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Twice monthly stories for humans seeking depth and meaning.

I'm Janelle Hardy and at some point you signed up for this twice-monthly (ish) newsletter on memoir-writing, somatic (body) healing and stories. If you'd like to unsubscribe, just click the unsubscribe link at the bottom.

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Blinking my eyes and uncurling my intense gaze from the screen, I looked at the time on my phone. 11:30pm.

Four hours had passed in an obsessive blink.

It started with an instagram ad floating by. "Join us on the adventure of a lifetime!"

Ok.

I clicked. Canada's Ultimate Challenge: a country-wide obstacle competition show.

Ooooo.

"Must be available for five weeks in September and October 2023." Mentally, I raised my hand, eager-beaver student. "Me! Pick me!"

APPLY NOW. That yellow button with black text beckoned me.

Plenty of questions like: What makes you a fierce competitor? What kind of experience do you have with teams?

I do love a good questionnaire, I thought to myself, just barely resisting the temptation to fill the answers in as I scrolled through the application form.

"Apply for Season 2!"

"That means there's a season 1" I thought as I feverishly pressed 'command T' to open a new internet browser tab, typed the show in, and started watching.

Episode 3 was set around my hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon.

One of the challenges was at Miles Canyon, a five minute walk from the little island where my parents, age 18 and 21 with me already 5 months in my mom's womb, were married.

Two of the Yukon competitions were catered by my daughter's summer job last year. I remembered the stories she'd brought home from work, about feeding a ravenous reality TV show.

A couple friends worked at the hot resto-bar in town, and had a story about one of the coaches (all famous former athletes) flexing their fading star to get service after hours. "Don't you know who I am?!"

Didn't work, btw. Northerners don't like people who try to force VIP treatment. Well, does anyone?

I watched competition highlights like "team pulls airplane" and "team members scale a 200 foot rope net to the top of a trestle bridge - who can do it fastest?!" thinking "I could do that!" before, at 11:30pm I blearily emerged, walked to the bathroom, sat on the toilet and realized "woof, I feel tired!"

Two months ago I donated blood, the third time in a year, and the nurse, after pricking my thumb, told me I was only one point off from their low-iron cut-off. "And your iron drops a fair bit after donating."

Sure enough, 3 weeks after donating blood, I'm back where I was 2 years ago when I learned my fatigue was due to low iron. (btw - I know how to replenish myself, I'm well-resourced, I don't need any suggestions!)

What was I thinking? My iron is low, I'm pooped! Four hours of delusion bubble popped, I remembered. I'm not 20 anymore. Or 30. Or even 40.

And although you can be my age (44) and be in fantastic shape, the best of your life, I am currently in NO shape to be on a team competing against former athletes and personal trainers and, and, and...

Midlife. It's a humbling thing.

What sucked me in, though, was the experience of it all. The word adventure.

The temptation to apply had everything to do with the support the team members got from their coaches and the TV show, the adventure of traveling to spectacular locations all over Canada, and collectively working towards a goal.

Being in something together. IN IT, together.

The physicality of testing your limits, expending yourself completely in service of a goal. Finding your inner resources, strengths and challenges. Being supported by a team.

The allure of receiving guidance, feeling connected, going on an adventure, there's something to that. Going through a thing together.

So appealing.

But, give me a reality TV show that blends the physical with creative collaboration and creativity games. A bit of the tangible and a bit of the abstract. I'll apply (and hire the personal trainer) for that.

I came out of the fog of delusion.

I'm a realist.

I didn't submit my application. Thinking about what I could do with a year to plan for Season 3 though 🙄😬.

But this excitement, these longings... they're human. We're social creatures. And they don't only happen with hardcore physical competitions and travel adventures.

The latest cohort of my live Art of Personal Mythmaking, transformational memoir-writing course, is almost finished their 5 months together.

Five months of gathering weekly, exploring themes related to life stories, somatic healing and transformation, all while writing the first draft of their memoir, sharing their writing and becoming deeply connected to the people in their small writing circles.

I offer them guidance, support, love and clarity as well as a great, marvelous creative challenge.

It's a brave, bold, inner adventure.

We're in the storyshare week, and my heart is bursting with love, appreciation and awe at the ways my students are writing, crafting and telling their stories.

It's like eating a 12 course meal with the best people. Only, it's story!

I teach Personal Mythmaking live once a year from January - June (but it's available self-directed year round) but you can enrol for the January 2024 cohort now!

If you're longing for an eclectic and embodied healing approach, and you want to feel deeply connected and supported, my transformational memoir-writing course, The Art of Personal Mythmaking, is a true inner journey.

As my student Molly says:

"Take this course. Your writing practice will ignite. But if you were led to this material, it’s your creative spirit, your very soul, that’s yearning for this original and singularly eccentric adventure.”

This is my invitation and my heads-up.

I'm increasing the prices in about two weeks.

xoxo,

Janelle

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🌻 🌱 Work with me 🌻 🌱

🌻 My transformational memoir-writing course, The Art of Personal Mythmaking, is open to enrolment. If you sign up for the self-directed version, you can start right away, and self-pace yourself.

If you sign up for the live version, extended payment plans are currently available, we start January 2024 and go till the end of June.

Prices for both versions of this transformational memoir-writing course are going up in two weeks, so if you've been circling around joining (or have friends who have been) now is the time to commit.

🌻 Or, get a feel for my process with my free, on-demand workshop: Outline Your Memoir Using Fairy Tale and Myth as Your Guide.​

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🕯🌿 Stellar services, offerings and work in the world 🕯🌿

🕯🌿 Malina Dawn, @indigenousyogini on instagram, has many beautiful offers related to yoga, dance, breathwork and wellness, online and in-person.

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