116: Lessons in Elite Personal Development

Your life can look successful and still feel heavy, tense, or unfinished. We get into the kind of personal development that doesn’t just hype you up for a weekend, it retrains how you think, speak, and show up when it actually counts.

We talk about Polly’s long arc with the Landmark Forum and what brought her back years later into Landmark’s Team Management and Leadership Program, a yearlong leadership training that turns daily life into the curriculum. The surprising part isn’t the theory, it’s the repetition: real conversations, real breakdowns, real coaching, and a community that reflects you back to yourself. We also connect the dots to our current “Year to Live” practice and why living with urgency makes communication, integrity, and relationship completion feel non-optional.

Along the way, we break down some of the most useful distinctions for mindset and emotional resilience: the difference between accomplishment and results, why “words create your world,” and how most conflict comes from the meaning we add, not the facts. We explore love and affinity as an active leadership choice, how to stop treating communication like a threat, and why picking up the phone can save you months of mental noise. If you’re searching for better communication skills, stronger relationships, and a more grounded inner life, you’ll find plenty to apply immediately.

If something here hits, share it with a friend who’s on a growth path, subscribe so you don’t miss what we’re learning next, and leave a review. What’s one conversation you know you need to have this week?

Follow Coach Polly @getbusythriving and Coach Sam @thesamanthapruitt 

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Transcript

Welcome And Why Personal Development

Polly Mertens 0:08

Hey superstars, welcome back.

Samantha Pruitt 0:09

Polly here. Oh my goodness. What's up, beautiful human? Sam Bruitt in the house. Let's go. Let's go. You and I were just like riffing for an hour or whatever it was because we haven't been in connection. I mean, like this kind of connection. Um, and we got a lot going on. Okay, because the world is full of opportunities. So, speaking of personal development, that's one of the many opportunities that humans can embark upon. And that's what we're going to talk about today. And in particular, your journey through the landmark forum and beyond. And I was calling it a master's degree in personal development. So, to be clear, it's not like your average personal development class or book or program. Um, landmark's been around for what, 40 years?

Polly Mertens 0:56

Yeah, plus, yeah, something like that.

Samantha Pruitt 0:58

Okay, and you found landmark at what age?

Polly Mertens 1:01

Not to put you on the spot with your age, but no, no, it's great because it like it, I it reminds me. Um, so because it was part of my I've, you know, if you haven't listened to, so this is lessons in elite personal development. And so I've been what started my personal development journey was the landmark forum. And I've talked over the years as like what got me into coaching, what got me out of my 20-year eating disorder, what set me on a trajectory was the body of work that is landmark, right? Um, and I'm not saying it's better or worse than any other personal development, but it was the start of my journey. It's when I literally became conscious, is how I think. Like, like it turned the light on inside of me that, like, oh, I'm not just this mind. Oh, I'm not just whatever we, you know, identify as, right? So it was the start of that, and that was at 34, because I had had an eating disorder from 14 to 34, and I walked out and I didn't have an eating disorder after 20 years. So 34 and I'm 54. So this was 20 years ago now. Yeah. So thank you for the math.

Samantha Pruitt 2:02

Yep. There we go.

Landmark As A Turning Point

Samantha Pruitt 2:05

You know, there's so many opportunities to wake the hell up to your own life. I mean, literally, someone is knocking on the door most days of the week. And when I say someone, I mean the universe or whatever your belief system is, to wake the fuck up to your life. And so it's so thrilling for me to know that you boldly did it at such a young age. It did not waste another 20 or 40 years.

Polly Mertens 2:34

Yeah, and I wish I, you know, they have the landmark and content for teenage or like young adults and stuff like that. I'm like, man, if I knew this stuff, you know, like if I was, if I had, right? Like, well, but but every path's perfect, right? It was like, okay, that's when I was supposed to do it, and I had to go through all of that nonsense. That was my first, you know, 20 years of adult life to get to that point. And and I would never say I didn't want to have that eating disorder because all of that was like part of my story and my journey of, you know, you you don't know your, you know, if you're never hungry, you don't know how good food tastes, right? It's like getting hungry or like being in a desert and then you see an oasis. It's like, wow, like it really has an impression or an impact on your life, right? So it's like I had to go into these places to grow into and learn and rediscover who I am and what I'm capable of and the strength that I have and stuff.

Samantha Pruitt 3:23

So and sometimes you really gotta suffer. Right. I mean, you're doing it also. You're doing it with dark.

Polly Mertens 3:33

Yeah, the painted patchwork quilt that we have of ups and downs and lessons learned, and you know, me with divorcing and you with, you know, couch potato to you know, ultra woman and stuff. It's there's a lot there, right? Right. So and it's lifelong, you know, like it's lifelong.

Samantha Pruitt 3:51

Well, what makes somebody even want to dive into personal development? Suffering.

Polly Mertens 3:56

Uh yeah, okay. Suffering. End of suffering, a desire to get to the bottom of, not to wallow, not to stay a victim their whole life, not to keep repeating old patterns. They're like, why do I keep doing this to myself? Because you keep doing it to yourself. Like you're you're the one that's doing it, right? And so it's more self-discovery, more awareness. And, you know, I'm grateful. You know, I remember this is a little backstory. This isn't exactly what we're gonna talk about, but you never know where this is gonna go. So here we go. So when I did the landmark forum, there's uh so landmark, like you started to say, is like a body of work, right? There's so it's like a little mini university and personal development that's been around since late 60s, 70s, whatever. And um, there's different paths that you can follow, kind of like you go to a university and you could study at different schools of business, science, nursing, whatever. So I did the landmark forum, which is a three-day weekend. That's like the entree. Anything in landmark, you start there. It's like the foundation. Then I did something called the Advanced Forum or the Advanced Course, and that like opened my eyes. And and and I was um in the landmark forum. I remember sitting next to someone before I started doing all these programs, and some guy was like, Yeah, I'm I'm retaking it. And I had such breakthroughs. I thought like I was fixed. I was like, life is good, I am done, right? And I was like, why would you come back? You know, I was like, and then I later redid it. And I was like, oh, okay, I get it. Like we've go back to sleep, or there's more to work on, like there's more to unpack in our life, right? And so I've been on a journey, and not like I'm broken or something's wrong with me, but personal development is like I choose to develop and understand myself and be my best self as you do, right? And so whatever that looks like, some people love university degrees, or some people love to be the best athlete in a certain court, whatever. And I'm like, the when I work on myself and I invest in myself as you do, is like that brings all of light. Like who you become, like it ripples out into so much of your life, right?

Samantha Pruitt 5:55

It's like yeah, well, and you know, we both also love to learn about other things and study other things and all the things, but like can I I I just can't think of anything more important than understanding this that is me. So I can be really smart and have all these degrees or have all this success or whatever all understand other people and how their brains work and all that. Like I'm fascinated in all of that stuff. But if I really don't understand me and am not really fully at peace or fully integrated and awake within this life experience that I'm getting in this one precious body, I mean it's kind of half-assed.

Polly Mertens 6:35

Yeah, yeah, you know? Yeah, like uh it's perplexing, you know, the potential that are that exists within each of us, you know. So just being like, I I not to say that you can't people do life however you do life, right? But I look at people that their single focus is let's say success or this or whatever, but their relationships suck or their health is in the toilet or whatever. It's like living life fully is like looking at all the areas, not just sacrificing everything for this one thing. And personal development for me has been the discovery of who I am to bring all of that into the world. And I'm super fascinated just with consciousness, you know, and having Yeah, you are having rich relationships, right? Like what makes me better in a relationship or worse in a relationship, or better in communication, or worse in communication, or sacrificing or you know, all these things. And it's been this discovery of me, you know, it's like unpacking who I am and what's, you know, because what I think I didn't realize, and I've realized over time, as I've done lots of genres of personal development, Tony Robbins, Harvecker, you know, studied Wayne Dyer, Abraham Hicks, all this stuff, is um, you know, I think a lot of teachers would agree growing up in a society has a conditioning level, right? Like we're very, especially Western world, homogenized and conditioned by the culture, the standards. Um, and you take that to any culture. You know, if I if you dropped, you know, if a if I was a baby and I was born in India, I'd grow up with those cultural traditions and be expected to follow those. But then something would awaken in me. And I was like, hey, I don't maybe don't want this, right? And so we, I think the personal development journey is to awaken to what conditioning did you get? And is that even yours? Like, do you do you want that? Do you choose that, right? And then not living by default based on the conditioning of your culture, your family upbringing, things that you made up from you know, mental survival tactics and whatever, and then just understanding how the mind works so that you can choose your life, right? Be a choice.

Samantha Pruitt 8:44

So exactly. And what comes with that is so much peace. And at the end of the day, I can't think of anything more important than me being at peace in this body and in this mind in a very complicated world, you know? It's just a precious gift. I don't have it every day, you know, but I have it a lot, and I'm appreciative that I developed that along the way like you have developed yourself as well. So we just want to encourage people to explore whatever path they choose. But we're here to talk about this course that you just completed. Uh-huh. Damn. So we call it team.

Polly Mertens 9:23

Yeah, and it's interesting. We're on this crux, or I step it out of. So just to in, you know, paint the picture if you haven't heard any of our previous episodes. I've been in a 12-month, it's called Team Management and Leadership Program, TMLP. We call it Team, if you will. And it actually has a two-year protocol. Like if you, if I was to continue on the second year, I'm not at this time anyway. But it is a 12-month commitment, four quarters or five weekends, first weekend and then four additional. And there's, I'll just say, like a ton that goes on. And the level of commitment where I saw it from the outside, I was like, oh yeah, I'll do those five weekends and these once a month and whatever. And then you get inside and then you realize like, how much more training

Why We Choose Growth Work

Polly Mertens 10:05

is available. And what I've, you know, and I'll start dropping some of the things that I've learned, but every conversation is an opportunity for personal development, for training and development, you know, and it's not like it's just happening in a weekend or in a particular training day where we were having or something. It's like I started to realize, wow, like, so I go and I learn something, you know, like, oh, discover this technique or understanding of a concept, right? And then I go into conversation with someone, I was like, oh, this conversation is bringing that understanding, that awareness, and it's everywhere. Like, how many conversations do we have during the day, right? So I just completed that. And what you and I are stepping into, and I'm grateful for you sharing your wisdom out of that you're getting out of the Year to Live program, where we're sort of co-I'm your co-pilot on this as you are in that program. The the path of coming out of team last year and now stepping into this is absolutely blowing my mind. Like it's next level, dude. It's right next level. Yeah. I mean, one of the things inside of team in that program, TMLP, is the they call them global leaders. So there's a body of people who lead these courses and are responsible for TMLP inside of Landmark. And they say that the people in Team are their elite body of people in the personal development world, right? So there's, um, you know, just like we talked about in university, you might be studying this, whatever. So a lot of people do other things, and then team is like the culmination. Like a lot of people like, I'll do team at the end because it takes something, right? And being around this body of people, and I mean, like probably none of them had less than six years, if not eight years, 20 years, whatever of wow, working stuff and themselves and and like really committed. And it's just it's like the SEAL team.

Samantha Pruitt 12:01

Yeah, it's it's like the SEAL team for landmark and for team.

Polly Mertens 12:06

And I feel like stepping into what we've stepped into with a year to live, which for you guys who didn't hear any episodes on that is living a year as if it's your last is what you and I are up to right now. The overlap and the transition of that into this is just freaking blowing my mind, you know. Like I thought, I was like, man, this landmark shit is like I'm you know, discovering so much and aha's and breakthroughs and distinctions for myself and and my relationships and who I am. And then putting right in the tail end of that, this year to live is like, whoa.

Samantha Pruitt 12:40

Well, they perfectly complement each other, right? Yeah, yeah.

Polly Mertens 12:44

And I had no idea, but um, this is perfect for us, yeah. Yeah, so yeah, so I'm I'm happy to share like you know, one so after 20 years, you re-upped.

Samantha Pruitt 12:55

There was a break in between, so for landmark specifically, yeah, yeah. You went back, yeah. Maybe it was less than 20 years, but and you specifically chose this program, the leadership and communication program, because well, I'll tell you what it this how this, yeah.

Polly Mertens 13:11

Let me just tell that little mini story. So a year ago, January, um I was invited by a friend of mine that I didn't know was taking any landmark material. I just knew her, I actually knew her through house flipping, and she's like, hey, I'm doing this landmark thing. Do you want to come to this night to hear about it? And I was like, Oh my god, I used to do landmark. Yes, I'd love to come hear about it, you know, because she was doing something I hadn't done before. So I go to that and just like hear landmark has very specific language, and once you hear it, you're like, wow, how do people things that they distinguish and the the way that they use language is just mind-blowing. That's why I think I've developed my fascination with language. You know me, I'm always looking up definitions and stuff. And so I so she invited me to that, and I was like, all right, I gotta take something. I it's been it has been a hot minute since I've done anything landmark, but I'm so glad to be re-engaged with it. What's the next course? What's available? So I called the center manager and I was like, tell me about, you know, oh, there's this and that. I was like, communication, what's up with that? You know, I was like, who could so I was like, oh, well, what I wanted to take. So there's a two communication courses, access to power, communication, access to power. I was like, that sounds yummy. And landmark's always like, feels tricky, but it's not. It's like there's that name means something, and then power to create. I was like, power to create, get me in that. Oh, you have to take access to power. I'm like, all right, well, let's do those two. I was like, okay, oh, great, they're two weeks apart. Okay, great. So I'm having all these breakthroughs in February of last year, taking these, and they're like, Well, you know, if you want to continue practicing this work, the team management and leadership program is where you spend a year doing that. And I was like, whoa, I was like, I I want to spend a year doing that. And so I didn't even have it wasn't like December of Yeah, yeah. I was like, okay, because I want to they say if you do team, you will have these distinctions that they have in the communication port course become a natural part of who you are, you know, because you probably do it so much, you know, like all these conversations, and you're just surrounded by other people who are in it, right? So they're listening for you, of you know, like at every conversation, like they would, you know, call you on, like, hey, did you notice that in what you're doing?

Samantha Pruitt 15:20

Wow. It reminds me of being like in a master's program or something like that. Because to be clear, you're still working, you're out in the world, you're having your normal life. You didn't like all of a sudden, you know, drop out of life and go live somewhere in an ashram and like participate in this thing and be isolated from the world. The world and the everyday activity of said world and responsibilities was homework, basically.

Polly Mertens 15:42

So every day you had homework based on send me off, you know, like I have a huddle with my coach once a week, and and once a month we have this train, whatever. And then I'm out in the world fumbling around, you know, breakdowns, you know, my, you know, whatever. Exactly. Go huddle with my coach, and like this is how it went, and like, ah, learn something. Okay, go back at it, you know, whatever. So it's just like that. It's like, yeah, like um, like if you were, well, I was gonna say if you're Tiger Woods and you work with your coach to get a better swing, but Tiger's only doing that. But this was like my my work was life, and it was like having somebody in the background of my life helping me with my relationships, my communication, my who I am, discovering all these things. It was fascinating. Yeah, you're right. Exactly.

Samantha Pruitt 16:28

Exactly. Yeah. So you've completed the year and you just had last weekend like a closure program.

Polly Mertens 16:35

Mm-hmm. Okay. So we have part of the program is every quarter they have a weekend event. So it's a Saturday and Sunday all day long training. And so you start the year-long program in a weekend, you have four more, and then you finish. You have five total weekends. So this past weekend was my completion weekend. And uh, you know, beautiful ceremony and then just all this acknowledgement and like what did you get out of it, and just hearing the other people and you, you know, so and this is North America. So I was in this program loosely with people from Canada to Latin America, you know. So we would show up on these weekends, we would show up on these training calls once a month, and I would see people in different regions that weren't specifically on my team. Like my team was West Southwest, which is, you know, the Arizona, California, generally speaking. Yep, yeah, 30, 35 of us. So I knew them intimately. They were like lots of conversations, lots of meetings with them. But I also was aware and would see the growth of the people that, you know, they were on Team Canada, for example, and like seeing them when I started and they started, and then who they became over the year, I could almost see more growth, you know, or I'm sure there was growth here too. But I would like see, I was like, wow, that person, look how they've evolved. I'm like, okay, well, I'm looking in a mirror here, must have had some growth over here too. It was remarkable.

Samantha Pruitt 17:56

Yeah. And that's part of the reward of personal development work too, is being in community. People will reflect back at you and you will see things and learn through that connection, that human connection, and through that community.

Polly Mertens 18:10

Yeah, right.

Samantha Pruitt 18:11

Just as much as you will learn personally. Like that process is also important. A good coaching, good community, like-minded people, and really an overall elevation of everyone at the table.

Polly Mertens 18:24

Yeah, and I think a little, well, I think you can liken that. Like I was like, is this like university? But there's something I think what at least how I've approached personal development, if I'm trying to see if this is true, is um it's like a team

Returning To Landmark After Years

Polly Mertens 18:40

sport. It's like you don't, like, yeah, you're growing on yourself, but usually I'm like when I did my Tony Robbins work, I had a team, you know, like I created it, you know, I created a community and we did, you know, every two weeks we'd get together, you know. So it wasn't like, because I, you know, it's sort of like you can go learn a skill. Like, let's say you go to a weekend painting workshop or whatever. But if you're not painting and you're not like getting together with people and like checking each other's with other painters, but they're the painters, then it's like you're sort of like la la la, you know, but like get in a group of painters, get in a book study club or book writers club or whatever, artists, you know, musicians, like like hang out with them. Like you're gonna like be talking about that a lot, and it it really makes a difference.

Samantha Pruitt 19:24

So yeah, and being in shared energy. So let's start digging into some of the things that you learned. I know I'm sure we could never touch bases on all of them. Yeah, yeah. But do you have like, I don't know, a top five takeaway? Or what do you got?

Polly Mertens 19:40

Yeah, I would say I think I want to start with some of the high level, just like, whoa, like what it was like, like what what are some of the the bigger ones? Um one of the things I this is a little hard to recreate, but one of the last thing things I got out of this last weekend was the difference between accomplishment and results. And I was like, what is the difference between accomplishment and results? And so one of the things that they and I say the defin one of the definitions or how a landmark defines accomplishment is it arises out of the way you're being. So an accomplishment is it's a little bit like your attitude or what you bring to something, or like who you be as you pursue something, right? Um so result is what shows up and what gets done. Like you can have a result, but like who you be is not necessarily the same, right? So like your accomplishment is who were you out to be and fulfill on and what got done are different, right? So we don't blend the two. It's like this is a result. X happened, y happened, Z didn't happen. Okay, great. But like, did you accomplish something? Like, did you learn? Did you grow? Did you did you achieve what you set up to, right? And were you intentional? So, like what got accomplished can be very different from the results that were produced because it's internal, external, right?

Samantha Pruitt 21:07

And many times you don't have control over all the results, and people attach their identity to the results mistakenly and will easily become derailed because the results aren't happening, or tell themselves a story about I'm unworthy, or whatever all drama they might tell themselves. Which you know, the point is who is the person while you are achieving, accomplishing the person doing the action. That's a verb. Okay, that's a being verbing.

Polly Mertens 21:40

Yeah. It's like you can have a failed result. I didn't achieve X, but you could be fucking accomplished because how you grew, you know, like you might have set the bar so damn high for yourself that your result was like you'll never like I like last quarter, you know, I was like 500 people enrolled in my thing. I was like, I didn't, I didn't that wasn't my result, but like I accomplished so much, how I grew and like on the path towards that. So that that was just one of the clarifying, you know, it's like not attaching ourselves to results. Yes, pursue result, like, but you know, and definitely one of the beautiful things, and I agree with, and I know this from business, and you do too, is like what gets measured gets you know managed, right? So that's part of the management thing is like don't you need results that show up in numbers, you need results that you can quantify, you can test discuss or whatever. And accomplishment is looking at the whole picture as well, right? So, like, what were you out to cause? What were you out to grow in and develop yourself in?

Samantha Pruitt 22:45

Um, or yeah, because some people produce results and they're horrible people, and how they generated those results are despicable, right? And so, why would we want it can't be about results, it has to be about the process, right? Yeah, it has to be about it, and also there's so many opportunities for us to just give up if we're solely focused on results. You know, if I'm gonna run a hundred miles, I don't want to be thinking about it the starting line, or even actually, you know, nine months earlier when I'm putting my training program together, I'm gonna run a hundred miles. Fuck it, I forget about it. You know what I mean? Totally. But so you won't start a lot of things, so yeah, you can you just need to stay focused on you being your best self, delivering the freaking goods, which is who you are and who you've always been. But yeah, it can get distracting when we focus on just the tangible results.

Polly Mertens 23:41

Yeah, and um, I think one of the other high-level things, and we touched upon this a little bit as we were leading up to this, is the people you get to hang around with. And the cat, like I just like on that last e last weekend, and just seeing people, you know, it was a big Zoom meeting, right? And just a seeing people that I've known intimately on my team, and then a little distantly in Canada or East Coast or whatever, and seeing the arc of their progress and like how they're talking and the the result, the results of like the things they accomplished through the year. I was like, wow, wow, just like in awe of the human potential and the human spirit, and like seeing what people are can get up to in a year, you know, and like some people just like last year, like, so how was your year? Yeah, they just like flipped the page. Right?

Samantha Pruitt 24:32

Like because they were buying time on their life.

Polly Mertens 24:34

Yeah, yeah. And like the amount of weekends and nights, and I mean, like I had what are there, maybe 52 Friday nights in a year. And last year I probably had six of them on my own. Maybe eight, that I wasn't doing something with the team, you know. And so it takes something, but I have accomplished a lot. I have a lot. Um, and with those people, you know, that are all so into it. It's just it's remarkable, you know, it's like Olympics of personal development, you know, when you're around those people and the commitment they have and the the you know, it's like iron sharpens iron, you know, like you're just around people who help you sharpen your saw and and you theirs, you know.

Samantha Pruitt 25:19

Exactly. Well, that's a good comparison. You said the Olympics. So think about being in the Olympic village. Okay, you are with the best of the best globally, globally. So this is that on a personal development scale. Okay, you're literally in the personal development Olympic village, hanging out, eating, rubbing elbows, working out, whatever you're all doing, waiting for the big day.

Polly Mertens 25:47

Team USA, yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 25:48

I'm probably exactly exactly. Yeah, so who doesn't want to be around that? You know, people underestimate the value of who they are surrounding themselves with. Okay. Obviously, you will drop to the lower level if you're around the long people or the wrong people. Everybody kind of has awareness around that, but how elevated you will become around the right people is even more powerful.

Polly Mertens 26:19

What they will hold you to, and what you will hold, you know, you will learn and develop yourself to hold them to, right? And what you will see them achieve and you will want for yourself, and you know, like these what they'll reflect back to you and what they'll sharpen you with, you know, and all of that. And it's just it's magical, you know, it's really magical. Um, and you know, don't sell yourself short. Like whatever you don't have to do, landmark, get into something, you know, get into something that that grows you because of who you'll discover yourself as and the contribution you can be and you can be contributed to. It's it's it's remarkable. So yeah. Um I want to touch on a couple of the yummy things that are just uniquely landmark in those courses, you know. And so these courses, the communication courses, the access to power and power to create happen throughout the year, you know, multiple times throughout the year, all over the world, you know. So, and Zoom, you know, so you can do an Australia, you can whatever. Um so some of the really cool assignments or core things that I took away, um, and my number one thing I would say, I think it was the access to power. Um like the core, I don't know, just bumper sticker for me is having love and affinity present in all of one's relationships.

Samantha Pruitt 27:38

What does that mean to you?

Polly Mertens 27:40

Right. Well, I ask people, what does that mean to you? But like if I told you a

Inside The Yearlong Leadership Program

Polly Mertens 27:45

year ago, was I living as if love and affinity was like a core covenant inside my body in all my relationships, I would be lying, you know. But I'm present to it now, like I mean, in big and small ways, it's so funny. Like, what I say for the last 20 years, I've known consciousness, meaning I know that we're all love, I know that we're all one, I know, you know, like and in these courses, in weird ways, not necessarily like linearly that do you discover this? Um, but it's I mean, it's it's surprisingly spiritual, this stuff, you know. I mean, it's communication courses, but it's surprising, like in the background, you're like, well, if that's true, you know. And so they like you discover, um, you know, like we're all the same, like we're all human and we're all one spirit energy, right? So what I do to you, I'm doing to myself, right? And so if I am talking rudely to a waiter in the restaurant, or if I'm dismissing someone at the airport, or if I'm insulting someone, or bad emails, I'm like, wait a minute, that's me over there. That's my brother, that's my sister, that's one energy. Like it's no longer okay.

Samantha Pruitt 29:11

That's intense because if you think about how many hundreds a day, thousands a week, etc., you know, connections we have with another living being. So many touches. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. If you see them as a reflection back on you, as you, as humanity, as part of the one, you know, then oh well, of course, we'd have a completely different world than apparently we're living in at this moment, but it allows you at least the freedom to feel that. And you get to choose in this environment and in this commitment you've made to yourself and to living this kind of life to operate from that place. Yeah. I mean, that alone is worth everything, right?

Polly Mertens 29:59

Talk about a core value adjustment. Like, I'll tell you, so my core, you know, love and connection is my number two value, health being, you know, because without health and I'm dead, and you know, the hell with love if you're dead, right? But you know. But like love, like like just having that imprinted on having discovered that love and affinity in all of one's relations, not necessarily close relationship, but like relation we relate to anyone anywhere, like the harsh things people say on the internet to one another, right? Or just even sending ill will to a person because they're not in your same political party or they're, you know, doing wrong in the planets, like the amount of um perspective, you know, especially as we step into this year to live, right? Adding those two together. So profound. It's like would I want to spend the next year if it's my last? Hurting, insulting, leaving any a will. It's just it's so remarkable to think like, wow, every touch. You know, and if you you know me in my NDEs, right? Near death experience studies. So a lot of them go through this process where they relive their life. They they get their your your review or their life in review. And oftentimes what that experience is is not just from their perspective, like, oh, in this relationship and how that you know traumatic event went or whatever, that argument that they had, but they often get it from the perspective of the person that they're with, right? And like what impact did that have? Like their judgment or insult, or if they were bullying someone, like what was the impact over there? And it's like you get to see what it's like. So, like a year to live. This is you know, you and I as an expression of human spirit. Do we wanna how do we want to treat people? Because we're treating them of ourselves, right? You know, just because they take a different form and a different shape. So that's like this. I don't even know how to package that and explain that to somebody, you know.

Samantha Pruitt 32:18

And I would even double-click on, I was just having this experience today, that's why it's a fresh top of radar, but all these little touch points that you have throughout the day that are just almost non-existent. And they can be non-existent if you don't make eye contact or make connection with the other human in passing, or whatever the dynamic is. Sure, it can be the barista or the, you know, I'm checking out the grocery store and someone's talking on their phone. They're not even acknowledging the person working who is checking their groceries and packing, like that kind of disregard for the human there. Or like today, I was on a trail going up and down this big ass mountain, and it was hard. First of all, it's freaking hot here, and I'm climbing this big mountain. But there was plenty of other people out there with the same crazy idea as me, right? So we're trudging up this mountain and everybody's huffing and puffing or whatever. And um, I could have just put my head down and got in the grind and been focused about doing it, you know, a couple minutes faster or whatever my drama might have been for that moment. But I was like, look at all these people. And I was like, I need to acknowledge every single one of these people who is out here today working to improve their health and fitness. Otherwise, they're not climbing this damn mountain in 80 degree heat. They're just not. Okay, those people are on the couch or still in bed, and just like a small acknowledgement of my fellow humans on the trailer, whatever environment you can think of that we're all in every day, all day long. Come on, leverage those. So now for you, you go into this um, not just in all of your relationships with friends and family, etc., coworkers, but like the world. Whoa, look at that beautiful human right there, you know, like it's remarkable to me what people I can't say enough about that. That's that's gotta be the biggest takeaway, right?

Polly Mertens 34:15

And seeing it in the relationship with um the work that I do and the teams that I interact with, and you know, in the past, you know, I've definitely have a high expectation, you know, me and my standards and stuff like that. And so if somebody's like effing up, or you know, oh, what did they do that for, you know, and how I would deliver or consider the communication to them, let's just say it's different. Like, like I have no uh battle or bone to pick or whatever that's gonna leave them less than, like whatever is processing in my mind is how do I uplift them? How do I make them better after this? How do I create this communication and engage in this communication, not like you're wrong, you have to. You know, I don't wanna I want them to grow. Like maybe they need like a clear, you know, this wasn't right and this, but they're not less than after it. Is that making sense? Um because that was profound, because in the past or how I've operated, that paradigm wasn't there. That um, like I would just be like, get work done, like get out of my way. Like, you know, like let's get some work done. And if you're not gonna do it, get out of the way and I'll find somebody who will. I'm not quite that, but you know, definitely not with the sense of like humanity that I have now and care for my fellow human, you know, like and maybe they're not right for that role. Like, okay, like let's just be clear, but it's not because I'm gonna hurt you. Like, I'm not out to hurt you. I'm out to like, hey, if this isn't gonna work, it's just not gonna work. Go go somewhere where it's gonna work or whatever, you know. Yeah, yeah. So that was, yeah, I didn't I it was I didn't realize as I was gonna create that for you, how how big that was. But yeah, I was just gonna say, like, man, love and affinity in all one's relations is a powerful way to live.

Samantha Pruitt 36:13

Um it's really hard not to, in the world that we live in now and in the environment we're in, not to go around judging yourself and others. Yeah. And it's this separateness that has us do that. I don't want to be less than, I don't want to be vulnerable, I don't want to be, you know, in fear, I don't want to, whatever, all the things that we do, right? And so it creates these dysfunctional dynamics, even with people that we love and adore, it creates those kinds of dynamics on a good day when we're on our best behavior. No doubt. So, how are you gonna remember to do this? I'm so curious, these things, these incredible lessons that you have brought into your being after a whole year, they're integrated. Okay. Like I got to tattoo shit on my arm because I can't remember things, okay? So I gotta start writing stuff over here next. I don't know. Because like it's hard to remember on the daily sometimes where we really want to be coming from. I have little notes as I walk out the door, as I walk in my door, like you don't have these little things around to like, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, remind me.

Polly Mertens 37:25

Yeah, and I'm and I and this isn't to say, like, this isn't that I'm perfect now. Like, ding, I'm done. No, no, no. I'm never gonna upset somebody, I'm never gonna forget to be loving and kind. I'm never, you know, like, no, there will be, but I'm aware of it. Like, I'll know. Like, no, it's like when you know your core value and you go against it or you consider going against it, you're like, oh no, I'm not okay doing that, right? So it's that level of training, that level of, you know, recognizing this, like it's very hyper-aware, if you will, right?

Samantha Pruitt 37:57

But there's I would say you feel it in your body. Yeah. Like now that you have this level of integration and awareness, you will feel it instantly in your own energy, and then even in the connective energy with the other human or the environment or whatever you're in, it'll be like it'll it'll just be there, and you'll be like, whoa, pause, yeah, take a breath.

Polly Mertens 38:18

Yeah, I can see this person like I'm I'm diminishing something about this person, or I can feel the energy, all of that. Yeah. And it's amazing, even though it's a communication course. Well, communication is what 90 something percent nonverbal, of course, but yeah, yeah. But a lot of the communication courses are verbal, you know, like they're teaching you, like, oh, notice what's in your listener, notice what you're saying, blah, blah, blah. But I will tell you, um, the awareness of the dynamic, you know, the energetic transmission or communication, the energy, um, the presence of

Accomplishment Versus Results

Polly Mertens 38:55

that, you know, like that's sort of like going on in the background, you might say, even though what's being spoken or listened and stuff is um coming through words, a whole nother dynamic is happening in the energetic transmission. So it's really good. Ah, okay. So, you know, there's some things here that it's they're just sort of big things to try and explain. Um, this goes the next one, like this concept, they call it your words creating your world. Words creating your world, which, you know, if you listen to anything like manifesting and you know, law of attraction and all this stuff, um, it's quite remarkable how little people pay attention to their words. And and in in this program, we call it how they listen themselves, how they see themselves. You might like you hear that one more often. Like how we listen others and how we listen ourselves is the landmark language, which kind of translates to the way I interpret you, like the the things I tell my, like in Tony Robbins, I might have said, like the story I have about this person, or the story I have about myself, like I'm not capable, or you know, like those types of things. And when words create your world, like what you're speaking is literally you're speaking it into existence. And the paradigm that we're trained in from upbringing and survival mind and stuff like that, is the world creates me, the world creates my experience, right? So a lot of people live as if, you know, I hear this in the words um so-and-so made me feel. He made me, he made me feel nervous or less than or whatever. It's like, nope, it's actually not how it's happening. It's actually not how it's happening. It's I'm surprised. Yeah, right. And so, what is what are my words creating about this experience? Because there's just what's so out here. Like that's just what happened, or so-and-so. That those words came out of that person's mouth. But what you're saying about it, right? The words that you speak about that or your thoughts, the story you might tell yourself, that's creating the world that you're living in and how you're responding to it, right? And a lot of the communication courses themselves is teaching something where they say, like, notice what's in your listening and drop in, or like notice what paradigm or the thought you have or the story you're telling yourself about the situation, because you're responding to that, like the meaning that you're making up about like he made me feel bad. No, what you told yourself made you feel bad. Like you saying that that person insulted you, that's where the dynamic actually exists. The words that you're using to create the story of what happened, right?

Samantha Pruitt 41:42

And how many times you walk into a room, a conversation, an email, a text, whatever, already contriving in your head about what's gonna happen. You know, I'm gonna say this and they're gonna say that, and da-da-da-da-da. And you basically are just it's like walking on stage, creating the play. You know, you're just literally now you're just an actor in the play and just letting it all sort of play out as you've contrived in your head, right? Rather than just showing up with no intention, with an openness, and then listening and being able to respond or partake in whatever the communication is in a completely different way, from a different place, really.

Polly Mertens 42:31

Yeah, it's it this is where the fine-tuning of landmark language is hard to quite translate, but um it they call it coming from nothing, right? And it's difficult for a human being to come from nothing, right? Because guess what? We have a thought, boom, you're you're in a paradigm.

Samantha Pruitt 42:47

You're already like even when I'm asleep, I couldn't do it. Come from my weird dreams.

Polly Mertens 42:52

Ah yeah, so it's training. Like we got a lot of training and like coming from, I'm not saying imperfect, but like noticing, like notice what's there. Okay. Like if I have an agitation or if I have some feeling in my body, either during the interaction or leading up to it. Like this was showing up for me quite a bit when um, let's just call I had to do cold calling, right? Like I wanted to invite people to my event and I had to call them, right? People maybe I didn't talk to well. All this stuff about like what are they gonna say and I was like, I had to get to nothing and just be like, just call, just making a phone call. I'm just gonna go have a communication with somebody, right? Yeah, like whoa, it was it's pretty incredible. So, like noticing what's in your listening and then giving it up because um, and how much gets effed up in communication when it's not verbal, like texting, emails, like hearsay, all that stuff. Dude, all I can say is uh I get on the phone way more. Like, oh, like um, I was coaching a gal this morning and she's like, Yeah. So she had to let someone go, and I for think she did it by email or something. Like a text and an email, and I was like, So have you? And she's like, Well, I don't know. You know, he hasn't responded. I was like, Well, have you had a conversation with him? Uh no, I actually have get on the phone and clear some stuff up. Like all this like drifting stuff that lives in nowhere land, right? Because it's not cleared, done, committed, decided, finished, whatever.

Samantha Pruitt 44:23

Like, if it's not it does live on as a burden, it's such a huge mental and emotional burden. Yeah, we just keep throwing stuff in the bag and putting it over our shoulder. Well, we'll just see if that resolves itself later.

Polly Mertens 44:39

What the hell? This blitz, like the part of the start of the courses is like, where in your life, like you have to make this list of like who in your life did you used to have love and affinity with and you don't now? Oops, and you're like, oh shit. Oops, these like unended relationships that are just sort of like in like, well, haven't why haven't you talked to them? Oh well, we had this little falling out, or I haven't talked to them in years about this. And it's like, okay, well, sort that shit out, you know, like get some clarity, even if it's yeah, we agreed to disagree or whatever. And it was remarkable the comebacks of people bringing people back into their life where they thought it had ended. Like somebody got their dad back, got their sister back, recreated this whole thing. It was just like amazing. The I mean, like this one gal was on a quest to find a family. So she was looking for her, she was a foster child, and uh, you know, a lot of all this dramatic stuff happened as a child, and you know, her um, she got separated from her brother, natural-born brother, and she's like, I'm gonna go on a quest to find her brother. So has still hasn't found him. This was like, you know, like looking for him, whatever genealogy,

The Power Of Elite Community

Polly Mertens 45:50

having people help her and stuff. Comes to find her mom, makes contact with her mom, has a phone call. Her mom flies out, she hasn't seen her since she was given up for whatever. Her mom wants to have a relationship with her because she went on this journey to recreate some. I was like, I mean, and there's like all sorts of that that happens in this part, not to say that like you have to do that, but um man, we're like half, we have these half-started relationships where, you know, and I've reached out to a few people, like one person that, you know, kind of cut me out of their life. And so I've done some outreach trying to recreate and just see if that person wants to, but I'm complete over here, you know. Like, yeah, but how many incompletions do we have in our life? You know, that God, where is it weighing on us?

Samantha Pruitt 46:35

Exactly. You're not doing it with an expectation of how it's gonna go, you're doing it to get complete within yourself, yeah, to be clear. So by the way, when you're doing a year to live, you can leave unfinished business. Yeah, nope. Yeah, handled. All those things handled.

Polly Mertens 46:54

Totally. Who are the people, you know, like part of the homework I think you have is like who are the people you would, if you had six weeks to live, who would be on your list to like get complete with, right? Like, okay, we'll talk to those people, you know, and this isn't the frank the same dynamic, but it's like, where is love and affinity not present in your relationships? Where are you strained, or where are you holding on to something, or they're holding on to something? Like, come to nothing from the conversation, see what needs, and I'm not gonna go too much into this because this would be a whole dynamic, but um, one of the most powerful tools that they teach is something they call it recreation, but sort of like empathetic listening, right? It's getting out, so they teach how um how much they call it the already-always paradigm for communication, which is all this programming shit that we have and how we get built over time that has us look at the world as a one of the paradigms is we have it that par communication comes as a threat. All communication, not even kidding, communication comes as a threat, and we're like dodging it, or what do I have to do here? So, what that leads to is justifying, protecting, controlling, convincing, fixing, all this maneuvering, right?

Samantha Pruitt 48:08

Like defensive tactics, armor up with, yeah, yeah.

Polly Mertens 48:11

We we armor up with all this stuff. And it's like if you just come from nothing and you just want love and affinity present, you go over and you be with that person, and whatever upset is there for them, it's pretty remarkable. It's hard to explain how it works, but when that person gets gotten, when they really feel seen and heard, it's like a dissolving inside of them, like they don't have to hold on to it anymore because it got it got received by another person. Like, oh my God, that's how you've been feeling. Okay. I even if you don't agree with it, whatever. But you get out of you and you go over there and you get in what's over them, because we're all one, right? It's like, oh wow, I didn't get that. That's how that left you, or whatever. And it's amazing where I'm so grateful to have this tool now, because it's so valuable, so available.

Samantha Pruitt 49:03

Well, and it's not a tool, it's a whole toolbox of I mean, it's it's a it's a distinction, we call it.

Polly Mertens 49:10

Yeah, a distinction called recreation, which is a way of being with people that doesn't have us in this paradigm of you know, like communication is a threat. Like, even if it's like somebody that you have disagreements with often, it's like you set yours down and go, what's up over there? You know, so I can understand you. You missed diplomat, you're the most diplomatic person I know.

Samantha Pruitt 49:31

Because you go and get in other words, you get in other people's worlds and you understand, like even though I want to ring a lot of necks, I'm really I do, but yes, I try to make that happen on a regular basis.

Polly Mertens 49:45

Yeah, because you you allow yourself to go and get in their perspective, like what how are they seeing things? Like, oh, if that were happening to me and I saw it through that way, okay, I get it. I get it.

Samantha Pruitt 49:56

Exactly. I mean, it's a lot of these are Buddhist philosophies, you know. You had like compassion, all these things are coming up when you're talking. I'm thinking of all these, um, you know, like the meta, unconditional, you know, all the different things. Here's the thing: let's circle back on this personal development and the call to action around really telling anyone who will listen to us, because we're sold on it, obviously. There's so many different types of personal development, right? But at the core of it, and when I say that, I mean like genres of it, types, flavors, energy, body, you know, body, yeah, totally psychedelics, whatever. But but it at the root of all of it is the human wanting to be on the path. So when you talk about your awakening at that age, that young age that you were when in the first landmark experience you had, and I think of like I had a series of awakenings as a young person, then a young adult. Like how I felt about it in my experiences, once I woke up, I couldn't go back to sleep. I couldn't stop seeing it, I couldn't stop hearing it, I couldn't stop continuing on the path over the entire course of the rest of my life up until this age. But sometimes I'm doing it very slowly or I'm taking a break, sometimes I'm doing it more aggressively, you know what I'm saying? And in different types of personal development, depending on just kind of where I'm at and what is speaking to me. But for the person who maybe is new to this and hasn't woken up yet, that's one thing. But I feel like anyone who gets this podcast into their ears is already awake. So there's no not knowing now that where you are going is a natural direction that you can be in charge of, right? Taking ownership of your life, taking agency over your life. And how could they best explore what kind of personal development might be good for them? Or how can they sort of seek this out without sending them in one direction or the other? Like, where do you even get started?

Polly Mertens 52:08

One of the first things that comes up for me is I want to say, like, who do you admire?

Samantha Pruitt 52:15

Like, are there people in your life that not idolized and not stock on social media? You mean really who do you respect? Who do you respect?

Polly Mertens 52:26

Like, for example, if I if I was having shitty relationships with men or something like that, right? And I was like, man, I really want to be in a good partnership and relationship. I would look to the women in my life that are having good relationships, you know, and I'd be like, I admire how you are with your your spouse, you know. Like I had that I stayed with a friend of one of my teammates down in LA. His relationship with his wife was remarkable. I mean, they were remarkable people. Like, you know it when you're around it, right? He did S like in the 60s, whatever. Yeah. So he's like a baby, right? La la la. And I was just like, you just know when you're in the presence of some remarkable people, right? So it's like, what are you doing over there? You know, like, like, how'd you get that way? Or, you know, just like ask them for their either life lessons or what what have they found along their path? You know, like, like you and I, um, you know, some of my fascination with tarot or crystals or you know, sound and near death or whatever. It's like, who's doing that stuff? You know, look around. And maybe your friends have done some of it, or you can find just a journey, like just go down a little road to see what interests you. And and I promise you, if you have the heart, your heart's in the right place, like you'll find it, you know, like you'll come across it, you know, just like we've gone around the world and doing the things, and you walk into a totally new town, and all of a sudden you meet like the most amazing people, you're like, Oh, because they're everywhere, right? So if your heart's in the place like, nah, I really want to learn this or study this or grow in this, or just like I said, looking at remarkable people in your life, and then how'd you how'd you get to be so remarkable? You know, and I tell you, you just scratch a little bit of the surface. There's probably some personal development they've done and they've gotten up to something, right?

Samantha Pruitt 54:17

Oh, yeah, exactly. And if there's a values alignment, you know, if the way they're living their life um speaks to you, to your value system, it resonates, there's a shared resonance vibration there, then go after that conversation and find out. Like, how did you become the person that you are, or what is the path that you're

Love, Words, And Being In Communication

Samantha Pruitt 54:40

on now? You know, I mean, obviously, I'm studying Buddhism for last year and I'm doing this now, uh, your live course, but um, people will ask me, and I'm sure they ask you about landmark, like what are the things you're up to right now? Because you seem very curious and full of life, and like you're on a path doing something over there. What are you doing? Right, just be ask people.

Polly Mertens 55:01

Yeah, yeah. And I think it would be um a an honoring conversation for that person. Like you would be like, Wow, I really honor you and acknowledge you. Like, I just think you're crushing it over there in this whatever, and I want to grow in that area, you know. Just like if it was a skill, like if you met somebody that's a really good cook and you're like, wow, how'd you get to be such a good cook? They'd probably be honored to hear that you thought that about them. And then B, they'd probably be more than happy to tell you what they've learned and how they how they got like, oh, I read this cookbook, or I studied this class, or I followed this, or I got some coaching over here, or whatever that looks like.

Samantha Pruitt 55:36

So yeah, people who are into personal development do not subscribe to a scarcity model, yeah. Okay, of happiness and love and joy and satisfaction and curiosity. There's no scary, yeah, exactly. We sprinkle it. We're about the pixie dust, okay, people? And it just keeps raining down.

Polly Mertens 55:57

Totally. Well, and 10 to 1, if you're listening to any podcast like ours or any out there, those people they spill it, you know, they'll they'll end the conversation, they're talking about where they got it somehow. Like, oh, I like you, like I've studied Buddhism for the last year. Okay, Buddhism. That's interesting. What I could learn from over there, right? Or me with the near-death experiences. That's open my eyes, or I'm an Abraham Hicks fan, or Wayne Dyer, whatever, landmark, you know. So it's like lots to choose from. Um, you know, I've just been at this for a while, but I think, you know, you don't have to scratch very far inside of a life that's being well lived, or somebody that you seem to admire, or has a trait or something about them that they they seem to be modeling, or something that you could learn from and see how they got it.

Samantha Pruitt 56:41

You know what a big thing that just popped up for me when you were describing all that is not being resistant. I'm speaking to myself and about myself now, or closed off to new things. So I'll just speak like from an athletic vantage point in my health and fitness goals, you know, have continued to evolve. And then I got injured and then I had to come back from that, and you know, I'm postmenopausal, whatever. So things keep changing. I'm still an athlete, but how I do my athletics now and set my fitness and athletic and adventure goals are different. And so I need to be open to and have been exploring other options, other opportunities, other possibilities, other science, other experts, other people to inspire me to continue on the path, right? But if I had been closed off and kind of hunkered down in this good enough, or I'm the expert of, or whatever all story I might have told myself, which was a bunch of bullshit, I would not be able to continue very long on the path that I'm on. I would be setting myself up for closure, shrinking, a retraction rather than a growth mindset.

Polly Mertens 57:58

Yeah, I would say two things. One never settle and two never get curious.

Samantha Pruitt 58:03

Never.

Polly Mertens 58:03

Yeah, like like you could have, yeah, I mean, uh you could not have settled for the pain that you're in, right? But like however, you're, you know, if you're bumping up against whatever, right? Relationship, health, money, whatever, like never settle, like never settle, and then get curious, like, oh, I wonder what, right? And just look for mentors, lessons, guides out there, right? So, and one of the things I I thought when you were saying, like, all this work that you know we've discovered, it's like, and all the teachings and whatever, but it's like life brings it to us, you know, like the lessons we're meant to get, like it's just more of life showing up, and it's like, oh, what's there to discover in this, you know, pile of shit? Or you know, what yeah, you thought you had that figured out? Psych Totally, totally. And so whether you're in a life's good and I want to grow, or man, I'm suffering, or I'm stuck, or I've you know, hit a plateau, or things aren't working, right? Suffer fest, whatever this level that is, don't settle for it, right? Like, like what's possible, and then get curious, like, hmm, who's got you know, who's got some answers here? And and one of the huge things that I don't even know how to say translate this to people who aren't in it, but like um inside of team, one of our covenants is always be in communication, always be in communication. So how that like like how that would show up, a our minds want to keep us small and and like over here and smallism and withdrawal and all that stuff, right? Right, like so. If you're feeling that, like be in communicate, like get out of it, and even communicate that I'm wanting to be out of communication, right? Like, hey, you know, my mind's telling me like I'm done, or whatever. And like just being in communication, you we get so much from the transference and the listening and like we're hearing ourselves speak and stuff. So I don't know who you have in your life, and if you don't, like start attracting it and getting, but like I think one of the greatest um tragedies that we're seeing is how many people are on a phone in a text world, in a in a trapped in a world that is not in communication, and it's creating huge swaths of all sorts of not goodness, whatever you want to call it, but silos, isolation. Yeah. So being in communication, you know, we have therapists to go to or coaches or whatever, but like just talking to the people in your life instead of a text message, or you're too busy for this, or your children, or your spouse, or whatever. Like, I can't stress enough, like be in communication. It's remarkable just that alone, what you discover, like you know, like hey, I'm wanting to pull away, or hey, I'm over I'm not doing good over here, whatever. And like, let people support you in that. And it makes a difference of who you have in your life, of course. You know, I'm not saying like talk to everybody about your communication, but like have quality people in your life that you know, like if I I mean I've called you times when I'm just like in a doldrum, you know, even as coaches.

Samantha Pruitt 1:01:22

Yeah, what the hell?

Polly Mertens 1:01:24

Knock me off the ledge, yeah. So those are those are I hope I've trans trans uh transferred some of what I got out of this, and there's more, and there's more, and I'm still gonna be unpacking it. And you and I on this journey of a year to live, I can't wait for us to continue to unpack that on top of this. Like, you guys, it's blowing my mind each week. Um, and I'm not even in like you're in the program and have your weekly meetings and stuff like that, but just listening to the books, the audio books, and the awareness, like putting telling, I'm telling people like I'm I'm in this program you're to live. It's blowing my mind, and having that communication keeps it alive for me.

Samantha Pruitt 1:02:05

So and they go, What? Who would want that as a consideration?

Polly Mertens 1:02:10

Yes. I'm telling you, like it's the next uh yeah, everybody needs to do that, of course, too.

Samantha Pruitt 1:02:16

It kind of does make me want to run off to the mountains, and I'm gonna do that a little bit, but I can't do it 100%.

Polly Mertens 1:02:23

Yeah, yeah. So oh, this is okay, lady.

Samantha Pruitt 1:02:26

This was good. Thanks for sharing all of that. Appreciate you.

Polly Mertens 1:02:30

Yeah, I think my one point, if you if I summed all this up, is um well, I think I have two. One is like surround yourself with beautiful souls, right? And all souls are beautiful, and people that that sharpen your, you know, sharpen your saw and and iron sharpens iron type of thing. And I think that last thing, like be in communication, like like so much of life can be sorted out, worked out, whatever's going on in your mind, fears, doubts, upsets, be in communication. So those are my two. So all right. What do we want to close with, my dear?

Samantha Pruitt 1:03:06

We want to remind people the used, how your life feels is more important than how it looks.

Polly Mertens 1:03:12

Yeah. And every day is your opportunity to find your awesome.