Welcome to a truly special Wholehearted Coaching post. If I may say so myself, every podcast episode and post holds a special place, yet today's resonates on a profoundly personal level.

As we bask in the present moment, we are marking the Spring Equinox which is the beginning of Spring.

As an Iranian, this day holds extra significance as we embrace Nowruz, our New Year. Nowruz is akin to a blend of Christmas and New Year's, it’s a time of jubilation and introspection.

We revel in the traditions and symbols, notably the abundance of flowers which symbolize growth amidst life's muck.

As we honor this tradition, we are diving into our very own Spring Equinox tradition here at Wholehearted Coaching. Each year, we replay the very first Spring Equinox episode on the podcast.

This episode shares deep-diving prompts and reflections to guide you in welcoming in and nourishing this vibrant season.

So, whether you're revisiting or joining for the first time, let's embark on this journey of renewal and growth together.

Before we dive in…

We have a GIVEAWAY!!

This is the first time I’ve done this and I am so excited!

We want to hear from you. Tell us what you would love to hear on the podcast (the topics, themes, concepts, tools, and more!) and you’ll be entered to win a 1:1 coaching session with me, love!

Enter the giveaway here: wholehearted-coaching.com/giveaway

I love the metaphor of the flower.

And with the Spring Equinox (or Nowruz — the Iranian New Year), flowers are very symbolic for us. We have them all around our house during the spring equinox.

This time of year is very much like the Western New Year in January where you’re setting resolutions, looking to the year ahead, and thinking of what you’d love to do or how you’d love to feel.

We also have this element of looking at the past, seeing the past year and seeing what we can learn from it.

So, when we’re looking at those beautiful flowers, they remind us that there is a blossom. The blossom is so beautiful. It’s nurtured by light from the sun, our love, and TLC.

That flower is attached to a stem that’s rooted in soil.

The soil is the dirt, the mess, the muck.

And what that can show us is that from our own mess comes the beauty. Those moments in life that feel less optimal, perhaps our mistakes and failures, they are what allow us to blossom and bloom.

Wholehearted Coaching is a result of a lot of mistakes

Wholehearted Coaching is the result of many different things. A lot of them were mistakes that I’ve made.

And love, they’re mistakes that I'm so incredibly happy about.

One of the biggest ones was when I was dating this guy for six months who I was just head over heels for. But from day one, I had all these red flags in my mind.

My intuition was telling me that this person seems great, but I’m not too sure about him.

And, I chose not to listen. I kept stifling it. I kept trying to mute that noise in my head that was telling me that this just isn't right.

Fast forward to six months later, I found out that this individual had been lying to me about something pretty big the entire time.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, this was a lesson to me that I had to listen to my intuition.

Of course, it was an incredible heartbreak and even with that knowing I thought, “Whatever, F intuition!”

But, that breakup led me to finding a coach. I had stopped listening to what I truly wanted. I was operating out of such a scarcity mindset. I was settling for good enough.

I realized I needed a coach. Someone to help get me out of that and back to myself.

And that coaching experience completely transformed my life. It led to a new career of being a certified life coach. Which led me to truly living my dream life.

This is why we need to look at our soil, our dirt, our gunk, our mess. We need to look at how these things have created such beauty in our lives.

Self-Reflection Prompts for the Spring Equinox

Thinking of the future, how do I want to bloom? What will help me blossom?

• How do I want to grow?

• What intentions do I want to set to help nurture this growth?

Flowers need some very particular things to grow. Some of them need more light. Some of them need less water, whatever that is. We have to know what our instruction manual is. So what is this instruction manual that's going to help you?

Thinking of the past, what forms my soil? How can I honor this?

• What feelings and experiences have brought me to this point?

• How can I learn from, release, or accept these moments?

• How have these moments helped me grow?

• How have they contributed to my beauty?

Love, we’re all blossoms. We’re all these beautiful blossoms rooted in soil, in the gunk. But there’s so much beauty that comes from that gunk.

So love, you are the flower. You are the blossom. You are blooming. You are incredible. But remember, that beauty was the result of so much mess.

Tune into the podcast to hear the full episode — 189 | Spring Equinox Special

The Waitlist for the Wholehearted Life Coaching Certification is now open!

If you’ve ever dreamed of coaching others towards a life they truly love and doing so with so much care, skill, and ethics, this is the opportunity for you, love.

If you’d love to learn more, just head to wholeheartedcertification.com/programs.

Our next cohort begins Fall 2024 and applications will open in the Spring (and the waitlist gets early access!)

Did you know that each podcast episode comes with free guided journal prompts?

If you want to be in the know and get each Mindset Monday straight to your inbox complete with journal prompts to take you even further, get on my email list.

About your host, Shirin Eskandani