Free Range Flock

June 3rd, 2023, we were sitting in a studio, downtown Greensboro, recording our first episodes of this podcast. We were a combination of excitement and nervousness unsure of where this journey would take us. 35 episodes later, it's time for us to be reflective and look back at this journey. We love creating this podcast. Our guests have taught us so much and shared messages that we needed to hear. It's like going to therapy in public sometimes, but we feel like both of us have grown in so many ways.During this episode, we share moments from past episodes when the messages rocked us to our core. These messages include finding our forever families, the importance of taking risks, finding balance in our lives when it comes to work and hobbies, remembering to love ourselves first by taking care of our needs, focusing on the long game, and being intentional with our decisions. Thank you for joining us on this ride.Don't worry. We are not going anywhere. Season 2 will be here in a few months. For now, we want to use this time to reflect and dream up where we want to go next. Don't be a stranger. Reach out to us either through our social media channels or our email if you have suggestions for Season 2. We would love to hear them. Our email address is freerangeflock@gmail.com.As always, thanks for listening, ya'll.

How are you doing? When someone asks you that question, what's the first thing you say? Fine, Ok. Work has been nuts lately. Does your answer focus immediately on your job or something else? How do you feel about that?During this episode, we talk with Katie Riddle about how our perspective changes about work as we get older. We are no longer like ourselves in our 20s and 30s trying to climb a corporate ladder trying to exceed expectations of our performance reviews. Instead, we take pride in doing our job well and log off at the end of the day. Our understanding of ourselves changes from our title at work to who I am outside of this work.We are more than just employees. We are individuals who have loved ones and lives outside of the workplace. NOW is the time to push ourselves to find out who we are and who we want to be and enjoy both now and when we retire. If you don't know who you are outside of work, NOW is the time to figure it out.Thanks for listening.

Hi there Free Ranger, how's it going?We are returning to a common topic on our podcast - how life changes during life's turning points. Many of us experience multiple turning points in our life including losing or changing jobs, marriage, divorce, becoming a parent, losing a loved one, or experiencing an illness. These turning points can rock you to your core and challenge you in new ways.For this episode, we asked Kristen Daukus to join us again for a discussion about how getting divorced required her to do the work that she was putting off. We do a lot of unpacking during this episode including how each of us has our challenges that we need to face and how many of us are masking to protect ourselves. It's only when we dive deep and do the important work on ourselves that we can get to the other side of a challenge and live happy.Thanks for listening.

How's it going, Free Rangers? Are you ready for this? I am not quite sure that you are. It's going to be a great one, that's for sure. We love having conversations with great people who are full of energy and interesting ideas. Today is a special treat because we are joined by Michael Driver. Michael is a father, husband, music nerd, realtor, and someone who has his hands in a bit of everything. Many of us had our first so-called mid-life crisis in our 30s or 40s. For Michael, it was 13. He realized at a young age that I didn't want the life that his parents were living. He wanted something very different. His life direction changed while taking a personal finance class in college. Suddenly a lot of things started to make sense. For instance, don't give your kid money, give them an IRA. I don't want to give too much away here because it's better if you listen to Michael and let him tell you. Let's just say that if it's not fun, Michael is not going to do it. And fun is what you are going to have for sure as you listen to this episode. Thanks for listening. 

Hello Free Ranger. Welcome to another great day. Did you know that everyday is a gift? That's right. Even those crazy, bad days when everything is going wrong is a gift. Tomorrow is never promised. For today's episode, we are talking with Don Owens who is a father, husband, mortgage professional, and fellow Free Ranger who is living his best life. As he states, he is the healthiest and happiest than he has ever been in his life right now. His life is full of long, morning walks, great music, and enjoying life through experiences. He's defining success his way. Join us as we talk about the importance of embracing your emotions, small trips that give you clarity and not sharing your tent with a badger. That last one will make more sense once you listen, I promise. Thanks for listening. 

Hello Free Ranger. Do you know how rich you are right now? You may not be swimming in dollars, but there are other ways to be rich - in health, in friendship, in love, etc. During this episode, we talk about the importance of the abundance mindset. Thanks to social media, it's easy to get distracted and start believing that your life is lacking. Maybe you are feeling down because you can't travel like others or you are not able to buy the latest fashion, but this mindset is temporary. It's important to find ways to remind yourself of everything that you have and not focus on what you lack. During this episode, Amy and Sara talk about how they sometimes get stuck in a downward mindset focusing on everything that they lack, but with some helpful strategies, they remember how abundant their lives really are. If you are finding yourself in a downward mindset, we hope this episode inspires you to reset in some way. Thanks for listening. 

Hello Dear Free Rangers. Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive or you need to ask someone for forgiveness? That someone can include yourself. If so, this episode is for you. Remember when you were a kid on the playground and when you did something wrong, your parent or guardian made you ask for forgiveness immediately. This simple act is an important life lesson that we needed to learn - the moment you know that you did something wrong, ask for forgiveness immediately. Allow yourself to get to the other side of this hurt as soon as possible. Amy and Sara discuss the importance of forgiveness and how holding on to hurt holds you back. The other person may not forgive you, but you no longer need to carry around the hurt. Forgive today to give yourself a brighter tomorrow. Thanks for listening and forgiving. 

Hi there, Free Rangers. How are you feeling? Ever encountered someone who made you feel better about things just with a simple gesture or kind word? Did that person give you the boost that you needed right when you needed it? All of us have experienced that random act of kindness at least once in our lives.For today's episode, we focus on the important concept of leaving people better than you found them. As Free Rangers, we know that others may be watching us to set an example or get inspiration from us. It's important to take a moment daily to remember that those around us are human beings like us who may be struggling with something that we cannot see. Kindness in all its forms goes a long way.Amy and Sara share moments when others took the time to add value to their lives and how they try to do the same for others in return. Remember during these trying times that a smile, acknowledgement or kind words could change the day, week, or life for someone else.Thanks for listening.