on a mission to help you embrace your unique potential and become the vibrant visionary you knew you were meant to be.
[00:17] Maddy Reede: Shimmer fire in the darkest night of Phoenix burns It's ready for flight Shadows may come try to tear you apart but you're the flame that.
[00:29] Valerie Beck: All right, everyone.
[00:30] Welcome back to from the Ashes podcast. We are on the last episode of season three,
[00:36] and I have a very special guest today, Maddie Reed. She is my podcast producer and she's awesome. She's one of my vibrant, visionary collective members,
[00:50] and we are going to wrap up the season together.
[00:53] So welcome, Maddie.
[00:55] Maddy Reede: Thank you so much for having me, Valerie. It's an honor to be on the podcast and I'm so excited to have a chance to interview you.
[01:05] Valerie Beck: Yeah,
[01:06] thank you. And so, yeah, so Maddie has been helping me produce this season three,
[01:11] and so I've asked her if she wants to come on and interview me and we can reflect on the episodes of the season, kind of like what's going to be going on in the next year, and just plenty of other things as well.
[01:25] So you ready?
[01:27] Maddy Reede: Amazing. Let's do it.
[01:28] Valerie Beck: Okay.
[01:29] Maddy Reede: Well, first of all,
[01:31] you just moved to Japan.
[01:33] Congratulations on that. I know that it's been a dream of yours for years.
[01:38] What are your impressions of life in Japan so far?
[01:42] Valerie Beck: Yeah,
[01:43] so I've been here for about almost two months,
[01:49] and I.
[01:51] It's like one of those things where, like, you kind of have to pinch yourself because I've lived in.
[01:58] In the states for, like, 13 years,
[02:00] since I lived in Japan before,
[02:04] and I.
[02:05] I didn't have the vision of, like, necessarily wanting to come back.
[02:11] I think in my soul I did,
[02:13] but I don't think I believed it as a possibility that I could come back and live here.
[02:20] And I think this is one of the big things that I've been working on as a person myself, but in also other people is, like, how do we create these possibilities that, like, your soul's really called to do, but maybe consciously you don't give yourself permission to dream that big.
[02:40] And,
[02:41] you know,
[02:42] as I was living in Los Angeles for the past 13 years,
[02:48] I.
[02:49] I think I realized at some point that I couldn't be here too much longer if I wanted to be happy.
[02:58] And it's not.
[03:00] It's not that there was something, like, inherently wrong with la,
[03:05] but actually really, really early on in my journey in la,
[03:10] my friend Kyle Photographed me.
[03:13] And it was like a dance photography session.
[03:16] And this was like, probably the first year or the second year I was there.
[03:21] And one of the things that he said as he was photographing me was that you carry around this, like,
[03:26] deep sadness in your way of being.
[03:29] And he said specifically,
[03:33] it's like part of you never left Japan.
[03:37] Maddy Reede: Interesting.
[03:38] Valerie Beck: That was like, probably 11 years ago,
[03:40] right? 11 or 12 years ago.
[03:43] And I understand now what he was saying.
[03:46] I really, part of me never really did leave here and has always kind of really longed to go back.
[03:53] So it's a weird thing when you get a wish like this, like one of those things that you never thought you would ever be able to do,
[04:01] and now you're being able to do it.
[04:03] And so I'm very, very grateful. I have immense gratitude.
[04:09] And there's another part of it is that I.
[04:13] My path to get here this time was really kind of a joint effort with my husband.
[04:20] We wouldn't be here if it were not for our partnership,
[04:25] because it was him who got the tangible opportunity to be here.
[04:30] I had more of the vision of how I want it to look in the future.
[04:34] And we started talking about that quite some time ago.
[04:37] And then when the. The opportunity came, it kind of just built on top of each other. And then we were finally able to say yes.
[04:45] And,
[04:47] you know, I think there's a lot of power in being able to ground your vision with action. Right? So if you have, like, an intention, if you have a dream, like not just letting it be a dream, but being able to say yes to the things that are going to align you to that dream.
[05:05] So what I'm feeling right now is a testament to my own work in that.
[05:11] And,
[05:12] you know,
[05:13] it's taught me to one,
[05:16] keep dreaming big,
[05:17] and also like to keep saying yes and like, taking those small actions that are going to build up eventually to what you want.
[05:25] Maddy Reede: To have in the future,
[05:26] that's beautiful. You can really see how your dream that wasn't even fully an idea, but seen within you from someone else has completely found a way to manifest, and not without support as well.
[05:46] Having a team member,
[05:47] that's such a huge part of how we can fully expand in this life. Like, if.
[05:54] What's the saying? If you want to go far,
[05:57] go alone. If you want to go long, go together.
[06:01] I love that what Valerie was the key because the.
[06:06] The photography session was so many years ago,
[06:09] and I doubt that in that exact moment you were like, you know what, you're right, I'm going to move to Japan.
[06:15] So what changed for you? What was the key to unlocking the realization that this actually was your dream and everything that you've meant to be doing up until now?
[06:26] Valerie Beck: So when I started doing the work with the. With you guys, the vibrant visionary,
[06:32] which started off as Club Phoenix, right,
[06:35] It was all about this concept of arising from the ashes. It was all about healing and picking up the pieces, right? Because if we were really, to be honest, right now,
[06:46] it's because I felt very broken. I felt very, like.
[06:50] Like my life had kind of crumbled up in the flames.
[06:54] And that's why I called it. That is because it's like rising from the ashes, rebuilding.
[06:59] And in this process of healing and rebuilding,
[07:04] when you actually heal and you get to the point where it's like, you feel good about your life and you actually can think about the future,
[07:14] well, one of the things that happens is that you start to realize you have choice again.
[07:20] And I think for a while, I forgot that I had choice,
[07:25] right? I had agency in my life to even think about, like, what are the grander things in life that I really, really want from me? Like, what's. What is my soul being called to do?
[07:34] Because, like, for so many years,
[07:36] it was about healing and it was about, like,
[07:40] doing the Ayurveda, right?
[07:42] But, like, what's beyond doing the Ayurveda? What's beyond. Like, if the Ayurveda helps you get back to a place of feeling healthy and established in yourself, which is the point of Ayurveda,
[07:54] it's then. Then am I gonna just do that path forever and, like,
[07:59] just be forever on this healing path and. And then forget about all the other stuff that I've ever done in the past?
[08:06] Nope.
[08:07] So what happens is that my old pieces of me that I had let either, like, push to the side because I was in pain or, like, set aside because, like, I didn't have time for them.
[08:19] I started being able to come back,
[08:22] and now it's like,
[08:25] you know. You know that we have, like, an artist part. All this other stuff.
[08:30] The dream of going to Japan started coming back because it's. I just was able to hold it more.
[08:36] And one of the things I've been talking to with some of. Some of you guys is that there's this container, right, of resilience that we are actively trying to recover in the vibrant visionary and we call ojas, right?
[08:49] Because Via Veda.
[08:50] And the thing is, like, when you have this, like, resilience container,
[08:54] the. The stronger it is, the more you can hold in there. And it's not just holding stress.
[09:00] It's not just holding difficult things. It's holding joy.
[09:04] It's holding enthusiasm, motivation. Right. All the things. It's not just about not being in pain. It's actually being able to expand the world.
[09:14] So when I started doing this work and actually living it, then I was like, oh, my God, like, I had all these dreams. I can. I can actually think about them now and actually make them real.
[09:28] They're not beyond me anymore.
[09:30] Maddy Reede: What an incredible answer that just so embodies not only you as a practitioner of Ayurveda, but the platform that you've created for us, starting at Club Phoenix. Rising from the ashes.
[09:45] Even the title is a descriptor of where you are from now.
[09:51] Club Phoenix,
[09:52] we're embodying the journey, which it will always be such a. The key part of it, I would say,
[10:00] to become the vibrant visionary that we all are inside and within us,
[10:05] whether we're in the middle of the fire or through it. Rising above.
[10:10] Wow.
[10:15] You really.
[10:17] With the club and with the podcast, you give space for people to be in their uniqueness.
[10:24] That's such a huge part of it. And I think that when you're questioning in the past, like, okay, is it just going to be Ayurveda? You, as the artist, needed to freestyle your own spin on it.
[10:36] You couldn't just live inside the box of one parameter. You had to take the knowledge that you gained and the lessons that you've learned and be able to shine in a way that gives others the opportunity to.
[10:54] And it's not possible if we're just simply. And it's not even that. It's simple. Ayurveda is so amazing and complex, and I've never resonated with anything medically more than Ayurveda.
[11:05] However,
[11:07] there's more to everyone,
[11:09] no matter what box you're looking at.
[11:13] And in the vibrant visionary,
[11:17] it's limitless.
[11:19] Valerie Beck: Yeah. And that's really what I want people to.
[11:22] To get. And, you know, it's.
[11:25] And if you.
[11:26] If people are feeling really, really called to just do one thing in their life, there's nothing wrong with that either.
[11:32] But I think so many of us follow this paradigm where it's like,
[11:36] oh, this saved my life. Therefore, I must dedicate my life to it.
[11:41] But one of the things that is unique about my journey is that I've gone through several of those stories.
[11:51] Hip hop could have saved my life,
[11:54] or Capoetta or Ayurveda, or yoga, or all this stuff I went through. Different phases where each of those helped me along the way,
[12:05] but not one single one of those was the answer.
[12:11] And what I realized is that the answer is within you and your uniqueness and how you integrate those things as a human being in your unique experience.
[12:23] And if we could really lean into that,
[12:27] then everybody has the chance to like, really be fully self actualized in this lifetime.
[12:36] So now that we've kind of like gotten into this, right, and you're, you're seeing a lot of my work and you've, you've been around me for a while now,
[12:44] so you came onto this podcast as a,
[12:47] the producer this season, and I want to hear about your impressions. The big question that I want to ask for you is what have you gotten out of listening to all these, these episodes this season?
[12:57] Maddy Reede: This is an incredible podcast that it's really an honor to be a part of.
[13:02] I get so excited when I get to tell people that I'm not only doing this with somebody that I love and respect and hold to one of the highest degrees and is my mentor, my health coach, my friend.
[13:18] What I get out of this podcast is when you listen, you really feel like you can be the change that you want to see.
[13:27] Just like all of these wise guests have spoken about is reflecting on their journey to how they got to where they are today.
[13:36] And there is no success without the journey,
[13:42] and there is success inside of the journey. That's how we get to where we dream of.
[13:50] And the more that you listen, you, the more that you hear of people from all types of different backgrounds,
[13:58] all types of different stories,
[14:00] how they were up and they were down and they were up. And it's not linear at all. It never is in any of these stories.
[14:09] Yeah, there has not been one episode where somebody has a straight trajectory that brings them exactly where they want to go, which is kind of like what fairy tales are.
[14:22] And what we're made up to believe is that when things get bad, somebody's gonna swoop you up and make it better and put,
[14:29] you know, a tiara on you. But that's not what life is about.
[14:33] And there is so much beauty in it being so much bigger than that.
[14:38] And when you listen as I produce and I get to hear not only the story that gets shared, but the complete rawness and,
[14:49] and the ands and the ums,
[14:51] the, the pauses, the thought process between all of these wise people, it shows you that we're really all human and connected and we all have the power to not only change our lives, but stand up for what we believe in in a way that's more valid to you, in a way that nobody else can possibly do it because they're not you.
[15:14] And that's the beauty of it.
[15:18] Yeah. I mean,
[15:20] every single episode,
[15:22] the quality and just you can take on,
[15:27] you know, when you watch or read or listen to anything,
[15:32] you're hearing it through your own lens. Right. It's your own perspective and you inherently tie your own bias and opinions and life and perspective into it.
[15:44] And when you listen to something as powerful as this, you're able to see yourself more clearly as somebody that can do it too. And I think that's such a huge takeaway of from the Ashes.
[15:57] Valerie Beck: Yeah,
[15:58] that's beautifully said. If they can do it, so can you. Because like, every single one of these people is another human being.
[16:05] Right. With. With so many challenges and.
[16:09] And yet we're still here.
[16:11] We're still here.
[16:13] So in terms of the episodes that you've heard, which there have been 19 of them right, this season. Yeah.
[16:20] Maddy Reede: Yep.
[16:21] Valerie Beck: Yeah. What do you feel have been the most impactful for you and why, If.
[16:26] Maddy Reede: I am being 100% honest,
[16:29] I love your episodes the most.
[16:34] I,
[16:36] and I think I personally have such a,
[16:41] a safety when I hear your voice,
[16:45] when we speak,
[16:47] when I'm down, when I'm up. You are either here to push me, to grow, to validate me, or to just be so supportive and that everything is going to be okay.
[17:00] And so personally,
[17:03] it's hard to be just listening to you and your own advice.
[17:09] However,
[17:10] it is very difficult to choose a top episode because they're all so powerful in their own uniqueness.
[17:18] One that definitely stood out to me though was Mark Richards episode. That one's called A Remarkable Mark Richards Journey to Natural Healing.
[17:29] And he speaks about how he reversed cancer.
[17:32] And I think that not only is that such an attention grabbing episode, but you get to hear that he defied what everybody had said.
[17:45] And it's very common in stories that you're defying what barriers people place on you or, you know, self limitations that you have.
[17:55] But cancer is something that we've all known about for our whole lives. And so to hear someone on your podcast speak on how he completely reversed it and how the power of choosing life.
[18:11] And something that really stuck out to me was when he was really meditating and thinking heavily about his 25 year old self,
[18:24] his 25 year old body,
[18:26] and would just simply meditate on the feeling to run on the beach as a 25 year old.
[18:32] And then when he went back in for Another blood work exam.
[18:37] The doctor had mentioned that he's got the blood of a 25 year old.
[18:42] You know, that was just a part of his story that he decided to share. But it has not left my brain.
[18:48] And we have so much innate power that is so difficult sometimes but also so simple to tap into.
[18:59] And if you are able to make the switch, which some days I know how to and some days I don't,
[19:07] you know,
[19:08] possibility is there. And when you're,
[19:11] when you're deep, swimming through burnout and like you were saying earlier,
[19:17] you don't have the container, that's feels like a possibility. That feels like life is, is continuing things just kind of,
[19:28] for me anyways, have felt like life is ending. At points like they're like, okay,
[19:35] I feel so distraught in my own self that this is probably where I'm,
[19:45] where I'm saying goodbye.
[19:46] Even though it's not as, you know, detrimental is that I can be a bit dramatic sometimes.
[19:51] And it's never,
[19:54] it's never over until it's over. And you have to give yourself the opportunity to, to believe in life and believe that you have the ability to make it possible.
[20:06] Valerie Beck: Yes.
[20:07] Maddy Reede: And that's what Mark says.
[20:09] Valerie Beck: I love that. So I am going to piggyback off of what you just said because I think this is a really,
[20:14] really important point.
[20:16] And by doing these episodes,
[20:19] one of my realizations for this year is that one of my personal missions is to help people restore their sovereignty.
[20:29] And specifically when it comes to health. Right. Because of the Ayurveda. But it can get a lot deeper than that because essentially what Mark did was he decided that he's going to go against all convention to listen to himself and actually take the responsibility,
[20:47] the responsibility of his life in his own hands and everything that needs to be done in order to make sure that he has done everything that he can to make sure that he's going to live.
[20:59] Maddy Reede: Right. Radical responsibility.
[21:02] Valerie Beck: Yes. And I have had people walk into my clinic when I was an Ayurvedic clinician and not have any sense of that at all and be in a position where Mark was in life or death, where they still weren't taking it.
[21:18] And if it, it always lands on you as the person whose life is at stake to make the choices,
[21:27] even if that means that you are going to radically change your life.
[21:31] Right. If you have to live in a way that is completely outside of what you know in order to make sure that you survive.
[21:38] And that takes a lot of courage.
[21:42] But it can be done.
[21:44] Like if I'm here to help people find that courage.
[21:48] You know, one of the things I really want people to know is it does take a radical, radical shift in responsibility.
[21:55] And one of the things I really appreciate about Ayurveda is that that is built into the treatment system.
[22:03] So when people go to an Ayurvedic hospital like the classical ones in India,
[22:09] you commit yourself to that hospital for like three weeks a month,
[22:13] you're staying there.
[22:15] And it's not that you're just there like in the doctors are going to work on you and blah, blah, blah. No,
[22:21] you're there.
[22:23] You're also changing your routine, your behavior.
[22:26] Like you're, you're going to be asked to do yoga and meditation. You're going to be asked to eat all this clean, healthy food.
[22:34] As al. As you are also undergoing specific treatment because they recognize that half of it might be that you need to do this intensive care thing under the care of a doctor and the other half is all you.
[22:50] Right. It's all what you are choosing to do.
[22:53] And that's where guidance comes into. Like for me, as an Ayurvedic practitioner and as a mentor,
[23:00] my job is to create the environment so that you can do that.
[23:07] Because it's not. Again, it's not easy. Right.
[23:11] And yeah,
[23:13] I really hope that, you know, the more I do this work,
[23:16] the more that I can provide that strength for others.
[23:22] Maddy Reede: Not easy. You could say that again.
[23:26] But yeah.
[23:28] Method of Ayurveda clearly is about recognizing that things take time and that there's nothing overnight that can be completely changed.
[23:39] It takes a full on rebirth of self in order to have a full on rebirth of self and having a support system that not only honors that, but is there when you know you're doing your best, but maybe it's not fully showing up and knowing that by having this system it will.
[24:01] All you have to do is continue.
[24:03] That's a beautiful thing.
[24:05] So with people with having support and with the guests on the podcast,
[24:11] what do you think that,
[24:13] how do you think you are impacting the guests specifically when you take on somebody to share their story with the world?
[24:25] Maybe they have spoken about it before, maybe this is their very first time.
[24:29] What do you think this does for them in their own personal growth?
[24:33] Valerie Beck: Yeah, so we were talking about this briefly before we were recording. So I kind of want to just continue this a little bit and, and, and paint this picture because I realized that the podcast is not necessarily all about giving a story to an audience.
[24:51] It's also about the interviewee.
[24:52] Maddy Reede: Themselves.
[24:54] Valerie Beck: And that's why I'm so picky about who I bring on.
[24:58] You know, I think a lot of people want to go on a podcast because they want to, like, promote the program and all that. And that's all fine,
[25:05] but what I aim to do in this podcast is to help people who also go on the podcast take one step forward in their life and get, you know,
[25:16] give them a piece of introspection that's going to help them progress their personal mission and perhaps progress, I think what we would call, like, their personal destiny,
[25:28] or at least that's how I like to refer to it,
[25:31] is that when they come on here and I'm talking to them, we are engaging in a dialogue.
[25:37] Not regurgitating a past dialogue or discussion, but actually creating one that is new,
[25:45] one that is a progression of their story.
[25:49] And initially, I didn't really have a concept of this when I started the podcast,
[25:53] but as I started to do this more and more, I realized that it's not about this end product per se. It's, again,
[26:03] about the journey and the.
[26:04] Maddy Reede: Process itself that's so vital to your mission. And so my next question for you is,
[26:14] as the interviewer of your own podcast, how do you feel like your growth has the space to develop as you get deeper and deeper into these incredible stories and therefore inherently are thinking, you know, this is a part of who you are, is giving them that platform?
[26:39] Valerie Beck: Okay, I'm gonna try to answer that question.
[26:43] So everything that I do in this life,
[26:50] I want it to evolve.
[26:53] I want it to be a part of my journey. I don't want to do anything arbitrarily or for the sake of some kind of external validation or fulfillment.
[27:05] I.
[27:06] I'm not just the catalyst for other people. I'm the catalyst for myself. And actually, in fact, I should be the catalyst first and foremost for myself.
[27:16] Right.
[27:19] That's part of the radical self responsibility piece, is that I. I do embody that.
[27:25] And so when I,
[27:28] in terms of, like, my own growth for this podcast or through this podcast, you know, having done three seasons,
[27:35] I could tell you kind of like how I've gained. Well, or what I've gained from doing this one is a sense of self confidence,
[27:45] being able to see that I,
[27:47] you know, that my voice matters and that also that this can be developed. Like, this is something that, you know, is a. Is a very creative project at the end of the day,
[27:57] and me just doing it is more important than where it goes, like, how many listeners I have and all that.
[28:04] Maddy Reede: Yes. Yeah.
[28:07] Valerie Beck: And it has enabled me to meet some really cool people and also get to know them better because the podcast is a place to like, share your story.
[28:19] And now I've heard so many other people's stories and it's just,
[28:24] I'm not surprised,
[28:26] I'm not surprised at how growth is, is non linear. I'm not surprised that like people have, have gone through some really hard things now.
[28:36] But it also gives me perspective.
[28:39] It gives me perspective that if I'm not where I want to be, that's okay. Also,
[28:44] if I, if I don't look like everyone else, if my life trajectory doesn't look like everyone else's,
[28:50] not only is that okay,
[28:52] that's probably a good thing.
[28:55] It's probably a good thing that I have something to say that I do have some unique background and experiences to bring to the rest of the world.
[29:05] So.
[29:06] Yeah, hopefully that answered your question.
[29:09] Maddy Reede: It absolutely does.
[29:11] There's such a theme of,
[29:14] I mean, we'll say it once we say it again. Uniqueness and the point or one of the major points of the podcast just being like a space, a container for an endless open container for evolution.
[29:27] And I love that you're able to see and tell us about how it influenced you in such a positive way. And we need to hear you. We absolutely. I can feel the confidence shift from the first season to the third season.
[29:44] I can hear just a level of certainty that is continuing to grow and we need it.
[29:55] The world needs you. We need to hear you.
[29:58] So also, I wanted to ask you either from the time period of season three or just this year,
[30:05] because a lot of things have changed this year.
[30:08] How was it in terms of growth and self discovery?
[30:13] Yeah.
[30:13] Valerie Beck: So this, this year was massive. If I look back on it. I put myself out there in a way that I probably haven't in a while and,
[30:23] and accepted everything that came with it, which were great things. And then also some like, you know, hard lessons.
[30:30] And I can't say that I've regretted it because,
[30:33] and this is one of the big lessons is that sometimes you need to try something new to know that it's not for you.
[30:41] You need to try things to know that you're meant to be somewhere else.
[30:46] And I did plenty of that this year.
[30:49] And it started off, I think,
[30:52] earlier,
[30:52] like much earlier this year.
[30:54] Oh.
[30:56] So I was in the Disney parade in February.
[30:58] I don't know if you remember that part.
[31:00] Maddy Reede: Oh, I remember that.
[31:02] Valerie Beck: The Milan parade.
[31:03] Maddy Reede: That's so cool.
[31:05] Valerie Beck: So for some reason that was a lot of work.
[31:08] It was a lot of Work. And it kind of took me.
[31:10] It gave me another, like, perspective of things. Right. Like, because I hadn't danced professionally in that capacity for a while, it was really cool. It was very fun.
[31:19] But after that,
[31:20] then I kind of had to, like, reorient. Orient myself back to the vibrant visionary and, like, what I want to do and all that. And I felt like I needed a kick.
[31:28] And so that's when I ended up flying over to Japan to do a retreat.
[31:34] Maddy Reede: Yep.
[31:35] Valerie Beck: And met a lot of really cool people and was really inspired by that experience.
[31:40] And that kind of snowballed into more things where I ended up going to the Netherlands for that Nine Valley event. And all along,
[31:48] just kind of like, I'm going to try it. I'm going to go for these things that I've always wanted to try. Right. I've always wanted to, like, travel the world and I've always wanted to go to a Mindvalley event and all this stuff.
[32:00] Met some amazing people.
[32:02] I wrote a chapter of the book this year and that's going to be published,
[32:07] so. And. And yeah, that should be coming out in maybe, like, a couple of weeks or something like that.
[32:13] Wow.
[32:14] Yeah.
[32:15] And all along also, this journey of, like, slowly saying yes to the things that would leave lead us to a life in Japan.
[32:23] Right. It was all happening at once.
[32:26] And one of the things that I'm just gonna go out and say is the whole mindvalley thing that was a dream of mine for a couple years is to go to Mindvalley and to do this stuff.
[32:36] And it happened to be. That is totally not for me.
[32:41] It's. It's probably an energy of a self that I once was, or maybe there was some part of it where I wanted something that I no longer want.
[32:50] And I realized, okay,
[32:52] well, that was cool.
[32:54] That was like a really expensive experiment. But I'm glad I did it because I think it. Had I not done that,
[33:01] I probably would still have a foot in that door wanting to be there. Right.
[33:06] So there's that and then,
[33:10] you know, finally getting to Japan and all. Everything actually leading up to that in the past couple of months is like, what do I really.
[33:17] Yes. I've been getting clear on what I want out of life, clearly. You know, like, I've been doing a lot of stuff to. To develop myself and.
[33:25] And to manifest things that I want to manifest.
[33:28] But as I go along in this journey, I realize that there are certain things that I wanted or put into my vision that I just don't want anymore. I don't need anymore.
[33:38] And one of the beautiful things about healing is that you get to experience yourself in a way where when your needs are met and you don't feel like this desperation,
[33:50] you don't feel the scarcity or this lack of safety,
[33:54] you realize that a lot of the things that you maybe have wanted in the past were kind of trying to fix something.
[34:03] It weren't actually out of true desire.
[34:06] So one of the things that my coach talks about a lot is this concept of secret desire,
[34:11] but sacred desire. You know, this is like, you know, what is your soul truly being called to do in this lifetime that doesn't become clear unless you actually are fulfilled, unless you actually have abundance mindset and, and you have your needs met and you are safe.
[34:29] Right?
[34:30] And I didn't realize that I didn't actually have a hundred percent of that sense of safety until I got to Japan. And I actually what I felt like,
[34:42] really, really well taken care of and, and cared for. And I don't feel like,
[34:47] you know, one of the things that you don't realize when you live in LA is that you don't feel safe going out at night,
[34:53] which just kind of take it for granted that that's a reality that we live in and you have no idea how much that does to your nervous system until you live in a reality where that's no longer a threat.
[35:03] And that's for everybody and I. Isn't that crazy?
[35:07] Maddy Reede: So that really is insane because that's such our,
[35:11] our norm that it's hard to think of something that goes outside of that.
[35:16] I mean, the, it's just, especially as a woman, it's like,
[35:20] all right,
[35:21] it's dark outside,
[35:23] so you have to be extra aware, extra cautious. And probably it's not the best idea for you to be in certain places if, especially if you're alone. And yeah, having not only internal safety, but like the safety of the community,
[35:40] real safety with your environment.
[35:44] I can only imagine at this point in my life that I, I haven't experienced that yet, that it's such a,
[35:51] a next step and when it comes to personal freedom and giving you more space to unlock and not having to hold yourself to another, yet another container of like a safe home, which is a beautiful one to have.
[36:09] Sometimes it takes a long time to be in a safe home and that's such a huge accomplishment for,
[36:15] you know,
[36:17] many,
[36:18] some people are still working on finding their way to a safe home.
[36:22] But then to think of where you're at today and you can go outside and it's safe like, that's even hard to conceptualize.
[36:31] Valerie Beck: Yeah. And so this gets into a little bit of like this. I don't have an answer for this. Right. Because like, it's not that you can just up and leave.
[36:41] Most people can't just up and leave where they are.
[36:44] So do they have the same access to safety and can, you know, is there a way for us even in these precarious environments, like, let's say we're in a war torn country and that's.
[36:55] It's just so out of the,
[36:57] you know, realm of possibility unless you leave the country, Right. Actually, some people do.
[37:02] But it's like, how,
[37:05] what is it that we need to do? Is it the awareness? Is it just the awareness of this and how it's affecting us? Or is there something else? Like that resilience piece that I was talking about about before.
[37:15] How do we create this sense of possibility within ourselves when things are so unpredictable?
[37:26] I don't know. I don't have an answer for that right now. It's just a question that I'm tossing out there.
[37:31] Maddy Reede: We could spend a lifetime thinking about it.
[37:35] You know,
[37:36] it's just one of those questions.
[37:39] You touched on a few things that I wanted to mention. One of them being not only saying yes to things, but giving your yourself the permission for it to not be what you expected it to be.
[37:53] And at this place where you're at in your life, that it's completely okay. Like you said, it,
[38:00] it was an expensive experiment and it,
[38:03] it was imagined as a dream of yours by someone that you have shed it at this point.
[38:11] And maybe the point of going not only was, it's still an incredible experience. You met a bunch of people and you got. But you really got to tap into a newer evolution of yourself and see that you're not the person that wished for this anymore and that your life has taken you into more directions.
[38:33] But just like when you know it's hard to fall asleep because you have so many tabs open in your brain,
[38:41] you had to close that tab. Or like you said, the foot would still be in the door.
[38:45] Valerie Beck: Yeah, absolutely.
[38:47] Maddy Reede: Yes, it was necessary.
[38:50] Valerie Beck: Oh, 100% necessary.
[38:53] You know, there's no other way to do that than to do it.
[38:59] I've witnessed people this year make some really hard decisions for themselves,
[39:04] big decisions.
[39:06] And the thing is, so many of us are stuck kind of in the fear of what if it doesn't work out? Or what if that was the wrong decision.
[39:16] Maddy Reede: Definitely.
[39:17] Valerie Beck: Yeah.
[39:18] And again, I can't tell anybody what to do right and only you can know.
[39:23] But I think what I want people to hear with this, in terms of my own experience of this, is that if you're not sure,
[39:33] try it.
[39:34] Maddy Reede: Yeah. Why not?
[39:37] Valerie Beck: Yeah. And like, there's. Okay, well, yeah, go for it.
[39:43] Maddy Reede: Go for it.
[39:43] Valerie Beck: Okay. There's one thing, though.
[39:45] There is a sense of discernment and intuition that I've built up over time by doing a lot of self work.
[39:51] Right. There's a lot of discernment of what is being driven by my soul and what's being driven by fear and what's being driven by, like, a desire to be recognized, blah, blah, blah, blah.
[40:03] That also needs to be cultivated. You can't just be like, oh, I'm just gonna try this, or like, I'm gonna declare that I want that. And it's there. There is a level that I.
[40:13] Okay. I have sat with myself.
[40:16] I'm listening to a deeper part of myself when I make these decisions.
[40:21] Maddy Reede: Well,
[40:22] you really found a way to tap into your inner voice and trusting your intuition, no matter what direction it takes you just knowing that it's a direction and getting out of feeling stuck.
[40:37] There's so much.
[40:38] You can. You can have so much stuckness and not do anything and just be completely frozen. Or you could try something and figure out that it doesn't work out.
[40:48] And that's exactly why you needed to try it.
[40:51] Yeah.
[40:52] Valerie Beck: Ooh.
[40:52] Maddy Reede: So thank you for that.
[40:53] Valerie Beck: Yeah. So now this brings me to what I want to create for next year. And actually some of the stuff that I'll. That I have tried, that have. Has worked out this year, and that is that I was teaching in the background a bunch of movement classes,
[41:07] like really sporadically. But like I. At a couple of conferences and retreats that I did this year, I taught some movement, I taught some capoeira, I taught some hip hop and all that.
[41:16] And all along I was also teaching my. My Sunday class, right? And I built a small little community of. Of students there too.
[41:25] So one of the things that I realized this year is that my power comes from my freedom of movement and self expression.
[41:36] I've been doing dance in some way, shape or form since I was six years old.
[41:42] And, you know,
[41:44] so over 30 years of this,
[41:47] and it's become a superpower of mine. Not only just the dance part, but like my ability to.
[41:56] It's almost like a way of being for me. Right. It's natural for me. And actually, because I've been teaching for so long as well,
[42:03] for me to. To help others to step into their Power through movement is one of my superpowers.
[42:10] And I want to. Yeah, I want to offer this to more people. Like, I want to offer this to the world. Because when I was teaching capoeira at that Ayurveda conference,
[42:22] you know, when the people. One of the people who took my class was saying,
[42:26] you made it seem so easy and natural that we are doing these movements that I would normally be so afraid of trying.
[42:34] And for me, that's like, of course,
[42:37] you know, that's.
[42:39] That's what I'm here to do. And like, of course that's the environment I want to create. Like, I want you to feel that it's okay to try hard things.
[42:47] I want you to feel like it's okay to, to. To be silly and to, like, take risks and to feel good in your body that you feel like however you're moving is the acceptable way.
[43:00] Yeah. So.
[43:02] So I'm going to be starting the Vibrant rhythm studio in 2026.
[43:06] Maddy Reede: Yes, the vibrant Rhythm Studio. Okay, tell me more.
[43:12] Valerie Beck: Okay,
[43:13] so right now, how I'm envisioning it is this is an online studio with maybe like two classes a week to start.
[43:20] And I want one part to be.
[43:24] It's movement, right? But there's going to be rhythm and groove in one of it. Because one of the things that actually think is very primal is this ability to. To tap into rhythm.
[43:34] Um, it's the foundation of all of these street dances, hip hop, et cetera, is like, rhythm and really feeling this.
[43:41] And if you have that, you. You can dance. Like, you don't actually need all this, like, fancy skill and stuff. It. There's part of it is just understanding rhythm because then you understand music and you understand integration of your environment with you.
[43:55] I could talk about that a lot, but I'm not going to right now.
[43:59] Then the other part of his dynamic movement,
[44:02] and for me, dynamic movement is where I can incorporate some more of the, like, the acrobatics and the martial arts and this kind of like the stuff that we would think is a little bit more challenging in terms of just strength and ability and skill.
[44:14] But at the same time, like, all of us were born being able to crawl. All of us were born being able to walk on our hands,
[44:21] try to do, like, little handstands and do all this stuff. And we, we really should try to maintain that as we get older,
[44:30] because if you do, really, you will have a lot of longevity, you'll have health if you're able to maintain all this primal movement.
[44:38] So those two aspects of the movement I definitely want to incorporate into the Vibrant Rhythm Studio.
[44:44] And then the last part is, is going to be the mindset part, right. And the mindfulness part.
[44:48] And that's going to incorporate a little bit more of what I do in the vibrant Visionary collective in terms of like, yeah, I want to also add.
[44:54] Maddy Reede: In.
[44:56] Valerie Beck: This meditation component because one of the ways that I learned how to meditate is actually in a really, really hard dance class.
[45:06] So I was in New York City and I was taking class from one of my favorite teachers.
[45:12] He moves really, really fast.
[45:14] He teaches really fast and all of his movements are complex and they're very unique to him.
[45:19] And there was no way I was like, I was so in over my head for the first couple of times that I took this class and like, I would go home and I would, I would like practice for hours.
[45:31] Something clicked for me one day and it was that as I was trying to really get every single step of his,
[45:39] what I really needed to do was let go and relax my mind.
[45:43] And you hear this with a lot of martial artists too. A lot of people who can do really high level stuff. It's almost like they slow down,
[45:52] they allow themselves to drop in a little bit so their nervous system also calms down and then you can see everything.
[46:00] You can see every little thing. And, and that was so powerful,
[46:07] allowed me to like understand myself in a way and like absorbed everything so much faster in a way that I became a dancer because of that.
[46:19] And now it's like I could produce that without effort,
[46:24] with barely any effort.
[46:27] And I'm going on a tangent because I love this stuff so much,
[46:29] but yeah, my, my.
[46:31] Maddy Reede: Well, that's how you know, you can feel you lighting up with this.
[46:38] That's, that's part of how you know that it's genuinely a part of your purpose is because you,
[46:45] you can't stop talking about it because it's genuinely a love of your life.
[46:50] And it, it's completely brought you to being who you are and what you're able to give and offer back to the world as you gain something while you're sharing it with others as well.
[47:02] So,
[47:03] I mean, the second you started talking about not only what you're doing this year and offering us, but how it's impacted you and made you a dancer, a better dancer,
[47:19] just an in tune individual when it comes to rhythm and movement.
[47:23] I mean, that's everything.
[47:27] Valerie Beck: Yeah,
[47:28] I mean, I get to be a part of the work.
[47:31] I grow along with everybody else.
[47:34] And that's the point.
[47:35] If I were to Stop growing. And everybody else is still growing. Like, what am I doing this for?
[47:40] Maddy Reede: Right?
[47:42] Valerie Beck: We're not martyrs. We're not here meant to, you know, we're not meant to be here to be martyrs. We're here to also grow because then we can. Then that energy exchange increases.
[47:56] And there's this concept of flow. Right? And why perceived flow really of being is not just like within you,
[48:03] but there is this concept of. Because you are so integrated within yourself, you start to be in. Integrated with others in a more powerful way. And the energy volume ex.
[48:15] Just exchange of energy, the volume increases when you have that ability.
[48:22] So, yes. So Vibrant Rhythm Studio.
[48:25] What I hope for people to get out of this is that power.
[48:29] And if I can even give you a fraction of that,
[48:33] I would be very, very happy, you know, and that's something that I know I can feel when I teach my students. Like when I teach my dance students. And that's why they come back,
[48:43] is because they feel that power within themselves and they want to develop it. So look forward to that, everyone.
[48:50] So if you want to be a part of this Vibrant Rhythm Studio, and I'm going to be piloting it early next year, year is just email me or send me a message anywhere.
[48:59] Like, I just want to be on the waiting list for the information when this is coming out. And we'll get you on that waiting list.
[49:05] Maddy Reede: Yeah,
[49:06] definitely. I am so excited for this. I have always wanted to take one of your dance classes and the fact that it's accessible to anyone now that you're in Japan and even when you were in Long beach and I wasn't in Long beach anymore,
[49:21] anyone has the opportunity to tap into this with you.
[49:26] And it's really.
[49:28] It's going to be a sacred space.
[49:30] And I'm really excited about this new offering because it's yours.
[49:37] And that's.
[49:39] That's where I know that I want to be.
[49:41] Valerie Beck: Aw.
[49:44] Maddy Reede: Seriously.
[49:45] So that's such a huge goal for 2026 to wrap up. Do you have any other personal or vibrant visionary goals that you know, you want to tell us about?
[49:57] Valerie Beck: Yes.
[49:58] So Maddie and I are in the Vibrant Visionary Collective.
[50:02] That's my mentorship program. And if you want to work with me intensively like Maddie has been doing and a couple of other people have been doing,
[50:10] now would be the time to join for the new year. We are going to be doing kind of like a.
[50:15] A resilience intensive.
[50:17] I called the Resilience Reset. That's what I came up with this morning.
[50:21] We're going to be Starting off the year, building.
[50:23] Maddy Reede: Okay.
[50:25] Valerie Beck: And if you feel like you want to really make huge shifts in your life and you need accountability and you want to, like Mark Richards did, where he. He made all the changes to make sure that his life is the best that it can be, whether that's healing or anything else,
[50:41] come join us in the collective,
[50:43] because that's what we're doing here,
[50:45] is making big moves and living as vibrant,
[50:49] healed,
[50:50] expanding people.
[50:53] I have a couple of slots that I can open up for the end of the year, if you want to talk to me. What I'm doing is I'm giving what I call vibrant vision sessions.
[51:04] So in these sessions, we actually take a good chunk of time to hear about your own journey so far, what your challenges are, your obstacles, and then we navigate, map out your goals for the next year and what it's going to take in order for you to reach those.
[51:18] So that's a completely free set of sessions. If you're interested, please get in touch with me and we'll get you on my schedule.
[51:26] And that's it.
[51:27] Anything you want to say, Maddie, about the collective?
[51:30] Maddy Reede: That is so exciting.
[51:33] We have such a strong team, a strong unit, and everybody really brings their own self to the table. And I'm really excited for 2026 to see just new light on the members that we have, including myself, and what I can bring to 2026 and how I can utilize all of your goals to strengthen my goals and just see what a new member or two could bring to enlighten all of us.
[52:07] Because no matter what,
[52:10] when somebody is speaking and it's important and it's through them, it's like,
[52:16] it's absolutely divine. And that's what you feel every single time that we get on a call together.
[52:22] It's actually funny. I don't know if you had the chance to see it yet, but in the club, I've been hosting biweekly meetings just for peer sessions.
[52:32] It's helpful to have so that we're able to personally reflect because we, when we speak sometimes, like I just said, it's. It's divine. It goes right through us. And we're not fully able to take in our own messages that we're teaching someone else.
[52:48] But what another member, Alvin and I were saying,
[52:53] I was mentioning how this is a space for us to talk to each other as peers, and we're not necessarily here to help coach each other or to be the Valerie.
[53:07] And what he said was that we are all Valerie,
[53:14] which is true, because what is inside of you is what brought us together.
[53:20] And so there is a light that has connected us all and it,
[53:26] there's so much love there and it shines really, really bright. So I'm just really excited for the future. I'm really excited for this new year together.
[53:34] Valerie Beck: Oh, that is really sweet. And I, I agree. We are all Valerie, because I am also all of you.
[53:41] Maddy Reede: We are all Valerie. Yeah.
[53:46] Valerie Beck: But you can hear it with, with how Maddie's saying like it is a really tight knit group and we all honor each other and there's a reason for that.
[53:57] It's because you all show up.
[54:00] You all show up for yourself.
[54:03] And because of that, you're strengthened by everybody else's presence too.
[54:09] And it's not just me running the show. It's. Everybody has a piece in this and everybody's invested in each other's growth and everybody has a part to play.
[54:18] That's what I've also realized is no matter what,
[54:21] everybody has a piece in there and it doesn't matter how hard your life is, is going or like what's happening.
[54:29] We're all here to support each other.
[54:32] So yeah, it's super solid.
[54:34] You guys are awesome.
[54:36] Maddy Reede: A place to.
[54:37] You're awesome. And it's just a place to lean into when you need support instead of,
[54:45] you know, the opposite. When, when you need something,
[54:48] sometimes someone can tend, avoid and just avoid everything and anything possible.
[54:54] But when you lean into the team that's there to support you,
[54:58] you can actually really use that as a catalyst instead of the opposite.
[55:06] Thank you for not only being our,
[55:08] our, our,
[55:09] you know,
[55:10] North Star, but role model that embodies everything that you are offering to us.
[55:19] And I think that's such a huge part of what makes us so successful. So thank you, Valerie.
[55:24] Valerie Beck: Thank you.
[55:25] And then I'll just say this, Maddie, you've been in this for like almost two years is that you have really started to reach out and that's a. Oh, that's a whole shift,
[55:38] right?
[55:39] Maddy Reede: Yeah.
[55:39] Valerie Beck: And that has made a huge difference. And yeah, it can only come go up from here. So kudos to you for doing the work.
[55:49] Maddy Reede: Thank you. Thank you so much.
[55:52] Valerie Beck: Yeah.
[55:53] Okay, well everyone come join us in the collective. Happy Holidays.
[55:59] Happy New Year. We're going to be taking a little bit of a break until January,
[56:04] but I will be sending out notifications in terms of like all the cool stuff,
[56:09] stuff that's going on in the newsletter and whatnot. So stay tuned and we'll catch you in 2026.
[56:15] Thank you.
[56:16] Maddy Reede: See you in the new year. Happy Holidays, Vibrant Visionaries.
[56:21] Valerie Beck: Thanks for tuning in to from the Ashes. If this episode sparked something in you, remember your evolution matters and we're rooting for you every step of the way.
[56:31] For coaching, community and free resources to help you rise into your full potential,
[56:36] visit thevibrantvisionary.com and download the Vibrant Visionary Blueprint, your free guide to reclaim your energy, clarity and creative fire.
[56:46] If you love this episode, please share it with a friend or tag me Valerie on Instagram @vibrantvisionary. Val, I'd love to hear what resonated for you.
[56:56] Until next time, keep rising.
