Be Still and Live

#10: The Body Knows: Returning to Yourself Through Mindfulness with Jelayna DaSilva

• Gillian Gabryluk • Season 1 • Episode 10

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What if the way back to yourself isn’t about doing more, pushing harder, or fixing faster… but learning to listen?

In this week’s episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and former rowing teammate Jelena DeSilva, whose life has carried her from powerful strokes on the water, to intentional movement on the mat, and now into the compassionate, grounded work of therapy.

Together, we explore the kind of courage that doesn’t shout - the quiet, steady courage of trading perfectionism for presence, force for dialogue, and urgency for a gentle return to the body’s wisdom.

Jelena shares how years of big-city pace sharpened her reverence for stillness and why creating truly safe, inclusive spaces matters as much as any posture cue or therapeutic technique. We talk about what mindfulness really is (and isn’t): not emptying the mind, but noticing with kindness, returning to the breath, and letting your body be an honest teacher.

You’ll hear us unpack:

  • why spiritual bypassing keeps us disconnected
  • how emotions work like dashboard lights, neutral indicators pointing us toward what needs attention
  • practical tools for practicing the pause
  • the power of accessible, shame-free therapy
  • how to know when you’re ready for support
  • what “fit” in therapy actually means
  • the daily rhythms that help us stay steady: movement, stillness, nourishment, rest, and connection

If you’ve ever felt like you’re supposed to “be calm,” but your mind is busy and your body feels tight… or if you’ve wondered whether therapy might help you find your way back to yourself, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are.

It’s grounded.
 It’s human.
 It’s usable.
 And it’s an invitation:

Pause. Breathe. Notice.
What is your body whispering to you today?

If this episode speaks to you, share it with a friend and leave a review so others can find this work. Your simple act of presence helps grow the Sileo community in the most meaningful way.

Connect with Jelayna:

Instagram 

Website

New here? Start with episodes 1-3: “Take Back Your Life”, "From Hustle to Healing", and “5 to Thrive.”

*Start Fog to Freedom Here*

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Free Guided Fog to Freedom Meditation ...

SPEAKER_00:

Feelings are aren't facts, they're indicators.

SPEAKER_03:

If your days feel full, but your heart longs for more meaning, you're not alone. Between the screens, the schedules, and the never-ending noise, it's easy to lose your sense of peace. But what if the way forward isn't found in doing more, but in learning to slow down, to simplify, to be still. Welcome to Be Still and Live, a podcast for individuals, couples, and families longing for calm, connection, and a more meaningful way to live. I'm Jillian, speaker, coach, and founder of Sileo Health and Wellness, and I'm here to help you create space for stillness and step into a life that feels whole and good again. Today I get to sit down with someone very dear to me, my longtime friend and former rowing teammate Jelena DeSilva. Our journeys began together on the water, both in St. Catharines, Ontario, and then in Lawrence, Kansas. And hers eventually took her to Toronto, where she trained and taught yoga in some of the city's most prestigious studios. Over the years, she's discovered a passion not only for teaching yoga, but also for helping people move into new spaces with curiosity and compassion. In our conversation, we talk about the difference between the sport of rowing and the practice of yoga, what yoga in the big city taught her, the true meaning of mindfulness, and how those lessons ultimately led her to train as a therapist. This is a conversation about presence, courage, and what it means to come into a deeper relationship with ourselves. I think you're gonna love it. Hello, Jelena. Welcome to Be Still and Live.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_03:

Thanks for being here. Full disclosure, Jelena is a dear friend of mine. We've walked alongside each other through our teen years, our college rowing years, our 20s, 30s, and oh my goodness, we've merged into our 40s, which is really hard to believe, isn't it, Jelena?

SPEAKER_00:

Still in talk.

SPEAKER_03:

We made it. But the good thing is we don't feel 40, right? Mm-mm.

SPEAKER_00:

Not at all.

SPEAKER_03:

Spring chickens over here. Jolena, having witnessed your evolution over time, your life's work has been centered on helping people reconnect, not just to their breath or their body, but to their own care and compassion. Before you began training as a therapist, you'd already spent years helping others for yoga. I'd love to go back to those early days when this path of care really began for you. What first drew you to yoga and to creating spaces where people could slow down and connect.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it goes back to my own journey with self-care first. Because I found yoga at a time when my life was quite full and stressful. I was working, I was the only employee in a nonprofit organization, and yoga was my um, well, I should say, I ran the Canadian office of a nonprofit organization. And it was just me and I was on my own, and uh everyone else was down in the States, and I'd moved to Toronto, big city for the first time, and I wanted to find a way to um decompress at the end of the day. Um, and I found yoga. There was a yoga studio on the way back from the office that I worked on my way home, and I would go there and practice, and I'd never experienced that kind of calm before. Um, every kind of physical movement that I'd done up until that point was more about getting your body to submit and do what you wanted it to do, which I know you can relate to with rowing. Yeah. Punishment and achievement and yoga was about having a conversation with your body and learning to listen to its cues and honor your limitations and not see limitations as failures, see them as guidelines. And so I dove deep into it. Um, I'd been practicing a little bit before, but I really dove deep at this studio. And then as a result, I just felt this desire within me growing to share that deep peace that I was feeling with other people. And so because I felt it on such a personal cellular level, and I experienced the transformation that it brought, um it almost felt like it would have been incomplete to not attempt to share it with other people. And that's what took me towards doing my yoga teacher training was well man, this feels so dang good. I gotta be able to share it with other people.

SPEAKER_03:

Hmm. That's the beauty about stumbling upon authenticity. When something really aligns with you, you just naturally want to share it with other people, don't you?

SPEAKER_00:

Totally, totally. And like to that point, like it felt like a coming home. It felt like I had found something that really resonated with who I was and what I needed to heal myself.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. So, what was the perception you had of yoga before you got into it? Did you judge it in any way? Because, you know, as a rower, that's such a different way of moving your body and just being in your body compared to yoga. Was it something that you were always curious about? Or is it something that um you kind of met with a bit of judgment until you practiced it?

SPEAKER_00:

I think it was more curiosity and uncertainty than anything. I don't think I've ever really judged it. I think if there was any part of me that was a little bit like, what are you on about? It was, you know, the um airy, fairy, light and love crystals and all that kind of stuff. And um that I wasn't really drawn to. And then when I actually started practicing yoga, it I stumbled upon it almost by accident. It was during university, and I went to my first yoga class, and the yoga teacher's name was Matt, which I thought was quite poetic because it was Matt, Yoga Matt. And he was so effervescent and so delightful, and the movements felt like something I'd never experienced before in my body. It was like the opposite of what I've been doing. Rowing is pulling and yoga is pushing when you're doing a chaturanga. Um, it was about deep breathing and slow movement and calming yourself. And so it was the antithesis. But because I've been doing the opposite for years and years, it just felt immediately good. So any kind of preconceived notions um kind of melted away. I will say though, I am still apprehensive when people lean a little bit too far into the light and love and um crystal talk and spiritual bypass. Like the parts of yoga that I appreciate are the parts that pull us into our experiences, our emotional process, our body, into our lives. It's not a practice that's meant to help people escape. Um, it's a practice that is intended to help you enter more deeply into. So once I got past that, then um I realized just how rich this practice is and how much it has to offer. So and even though the lighter aspects of the practice still serve a purpose as well, you know, that that's a language that speaks to some people, you know, like light and love and um those aspects. Everything serves a purpose.

SPEAKER_03:

So Right, right. Yoga is a bit of a process of surrender, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00:

Mm-hmm. Very much so. Constantly. And like it's a yoga practice. Like it's never uh you you never arrive.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. And that's the lesson to be learned. So, Jelena, what did teaching teach you about people and about yourself?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh man. Your students are your best teachers. Uh you think, and this is like MTV Cribs for those of us who are like elder millennials, but like you think you know, but you have no idea. Like that was the tagline for MTV Cribs. I feel like that was been my like my teaching experience with you. Like you think you know, but you don't know. Um it's one of those things where like the the relationship of teaching is so sacred. Um, there would be moments where I would be in front of a room of 30 people and I'd be like, lift your leg. And like 30 people would lift their leg and I'd be like, I should not have this kind of control. And it just in those moments I became so aware of the responsibility that I held. And um, so as a result, my teaching journey became about accruing as much information as possible to help keep the bodies that were entrusting themselves to my words as safe as possible. Um, and using how my students were moving as an inform as information. Um, so adjusting the practice to meet their needs and encouraging them to do the same, saying, you know, like make the pose fit your body, not the other way around. Um hearing people's stories was always fascinating because yoga has this propensity to kind of open people up and allow them to be more vulnerable. And so hearing um what people usually brought to the mat, uh, people usually had a situation that broke them, or they were healing from something, or they were seeking something out. Um, I learned that a lot of us are seeking, and you know, it's it's a it's a cliche for a reason when we say that everyone's fighting their own battle and you never really know what they're fighting. Teaching taught me a lot of that because my students would share with me some of their struggles. Um and uh just learning what the human body is capable of, my own and other people's, like watching them discuss like these light bulb moments of like, I never knew I could do this. This is amazing. And oh my gosh, like they were learning how to make their bodies a more powerful and comfortable home to be in. And so it was so lovely to be able to offer this information. And then if it landed in a helpful way, they were able to take it on board and and transform. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. And especially unique, I can imagine, in a city like Toronto that's always busy and bustling and loud. And I can imagine people are coming to you before their morning commute or after a long work day or on their lunch break where they have to walk the streets of Toronto to get there, and then they enter this quiet and tranquil space where they can come back home to themselves and to their body. That must have been a magical experience to be able to offer that to people.

SPEAKER_00:

It really was. And it's interesting too because the busyness of Toronto created a deeper appreciation for yoga. Um, I don't know if the stat is still true, but Toronto at one point had the most yoga studios per capita of any city in Canada, more than Vancouver. Like I think they're always kind of neck and neck. And it was that that yin-yang kind of energy, like the busyness of Toronto created this craving for calm. Right. And so people, uh, especially when I was teaching in the 2010s in Toronto were really drawn to those spaces. And it's true, you would see people come in off the street and like super stressed, and then one hour later they're a completely different version of themselves. And it was just such a wonderful um daily transformation to get to witness and to have them, you know, say as much was um was really cool. It was neat.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, what a what a gift to offer people. So, Jelena, at some point you felt called to take that care even deeper to walk alongside people through therapy. I'd love to explore what that transition looked like for you. What inspired you to begin the journey towards becoming a therapist?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh man. Well, if we're going back to the very beginning, it was something that I almost tried to avoid because of who my father is. He's a therapist. And so I grew up at a dinner table that was filled with conversation that was infused with, you know, emotional intelligence and, you know, a deeper understanding of your inner process and how to observe and understand people in yourself. And so I grew up with it and then studied at university at undergrad in psychology. Um, but I needed to do my own thing. And so I worked in nonprofit and events and taught yoga for 10 years, still teach yoga. And I came back to it organically. And I don't think I would have gone towards it if that hadn't happened. Because while I was teaching yoga, like I was saying earlier, I would hear people's stories or they would, they would end up just sharing so much with me because they would feel safe and um open up. And I heard all of these struggles, but I didn't have the tools to meet people in those moments and be able to help them with those inner struggles. And for a while I liked that. For a while I was like, go see a therapist, peace out. And then I would leave, and it was like a great thing. I was like, I'll just see a yoga teacher. And then I felt the craving building and building, and the I was I was left unsatisfied with just being able to offer that initial somatic level, which is very important and absolutely needs to be a part of the process. But I wanted to be able to help guide people further, and that itch became so big that it needed to be scratched. And so that's what um eventually made me uh pursue studying to become a therapist.

SPEAKER_03:

Beautiful. I love that that very authentic evolution, and it seems consistent with the people who um I'm having conversations with on this on this podcast, that you often have to figure out what doesn't work um before you you find out what does. And um, that's just a natural experience of life that helps you to really really sink into what you're called to do with your life and who you're called to be. So, Joelina, the word mindfulness gets used so often. It's it's really overused. What does it really mean to you and how do you keep it from becoming just another buzzword?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, uh, it's interesting. I just did a presentation on this for my therapeutic studies about mindfulness and meditation. And I think why it is as ubiquitous as it is, is because it's simple. Um, mindfulness is the practice of presence, the practice of is the practice of being where you are at any given moment. And when you hear that, it sounds so succinct and sound clippy, but it's not that easy. So just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy, because it also calls us to be present when emotions are difficult or times are hard and not escape those things. And so mindfulness um I think can get diluted when we choose to only focus on the easy places to be, or you know, the deep breathing exercises and the positive or more easy to engage with emotions, um, when really it can be a powerful tool. The thing is, we need to be given the helpful tools that help us be present in those difficult moments. You can't just say to someone, oh, you're angry, just sit with that emotion and everything will be fine. Like that's not how it works.

SPEAKER_03:

That's just irritating.

SPEAKER_00:

That's just irritating and then you want to punch the person and then you're in your punch the person. But um it's uh it's something that when you dive into it deeper, there is a lot more there. But I think we get caught in the sound bite-y kind of level instead of going into the nitty-gritty where the work really starts.

SPEAKER_03:

I definitely resonate with that, Jelena. I feel like I'm going through this experience lately where I'm I'm learning to do that maybe for the first time in my life. Um because I'm a fixer, I like to find solutions when things feel uncomfortable. It's it's so easy to go elsewhere to try to escape those negative emotions that you're talking about. And now information is so accessible, it's so easy to believe that you can go elsewhere and find some guru who's gonna help you feel better. But the truth is, what I'm learning is when you're feeling those uncomfortable emotions, taking that pause, choosing mindfulness, clearing your thoughts, and dropping in to what you're feeling. As annoying as this may sound for some people, it really does work because it allows you to really understand where those emotions are rooted. And then have the opportunity to uproot what where it's coming from to make that shift towards something that allows you to grow instead of continuing to come back to that place where you're stuck.

SPEAKER_00:

Totally. Yeah. I was actually just having a conversation with a colleague about this at the center where I'm um counseling at the moment, and we were talking about how feelings are aren't facts, they're indicators. And to your point, they are telling you something, they're rooted in something. And I love the analogy. She just said this, I've never heard it before, where you're looking, it's basically you're looking looking at the dashboard of a car, and the little pings are going off, like the oil lamp oil lights going off. And so it's telling you something is going on, and you need to like give attention to it and then dive a little deeper and realize, oh, I need oil, or oh, this is something that my dad used to say to me, and it really triggers me in this moment, and you get to unpack it and understand it a little bit more. And you're totally right, that's where the cycles get broken, where we step out of that cycle of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Um and it's also really hard to do that, right? We used to like, you know, um, talking with a client the other day, um, they said, uh, does everybody avoid their emotions? I'm like, yeah, otherwise I'd be at the job.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you do.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, absolutely. I I feel like I'm learning to trust this idea that my body knows the way. And when you sink into the idea that your physiology, your human physiology is showing you the path forward. So if you feel dis-ease in your life in some way, it means that your body that is ordered is showing you that something is disordered. And it may be something outside of you, it might be something in the world around you or an experience that you had in your life that was disordered. And it's really just inviting you to go back to that space and give yourself grace that it may not have been your fault. Come back to that gratitude toward yourself that your body's telling you exactly what you need to hear and pointing you in a direction so you can go and heal in a way that allows you to move forward. And it's this this uh idea of you know not blaming yourself, not feeling that shame and that resentment, instead going back to that feeling with grace and understanding what it is so that you can start to heal and and move into your life with with more wholeness.

SPEAKER_00:

I couldn't agree more. Like everything that you're saying, as you're saying it, I'm remembering something that I like to say to my students often in yoga class, which is our body often knows things before we do. And if we can, you know, like and you just encapsulated it perfectly that if we learn to listen to that inner wisdom and that not shaming yourself for feeling, I think is also a really important piece. Something that I've been learning as a therapist, and that I want to just kind of continue to send out into the world. Because there are textbooks that I'll read that will still use this word and it bugs me. There are no bad emotions. Emotions are neutral. So when someone says you're feeling a negative emotion, and it's usually applied to something like anger or sadness, I'll fight you fisticuffs because anger and sadness serve a purpose. And like I was saying earlier, all emotions are indicators, so you need to take a look at them and give them a chance to tell you what it is that they need to tell you. Um and so when you are saying that shame piece, I think that's really important. Like it's okay to feel the things that we're feeling. It's uncomfortable, it's scary sometimes. Um, not denying that either, but yeah, it's it's a it's a powerful place to be. And mindfulness can help us get towards those spaces.

SPEAKER_03:

Embracing that pause so you can pay attention.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, practice the pause.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. Joelita, something I appreciate about your work is how real and inclusive it feels. You make mindfulness and care accessible, not intimidating, which I believe is the way it's supposed to be. There's often this belief that meditation isn't for everyone. What would you say to someone who feels like they can't be still or aren't doing it right?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh. Well, if someone is saying that they're not doing it right, I would want to ask them a little bit more what they meant. And when I have asked that in the past, usually it's because someone will sit down to meditate and they have this goal in mind of stopping their thoughts. And when the thoughts don't stop, they feel like they failed. And one of my favorite uh meditation teachers, uh Sharon Salzberg, uh points out quite succinctly, it is impossible to stop your thoughts. That's not the point of meditation. Meditation is the practice, the continuous practice of learning to observe your thoughts, suspending judgment while you're observing your thoughts, and then inviting your awareness back to the breath and back to the body. And it's uh something that you do over and over again. And over time, what tends to happen is the thoughts will quiet down. They probably will never stop completely. That if that if that happens, you're dead. Uh so we don't not yet. Um, once I heard that, it just like released this pressure that I'd also felt like, you know, when I was like, where where am I going with this? What's the end goal? And then to be told there is no end goal, the process is the goal, and thoughts aren't going to stop. It made it so much easier to enter into and then to watch how the practice changes the way you relate to your thoughts, how you relate to your body, to your breath over time. And the time piece is key.

SPEAKER_03:

Thank you for sharing that, Jelena. I'm I'm curious to know. I'm thinking about all of the misconceptions that people have about therapy and in general or healing. Um how do you gently challenge these misconceptions? How would you invite people into being open to therapy?

SPEAKER_00:

Good question. I think with therapy, it really is about timing and inner desire. Um, I was actually talking with some colleagues the other day, and we do these things called case studies where we'll be given like an imaginary situation. And um, the imaginary situation was someone who uh struggled with addiction and they show up to therapy. They've been struggling for years and years and years, and um they are showing up now and talked a little bit about his background and all this kind of stuff, and we have an addictions counselor on staff, and she very aptly said, you know, one of the questions I ask, especially in a situation like that, is why now? Why is this person coming to therapy now? Because the why is important. Because if the why is external, if he is coming to practice because his wife has told him, you do this or I'm gone. Right. Or, you know, his job is like you need to get help, or we're firing you, it's an external push, which can sometimes shift to an internal um uh motivation, not very often. It therapy usually starts to make a change when it's coming from within, when the person wants to be there, recognizes that they are in need of change or they they're desiring change, or you know, something's tipped the scale, so that it's something that has to come from within. Um yeah, I think that's really important when it comes to therapy. And uh if you don't feel ready or if you don't want to, that's okay. Um, but I will say that my experience with it personally, because I am also in therapy, let's destigatize it. I've been in it for about seven years now. We can all benefit from it. Yeah. And even like for some people, like for myself, I see it as a lifelong practice. I'm also in a very privileged position where I can have access to it. That's another thing. Not everybody can access therapy. I like that where I am right now offers pro bono services. Um, but if you are able to, and also find a good therapist, because some people will say I didn't like therapy because I had a bad experience. And that's that that happens. I think it's important to find a therapist that suits your needs as well. Like something I'll say at the start of the session is if there isn't a click, there isn't a stick, and that's okay. You have to find someone. It's like finding a hairdresser or a massage therapist. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and that's okay. So yeah, that's part of it as well.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. So for people listening who are curious about therapy or mindfulness, but they're feeling hesitant or unsure in some way, do you have any advice or encouragement for them?

SPEAKER_00:

I would say have conversations. Talk to people that you know have gone to therapy and hear a little bit more about their experiences. Um, I would say for meditation and mindfulness, making sure that it is something that uh meets your needs in the moment. One of the things that I was uh talking about in my uh presentation um was that sometimes mindfulness isn't for everyone. If someone is struggling with um cyclical depressive thoughts or psychosis or suicidal ideation, you're not gonna tell them to sit down and sit with their thoughts and meditate. It really is about timing as well. And so I do think that meditation needs to be approached with um with care. Um and to circle back to uh therapy, I really like that there are online platforms where people can reach out to therapists in a fairly affordable way. And it also gives you the experience of shopping around for a therapist. You can take some time to find somebody that works for you. And if you're willing to give the online platform a try, I think that that has value. Um, and it's not as uh taxing as like going in person and trying all of that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_03:

So do you have any websites that you would recommend for quick access to therapy?

SPEAKER_00:

Betterhelp.com is the one that comes up the most, and people have probably heard uh so many times advertised on podcasts because they seem to be everywhere, but that's the one that I would recommend. I would also recommend if you are pretty much like every province and or state, depending on where you're listening to, has some kind of governing body for psychotherapists, and they usually have a registry that you can go to. So if you are curious to find a therapist and you're more interested in the on in-person route, then I would say go to those websites, look at the descriptions of the therapists because they'll tell you what their specialties are, and if it's what you're looking for, then it saves you the hassle of having to go all around. So the CRPO for Ontario is a governing body where registered psychotherapists, and that's important because sometimes people say, like, I'm a counselor, and they're not. Oh, those governing bodies are important to uh to check out and then you can find that information listed there.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. Well, that's helpful. Thank you, Jelena. Um, you spend so much of your time helping other people find balance, Jelena, but I know from my own experience that it takes intention to sustain that balance in your own life too. What practices or rhythms help you stay grounded and connected to yourself?

SPEAKER_00:

I really love lifting weights right now. That's something that I've been trying to do at least three times a week. Um, cardio also moving my body in those ways is so important. And doing my own yoga practice is important as well. Um and with the intensity of my schedule right now, being very intentional about social time and having time with my girlfriends, being goofy, being ridiculous, um, decompressing with my partner on the couch at the end of the day, watching Parks and Wreck and you know, sipping on a glass of wine. Like those are the things that help me uh stay grounded in getting enough sleep like that, especially in my 40s now. Like if I don't have sleep, I just know.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So those are some of the things that I go towards to find balance.

SPEAKER_03:

Beautiful. I encourage five to thrive. That's something that I came up with. Kind of whittling the must do non-negotiables in life to keep you healthy and balanced. And um what it came down to is stillness, nourishment, movement, quality rest, and connection. And I I really believe it's that simple. And uh these pillars of health and wellness really do keep us grounded and prevent disease and mental health issues if we're prioritizing them before we pack everything else into our schedule.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. It's so like I love that. That is such a beautiful way to encapsulate it. And for me, the um recovering perfectionist, something I've also reminded myself is that if I fall off, if I don't manage to maintain those things at the level that I expect myself to, and expectations are so slow. The grace that I give myself in those moments is so helpful because I'm actually able to get back on the horse faster. Right. When I offer myself compassion rather than beating up on myself. And that is a lesson I'm continuously learning. Right. It's taking forever.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Understanding what works and gently bringing yourself back to those practices when you fall off track, because we all do.

SPEAKER_00:

Totally.

SPEAKER_03:

Jolena, I'm curious to know if you'd like to share how people can connect with you. I know you're not a therapist quite yet, but you're almost there. And uh I know that you have your own yoga practice. So would you be open to people connecting with you?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, for sure. Um for yoga, my website is Jelenayoga.com. Um You can find me there. All of my socials are on my website. So I feel like that's probably the easiest way to find me. Um, I'm not as active on an Instagram as I used to be because of the whole therapy thing. Um and also I just want to shout out where I'm currently doing my practicum for therapy, Grimsby Life Center. Uh, they are a nonprofit charity organization, so people want to check that out. If they are looking for mental health services that are pro bono, or if they are wanting to donate, it's an amazing organization. And I'm so grateful to be a part of it. So just want to give them a shout out as well.

SPEAKER_03:

Wonderful. And that's in-person only? In person and online.

SPEAKER_00:

We do offer too. So yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Perfect. Jolena, before we part ways, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. Your approach is guided by the belief that everyone deserves care and compassion. And I know firsthand that that wisdom shines through in everything you do. So thank you so much for being here and sharing your story. And I'm so looking forward to seeing how you continue to bless the world through therapy, through yoga, and just by being you.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks so much, Betty. And same, I'm so incredibly grateful for your friendship and who you are and that wisdom, that hard-won wisdom that you have. Love you.

SPEAKER_03:

Right back at you. Love you too, Jelena. Thank you so much for your time today.

SPEAKER_00:

My pleasure.

SPEAKER_03:

That was my conversation with Jelena, and I'm so grateful you got to hear a glimpse of her story. I love the way she spoke about bringing curiosity into new spaces, the way rowing and yoga each shaped her, and how mindfulness, when practiced with honesty, becomes a path back to ourselves. If something in this conversation resonated with you, I encourage you to take it with you this week. Whether that's approaching your day with curiosity, practicing stillness, or simply remembering that healing begins when we give ourselves permission to be present. And as always, thank you for listening. Remember, you were created to thrive, not just survive. Until next time, take a breath and be still. Thank you so much for listening to Be Still and Live. If today's episode brought you a breath of peace or a moment of clarity, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who might need it too. For more resources to support your journey toward a slower, simpler, more connected life, visit SoleoCoaching.com or connect with me on Instagram at SoleiloCoing. Until next time, be still and live.

SPEAKER_02:

This podcast is produced, mixed, and edited by Cardinal Studio. For more information about how to start your own podcast, please visit www.cardinalstudio.co or email Mike at mike at cardinalstudio.co. You can also find the details in the show notes.