#24 Story Session - Why midlife is the perfect time to "start anywhere" with Crystal Garrett

This week's podcast is a bit different than most of the "story sessions" I've done before. Like me, Crystal was bitten by the midlife creativity bug and she wants to inspire you to "start anywhere" too!

Crystal Garrett is a broadcaster turned podcaster and host of the Start Anywhere Podcast.  She is also a communications consultant, running and motivation coach and Pilates instructor.
 
Crystal says she has two passions:  telling stories and running.  She has more than two decades of experience as a renowned broadcast journalist, TV and radio host, anchor, reporter, and producer.   Crystal is also former national-class middle distance runner and former member of Canada’s national team for 10 K.  She has helped coach two university teams to championship titles.
 
Crystal says she owes everything good in her life to running, which she discovered accidentally at age 12.  Since then, running has been an ongoing source of joy, confidence, friendships, and travel opportunities.  Running opened the door to her career in broadcasting.  Crystal met her husband of 25 years on her university track team, and she still runs for fun with him several times per week.  Occasionally, she runs with her three teenaged children. You can learn more about Crystal and her podcast here: https://linktr.ee/crystaljoygarrett

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Transcript

Hi, and welcome to the midlife feast the podcast for women who are hungry for more in this season of life. I'm your host, Dr. Jenn Salib Huber. Come to my table. Listen and learn from me. Trusted guests, experts in women's health and interviews with women just like you. Each episode brings to the table juicy conversations designed to help you feast on midlife. Welcome to this week's episode of the midlife feast. This week is a story session. But it's a little bit different than most of the story sessions that I've done. So far. 

My guest is Crystal Garrett, who is a broadcaster turned podcaster and a self described storyteller and runner. And she is the host of the start anywhere podcast. And I wanted to talk to Crystal about some of the moments in her life that really prompted this change or kind of prompted her to want to explore new things because that that creativity, you know, I call it you're often bitten by this creativity bug in midlife. And at 51 Crystal is a breast cancer survivor. She's had, you know, 20 plus year career in broadcasting. She's also a mom. And so she's had a lot of moments in her life that have kind of defined her, but have also challenged her. And we had a really great conversation about what it's like to step out of your comfort zone and start anywhere, in trying something new and really believing that it is the journey and the process. That is the reward and not the outcome. So I hope you'll tune in and just really kind of dig into this conversation with crystal because it's a good one. 

All right, welcome crystal to the midlife feast. I'm really excited to have you here today. I'm so thrilled to be here. So for people who don't know, crystal is in Durham, if Nova Scotia, which is where I was until a couple of years ago, and we are our circles kind of kept intertwining over the years. Although, you know, outside of some kid activities, I don't know that we actually had many conversations. But certainly, we knew of each other and have gotten to know each other a little bit more in the last little while. So crystal is a broadcaster turned podcaster, which I love. I think that definitely needs to be on a t shirt or something on some merch. 

And Crystal is trying to bring this conversation of just starting somewhere starting anywhere, when you have an idea when you have a thought when you have a desire when you have just a little inkling of anything. And so this really ties into conversations with midlife, because so many women that I talked to do get bitten by this kind of creative bug of I want to do something different. I have an interest in something new. But starting anywhere, let alone starting somewhere new can feel really overwhelming. So tell us a little bit about how you got to this place of starting anywhere.

Crystal Garrett  3:40  
Great question. I have started anywhere many times in my life and maybe some people on your audience can relate to this. But I felt like really, as much as I truly love my kids. And I think that that was one of the best decisions I ever made was to become a mom. It's been a struggle to find work life balance ever since I had the kid so I was always constantly kind of uprooting my life and and I would say in midlife, I've started anywhere so many times because around age 40 I was in broadcasting it was very intense. I had little kids. So I left the broadcasting world to go try to become a university professor, like my husband was thinking if we're on the same schedule, everything's going to be magical and and that just that did not work out. I really missed TV. So I went back and started anywhere again and was more than most and then I did that for a while and then the world of TV changed and that became a bit unsustainable because the hours were like it just was really a strain on the family. 

So I ultimately decided okay, it is time to step away. And then I started working started really started anywhere all over again. In my mid 40s. As as a new, totally new career. I started working in the community where we used to live downtown Dartmouth. And I started off kind of like a communications person really supposed to do A couple of newsletters and I just couldn't stay in my lane because I really saw the creative opportunities. So although I was a broadcaster, I saw so many chances to be creative. So we use public art. And I brought these artists in from Philadelphia to create this light up mural, because we had this nickname as the dark side. 

And the community always kind of had a bit of a stigma of being dark and dangerous. So we changed the conversation with public art. And that was really exciting. But it was humbling. Because every time we start anywhere, you are starting from scratch. And it's super scary. So really, I think in recent years, I've started anywhere again, but this time, it really is the one because I feel compelled kind of like you to sort of strike out on my own, start my own business and bring all of my experiences that I've had my life so far together. So I've been bringing in the broadcasting. And I have a background in competitive running. And all of that seems to be coming together, all the people I've met all the experiences I've had, have all come together. And now I'm actually living the life I've always dreamed of living. I've never felt more alive. And I've never felt more awake and passionate about life than I do right now. And now I'm doing what I want to do. And that is tell stories on this podcast, because that is really I think what I'm here to do is, is share people's stories. Yeah,

Jenn Huber  6:19  
I love that so much. And, you know, I think that one of the scariest things about midlife is that it feels, you know, in our, in our bodies, it feels very different. So you know, the body that we had, and I'm not just talking about what it looks like on the outside, but on the inside, it starts to feel different. And I think that for a lot of people, they associate that with a slowing down with an end, you know, you often taught I like runners I often hear will say I used to run, but I saw many years ago, but you know, people say oh, yeah, I stopped running at 40 because my knees were you know, stopping but I see people starting running in their 40s and 50s. And you know, I think it's it's how we approach that perspective and the expectation of what midlife should be or shouldn't be that it limits us. It's that it's that limiting belief of you know, what, what it should be. So when you when you hear of people who have those, you know, kind of stuck thoughts around movement, because you are a running coach, how do you? How do you get people to move past that? How do you get them to just start anywhere,

Crystal Garrett  7:34  
that's a great, that's a great one, it is hard to start anywhere. So really, that idea of the word start anywhere, it can mean so many different things. But for me, it's just something I say, if you have any tasks to do, whether it's school after a life change, or if it's just to fold a giant pile of laundry, the best place to start is just literally anywhere, like just wherever you can get purchase, just pick up a shirt and start folding it. And that breaks the seal and sort of things momentum starts to build. So if you have something scary going on, usually it's that first step that's really, really scary. Or that motivation that's not there that you just have to get over, you kind of have to just push yourself to take that first scary step or pick up the first shirt, or you know, you're sitting down at a blank page writer's block, just start writing anything, and it kind of unlock something in you and the momentum begins. And so really it is it. That's That's the million dollar question. But once you do take that first step, it's amazing how the next step is easier. And it just gets easier and easier and easier.

Jenn Huber  8:37  
do you how do you find that people's expectations of themselves play into that? So, you know, I think that that can go two ways because one of the things in midlife that I uncovered was that my how much I care about other people's perceptions of me really is almost non existent at this point, which is amazing. So whether I fail spectacularly, I don't care. But at the same time, I think that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have like this baseline level of shit figured out. And so, you know, it's kind of we often don't give ourselves the permission to try and fail, like at the same time, right? And you know, whether that's that perfectionistic tendency or just that, you know, well, I should have this figured out by now, should I really start over? Can I really do this, you know, this would have been a good option if I'd started 20 years ago. How can people just commit to showing up because that's what I often say with anything, especially if people are trying on a new relationship with food or movement. Don't commit to the outcome. Just commit to the process, just commit to showing up? How can you you know, how can we help people see that that's really the goal is just the trying and the process and not the outcome.

Crystal Garrett  9:52  
It's so true. I think that that is absolutely true. We all want results. We all want a transformation. And we've seen, you know, too many shows on TV where a crime gets solved in 45 minutes or, you know, they bring in the Property Brothers and their house looks like a wreck. And then it's absolutely gorgeous. Somebody walks in a gas who like that is not reality. And I think so many times we worry so much about the results that we don't even think about the process. But yeah, it's all process. It's all process. The process is the gift. Yeah, really, it is the process is the gift. So once you get started, you're doing yourself a favor. Yeah.

Jenn Huber  10:30  
Yeah. So and you had an interesting experience? Well, I don't know if you would call it interesting. But you're a breast cancer survivor. And so, you know, having known many people in my life who have gone through that, that is something where you really have to lean into the process and trust the process, because you are not controlling the outcome, you know. So yeah, I mean, can you tell us a little bit about that? How that influenced maybe your expectations of going into something new and scary? Yeah,

Crystal Garrett  11:03  
I will be thrilled to because I had a very positive experience. I certainly didn't feel like it at the time. I mean, I was in my mid 40s, I had to, I'll tell you the whole story actually, not with try not to take too long. But it did start when I was in television, I was under a tremendous amount of stress. I have no idea if that is what had anything to do with the breast cancer. But I was I'm a very, I am a person who does really enjoy movement. I'm a regular runner. I've always I always have been very athletic, always considered myself very fit and healthy. You know, my blood pressure is is great. And I try to eat well, although I don't always eat my fruits and vegetables. But I'm I'm working on it. But in general, like you call me a healthy person. And I have no history of breast cancer in my family. So this was back in the I was out for a walk. I remember one day and I came back and my bra was wet. I thought well, that's weird.

 So I noticed that I was creating breast milk, although it had been a few years since I've had a baby. So this was and I wasn't pregnant. So this is weird. So I went had that checked out. And they said, Oh, it's nothing. So then, then a few years later, they said I had dense breasts. So they did a mammogram, but they didn't find anything. And I always thought that was a compliment, like, Oh, I've got these perky youthful, dense breasts, you know. And what really what that just means is the tissue is kind of cloudy, so you can't really get a good reading. So I luckily, because of that I was on kind of like a cycle of where I would go for a mammogram every once in a while more maybe more than the average person. But I just went in for like a routine mammogram. And I got called back in and they said, Oh, we think we see something. 

So I just get kept getting called and called and called and called and called in. And it was, you know, every time to like was probably nothing but we're going to do more tests. And finally they did a biopsy, which is kind of crazy, because I didn't know what that was. But it was probably the most painful part of the whole process. But they like take this kind of like almost like a Puranas mouth and kind of like jam and into your breast and take out a bunch of little tissue samples. And that like not only did that hurt like a son of a gun, but it was pretty sore the next night. And that particular night I had was with a girl guide leader sign up for go gun camp and had to sleep on a plywood plank and like that was not a great night. But from that biopsy, they did discover that that there was some tissue there, they did more tests, and it was cancerous. Like I remember getting the phone call it just about flipped. I couldn't believe it. Like me, you must be mixing up with somebody else because I'm a healthy young person with no history of breast cancer. So luckily, the kind of breast cancer I had, it's called DCIS, which is a kind of breast cancer that's like, kind of imagine breast cancers cancer cell is like a water balloon filled with water. 

Well, I had a whole bunch of water balloons filled with water in my breasts, but they hadn't burst yet. So it's controllable. So it started off with a guy got a lumpectomy where they thought they got it all but they didn't had a mastectomy. They thought they got it all but they didn't have radiation. So that took about a year or so that whole thing and every step of the way, I'd say the number one thing that was scary was not having any information. It was waiting, waiting, waiting and constantly in limbo. And, and every step of the way. I kept on getting like the worst possible news. But the great news is that everybody, I felt like I got treated well and I was positive to the whole thing. And I had to take some time off and slow down in my life which you can probably tell him a high energy person, I needed that. And what it did was I was kind of like honestly a smug jerk. I was like I'm healthy. I've got my act together. And what breast cancer taught me was that I am a human being and it gave me so much more compassion for other people. Like I'm a better person. Yeah, getting emotional. 

But like the thing that I want people to know if they get a breast cancer diagnosis and many people have that is it is hopeful. There are many it can be To keep a positive attitude, it's amazing. You're gonna be okay. And I'd be happy if you you know, want some help. I've counseled many people who've gone through it. I'll tell you book surgery, mastectomy, funnest day of my life, walking into that operating room, oh my gosh, it's so shiny and big. And there's like, 20 people in there, and they're all there for you. Like, it was amazing. Oh, my gosh, I had so much fun that day. And there was like a playlist of playing 90s jams like I was having a day, you know. And then along the way, too, I treated myself I went on a train trip, we sleep in the sleeper car by myself, like I built that, like, I had a great year. And it brought me closer to my parents brought me closer to so many people, I didn't tell a lot of people because I, you know, I didn't want that to be part of my identity. But I'm happy to talk about it now, because I realized it's important to tell these things. But anyway, to make a long story short, I'm so grateful for that experience, I am such a better person. And I appreciate life even more now that I've been through that.

Jenn Huber  16:00  
That's amazing. And I think a couple of pieces that I really appreciate hearing is that, you know, we often have this association health, which of course, is kind of my realm. Right? It you know that diet and exercise are the pinnacle of prevention. And you know, if you do the right things, then you will get the payoff in the end. And I tell people all the time that we have to accept that not everything can be prevented. Not everything can be prevented with food and lifestyle. Not everything can be cured with diet and lifestyle. And I think having the self compassion to say like I did all the right things. And it's okay that I got breast cancer, I didn't cause this, this isn't my fault. And I you know, even though it was a crappy year full of bad news, I came through it and was able to kind of, you know, at least in hindsight, pull out these these life lessons that have, you know, really kind of shaped who I am. I think that that kind of, you know, I guess attitude, Outlook maybe, is, is, is really helpful to hear. I haven't had a personal cancer diagnosis. But you know, I've known lots of people who have, and it really is hard not to think, What could I have done differently. But you know, you have this perspective of I did all the right things still happen. So, yeah,

Crystal Garrett  17:23  
it could happen, it literally it can happen to anyone, it's not your fault. And I think that that's another reason to start anywhere, and just live the life you want. Now, whatever that is, if you are feeling a little calling in your heart to go after a goal to go after a dream, or make a change, start anywhere, start now because you don't know if anything with the last few years have taught us this craziness in the world, like you don't know what's around the corner. So, you know, live your life fully do it. Start anywhere, start now because you know, you just don't know what, what the future holds for you. Yeah,

Jenn Huber  17:59  
it's so true. And I mean, it's always easy to look in hindsight of anyone's experience and say, Oh, of course, you know, that pulled us into the now that made us live in the moment. But we need those reminders that we need the reminders that, you know, failure is human, to try and not succeed is just as human as to try and wildly succeed. And what's in common is the trying, if you don't try, you never know what the outcome is going to be. And so I love it. Tell us a little bit about your podcast. So your podcast is a storytelling podcast. And I have to say I'm a huge fan of storytelling. It's my absolute favorite kind of media, I guess you could call it because I really think that not only do we learn from other people, but it helps us relate to our world when we can hear our experiences, or even just kind of whiffs of our experiences, you know, told through someone else's eyes or someone else's lived experience. So why why storytelling and why why does that kind of fuel your midlife? Why is that? What does that bring to your midlife table?

Crystal Garrett  19:05  
Thank you, I, I, I really do feel like I am a storyteller. When I was a kid. I like I'm not going to go into the details because it's just taking too long. But I love I love telling stories. And when I was a little kid like I was born, my parents were teenagers when I was born, so I was a teenage pregnancy and my first years of life like my parents lived in my grandparents basement, they got married, which was silly probably at the time, but luckily they had me. But what was great about that experience is I was just surrounded by adults all the time. So according to my parents, I was speaking full sentences before I was even one year old. So I guess you know, I was a clear communicator right from the get go. So then that's always been the case, no matter what, you know, went through, went through in life. I always knew I could communicate clearly. And so it's not a surprise that I went into broadcasting. So I would say that that sort of natural. And I have been in broadcasting for about 20 some years. And so I've really honed interviewing skills and I've met a lot of interesting people. And I just found that I love to tell stories. So I like to think like, honestly, in midlife or maybe after the cancer experience, I'm just like, What can I do to make the world a better place? And I think the only tools I have, or that maybe the big tool I have is my voice and my abilities to my experiences and my ability to tell stories. So the absurdity we're podcast is is my way of changing the world. Honestly, it might be that's a pretty lofty ambition. But just slowly but surely, I just want to tell really inspiring stories of people who started anywhere, crush their goal at different ages and stages of life. 

And so I have reached out to a lot of people, you are one of them, who inspire me personally. And I want to tell their story to inspire other people. So at the very least, you're going to find the stories entertaining, but I'm hoping that you may actually be inspired to take action in your own life to go after a dream. And every single person on the podcast offers a little nugget of their best advice that the person listening to that episode can employ in their life that day, if they choose to for free, something that will, you know, has been proven to move the dial for somebody else. So there are 16 weeks of the of episode one that it that is currently going on and you can just listen each episode. Be inspired, hopefully try that little nugget of advice if you want, and, and maybe start anywhere in your life. And I'm trying to pick people from who went about their journey in different ways. 

So that maybe you'll relate to the person or maybe you you'll love that person's story, but your mind might be opened. For example, I have an indigenous spirit talker, Shawn Leonard coming on. Oh, wow, talks about how he, as a young child discovered that he was guided by spirits discovered that was his gift. And he uses a modality of actually calling in spirits to help other people. But I mean, you can go after a goal. No, I'm just saying that, that you and I hadn't thought of that one, right. And I had neither kind of there's a new idea. He's a real person, he just uses this special way to go after his goals. And of course, I have a couple of Olympic athletes I haven't, and a living NFL legend, and I have an eight year old hairdresser. 
So I have people from literally every age and stage of life, all with a great story to tell, all with advice to share. And my hope is that by listening, you'll be as I said, inspired but like everybody listening is allowed to go after their goal. And this is why I particularly am talking to people like us, because women I find get so caught up in helping other people or they're getting buzzing from day to day I've got to do this or that or the other thing. And they do not go after their own hopes and dreams. They they feel everybody else's hopes and dreams. And I am telling you from my own experience, I know this is true. If you actually do honor the little dream that's on your heart and you go after it, you are going to be a better person for the people in your life, you will be a better version of you and you will improve those people's lives your kids, your your your partner, your relatives, and maybe even your community maybe even beyond.

Jenn Huber  23:26  
Yeah, no I love that. I think that's so inspiring. And I love storytelling through podcasts, I think that much more so then even you know watching a movie or a you know, a screenplay or anything. There's just something about that audio connection to someone's voice or you know, and how they're telling the story and in the way they're telling their story that really just focuses on the experience and it's not about you know how cinematic it is and you know that the effects it's really just that story. So thank you for bringing that to the conversation of midlife because I'm sure that you are going to enrich many experiences young midlife and older. So I always end with asking, What do you think is the missing ingredient in midlife?

Crystal Garrett  24:18  
I think the missing ingredient in midlife is recognizing that it is it is not it's the beginning of something new. I think it's it's a time to really just embrace and love. And I know from my own experience that for many years, as I approached midlife I kind of thought it was and this is probably based on societal sort of things but I thought it's over for me like I'm really in a way it's it's time for me to to just let other people have the spotlight. It's time for me to kind of shrink away and and for many years I did shrink away. And I think just again with all the stuff that's been going on and when I I only started to sort of claim my power a little bit. I'm like, No, this is my time to step out. I can inspire other people, I should get out there. And, and I and I, so I've started to kind of like, show up on social media and admit my age 51 and just be like, Yeah, this is who I am. I am just starting out. I am starting anywhere I am starting out. I'm loving my life. And I'm just excited to, to live it fully now. And I give every other woman listening permission to like, show up as you are, like, just put your dang dang face out in the world. Like don't put a filter on it just like be you. And, and just you don't know who you're going to inspire by doing so. So I guess yeah, that's my thing is just like, own who you are. And you are the most beautiful maybe that you've ever been in your life. I'm going to tell you the truth. I think I am like, I think I'm looking good.

Jenn Huber  25:52  
And I think that we, you know, we there's there's so many conversations, I love all of that. By the way. I think there's so many conversations that are happening around expectations, and you know, really resetting the standards of beauty. And you know, what we think is beautiful. I don't want to use the word attractive, but you know, just kind of like beauties in the eye of the beholder. And we have permission to not only see the beauty in ourselves, but to see the beauty and everyone else. It's not just the one standard, right? Yes. And yes,

Crystal Garrett  26:25  
you're right. And I will just yeah, you're right. It's about seeing the beauty in other people too. Yeah, his beauty is is more than skin deep. And I think that's true. Like it's just for my if you go on to my Instagram at Crystal Joy Garrett that my profile picture is hilarious. It is it is it's actually a boudoir photo that was a friend of mine took she was doing boudoir photography. She's like I have an opening would you want to come down? I'm like, Yeah, I'll come down if I can wear my running clothes. So I came down with my running clothes because that's kind of where I feel most free is when I'm moving joyfully and and I know you are big proponent of joyful movement. 

So I went out of the studio and I just kind of like, I don't know, it's kind of like, bounced around with these running clothes on and we captured some really fun shots. And I thought and honestly, like lighting was really, really nice. But those pictures aren't filtered or retouched. And I looked at them and I'm like, You know what I look, I look great. Like, you know, and I give permission to other women to just be themselves alive. If you look carefully, you can see my forehead wrinkles and my crow's feet like I earned those man.

Jenn Huber  27:32  
That's beauty. Thank you so much for for talking to us today and for sharing all your stories and most importantly for bringing inspiration. And hopefully, you know helping people to just start anywhere. So Crystal's podcast is called start anywhere and it is on all the places where you usually listen, so have a listen and and enjoy. Thanks again, Crystal.

Crystal Garrett  28:00  
Oh my gosh, my great pleasure. Thank you.

Jenn Huber  28:04  
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the midlife feast. If you're looking for help with menopause nutrition or just want to figure out how to make peace with food on midlife. Check the show notes so you can learn about how to work with me and sign up for one of my group programs. And just a reminder that beyond the scale, my most popular group program will be starting up again in May and registration opens mid March. So make sure to get on the waiting list if you'd like to be the first to hear about it.