A (pretend) interview with David Letterman

Back when I was writing my book (Not Your Mama’s Self-Care Guide) a few years ago, I was on the fence about whether I should self-publish or go with the more traditional publishing route. 

To help make the decision, I purchased a course on how to do the latter. In the end, I didn’t go with either option - instead my daughter, Zoe, and I started on our own publishing company which I hadn’t even considered at the time. Life is so fascinating.

Anyway, when I was doing the step-by-step process in the course on how to get your book published, one of the assignments was an “About the Author” section.

I had the ridiculous idea to write out an interview with David Letterman. It was so outlandish that a part of me wanted to dismiss it immediately. Then another voice popped in and said, “Why not just go with it?” After all, it sounded interesting and fun.

So, that’s what I did. I wrote a fake interview with David Letterman. I never ended up using it but I thought it would be so fun to share with you here as the origin story for my new book.

Excerpt from a (Pretend) Interview with David Letterman

David: Why Courageous Self-Care?

Christina: You know, when the idea first came to me, I didn’t know why courage and self-care wanted to get together, but over the last few years, I’ve been asking myself that question over and over. What I’ve discovered is that the best self-care, the self-care that changes things for the better, involves courage.

That courage shows up differently for each woman. For one, it might take tremendous courage to book a massage and to carve out 2 hours of her life where it’s just about her. For another woman, the courage shows up when she realizes that her job is beating her down and holding her back and so she decides to step into the unknown by following her heart.

David: I see. So do you think everyone is courageous?

Christina: Well, everyone has the capacity for courage. It’s something that we need to consciously work at and the more we exercise that courage muscle, the more courageous we become. It has a lot to do with comfort zone expansion.

David: Are you courageous?

Christina: Yes I am. I do little things on a regular basis that are uncomfortable and I also take giant leaps of faith. Starting Courageous Self-Care was actually one of those giant leaps.

Several years ago, I was happily going about the first incarnation of my business, which was called Dance Ugly Dance Awkward--

David: Hey, I bet I could do that!

Christina: We should do that later for sure! Let’s have an ugly awkward dance party with the audience.

David: Well, now I’m going to have to be courageous! Ok, carry on. You were doing the Ugly Awkward Dancing business…

Christina: Yes, and I wrote a book called How Ugly Awkward Dancing Changes Everything. While I was self-publishing that book, my website got hacked and blacklisted by Google, so I took it as a sign to change things up and go in a new direction. It was super stressful but turned out well in the end.

I decided I was going to call my business Flawed, Fabulous and Free and I started working on that. Then, I was on my way to a mentorship day with my coaches at the time, Marci Shimoff and Debra Poneman, at Marci’s house in California. On the airplane, I got a download for a retreat called Courageous Self-Care.

David: I get lots of ideas when I’m flying too. Must be because you’re closer to “out of the blue” up there. 

Christina: Yes, I think so too. Anyway, when I shared the idea with Marci & Debra, they loved it and thought it was more than a retreat. I was faced with an internal crisis. Do I abandon my new Flawed Fab and Free business even though I’ve already told my community about it and have invested in website design or do I start over yet again with Courageous Self-Care? 

I felt like I was all over the place. I had a new book about Ugly Awkward Dancing, I had a web TV show called the Ugly Awkward Dance Show, and I had a new website that didn’t match anything. I was petrified about looking flakey to my followers. I was so scared about the decision that I started to cry.

Marci told me to close my eyes and make a choice. Instead of using my head, I took a breath and tuned into my heart. In that moment, my heart said to go with self-care. I couldn’t argue. I knew I would benefit because I would have to walk my talk and I knew I would become more courageous in the process. Plus I could help other women do the same.

That was my first decision I made without regard for how it would look to others. That was a big deal for me.

David: That’s a powerful story.

Christina: Thank you. It felt pretty monumental at the time. It was a TSN Turning Point. 

David: Ha ha! So, apart from being courageous, what makes you a self-care expert? Why do you believe self-care is so important?

Christina: You know, David, the Dalai Lama said that it will be the Western Woman who changes the world. The thing is, most Western women I see are running around taking care of everyone but themselves. They try to control things by getting everything exactly right. They see asking for help as a sign of weakness and, as a result, they’re exhausted and burnt out. Their lifestyle simply isn’t sustainable. I know all of this because I was that woman. Being a perfectionist who was concerned about what everyone thought of me and trying to prove myself was a recipe for overwhelm and disaster.

David: I think I know some of those women you’re talking about. They seem like they can do it all but it appears to be a facade. I don’t get the feeling they are really very happy.

Christina: Exactly. I talk about the Strong Independent Woman Myth in my book. It’s something that we’ve been taught to aspire to, but really, there’s no way to pull it off. Many women think they have to do everything themselves to prove that they’re worthy, but we’ve got it backwards.

David: Tell me more about what life was like for you before Courageous Self-Care. 

Christina: Well, back at the start of my career, I was a high school teacher. I ran the dance option and taught Phys Ed. In those days, it was all about my image, proving I was good enough and coming across as perfect in as many ways as possible. The problem was that I had digestive issues every single day, I had no emotional intelligence or any capacity to say no and all of those factors led to me being exhausted every day. I didn’t have the resources or awareness to do anything about it though, so I turned to TV every night. My husband and I binge-watched before there was such a thing as binge-watching. Then we would have just enough energy to go to bed and do it all over again the next day.

David: So what changed for you? How did you find out that self-care would make a difference?

Christina: Well, it took about 10 years of intense soul-searching and personal development. I sought out people who were living an appealing life and got them to personally mentor me. Slowly, I started to piece my solution together and realized over time that what I love to teach most is how caring for myself and putting myself as my top priority made all the difference.

David: Why is this an important message to hear right now? There are so many troubles and challenges in the world. How is self-care going to make a difference?

Christina: You know, David, so many of us want to change the world. We see solutions and possibilities for a better way of living. But if we sacrifice our well-being in the crusade, we’re not doing anyone any favours. 

To me, now is the perfect time for our culture to shift around self-care. A woman who prioritizes her own well-being should be celebrated and the only way that I can change that message is to lead by example. It’s no good to teach other people about self-care and then compromise my well-being in the process. I believe that it’s possible to make a difference in the world by being that difference. The only way we can change the world is to change ourselves and how we inhabit the world. Self-care is not about being selfish; it’s about growing our self-worth and when we do that, everyone around us benefits. 

David: I can feel your passion for this topic, Christina. It’s been a real pleasure chatting with you.

Christina: Thank you. And by the way, I see what you’re trying to do here.

David: What’s that? 

Christina: You’re trying to smoothly wrap things up without any ugly awkward dancing.

David: Darn. I thought you would forget in all your passion.

Christina: Nope. Time to be courageous David. Can we get some music on?

David: (indistinct grumbling…) Ok fine. Let’s go for it. Show us how it’s done, Christina.

Music plays. Everyone dances and laughs and all is right in the world.

And there you have it. I can totally see the whole thing happening just like that - can’t you?

Thank you for partaking in the audaciousness.

In case you want to get a copy for yourself (or as a gift - that’s a great idea too), here are the links to make it easy:

Kindle Canada

Amazon Canada

Kindle US

Amazon US

May you also have a little outlandishness in your week and follow your intuition just because it’s an adventure. 

With daring love and shameless courage,

Christina

>Creator of Courageous Self-Care

>Coconut rice enthusiast

>Typing super fast as my laptop battery is about to die with no outlet in sight

PS - Our next complimentary Remote Group Healing Open House is happening on Wed Oct 9. Get your body out of fight or flight, balance your entire system and experience healing on all levels. Click here to sign up. Can’t attend live? A replay will be available for 48 hours. 

PPS - We have a few spots available in the Ignite Your Inner Oasis Retreat in Panama next spring. Join us a the boutique resort El Regalo for a transformational experience including nourishing fresh food, yoga, breathwork, adventure days and group healing. Click here to learn more. 

If you like live events, this might be exciting for you.

My colleague, Sandy Tut, and I are hosting a series of Self-Care Sunday events in October. 

Join us for a single afternoon (or several) to partake in what I would deem to be the powerful, transformational and effective self-care: Yoga and Breathwork.

Yoga on its own is revolutionary. 

So is breathwork (especially 9D, which I consider to be the Cadillac of Breathwork).

When you combine the two, you get an event that’s the equivalent to decades of therapy because we work underneath the stories that the mind has made up (both conscious and unconscious) and get right to the root of any issue you might be experiencing. 

When you invest three hours in yourself, you’ll experience:

• An inner spaciousness like you’ve probably never encountered
• Dramatically increased life force and energy
• Healing on multiple levels
• Profound peace and serenity
• Feeling fully alive

The common response for people going through such a live event is either speechlessness because they’re so moved or a one word utterance like Wow. Just WOW.

You’re invited to join us. We promise that you’ll never be the same (in the best way possible). 

The Details

Dates: Choose from any Sunday in October. Do one event, a couple or all four if you really want dramatic results. 

Time: 1-4pm each week

Location: The Room YYC 

Agenda: Slow Flow Yoga (ideal for any skill level) followed by a themed 9D Breathwork Journey

October 6: Transforming Subconscious Beliefs

October 13: Letting Go and Moving On

October 20: Releasing Stress and Anxiety

October 27: Abundance & Self-Trust

What a lineup, right?!?

For more information and to register click here

Questions? Please email [email protected]

The band SAILR often plays in our car and home. It’s perfect for any occasion whether it’s mealtime, worktime, drivetime or chilling. I guess it wouldn’t be perfect if you were wanting disco dancing but that’s about it. 

Gold is particularly beautiful with lyrics like 

I see little glimmers of heaven/

From the waves to my own daughter’s eyes

I mean, really, did your heart just swell when you read that?

To have a listen, just copy and paste 

Gold by SAILR

...into your favourite listening platform.

Enjoy.