PP 100: The Pinot Noir That Wrote A Book with Maria Felipe

Quick Show Notes: Maria Felipe

Maria Felipe shares the fabulous story of how a glass of Pinot Noir accidentally led to her writing her book, Live Your Happy. Maria and Kim Sutton also discuss what it means to “live your happy”, how to ignore the cuckoo voice, and what Maria’s writing process looked like. Subscribe today!

.@RevMariaFelipe and @thekimsutton discuss the fabulous story of how a glass of Pinot Noir accidentally led to Maria writing her book, Live Your Happy. Subscribe today! https://www.thekimsutton.com/pp100 #positiveproductivity #podcast #LiveYourHappy #author #PinotNoir #winemademedoitClick To Tweet

Episode Transcription

KIM: Welcome back to another episode of Positive Productivity. This is your host, Kim Sutton. And today, I am thrilled to have Maria Felipe, the author of Live Your Happy with us. Maria, welcome to Positive Productivity Podcast and thank you so much for being here.

MARIA FELIPE: Kim, I am thrilled and very happy to join with you. I just, I love your energy and it’s just great to come into the collaboration for the higher good. And to have fun, to have fun in the healing.

KIM: Oh, definitely! Listeners, I feel bad for you sometimes because you don’t get to hear the awesome pre-chat chats, because they really are fabulous. Including with Maria, talking about everything, including the cats. Which listeners, you’ve heard about them before, but in just other random stuff. Yeah.

Maria, I would love for you to share some of your story, your backstory with listeners and how you came to write Live Your Happy.

MARIA FELIPE: Well, it’s actually a funny and inspiring story because I had no intention of writing a book. I actually struggled with dyslexia and have never felt smart enough. I feel like I’m street smart. I identify myself with more street smart but not so intellectual. And I feel that you needed to be intellectual to write a book, or have a great grammar. And I had all these things in my mind of what an author and a writer looked like. So, when I have speaking engagements, I had a lot of people that would ask me for books. So what I did was, is that I did a motivational inspirational CD based on my talks, of which I sold at events so that people would stop asking me for a book. So that’s like how much I didn’t want to write a book.

What happened was that I was having a glass of Pinot noir at home and I was on Facebook. I wrote on Facebook an excerpt from my book, from a post that I felt sounded like it could be on a book, but I was just playing. But I said: “Oh my God! This sounds so good, it could be on a book”. Quite honestly, I didn’t even know what an excerpt was. I had heard that’s like a little part of a book and I just put extra for my book, just for fun. Not even knowing what I was getting into at all. The next day, Patrick Miller from Fearless Books, he actually was the one that originally published The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard. He sends me a message on Facebook asking me, inquiring about my book. I was wondering what he was talking about and then I remembered: “Oh my goodness!” It was the Pinot noir that I had last night. It was Pinot noir talking. [laughs]

KIM: That’s so funny. [laughs]

MARIA FELIPE: [laughs] And I’d looked at the post. And I go: “Oh my God! Maria, you posted this?” And that’s how I always say: “Never post while drinking” But in this case this is a good thing. Right? [laughs] So I didn’t write back to him because I was just embarrassed. And he ended up finding, I guess my personal email. And said he had wrote me a Facebook message and he was inquiring about my book. And I just was chuckling because I was like: “Oh my God! I totally do not have a book.” And this guy’s asking me about a book. So, what I did was I got on conversation on email and I said: “Patrick, I appreciate you reaching out to me about a book. But the truth is, it was the Pinot noir talking. And I was just having fun. And I posted that on Facebook. I don’t have a book.” He says: “Oh really?” He said: “Well, I’m intrigued. Let’s talk about this.” And then we got on the phone together and he would talked for an hour.

And then I really didn’t want to write a book after that conversation. It just seemed like very, like tedious and hard. And until he finally convinced me. He said that I did have a message. He went on my YouTube and he said that I speak about happiness, which I didn’t even know I talked about. I mean, I just shared. But I didn’t know that specifically was my niche was speaking about happiness. And he says: “You speak about happiness, you have this message. Every other word is that happiness and happy that.” And I was like: “Really?” He’s like: “Yeah, your message about happiness.” And I go: “Okay”

He convinced me to write a book proposal that felt comfortable for me because it was very short. I just had to give an idea of the book. The title came to me right away, which was the title of that book is, which is Live Your Happy. It just really came to me very quickly. And he had told me it didn’t sound very good grammatically, but that it was very me. We kept it, which was nice. Between the Facebook post and the book proposal on the book deal, everything was done in six months. I had a book deal in six months after that Facebook post, so that’s pretty amazing. [laughs]

KIM: Okay. So when was the book actually written? And written with the assistance of Pinot Noir?

MARIA FELIPE: [laughs] Well, yeah, just to both of those. It was actually finished. It was written last year in 2016. Manuscript was turned in September 2016. And the original Facebook post was September 15th, so it was just a year before that the Facebook posts happened. So within a year though, even the book was written and everything. The manuscript was turning within the year after the book deal and everything. And there was times that I did have like glass of wine, especially the first chapter. I was like: “Oh my God! This blank paper. What do I do with this blank sheet that’s sitting in front of me?” But mostly it was written without a Pinot noir because I wanted to really have a clear vessel to write the book. And that was very important for me. But I did celebrate a lot with Pinot noir after the book came out.

KIM: I would too. [laughs]

MARIA FELIPE: And when I would finish a chapter, I would have a glass of anything, I would just celebrate with it mainly. It was just so beautiful the way that everything just came about so easily, even my work with Patrick. The book was very easy to write being that I didn’t want to write it at first. It’s like, it was a purpose. It was totally given. It was very easy. The whole process. I always say that easy is normal. Patrick actually told me: “Stop saying this is so easy” And I go: “But it is.” He’s like: “Oh my God!” I guess it was easy for me because I never identified myself with my sources being a writer. I never made that define me. I actually really didn’t care or it didn’t really matter. So, I think that helped me to just really have fun with it because I never made like that writer titled define me. It was more of: “Okay, I’m gonna write a book and this is gonna be fun.” Of which made it just so much easier, coming from that space.

KIM: How did you write it? Seeing as you do have dyslexia. I mean, did you type it? Did you speak it?  Was pen and paper? What was your technique? How did you do it?

MARIA FELIPE: How I did it was I looked at the whole book from beginning to end. It was very overwhelming. Like I’m writing a book. It was originally seven chapters and it ended up being nine chapters. But if I would look at the whole book, it would get very overwhelming. I’ll be like: “Oh my God! I have to write this whole book.” So what I did was, is that, I looked at where I was right now. Like in the moment. Like what’s in my hand is right now. Okay, chapter one. And I went back to the book proposal which actually had the outline of chapter one. So I stayed within that outline of chapter one. And I would just writing of what I had already written before of what the chapter would look like. I already had the chapter title, as well as, the content of what would be included in that chapter in bullet points that I needed to give to the publisher anyways to get the book deal.

So, I just was present with chapter one and what that looked like for me and I would just stick with the topic. I think, the first chapter is “You’re not sinful and You’re not going to hell” or something like that. So I talked about that and my experience with how a lot of us live with just feeling guilty and we think that we’re gonna be punished by God. That’s how I wrote the book and what I would do is, I would turn in one chapter to Patrick and Patrick would look it over and he would see where I needed to expand more, ask me questions and then he would give it back to me. I would respond, maybe make some sections longer, shorter, and then we will complete one chapter. Then we’ll go to the next one, the next one, but I felt that was really, really helpful Kim. Really being in the moment of the now and not looking at the project as a whole because that was overwhelming. Looking at what I had at hand made it easy for me and more joyful.

KIM: Oh my gosh! Maria, can you put me in touch with Patrick?

MARIA FELIPE: [laughs]

KIM: I am actually writing a book called Chronic Idea Disorder about having too many ideas. However, when it comes to writing my book, sometimes I just have no ideas, which is totally foreign to me.

MARIA FELIPE: Yeah, of course. And it’s we kind of just block ourselves, you know?

KIM: Yeah. But I wanna jump into your book for a moment because when I was reading, let me just see what chapter this is, I kept it open to this chapter. Chapter two. You are not who you think you are. There’s a section called Stop Look and Listen. And you said: “Slow down the pace of your thought.” And I was just blown away because I don’t really know how to do that. I can see that for authors. For entrepreneurs, and I mean, entrepreneurs are a big part of the audience. That slowing down the pace of our thoughts could be a big struggle on any given day.

MARIA FELIPE: Absolutely! Because the mind is very undisciplined. Like I always, it’s like the cuckoo voice takes over the ego voice, which is the voice of trying to make something happen, or manipulating something, or goals. And let’s go out and get this. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just what are we doing? Let’s be mindful of what we are doing. Let’s be aware of why we’re doing, what we’re doing, and come from a space of power versus getting overwhelmed by all these To do’s and Oh my God! I have all these tasks to do. And kind of making something outside of us, our source. Right?

So it’s like those goals or whatever. It’s like we get separated from what really matters, which is we have it all right now. That’s what my book is saying. It’s saying: “You have it all right now.” And it’s not like you’re not going to wanna create in the world and stuff, because we aren’t to appear to be in a body and we do appear to want to have things in form, but the most important thing is to really get clear that there isn’t anything that’s missing from you.

It’s very important. And when we go back to the voice of what you’re saying like to slow down. It’s just very helpful when you’re in business or entrepreneur or anything because you want to be centered. You want to be in a space of truth and that comes from your thoughts. So, if you’re thinking of all these hundreds of things you have to do the whole day and you just like stop yourself. The whole experience of whatever you’re doing and the tasks of the entrepreneurship or whatever it is, it’s gonna be happier because you’re gonna be coming from your true Self. Which I talk about in the book, your true Self with a capital S, which is your true essence in love.

And you come from that space and everything you do in your life. And you must stop yourself because the ego would have its way with you and make you think that, that task is important, or that goal is important, or it’s more important than anything. And looking for your source and happiness outside of you and eventually you’re gonna suffer a lot because you’re not gonna experience happiness. That is eternal happiness. You’re gonna experience flighting happiness of where or you’re gonna feel happy for one second when you got that job, or that deal, or you made that deal, or you got that client. But then you’re gonna want another client. Then you’re gonna want another deal because the eagle mind is never happy. You see? It’s elusive. It’s a trick. So it’s very important to be mindful and discern of where you’re coming from in your mind. That’s why it’s important to stop.

KIM: The image, they kept on going through my head and whenever we’re talking about the cuckoo voice was just being able to shut that cuckoo bird back into the clock.

MARIA FELIPE: [laughs] Yes.

KIM: Tell it to leave me the heck alone.

MARIA FELIPE: Yeah. Because the cuckoo voice, it’s very anxious like: “Oh my God! I gotta do this now, or I have all these things to do, or I need to do this, or I need to do that.” And it’s very tiring in a lot of ways, you know. It’s not constructive. It’s not helpful in whatever you’re doing. If you’re an entrepreneur or you’re whatever you’re doing because in reality you don’t need to do anything. That is the truth. We don’t need to do anything. Even the word need is very heavy. And I talk about this in my book because if you need to do something, it means that you are forced to do it. It means, it’s not even coming from you. It means that you’re not even responsible for it because it seems like you need to do it right. You need to pay a bill or you need to do this to do list. Right?

When you come from a space of I choose to, or I want to, or I’m inspired to, it’s different. When I get up in the morning, I don’t need to get up and brush my teeth. I do it because it’s something that you know is helpful, so I brushed my teeth and I’m very present to that moment. Instead of thinking about what I’m gonna do later on my to do. I’m present to brushing my teeth: “Oh Wow! Look how amazing! Look how I brush my teeth. This is amazing! I’m so good at this.” And it brings you back to presence. I think whenever you’re in business or whatever you’re doing in your life, it’s really important to be present in the moment and enjoy the experience you’re having. Like, if you’re eating an apple. You eat that apple and then everything just falls into place. But I feel that we get too much into the future into creating, and to manifesting, and all this. And I’m not saying it’s bad or good. I’m just saying: “Just watch what you’re doing and be more present in the now.” Because that’s gonna give you access to a happiness set to be on whatever anything could give you in form and manifestation.

KIM: So, what about those outside sources that tend to fight the happy? Like the irritable client or the pesky landlord or anything like that?

MARIA FELIPE: Well, that’s all about relationship and healing and how you’re going to see it. So, the course would say, and in my book, you see it from the perspective of looking at the person you have. The course would say, you have, you can perceive it through fear or love. So you can perceive the person the way you choose to. So, you can see them as attacking you. Or you can see it as a call for love. So the course would say: “If everything is a call is either love or a call for love.” It doesn’t matter what it is. It’s always love or a call for love. It’s just that person for a hot second has forgotten who they are. It’s not really coming from their true self. I mean, you’ve been there too, that you could be pesky, or I could be pesky, or I could be a pain. And it’s really because we’re in fear. And we have forgotten who we are and we act in certain ways, right? But it doesn’t mean that we’re bad. It just means that we just forgotten and other people forget too. So, the first thing is not to personalize. The first thing is to be like: “Okay, this is not personal.” When you personalize things, you make it even more real. And that means, there’s some truth in there that they’re saying, because if not, you’re not going to feel it.

So it’s important to not personalize it and be like: “Okay, this is not personal. This has to do with this person, and their history, or their background, or their stories that they have in their mind or their fear.” So it’s not personal. You ask spirit or whatever, intuition or word resonates with you, love, light, whatever feels good. You invite that in, so that you can see this person and perceived them in high regard. You can perceive them, what I call Christ’s vision. You could call it love vision. You could call it the funk phenomenon vision, whatever [laughs] resonates with you.

KIM: What is it? The funk phenomenon? That was awesome.

MARIA FELIPE: [laughs] You call it the funk phenomenon vision, whatever feels good to you, so you can see that person in truth. Because what happens is that in truth, you really seeing yourself because we’re just mirrors. So anytime you’re judging, you’re always really judging yourself. Because you’re the perception of the person is really the perception of yourself.

So when you, I know this is very metaphysical and advanced and everything, but they can very helpful to live life that is more discerning of how you are perceiving stuff through fear love. And you can have that lens of how you can see it. And the less real you may get. The happier you will be. There’s a big quote in the course that says: “Only love is rea. All else is an illusion.” And that is very true, in the sense of, if you’re really living that, then whatever that landlord says, it’s not gonna bother you because it’s not gonna be a big deal.

I talk about in my book about big deals. Big deals are when the rent is due, or when the IRS is after you, or immigration problems. Like all those are big deals of the world. But those big deals don’t have a hook on you unless you let them hook you. Because you have control and power over your mind. And you could certainly not make it real or give away your power to it. It’s simply something that’s going on and you can work it out with love, and with the Holy Spirit voice, or the voice of light, or love. Whatever word resonates with you. And you work it out and trust. And you might write an email. And you might ask for certain help with something. But it comes from a space of not expectation and just really trusting that everything’s gonna be alright. And everything works out for the higher good always. and have fun through the process of creating that miracle for yourself.

KIM: Wow! I also loved how you talk about how you’re happy comes from within. Because I see in the community so many people thinking that they’re gonna be happy when dot, dot, dot, and this is actually a big transition for me. I’m coming from bad relationships and challenges in the past to where I am now. I’m realizing that having extra money is not gonna make the difference. It’s going to take some of the stress off, but it’s not gonna create happy because it’s already here so I love that you brought that up.

MARIA FELIPE: Thank you for bringing that up, Kim. That really touches and moves me because it’s a very important topic. That’s why when I saw on the calendar that I had this talk with you about productivity, I knew that this was going to be helpful for us both. I felt that, I said: “This is going to be a beautiful topic,” especially this part that we’re gonna talk about now. What happens is, I was there. I lived that. My book comes from a space of living at Amex capacity without compromise of where I’ve gotten to in my life. The peace that I feel in my career and my workspace and my relationships is because for a long time my career defined me.

I was an actress and TV host. I was very successful at it and made good income at it and it really defined me. It was never enough. I felt that it was never enough. It wasn’t enough bookings. It wasn’t enough money. It wasn’t, my relationships, it was never enough. Whatever the guy would do, it wasn’t enough. I always needed to be shown more and more that I was loved. And everything outside of me is what defined me and made me happy. And what I came to realize when I began studying the course years ago and when I began to really apply it in 2012 at full capacity, as I said, without compromise.

I began to understand that that happiness that comes from the world was very flighty. It was very shady. It was very limited. It’s like one day I would feel happy and then the next day I’ll feel sad. It wasn’t consistent happiness and it was because in truth, there isn’t anything outside of us that could fill us. There’s nothing outside of us is our source or sources within us, it’s within our mind, it’s within our hearts, it’s within, if you want to say God or love. Whatever that is that source of you’re connected to, is where your source is. And what happens is, is that when we look for happiness outside and having more money comer or  happiness in our partner or our children or whatever. It’s very disempowering because it can never be found there, I’ve realized. And as, you could be grateful and you could be enjoy about it. But always recognizing that it’s something like you just said you already are, it’s within you. And the more that you recognize that it’s within you and that there’s nothing outside of you that could give it to you. You are free. And that takes something. It takes letting go of old concepts. It takes letting go, believing that without there is gonna fill you and complete you because you’re already complete.

If it’s true that if you had money and you had fame would give you happiness. Then why are most people, I mean, I live in Los Angeles, in Hollywood, taking drugs and committing suicide. If this was true. [laugh] if it’s true that your happiness comes from fame or money or whatever. Then why are most people from what I see, usually, unhappy. Even though they have things in material form? it’s because it’s not there. And it could never be there because you already have it. It’s yours, right? So everything else in form, you know, the money or success or whatever. It’s just like an added kind of bonus. It’s an experience that you have. But I noticed that when I let go of this hook of, like, my happiness comes from outside and my days were happy. I remember that one day I would be so happy and the next day will be crying.

It was very interesting. I would have IDC depression bouts before. And now that I’ve recognized where my sources. I have very few days that I’m sad. And when I am sad, I’m very surprised. I’m like: “Oh my God! I feel sadness today. I haven’t felt like this in a long time.” And that shows me the progress. That shows me that I’ve been making progress. Evolving and waking up. I think it’s very important Kim, for people. It’s not that you’re not going to have aspirations or have goals or whatnot. But what I am saying is, for me and my experience, me recognizing that there isn’t anything outside of me that could fill me. That I’m already complete was very, very helpful.

And there’s a section on my book that I talk about abundance. What is true abundance. And a lot of people think that abundance is informed. And in my book, the concept of abundance is that you recognize who you are in truth. Is what abundance is. And who you are in truth is love. Who you are in truth is you have it all now. Who you are in truth is that there’s nothing that’s missing. It’s you’ve created in your mind that something’s missing outside of you that you can be complete, but you already complete.

KIM: Wow! That was very concise with me, but I don’t know how to follow that up very well. [laughs] I just have to share though, and I cannot deny that some day I do want a more current, big vehicle to drive my family around in. However, right now I am driving in 1996. Yes, we are recording this in 2017. So, 21 year old conversion van. Not the prettiest thing. Not the fastest thing. However, I love when people speed up behind me to get on the highway. And I take a little bit of time, you know, it’s just what happens. And they get angry and they drive by and they flipped me off, but I will just give them the I love you, sign language sign, and smile back. And the look of astonishment on their face is hysterical. Like I just laugh. Like I’m not laughing at them. But it’s like: “Cool your jets. Slow down. Be happy. You can go 55 for a minute instead of 65.”

MARIA FELIPE: Yeah. And it’s beautiful because that’s being of service because you’re holding space for true. You’re holding space and – actually right there, you’re not making it real. It’s not like you’re being reactive. Like the eagle will be reactive. Like: “What the heck? What does this guy think?” And react, but instead you’re going back to spirit, which is actually the spirit voice, Holy Spirit voice. And being like: “Hey, you know what? You’re very gentle and you’re being loving in that space.” That’s what the book is about. It’s about the discerning of when you’re in love and when you’re in fear. And to bring you back more to the love. Bring you back more into alignment of truth.

KIM: Could you share more about your introduction to a course in miracles?

MARIA FELIPE: I started the course of miracles. I first heard about it when I read Marianne Williamson’s book Return to Love back in 1995. And I was very attracted about Jewish woman, American Jewish woman speaking about this blue book. And I didn’t understand what she was talking about except that it sounded really cool and fascinating. I wouldn’t know what the Blue Book was, which was a course of miracles to 2001. That I was introduced to it at unity in Miami when I was at church. They were having a workshop for it. And when I was there, the guy that was giving the workshop said that this course is about your responsible for your life. You hold responsibility for everything and how you see everything. You are not a victim of the world that you see. And you forgive that person for what they didn’t do. And I was like: “What the heck is this guy talking about?” [laughs] What is that? I was like in shock. I didn’t even understand anything. I was like: “That’s weird. What do you mean?” I didn’t understand a word, but at the same time I knew it was my path.

So from then on I started to study A Course of Miracles in 2001. So this day, and I have to say that I was a Course of Miracles junkie. And I didn’t practice any of it. I would go to groups once a week. That’s why this book is born as well. And I would be feeling good for a hot second and then I would feel bad because I wasn’t practicing its principles. There is something to be said about being in alignment. And I would go to the group and it was fun. And I am loved and Kumbaya. And I am light. And the truth is this. And the truth is that. And then I was proclaiming that I am love, but in my life I will look for love outside of myself. I will look for love in a relationship. I will look for a love from a man. Like men were my God, my everything and lose myself in relationship.

So if I’m in a course group and I’m proclaiming I am love. And then in my life it’s not in alignment, then I suffered a lot because of that. So the course, when I began to really understand it. It’s about bringing you the opportunity to hear your internal teacher. The course of miracles is about you being able to understand that you have a guidance, a very powerful guidance within your mind that knows everything. And it’s very clear on where to go, what to do, what to say that is in alignment to truth. And that’s what the course of miracles is about. That’s the introduction.

Basically, it’s recognizing you have an internal teacher that knows and to hire and to lower the volume on the cuckoo voice. Lower the volume on the ego voice, which we’re born with. The one that wants to manipulate or make happen and has goals and has aspirations of world and wants to create and form. It helps to kind of lower the volume on that voice. That’s what the course of miracles does. And higher the volume of love, higher the volume of truth. And it’s not that you’re not gonna experience external success. That might happen. But regardless, if it’s gonna happen or not, you’re gonna be at peace because your source doesn’t come from outside of you. And that’s what the course in miracles teaches us. That’s why it’s so radical and so powerful.

KIM: Do you think that peace in that success looks a lot different when you do know where that love comes from? I know what your answer is, but I just had to put it out there anyway.  

MARIA FELIPE: [chuckles] It looked different because you would have the success and you will have peace. Because you are not defined by anything outside of you and you’re not defined by your job. Defining your position doesn’t define you, so you’re at peace. Because regardless of you whatever you have that position or not, you’re gonna be happy because it’s not determined by that. You know your truth. For instance, like me, my book doesn’t define me. Let’s use that as an example. Right? So I’m an author now, right? So, me being an author, it doesn’t define me. God defines me. That’s I’m defined by my truth. It has nothing to do with the book. The book is great. I’m very excited about it. It’s a beautiful way to an extent, but not even the book sales define me. Success doesn’t define me because that’s very limiting for me.

How could something outside of me determine how I’m going to feel my heart, right? No, it’s the other way around. I’m already happy. And the book is also, is great. It’s in my life, but I’m very disconnected by making a matter or it defining anything about my spirit or who Maria is in truth because that’s very limiting for me, And it doesn’t mean that the book is going to be less successful or more successful. It just means that I’m gonna be at peace regardless of what happens. And I’m gonna have fun with you. Just like I’m having so much fun with you Kim right now. Like this is what really matters to me is connecting with you right now. That is what matters. And that’s what I cherish more than anything. That anything the book could give me or numbers or best sellers or whatever. Like that doesn’t matter for me. What matters is the connection I’m having with you right now.

KIM: Maria, if you could go back to yourself in 1995? What would you tell yourself then?

MARIA FELIPE: “Maria, why didn’t you practice this shit earlier?” [laughs]

KIM: [laughs]

MARIA FELIPE:  Well, the thing is the 1995, I was a hot mess. I was depressed. I was looking for every, all my happiness outside of me. All my love outside of me. I didn’t know I wasn’t practicing. I didn’t know I didn’t have the tools. I didn’t know the way my mind worked. And you know, that’s what this book gives you. It gives you an understanding of how your mind works. We have no idea. We wake up in the morning and we’re on automatic pilot. Goals. Let’s do this and let’s do that. We have no idea that we can totally set up our day. And we could totally be guided for peace, for happiness, for excellence that goes beyond and gives you so much more than anything could give you in form. So in 1995, I would have said to myself. Kim, I would’ve definitely said to myself: “Maria, put this shit into practice. Now. So you can save yourself so many years of suffering.” But at the end of the day was exactly perfect, right? So I’m able to share my stories now.

KIM: I love that. When you are not talking to awesome podcast hosts. What are you actively working on right now? I know you’re promoting your book. But how can listeners interact with you? And I don’t mean where can they find you online, but I’m sure there are listeners who are like: “I needed to speak with Maria.”

MARIA FELIPE: As time permits, especially the next few months before I go on tour. I have personal clients I work with. Actually, some of their stories are in my book. I do one on one spiritual counseling. But this counseling has to do with going into meditation, and hiring the volume on the voice of love in your mind, so that you can get your own answer. In my sessions, I don’t tell people what to do or what I think they need to do. I basically help you so that you can discern and understand what is the highest and best for you. Because I mean what do I know? Right? So the power is in you. So I help you as your cheerleader to really get clear of what your focus is and what you need to clear up in your life and barriers you need to clear up, so that you can experience your happiness out of 10, which are worthy of.

I have my publicist that we’re working on basically getting the book out there, but when I’m not doing that, I’m talking to my clients which had just expressed during my counseling sessions. I also facilitate ministerial students that are pathways of light, which is where I became a minister and a reverend. It’s a ministerial program based on the course of miracles. So I have students that I’m working with right now that are in training to become ministers and teachers of God and be pathways of light ministers based on the course. So I do that as well. And I’m putting together right now book tour, which I start to travel in mid May through July. So I’ll be on tour. Currently booking those dates along with my assistance. I would love to, you  know, it would be so beautiful even to see you when I’m in Toledo. But on my website, the tour schedules live.

So if anybody is in the area, or listening to the podcast and wanna come to one of the events. That would be so awesome to be able to have somebody come up to me and say: “Hey, I heard you talking to Kim and you guys were having such a great time and here we are.” You know, would be so cool. So, yeah. So I have personal clients I work with as well. And then I also, I do speaking engagements right now too. So it keeps me very busy. I also speak at a unity church here. Close by the house and I run their Spanish ministry as well, so I speak there too.

KIM: So, you and I connected earlier this week on Instagram when we’re getting ready for this chat. Where else can listeners find you online?

MARIA FELIPE: I have a website. It’s MariaFelipe.org and there people can find me. They can see information on the book, as well how to order it. If you order it, you get 30% off. I think on Amazon and on Barnes & Nobles and some other websites as well. I have a bonus video that I’m offering. That is a retreat video that I recorded in Costa Rica November when I was speaking there, and it’s all about the book. I talk about intimate details about the book just such as how the book came about, which is a story shared with you, by the Pinot Noir. As well as, I go at length of the stories with my dad that passed away, as well as, personal stories of the men in my life. Like the abs guy or Buddha guy or I talk more in depth about the relationships that I had with these men and how they transformed my life. And I was able to have forgiveness. Hale my grievances with men. So in that video, it’s just like more personal. Like people get to know behind the scenes of the book in the video. Which is something they get free when they buy the book and they put their receipt number.

I also offer on my channel on Youtube. If you look up Maria CocoNut TV there, I have over 200 videos that are free, that I offer, that are all my talks, that I’ve given at the unity church. A lot of blogs and interviews with people. And it’s a really great resource for people to lower the voice on the cuckoo voice. So I find it very helpful. So people could find me on there as well. On instagram.com/revmariafelipe/ and twitter.com/revmariafelipe/ And then you could find me on facebook too.

KIM: Maria, this has been absolutely fabulous chatting with you today. I would love to know if you have one closing statement, piece of advice that you would love to share with listeners.

MARIA FELIPE: What’s coming to me is that your happiness is within you. That your source is within you. And everything you think you need, you already have. And to be willing to see things differently in the world. To be willing to let go of judgements. To be willing to understand that you’re not a victim of the world that you see. And to be willing to know that you are so powerful that you can create in your mind your experience. And that’s all we have control over is our experience. So if we have control over our experience, that means that we can never really be hurt. Because we have control of our experience, we can either choose love in the experience or fear. And depending which one we are choosing is gonna be the experience we’re gonna have, So, I invite you to be have big willingness, which is how I call it in my book. Big willingness to experience and see the world through the eyes of love to put on these amazing, happy glasses. Put those glasses on and see a whole new world of happiness by choosing love.