Nomination: [00:00:00] I'm Marci Sterling and an uplifter to me is someone who harnesses a positive attitude and brings people up with them.[00:00:15]

Aransas: Hey, uplifters. I'm Miranda Savas, the host of the Uplifters podcast, and I spend a lot of time. Thinking about how we tell our stories and what we believe about [00:00:30] ourselves based on our stories. Today's guest is a 13 time Emmy award winner for her work as a TV producer. She spent 25 years Working in film and TV, producing and editing, and [00:00:45] telling other people's stories.

Over the past few years, she's started to get even more curious about her own story. She self identifies as disabled. She's both neurodivergent and has anxiety. [00:01:00] She is also the mother to two neurodivergent kids. She's looked closely at what it means to her To not only be disabled, but to expand the way we think about disability.[00:01:15]

Through her own experience of coming to understand herself, she's shifted her understanding of others. And now she's on a mission to share the stories of diverse, compassionate, compelling folks [00:01:30] with disabilities to not only honor their stories, maybe to shift the way we all think about our differences.

Gisela: How do I say your name? Gisela. Gisela. Imagine that you, yeah. He's [00:01:45] like his, his phone, his, his, oh my God. And then you add Ella. That's really beautiful. That's, thank you. sand. That's really beautiful. Thank you. And you're a Mexican [00:02:00] origin? I am. I'm Mexican origin Where

Aransas: from? I am from Mexico City. I love Mexico City.

I feel like a real sense of connection to Mexico my whole life. I was an exchange student there in college and didn't get back [00:02:15] frequently. Oh, wow. Where were you there? I was in Campeche as an exchange student. Oh, wow. And then my brother and I spent summers in Michoacán. Oh, my God. You really were around in Mexico.

No, we tried Bacalar every [00:02:30] year.

Gisela: We're from Michoacán too. Oh, wow. Yeah, it looks like you were maybe in the coast, right?

Aransas: Yeah, I was in Rio Ticla. My Mexico geography is even worse than my U. S. geography.

Gisela: I mean, you don't have to know geography after all. I am as well [00:02:45] terrible with my U. S. geography. I am learning with my kids, you know.

Yeah. I have to be humble and be like, you teach me. Because I have no idea about many things here in the U. S. The same. It goes for [00:03:00] history. A lot of like the way we learn history is very different from how history is taught in here. You know, there are things that people take for granted and like, Oh, didn't you learn that?

I'm like, no. And it goes as well the other way around. It's just the nature [00:03:15] of subjectivity, right? That, you know, expands into nations. the perspectives that each nation or a group of people, you know, ethnicity. Yeah. It's why it's so

Aransas: important that we tell our stories, isn't it? [00:03:30] Absolutely.

Gisela: I am a big believer in storytelling and I deeply feel that storytelling is healing, specifically personal storytelling.

I came to the U. S. to study film and I made a personal [00:03:45] film about my family and Michoacán actually. And about the tense that family has for an individual. I wouldn't be able to be here without my family. We're humans that are in groups and we depend on each [00:04:00] other, right? That idea that you're independent and you can do everything yourself, to me it's, it's impossible.

Of course we're individuals, but we are part of a Something. How do you introduce yourself? He, [00:04:15] it's funny that you're asking me that because I am right now in a transition period. So I am asking exactly that question, who am I? And I can tell you like my, I don't know, cocktail. Intro that is, you know, that in a way you, you build [00:04:30] it over the years.

Yeah, yes, exactly. I am a producer, a TV producer, but you know, I think I am like retreating from that, you know, from that space where it's like, yes, you know, like, uh, achievement and, you know, et cetera. And [00:04:45] really going to a place where, and I'm still digging, right. Uh, where disability, uh, needs a space. I feel that this culture doesn't really give a space for disability.

There's the disabled community and the non disabled community. [00:05:00] And I personally feel that we all have the potential of disability and I use potential because it is a potential. I think disability is not only this dark space. Disability is a journey. It [00:05:15] has many faces. There are moments where you're actually really suffering.

And there are moments where it's like, Oh my God, this is giving me so much. Nothing is black and white. Everything has a lot of like, you know, in Spanish we call matices and I forgot the word in English. [00:05:30] You have several levels of grace, right? And with time it transforms again, right? It's so funny because once I feel like got it and I'm settled, then things change again.

So that's the lasting truth as Octavia Butler would say, you [00:05:45] know, Like,

Aransas: ongoing change. This is a new identity for you.

Gisela: I was born disabled. I was just never diagnosed, you know, I am typical ADHD, slightly crazy, slightly forgetful, [00:06:00] very disorganized, very volatile emotionally, very hard to prioritize what needs to come first.

I am always late to everything. So yeah, I was born with that. But I acquired this identity recently [00:06:15] because We are grown up in a society that tells you that being disabled is not right, or is something that you really don't wish that would happen to you. Mm hmm. And as well, that disabled people are really dependent on others, right?[00:06:30]

So then my son, my family, my second daughter as well, introduced me to the identity of disability, right? But as soon as I start reading, you know, the reports and I go over the checklist of, you know, certain diagnosis [00:06:45] and I'm like, well, I actually, I meet. that description. I am actually neurodivergent too.

Part of the neurodivergence is like some mental health issues. I went through periods of anxiety that was, I mean, I still [00:07:00] experience anxiety, right? And all my life I did it. I just didn't know it was anxiety. when they arrived to the hospital thinking I was having a stroke and they were like, actually no, what you're having is an anxiety attack.

It's a panic attack. Yeah. And so I was like, Oh wow. I never [00:07:15] realized that way I being experiencing all my life, right. It's anxiety. And it was so shameful for me to feel like, like I was so vulnerable and you know, that I didn't want it to, you know, to happen. say this to anyone, you know, I [00:07:30] wanted to mask and I wanted to be cool, right?

And appear like, Oh yes, I am like this relaxed person. It gave me a great deal of anxiety being late, for instance, yet, even though I was late, I was very anxious about that because my sense of time is [00:07:45] impossible. You know, like five minutes and 30 minutes, you tell me I'll see you in 30 minutes. And to me, it's like meaningless.

I don't know what that means. You know what I'm saying? For me, acquiring the identity of like, yes, I am anxious, I have anxiety. [00:08:00] You talk about this identity

Aransas: shift topic. Can I ask how old you are?

Gisela: Yeah, I'm 52. 52.

Aransas: And so where did this big shift in how you saw yourself and how you tell your story

Gisela: begin? My story with this [00:08:15] identity begins recently as I became more aware of the implications of acquiring a new identity and embracing it.

I had so many doubts of like, well, yes, I mean, I, I have all this, but I am functional. I [00:08:30] can hold a job, but then there are so many, so, so, so many disabled people. that are functional and can hold the job.

Aransas: So it was like a bias to assume that. Yes,

Gisela: exactly. I had all these questions of like, what if like people look at me and they're [00:08:45] like, Oh, but you don't look disabled.

How can you claim, you know, an identity when you don't look disabled or your needs are like you're somewhat independent, you know what I'm saying? So I had all these questions. And so I was like, well, once you realize that disability is not a black and white, [00:09:00] you know, thing, That, as I said, there's a huge spectrum of grace.

So I am in the spectrum of disability. And I go in and out of moments where I really deep, deeply, deeply need help and support. And [00:09:15] there are moments where I am very independent and I don't need support. So then once I kind of like, I took off all those questions that I have that, you know, yeah, and they're valid because sometimes I see as well people that seem like, you know, they can walk and they [00:09:30] can do their thing and, you know, they're very successful and then they claim as well disability and I'm like, Oh my God, what is your disability?

It's like, Oh yeah, I, I don't know, I have pain or I have, you know, constant, you know, fatigue, right. And they're like, Oh, okay. Right. [00:09:45] Yeah, so then kind of like we create an image of the disabled person is that one that is on a wheelchair, right? And so then we have to really understand that accessibility, it's much more larger and vast than just ramps.

And the [00:10:00] more people start to really embrace, Identity, I think accessibility is going to be something that is not like a side dish. It's something that is coming into the center of how you communicate and how do you talk to people. It's [00:10:15] like, okay, you need to consider all the differences and all the people that have different approaches.

Right. And yeah, kind of like bringing to the forefront, this multi sensory presentation, right.

Aransas: Instead of just coming from our own [00:10:30] perspective, trying to see the perspective of the person we're speaking to.

Gisela: Oh yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Aransas: Yeah. It's like parenting the child you have. It's communicating with the person you're talking to in a way that they can hear it.

Gisela: Yes. Absolutely. And [00:10:45] listen, at the same time, there are like all this public institutions like museums and theaters. What are the accessibility needs?

Aransas: Mhm. Yeah.

Gisela: So you ask on something that I've been learning, you know, you sign up for an event and then they ask, okay, what [00:11:00] are your accessibility needs? Right.

Yeah. Do you need, like, for instance, in our case, a quiet room, a breakup room where you can go if you're overwhelmed, you know, that is, I mean, people, again, think of, think of [00:11:15] Rams or think of, you know, like that kind of thing, but you know, like, uh, something sensory like, um, a fidget. That's as well, maybe something that you need in your access list, right?

Mm hmm. Yeah. And I think it's more and more, you know, [00:11:30] mainstream, which makes me feel very happy, you know? But yeah, of course it is a conversation that has to be pushed and it's a trend by a very, very brave people that are saying, you know, we need to be seen. We are here. We are part of the [00:11:45] community.

Right. And I mean, quite honestly, I feel proud to be one of them. Disability is a potential, right, for every human. And if all of us live long enough, you're going to have [00:12:00] needs, you're going to have needs and you're going to depend on others and you're going to lose the skills, right, that you had before.

And you're going to forget words and you're going to need a cane or you're going to need glasses. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, [00:12:15] that's accessibility. You know what I'm saying? We just need to reframe how we think about disability and that we all can be disabled.

Aransas: And so it seems like baked into this is the notion [00:12:30] that naming our needs allows us to advocate for them.

So I'll, I'll use my 94 year old grandma who mentally is not as strong as she once was. She now has days where things are deeply confusing. [00:12:45] And I think a lot of the suffering she has experienced over the last few years of her life have been as a result of resistance. And so by naming our needs, perhaps we are able to have less resistance and [00:13:00] ask with greater freedom for support when we need it.

Gisela: Yeah. And you know, I'm so happy that you bring that up because I guess as well, the suffering in my case, for instance, I think, um, I get triggered when people say like, Oh yeah, such and such, like the suffering from [00:13:15] autism and I get triggered. My son is not suffering from autism. How do you know they're suffering?

Yes, exactly. I, for instance, was suffering when I didn't understand what was happening to me. For instance, my anxiety, it was kind of like, it was sort of like a secret, you know, because I was [00:13:30] embarrassed about it. I felt shame. I felt shame that I was so unraveled and that I couldn't explain. And it was even hard to find words to describe my anxiety.

The pressure that we feel about showing up [00:13:45] as this quote unquote normal individual, right? That doesn't have needs, right? Right. That can be superhuman, superhuman, right? Yeah. So then other people have needs and I serve them. I don't get to [00:14:00] have needs. That's right. And then that's the suffering. And I think that's why, I mean, I am convinced that our, society, our culture, it's in this breaking point where there's so much incidence of [00:14:15] mental health because of the pressure of showing up to what society is expecting from you.

And, and yeah, I mean, that's putting a lot of pressure on people. So then you have the anxiety, you have the depression, right? You have, All the mental [00:14:30] health that is happening and that is so common nowadays, right? So yeah, that's.

Aransas: I don't think I'd ever thought of it this way before he said that, that this is very, this type of self advocacy for our special [00:14:45] needs is a matter of self expression.

You were like, once I gave it a name, I was able to think what happens there. I recognize the symptoms as being symptomatic of a named [00:15:00] disorder, is that the right word? And then I was able to recognize what treatments were and what support could look like. I was able to be a part of a community of others who shared similar concerns.

It [00:15:15] gave me the freedom to say, Hey, this is what's going on with me. And it, I hadn't like paralleled it back to my own paramenopausal state right now, where I can definitely feel once a month for about two days, feel this [00:15:30] like really intense anxiety. And day one, it's like, I just have to like, I have to get away for five minutes and then I'm okay again.

I'm very fortunate so far, but I have to get away for five minutes, breathe and I can kind of [00:15:45] move through it. And day two, I feel ready to say, mommy's having her day and to like communicate it with my family so that I'm not judging myself. It's not about them judging me feeling anxious, it's about [00:16:00] me not judging me being anxious.

Gisela: That's right. Very much so. Yeah. You know, I am practicing more and more being honest. Yeah. First with myself about how I feel and then being honest with people around me. Because yes, I [00:16:15] mean like, I don't know, I have the visit of such and such. I want the house to be perfect, but my house is a mess. And so then they arrive and, and I'm like.

This is who I am. You know what I'm saying? Well, and that's such a

Aransas: different experience. And they arrive and you're like [00:16:30] bitter and resentful because you believe they're causing your shame for not having the house clean, right? That's what our brains do. Our brains say, ah, I feel shame. And this is the, [00:16:45] the person or the decision that triggered it.

So I'm going to point that shame and that resentment at them rather than simply acknowledge that I wished my house were clean and I wanted to get it clean and it just didn't happen. So I'm going to be honest [00:17:00] with you and honest with me and let's have tea.

Gisela: Yes, exactly. In the mess. Right? In the mess. I hope you love each other all the more.

right? Because we're humans

Aransas: together.

Gisela: That's right. We're humans together. And I think the disability [00:17:15] community is so vast and there are like so many perspectives on it. There's people who have great pride of who they are. And there are people who, who are really like, not happy with their disability. And so I always talk about how to frame [00:17:30] a disability, not as something negative, but as something that really kind of like indicates the way that you can, you know, deal with move forward.

There is this amazing author that I love. Her name is Leah Lakshmi Piepzna [00:17:45] Samarasinha and she says the future is disabled and how much we can really learn from our disabled peers, especially during COVID. She spoke about how much we could learn from people that had been, you know, going through respiratory issues [00:18:00] or, you know, issues that are like COVID.

And all the hacks that they already have to operate in this, um, you know, in society environment where it's not really meant or done for you. And so then if you kind of like, listen, okay, [00:18:15] where are your hacks? You can learn something. Right.

Aransas: And I love, it is not a negative or a limitation. but it is a way forward.

Gisela: Yeah, I truly believe so. There [00:18:30] is so much wisdom there. We tend to think that the wisdom or the, you know, you go to the professional, so the professional can tell you what to do. Like, for instance, you mentioned the disorder, right? I use the word, you know, um, [00:18:45] ADHD because it's a good handle to navigate the society.

You tell people, Oh, I, I am anxious or I have ADHD and people. Yeah. But the truth, ultimately, you know, I mean, the [00:19:00] disorder is something that comes from science that they're really saying like, okay, this is the normal and you are out of the normal, you know, you are, you need to be fixed because what you have is a disorder, right?

Aransas: Right.

Gisela: But need to be

Aransas: fixed, I [00:19:15] think is probably its own limitation.

Gisela: Yeah, absolutely. Because anxiety could be very, very helpful if you know how to right it. Mm hmm. I think before you get to that. Uncontrollable, uh, loop that is out of [00:19:30] control, right? My English sometimes, you know, It's amazing.

Uncontrollable loop. My Spanish is in a fraction is good. Anyways, I think anxiety really helps you to think about the future and about what can you do and how to solve [00:19:45] situations. We saw it in this film, Inside Out. Yeah. When I was seeing that film, I just felt like I'm right there in this And I cried so much.

I was with my daughter, which as well, she has, I mean, it [00:20:00] runs in the family, it's genetic. And besides being genetic, it's as well the spiritual, because, you know, you're getting like so much from your parents, from your, you know, ancestors, you know, like from traumas to as well, very amazing gifts. And I truly believe that.

[00:20:15] Anxiety could be a gift if you just shake off the sense of inadequacy. Just more kind of like take it. It's like, yes, why am I experiencing this? You know, what is it triggering it? I resource to chanting. For me, the chanting [00:20:30] really, really helps because you know, like the vibration it's, uh, I feel like encapsulated in something that is like, Oh my God, it's like, it feels so good.

It just feels so good to chant and to just feel the vibration in the body. And then, I mean, [00:20:45] That's number one, the body, sort of like in this terrain, in this physical body. But then like the chanting feels very spiritual to me. Tell us about the chanting meditation. That is a whole thing. It's beautiful.

It's [00:21:00] amazing. You light up when you look at yourself. Yeah. Your whole demeanor shifts. Absolutely. Because the chanting to me really showed me that, you know, this is not it. You know what I'm saying? That life goes beyond your body, [00:21:15] you know, goes beyond time and space.

Aransas: Sort

Gisela: of like, it's something very subtle, but it's kind of like when you're chanting, it's like you can really connect with people.

Something that I cannot even describe because there is no language for that, but it's [00:21:30] really kind of like understanding that this is not it and that we're part of something so great and so big and that we have no control of our life and that's okay. That actually we're here to enjoy, to experience, to really sometimes heal [00:21:45] a lot of things that I Again, you may be inherited from your family or from your society.

There's so much violence and everybody needs to heal. And a lot of those emotions that are bubbling up, they need to be dealt with [00:22:00] rather than avoided because it's a difficult subject. So chanting really allows us to express, not bottle up, but rather the opposite, like really kind of like. Well, first, you know, there's actually science talking about how good it is [00:22:15] to sing and how good it is to listen to music.

You know, the bag system just kind of like gets in tune with that and just like, it's super relaxing. But for me, it became very spiritual. I learned it from someone who taught me ancient techniques, [00:22:30] but she emphasized the importance of finding your own voice. She calls it Voz Esencial, which is essential voice.

And it's really getting in touch with like, what feels right for me. You can have the technique, but [00:22:45] maybe the technique is not for you. So then you just kind of like adjust it to whatever feels right for you. So that's the chanting that I do. I really want to emphasize that We all as individuals find healing in many ways.

It could be breathing, it could be [00:23:00] chanting, it could be dancing, it could be walking in nature, it could be doing exercise, it could be painting. You know, there are like so many, so many possibilities of like getting in touch with emotions and allow your emotions, you know, to go through, [00:23:15] to be expressed, right?

To tell your truth. you know, whatever that is in the moment. And of course, it's going to change right later on. It's so beautiful when you accept the mystery of life. It's so magical.

Aransas: I'm reading a book right [00:23:30] now called Onward Forward by Brian Jolson, whose wife Christy has been on the uplifters and Brian was diagnosed with ALS during the pandemic.

and is alive today because he had a tracheotomy which [00:23:45] has kept him alive. But over the last four years he's written two full books with his eyes mostly about his spiritual journey with ALS.

Gisela: Yeah.

Aransas: And that's one of the core messages. Acceptance of what [00:24:00] is and allowing ourselves to be in the beauty of what exists rather than trying to wedge our own expectations into the experience.

Gisela: Yes.

Aransas: And then [00:24:15] feeling accepted.

Yeah.

Gisela: And listen, I mean, I get very frustrated because you can sort of like forget, right? Like I went ABC, right? And then I forget that I need to let go of my expectations [00:24:30] and I get frustrated. But then we're so used to this other way of being right of like having goal oriented. I always have to remind myself of like, no, just drop it.

And the more we practice it, it [00:24:45] comes to us faster and easier. It's so funny. My son, he's autistic and we were having dinner with friends and it was kind of like different, my son's friend and his family's religious. And then the mother's like, okay, let's do [00:25:00] grace. And I, I was raised Catholic. I immediately, okay, yes, let's do grace, but I didn't raise my kids Catholic.

So then she turns around and she's like, Simone, do you want to do grace? And he's like, no, like super straight. And I was so nervous [00:25:15] because I was like, Oh my God, what's he's going to say? And I have to remind myself, like, you cannot just jump on him saying like, Oh, Simone, you know, you need to do this because this lady has these expectations.

I wish like. Actually, he's saying [00:25:30] no. And we need to be respectful.

Aransas: Yeah.

Gisela: And because it's always like the adult as well.

Aransas: This is just his perspective and his Oh, that's so good. That's right. And he's not being

Gisela: disrespectful.

Aransas: And how much of my parenting has really [00:25:45] been trying to make my kids meet other people's expectations, aka me look acceptable to them?

Gisela: Yeah, all the time. And then when you're thinking about, okay, what's more important, the institution or your kid? It's like, no, no, my kid. And so then why are you [00:26:00] neglecting your kid because of the institution is asking something. It was so surprising to me that he said like subliminally no. And then eventually the other kid that as well was very much feeling on the spot.

He was like, Mom, let's just not do [00:26:15] this in here. And the good thing is that that really led to a more open and more honest exchange.

Aransas: Right. Cause then we can talk about like, yeah, this is great for this person and it's okay if it's not great for you. That's [00:26:30] right. Yeah. So many of our messages to ourselves and our kids are out of alignment.

Gisela: Yeah. Absolutely.

Aransas: They're not matched up well with our values.

Gisela: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

Aransas: Because we feel like we're trying to do the good thing.

Gisela: Yes. And the thing is that what is the good thing? [00:26:45] Who's telling you what is the good thing? The normal thing. That's right. The normal thing. And you know that the normal The not ripple

Aransas: making thing.

Gisela: Yeah. Exactly. You know that the word normal is, is very [00:27:00] contemporaneous, like, it's not like an old word. It's a word that came about with capitalism. Why? Because everyone needed to be within a range of normal. You know, you start to make cars, so you need a standard [00:27:15] size. You are making clothes, buildings. So everything is made for the normal human being, being.

And of course, who is the normal? The European white that went [00:27:30] around the world conquering places. Telling people they were abnormal. That's right. Exactly. That they were other, that they were off the range of what they were. Normal should be. Yes, exactly.

Aransas: Talk about the power of owning stories. [00:27:45]

Gisela: I discovered that in my disability studies class.

Normal. I was completely shocked. I was like, yeah.

Aransas: Incredible.

Gisela: Because actually what I wanted was at some point I was like, yeah, let's make disability normal. And I realized how [00:28:00] contradictory that concept was, you know, because disability cannot be normal. Because disability is always on the fringes, right?

On the, kind of like pulling the humanity to experience a wider range of emotions, [00:28:15] of, of lives, of, of situations that are going, that really are really propelling us forward, you know? Or not forward, to different places, you know, around. Right.

Aransas: Instead of down a single narrow line and feeling all the [00:28:30] shame.

That's right. Every time we veer slightly off course or into another lane.

Gisela: Yes. Yeah. We need to come back into the, into the lane. Yeah. Back in line. That's right. Exactly. Yeah. But it's, it [00:28:45] feels so good when you discover that.

Aransas: And when you're open enough that, I think it's so beautiful when we are open enough about what we want and need and experience that we invite others in.

And that we create places for, we create space then [00:29:00] for connection instead of distancing. But the way to shift that is very simple. It's to be honest with ourselves and others about what we're experiencing. And it's not taking all the air out of the room. It's [00:29:15] not dominating with our needs.

Gisela: And the good thing is that we have kids.

I am, for instance, right now that we're in a deep, deep, deep crisis and change. I am hopeful because I feel that our kids. [00:29:30] you know, are going to save the world. Well, of course it's not black and white, right? But, you know, we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity to really change this. You know, again, we're in crisis and, you know, this is really calling for like a shift, [00:29:45] a change in life.

You know, earth is changing. And I, quite honestly, I feel that the intelligence of earth is asking us to change. As humanity, you know, I mean, I deeply believe that earth is alive and we belong to the [00:30:00] earth. It's not like the earth has resources for us humans so we can exploit them. So we can continue with our capitalist, you know, mind.

Like the giving

Aransas: tree, right? That's totally the giving tree mentality.

Gisela: [00:30:15] Yeah, exactly.

Aransas: Yeah. I think many of us in midlife, wherever we are in that really wide band, work to understand ourselves better and to know ourselves better so that we can embrace more of [00:30:30] ourselves. We can live with less fear and shame, more acceptance and peace.

What do you most wish for? All of us, as we embark on that [00:30:45] journey, based on your experience.

Gisela: I would say to not be afraid of the truth, as ugly as it might seem. Important to just not be afraid of the truth and just, you know, stay with it, as maybe [00:31:00] it feels uncomfortable, but just stay with it. And trust that whatever happens is the process that must happen.

Aransas: It was such a joy to meet you.

Gisela: Yeah, thank you very much.

Aransas: I picture the show as a chain because each woman is [00:31:15] nominated by another guest. And so I think about my dear friend, Sabrina, who nominated Eliza, who was her neighbor, who nominated Lovisa, who nominated you, if you were to go and listen to all 100 [00:31:30] episodes of this show, you would see.

That every single one of them heal through community.

Gisela: Yes, so important.

Aransas: That's what we have in common. We find other women [00:31:45] who help bolster us, give us bravery, give us space to be honest. And it's through that that we find ourselves growing and expanding.

Gisela: Yeah.

Aransas: It's so pure and so ancient [00:32:00] to your point.

Gisela: Yeah, there is actually evidence, archaeological evidence of mutual care that contradicts the narrative that the mosfet survives. And we've been telling us that narrative, [00:32:15] that the strong one is the one that survives. The strong one is the one that is leading forward. It's probably

Aransas: the

Gisela: most

Aransas: connected, the most

Gisela: supported.

Yeah, the most connected, the most supported, the one that is in community.

Aransas: [00:32:30] I'm so glad to be connected with you. We have to talk because we're doing our Uplifters live event, March 13th. Okay. Okay. Our annual event. It's also my 50th birthday celebration. So it's

Gisela: two. Oh, wow. Congratulations. That's awesome.

You're a March [00:32:45] baby.

Aransas: I am. I'm a total Pisces. Can we do a chanting meditation there? That would be awesome. Yes. That would be absolutely

Gisela: awesome. Yes. Yes.

Aransas: Okay. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's plan on it.

Gisela: Is it in [00:33:00] New York? Yeah. In Brooklyn. Okay. Great. Awesome. I'm there. I would love to do that. Yes. Yes.

Aransas: Oh, I'm so excited.

That'll be amazing. Okay.

for listening to the Uplifters [00:33:15] podcast. If you're getting a boost from these episodes, please share them with the Uplifters in your life. Amen. Join us in conversation over at theuplifterspodcast. com, head over to Spotify, Apple [00:33:30] podcast, or wherever you get your podcast and like, follow and rate our show.

It'll really help us connect with more uplifters and it'll ensure you never miss one of these beautiful stories. Mm, [00:33:45]

Music: big love painted water, sunshine with rosemary. And I'm dwelling. Not perplexing though. You find it ing. Toss a star in half for be [00:34:00] around best love for relish in a new prime land, a tree in springtime dance.

With that all hindsight, bring the sun to twilight. Lift you up, oh, [00:34:15] lift you up, oh, lift you up, oh,

lift you up.[00:34:30]

Lift you up.

Lift you[00:34:45]

lift.

Beautiful. I cried. It's that little thing you did with your voice. Right, in the pre chorus, right? [00:35:00] I was like Mommy, stop crying. You're disturbing the peace.