Kay:

Hey there Questers, and welcome! It is Friday, September 4th. This is Episode 175. And, it happens to be National Wildlife Day! So, today, we’ve got kind of a fun one for you, from a very respected author and mentor, (from a distance), Ms. Brené Brown. And, she says, “Strong back, soft front, wild heart.”

Shi:

I mean, love Brené Brown! Obviously, we will fan girl about her in a second, but I also love the syntax of this quote right here – three strong statements. It’s very similar, actually, to our Squeeze In mission statement, which is also three strong statements of two words each. So, maybe that’s why we’re resonating with it so much here! But, “Strong back, soft front, wild heart,” – SO much connotated in just six words, and three little sentences…It’s just a beautiful quote!

Kay:

It really is, and it comes from a beautiful writer. Now, Brené Brown, if you haven’t heard of her, is an incredible, #1 New York Times bestselling author. But, one of the things that we love about her even more is that she got her start as a researcher. I believe she was with the University of Houston in Texas.

Shi:

I think so.

Kay:

And, she was a researcher for shame. She did shame research and learned how the emotion of shame came into play for people in the real world. So, from organizations to teamwork, she really looked at: How does shame affect us as human beings? And, her findings were amazing. She came down with one of her books called Braving the Wilderness, which is where this quote comes from. And so, we’re going to break this down into the three parts: strong backs, soft front, wild heart – for you today. And, just talk a little bit about each!

Shi:

So, let’s start with: strong back. This is that quintessential, got to have a backbone, know what you stand for, and be able to stand strong with it. You have to have that foundation to be able to be strong, and to then build from there, weather from there, grow from there, suffer from there, and everything else! The back has got to be in place – solid and strong – so that you can live your life.

Kay:

Right? Let’s just go back to the Revolutionary days, right? We’re big Hamilton fans right now, so – let’s imagine we’re going from England to America, where we set out in our boat and we’re in a canoe. Are we going to make it?

Shi:

We are not going to make it.

Kay:

Probably not…What you need is a ship with a strong mast right up the center. And, if that mast isn’t strong enough, the storm will come and blow it over. And so, we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got that really strong foundation, because life – like nature – isn’t always smooth…The sea is not always smooth sailing, and you’ve got to have a strong mast on your ship in order to make it to your destination…

Shi:

But, life isn’t all about strength, and that’s what the second part of this quote is: soft front. This part of the quote tells us to lead with hope, and expectation, and optimism. We just talked about how the storm is going to weather you in the ocean, and the elements are tough, which means you have to be strong. And, that’s why it immediately gets backed up with this “soft front,” because you want to come from a place of strength, but you want to lead with a place of softness, and vulnerability, and authenticity, and openness. You have to be willing to give your gut a voice in your life, and be willing to be open to sharing in a way that might make others uncomfortable, might make you uncomfortable, and that might open you up for betrayal, or for failure, or for criticism, or for any of the things that end up hurting us. And, the trick is not to close as those painful things come, but to help them make us stronger and continue to stay soft on the front.

Kay:

The final sentence here is: wild heart. This is really being brave enough to stand out in the wilderness. And, in this book, she’s not really talking about Yosemite and Yellowstone, but that emotional and thoughtful experiential wilderness that’s within. I’m going to pull a quick excerpt from Brené’s book. She says, “Belonging so fully to yourself that you’re willing to stand alone is a wilderness; an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. The wilderness can often feel unholy because we can’t control it or what people think about our choice of whether to venture into the vastness or not. But it turns out to be a place of true belonging and it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.”

Shi:

Gosh, that is a powerful excerpt and just a beautiful sentiment. And, I like to think that the first two pieces of this quote are kind of the, “every human has got to have the strong back and soft front,” and that expresses differently in different ways, but, the “wild heart”…that’s you. That is what drum is beating that you are going to dance to? What is the rhythm you hear that nobody else does? What is the thing that makes you unique, or the things and the passions and the excitement and the silliness and the seriousness and the cause that you are called to serve. That wild heart is where it really gets to come into play. But, that is a big old beast, right? And, just like nature, sometimes it’s going to bring you some stuff that makes your back stronger and that hurts your soft front, but that wild heart being that third piece really makes this beautiful quote come together.

Kay:

So, just a reminder, this quote today is, “Strong back, soft front, wild heart.”

Shi:

Which brings us to the weekend quest, here on Labor Day weekend! This is Shila here, and we are also celebrating my twins, Wesley and Emory, turning 10 years old on Monday! And so, their hope was to go camping for the 3 day weekend! We are lucky enough to be getting to go camping at Kay’s in-laws – GG and Padre’s camper, (up in Graeagle) – and we’re so excited for that. And so, your quest for this weekend is a wild weekend quest. Have a wild Labor Day weekend! We challenge you to be as open as you can, while remaining strong and engaging in something that makes your heart sing. So, get out there and get a little wild! Are you ready?

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!