In this soul-expanding episode, Sarah is joined by Lena Winslow—a science-minded healer who blends nuclear medicine with integrative coaching to help others reclaim their power after a cancer diagnosis or health crisis. Lena shares her own transformational journey after a cancer diagnosis at 38 and offers powerful insights on how to bring the body, mind, and soul back into balance. This is not a story about fighting disease—it’s about making peace with yourself and walking your own path to healing.
“Your mother’s story is not your story. You get to walk your own.” – Lena Winslow
“Healing is a pursuit of reconciliation—not a fight against yourself.” – Lena Winslow
“Trust is not about knowing what comes next. It’s about feeling safe enough not to know.” – Lena Winslow
Lena Winslow
Sarah Jordan-Ross (00:00.0)
Hey everybody, welcome back to Taboo Talk with Sarah, the podcast that breaks the silence, fosters hope, and talks about the tough stuff so you never feel alone. If you're new here, I'm your host, Sarah Jordan Ross. I'm a wife, a mum, a wellness coach, and I've spent the last 25 years in the trenches of real, honest conversations. Not the highlight reel, but the heart of it. The stories that crack us open, stretch us, and slowly bring us home to ourselves.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (00:31.414)
And here on Taboo Talk, we explore the raw, messy and deeply human experiences we often carry all alone. And today's guest, Lena Winslow is someone whose integrative and holistic approach to health and healing resonates with my own journey. She's an integrative health coach, a board certified wellness coach. She also has a background in medicine.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (00:59.541)
in both conventional and complementary therapies. And she combines her clinical training with solid understanding of what true healing really means and what it takes to get there. We first connected through Debbie Prediger. I saw an interview that Debbie had done with Lena and said, I need to talk to her. And I am so excited that she's here with me today. So Lena, welcome.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (01:27.809)
It's so great to have you.
Lena Winslow (01:30.085)
Thank you so much for having me, Sarah. I'm honored to be here and to share my story in hopes that it can resonate and help somebody else. This is what I'm here for.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (01:41.485)
Wow. Let's start at the beginning of the story. So what was going on with you when you were right in the thick of it all and realized that something had to change?
Lena Winslow (01:57.387)
So I often tell people about my stubbornness. I'm a little bit of a stubborn lady. my, yeah, well, yes, in more ways than one. And my jolt into something had to change.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (02:07.297)
Good thing to be.
Lena Winslow (02:19.646)
I so wish I could tell you that I had an epiphany and my smart brain and my beautiful heart came up with it all on their own without any input from outside. But, nope, I had to get gobsmacked with a really tough diagnosis of cancer. And at that point, my mind, body, and soul didn't hesitate to say, okay,
Lena Winslow (02:48.982)
Something's gotta change.
Lena Winslow (02:52.378)
And I would love my purpose out of all this is to be able to maybe share enough of how I faced this so that other people don't have to get a lesson in that way, because it was really tough stuff.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (03:16.714)
I think that's the thing for most of us when we've gone through a really tough experience like that we want to do what we can to help other people. one of the things you said to Debbie through the interview and the thing that made me say I need to speak to her I cared for my mum through a cancer journey unfortunately we did lose her but
Sarah Jordan-Ross (03:43.049)
In your interview you said you discovered that you needed a fearless oncologist. And I would really love if you could unpack for us exactly what you meant by that and why it's so important to have one of them on your team and also that team around you.
Lena Winslow (04:03.778)
Yeah, that term just came to me one day and my mother was, what do you, would you say quadruple board certified physician because she had four different specialties she was treating patients in and she had a cancer diagnosis that we also, you know, she did not survive and
Lena Winslow (04:33.006)
When I was faced with my own at the age of 38, I actually went back to find the oncologist that treated my mother 20 years prior. And she embodied what that means to me because when I walked into that room, she wasn't practicing oncology. She was in the field of genetics.
Lena Winslow (05:01.622)
and I found her and she made room for me in the schedule and she looked at me with strength and compassion both in her eyes. She told me this one phrase that will always stay with me and it was, Lena your mother's story is not your story. You get to walk your own.
Lena Winslow (05:31.542)
And what I could see in this woman who was a physician who treated countless cancer patients is that she wasn't afraid for me.
Lena Winslow (05:43.702)
In fact, she wasn't afraid.
Lena Winslow (05:50.624)
at that place where I realize that when someone's afraid of me, they have this tendency to place pity in the situation, pity for the patient, pity for what they have to go through and what they think it's going to be like. And when someone thinks that in my direction, personally, I feel like it zaps away my
Lena Winslow (06:20.165)
It makes me feel like they don't believe in me. And when that happens, it's really hard to put one foot in front of the other, especially in a situation like cancer. So a fearless oncologist knows their craft. They know their lane, they know their science. But they take it as far as that and leave the true healing of the entirety of a person up to a
Lena Winslow (06:49.485)
patient and how they want to walk through that journey. Because as an integrative health coach and at the same time holding a certification in nuclear medicine, I see how both can combine to create a beautiful synergy, but only when they stand on the same level.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (07:13.461)
Mm-hmm.
Lena Winslow (07:17.767)
One can't be more important or higher than the other because at that point you create this disbalance and it doesn't work. You sap the power from one end to the other. And this concept, yeah, go ahead.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (07:33.003)
where it really needs to be in.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (07:37.042)
No, was just thinking that the... where that balance really needs to be in the middle. You need to take the best of both and put them together in a way that works for the individual. So you're looking at the whole person and what's going on for them, not just the condition that they happen to have. But you're using...
Lena Winslow (07:38.572)
Mm-hmm
Lena Winslow (07:42.69)
Yeah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (08:03.344)
all of the science to tackle it from one end and then integrating other therapies in with it as well. So can you unpack that a little bit for us of how you did that, how you combined the best of both and came up with that healing that worked for you and also then how you've now used it for other people because it is rare to have somebody who
Sarah Jordan-Ross (08:30.085)
specialises in nuclear medicine like you do and then has more of a holistic health background and the complementary therapies to go with it.
Lena Winslow (08:45.261)
So I guess what I would like to say first when unpacking that is the fact that there has there's a tendency out there to treat conventional medicine and integrative medicine as two separate entities that almost tend to be at odds with each other. Like you can't do this like let's say chemo.
Lena Winslow (09:15.245)
and do this integrative approach and expect them to work together.
Lena Winslow (09:25.429)
And when I entered into this field, my oldest child has a diagnosis of autism. So I've been in this world of special diets and environmental toxins and triggers and all of the stuff that comes with helping somebody recover from...
Lena Winslow (09:54.06)
the symptoms of autism, symptoms of neurological damage. And I didn't want to believe that I couldn't use conventional medicine and the integrative medicine together. So in my case, making them work together was very individualized and it's going to look different for every single person, which is why it's so hard to implement this in the...
Lena Winslow (10:23.703)
greater environment of healthcare because we don't have time and resources to be able to completely individualize every single approach.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (10:27.235)
Thank
Lena Winslow (10:39.125)
And at that point, the patient comes in to be their own advocate, right? Go ahead. I know you had a thought.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (10:47.453)
They need to be able to advocate for themselves but part of why it's hard too is that, and you hit the nail on the head earlier, both sides are seen as being separate and in competition and that whole you can't work together, you can't do the conventional route of chemo and follow a macrobiotic diet. And yet you've found, and I know in my own experience with health challenges, it was actually
Sarah Jordan-Ross (11:16.592)
doing those things of the, okay, this is the science based route that we take and we know it works, but let's put in a few things to support our system while it's going through that. thankfully the approach, has changed and it is changing much more open to integrative practices now than we're at one time in history. I know
Sarah Jordan-Ross (11:45.084)
About 20 years ago I heard of oncologists who would refuse to treat people who were trying the alternate route, which I hate that term because it's not. They're not alternatives. They are complements too and they work better when they're worked that way. But also, I was a massage therapist for 25 years and when I first started in massage, don't touch a cancer patient with a 10-foot pole was the general
Sarah Jordan-Ross (12:15.228)
than because there was a whole lot of fear around what it may do. Fast forward, we have trained oncology massage therapists working alongside doctors in hospitals because we found that supporting the system that way helps them to get through the challenges of...
Lena Winslow (12:17.738)
yeah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (12:36.55)
chemo, radiation, all of those sorts of things that it's integrating the approaches and using the best of both to help each other and to help the person. And you said that individualized. It's now shifting to that looking more at what's going on for that person as a whole, rather than just looking at their symptoms.
Lena Winslow (13:06.816)
Right. I always look at it as
Sarah Jordan-Ross (13:08.199)
And there's something powerful about
Sarah Jordan-Ross (13:10.183)
that.
Lena Winslow (13:12.172)
I've always looked at it as a three-legged stool, your mind, your body and your soul. And when you enter into something like a cancer diagnosis, you just want your body to be whole for whatever this is that you think that is invading your life, invading your space, your cells, you want it gone.
Lena Winslow (13:40.641)
And I felt that way for a time until I realized that I have watched my mother and many other women go into this diagnosis with the fight in mind as what they have to do. And there's a whole lot of messaging out there, know, fight for your life. And from the very beginning, I didn't see it as a fight.
Lena Winslow (14:10.044)
I saw it as a pursuit of reconciliation because I knew that there was a process in my body that was not working the way it was designed, but at its core,
Lena Winslow (14:32.904)
It wanted to be whole, wanted to support me in my life, support me in my vision, my purpose, and I didn't need to fight myself to get better.
Lena Winslow (14:49.416)
I needed to find this balance of myself between those three legs of the stool to create this equilibrium.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (15:05.198)
make sure that all the legs of the stool are on the ground and you're not falling off because you're leaning too much one way. Which is a great way to think of it.
Lena Winslow (15:15.307)
Right.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (15:18.502)
And that whole coming back to that sense of equilibrium and working out what's really at the root cause of those symptoms and addressing it from there because we're so often told to suppress the symptoms rather than see what it is they're trying to tell us. So by the sound of things you tune a bit more into
Sarah Jordan-Ross (15:48.323)
what the body's telling you but also what that, what your spirit's telling you. Have you found that that's made a big difference in both your own healing journey but then how you help others now too?
Lena Winslow (15:55.596)
Mm-hmm.
Lena Winslow (16:06.017)
So it's really fascinating because like I now see looking back how this process switched the direction of the conversation I was having with myself. And in my practice, I now help people switch that direction for themselves. And there's four different spots that I addressed for myself. In the beginning, it was changing
Lena Winslow (16:36.286)
my thinking from being a victim of my cancer diagnosis to creating choice and knowing that I get to choose my own path and that my mother's path is not my path. Right? So that's, that's number one from victim to choice. Number two is I have a very logical brain and what it needed to do is go from
Lena Winslow (17:05.356)
intense logic and science and peer-reviewed studies to sensation of how does my body feel now? Where do I feel tension? Where do I need to direct my attention in order to address something that's going on in this moment right now? So the second one is from logic to sensation. The third one was from my mind.
Lena Winslow (17:35.19)
to my body because that looping of the thoughts, my good friend calls them ants, the automatic negative thinking. so your mind just, especially in this stressful situation like this, your mind just goes racing and it keeps on thinking about like the future. Like what if I don't make it to my kid's high school graduation? What if?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (17:46.788)
You
Lena Winslow (18:03.584)
Like all of the stuff that hasn't really happened, I'm already suffering from it. And all I needed to do was shift from this loop into my body and create the calm that I can create with tapping into my breath and tapping into like massage therapy, for example, and doing things from that direction. And then the last one was from outside in because as a human,
Lena Winslow (18:33.215)
bombarded with a bunch of information. There's a ton of stuff going on on the outside. Most of it is always outside of your control. And you're just trying to look around and figure out which way to run. And shifting that conversation inward and tapping back into that choice of how do I want to deal with this right now? What is this teaching me in the moment?
Lena Winslow (19:01.809)
What am I looking at for my future, for my actions that align with what I want to do from the inside out?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (19:15.412)
getting into that space when you're in that
Sarah Jordan-Ross (19:20.342)
nervous system completely dysregulated, so much information coming at you from everywhere can be really tricky. So if you were talking to someone who was feeling really stuck or discouraged in their health journey, what would you want them to know?
Lena Winslow (19:42.763)
Mmm.
Lena Winslow (19:48.447)
I think if I had to pick one phrase that I would want to say is, you know, anything is possible.
Lena Winslow (19:57.464)
And many big things start with the belief that it's possible. And it doesn't have to be the great big thing that you think about when you think of possibilities. It can be a small little thing. Like it is possible for me to get out of bed, put on clean clothes. It is possible for me then to go for a walk.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (20:22.955)
to celebrate those little things.
Lena Winslow (20:23.346)
and
Lena Winslow (20:27.251)
Yes, yes. So out of possibility comes probability. And then whatever it is that you're working towards becomes inevitable because you're continuing to work towards it. So that's the very first step. If you're stuck, think of what is possible for you right now for just a small tiny step next.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (20:57.027)
Because it's true the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step is just making that what can I do right this minute in that moment and sometimes that helps us if we are really stressed and anxious because a lot of the time it's the It's the future thoughts Or we get stuck in that That was somebody else's experience. So it's gonna be the same for me like for
Sarah Jordan-Ross (21:26.423)
For you and I who've had, who've watched our mothers go through cancer and knowing what it was like for them, get sort of stuck in that, ooh, is the pattern going to continue? But we all have that choice of where we can change that, that as that very wise oncologist said to you, your mum's story doesn't have to be your story.
Lena Winslow (21:54.879)
Right.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (21:55.446)
You've gathered lots of amazing
Lena Winslow (21:55.484)
Yeah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (21:57.6)
wisdom along the way.
Lena Winslow (22:00.812)
I was given that so that I could do something with it. I think that's the whole big point. And I was talking to a cancer patient this week and as an integrative health coach and I'm sure for you this is not news at all, I mentioned something about...
Lena Winslow (22:24.991)
thinking your anxiety before you let it go and She said I never thought about thinking my anxiety because it's just so such a nuisance It's always in the way of doing doing something Preventing me from doing something I want to do But if you remember that there are no wrong parts of
Lena Winslow (22:53.171)
And if we can get to a place where we see ourselves whole and look at a way to harmonize or...
Lena Winslow (23:05.483)
kind of create that equilibrium between diff... because anxiety is a protective mechanism that is deeply human that just became a little bit unequal with everything else. And looking at ourselves as whole and working on kind of making those...
Lena Winslow (23:32.575)
Bits work together, letting go some of those because they may not serve us right now with gratitude is really a beautiful thing to do.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (23:42.721)
And that's the thing, it's getting all of those parts working together and remembering that our nervous system is hardwired to keep us safe.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:00.244)
acknowledging that, I'm feeling unsafe, what do I need to do to get to a space where I can feel safe? And then thanking that anxiety for pointing out that you were in that space, but now that you know, anxiety can go on its way and do its own thing, because you don't need it right this minute.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:27.819)
But yeah, it's...
Lena Winslow (24:28.756)
Right, and
Lena Winslow (24:29.226)
the thing that baffled my mind completely is the second part of that sentence. Our nervous system is wired to keep us safe. It is not wired to keep us happy and fulfilled. That's our job.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:43.775)
No.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:46.897)
Its job is to keep us alive.
Lena Winslow (24:50.504)
Right, but how do you want to live that life? That was the big question through cancer treatment. It was like, how much do I want to hit my body with and what am I going to be left with on the other side? How do you want to live that life? If you want to live it in happiness and fulfillment, then there's some education to do. There's some inner work to do. There's some things that will have to happen beyond the safety, right?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (24:53.91)
Yeah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (25:18.314)
And I know when my mum got sick, we'd always had, she had the most amazing china collection, some of it handed down through generations of the family. we had this one dinner set that was our Christmas dinner set. So the special occasion one that that was the only time it got brought out was Christmas or occasionally for a birthday. That set became the everyday set because my mum said,
Sarah Jordan-Ross (25:46.637)
I've got all of these beautiful things. They were made to be used, they were made to be enjoyed. Life is meant to be lived. So all of those pretty things got pulled out of the cupboards and started getting used because like what's the point in them sitting there gathering dust when I can enjoy them.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (26:10.759)
Some of those have been packed away again because I have three little boys and I'd kind of prefer them not to get.
Lena Winslow (26:11.358)
That's a beautiful.
Lena Winslow (26:18.814)
Yeah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (26:19.465)
Not to get wrecked, but we still have
Sarah Jordan-Ross (26:21.169)
that dinner set that she turned into the everyday set. We still use that pretty much most of the time.
Lena Winslow (26:31.42)
I love that. And I think we all arrive at that place at different points in our lives when we decide that it's not about stuff, it's about experiences with the beautiful things.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (26:46.464)
and the people that you spend that time with because that's what you remember
Lena Winslow (26:53.566)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, so my vision.
Lena Winslow (26:59.272)
Right, I created a purpose statement when I was finishing cancer treatment and it talks about creating an environment of growth and unlimited potential for myself and everyone else around me. So it goes back to what kind of environment do you want to create?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (27:29.766)
So many things for us to talk about.
Lena Winslow (27:33.926)
I know. I'm excited to be able to connect with you all the way across the globe.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (27:42.356)
Yes! The wonders of the internet.
Lena Winslow (27:50.621)
It's really cool.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (27:50.696)
And from
Sarah Jordan-Ross (27:51.539)
where you are, it's already the future for where I am.
Lena Winslow (27:58.142)
He, see? This is cool. Like this is the future and you don't even have to think about that right now. You just get to be in the now.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (28:07.89)
I saw a great post once. Don't worry about the future. It's already tomorrow in Australia. So you're sitting in your home and it's a Tuesday afternoon and it's a Wednesday morning for me.
Lena Winslow (28:19.924)
So,
Lena Winslow (28:28.138)
Mmm. Um, I... So it's actually dark outside.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (28:37.822)
Yes!
Lena Winslow (28:40.51)
And I have this phrase that talking about the future that I keep this notebook on my desk and when I see something I jotted down and this last phrase that I actually pulled out earlier this week it says trust is not about what comes next it's not about finding out what my blood work is going to be or my next scan is going to show it's about
Lena Winslow (29:09.758)
feeling safe enough where I am right now to not know.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (29:19.231)
That's a big one.
Lena Winslow (29:21.97)
Yeah. And then how do you create that environment for yourself? Like, that mean you have a cup of tea in the evening? Does that mean you have to, you know, turn your lights a certain color? Or does that mean you go for a beach walk? Does that mean you cook a certain meal a certain way? Like, what does it take to create safety in your mind, body, and soul? Like, think about all three.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (29:53.586)
those things that bring you peace and joy and no matter what's going on around you. Remember Malcolm Jamal Warner in one of the last Make It Matters, things that we did, he reminded us that no matter what is going on, there is always reason to smile. And if you're having trouble finding your reason to smile, that's when you need to be the reason for somebody else.
Lena Winslow (30:16.979)
minutes.
Lena Winslow (30:24.201)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (30:24.435)
So it's tuning into
Sarah Jordan-Ross (30:26.086)
that, what do I need to make me smile? And then how can I share that with others? How can I find that stillness in the middle of the storm? Because cancer, well, any health challenge really, is a bit of a storm. So it's the finding that peace in the middle of that storm is what will help you get through it.
Lena Winslow (30:54.289)
And creating that contribution, I was doing some research about mothers of children with special needs. And I don't remember the exact percentage numbers now, but the research really blew my mind because mothers of children with special needs were more likely to do something for a neighbor, like cook a meal or offer to pick up a kid or do something helpful for another mother.
Lena Winslow (31:23.397)
from the place where they are. Like they're already carrying a disproportionate load and they're able to carry it because they're willing to bring a contribution to the world, even if it's in the form of a smile for the moment.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (31:46.142)
or sharing people's Because you never know when it's sharing your story that might be the thing that makes a difference to somebody else that they can go, ooh, actually somebody does get it, does understand. And I've always found it interesting that it is those people who are in the midst of struggle themselves who are always the first to look at a situation and go, how can I help? How can I make it better?
Lena Winslow (31:50.313)
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (32:16.123)
I sometimes wonder if part of that is the being what we need in that moment.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (32:23.355)
the ability to say, well, if it was me, this is what I'd need. So then going and doing that.
Lena Winslow (32:24.189)
Yeah.
Lena Winslow (32:35.835)
Yeah, and that deep compassion that comes from an experience, like that deeply felt experience that can't be replicated by logic or text.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (32:52.317)
And in my very long health journey, I've realised that bodies don't always read textbooks, they don't always do things exactly the way that is expected and sometimes that makes things difficult.
Lena Winslow (33:10.565)
Yeah, I can't tell you how many times I've heard a phrase from a medical professional to the tune of, I've never seen that before. You're the first one that's ever done that. And I seriously wonder, am I really or is it just that we're so complex with so many moving parts? There's a first on every floor at every minute of the day at every hospital.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (33:23.868)
Yeah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (33:38.288)
Yes.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (33:38.614)
Sarah Jordan-Ross (33:41.532)
And the more I've learnt about the human body, the more I realise I know nothing.
Lena Winslow (33:53.713)
Yep. Correct. Which is why it's so important to like tune in.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (33:56.654)
or the things that we used to think that's
Sarah Jordan-Ross (34:01.489)
Yeah.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (34:07.462)
But we get so used to not listening to our bodies or so caught up in the crazy busy of doing that it's really easy to forget to just take those moments to be. In your journey, did you find that, like you've already mentioned, like creating that environment and taking that time?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (34:35.737)
How much of a difference do you think doing that and taking that time for yourself and really tuning in and listening to what was going on in your body made?
Lena Winslow (34:48.969)
So I was running a very, very fast paced life when I was stopped with this diagnosis and almost overnight it felt like somebody just pulled a plug from a bathtub and all of my activities came spiraling out and drained out of my day.
Lena Winslow (35:15.483)
And in that moment, I was left with an empty calendar and this realization that I really have to start somewhere and listen to myself. And the tough part there is as a medical professional,
Lena Winslow (35:39.313)
I'm very much...
Lena Winslow (35:43.485)
based in science, so I wanted all of the answers to be based in logic. And in that moment, they were not serving me. And it was really tough because it felt like taking responsibility for something I had no idea how to do. And I just took it day by day and allowed myself time to learn.
Lena Winslow (36:13.351)
And then the beautiful thing on the flip side, when the treatments were over and I started contemplating how to fill my day back up, I became a very different chooser. I literally did not say yes to anything unless it was an absolute heck yes for me. And even if
Lena Winslow (36:42.075)
In the beginning, I didn't have a full day, like there were gaps in my schedule and I could have done this, that and the other. I left those spaces blank because they were waiting for their heck yes. And that's how I rebuilt my life. So now it's filled with my absolute yeses and I got to be really good at discerning.
Lena Winslow (37:10.599)
what is a not right now? What is, doesn't fit into my tapestry for the day. It doesn't mean it's a bad project. It doesn't mean that there's no room for it later, but it's just a not right now. And that became kind of like my guiding light where I tune in and I see what is the thing for me to do. And it's very individual. It's very mine.
Lena Winslow (37:40.489)
Lena Winslow (37:41.694)
It's pretty cool.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (37:43.736)
very cool. I like that. The white spaces in the calendar waiting for their heck yeah before they're filled up which is a really good thing and that you've rebuilt your life one heck yeah at a time which is pretty cool. So what's lining you up the most right now?
Lena Winslow (37:48.061)
Yeah.
Lena Winslow (38:07.053)
my goodness. So I also have three children and they're all in different places in their schooling and age and I still have, my youngest is still homeschooling, so I do that. I also have a practice where I present different health topics to different places in the community.
Lena Winslow (38:34.84)
and my coaching practice and I'm also a writer. So my favorite thing to do is write and travel. So the project that I have...
Lena Winslow (38:52.976)
materializing right now is stubborn grace series part two my part one was written for women going through cancer and that was stubborn grace I want to show you
Sarah Jordan-Ross (39:13.132)
for it.
Lena Winslow (39:14.364)
Did you see this? So this is my friend's artwork and Stubborn Grace is a book and a journal that talks you through the process of finding that equilibrium for your stool. The second one is going to be for mothers of children with special needs. So that's what I'm working on right now. That's what's lighting me up. That's what's driving me.
Lena Winslow (39:43.76)
I don't have a release date yet, but it's coming.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (39:48.248)
When you do let me know because I need that book.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (39:53.754)
because my oldest was diagnosed with MS about a year ago and my youngest has ADHD. and part of why I started the podcast too was as a massage therapist talking to other mums of extra needs kids.
Lena Winslow (39:53.8)
It's so exciting.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (40:18.745)
There's a couple of us said, we don't like the term special needs because every kid is special and needs needs special things but a few of them just need a little extra love, little extra attention, a little extra extra care. So, but yeah, it's like parenting is a tough gig anyway. But when you have those extra needs, it just adds a whole nother level of
Lena Winslow (40:20.744)
Mm.
Lena Winslow (40:25.992)
Mm-hmm.
Lena Winslow (40:37.286)
Yeah.
Lena Winslow (40:43.511)
my!
Sarah Jordan-Ross (40:49.813)
of being a tough gig. So, yeah, I would definitely love to read your book.
Lena Winslow (40:53.852)
Sometimes I use the word complex.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (40:58.369)
Sorry, what was that?
Lena Winslow (40:58.908)
I sometimes
Lena Winslow (40:59.8)
I use the term complex needs.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (41:06.433)
a good one too.
Lena Winslow (41:09.17)
Just a little extra complexity in there.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (41:19.325)
and I will put links in the show notes too.
Lena Winslow (41:21.308)
But in essence, I want to.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (41:25.88)
Sorry. I'll put links in the show notes too for where people can get your book.
Lena Winslow (41:27.236)
Yeah. In essence, what I wanted to say about
Lena Winslow (41:34.618)
Yeah, that would be amazing. What I wanted to say about language, know, language is a very powerful thing and it is right to be very picky about the words we use to describe ourselves in our situation. And it is important to make sure that they resonate with the truth of what you would like to see and who you are and who and how you see your life.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (42:10.508)
final question that I ask everybody who comes on the show. What's the conversation you feel we should be having, but we're not?
Lena Winslow (42:24.324)
Hmm, as a global society?
Sarah Jordan-Ross (42:29.11)
What's that thing that needs to get talked about that isn't being spoken about?
Lena Winslow (42:38.002)
You know, I think it's starting and it's in the beginning stages of really bringing to light how important it is to really recognize and tune in to your individual purpose as a human here on earth because we have spent so many decades, hundreds of years making things industrialized.
Lena Winslow (43:06.952)
creating these rigid schemes and tables and the way things should go almost like a factory, right? And at this point, what we need to talk about is how important it is for us to create that space for each person to have the ability to give the gift that they came here to give. Because if we can do that,
Lena Winslow (43:35.718)
then imagine the world that we would create. Imagine how things would be where if each of us took our gifts, our talents, our abilities and used them to its full potential.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (43:51.223)
How amazing would the world look if we were all filling that purpose that we were put here for? That each one of us has something that only we can do in the way that only we can do it. Just because things have been done a certain way forever doesn't mean that that's how they need to stay.
Lena Winslow (44:07.26)
Yes.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (44:17.439)
and some of us don't fit.
Lena Winslow (44:17.458)
Right, and that's, to
Lena Winslow (44:19.319)
me, that's the most important thing. Right, some of us, well, fit or don't fit, it's technology is here to serve us. No, no, no, no square pegs and round holes.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (44:26.889)
into nice neat little boxes.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (44:35.787)
Bye.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (44:36.13)
Lena Winslow (44:38.502)
you
Sarah Jordan-Ross (44:39.062)
Bye.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (44:44.445)
and lots more of us who are starting to look at the... everything doesn't have to be an either or conversation, it can be a both and and your story is a beautiful example of that of you are a science geek but you tuned into your intuition, into your spirit and you used that
Lena Winslow (45:08.263)
Thanks.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (45:12.03)
to then get that stool of body, mind and spirit all working together and all the legs on the floor so you don't fall off. Which is a great way to do things.
Lena Winslow (45:27.803)
Yeah, and then put it all together.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (45:28.534)
Sarah Jordan-Ross (45:32.138)
In a way that works for you. And the way that works for you may not be the way that works for me.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (45:44.522)
The way that you encourage everyone to find their own way that works for them is a beautiful gift and I thank you for sharing it with us today.
Lena Winslow (45:57.991)
Thank you so much for having me, Sarah, and for shining your light and doing what you do.
Sarah Jordan-Ross (46:06.231)
Thank you. Yes, we could spend all day here chatting, but I think that's a perfect spot to end things on. So thank you so much for being with us and sharing your wisdom that I'm pretty sure did not come easy. And your story is a great reminder that...
Sarah Jordan-Ross (46:29.584)
Healing isn't just about fixing what's broken, it's about putting all of those pieces back together in the way that works the best for you. So for everyone listening, if anything in today's conversation resonated with you, please know that you're not alone. Healing's possible. And your story really does matter, so please share it. Because you never know when your story
Sarah Jordan-Ross (46:58.28)
might be the thing that helps somebody else find their equilibrium again. If you've got your own story to share or a topic you'd like me to explore on the podcast I would love to hear from you so leave a comment, send me a message, connect with me on socials. Your voice really does matter and I will also put links in the show notes for how you can get in touch with
Sarah Jordan-Ross (47:27.892)
with Lena if you wanted to connect with her and explore her work or get her new book when it comes out or pick up the one that's already out there. Until next time, take care of yourselves, take care of each other. Remember, share your story because it matters. I'm Sarah Jordan Ross and this has been Taboo Talk.