Just like the seed underground has to trust their own timing. You have to trust your own timing and you have to trust that through that consistent care things will sprout as they're meant to and to know it's not that nothing is happening, it's that life is happening, and that there are so many opportunities that are just waiting for you to really tap into that energetic alignment for it to all work in your favor.

Welcome to Elevate Daily, the podcast for those ready to elevate their life, one intentional day at a time. I'm your host, Alexia Usgaard, here to give you a permission slip to unapologetically savor the beauty and richness of life. Join me as we explore modern rituals, self-leadership, the gene keys, and the art of elevating your health wealth.

Love and leadership, it's time to elevate. Let's dive in. Hello, hello, and welcome back to Elevate Daily. I'm Alexia Usgaard and I'm so enthused to have you here with me today as we're gonna talk about a topic that I have been experiencing a lot this year. I've walked with so many clients over the year, through these seasons, and honestly, is.

A season we experience in our life that can either be one of the most frustrating dynamics we can navigate of resistance, of agitation and all of that. Or it can be such a beautiful, spacious, soft, easeful, loving, tender space. And that is the space that I love to refer to as. Fertile void. And this is a term that actually is rooted in Gestalt therapy as well as other contexts.

And it's the space that's in the inbetween, it's the space in between when we've released what has been, and we open ourselves up for what's next. But it's that space in between where we're not quite where we wanna be yet, and we're not any longer attached to the old way. You fail me. So this plays out in so many areas of our lives.

So whether it's relational dynamics, so whether it's that you're shifting a relationship you've been in, there's been a breakup, a different configuration, or you are shifting who you've been and how you relate to others. Big one. If you're finding, I know for so many there's been a lot of job loss and retrenchments happening in the corporate world in particular.

So if you're finding that you had your job, you had a whole career path, and because of a variety of reasons, you're now being called into needing to find a new path forward. If you're an entrepreneur, and frankly, there's so much that's shifting. Maybe you've gotten your business to a certain place, but you're knowing that where you're called next, it's gonna need to do it in a different format, a different model, different strategies, different structures, or maybe just frankly, you're like, I wanna do this in how I lead.

Differently, and frankly for all of us, given the climate we're living in right now. Also with AI happening at such a rapid pace, industries are constantly changing. What we knew used to be the case is not the case for so many of us. So many of us are in this consistent energy of transition. So in today's episode, I'm gonna share with you my journey of a very specific, fertile void journey I went through at the beginning of this year.

And then I'm gonna share with you what I have found supports me and what I find supports clients over and over again with navigating these seasons with more grace, with more ease, and more than anything, to actually let these be times. That lead to fertility in the sense that lead to a multitude of abundance and different opportunities and things that they could have never known were possible if they had resisted this time.

And so to get right on into it, I feel like it's just simplest by me sharing my recent story. So I've navigated many fertile voids at this point, and I've also personally navigated my times of really resisting. Fertile void. Really resisting these in-between times, wanting to rush through them so badly, just wanting to get to where I needed to get next.

And I wanted to actually say this first, that a big reason I find that I've resisted the fertile void and why I've seen so many others resist it is I've really had to honor that for my nervous system in particular, based on my experiences, based on what I have experienced throughout my life journey.

For me, it's taken time for me to rewire that stillness equals safety, that it's safe to slow down, that it's safe to be still, that it's safe to not know everything that's next, that it's safe in the uncertainty. The more I have done this, the more I have found that I've really been able to honor these in-between seasons so much more and more than anything I can actually see in my past experiences where I can see I probably didn't receive some of the abundance, some of the financial impact, some of the opportunities I could have received if I had just been patient enough and slowed down enough to truly.

Hone and refine myself enough to handle that next level of growth. And so with this story I wanna share with you, this one in particular is related to a business work fertile void that I went into. So as some of you will know from other episodes where I've shared some of these details, last year I went through a big business shift.

I was in a business partnership configuration, and ultimately. Through her and I realizing it was just time for us to go different directions. And what was so full on about that experience is, of course with those big shifts, there were so many things I had to let go of. There was the offerings that we had spent time and energy planning that we were gonna launch and put out in the world.

You know, there was the branding, there was so many just aspects to who I had been a leader at that point that I was now needing to release. I was needing to let go. At the end of last year, I got to this place where I knew that it was time for me to really refine what I wanted next. I could feel that a new version of me was being called forward.

I could feel that a new business model and business structure is what I was being called forward, because I just knew that what had been was no longer working. It didn't feel aligned, and I really wanna name this. Because sometimes all that we're really seeing is we just have an awareness that what is, or what has been is no longer working and we just don't yet have the clarity exactly on what's next.

And what I find is when I'm in these spaces, so when I started getting this feeling of there's something next, but I don't yet have a grasp on it, I knew I was like, oh, I'm being called to surrender. I'm being called to not have it all figured out. I'm being called to release. Everything I think I should do or who I have been so I can actually reveal.

What's coming next. And what I have found that's been pivotal for me is I invest in support during these seasons. I have really found that I've tried past versions of me, have tried to go through these seasons alone. 'cause even as I share my story, I have a lot linked to old patterns of hyper independence and just thinking, I've got this, I'll figure it out, I'll do it myself, energy.

And yet the thing that's so tricky is when you're in. A fertile void. Such a big part is things are destabilized. Because we're reorienting, we're like really letting go of some of the things that have been comfortable or things that we found that we knew about ourselves to rewire our belief systems to tap into a whole new.

Energetic and frequency of who we are next levels of capacity, next levels of how we see ourselves and what we can also show up for and be responsible for. And for many of us, like what we're being called to steward next. And so for myself, I had a one-on-one mentor. I also chose to invest in a mastermind, and that's what I'll focus on for this story.

So I go into this Mastermind and you can imagine the beauty of Masterminds is you're surrounded by an incredible room of inspiring leaders. And what I noticed was going into this mastermind compared to past versions of me that tried to rush through these fertile void seasons, past versions of me would have tried to go into a mastermind experience or a course with all my preconceived ideas.

Of what I was gonna be focusing on and exactly what I expected as my outcome. When I went into this one, I actually knew that the biggest vision I had was that this was gonna be the space to help me see what I truly desired next, who I truly was being called to be next, and to be in a space with others who I could be held in, supported by, who could also help me to see it for myself.

But I will tell you this was not the easiest thing initially for my ego, like my ego sitting in that opening circle where all the other incredible women are sharing about what they already have, clarity they're going to create next, and what they wanna do next, and what they're focused on. Then there's me who is saying, my biggest vision is to just be in this experience and to gain the clarity and to reveal what's next.

Like I really had to be in that surrender experience and really trust that my soul and her divine timing would show me then so interesting because what I wanna name that I've learned about these fertile void seasons is they actually are what I look at now as portals of preparation. So what I've realized is when things are happening, and I'm in these in-between seasons, especially when it feels like things are moving slow, oftentimes I'm being prepared for what's to come next.

And sometimes it's hard to know at the time what you're being shaped into. It's only in hindsight. So right now, because I'm out of this fertile void season, I can actually, in hindsight see what I was being. Refined into and how I was being prepared. And so for me in particular, what I was being refined into was a lot of lessons linked to getting better at asking for help.

I was getting shown the importance of me. Really honoring that for my next season I was gonna no longer be able to keep trying to do it by myself and that I was being really called into honoring my unique style. So, so much of the biggest learnings that kept coming up as initiations and tests, and this is so important 'cause don't feel like you're alone if while you're sitting in this season, it feels like there's a couple areas of your life that are testing you or giving you contrast or things that feel not that easy to navigate.

And to trust that, oh yeah, I'm being prepared. Oh yeah, I'm being shown who I need to be for this next evolution. I am being shown what I need to stand taller within myself. I need to be shown. How I can better support myself for what's to come. And so for me, this showed up as a massive health scare the day before I was flying for this Mastermind retreat.

So mind you, I just knew I had to be at this retreat. But this retreat was I, I was in South Africa and I needed to fly. To the East Coast, and it was not at a very practical time of my life to be doing this, but I just knew I needed to be there. I had the intuition I need to be there Anyways, the day before I meant to fly out, I end up with a corneal ulcer, so a serious eye infection.

It was scary for multiple reasons. It was painful. But to simplify the story, I just wanna say that what really came through with this experience was I had to, of course, lean on my husband to support me with my health that night before I got to the doctor, which was huge for me. But the bigger one was I actually had to call my bestie who I was gonna be flying and staying with on the other side, like.

For this trip and this retreat, I had to call her and ask her for support and just be so vulnerable and just be so willing to let go of all my preconceived ideas and all my old shadow patterns that feel like I don't wanna be a burden on anyone. I don't have too many needs. She's got three small children.

Like the last thing she needs is me to have needs and to just let all of that be pushed to the back and to let my soul that kept saying, ask for help. You need to ask for support. You have to honor. Eye, and I remember her picking up the phone and I was just in tears, complete vulnerable tears. There was no pleasantries, there was no, how are you doing?

It was just a complete surrender moment of just immediately going into just asking for her support and sharing with her where I was at. And I will tell you, it was one of the most beautiful experiences. I've ever had, and she shared with me the power of it for her, that it was one of the most pivotal and powerful moments in our relationship because she shared back to me how meaningful it was for her to feel like she could show up for me in that way, how meaningful it was for her to know that I would call her.

Experience and let her in, let her into my experience. And for her to also know that as I share this with her, that now also she can feel even more safe to do it with me. And so I can see now that I was being refined into this ability to, in multiple ways. And that was not, that was just one of the ways this asking for help revealed itself during my fertile void.

But it's such an explicit version, is that was a huge part of what I saw that I was being asked. To refine within myself in my embodiment, how I show up in the world, and through this process of me receiving more support, me asking for more support, me asking the incredible women in the Mastermind I was part of to help me see who I am and what I offer.

It was unbelievable how quickly when I really surrendered, when I really let go of trying to have everything figured out. How quickly the breakthrough came through, how quickly I understood and I saw what I actually wanted to do next. And the thing that's fascinating is while I've had other times in my life that were like massive complete changes going from being an employee to being an entrepreneur or moving countries or complete relationship dynamics.

With my business. It wasn't actually that, like my thought leadership had to change even like I just deepened into, it got shown to me that I have such a unique approach and unique style and depth in how I share the gene keys and ritual. So, so much of it was me coming back into realizing that what was holding me back was I was.

Not liking the old structures of how I was sharing it, the exact ways I was sharing it, and I was really being called to refine that, to get clear on what's the actual business model and the way I love to do my. Service and what is my unique approach? If I stopped thinking I needed to do it like anybody else, like what would I like?

How would I really share the gene keys and rituals in my way and my style? And also who do I deeply honestly wanna serve? And it was through that clarity piece and also watching the impact I was having through sharing my gifts with the other women at the Mastermind, that I just came home to myself, that it all just clicked into place.

But again, it wasn't 'cause I was. Fixating on trying to figure it out. It was just through divine timing, it all revealed itself. And something that I think I've learned is I've found that a huge way you can even think about the fertile void is it's that InBetween space where it's before clarity and action.

So we're like in the journey of cultivating the insights and the clarity, but we can't be so fixated on trying to take 1,000,001 actions during this season because the action can often be distractions. And oftentimes the actions are rooted in what we used to do. Not who we're becoming next. And so what I found was in this experience, because I was just so willing to sit in deeper visualizations with an open heart on who really am I, what am I really being called into next?

I. The clarity could come through. And so what I've seen over and over again is some of the old ways I used to sabotage, like I said this time, is I would so quickly wanna know the external way I could push through, force through and get some desired outcome. In this space, and what I've really had to realize is, Nope, Lex, actually, these are the seasons where you're called into a deeper pause, a deeper slowdown, and you're being asked to do deeper inner soul level connection work.

Because when you come into that place, you get into such energetic alignment and the most incredible opportunities, innovative ideas, creative expressions, come through that no one else. Is made for but me. And so I just really invite you, as I say this, feel into yourself to feel into first and get curious.

Is there something in your life? Is there an area of your life where you are currently in the fertile void? And just to take a moment to honor that, to feel into it, and just through awareness, see if you can inhale. Awareness of it and just exhale off any part of you that's been struggling to just really wanna honor this, to invite yourself, to honor that.

If you're also noticing, you might even be being called into a fertile void. Maybe you're at that final stretch where you know it's time for you to let something go, but there's been that fear of being in the in between space, so you've been avoiding it to just honor, if that's you, to take a deep breath in.

Just honoring that truth and that awareness and exhaling off. Again, just like anything that's keeping you from really trusting the beauty in this sacred space, and again, I just really wanna invite you to honor that it's okay if you feel the resistance. It's okay if it's not natural to you at first.

'cause I know for so many of us, we are on the journey of remembering the beauty in these stillness moments. We're in the journey of remembering. That in a world that prides hustle and that prides constant productivity, that there's just as much, if not more magic in these moments in the stillness that exists when we're not always doing.

And one other piece from a neuroscience perspective, I wanted to bring forward because I love to nerd out on the science of these spaces, is there's actually been. A lot of science to show that this brain state is actually called the default mode network. And when you're in this brain state, you're really in this space of.

Integration, daydreaming, allowing thinking. It's when you're not actively working on a task or focused in that way, and though like this is the space where so much creative inspiration ideas can come from and new possibilities. But the key thing to note is this is also the brain state where if you're not intentional, you can get caught in a lot of ruminating thoughts.

Our emotional and mental loot patterns, right? Like where we can go into our sabotage dynamics, our shadow dynamics. And so this is why I'm so big on us being very intentional in our fertile voids because I want you to see these opportunities as an opportunity to elevate your frequency. To me, even more beautiful parts of yourself, to love yourself even deeper, to be kinder on yourself, to be more gentle, and to trust that you are simply, again, being refined into the next version of you that is important for what's to come next.

That is even more abundant, even more beautiful than you could even imagine. So when I'm in the fertile void, I of course really ground myself through the gene keys and rituals. I particularly love to go back to what I call the four core gene keys. Now, I won't go deep into the specific keys today because I actually have an entire episode dedicated to walking you through how to connect with your core four jean keys.

That's episode 15, which you can find in the show notes. So definitely checked that one out after this one. But what I will share is how I use them during fertile void seasons. So these four keys ensure that you're deeply grounded in your mission, in your unique contribution. What you are here to do, it ensures that you.

Know what you care about financially on a soul level, how to circulate resources in an effective way for you. What brings you fulfillment and magnetism and what ensures you're calling in the right opportunities, relationships, et cetera, that are actually aligned for you on a soul level. So when I contemplate this combination during uncertain times, they always support me in understanding who I am in this next iteration, and that gives me clarity on.

Who I am, what I care about, and allows insights to arrive. It really creates and shares with me energetic data for me to allow the clarity to be revealed. Then also from a how, from an action perspective, I love to focus on what I call our core four rituals. These are the foundational rituals that I say in your life.

At any season you're in. These are the four most essential ones to always ensure, have a priority, but especially in a fertile void season. In a fertile void season. I really like to go back to basics, keep it simple, because through that simplicity, we ensure that there's a lot more space for. The new insights, the breakthroughs, the epiphanies, the clarity to arrive on where you're being called next with a lot of ease, with a lot of grace, with a lot of beauty.

And so my core four rituals are, I always recommend a ritual that's based in movement, whether that's walking, exercise, something that helps you circulate the energy in your body and being. The second is a processing ritual. Something that can be breath work, meditation, journaling, a creative exploration, something that supports you with processing all of the thoughts, the emotions, the spiritual downloads you're having, and just have a space on a daily basis where you really have that internal time and ceremony with yourself.

The third is nourishment, so really ensuring that you have a ritual that makes sure that you're feeding yourself. In a very loving, caring way that you're hydrating effectively, that you're mineralizing your body, something in that season that really ensures that you are nourished in a beautiful way. And then the fourth is rest.

Something that really supports you with ensuring you're sleeping in a beautiful way, in a loving way, that you're honoring quality sleep. It could be napping. It's just honoring the power of that sacred restoration time. So I find that these rituals ensure that you then have these sacred structures that ensure that you are again, taking care.

Of your vessel, taking care of yourself so that when the next chapter is clear and unfolds, you are prepared. 'cause that's the thing I really wanna invite more than anything is for you to realize that when you're in this space of the fertile void, you're being prepared to just tell yourself, I am in a portal of preparation and I have seen it.

Over and over again on my journey and with others in my life, that if they relax into that knowing and they show up and they take care of themselves with this much care, this much kindness, they uplevel their frequency, they really ensure they're elevating and they're in their higher states of energy, that it's unbelievable the opportunities that just out of nowhere come their way.

Because if we really think about it from a nature perspective, what I want you to think of is you've already gone. You've planted a bunch of seeds in your life, in your wisdom, in your experience. What this season is asking is, can you trust the seeds are under the ground? So can you take care of the soil?

Can you ensure that the soil that your seeds are growing in are well? Cared for? Can you tend to them? Can you water them? Can you give them the daily devotion of being cared for? In that way, can you ensure that they receive the sunlight they need? Can you see that you're in this space of just ensuring that you are honoring the seeds that are already within you?

And just like the seed underground has to trust their own timing, you have to trust your own timing, and you have to trust that through that consistent care. Things will sprout as they're meant to. And to know it's not that nothing is happening, it's that life is happening and that there are so many opportunities that are just waiting for you to really tap into that energetic alignment for it to all work in your favor.

So something I wanted to give as a fun grounding is how can you know that you're moving through a fertile void and not avoiding it? Ensuring that you're not in that more numb space of it is. I find when you're in it, you'll notice that there'll be a softening. You'll start to just like really soften into the experience and stop feeling like you're in your mind so much, but really in your body.

I find that synchronicities start to come your way. If you really allow yourself to notice them. Very interesting synchronicities can start coming your way. I also just feel that the biggest way, you know, is. There's a lightness in how you're seeing the experience. You're not mentally being so hard on yourself.

You actually are kind to yourself, and so these are some of the ways that you can start to explore and also celebrate that you are truly moving through your fertile void and not avoiding and not resisting it. And then because you know I love a good call to action, I love to give you something for you to contemplate, to reflect on, to write down in your notes app in your journal, however it feels aligned for you.

But the first is, what rituals are grounding me right now? What rituals are grounding me right now? To really take a moment to connect with that and then to connect with those four core that I spoke about and use them as an inventory to look at, do you have those four pillars really grounded and foundationally taken care of?

The second question is what truth might be trying to find me in the stillness,

what truth might be trying to find you in the stillness? To really take a moment to just open yourself up to get curious about what that could be about and what could be wanting to come through. Just hasn't had the space to come through. And then the third is, where might I be rushing when I'm actually being invited to pause?

Where might you be rushing when you're being asked to pause to slow down? To trust the stillness and just get curious because we all have our rushing techniques. We all have our ways where we get caught in urgency. So just inviting yourself to get curious and loving with yourself with these questions.

If you're feeling called to receive clarity on your path forward, I'd love to invite you to join me in illuminate my signature experience where we decode your core four gene keys together and create bespoke rituals to support you through this season with grace and ease. You can find all the details in the show notes or send me a DM on Instagram with the word void, and I'll share more details with you.

And until next time. I just wanna share that I hope you keep honoring this beautiful season and that you remember you're not doing it alone, and I hope you continue to elevate your life one intentional day at a time.

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And most importantly, thank you so much for being you. Thank you for being here. We're really on this journey together. Until next time, I hope you elevate your life one intentional day at a time.