Soul Surfer Bethany Hamilton on Coming Back from a Shark Attack — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00There is more to my life than I  could understand in that moment.
2. 0:03And as painful and as upside down as it felt,  I also knew that there was good to come.
3. 0:15Hey, it's Marie Forleo, and welcome to another  episode of MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast.
4. 0:20Now, if you are someone who has been knocked down  by some big waves in this life, I think you're
5. 0:27going to love today's show. My guest is here to  show us how faith and joy and determination can
6. 0:33help make any of us unstoppable. Bethany Hamilton  is an inspiration to millions. After losing her
7. 0:41arm to a 14-foot tiger shark at the age of 13, she  went on to become a professional surfer, winning a
8. 0:48national title only two years later. From chasing  big waves to chasing her kids, Bethany continues
9. 0:54to use her faith, hope, and determination to  rewrite the rules of being a modern role model.
10. 1:00Bethany, thank you so much for making time to  come on MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast.
11. 1:06Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.
12. 1:10So you are such a force of nature. Most people  know your story. Hopefully, our audience does,
13. 1:16because I wrote about you in  Everything is Figureoutable,
14. 1:18because you are so incredibly inspiring  to me. So, I want to dive right in,
15. 1:23in your book, in Body and Soul, you wrote that  two weeks prior to the event you and your mom
16. 1:29actually prayed to God to guide you to be  more than just a surfer. I want you to tell
17. 1:35us about how you found not only peace, but  purpose with everything that's happened.
18. 1:42Yeah. It was amazing, really. My mom and I,  my mom was an amazing woman or she still is
19. 1:50but growing up, she just influenced me in such  beautiful ways. And I think maybe it was just
20. 1:57God working through her to prepare me for what was  to come. And so, yeah, we had been praying that...
21. 2:04I don't know, I think it may be hard to understand  but I think when we get so focused in on one thing
22. 2:11and that it's so life-consuming, it can almost  become an unhealthy thing. And I didn't want that
23. 2:17to be this case with me and surfing. I mean, I  love the ocean. I love pushing myself in my sport.
24. 2:26Whether I'm professional or not, I'll always be  out there doing my thing, but as a 13-year-old,
25. 2:33I also recognized the world needed more than  just a surfer. And so, we'd been praying that.
26. 2:40And then, when I lost my arm to the shark, I was  like, "Okay, God, this isn't quite what we had in
27. 2:47mind." But at the same time, I had a peace that  God was in control and that there is more to my
28. 2:56life than I could understand in that moment. And  as painful and as upside down as it felt, I also
29. 3:04knew that there was good to come. And so I kind  of, and I also had that mindset of like, "I'm just
30. 3:11thankful to be alive." So the gratitude and trust  in God kind of led me forward in a way that... I
31. 3:19don't know, I could have had a really different  life if I didn't have those two leading factors.
32. 3:27What a beautiful blessing and a gift  that your mom gave you. And you know,
33. 3:32we were just talking about Everything is  Figureoutable and it just makes me reflect on
34. 3:36what an influence my mom has been and  continues to be on my life as well.
35. 3:39Like how some of that early messaging,  especially around possibility and around
36. 3:44faith and around trust, really can root  us when the world turns upside down.
37. 3:51Mm-hmm.
38. 3:51And when our world turns upside down. And you  just continue to be such a role model for so
39. 3:58many. You know, a lot of folks in our audience  have experienced traumatic events and for many,
40. 4:06multiple traumatic events. Four weeks after  your experience, you were back in the water.
41. 4:12Tell us about how you found that  mental and emotional and physical
42. 4:16strength to get back out on your board so quickly?
43. 4:21Yeah well, it started with a conversation in the  hospital. A friend of my older brothers by the
44. 4:28name of Mike Coots had come into the hospital to  visit and comfort me. And he himself had lost his
45. 4:34leg to a shark several years before myself. And  he actually learned how to surf with one leg. And
46. 4:42he came in and talked with me and... I share  this in my documentary, this conversation where
47. 4:48you see my face light up when he says,
48. 4:51"I went surfing this morning and I tried to  pop up with one arm and it's fully possible."
49. 4:57And I’m, you just see kind of the, the ticking and  my mind just enliven, and at that point, it was so
50. 5:07fresh. It was, I was only in the hospital for five  days. So I was, you know, anytime in the hospital
51. 5:12was just so fresh, it was hard to start dreaming  or think about life. It was just healing mode.
52. 5:19And, but then the dreaming started right then  and there. And I was like, "Okay, I just have
53. 5:25to at least try." I didn't want to lose this  passion and joy and this life that… You know,
54. 5:32I was in the water every day. I didn't want to  just let it go. And I think I realized too that
55. 5:40my love for surfing outweighed my fear of sharks.  So I wanted to get out there and give it a go. And
56. 5:46I think when you're that young too, there's a  really unique sense of resiliency and just so
57. 5:56willingness to give it a go. And so I  just got out there as soon as I could.
58. 6:02What was that first time back  in the water like for you?
59. 6:06It was beautiful. So I was down at  the beach with all my best friends who
60. 6:11I spent my childhood enjoying the ocean  with. My parents weren't actually with me,
61. 6:17but I called them and said, "Hey, I'm ready to get  back out there, bring my board, let's do this."
62. 6:22So my whole family came down and typically I  ride a smaller surfboard, but they brought a big
63. 6:30longboard, which is perfect for learning. And of  course, I knew how to surf, but I was relearning
64. 6:35how to do it with one arm. So I had the longboard  and paddled out and had my best friends with me
65. 6:41and just my whole family cheering me on. And  the first couple of waves I tried to get,
66. 6:47I fumbled off the board and couldn't do it. And  then my dad's like, "Here, let me help you."
67. 6:54I have always been kind of a more,  "I got it on my own," sort of a girl.
68. 7:00And, but he helped me verbally. He's like, "Okay,  you're going to have to do things differently now.
69. 7:05So put your hand in the center of the board versus  both hands on the side." So the next third wave
70. 7:12that I caught, I put my hand in the center, popped  right up, and rode it all the way to the beach.
71. 7:17That was kind of a start of the future me. And  even then at that point, it was just pure, raw
72. 7:25joy of... I was crying happiness. And it was also  the start of, or the continuation of, my healing.
73. 7:36And, you know, I think a lot of people just  maybe are thinking, "Well, what about sharks?"
74. 7:43And I know that's a factor, but for me, the  ocean is my healing place. It's my place of
75. 7:50rest and peace and place to be me and be free.  And so I think I needed that in that time of just
76. 8:01the world feeling not like  it should be at 13 years old.
77. 8:07What a beautiful story. You shared something  else. And I want to talk about this, because
78. 8:13so many people that I've met throughout the years  have this chronic sense of feeling left behind. No
79. 8:21matter their age, no matter their circumstance.  There's almost like this undercurrent in our
80. 8:27society that we're either behind or we're being  left behind. And you shared, "I couldn't help
81. 8:33imagine what I would have accomplished if I  hadn't lost my arm." So we're sitting here in the
82. 8:38middle of still a global pandemic. And I imagine  there's folks listening and watching right now
83. 8:44that have lost different things, or perhaps even  many different things. Do you have any perspective
84. 8:50to share with folks who... Or someone's wrestling  right now with an unexpected loss or change?
85. 8:57Yeah, I think just have grace on yourself  and the situation and patience and
86. 9:07none of the beautiful things happen  overnight. And I think in this world,
87. 9:13we're going to have trouble, no matter  how hard we try to avoid it, it's just
88. 9:18inevitable. So to expect that that's not going  to happen is almost setting ourselves up for
89. 9:26a pain in a way that it was going to happen  regardless. So being able to find our,
90. 9:33our gratitude and our reason to push  forward and our meaning on a daily basis,
91. 9:42you know, I think all of us  are feeling it this year.
92. 9:46We're all struggling with different things  of how the world is in this moment. And
93. 9:55yeah, I think just, for me, it, it  definitely helped to get back in the ocean
94. 10:02in that time. And even to this day, I'm  like, "I need the ocean to stay sane."
95. 10:08But, so finding not only that thing, that outlet  that you can enjoy, but in that place of peace and
96. 10:15rest, but also people to talk with. I mean, I've  had to have a lot of conversations this year just
97. 10:22to stay positive. And you know, my husband and I  are talking every single day about everything. But
98. 10:31in a way that's like, “How do we want our  future to look regardless of how the world looks
99. 10:36and what do we want for ourselves and our family?”  We can still step into that, that, that motion
100. 10:46of like, “This is what I want for my future.”  And even though it feels hard right now, we're
101. 10:53going to get past it. And one day we'll be able  to heal from the pains that we're feeling today.
102. 11:00I want to underscore something you said, 'cause  I feel it's so wise and all of us need to hear
103. 11:05it multiple times. You know, you were sharing  how problems are going to happen no matter how,
104. 11:12and this is what I heard, no matter how  hard we work or how much we prepare, right?
105. 11:18Mm-hmm.
106. 11:18Or how focused we are on being the best at what  we do and trying so hard to be world-class at
107. 11:26whatever it is. It could be around raising your  family. It could be around your professional
108. 11:31career. It can be around your business. And I want  to highlight that because I think it really is so
109. 11:38important. I know in, in my own past, especially  in my earlier days, I had an illusion that if I
110. 11:47worked really, really hard, that I could take  care of everyone and everything to such a degree
111. 11:55that I could prevent most things from going wrong.
112. 11:58And even though the wiser part  of me knew that wasn't true,
113. 12:02I think that nonetheless, I got lost in that  illusion for a little bit, and it drove me,
114. 12:10I think, in a, in a, in a fairly unhealthy way. So  I just wanted to thank you for sharing that bit,
115. 12:16because I think it's so, so important. We often  talk about it on our team that like, "Hey,
116. 12:21problems are actually to be expected." Like, they  are guaranteed. That stuff is not going to go the
117. 12:28way you planned and that's not going to go the  way that you expect it. So the game is not to,
118. 12:32you know, try and eliminate problems, it's  actually to be strong enough to handle them.
119. 12:37And I think of like, you know, obstacles  are constant. So being able to find our
120. 12:42way to work through that situation and  overcome. And I feel like this year has
121. 12:48posed a lot of obstacles my way. So  I'm constantly having to adapt and
122. 12:54reevaluate which direction I'm going. And then  also hone in on the most important things to me
123. 13:02and let that being the leading  force through, through the problems.
124. 13:10Let's talk about the power of owning your  story. You know, you've been a public figure for
125. 13:1417 years and you've shared how our culture is so  addicted to drama, which I completely agree with.
126. 13:22And that people hang tight to the drama points of  life. So naturally, folks get very focused on the
127. 13:28drama points of your life as well. Tell me about  how you have navigated or what you would share
128. 13:36with people. You’ve, you've said, "Oh,” you know,  folks say, “You're the shark girl.” or, “You're
129. 13:40that girl that lost her arm." Let's talk about the  power of owning your story and your own narrative.
130. 13:45Oh man. Yeah. I would say when it first  happened to me, my story was world-renown
131. 13:53and my personality was not the type to thrive  under the spotlight. I really didn't care to be
132. 14:02the center of attention. So it felt really hard  for me, but I also started to get letters from
133. 14:10young kids hearing my story. And when they saw me  getting back in the ocean, it really inspired them
134. 14:17in their own journey of overcoming. So that's  when that kind of, that prayer started to come
135. 14:26into fruition. The prayer that my mom and I  had of like, "I want to be more than just a
136. 14:31surfer." And so, I kind of, I would be… To be  honest, I was half-heartedly embracing that…
137. 14:38Yeah.
138. 14:39...as a young girl. And I think that's only  natural. I wanted to be playing with my
139. 14:44friends and rambling in the ocean. I didn't want  to be in the spotlight, but I just kind of held,
140. 14:52hung on and started to see the beauty  more and more. And then now I just…
141. 15:01Yeah, I'm honored to have been able to share  my story in so many ways. And you know, I think
142. 15:06of all the children who are suffering. There  are so many kids that are laying in hospitals
143. 15:14and fighting for their lives and they're able  to watch my film, Soul Surfer, and that just...
144. 15:22All the sacrifice that I had to take to do that,
145. 15:26was beyond worth it for little kids like that.  And I have really grown to love storytelling and,
146. 15:36you know, I don't necessarily revolve my life  around it. But I see the beauty in it and it kind
147. 15:42of continues to push me in different ways, but I  think we all can be storytellers in our own way.
148. 15:48It doesn't have to be on a big scale, but  we all have something to give and share. And
149. 15:55I feel like in today's culture it’s so... So much  of our storytelling has become purely online,
150. 16:03but I've found I need in-person conversations  and sometimes older women will surprise me with
151. 16:11just sharing something out of the blue and  it's such a blessing in my life. So I think
152. 16:19knowing that we can bless others through our  storytelling can be really a beautiful gift.
153. 16:26Yeah. And owning the story that not only you  tell yourself and others and being able to
154. 16:32write and rewrite that narrative as many times as  you wish, as it comes from your heart. And I also
155. 16:38want to share, you know, what you're expressing  in terms of, so many of us tell our stories online
156. 16:44and what you enjoy is having those conversations.  Having those conversations. And in the age
157. 16:52of the pandemic where we are right now, the fact  that you and I can connect, I'm in New York,
158. 16:56you're in Hawaii, this is amazing. I've  actually been doing a lot of deep dive
159. 17:00research into the impact of the internet and  digital tools, specifically on our cognition
160. 17:06and on our mental and emotional  health, and you’re right on.
161. 17:10The power of conversation, whether they're through  the phone or in a setting like this, where you can
162. 17:17see someone's body language and you and I can, you  know, our eyes can meet and you can hear the tone
163. 17:23of voice. It is so transformative and healing  for our souls and far, far outweighs, you know,
164. 17:32a quick text message or, or something that is, you  know, just a, almost like a dopamine hit, like a
165. 17:38little piece of dopamine Pez that you might get  from social media. So just some more wisdom there.
166. 17:43I liked that reaffirmation of my kind of instinct,
167. 17:48'cause I haven't really done a lot of research.  I've just felt it. I, my love language I've found
168. 17:56is having quality time. And so when I haven't seen  someone in months or, you know, really long time,
169. 18:04I start to feel distant from that person. And  I've kind of been working through that of knowing,
170. 18:11you can't always be with people, but  it doesn't mean they don't love you.
171. 18:15Yeah.
172. 18:16But the really key relationships in my life,  I'm really guarding of that quality time
173. 18:23and really try to highlight that  and make it really meaningful,
174. 18:28so that those relationships don't suffer.
175. 18:32Yeah. And it, you know, we had another guest on  MarieTV a few years back. His name is Dan Buettner
176. 18:37and he has a whole body of work around blue zones,  which is these areas around the Earth, right,
177. 18:42where people live the longest, healthiest  lives. So they're not just, you know,
178. 18:48over a hundred years old and kind of barely  hanging on, they're over a hundred years old and
179. 18:53there is vitality and health and movement. And one  of the key components is actually relationships.
180. 18:59Wow.
181. 18:59And that's more of that science. So you are so  right on track in terms of healthful, joyful,
182. 19:06meaningful living. You shared also that even  after returning to surfing and traveling, getting
183. 19:12married, that you still had some unfulfilled  goals when it came to surfing. Can you tell us
184. 19:18a little bit about listening to the voice inside  of you and what decisions kind of came from that?
185. 19:24Yeah it was... Competitive sports are  such a challenging realm to be in,
186. 19:30because so much of it is just... There's so many  variables, especially when it comes to surfing.
187. 19:37And, you know, I always had that  strong confidence that I had the,
188. 19:43the top-level surfing ability, but being able  to format that into competitive scene was really
189. 19:53challenging. So around the age of 22, I think it  was, I took a break from competitive surfing. And
190. 20:00somewhere around that time, I was also making  Soul Surfer and just kind of getting other
191. 20:05opportunities that I was embracing a bit more.  And then around that time, I also met my husband.
192. 20:11So it was a really beautiful time in my life,  but there was also that sense of letting go of
193. 20:17something that I had invested so much time  and hadn't really had the success I wanted.
194. 20:24So after we got married, I  had connected with a filmmaker
195. 20:30and we started working on a project. My husband  was on board to just support me through that time,
196. 20:37because it involved a lot of travel.  And the last thing we wanted to do was
197. 20:41be apart. But he wouldn't really be able  to, from his perspective, be able to work.
198. 20:48And so, yeah, we just jumped on that journey of  creating my film and documentary, Unstoppable,
199. 20:57and it kind of just created the space for me to  pursue my professional surfing ambitions. And
200. 21:04it wasn't necessarily all competitive. A lot of it  had to do with progression and big wave surfing.
201. 21:12So I'm not going to get too nerdy on all that,  but really just pushing it in the ocean in every
202. 21:19realm of the sport. And I was literally... It was  a really challenging time, but so much fun. It's
203. 21:26the type of environment I just thrive in. And I'll  be forever thankful to my husband for cheering me
204. 21:35on during that time. And yeah, I just got to go  push in my sport and get back to it and rock it.
205. 21:43That's so awesome. I love that  you did that. And I love that
206. 21:46you created that framework for yourself to say,
207. 21:49"Hey, I've got a lot more to do here and I'm going  to do it in my own way and in a really fresh way."
208. 21:55And even along that journey, I even… I wasn't  planning on having my son at that time,
209. 22:02but I got pregnant and it was midway through the  project. And I just had a total meltdown, 'cause
210. 22:10I had been working so hard and it just felt like  not the right timing, but we just kind of rolled
211. 22:17with it. And then I kept pushing it and kept kind  of finishing off a lot of my kind of bucket list
212. 22:25goals, even with motherhood. So it kind of added  that special kind of hint of like, it went from
213. 22:32the two of us to the three of us, charging it  around the world and cheering mama on. So...
214. 22:38So beautiful.
215. 22:39Pretty fun. Fun times.
216. 22:41So awesome. You've shared, "You don't need  easy, you just need possible." Let's talk
217. 22:47about the myth of motivation and why you've  chosen to focus on discipline instead?
218. 22:53Oh man, you know, I think about my natural  kind of approach to life. And I tend to be
219. 23:02really disciplined and I didn't really realize  that until the later, later in my twenties.
220. 23:10My husband's like, "Gosh, how do you stay so  motivated?" 'Cause I would just be on it with my,
221. 23:16my cross-training and the gym and  getting in the ocean all the time
222. 23:20and working with coaches. And he just,  he came from a really athletic background
223. 23:26through high school and college. But when he  was around me, he was just stunned I guess. And
224. 23:35he, granted, looks a lot more muscular  than I do. I'm more of a curvy body,
225. 23:42but I'm really strong. And my body does amazing  things in the ocean. So I'm like all for myself,
226. 23:48but it's amazing to see how much he works out  versus me in the past and just the differences.
227. 23:57I love it.
228. 23:59But yeah, I think I learned a lot of that  through surfing actually. Surfing has taught
229. 24:06me almost more than anything else in life.  It's just taught me so many life lessons,
230. 24:12but the ocean can be so frustrating at  times and it's wanting to beat you down
231. 24:18and send you back to the beach and just  frustrate the heck out of you. And,
232. 24:24but then there's always that longing desire  for that next amazing wave that just gives
233. 24:30you the most incredible high. And it's just such a  beautiful feeling. So that kind of propels you to
234. 24:39push past those pain, pain moments, especially  when you're paddling and sometimes you're duck
235. 24:44diving. It's just like, kind of the translation  of a lot of people who are very athletic,
236. 24:52they're mentally strong too, because they've  had to push past those physical pain points
237. 25:00and that carries over into the mental and  pushing past those mental pain points.
238. 25:05So I think just my sport has taught me to stay...  You know, you never know when your next success
239. 25:13is. Kind of… Like you can will your success as  much as you want, but a lot of times you just
240. 25:18have to keep putting along until it happens.  And so now I carry that over into motherhood,
241. 25:27into my relationship with my husband,  just kind of continually reevaluating
242. 25:34the pain points and working on those and  healing those and supporting those people
243. 25:41in my life the best I can. And then also into my  workplace and different areas of my life that...
244. 25:47I don't know if that answered your question?  I really kind of got lost in there.
245. 25:50I think it was great. No, you did awesome. And I  think there's actually just such a great metaphor,
246. 25:55right? About waves and the ocean and  life. There's always another wave coming.
247. 26:01Mm-hmm.
248. 26:01And you really do, you're going to get... I mean,
249. 26:05I think most people who've had an experience  of swimming or who've, you know, been lucky
250. 26:09enough to spend any time at the ocean, I grew  up on the Jersey shore and I love being in the
251. 26:14water similarly to you, although different, I'm  not a surfer. The water is so healing for me.
252. 26:20I feel like it rearranges me on a cellular level  and, you know, I've gotten knocked on my butt
253. 26:26a lot of times by waves and then you go like,  "Well, okay, am I going to stay down with the
254. 26:31gulps full of saltwater and sand all over? Or  am I going to get back up and go again?" And...
255. 26:38Sometimes the ocean too, it's like, you'll have  an incredible wave coming at you, but it's also
256. 26:43kind of scary. So there's that moment of  like, "I have to choose to overcome this
257. 26:49fear I'm feeling right now. And the reward  on the other side is going to be amazing.”
258. 26:55And so throughout my life, just learning to deal  with those fears that I have and recognizing them
259. 27:04and not letting them over consume me. But kind of  weighing the pros and cons throughout that fear.
260. 27:12And then knowing what can be on the other  side, if I can let it go or push past it.
261. 27:20I've got a little bit of something new here. So
262. 27:23some of the kiddos of our Team Forleo  parents were really, really excited about
263. 27:28us having you on the show. And so they actually  have a few questions for you if that's okay.
264. 27:33Yeah.
265. 27:33One of the kiddos says, "How can  someone get over the fear of big waves?"
266. 27:40Okay. So my advice, if you do want to  go and get out there in the big surf,
267. 27:46it starts with just being confident with your  swimming. When I was young, I did swim team.
268. 27:54And so that helped me a lot when it came to  being in the ocean and being around bigger waves.
269. 28:01And I realized that I'm such a strong swimmer, if  anything happened, I can swim myself out of this
270. 28:08situation and everything will be okay. But also  it took time too, you know, I worked my way up. I
271. 28:15didn't just go from little iddy biddy waves to the  huge ones. I slowly got more and more confident in
272. 28:22the bigger and bigger surf. And over time I got,  I just became normal. So sometimes I'll go out
273. 28:31in certain surf and my heart's not pumping  at all, because the waves don't feel scary
274. 28:37to me. But then I'll go and really extra big  surf. And I'm like, my heart is pounding. I’m…
275. 28:45You know, all senses are fired and my guard’s up,  but I'm also ready to tackle it at the same time.
276. 28:54Bethany what's one of the  biggest waves that you've surfed?
277. 28:59It's hard to say, but definitely
278. 29:02as big as houses, there's one that  maybe measured around 40 or 50 feet.
279. 29:09Wow.
280. 29:11It's a wave called Jaws. And so it's  a type of surfing called toe surfing,
281. 29:15where you have a jet ski pull you  into the wave and it was incredible.
282. 29:22Is that something that at this point  where you're at in your journey that
283. 29:26you still crave? Are you still going  like, "I need some really big waves"?
284. 29:31There's definitely that kind of love-hate.  And I think it's the mother intuition kicking
285. 29:36in. 'Cause I am, I have deep respect for the  ocean and I have that kind of lurking fear and
286. 29:45just knowledge that it's powerful. So part of me  wants to be there. And then part of me doesn't
287. 29:52just for the sake of the worst-case scenario  happening. But when I do surf that sort of wave,
288. 29:58I usually go fully prepared. I'm usually  wearing a helmet, a life-preserving jacket,
289. 30:04there's a safety team. So, just kind of depends,  but I definitely have craving for solid waves.
290. 30:12So this is another question from the kiddos  on Team Forleo. They said, "You've done
291. 30:17so many cool things. What's something you  haven't done, but you really want to do?"
292. 30:22Oh my goodness. Wow.
293. 30:24I know, they're great, right?  Asking such good questions.
294. 30:28Yeah. Well, I guess a lot of my dreams now  have to do with my kids. I really just,
295. 30:37I haven't taken my kids to the snow yet, so I  really want to take them to the snow and take
296. 30:43them skiing or snowboarding. I'm trying to think  there's somewhere in the world I wanted to visit.
297. 30:53I don't know, just probably involving more  travel, maybe go to Alaska as a family.
298. 30:58That's where my husband and I went for our  honeymoon. So we want to go there again
299. 31:04and just kind of adventure the world and surf  different waves. And I'm pretty easy to please.
300. 31:09I don't need a whole lot to be happy as long as  I'm near the ocean. It, it's usually all good.
301. 31:19I can agree with that a hundred percent. Is there  anything else that you want to share before we
302. 31:25wrap up? Anything now or next, or just a message  that you want to leave our audience with today?
303. 31:31Oh gosh. I think, you know, I think the year  of 2020 has been a really big challenge for
304. 31:36us all and I'm feeling it along with, I  know a lot of you are too. So I think I,
305. 31:42I just urge you guys to focus on the positives,  look for the good. I think our country
306. 31:50specifically needs people to cheer it on and  celebrate each other and love on each other.
307. 31:58Even if we have differences and we have difference  of opinions, different beliefs. But I think we're
308. 32:04in a really special time where we need to kind  of cling together and cheer each other on and
309. 32:12fight for the good and beautiful things in this  world. And yeah, I know that this time will pass
310. 32:20and there's more beautiful things  to experience moving forward.
311. 32:26Thank you so much for who you are. You're  such an incredible soul and your commitment to
312. 32:33sharing the power of joy and resilience  and determination and love is a huge
313. 32:39inspiration and continues to be. So thank you,  Bethany, and thanks for making time today.
314. 32:44Thank you, Marie.
315. 32:47Isn't Bethany amazing? That woman  is such an inspiration. I'm curious,
316. 32:52what is the biggest insight that you're taking  away from this conversation, and most important,
317. 32:56how can you put that insight into action  starting right now? Now as always the
318. 33:02greatest conversations happen over at  the magical land of marieforleo.com. So
319. 33:06head on over there and leave a comment now.  While you're there, if you're not already,
320. 33:11make sure you subscribe to our email list and  become an MF Insider. We send joyful, inspiring,
321. 33:17motivating emails once a week, and I don't want  you to miss out. Until next time, stay on your
322. 33:23game and keep going for your dreams, because the  world really does need that very special gift
323. 33:29that only you have. I'll see you next time  on MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast.
324. 33:35Hey! You having trouble bringing your  dreams to life? Well guess what? The
325. 33:39problem isn’t you. It’s not that you’re not  hard-working, or intelligent, or deserving.
326. 33:44It’s that you haven’t yet installed the one  key belief that will change it all. Everything
327. 33:49is Figureoutable. It’s my new book and you can  order it now at EverythingisFigureoutable.com.