With ten, our guest stepped with a rare surety into the role of a double caregiver to her brother and dying mother. The light she radiates as a beautiful young woman into the world and what she gives on to others bares deep wisdom. Enjoy...
In her first decade of her life Maggie began to take on the reigns to begin her path as a wayshower. Enjoy...
You can reach Maggie Dong best on her Instagram handle: @maggiedong_
Here is the link to listen to Maggie's Podcast: Mind, Muscle, Enlightenment.Learn mo
Learn more about her programs: https://linktr.ee/maggiedong
Watch the video of Episode 36 with Maggie Dong on our YouTube channel Moving To Oneness: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzEWKXR957EmpmXvG9Ygbhw
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In Love and Light,
Meilin & Denise
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Connect with us: meilin@movingtooneness.com
Moving To Oneness; Nourishing Curiosity; Embracing Differences; Becoming One
Meilin Ehlke 0:54
Welcome to the Moving to Oneness show. I am Meilin your host today and I have a beautiful young lady from California with me sharing her wisdom. Sharing also her struggle, similar to my struggle of identity, finding who I am, as she found who she is. She'll support you in finding who you are, if you desire to show yourself even more to the world, and impact with your life experience, many, many, many others. So Maggie, welcome to the Moving To Oneness show I'm happy you're here with me.
Maggie Dong 1:37
Thank you so much for having me. I am excited to be here.
Meilin Ehlke 1:41
Yeah. And you know everybody it's so funny, I was honored to be on Maggie's podcast, she is very active as a podcast host and her podcast is called Mind, Muscle and enlightenment. And I love that, because instead of the boring, sorry for the boring, but it's everyone uses the body, mind, spirit metaphor. You have used it, and changed it around, and I think that is a good symbol, or even metaphor of how you look nowadays at life, but I know it wasn't always this way, right? You had hits from both parents' life's journey, that influenced you very strongly and I would love for you to share a little bit more, really also how you crumbled, a little bit within you, but then also how you put the pieces together in your style, and came out as this beautiful, shining Maggie that I see on Instagram and so many other beautiful images of you. So everyone, open up your heart for this story of Maggie.
Maggie Dong 3:11
Thank you so much, and my journey, I would say really took off when I was 16, because that's when I lost my mom to breast cancer. And at that point, my dad had already been in jail for two years. So overnight I had to step into this position of taking responsibility for myself, for my little brother and he's five years younger than me, so he was 11 back then. And all of a sudden, I needed to start managing a lot of things. And at that point, I went down the path of eating disorders, depression, anxiety and dealing with grief from losing my mom and I just had no idea how to process any of this because it's just hit all at once. And I would say that was probably the rock bottom moments in my life, and when you get to that point, you kind of start questioning, a lot of things in your life, because I was sitting there asking myself, "Why did all of this happened to me?"
Meilin Ehlke 4:24
Ja.
Maggie Dong 4:23
Why? And why is it so unfair that I lost my mom; I don't have my dad?" And I was sitting in that position of pretty much playing the victim for a long time, and saying, "maybe if I was luckier, this wouldn't have happened to me". Or, "why can't my life look like my friends lives? They're living their happy, healthy lives." And it wasn't until I started to get out of that victim mentality. Saying that instead of seeing this as all of a burden and how unfair it is. What if I start becoming grateful for all of the things that are happening to me? Because now I get the opportunity to learn and I get the opportunity to become who I meant to be. So I then took on this journey of personal development, spiritual awakening, which was super painful. I went through a lot of dark nights of the soul, and ego doubts, just over and over again, but now I'm at this point where I'm so grateful for all the things that have ever happened to me and I know that my soul signed up for this. I had this deep knowing just in my in my soul right now that everything happened for a reason and everything happened exactly the way that they were supposed to happen in perfect divine timing to get me to where I am today, so I am beyond grateful.
Meilin Ehlke 6:02
Well, yeah, you know, this is really beautiful that you came so quickly to this point. But what really I'm interested also in, and I would love for you to share that because now you're out of it right? You went through, you said this painful observance of yourself, of your life circumstances. And you mentioned yourself you came out of victim mode right? This is the professional label, we give it, but when you were in it, you didn't see yourself as a victim. So as a teenager, right, we anyway have the big question, because we really have no belonging I think nowadays right Maggie. Where do we belong to? We as women don't have rituals as young women when we start our menstruation. Right? So we are not being brought into womanhood, nowadays. Something is missing and then to what society or what groups do we belong? And so if you lose then also your mother and it's not that you just lost her with 16, you slowly had to take over probably also more responsibility as she gets sick and weaker. Also you stood, you are very strong. You stood in for your mother to take care, so I'm guessing, it took two years where your mother was not feeling so well. Your brother was then nine. I remember my son at nine. Right? They're wild, and I think then you with 14, that's the last thing you want to worry about. That's when you're just finding out about your body. Yeah? And you are showing yourself to the world. There's the other gender you are becoming interest in. So, I also want to really really applaud you, on your power, on you're also going with that and being present for your brother and then your mother in that time where your father was in prison or had to be in prison while this was going on. So, for sure. Please, really, inhale this strength, I think that you carry, and that is something that you're bringing forward in your teachings right? You are a life coach, you are also are a fitness coach. So you help people with a synchronization so they don't feel so bad as they go through it, because you're bringing your wisdom. Now you're ready a very wise woman. You have had it compiled. Yeah, normally in the 20s you maybe become a mother. You know all this goes on, death. Maybe if you, if it's early, you may be in the 30s. Yeah. I've losing your parents. So this is really, everything was a balled in a very small timeframe where you had to look at a whole life's journey. So I find this really, really fascinating and maybe that's why I love you so much. That's what you radiate out now into the world. Please tell others a little bit more give them a tip. What, if you can remember, what was it that drove you to still be also this strength, even though you've mentioned you had the depression, anxiety, you didn't eat well enough anymore to feed your body well?
Maggie Dong 9:51
Thank you. I really appreciate that and I would say, since I was 10, because my mom had breast cancer for six years, so she hadn't when I was 10. And at this point, I was slowly starting to step up to this place of taking responsibility. So it was this gradual process of over six years I was learning to do more and more until the point she passed away. And at that point I really had to step up and take on everything. And this entire process for me in the past, about four years. I had to look inward and look at who I really am, without all of these events, without all the things that I'm doing, because a lot of the times when we even describe ourselves right. I can say I'm a fitness coach, I'm a life coach, I'm a podcaster, but these are the things that I do. These are not who I am. So, when we strip away all of these things. Who am I really? At the end of the day, I am just this soul behind all of those, who is having this experience. So I think the big difference is, instead of being that character in all of this game of life. If we can just pull ourselves out of that and be the observer of that. And when we're that neutral observer, we can then see how everything is happening in divine timing. How everything is happening for our highest good. And I know it's easier said than done because when you're stuck in the middle of that. And I wasn't always like this. When I was stuck in that dark night of the soul and doubts, that I thought, that my world was collapsing, and it seems that way, because it is collapsing. Everything starts changing when you're going through that. And I can say, now looking back, the advice that I would give to people who are going through that, is realizing that the Universe will never give you anything more than you can handle. It's always the exact right amount at the exact right time, there's nothing more or nothing less than you can handle. This is exactly what you need at this given moment and you're exactly where you need to be. A lot of the times when we're in the middle of it, we don't see the bigger picture. We don't see how things are going to turn out. And I would say, if we just look at the past events that have happened in our life, so maybe we look at the past and we see how things played out exactly how they were supposed to play out and we always say hindsight is 20-20, we see how all of these things were perfect. So what if we can apply, how we feel about hindsight to foresight?
Meilin Ehlke 13:05
I love that.
Maggie Dong 13:06
And we look in the future and say, well, someday in the future I'm going to look back and say, everything happened exactly the way that is supposed to happen, and we can be grateful for that. So when we're in this moment in this state of anxiety, stress and feeling so much uncertainty about what's going to happen, if we can start showing gratitude for foresight, just like we show gratitude for hindsight, I think that makes such a big difference. Because you let go of the need to control. You let go of the need to even know what's going to happen because truly, we don't know. And you just surrender into the process. You surrender in this moment, because at the end of the day, everything is just this part of the experience.
Meilin Ehlke 13:53
Hmm. It's beautiful. You know I have a similar saying or let's say experience over and over. So when I cry. I'm really sad. There was several times in my life periods because of circumstances, where I felt lonesome, not seen, even though maybe I was out there and was doing beautiful things. But so when I was crying, noticing just then, even knowing it later that I was happy. I was happy that I was crying. I said oh my god I'm happy these tears are coming, running down my cheek. I'm happy I'm finally letting go and going into that state and pulling out what I have stuck deep within. That I had this experience where again I got opened up even further so it could come out. Yeah, because I'm really good in tightening, and that there was this joy within it. Knowing it will get so much better, because I'm crying right now. So that's a similar example to what you just shared with the listener.
Maggie Dong 15:14
Yeah, I love crying, it releases so much when we cry and I remember I used to not allow myself to cry because I grew up thinking that it's not okay to cry. And I kept on just holding it together, thinking that I had to be strong for everyone. And I can't show any of my weaknesses and I can't be vulnerable. So, I didn't allow myself to cry. And I was holding all of this in. But when we hold all these emotions and emotions are just energy in motion. And when we hold all this energy in our body it builds up and one day, you know, out of nowhere, I would just lash out, at somebody who didn't even deserve it. Because I had all of that energy built up. That is when I started to let go of my judgments of my emotions, and just let the emotions flow freely because they're just energy at the end of the day and energy is meant to just flow. So, I started letting that flow, and I realized that every time I cried I release more and more of that trauma and the heaviness that I was carrying along. And it feels good to cry as literally releasing that energy, so that I can feel lighter and I physically feel lighter after I cry, because I've released all of that stuff that I'm carrying on my shoulders. So, I think, emotions are are beautiful and one of the most important parts of this human experience, because, as a human being we get to experience all of these emotions, this entire spectrum, and society has taught us to avoid certain emotions. It is not okay to cry, it is not okay to get angry, you have to be happy and positive and all of this all the time, but we're neglecting a part of the human experience. And we're labeling these emotions as good and bad, but when in reality they're just energy, everything is just energy and human beings like to put labels on different things. But if we just see all this as energies trying to flow freely through our body. Then we embrace all the emotions, we don't label it as good or bad.
Meilin Ehlke 17:46
Yes, yes, I love it. I was thinking, you know this is probably also very culturally, where we, you know, by etiquette. In Europe we, I don't know, started 5000-6000 years ago where as a control, right, over others, etiquette was created. So don't cry, don't show emotion, don't even taste your food, don't move, walk tight, and sit tight. Yeah, always in a way of condensing, of tightening, pulling your energy in, so that the allowance of the flow of this light flowing through your body was then observed by oneself, and one was afraid of it. I'm estimating, I didn't live 100 years ago, but that's what I can sense or what I have experienced a little bit myself, right? Or by observing others, what goes through them and to let that say, that was once this is a cultural, social structures that are not true, and to take time to 'auseinandersetzen.' What is that in English? To look why's that even? Why was this brought to life. Why is this in our culture? Why is this, in my experience. Why is this in my family, or in my field of work. Right? You are an immigrant, so you will also have that probably getting in, do I fit in. I had that when I was in America, oh my god I'm German, I have to, you know, I have the German accent. It gave me a lot of freedom to say a few things more because it was said, "Ah, yeah you Germans just say what you think". So, I was allowed to be more open. That helped me being in another country. So when I came back to Germany I had to be more me was difficult again. I really found myself in the US because there I felt I could open up and blossom. How was that for you? How did you feel the switch? Or where you too young?
Maggie Dong 20:07
Yeah, so I moved to this space when I was 10. So, first 10 years, I had a complete different culture, that I was living. And it was interesting, moving to the States because I had to learn English when I was 10, and it was a new language and new culture, new people and it took me probably honestly six months to adapt to the new culture. And nowadays, after you know I've gone through all my awakening and and shedding my ego and peeling back the layers. I started realizing all of these cultural norms, no matter what country we're living in where we are in the world, they're just rules created by someone. Now we've all agreed to now follow, and all these rules including, you're supposed to dress a certain way, you're supposed to speak a certain way, you're supposed to eat a certain way, so many rules. And a lot of this work is getting rid of all of that rules, and asking yourself, "Who made this up? And why do I have to follow this?" And every time I asked myself this question, I realized that I either learned these rules from childhood, or I learned it from someone else, or I just made it up in my own mind, and these are all the limitations that we have on showing our authentic selves, because we have rules created around that. So once I let go of all the rules, even the ones I created for myself, which I'm sure I still have certain programming are still running, but I'm still clearing, but the more I let go of that, the more I'm able to just be who I am and be my authentic self. And that's true freedom. Because people are you know looking for freedom, they're working for financial freedom, they're looking for time freedom location freedom. And I hear this all the time that I'm working so hard so later on, I can be free. That's a lot of people's mentality. But freedom is realizing that you don't have to do anything, you don't have to be anything other than who you truly are. And it's a feeling that we can find from within. It's, you know, the financial time, location freedom, these are superficial forms of freedom. Their true freedom is being present in this moment, without any attachment to the past, without any expectations for the future. And you just let yourself be in this moment. And this is peace. This is freedom and this is the love and everything happens in this present moment, when our minds, usually are either living in the past, or making plans for the future. So anywhere but the present moment. So when you're truly present. We have to let go of the mind. And that's difficult, but it's, it can be done with practice, you'd let go of your mind more and more, so that you just let yourself be and let the Universe work through you.
Meilin Ehlke 23:37
But I want a tip from you. Give the listener a quick way, they can let go of their mind.
Maggie Dong 23:48
To let go the mind. You have to understand that the mind is an illusion that created itself. And all we have to do is to be the observer of the mind. So when you're sitting in meditation, you're just observing your thoughts, you're not getting rid of your thoughts, you're not getting rid of your mind, you're just observing it. So once you stop identifying yourself with the mind and you remove yourself and just take a step back and look at all the things that are going on, without having to react to every single thought that's how you let go of the mind and rise above it.
Meilin Ehlke 24:27
So not to react to every single thought that's a good one. A good way of explaining it, I like that. Thank you very much. Yep, because it's important because the biggest critic, right? On your podcast, we spoke a little bit about judgment. And the biggest judgment, we put on someone is on ourselves. And we judge our thoughts, but our thoughts are really also especially for many healers or empaths, knowing that they are it or not, so many other thoughts are taken in. Right? We're so connected to the one mind, they're not really always ours, so we can maybe hear some, and maybe they come to you because it is important for you to observe it and transmuted or transform it or 'auseinandersetzen' my English today. Yeah, there is a, there's a reason why it comes, and to say, "Oh, interesting. And why is it here and what can I do or you just let it flow by. I like that, like in a movie and you just observe and see what it does with you.
Maggie Dong 25:47
Yeah and I think that's where this sermon comes in. Right? You've got a thought in your head, and ask yourself, "is this true? Is this mine? Where did this come from?" and the ability to discern between where the thoughts are coming from, or is it true? That ability will get you really far because in your soul, you have this deep knowing of what's true and what's not. Your mind this the thing that's making up the stories of this is real and this is not real, but these are just stories and belief systems that we've created. So I think the sermon is asking your higher self and asking your soul, "Does this resonate with me?" because your soul will have an answer for you.
Meilin Ehlke 26:34
Yeah, I like that. Does it resonate with you? Because what is so important I believe is to keep my vibration up and it's probably for you, important to keep your vibrations, and for the whole planet really as as humanity to support, to hold the vibration up so right we don't lower the one that is already existing of nature. So what can I do to raise mine? Then we come back, right, to what you teach a lot, through nutrition, through exercise, the one that is right for you that you are fit. Because as healers we have to be also fit to be more in our natural state, to do the work we love and we desire, that the vibration is highest possible on a constant level and not just when we go into meditation. So what is a good fitness tip or nutrition tip you have for people?
Maggie Dong 27:40
Yeah, so, fitness and nutrition is interesting because everyone's body is different. And I would say just ask your intuition. Your intuition will tell you, if this is the right thing for you or this isn't. For me personally, I know how certain food intolerances, and my intuition will tell me if I look at a food, if I'm going to be intolerant to that or not. And I've tested this out. If my intuition is saying, "Don't eat that", and I eat it anyways, I normally end up with some sort of gut issues, stomach issues, pains, and that's how I know. So your intuition will always tell you what to eat and what not to eat but I think most of the times we just don't listen, and we go on the internet, and we look for a diet. We look at what other people are doing, but it doesn't matter what other people are doing. Your body is different. Your needs are different and what works for someone else might not work for you.
Meilin Ehlke 28:44
I love that, you know that discernment, and that is a very normal thing for many it is so hard to believe in our own thoughts, wisdom, truth. Right, it comes so quietly, and then comes this judgment again, not listening, or even, you know, you think, "Ah, this can't be. or it should". And it's in a way a numbing to always go on to, let's say the internet or newspaper and to find what others are doing. Is it in a way also not to take, is it fear a little bit, to take responsibility for your own life? Is it that also maybe a responsibility, a fear of responsibility to be different than others. Right? That you suddenly don't belong to someone? So Maggie, you experienced that probably often. Where do you belong? You were torn out, let's say, a very sheltered what many people, what you were longing for right this sheltered up bringing. So you went into a trauma and then you decided, "No, I'm going to become very very courageous in fine tuning myself". And you went on to be the development or I don't know, did you say, Bring it on? Yeah, you really did it very fast and on top of it you became a wayshower for so many. I mean you have so many listeners. You have so many followers. It's beautiful to see how you inspire. Because of that so many take the time to sit with their fears, to look at themselves, listen to themselves, see what to eat, how to move their body, and live more after their truth. This is just fantastic.
Maggie Dong 30:50
Thank you so much.
Meilin Ehlke 30:52
How can people find you?
Maggie Dong 30:55
Yeah, so I am mostly on Instagram and my podcast. So my Instagram is @ Maggie Dong underscore, M a g g i e d o n g underscore, and my podcast is called Mind Muscle Enlightenment. That's where we talk about the four areas of fitness, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, and how that creates an embodiment of mind body and soul.
Meilin Ehlke 31:23
Wonderful yes. It's so important that we all embody our truth, our wisdom our knowledge. Right? Shamanic, we talk about walking your knowledge. Everyone, reach out to Maggie. She is so approachable. Maybe you're the right person to be on her podcast to inspire others. I'm so happy Maggie that you took your morning to share yourself with my audience, and be such an inspiration. So thank you very much for being on the Moving To Oneness show.
Maggie Dong 32:03
Thank you.
Meilin Ehlke 32:05
So everyone. Be yourself. Even if you're going now through something really difficult. Think about Maggie and see that there is a light out there. Do know you're not alone. You have many you can reach out to. You don't have to go through all of this helpless. You got two wonderful beings right here, and I bet your surrounding, your environment has many others. Be courageous enough to ask, and to share what you're going through. And that will also be a beautiful inspiration for many others that you're helping with your work. So everyone, have a wonderful day or evening wherever you are in the world.
Meilin Ehlke 33:01
Bye, bye.