It's All Connected Podcast

About It's All Connected Podcast

Everything in our life is a metaphor and can be reflected in the seasons, nature, the little things in our life, our struggles, challenges and triumphs. From how we feel in autumn and winter, to the emotions we experience regularly and the foods we crave and desire: it's all connected. In this podcast, Pamela delves into the connections between life, nature, Chinese Medicine, neuroplasticity, our emotional landscapes, and more. pamelashaw.substack.com (https://pamelashaw.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Pamela Shaw

Category

society & culture · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

31 Dec 2023

Latest episode

22 May 2025

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 May 2025

   Relaxation & Rejuvenation or Stimulation & Exhaustion

   Pamela Shaw explores the balance between relaxation and stimulation, revealing how energy management impacts financial decisions and overall well-being, advocating for intentional rest to avoid scarcity-driven choices.

2. 

   15 May 2025

   Money and Sea Change

   I was on a walk recently, wondering what “important calendar event” I had missed. I turned the dates over in my mind, couldn’t think of anything, then dropped it. A half hour or so later, I remembered that what would have been my 15 year wedding anniversary was the day that I swam a mile and a quarter in the choppy strong current of the ocean!I looked back on all that’s changed since leaving the marriage. This brought a realization: money and personal finance is now no longer a source of stress in my life, but joy, peace, centeredness, and devotion. There’s more trust in my life, and the world, as a result of where I am right now. It's All Connected is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Many years ago, I had very little in an emergency account. Which meant that if something came up, like an unexpected bill or expense, I’d have no money and put the charges on a credit card. Because I didn’t make enough to have an emergency account, it meant that the credit card bill would be chipped away for a bit, then something would happen, and I’d be stuck in the same cycle over and over. Marital dynamics compounded this effect. I was in a near-constant state of financial stress. I would quite literally lose sleep at night because of my, and our, situation. I wanted things to be better, to get better, but everything I tried seemed to backfire or meet resistance. Make a debt payoff plan? Undone within a week. Make a “build our savings” plan? By the end of the month it was forgotten. Try to figure out where life was going? Crickets. (To be clear: it was equally my responsibility as it was his, it takes two to tango after all. And I’m not blaming my former husband, we had our journey together, and the divorce was the catalyst for my freedom.) Along the way, I realized that if something was REALLY THAT important to me, I found a way to make it happen. Flying to California for herbal training? Covered. Going to the Berkshires in MA for two years to study Chinese Medicine? No problem. Violin lessons? A must. All prioritized over financial stability. These priorities were oriented towards really beautiful, life-enriching things. I learned so much in diving into it all. Yet, the ONE thing that I was seeking through all of this was a sense of peace and stability, of groundedness. That was something I did not have beyond the moments spent in training, in study, in practice. The marital dynamic I was in, with the feast or famine cycle (pay off debt, then re-acquire debt), exaggerated the financial situation. It felt like I was swimming against the choppy currents of the ocean while also towing someone. At some point, I got exhausted and couldn’t go any further. I gave up fighting the dynamic and circumstances I was in. I stopped feeling ashamed of where I was (financially, relationally) and accepted that this is where I am and that I didn’t want to continue living this way. I was done living in chaos. I needed to get out, but I couldn’t because I didn’t feel financially capable of doing so. That was when my money path and the direction of my life shifted. I re-oriented to MY life path and dreams, independent of my husband’s. (Which I had been doing all along with those beautiful, life-enriching things too!) What I’d been trying to accomplish FOR YEARS, took less than a year. I was no longer trying to escape my life. Instead, I was focused on providing myself my own safety net. And learning what I truly needed in order to make a post-marriage life work. I put together the financial system that I’m still using. It was thanks to this system that I was able to see plain as day what I didn’t think or feel like I had: the ability to make a post-marriage life financially work. That I indeed had the emergency account that helped me breathe a little easier at night. Knowing that I financially was ready allowed me to leave my marriage. The world opened up, shifted, and changed, and it was hard and challenging, and full of every emotion possible. I spent oodles of time walking around my neighborhood, connected with people in new ways, and did a lot of inner work that didn’t require flying across the country. I did side-gig work where I could to help bring in a little extra cash. I lobbied for myself at work, acquired new responsibilities and a raise. Extra money came in from surprising places. Ironically, the divorce was what freed me of the debt. Re-orienting towards the feelings of true safety, centeredness, groundedness and peace allowed me to make big changes to my life and finances. This sea change has brought me such goodness and love and joy. And you know what? I’m still finding a way to do all the beautiful, life-enriching things, I just have a really healthy emergency account and solid financial foundation now. *********************************************************************************************************** If you liked this post, please hit the heart button! If you resonated with something here, I’d love to know what it brought up for you (comment below). And, if you think someone would like this post too… feel free to share it. Please consider subscribing (as a free or paid subscriber) - it means the world to me, and encourages me to keep sharing with you! If you’re interested in getting your financial ducks in a row, I’m offering 1:1 sessions. You can book that here (https://pamelacshaw.setmore.com/). Once booked, I’ll email you with instructions for your session. It's All Connected is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pamelashaw.substack.com/subscribe (https://pamelashaw.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   11 May 2025

   Launching into Summer

   A few weeks ago I had outpatient surgery, and received the most amazing care from my parents, the staff at the hospital and my medical team. In healing and recovery, I learned that “expectations” are almost worse than comparisons… I expected to be back to my usual walks within a week, two max. I expected to be back to my usual swims in four weeks. I expected to participate in the 1-mile ocean swim in Florida a mere 8 weeks after surgery. Was I back to walking and swimming in these time frames?Yes.Was it “business as usual”?No. It took me five weeks to learn to slow my walks down. After living in NYC for 15 years, and taking regular “speed walks” even before then, my standard walking pace is quite fast. What feels slow to me, is actually still quite fast! I learned that I operate at two speeds: 10 and 0. Very extreme. The surgery and recovery offered me an opportunity to learn what 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., felt like. Because when I didn’t slow down, pain and discomfort showed up to redirect me. When I tried to push things too hard to soon (for example: I returned to work 2 days earlier than I really should have), it resulted in a lot of extra tiredness and fatigue. On the upside to this, I learned: How to slow down, what that feels like – not just in my body, but in my mind. That’s right, despite over a decade’s experience with meditation and so on, I still want to move through life lightning fast. I do this so I can “fit it all in”, but to my detriment. Having to slow down in order to “go fast” with my healing was a strange feeling. I learned that the more I honored not just my body’s need for deep rest but also slowness, the more I felt better. I really want to bring this forward with me, it is such a valuable lesson and practice. I learned what guilt-free rest felt like. I learned to nap with glee and abundance. I learned that it’s better to do something than to sit around and do nothing and stew in anxiety. In the week leading up to the surgery, I was prepping food and storing it in single serving portions in the freezer so that my mother would have an easier time while taking care of me. It felt good to do this, definitely more productive than having pre-surgery anxiety and the resulting stories that my mind would potentially come up with! And, having my mother bring be big mugs of green soup, squash soup, congee, and smoothies was pretty awesome. I learned to speak up to my doctor in a proactive, non-confrontational, way. I learned that it is totally okay to do “the bare minimum” (see “fitting it all in” above) – and that there is great pleasure in doing very little each day. I am no less worthy or valuable because all I did was eat, nap, sleep, take a walk, and read for the day. (This worth and value harkens to Earth and Metal issues, we’ll maybe touch on this in the future when I have learned enough lessons to share about it.) I learned that people want to help – and to let them. That accepting offered help doesn’t “mean” anything about me other than I’m receiving the other person’s love and care and kindness. Oh, and that Ocean Mile Swim? That was yesterday.Against doctor’s orders, against all reasoning from everyone around me saying it wasn’t a good idea and to not do it: I tried anyway. I tried because despite not registering, I received a “thanks for registering for the Ocean Mile Swim!” email AND my Friday night plans had been cancelled (which meant I could go to bed early). I said, “oh, okay Universe, I’ll go! Thanks!” An ominous wind howled in the trees along the coast, which gave me a not so warm and fuzzy feeling in my belly. The wind was but a preview of the not ideal conditions: strong current, 3ft chop with a 15mph southern wind, all that jazz. The course is a swim north then south parallel to the shore: so basically you were fighting the current for the latter half of the swim to the course’s finish. I made it 85% of the way (to completing the course), and had to stop. I was really, really tried, and I had no juice left. I started crying in the water, and cried when I got to shore. I really wanted to finish, and I just couldn’t. (My brain wasn’t even saying, “I can’t do this”, it was my body saying: I’m done.) I swam for over an hour, and swam 1.26 miles. That’s right, over an hour, 1.26 miles and I didn’t even get to finish the course before I conked out. By the time I would have completed the swim, had I had the juice, I would have clocked over a mile and a half to three quarters, minimum. I learned that it’s okay to make it 85% of the way there sometimes – especially less than 8 weeks after surgery. I learned that the woman who finished first in her age group thought about quitting a hundred times, and kept at it anyway. I wish I had more “juice” to keep going, but my energy was just gone. I mean, I’m probably at 85% post-surgery anyway, so to get 85% of the course as it was done – that’s all I could do. I also learned that it’s more about the trying than the finishing, and who you meet along the way, that matters more than anything. (And, of course, listening to my body.) This is what I have learned as we’re launching into summer. What have you been learning? I’d love to hear from you. *********************************************************************************************************** If you liked this post, please hit the heart button! If you resonated with something here, I’d love to know what it brought up for you (comment below). And, if you think someone would like this post too… feel free to share it. Please consider subscribing (as a free or paid subscriber) - it means the world to me, and encourages me to keep sharing with you! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pamelashaw.substack.com/subscribe (https://pamelashaw.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

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