the first step to feeling free from the past

Last December, I spent a few days in New York City. I was there to record the Audible audiobook for my new book Happy Days, starting with chapter 1 about feeling free — and I was prepared! 

Or, so I thought …

I wore my softest leggings to be cozy for the read. 

On the way to the recording studio, I picked up enough water and tea to keep myself hydrated for DAYS. 

But unfortunately, I forgot to pack some tissues. 

I was just a few pages into the manuscript when tears started flowing. Within minutes, I was back in that trash-strewn car that I describe so vividly in Chapter 1 … 

I was an addict again … 

I was my 24-year-old self. 

chapter 1: willing to become free

On today’s special episode of the Dear Gabby Podcast, you’ll hear me read the intro to Happy Days, and the entire first chapter from my Audible audiobook. (Yep! This is a MAJOR sneak peek.) 

When the book begins, I’m chugging red Gatorade in that littered car. I’m in my 20s —  hungover, anxious, and exhausted on every level. As I wait for the street-cleaners to sweep by and free up my parking spot, I listen to a cassette tape over and over. 

It’s a recording of a psychic reading I’d had five months earlier. Here’s what happens next:

an excerpt from happy days

Outside the car, the noise of people walking toward the subway interrupts me. They look so put together with their coffee cups and shoulder bags. As I watch everyone begin their day, I accept that mine is ending. The street cleaners sweep through the lane across from me, and I follow them from behind to secure my spot. I leave my empty Gatorade bottle on the floor of my trashed car and head back into my apartment. I’m desperate to get into bed, but I have to wash my face from the night before. I jump in my moldy shower and let the water wash over me as my mascara runs down my face.

When I’m done showering, I quickly get into bed and take some kind of downer. While I wait for my sleeping pill to kick in, I feverishly journal the psychic’s words over and over. I write so that I don’t have to face the severe anxiety and heart palpitations. As the pill sets in, the anxiety subsides as if it’s being shut behind a door, one that will reopen when I wake. The sounds of the trash cans clashing outside my window and the people heading to work become softer and softer as I finally fall asleep. As I recall that morning, I have tears in my eyes.

I can think my way back into that car as if it were yesterday. Those feelings of shame, insecurity, and unsafety come back to me. I know that girl intimately, and I’m proud of the choice she made to be the woman she is today. Even though it would take her another year of self-destruction, addiction, and near death to finally get clean and sober, she let the path unfold perfectly. I thank God every day that she chose the path of recovery.

My 24-year-old self could never have imagined who I am today. Thankfully she made the right choice to get clean and hold a vision for a better future, for true happiness. A vision of freedom and inner peace.

the path to feeling free from the past

The prediction that psychic made would change my life forever. She helped me see that  I had reached a fork in the road. I could take two life paths … and only one led to feeling free.

I share the psychic’s haunting words on Dear Gabby today. 

listen to this episode to learn:

• The spiritual way to treat pain and suffering (it’s not about brushing it off … and I’ll tell you why!) 
• The first step to achieving inner peace and feeling free (this is something ANYONE can do, no matter how much suffering you’ve endured) 
• Why “udoing” is a key word for anyone looking to heal (put this word on a Post-It note and make it a mantra — this will make sense soon!) 
• The ONLY reason that you’re blocked from success, abundance, or whatever it is that you want (this may be hard to grasp at first, but this powerful truth will unlock so much healing) 
• How to interrupt patterns from your past so that they don’t keep repeating in the future (you CAN find happy days ahead!)
• What you can do to know — beyond a shadow of a doubt — that Spirit is by your side 

the secret to manifesting

And, I’ll give you an exercise that will open you up to manifesting the great changes you are here to make. (People ask me all the time for the secret to manifesting … well, this is it!) 

Listening to today’s episode of Dear Gabby is a brave and significant act. Whether you know it or not, this is an important step on your path to freedom and inner peace. 

By reading this blog, or listening to the Dear Gabby podcast, You’re proving to the Universe that you’re willing to feel better. 

You’re willing to become free. 

my promise to you

In the introduction to Happy Days, I make this promise to you: 

When you open a book like this it means you’re claiming a level of joy and peace you never knew were possible. When you bravely follow my guidance, show up for the steps, and honor the feelings that come up along the way, you will come out the other side a new version of yourself. You will come back through to you. 

I mean that with all of my heart. 

get more gabby

The following are helpful resources and books I mention within the episode. 

• Happy Days: The Guided Path from Trauma to Profound Freedom and Inner Peace is out now! This is my greatest spiritual work yet. This book is a journey toward lifelong transformation, and I guide you closer to freedom and peace with every page. I’ve infused each word of this book with love, and it’s my privilege to share it with you. 
• Get the Happy Days Audible audiobook here: audible.com/HappyDays. 

• If you feel you need additional support, please consult this list of safety, recovery and mental health resources. I’m proud of you for your commitment to self-care.

I can be your coach—anytime, anywhere!

My NEW gabby coaching app makes personal growth easy to access. Get weekly lessons, guided meditations and proven manifesting methods to enhance every area of your life—on your own terms, at your own pace, all in one place. 

I’ll be your coach to help you manifest your desires and live with an unshakeable sense of inner peace.

disclaimer

This podcast is intended to educate, inspire, and support you on your personal journey towards inner peace. I am not a psychologist or a medical doctor and do not offer any professional health or medical advice. If you are suffering from any psychological or medical conditions, please seek help from a qualified health professional.