Transcript

All Gifts Season 2. Episode 7. Introducing the All Gifts Podcast

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SPEAKERS

Pandora Villasenor

Pandora Villasenor  00:09

You are listening to The All Gifts Podcast, where we unwrap some of life's most painful topics to find the hidden gift within. I coach people helping them discover ways to transform their challenges into gifts. I'm your host and author of the All Gifts memoir, Pandora Villasenor.

The purpose of this pilot episode is to answer three questions. Who am I? How did I get to this place where I'm talking to you on this podcast? And three: Why did I start the all gifts podcast?

Let's start with who I am. I'm a biracial black woman who grew up the oldest of four kids. Our mom was on meth, and my dad was a heroin addict. He spent most of my childhood in prison. I've survived abuse, neglect, domestic violence. And as an adult, I wrestled with my own addictions. I was a teen mom, who raised two kids on my own while working full time. I've been on welfare, and I've lived in extreme poverty. But I've also grown up and had a lot of success. Miraculously, I can now look back at everything that's happened to me and see it all as a gift. That's what All Gifts, the book, and this podcast are all about.

With life, there's pain, from the grief of everyday disappointments, to life changes to truly traumatic things. These things are unavoidable and we can't control it. But I believe that the most painful experiences we go through, make us the people that we are, it gives us the strength and the experience to become all that we're meant to be. My undergrad is in psychology. So I have a lot of interest in that area. But I'm not a psychologist. I love learning about brain science. But I'm not a neuroscientist. I'm not an expert at all, really.

So how did I get here? I wrote my memoir, All Gifts, and ultimately decided to do The All Gifts Podcast because a few years ago, I was reflecting on my life. At that time, I was 42 years old, I had raised and launched my two amazing sons. I had just gotten my Masters in Business. And I had a successful second marriage. And what made these accomplishments truly staggering, I mean, they're not unusual accomplishments, is when you look back at the trajectory of my life, and where it was headed, we shouldn't have made it. My kids and I, we shouldn't have made it this far.

But at this time, a few years back there I was, I had this rewarding career doing something that I was excited about helping people and coaching people. I had these two well-adjusted sons. I was just overcome with gratitude. And I was a little shocked. I mean, I couldn't really understand without reflection. I wanted to understand how did we get here? How did we get saved?

Well, it was during this time of reflection that I remembered this inner voice I had when I was a girl. And it would come to me during really difficult times, I was the object of ridicule amongst my peers as a kid because I didn't have nice clothes. So I was teased a lot. You know. Tthis voice would come when, you know, my mom was, you know, beating me upside the head over and over again about something that I had done wrong, like, you know, didn't wash the dishes properly, or what have you. But this voice would come during these most difficult times. And it would say you're going to help a lot of people with your story one day. And that voice got me through a lot. It would come and I would hear it and I would think okay, and it would get me through the moment.

So as uncomfortable as it is, what I realized during my time of reflection is I owed the world a chance to hear my story in the hopes that it would help somebody else. See, I wasn't saved. My kids weren't saved just so we could enjoy the comfort of our lives. We were saved so that we can help other people. All Gifts. The book, this podcast isn't about lifting myself up and saying “Oh, look at me. Look how amazing I am.” No, no quite the opposite. I'm saying “Look at me. That poor girl who washed her clothes found in a dumpster in her bathtub the night before seventh grade with dish soap. Who was so ashamed and so insecure has now found peace and self-acceptance and love.”

And loved ones, you can too.

So why? Why did I start this podcast? Well, three years ago, I started writing All Gifts the book which I have now finished and will, God willing, be publishing in 2021. I started this podcast because I wanted to reach even more people with the message that our painful things don't have to define us. I mean, they're there and they're a part of who we are. But we can choose to respond and transform those painful things into gifts.

Loved ones, thank you for joining me on this journey. Thank you for listening to The All Gifts Podcast. I'm your host Pandora Villasenor. I have a passion for coaching people to overcome the challenges in their lives by helping them discover ways to transform those challenges into gifts, gifts of accomplishment, perseverance, strength and resilience. But most of all, peace and self-love.

Loved ones, go to www.all giftsbook.com to join us for exciting updates on the launch of All Gifts the book and sign up for our free newsletter.