I had the joy of meeting the live out loud, generous with her time and energy Valerie Rene Sheppard at Amazing Woman’s Day in Philadelphia last year and was delighted to get to know her a bit more when doing a paired share exercise. Driven, dedicated to pursuing her passion and purpose, Valerie maintains a soft side that keeps her approachable and grounded. 

 

How do you live your bliss?
My most blissful moments come in the silence: when I step away from the things-to-do list, put the phone on silent (in another room), quiet the mind chatter, and be still. And when I can do all of the above in nature, especially by the ocean, that is the most ideal. In fact, I just moved closer to the beach so I’d have even easier access to what I know fills me up and helps me stay centered and free.

What does it mean to live vibrantly?
The specifics of an expression of vibrant living are different for everyone, but I believe there is one place that is the basis. Fundamentally, vibrant living springs forth at its greatest when we’re in our true State of Being which is Peace, Love, Joy and Freedom. Peace = centered in the knowingness there is a Divine Order within, around, and through all things on this human plane. Love = unconditional reverence for all that is – every single other being in the realm and the realm itself. Joy = happiness that has no reasons and knows no end. Freedom = being untethered from the worldly aspirations and baggage that prevent evolution of the Soul.

When I can connect inward to the source of this State, I don’t have to do anything to have a vibrant life. Life just is vibrant. All of my senses are more acute, my life expression is sweeter, my relationships harmonious, and the synchronicities abound. If I get off-track, I can more easily get back on, if things happen that are troubling or in any way not what I want, I can take the lesson, make adjustments, and keep living. Living from this State, life is easy, effortless, juicy and delicious!

How do our thoughts create our reality?
I don’t believe that thoughts alone create our reality. I believe thoughts must be aligned with a deeper activation, a sub-conscious vibration in order for creation to occur. People can think prosperity at the mind level, but if at their deeper level they’re vibrational frequency is lack, limitation, inadequacy or unworthiness, they’ll create those things more than the prosperity they’re seeking. They may create a certain level of prosperity or wealth, live in a big house, drive a nice car, but inside, they can feel like it’s not enough, and/or that something is holding them back from achieving the things they really want and believe they’re capable of.

This is the way I felt for most of my life. I was accomplished, credentialed and successful. I practiced Positive Mental Attitude starting at age 13. Yet, along the way, I felt like something outside me was preventing me from really reaching my pinnacle. Through an ongoing archeology of my Self, I unearthed the problem, and it wasn’t my thoughts. It was hidden fears and beliefs that had built up deep within my heart, that were “louder” than and not in alignment with my head. These were more of the source of my attraction and creation than my thoughts.

It’s been amazing to be awakened to that realization and actively change my beliefs and values to be a more aligned, and therefore more powerful creator of the life I want to live. I love more and more how my life is unfolding, and I trust more and more that my outer results reflect deeper alignment between my head and my heart. I know too that getting to this place doesn’t have to be hard. That’s why I’m working to help others get clear on what’s going on beneath the surface, and make choices to live freer, more vibrant lives and lead more successful, vibrant businesses.

When you were a little girl, what was your deepest dream/vision for yourself and have you experienced it?
For a while, I wanted to be teacher, and after that a lawyer or a judge (I played a judge in a high school theatre production, and that was the closest I came), and I even considered marine biology. Regardless of the title, I believe my most deep aspirations as a young girl involved being an agent for change – helping people, processes, situations evolve for the better. I’ve always had an ability to see problem and solution, big picture and minutest detail, which has helped me to make a difference throughout my life.

What feels energizing now is that as I step beyond the barriers I imposed on myself through limiting beliefs and living from old woundology, I can be a more open vessel for Divine Wisdom, Divine Love and Divine Guidance to flow out. I want to use this more open availability to Source Energy to contribute to the awakenings of others. As each one of us does this in our own lives, we create a web of evolution that raises the consciousness of and heals the planet.

You have made some amazing transformations from being the daughter of a tough as nails military man to being in corporate America to doing more spiritual work. What was that like for you?
It’s been quite a journey! Of course, looking back with the revelationary wisdom I now possess, it’s easier than when I was walking it real-time. Now, I am able to see the nuances and experience the healing. Then, it was often painful, confusing, and unfulfilling.

The separation that was inherent in military life was difficult. What people see today, all the outpouring of support to military families, was not there when I was living as a “Marine Corps Brat.” I often felt alone and misunderstood. Interestingly, I often felt that way in my corporate experience, and it’s probably one of the things I fear most about living from my spiritual essence rather than ego. I’ve always believed in spirituality and have been living that since my Grandmother gave me my first “Daily Word” magazine when I was 13. I’ve just been very private about it until now.

I think what keeps me going is I feel the difference in myself, and I believe my evolution is helping others. It’s not easy to confront internal “demons” and old hurts and fears. I talk to people who call it a “pit,” and who are afraid if they jump in, they’ll never find their way back out. But as I share my story and the tools and teachers that helped me, and ultimately live it, taking the steps becomes doable for others. Ultimately, it’s simply a choice. Each person has to decide what they want their life to be about, and how they’re going to take the lead to have it. This is what I’m referring to when I talk about personal leadership. Life is an inside-out endeavor. Most of us are living it from the outside-in.

You guide many people through your various services. Who have your guides been?

I have been Blessed with wonderful coaches, mentors and masters. They took the form of family, girlfriends, lovers, classmates, teammates, neighbors, managers, colleagues, and of course spiritual teachers and healers. Unfortunately in the past, I wasn’t always open and willing to receive the messages or the messengers. I know now that some of the people who were the most “difficult” in my experience were calling me to awaken to what was true about me.

Most recently, I am especially grateful for the wisdom, leadership, and love of Esperanza Universal, who is the spiritual leader of the S.O.U.L Institute. Her work and insight have really had the most significant and lasting impact on my heart alignment and Soul evolution. I also credit the Unity ministers, licensed teachers, and members of my spiritual community at Unity of Tustin with ongoing connection, support and love; the Unity of Tustin School of Light has also contributed to my ongoing exploration of Universal Laws, and spiritual habits and practices from around the world. My Golden Retriever-German Shepherd mix, Maggie Mae, 12-year companion who passed away in 2008, was perhaps my most powerful teacher of love unconditional, and she visits me from time to time to remind me to “give it away Mommy.” Working with Marsh Engle and the Amazing Woman Alliance, a movement for inspired action, and Greg Reid, speaker, author and filmmaker, has helped me unearth and share the wisdom of my story.

Whether for a reason, season or lifetime, I know now that everyone who walks with me is fulfilling what Caroline Myss calls a “Sacred Contract” and I’m grateful for them all.

What get’s you through the inevitable ‘dark night of the soul’?
I wrote about a process for doing this in my eBooklet: “Navigating Stormy Seas, Five Steps to Smoother Sailing Through Difficult Situations.” The steps form the word TRUST, which is about faith in Divine Order at work in all situations and circumstances, including the ones that could be labeled ‘dark night.’

• I Turn Inward and feel my feelings and engage my heart. I allow the emotions to flow through me as a part of fully experiencing what is.

• I Reflect on the critical elements of what’s happening in the situation versus my story about it. This means I have to look at what part I played in creating it.

• I Uncover and Un-attach from what’s not working. This requires me to be different and choose differently in the future.

• Next comes Silencing the negative self-talk – the egoic self determined to keep me feeling less than and working hard. I can accept responsibility for making a mistake or missing a signal without being critical of and judgmental toward myself.

• Finally, it’s about Telling the Truth – getting really real with the overall situation. This means not turning it into the end of the world when it’s simply a valuable hiccup or detour along my journey.

 

 

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