Resolute Courage Ep-1: ‘JUST START!’

[podcast real-time, unedited]

What if it were that easy… to just begin… just to set your mind and say, you know,

THIS is it! This is, THIS is the time I'm going to start a podcast, and just go for it! And I can tell you “Welcome to Episode One”.

That has been the case for me, up through the point of actually beginning! I've designed podcasts, I thought about a podcast, I've had different styles of podcasts, I've done the work for podcasts, I've talked to people about podcasts, I bought the equipment for podcasts. I've done everything except begin that first podcast.

And I guess this would be what you would call the intro. And today is different.

My podcast is called Resolute Courage. My name is Melanie Jean Burke, and I'm nearly deaf. So what makes this podcast different for me is? I can't hear anything. I don't hear the volume, I don't hear, I cannot hear my own voice. I don't hear what's going on around me. I don't hear. I don't hear pitches or sounds I don't hear feedback. I don't hear people talking back to me, I'm unable to do interviews, through speech through hearing, and it has been truly the most profound experience for me.

So I don't honestly know where to begin because except to begin. So when I found out that I was losing my hearing, it's called sudden deafness. It started in May. And within a few weeks I've had lost all hearing and but the way that I have had to learn and relearn how to communicate with others, and especially with myself is just something that I definitely wanted to share. And I had no idea of going into all this how difficult it is for the community of hard of hearing and Deaf people, people who are individuals who struggle to hear clearly or have language, barriers, transcriptions.

Everything that I do now has to be through vision. So I have enormous a strain on my eyes, because I know I have to read everything in order to hear it. And I've gone through different apps and different experiences. And I truly it's been humbling and just to let you know, right now I'm, I'm on a zoom, I'm using zoom to pull out the audio so that I can actually have a podcast and it's transcribing it for me so that I can begin to put this out and share both the wealth basing incredible insights and experiences I've had over the last three months and also the struggles and this is a very personal to me, because I can't even hear my own I can't even hear myself.

And when I say profound I mean it's so bizarre because I don't have the ability to hear what I'm saying. So it's coming from… it's coming from a very deep personal like the devine soul level, it just flows out of me. I I don't think about what I'm saying. I just, it's like it's unfiltered. And it has given me enormous freedom and of course fear which comes back to the Resolute Courage. What if I just walked through this with grace and dignity, in exactly the moment that I'm going through, where I don't project forward, I don't look back, I just literally focus my entire energy on right here right now… being the absolute best of all that I am. And not… I don't have to be more than. That… and I don't, I don't have, I don't have to settle for less than. That I just have to be who I am, all of me, the best of all of me, here telling you that you know, there's amazing. It's an amazing experience to look there to walk through fear and and to own it in that exact moment. There's so much power and freedom and joy in that!

So I only have a couple of intentions for this podcast and that's to get the word out that, um you know, I I'm fortunate I have a coach who I've known for a really long time that I work with a I love her with all my heart. She's kept me grounded through all this. And I have a good community my family and friends who've been supportive as I navigate my way through this unknown territory. But I find it very... I'm a learner I'm a lifetime learner I love learning and it's difficult in today's technology for people who have. Tt's getting better I've noticed even in the last three months but maybe that's just because I'm more aware of it now but closed caption and all of the all of the tools that are available now two people that so they can participate in this amazing explosion of online learning.

And so I want to sort of be an advocate for people out there who are in that entrepreneurship setting, or have the ability to make a difference… to please think about putting the content out there in such a way so somebody that can’t hear it can consume it easily. And also for the community out there that is deaf or have difficulties hearing that they can consume the content in other capacities so that they too can start, you know, a career because I feel so isolated. But it's a very very strange place to be when it's complete silence it's um it's it's it's it's it's important to connect with people who have a difficult time hearing because… I'm sorry I should have brought a tissue box of tissue!

So anyway, I have no idea how this cross I do know that I'm being as real as I can be. And I do know that THIS is Episode One, and I do I have an amazing sense of humor. I miss laughter! I miss laughter and music so much! That's like been the hardest thing to adjust to. And sounds you know nature and my dog barking and my kids laughing It's just as quiet is so why and so If I'm feeling isolated, I can imagine a lot of other people are too.

So I would like to open the discussions on how to make it easier for communication to exist between, you know, between those quiet moments. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't miss listening to all the noise and the fighting and this, there's so much noise in the world, when you don't hear it, you realize that most things I don't miss at all. So that's been a gift. But um, and so that's one intention to bring awareness to those that are creating content, how important it is to find avenues for it to be easier to connect.

And the other thing is that I've learned that I just have to stay right sized with my soul, I, I don't need to pretend to be more than I am all those times that I wanted to be that, you know, great podcaster or that, or that, you know, like, I wanted to, I wanted to, I wanted to start out being great before I even be gave myself the opportunity to begin! And I don't have to do that anymore. First of all, I can't even hear what I'm saying. But I can just be, I can be right here because this is all I have. All I have is the air that I feel coming out. The breath, the the energy, I can feel the energy moving out, as if I'm talking but I have no connection to what that energy sounds like anymore. And I don't have to play down and play small. And I I don't I don't air noise that that was all the reactions. I don't hear the distractions and I don't hear the excuses anymore. So today... I said okay, there are no excuses. I don't even know what I'm saying. So I might as well just say it!

So anyway, this is kind of a roundabout way of saying I have hope. I am excited, I have found joy in the journey of walking through… My fear is with resolute courage, and staying right sides with who with who I am with all of who I am. And the moment and I find great peace in that. And I hope that brings you some peace today too. And I'm only going to ask one favor in return. If this was helpful to you, or if you know somebody that might be useful this or if they have some feedback. Believe me, I don't I don't get offended by things that easily anymore. If it's too loud, or something in the background or something that I can do, I'm not going to worry about the Opening Music. I'm not going to worry about the techno stuff. I'm not going to worry about all that as until I get my footing, but I will be sharing my journey with you. So I appreciate any feedback and support that's meant in a kind and useful way.

Until I find my way to podcast episode number two. I can officially say I have finished my opening podcast! And I'm going to celebrate that tonight. Yeah, that's a win for me. All right. Now how do I turn this thing off? Oh yeah, here we go. Bye.