Hi, this is Katie, and this is the Creating Your Sanctuary podcast, and it's a podcast about creating those little moments and space that support you.

And today I wanted to talk about heart.

And it is because Valentine's Day is coming up, but I do believe, deep down that heart is my motivating factor in my life that I, I mean, sometimes I wear my heart on my sleeve, I guess.

Um, and other times I feel guarded about it.

But I also believe about genuinely connecting with people and hearing their stories and, um, wanting to help and be of service and also support my family and like it all comes from my heart.

There's, you know, a lot of brain power going to what is the most logical, what is, um, What are all the little detail?

What are like analytical, intellectualizing, everything?

But there's also a deep need for myself, at least, to come to things from my heart.

And so that's truly what leads me.

Like, what is it that I want to step forward with every day and it's leading with my heart and what, so what does that really mean?

Because that's really hard to define.

I think we definitely can say it was, oh, I lead from my heart, but what does that mean?

Like last week, talking about compassion and empathy.

Um, I feel like it's important to, hear and listen to, not only other people's stories, but also what they're looking for in life, because a lot of life is connection, and making connections, and introducing people to other people, and forming those relationships that carry you forward.

And when you come with like an open heart, an open ideas of what are possibilities, and removing judgment from those beginning, 1st steps of getting to know someone, like, you don't want to step into a relationship, whether it's business or personal, judging someone.

Our brain can automatically try to fit somebody into a box, but if we let that go and ask other questions like, who are you?

What do you enjoy in life?

Um, How can we connect?

What can we do together?

What hopes and dreams do you have?

Like, it comes from a genuine piece of your heart wanting to connect with somebody else.

And I think that's a beautiful thing.

I think it also comes from a place of softness.

and a place where we have to be vulnerable in order to connect.

And I think that is hard.

I think, um, many of us are conditioned in life to be wary and yes, there are times that,

our heart can get hurt and we may have learned from the past that we do need to be guarded because people have taken advantage of us or have misstepped or not respected our feelings in heart.

And that can be hard to let that those guards fall down.

But know that no 2 people are the same.

Yes, you can recognize patterns and when people show patterns and through their actions that they do not care and respect you, then it is time to move on.

and show strength in moving forward.

But when you come across people who are genuine and are looking out for you and are listening and are um, wanting to exchange ideas and formulating, you know, bridges instead of cliffs, right?

Then I think it is important to work through challenges and to see what is possible in the years to come.

So as you can tell, I'm talking, you know, personal and business.

It's important to have those amazing relationships and to feel like you care about them just as much as they care about you and that in itself can feel like a sanctuary, right?

You are holding your heart in your own sanctuary of protection and being yourself and the other person is coming to you in the same way.

And then as you form a relationship together, again, business or personal, I'm looking at it for both sides.

It's really interesting how that intimacy of getting to know a person can form a larger sanctuary around the 2 or the 3 of you, sometimes it's a group of people, right?

That you, um, are connecting with and moving forward and creating amazing things together, whether it's art or projects or, you know, so many things that we can create in life.

So however you're creating your sanctuaries in your life, whether it's physical or with other people's hearts, what you're doing right now is enough.

I'll see you next time.