Episode 034: Michelle Tremblay -- black belt and empowerment advocate

What we cover: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" – Marianne Williamson Michelle Tremblay is poised and zen and calming and self-assured. But she wasn't always this way. She was once shy, uncertain, insecure, and scattered – as she puts it. Then, after the tragic suicide of her fiancé, an event that clearly sent her reeling, she sought out the comfort and meaning and the guidance that awaited in martial arts. And she did the work – she peeled back the layers of pain, the layers of hiding, and the layers of limiting beliefs. Today she is a 2nd degree black belt in Karate, and she's made a life for herself – both professionally and personally – as an empowerment advocate, through her company MPower Lives. That's a capital "M" and the word power. M for Michelle. M for Martial Arts. M for Mindfulness. M for Meditation. As principal of MPower Lives, she is a speaker, a workshop facilitator, a coach, a teacher, and she's a frequent visitor to both schools and the workplace -- places that may be suffering the ill affects of bullying, harassment, and toxicity – she comes in from a place of peace and openness, and she and her clients get to the bottom of the issues of fear and aggression and their opposites, love and inclusivity – together. She's worked with more than 8,000 people in this capacity. Today's chat is lovely and enchanting and warm and – at times – very emotional. It's a bit of a departure from the past. This is not a conversation strictly about achieving authenticity in the ways that we typically address the topic -- through hard work and tenacity. This is an episode dedicated to forgiveness and love and empowerment and of dusting ourselves off when we fall, in a more caring, mindful, and fully engaged way. It's about being present-minded. About being grounded. And about embracing the slowness. More than anything it's a dialogue about empowerment. Being empowered from a place of compassion and empathy, and not one of belittling others in order to feel bigger. Being empowered from a place of lifting others up, not tearing them down. Being empowered from a place of showing our vulnerabilities – understanding that there is, perhaps, no stronger act than the one of sharing our weak places and asking for help. After surviving the agonizing loss of Randall, a man who she now is able to recognize wore masks in order to hide his own personal battles with hardship – battles we will all know at one time or another – Michelle became committed to encouraging others who are in pain to reach out. She has a message for us all and that is this: Do not be ashamed. And for those of us who may love someone who is going through a difficult time, she reminds us to be on the lookout for the signs of depression. Not a short-term sadness, but a deep, ongoing one. We may think someone is simply "stressed" or "struggling" and that they'll "get over it". But often, we only realize how bad it was when it's too late. I want to thank Michelle for her incredible openness, the sharing in this episode is deeply admirable. And I am grateful to you for it, Michelle. Learn more at: MJDionne.com