109: A Glimpse of Some Tips from Inside Our Empty Nest Flock
Hello, my ah-mazing empty nest friend,
In this podcast episode, I share a few helpful nuggets from inside the GPS Support Flock: Your Flight to Empty Nest Success.

Coach Christine,
Your Empty Nest Coach




"Make sure you are your biggest fan."
Take a listen or read the full transcript at the bottom of this post.
โโโ More goodies below, too! Scroll down โ, so you don't miss anything! โโโ
This Episode is Brought To You By
What You Will Learn in this Episode
- The Power in Getting to Know Your Future Self
- Some Words to Say to Yourself As You Work To Discover Your Future Self
Quick Tip Submission
- Travelling Light Tips (Wrap-up): Katherine, The 5 Kilo Traveller
Episode Questions for You To Consider
- Do you know your future-self well?
- Does your future-self have anything to say to you?
First Time Here? Try This Order of Episodes
- The Your Empty Nest Coach Podcast Trailer
- Series 1: Empty Nest Prep - starts at episode #3
- Series 2: The CEO of Your Life - starts at episode #64
- Series 3 (this one): The CEO Toolbox - starts at episode #88
Episode Resources




Subscribe To This Podcast
It is FREE!
Want to get notified of new episodes directly on your phone? Subscribe to this podcast using your favorite app!
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Episode 109 of the Your Empty Nest Coach Podcast
00:00:00
Christine: You are listening to the Your Empty Nest Coach podcast with Coach Christine, episode number 109: A Glimpse of Some Tips from Inside Our Empty Nest Flock. I work with mothers of high school students and beyond, who are in the trenches with sad and possibly, overwhelming thoughts about what their life will look like when their baby heads to college and begins to leave the nest. My clientsโ big question is what will I do with my time? Is this you? Iโve been there, and I get it. Empowering you to write the next jaw-dropping, amazing chapter in your life is my passion. I am energized by leading you in the process of exploration and am thrilled when you unlock the power that lies within you. This podcast is my gift to you.
00:00:48
Hello, my empty nest friend and CEO of Your Life! So, how has your week been? I hope that your thoughts about it are positive even when the happenings in your life might not appear to be. Do you have any wins you would like to share with us? You know that I would love to hear them, and the other listeners of this podcast may find your win inspiring to them! If you have a win, or a question to share with me, I invite you to share via audio, either through SpeakPipe or my Google Voice number. Youโll find the information to do this in the description of this episode: on Apple Podcasts click โDetailsโ; On Spotify click โSee Moreโ; on Overcast press the I for information button. Get the idea? You also may send me an email at podcast@youremptynestcoach.com. Of course, I always have full show notes with links to anything I discuss in the episode, and a full episode transcription on my website. Those reside at YourEmptyNestCoach.com/P (for podcast) and 109 (for this episodeโs number). (YourEmptyNestCoach.com/P109) I canโt wait to hear from you!
00:01:53
Thanks! Thank you! Itโs time to thank our sponsor. This episode is sponsored by my membership community, The GPS Support Flock; Your Flight to Success in the Empty Nest. If you are ready to find the GPS of your life, sign up to receive an immediate and free download of my PDF, "How to Find Yourself in the Empty Nest," our GPS Life Principles document. You will also have the opportunity to learn about our community. See the link in this episode's show notes or fly on over to my website, YourEmptyNestCoach.com. Click the GPS Support Flock button. See you soon!
00:02:37
An extra thank you to SocalChris who left a five-star review on Apple Podcasts for this podcast. The review is titled, โChristine is so much fun,โ and says, โThe cheer and joy just sparkles from Christineโs message through to your earbuds! I enjoy the way she looks positively at some of the hardest experiences we have as our kids become adults.โ Wow, SocalChris, thanks for the 5-star rating and review, and Iโm honored you have chosen to listen to my podcast. What great writing, by the way!
00:03:11
Now for you, my empty nest friend, in this episode, Iโm sharing some bites of information that came out of the GPS Support Flock, so you could have a glimpse inside. My first share came from a group support call. I do not record for the first 75 percent or so of these calls and then, at the tail end, if we have a session with bites of information worth sharing with everyone, then I record a quick wrap-up call.
00:03:36
In one of these calls, a flock member asked a bit about her future self. My wrap up points were: number one, keep in mind future you. Figure out who she is, what point in time is she in, a week; five years; ten years? I like to think of my future-self as pretty far out because she puts this moment, this day into perspective for me. Usually she says things like, โyou wonโt even remember this.โ For that reason, I like to look further out on my timeline. The better you know your future-self (when you figure her out), the better you really explore who she is, what she is doing, then you can use her for everything else, rather than coming to me. A flock like this is still fantastic for reminders and to keep you on track, if you need accountability. For example, we can remind you to check in with your future self. In the end though, your future self knows you better than I do. Remember too, it isnโt only about finding your future self, figuring out who they are, and trusting them, the power comes in when you actually access them. Then you can ask your future self, โHow did I handle this?โ Youโll quickly get into the mode sheโs already in. It is great fun!
00:04:57
The other thing I shared is to make sure you are your biggest fan. Be careful that you arenโt beating yourself up with your thoughts. When you do something awesome, celebrate it. Who cares if your neighbor thinks itโs small. This is where knowing future-you is helpful. Maybe you feel funny about patting yourself on the back, but if I consider future me, she says โThanks for doing that. Youโre doing a great job. You are more on the path to meet me and discover who I am. If you donโt do that work, I donโt get to be all I can be.โ
00:05:31
Some action items and things to do and ask yourself: how well do you know future you? We have things that our future-selves will accomplish, maybe a list, what you think sheโs accomplished, but who is the person doing the things on the list? There is a quick free training I have about โFinding Future You,โ available on my website, but the real navigation tool is the โFirst Steps Toward Successโ program that you will find in the GPS Support Flock.
00:06:00
Give yourself the time needed to discover your future self.
Who are you, as you are doing that thing that you want to do? Live in it, in detail, using your imagination, and not just for minutes but for days. Ask yourself how does this feel different from my current life? How will that version of me be different from this current version of me? Then, allow for modifications. If you spend time living in a version of future-you, and find you donโt like who that is, consider it a big win. Knowing what you donโt want to do is incredibly important.
00:06:37
Some action steps to take, one, do the work. Ask me questions along the way, thatโs what this flock is for. Two, uncover. Three, then ask yourself, how did I get there? My listener in a follow up chat that I had with a flock member, about her future self, this is what I told her: you will discover your amazing self again! Try this on for size: I am worth the work I'm doing to discover my amazing self. She's hiding but I will find her! My imperfection now, as I move forward, drives me closer to my future-self, and each step, forwards, backwards, in slow-motion, or running, has a lesson for me that will allow me to level-up. I'm thankful for all of it. I'm worth all of this, and the journey is going to be fun.
[Music]
00:07:26
Of course, if you would like to dig into more detail with any of this, if you need accountability, or want me to cheer you on, all of this is included in my GPS Support Flock where I have a full workshop on this topic, โYour Future Self.โ I have worksheets and more. The questions I have for you in this episode are, and I know Iโve asked similar questions in earlier episodes, but these are really good questions to ask yourself periodically: one, do you know your future-self well? And, two, does your future-self have anything to say to you?
[Music]
00:08:15
Christine? Christine? Christine, where are you?
Have you checked out my Instagram Reels yet? As of this recording, Iโm having fun with them. I donโt know if Iโll keep up with them. They do take more time than I should allow but my future-self is giggling with me, so itโs all good. If your child listened to a lot of the Wiggles when they were younger, I have one there that you may appreciate.
[Music]
00:08:35
Today, our quick tip is the wrap-up tip that Katherine, the 5 Kilo Traveler, from New Zealand, shared with me way back before physical distancing began. So as you check-in with your future self who hopefully is able to travel freely, remember Katherineโs great tips.
00:08:53
It is time for a quick tip, advice or thoughts from a listener.
Katherine: I thought today I would do a recap of what Iโve mentioned so far about traveling light. So firstly, I asked you to consider the idea of traveling light and being open to it. Sometimes a new concept can be really out there and challenging. But I think as empty nesters, we are open to new ideas as our family world is changing. We need to start looking at what we can do for ourselves. For me, I talked about taking what you need when you travel light. I donโt want you traveling and feeling like youโve left essential things at home. You have to be comfortable traveling. I mean, I take my hair straightener so that I feel good about myself. So remember, this has to work for you.
00:09:43
My next tip was to take less. My favorite saying is take what you need, but take less of it. That really is a key concept when traveling light. Take what you need, but take less of it. That included packing a travel wardrobe that mixes and matches perfectly, swapping out heavy gear with lighter options and reducing your toiletries and cosmetics by putting them in smaller containers.
00:10:15
Then I talked about wearing your heavy or bulky gear on the plane. Although, hopefully, after listening to the previous episode, you would have swapped those heavy items with lighter things. Even so, youโve got to wear something on the flight, so why not the gear that takes up the most room in your bag? Finally, I talked about Merino and Smartwool, and my endeavor to single-handedly promote the New Zealand wool industry. My sheep farming brother would be very impressed with me. But seriously, Merino, with all its great qualities, is the perfect fabric when traveling light, so be open to the idea of traveling light. Take what you need, but take less of it. Wear your heavier or bulkier gear on your flight, and consider Merino or Smartwool. So many ideas and so many more to follow. Happy light travels.
[Music]
00:11:10
Do you have a Quick Tip to share with my listeners? Donโt forget to share it with me. Information to do so is in this episodeโs show notes. And with that, I wish you a beautiful, Conscious, Effective Olympian-esque day and week ahead for you, my empty nest friend. You should already know this, but you are amazing!
[Bloopers]
00:11:46
Still listening? Thanks for being you, for listening and for checking your thoughts. You are not only improving your own life but indirectly you are an example to others. Keep being amazing, my empty nest friend!
[Music]
[End]