Sendy Mom Podcast — #058 Wendy Johnson

Clean transcript with speaker labels (reconstructed from context; spot-check against Riverside audio)

[00:00]

Wendy Johnson: So in the beginning, I guess it is a trial. Because I’m like, I am just miserable. I’m not coping with this very well. And then I have to stop and think about it. And it’s like, okay, help me to find the gift in this. Help me to find peace.

Becky Brouwer: Welcome to the Sendy Mom podcast. I am excited to be here with my friend Wendy johnson. And I wanted to ask Wendy, like, what makes you a Sendy Mom?

Wendy Johnson: I had to really think about this because as far as sports, I am like the most non-sporty person ever. I my eye hand coordination is poor. Although I skied, I golfed, I water skied growing up, but what makes me Sendy? I asked my husband and he told me, he goes, Wendy, you are Sendy. He goes, You are always looking for something in regards to body, mind, spirit, how to be better, how to how to overcome, one of my things is if everybody’s going on the bandwagon, then I want to do something different because that’s not the way to go. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: So you kind of push against the norm and just like yeah. I’m gonna do it my way, the Wendy way.

Wendy Johnson: Yes.

Becky Brouwer: Okay, so tell me what that looks like. Like where your journey has led to becoming this place the per person who feels confident in doing hard things. Doing the Wendy thing.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. So I was raised with four sisters, including me. And I was the third child. And as a third child, sometimes you just go along with things. So trying to find me has been a little bit more difficult. Because their children just go along. My dad had snowmobiles, first snowmobiles. In fact in our cabin we have a one of the very first snowmobiles that were ever out. And jet skis, just fun stuff. But most of the time I was on the back of one of those. As I’ve grown up, matured, it’s what do I want? I come from more of a medical family and at thirty I became pretty sick, actually. Where I couldn’t remember anything. To go on a trip became a very big thing because when I would come back I was lucky to know my name.

Becky Brouwer: Really? Okay, how did this come about?

Wendy Johnson: Well I’m not quite sure what happened. I know some of it was hormonal. And some of it, this is where I went from because I had gone from doctor to doctor to doctor looking for answers. And I could not find an answer. And this was back before Epstein-Barr was a known something and Candida, I mean, this is the medical society didn’t even recognize it. And so one day a friend was going up to a woman, she was a nurse and she did kinesiology testing. And I looked at her. I had just come back from some kind of a seminar and I was struggling. Kevin’s looking at me like, I am not gonna let you do this anymore because you come back in really bad shape. And it’s nothing that I would do. ‘Cause I didn’t go party.

Becky Brouwer: Right.

Wendy Johnson: I just didn’t do well.

Becky Brouwer: So when you say you didn’t do well, like the okay, so you go out, you go on a trip to a seminar or something like that, was it too much information that’s coming in?

Wendy Johnson: No, it’s just eating differently. Yeah, probably the stress, but it was probably mainly eating.

Becky Brouwer: Okay.

Wendy Johnson: And just taking in toxins. So I go back to the woman, the kinesiologist. And so one of the things that I dealt with was that she came up with was well three severe Epstein-Barr and severe Candida and then having metal toxins in my brain.

Becky Brouwer: Okay, so first of all tell me what kinesiology is, like explain it a little bit and then also Epstein-Barr.

Wendy Johnson: Okay. Well that’s basically like your mono. So Epstein-Barr is more like your mono, your tired, your so it’s just it full exhaustion.

Becky Brouwer: Yes. Okay, and it and it’s usually caused is it hormonal or just partly hormonal or virus.

Wendy Johnson: It’s a virus. It’s a virus. I’m not sure how Epstein-Barr started. It’s something either was it’s always there, we’ll just we’ll just it just is extreme tired and not functioning. And wherever your body is weak is where it will attack. And Candida is the same way.

Becky Brouwer: Okay. Is it autoimmune?

Wendy Johnson: That’s what you would probably call autoimmune now. So it was actually during Lauren’s time period. Right after Lauren was born, I couldn’t even lift Lauren. When she was a baby, she was so heavy.

Becky Brouwer: Okay. So and then kinesiology, tell me a little bit about that.

Wendy Johnson: Kinesiology is a muscle testing where you would I’m the body knows the answer. So say for example, just hold your arm out straight.

Becky Brouwer: Okay.

Wendy Johnson: And if I were to ask you, is your name Becky?

Becky Brouwer: Yes.

Wendy Johnson: Is your name Wendy?

Becky Brouwer: No.

Wendy Johnson: Let’s try it again. No yeah. Is your name Becky?

Becky Brouwer: Yes.

Wendy Johnson: Is your name Suzanne?

Becky Brouwer: No. But I’d still okay I’m still.

Wendy Johnson: So your body goes weak. Your body knows the truth. And so I mean, if you were to really try, you could probably override it. But for the most part, if you just blank out your brain and you don’t care if the answer is yes or no your body knows the truth.

Becky Brouwer: What the truth is. So yeah, because I know I’m not Suzanne or Wendy. And so maybe that’s kind of why it yeah, interesting. Even though I was saying no, I’m still thinking, I’m lying. Something that’s really interesting. So that they and so they were able to c she was able to diagnose or be able to figure out the Epstein-Barr from that. And and then what was the treatment plan? What did you do?

Wendy Johnson: This was my first introduction to herbs. And I had a great big long list. And I took it to the health food store, brought my stuff, and Kevin looked at me like, Are you crazy? And I’m like, I’m like, well I’m gonna try it.

Becky Brouwer: Well is this how you do everything? Do you just like, okay, I’m all in. Just do it.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah, I do.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. And you kept with it, you were consistent about I was finding

Wendy Johnson: I was finding results. I was feeling better. My brain felt better. My body, I mean, if anybody has ever used herbs, they know that usually there’s a first initial detox. I guess. And so in the beginning I was very, very tired. I actually took Kevin up to her two. And the first three days he laid on the bed. Because it takes some time for those toxins to make their way out of your body.

Becky Brouwer: Interesting.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah, it does. And so but then we both started feeling better.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. What were the specific herbs that you did for Epstein-Barr then?

Wendy Johnson: Slippery elm is one of them. Yellow dock is another. Well those are the two main ones right there. But I used yellow.

Becky Brouwer: Did you do them like in a in a tincture or like or in like

Wendy Johnson: I did pills on that one? And then I think Candida is myrrh, garlic. Those are the two I mean there’s other ones.

Becky Brouwer: Is that’s like sugar, right? Is that sugar?

Wendy Johnson: Yes, when you have the overgrowth of the bad bacteria, I guess. In your in your gut. But sometimes if you have leaky gut, it can leak out into your system. That’s my understanding.

Becky Brouwer: Okay, so this started kind of a journey for you, as far as whole foods and living more clean. And so where did that kind of lead you to?

Wendy Johnson: So I had swore that because I actually grew up with a mom that this is when antibiotics were first coming out. And so she had a little bottle of pills. Pills, antibiotics, right? And whenever we would get sick, it didn’t matter if it was a virus or a bacteria or whatever, she would give us antibiotics. Some antibiotics, which would explain some of what happened. And she I mean, it’s fine. Mom did what she thought was best and at the time period. So then I had decided from Lauren on, I mean, we were I had tried vegetarian, I had that didn’t work necessarily for our family. Although Lauren to this day will tell you she really liked Tofutti. For her birthday she wanted Tofutti and everybody just rolled their eyes and

Becky Brouwer: Battered tofu. Okay, yeah, love it.

Wendy Johnson: Anyway, they didn’t love it. No. And so then and then we were doing pretty good and then Aubrey came along and I guess I needed another lesson because I have learned to appreciate not only herbs and that food can help us to become better. But through Aubrey, that medicine is incredible because I wouldn’t have her today. So it’s a melding of like there’s so much information out there and to find don’t don’t be afraid of looking for all of the information. And I think when I’ve talked to different people, you have very medical people that they won’t even look at an herb. And I’m talking to them and I know an easy answer for them. But I know they won’t go the direction and so you just stay quiet. Or you say it and know that it won’t go anywhere. Right. And then you have very herby people that they won’t even think the medical direction. Right. And th it’s important to listen, to listen to your inner self and get past the set point of this is the only way that an answer can come,

Becky Brouwer: Right. I mean in the end you really have to just take all the information and do and make the best decision possible for with what you have. So tell me what kind what Aubrey you struggled with and how that played out.

Wendy Johnson: So Aubrey at the age of twenty months, it was shortly after I had stopped nursing her, that we had gone into the doctor and there was a vaccination they wanted and this is where it comes to listening. I didn’t listen. And she kept just after me to give this to her. And I said no for the longest time and then finally after about twenty minutes I just looked at her and I said, just give it to her. And about three weeks later, she started having she went into kidney failure. Yeah, and we ended up at the hospital and she was put on dialysis.

Becky Brouwer: And twenty months.

Wendy Johnson: And then not only that was hard, but I had come from a place where I thought the only answer was herbs and clean living and I’m having put in my daughter all sorts of stuff. Yeah, yeah, because they’re doing the dialysis and everything. So

Becky Brouwer: And the medic and you felt like you needed to do that.

Wendy Johnson: It’s there was no other choice. There was no other choice. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: Wow.

Wendy Johnson: So we are just thankful she’s here and it so we got a miracle in that hospital. She was not a good patient. She would fight every tooth and nail of having medicine put down her because I mean you just don’t realize I had a huge lesson on what the kidneys do.

Becky Brouwer: Interesting. And so she was not a good patient. And did you have to hold her you held her while she

Wendy Johnson: Kevin was actually the holder. He took the hard part. And anyway, so I think they were telling us at some point that she would need a kidney transplant within probably the year, six months. And this sweet little nurse, Ronnie, I can still remember her name, I still remember her lot. And she just looked at the doctors and she said, Well, let’s take it down and see what this little girl has. And I think that’s where faith comes in. Kevin and I the whole time kept feeling like it was going to be okay. And the doctors would come in and they’d tell us, it’s not going to be okay. And this is the result. And we would look at each other and go, hmm, that’s not what we’re getting. And so then mean we had essential oils and all sorts of fun things. All sorts of fun things going on in that. Because you try all of it when you’re when you’re desperate or when you’ve got something. And so anyway, Ronnie said let’s see what she has. And so they would turn the dialysis machine down. And at first her numbers would go up and then her body would adjust. And so then they would do the same thing again until she was totally off of dialysis. So I have watched a miracle. And know that God provides miracles. And then she actually started from two till six, she was able to just be a normal kid, which was wonderful because then by the time her kidneys started acting not doing very well again, then we could teach her how to take pills, we could teach her all of that thing. And sometimes I’ve questioned, I’m like, well why did that have to happen? Why couldn’t we just have the one miracle and call it good? But as my mom said, I got to learn a different miracle too. But in between, because she got her transplant at 13 or 14. So we actually did dialysis for a long time. Basically she could still be a kid because she had quite a bit of ki kidney function. And we were hoping the medicine would change and we would ho were hoping the surgery in itself would change. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: So and she and how old is she now?

Wendy Johnson: She’s thirty. Thirty years old and still plugging along. So

Becky Brouwer: And she’s doing great.

Wendy Johnson: And grateful for whoever that donor was for a great kidney. Check that little box, to be a donor because it saves people’s lives for sure. All I think all of her college papers were on donors.

Becky Brouwer: Okay. And how they make a difference. Yeah, for sure. Okay, so did the did she work with some kinesiology as well during that time or any other with Aubrey?

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. Well, I learned how to do okay. I went and took a class and I saw the benefit in it. And to me it’s like my own little Liahona. It’s like having faith that answer will come. Right. And I mean, if you pray over it, then it’s a positive. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah, that’s true. That’s a good way to kind of look at it. It’s like your brain knows, but also it’s your brain is your s or not even your brain, it’s your mind. Your soul knows what is true and what is right and that comes from all the so yeah.

Wendy Johnson: So I always knew that I could test her for things that would help her in sicknesses and stuff. But there was a limit to what I could test her. I mean, it was just yeah, something I knew. And so there weren’t a whole lot of things. I mean, the list of what you cannot take is so big. That I mean, the list is pretty much garlic and slippery elm. That’s her that’s what two go to’s. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: That’s crazy. Okay, so tell me now, let’s switch into how did you get into the Bowenwork or was there is there a bridge in between your the kinesiology and did you get into something else?

Wendy Johnson: Well, Bowenwork is only about five years ago.

Becky Brouwer: Right, yeah, that’s really new for you.

Wendy Johnson: So in between, I understood and went through a process where I realized our emotions, our mental, our phys all of those things are stored within our being. And so as we cleared out the emotional and the mental junk that A lot of times your body would just clear things out. And so some of those processes I didn’t particularly like. But it was like opening an up a can of worms and do you want to see what’s inside that can of worms? It’s interesting to me because I don’t think I had a bad childhood. But I guess sometimes how we interpret things as a child is totally different. And some of the negative messages that I took in. Anyway, I need to I needed to look at.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. And so they imprint pretty deeply.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. And so how Bowen came in is that I realized all of that could happen in one thing. So Bowen not only works physically, but it helps to relieve that stored trauma. Within the body and then your body just kinda like one day you might have just this thought about something that happened a long time ago. And you get to kinda look at it and go, Hmm, I guess I’m okay. Yeah, that did happen, but I don’t need to

Becky Brouwer: But I’m safe and I don’t need to a or you can at least process it in the moment better than you could because you can see it from a different perspective.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. As kids, it’s traumatic. And I mean your brother can look at you wrong and you take that in. I mean for me one of the one of the things that I’ve always dealt with, I had very long arms and very long legs growing up. And so every time I look in a in a mirror I see very long legs and very long arms. I guess a body dysmorphia. And so clothes shopping for me is very traumatic. And

Becky Brouwer: Have you been able to kind of get through that a little bit?

Wendy Johnson: I’m working through it. Interesting. It’s not my first pick to go shopping, but yeah, Shalise, my daughter, she just looks at me and says, Mom, just stop. Just go Amazon. Bring it in. And then if you don’t like it, send it back.

Becky Brouwer: Send it back. That’s right. You don’t even have to go through the trauma. Modern technology is really good. Well, and I know there’s a lot of people at like you’re not alone. Struggle with that body dysmorphia is dysmorphia, And like I look at myself, I’m like, my legs are too short, my torso’s too long, and I just see a beautiful too. So it’s it really is all in our heads. And so it’s like as we mature and spiritually and mentally we can recognize that and have a little bit more compassion for ourselves, which is why it’s good to go through some of this work when you’re older and can see a little bit better. But so often we just block it off and say, yeah, that was in my childhood, whatever. But no, we need to kind of bring it back just a little bit to

Wendy Johnson: Well, what’s interesting is when we block it actually creates dams within our own body. And so your body is made of fascia. So I guess this is where Bowen comes in as well. I mean, it is just a river of information and you s block some of those things, like an emotion, and all of a sudden it’s having to start new pathways or go around that and it kind of dams that area up. So as you’re able to release look at something and release, yeah, it opens up. That your body can communicate properly.

Becky Brouwer: And your mind has a l like plays a big part of that in being able to do that. But tell me what you do with Bowen because it incorporates more than just thoughts.

Wendy Johnson: So bowenworks very lightly. So massage is very deep, right? Or deeper where Bowen, if you come the very first time, you’re thinking, How is this going to do anything?

Becky Brouwer: Right.

Wendy Johnson: But what it does is it actually works through the autonomic nervous system and it relaxes. And I think it helps your body just relax. And that’s where you don’t pay any attention to how you breathe, how you see, how you any of your bodily functions. They just happen. Bowen therapists. They’re going over can very lightly over the fascia, which is, s over the joints, muscles, tissues, and that message is actually being sent through the nervous system up to your brain, and the brain can go, Wow, that’s not the original blueprint. We need to make some adjustments. And so that message goes back down to the body. And sometimes you’ll stand up and after a session and nothing has changed, but it has. Because over a time period a Bowen therapist won’t see you before seven to ten days most of the time. Because the body continues to make those changes.

Becky Brouwer: Interesting.

Wendy Johnson: And that’s where I mean some sometimes you will have emotions that come up. You’ll have maybe we you had back issue and you might feel it clear down in your foot. And it’s like, well, how does that have anything to do with my foot? It’s because the fascia goes from your bottom of your feet to the top of your head. It covers every organ. And it’s all connected. It’s all connected. They used to throw it away though. That’s what’s really interesting. So when they would do surgery they didn’t know apparently what it’s like that doesn’t do anything and they threw it away.

Becky Brouwer: So then you’ve then there’s a there’s friction.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah, because there would be friction because the fascia is what keeps it like mobile, like instruct like moving.

Becky Brouwer: So so does it have to do with some collagen too to like?

Wendy Johnson: Well the idea also is that as you move th those tissues, then it also brings you’re helping the water tension in the muscles or in that tissue as well. Which helps the body to be able to flow right, for it to be able to to function and recently, probably electrical helps with everything. There’s nothing that I haven’t found to not help you out.

Becky Brouwer: Okay, so it’s helped you. So you had a therapist that worked on you. Is that kind of how you found out about it?

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. It’s a good friend. I worked with her at Highland Gardens. And she called me in and she had some shoulder problems and she had gone to a woman and she goes, I tried everything. And shoulders are a little bit trickier but she was able to actually not have any problems. And so when she came to us, it was during the time period when we had Kevin’s dad. And so we were taking care of him, he was on hospice. We were lifting him up and down, and Kevin had severe sciatica. Where he wasn’t functioning very well. And then he’d ha prior had probably about five years earlier had two back surgeries.

Becky Brouwer: Wow. And stuff. So in a lot of pain still. Or like clearly body is de degenerating.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. And then with mine, I had just gone through we’d got a pretty good case of COVID. And I was exhausted and I had COVID brain so bad that it was like I know I’ve got a head on top of here that’s got a brain. And I would really like you to be able to think.

Becky Brouwer: Function and yeah. And and you’re still dealing with the p Epstein-Barr a little bit, right? Did you feel like you got that all under control?

Wendy Johnson: I don’t know if we ever totally get rid of it. But I know what to look for and I know what to do. So I never let it get really bad. But yeah, I still deal with some of the brain fog. Toxicity and stuff. I mean it’s just one of and I’ll do cleanses for it and yeah stuff. But anyway, and so the first time she came, Kevin was not quite sure, but I’ll tell you we had the best nap ever. It does put your body in such a relaxed state. And if you’ve come to my house, I mean

Becky Brouwer: You do.

Wendy Johnson: I mean, Kevin related it to having a colonoscopy and the medicine that they give you.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah, just put you completely under. No, that’s totally how I felt too. I remember feeling just like, take a little nap.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah, there’s certain moves and they tell the body that the emergency is over and to relax and it’s one of my favorite moves. So anyway, yeah. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: So basically to explain kind of what happens when somebody comes in for some Bowen therapy.

Wendy Johnson: Okay, when somebody comes in, well we look structurally at what’s going on and then I’ll have them lay face down and the moves are just very light, not digging into the skin at all and we’re just moving the fascia just very, very lightly. And then you sink down in, putting some pressure against the muscle and or the tendon or fascia at a certain point and then you roll over that. Well the basic thing with Bowen is that the information goes in and the body heals itself. I read something the other day and I thought my goodness, this is Bowen. So how did we come to be? We came from a little teeny cell, right? Right. And from that little teeny cell, w I mean the first month, what happens? It that’s like our it just keeps breaking and yeah, and re replicating and so within us is that same little tiny cell, But our body has that remembrance. And so Bowen goes in and helps your body remember what is supposed to be happening. And so it’s not the therapist necessarily doing well, I guess we are. We’re like the marriage counselor giving advice to the body. And the body comes back and makes some shifts of what are possible.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah, so it’s like going into these little places where it’s been it’s dried out, right? Or or where there’s a blockage or something like that. And and rehydrating. And and it’s and it’s just sending a message to the brain of, hey, I’m still here. I’m still here. And just and reminding the your brain that there’s something that needs to be done here. And then it’s then the brain is what’s gonna send those fluids or whatever else repair work or whatever that needs to be done. So that things are gonna start moving in the right direction. So what are some of the I guess miracles or some of the things that you’ve been able to witness with some of your clients,

Wendy Johnson: Well, as with Kevin, I mean he was walking kind of hunched over. And I watched him being able to walk straight. And I had somebody else come in with a bulging disc and he’s kinda walk and hunched over. And pretty soon he’s walking straight. And then I’ve watched

Becky Brouwer: Did it help s Kevin’s sciatica too?

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. I mean it that one sciatica isn’t usually just overnight. Sometimes it can, but it’ll take two or three times usually to work through things. And then as for my brain, If somebody would have told me I would have gone through all twelve levels of getting my practitioner license in the beginning, I would have told you no. I went to the first class and I’m like, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this. I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to remember it. And the instructor was really good with me and she would repeat and luckily we had a month to practice and then I would go back and that and I’d think, well, that wasn’t too bad. And I’d sign up for the next one. So I watched that miracle, and very, very thankful for that one. And then my mom, every time she would come, she’s like, Wendy, can you just do that thing you do? It just makes me feel so much better. So what’s really funny is sometimes they’ll get up and they may feel the same exact way. And so within that ten days things will shift and I’ll check back and it’s like, Well, how’s your knee? And or how’s something? And it’s like, well, it just it hasn’t bothered me actually. Or a tennis elbow. Or a tennis elbow. And and I think one lady I had asked maybe three months later, and she’s like, I hadn’t even thought about that. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. It’s hard for people to connect the healing to what you’ve done because it takes a long time.

Wendy Johnson: It’s not an immediate you get off I mean, sometimes it is. Sometimes people feel great, after and they from headaches, migraines. I mean that’s another one. And then all of a sudden, it’s not there anymore and they just don’t notice it. So putting those two together don’t necessarily always happen because it might be, two days later.

Becky Brouwer: Right. And most of us think, it should have happened right immediately. But it’s your body. So you have to really believe in it and and trust that that the process is right.

Wendy Johnson: I don’t even know if you have to believe in it. I don’t know if Kevin and I believed in it when we first started. It’s like, Okay. But you just little try things and then

Becky Brouwer: And but it makes sense to me. The way that the body is gonna heal itself through all of these different things. But yeah, no, I love that.

[34:18] — Midway Break

Becky Brouwer: Hey friends, I’m going to hit pause for just a minute right here. So, first, thank you. Thank you for being part of the Sendy community. Every time you listen, share, or send me a message about how an episode helped you, it reminds me why I started this show. If Wendy’s story is speaking to you, whether it’s about listening to your body or finding the gift in a hard season, would you please share this episode with one person who needs it today? That’s really how this community grows. And if you haven’t yet, please hit subscribe wherever you’re listening and head over to sendymom.com to join my email list so you never miss an episode. I also want to tell you about still Sendy it’s my coaching program for women of faith who want a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I woke up this morning remembering my kids snuggling in bed with me when they were little. Those were really good memories. Sometimes I wonder if there are any good memories ahead though, or if I’ve really used them all up. If you’re in a season where the kids are launching, the roles are shifting, and you’re wondering what’s next for you, still Sendy helps you claim that next chapter on purpose. You can find it at sendymom.com/freecoaching. Join me for a free mini coaching session where I will help you with any negative thoughts you’re having and help you to have more clarity about how you can create. Some better outcomes in your life. Next time, it’s just me. I’m sharing a solo episode. I have been diving deep on relationships. Showing up as the person you want to be is Sendy. Be sure to listen to the next episode for Tools for Managing Hard Conversations. My next guest is Alice O’Connell. Alice is a former TV and theater actress who first picked up knitting on the sets of Doctor Who and Silent Witness. Today she’s the founder of Learn to Knit, based in Amsterdam, and she’s going to share how a simple creative practice carried her through moving countries, becoming a new mom, far from family, and breast cancer treatment. You won’t want to miss this. Okay, let’s get back to Wendy.

[36:28]

Becky Brouwer: Okay, you mentioned about having Kevin’s parent dad, right? And your mom lived with you for a while too, right?

Wendy Johnson: Kevin’s dad, my mom and Kevin’s brother at one time.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. What what was what was that like? Like having opening your home up to the to people not in your family and or I mean, I guess your parents, elderly parents that need a lot of care and help.

Wendy Johnson: Well this is what I’m going to tell you. Cause it’s hard. It’s hard. So after Aubrey, there’s a couple of things that came to me. I’m going to tell you the gifts that came. And then hopefully it will make sense as to having people come into my home. So during the time with Aubrey, in the hospital bed and we’re watching her deteriorate. It was like I had a moment where I saw these hands coming at me with a gift on top of that. And that what she was giving me was a gift. And so her sickness was the gift. Her sickness was the gift. Us going through that experience was the gift. It was the gift for my whole family. My kids came to recognize the spirit. They came to know the savior, they came to know so many things through that experience. And watching them support her was incredible. So one the gift. The other part that I came to learn, because when your life is so consumed by medical and you want to serve, but I am serving, I’m serving my daughter, but sometimes we think we have to serve other places. I would always get an answer, love what’s in front of you. Whatever is in front of you love. You don’t have to go seek it. It’ll find you. Just love whatever comes. And so when Kevin told me that his dad was going to well his dad didn’t have any place to go. He could go home, but he wanted he felt we were supposed to bring him home. He was sent on hospice with probably two months to live. So I said yes. Two months left to live. I can do things for two months. Yeah, I can do he was there for eighteen months and he wasn’t particularly happy when he first was there. And I think some somewhere in there we found understanding and yeah. But there were there were some moments that I was not very happy about it. And so believing that every experience has a gift. So I don’t call it call them trials, I call them gifts. That’s a much healthier way to deal with trials too. So when people what are your biggest trials? I’m I’m like, I don’t have trials,

Becky Brouwer: Wow.

Wendy Johnson: Because I looked at it and I’m like, I am miserable. And sometimes it takes me. So in the beginning, I guess it is a trial. Because I’m like, I am just miserable. I’m not coping with this very well. And then I have to stop and think about it. And it’s like, okay, help me to find the gift in this. Help me to find peace. Help me to find the gift. Help me to know what I can do so that I can be okay.

Becky Brouwer: It’s really about embracing reality and loving what is.

Wendy Johnson: You hit it right on the head right there. Yes. And so what I the answer that I got was very simple. It was to go in and pray with him over his meals and stuff. He had by then he had decided he wasn’t going to come out of his room. And so we would always take meals in. Everything was done within that room. And so we just started going in and praying over the meals before we would pray and then take him the meal. And then the other was to go and watch TV with him. And I’m like, okay. Well he likes westerns. So Chuck Norris. And so I’ve watched a lot of Chuck Norris and I’ve watched a lot of Westerns. And I can tell you the last six to seven months I loved him being there. And and very much because he just really embraced it.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. That is such a good lesson, Wendy. I needed that today. Yeah.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah, I appreciate that.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. And and then okay, just really quickly, ’cause we need to caveat to having your brother in law there as well.

Wendy Johnson: That’s very difficult. Difficult time. So he had he had just gotten out of jail or was getting out of jail and nowhere to go ’cause by now we had cleaned out his dad’s house and Kevin just well, we’ll just not go there. Anyway, I looked at Kevin and just said, I’m going down to Kanab, whether you go with me or not, and I’m going to pick him up. And I don’t know what we’re going to do with that, but he needs somebody.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah, he needs somebody.

Wendy Johnson: He needs somebody to appreciate him and just love on him. And so our goal was to find him a half a a home where he halfway home I don’t know. Where he would be okay. Well that didn’t happen for a little while. And so we went we drove him to AA meetings and all over for about four months and then he was finally able to get into a home and but he needed that bridging time with somebody that cared about him to help him.

Becky Brouwer: And so you kind of went about it the same way and just like trying to be with him and quietly doing your thing. I mean it’s like it’s like Bowenwork actually.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. It’s all you wonder how I came to Bowenwork. It all just fits. Within just loving what is there and allowing and loving and allowing the body to the body, the mind, the spirit. And just patiently waiting for things to come into your life and recognizing that they are gifts.

Becky Brouwer: That is beautiful.

Wendy Johnson: Yep. Some things that is one thing that I mean our whole family just realizes that each moment is a gift. It doesn’t matter, sometimes we think gifts have to be like we want it to be

Becky Brouwer: And they’re wonderful and it’s that’s beautiful. I love it. I’m so glad we had this conversation today. It’s been really good.

Wendy Johnson: No, the only thing on Wally was it was interesting because we had taken him down with the intent the first time to not bring him back. That and we came out of the motel room or the motel place with the knowledge, we’re walking out and it’s like he’s going home with us. And the message came and it’s like we both looked at each other and he’s going home with us.

Becky Brouwer: Hmm.

Wendy Johnson: Okay, how’s this gonna happen?

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. My goodness.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. But then you just take it and take it one day at a time, I guess.

Becky Brouwer: And you keep swimming.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. We just keep moving.

Becky Brouwer: That’s that’s really the message, right? Is like just keep moving, keep things moving. And if you find a blockage, just ease it out slowly. Remind your brain to that what its job is and how to how to fix things.

Wendy Johnson: Well, brain and heart. I mean your brain your brain is just a big mushy thing. It’s but it’s your mind and your soul and the heart.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah, it’s gotta come from the heart first.

Wendy Johnson: And yeah and I mean it doesn’t matter whether you have medicine or you have exercise or whatever, if you’re hating what you’re doing, then your body is made from love. So what message? I it’s like doing things that you hate.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. Love your body. Love all of the parts of your body, even your long arms and your long neck.

Wendy Johnson: Even my long arms.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. Because you’re I love that your body is made of love. Like that’s the center of everything, isn’t it?

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. It’s very true.

Becky Brouwer: All right. Well, I have a few rapid fire questions for you that I try to do. So the first one is what has brought you join last 24 hours?

Wendy Johnson: Actually we went walking this morning and it was beautiful. The weather was nice and actually I know this wasn’t in twenty four hours, but it kinda it kinda sums up me. So I have a neighbor that I can hear her play pickleball in the morning with the pickleball court, right? And I can hear her laugh. And for some reason that brought me a lot of joy and I’m like, This is crazy. Why does that bring me joy? And then I knew her story and I knew what she had overcome. And so it was like, it brings me joy because I enjoy helping people to overcome whether it’s mental, physical, spiritual, that’s I can’t do that. That’s up to the person. But I’m physical. Yeah.

Becky Brouwer: And but we can enjoy other people’s happiness. That’s that is actually a beautiful lesson too. All right. What about a good book that you’ve read recently?

Wendy Johnson: I read a lot of self-help. Actually I’m learning microcurrent.

Becky Brouwer: Microcurrent. Is that a Bowen technique too?

Wendy Johnson: No, it’s not, but it goes along the same principle. I’m always refining Bowen because the more refined I get the more successful I guess it is. And it’s incredible because you can your body just responds. But the more exact I can be, the better the messaging can be. So I’m always improving there and the microcurrent came because I got a foxtail in the bottom of my foot. And apparently they do not fester out. And yes, so if you ever get something in your foot, get it out immediately. I was waiting for it to fester. And so this lady had called for scoliosis. Bowen can help with scoliosis concussions anyway. But she goes, Well, let’s see what the microcurrent does. And it works on the same principle as Bowen. And so afterwards I’d been in pain for almost ten years in my foot.

Becky Brouwer: Sometimes I so this was a long time ago that you got the foxtail in that.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. I’d had three surgery three times at the doctor’s office trying to have it taken out. One time going in for surgery where he just said I couldn’t see anything, so I just scooped. But I literally could feel the foxtail going back and forth in my foot, tearing tissue. So I had a lot of scar tissue in my foot. And she Bowen helped tremendously. Bowen kept me going. But it would come back ’cause I think the amount of scar tissue in there. And so the microcurrent helps to straighten out the scar tissue. Tissues and I’m sure Bowen would do it too. I just am not probably as patient on myself. And so the next day I woke up and I go, Kevin, I don’t have

Becky Brouwer: Pain. That’s amazing. So what it is it similar to Bowen? Do they just manipulate it?

Wendy Johnson: No, it actually is microcurrent. It it’s you’re putting current through a little machine and it it’s an oil wave. Anyway, it’s on the same wave as what your there’s a tens unit and that’s a square wave.

Becky Brouwer: Okay.

Wendy Johnson: And then there’s this microcurrent wave which works on the same wave that you’re

Becky Brouwer: And it’s more of a spiral or something?

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. Interesting. Anyway, yeah. That’s why I’m learning.

Becky Brouwer: That’s so that’s what that’s what you’re kind of excited about learning how to do.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. So they go hand in hand. I’ve just learned to that they work on the same principle of the body knows how to heal itself. And so it’s really cool.

Becky Brouwer: So that’s been that has kind of been your passion and what you’ve been working towards at this point. Is there anything that totally terrifies you but that you’d like to try at some point?

Wendy Johnson: Well yeah, traveling and I’m going to Italy.

Becky Brouwer: There you go. Yes. Yes. And we know that you’re a little bit afraid of traveling. Like so what helped you to be able to

Wendy Johnson: Make that make those plans and well, one, knowing my sister would like me there. And then two, your ninety second, sit in it. And I also made a non refundable flight.

Becky Brouwer: There you go. So yeah.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah, I didn’t make it easy for me to back out. And that’s what I’ve probably done on most things. I had to travel a couple of times for Bowen. One to Portland and one to California. And you’d think I was sitting on pincushions when it comes to making flight arrangements because it takes me a very long time to actually it takes me week or more to just press the button.

Becky Brouwer: Wow. And the more you do it though, the bo the better easier it becomes to do. And especially going somewhere as far as Italy, now you can always know like I did that. Yeah.

Wendy Johnson: I and everything w worked out just fine.

Becky Brouwer: So okay, tell like the 90 second thing. So tell me a little bit about that. What how that helped you and what you did?

Wendy Johnson: I just felt the fear of and I don’t even know what the fear is. I’m like, I don’t know. It just makes me nervous. So I felt the nervousness of getting on the plane and having to commit to going and then just went, I can do it. Let’s make it non refundable. Yeah, because I’ll change my mind. Push the button. And there’s there’s a little bit of a thrill that comes when you when you just click on click on that and just say, okay, we’re on. We’re going.

Becky Brouwer: So it’s gonna be I think you’re gonna have a wonderful time. So I’m excited for you. So that might be your new big favorite vacation spot, but do you have another favorite vacation spot?

Wendy Johnson: They have to do it. Actually, my daughter asked me, Rihanna. She asked me if I would like to go somewhere with her. She had a buy one get one or something like that. And so at first I’m like, well, I don’t know, let’s just go in the United States. And then after the doing the Italy thing, I go, hmm, why don’t you just she’s been quite a few places. She loves to travel, which is really interesting. But anyway. I just thought, well, I can do this. So why don’t you tell me where you’d like to go? So we came up with well, we came up with London, we came up with Iceland, we came up with Denmark. That’s where my family’s from. And so she’s just watching and we’re deciding according to how much.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah, exactly. That’ll be so fun.

Wendy Johnson: Anyway.

Becky Brouwer: That’s exciting.

Wendy Johnson: We’ll give it a shot.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. Well, yeah. So it starts it sounds like you’re starting on your journey of being able to travel a little bit and yeah, be sendy that way. That’s really awesome. Really good. What about a person from history that you admire?

Wendy Johnson: Actually, my mom. And that one’s come long. So that’s not really history.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah, that’s okay.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah. So I struggled with my mom a little bit growing up. I just have grown to appreciate realizing what all our ancestors went through and that we are a combination of them as well. You think about the women, I mean so I think we are a part of our moms because that cell came from directly her and yeah, we pass that DNA down, which includes not only the physical characteristics but also the emotional characteristics. And so as I’ve been working through the emotional clearing, the mental clearing, I think, my gosh, what about these women that went through the medieval times? What about these women that went through the Salem witch trials? What about the women that went through so much war and rape and i terrible yeah, abuse and alcoholism and all these different things that yeah, there’s lots of trouble. But as I’m thinking about it, it’s like that’s what I have come to appreciate so much that I am here today because of the sacrifice and the willingness for them to go through what they went through.

Becky Brouwer: Yeah. And you’re willing to do the same thing for generations to come. That’s that’s the thing. And and grateful to them for taking all of your junk and being able to tell you and loving you.

Wendy Johnson: Exactly.

Becky Brouwer: That’s kind of how I feel too. I love that. What is something that you try to do every day?

Wendy Johnson: What do I try to this is my new one? Every little cell in my body is happy. Every little cell in my body is happy. I’m so glad. I’m so glad. Every little cell in my body is happy.

Becky Brouwer: That is so good. Well, I love that you put it to music too, because so often people have these affirmations or whatever, but that’s kind of that’s it lightens it.

Wendy Johnson: I wish I could take credit for it. I heard it on Facebook or somewhere. And I’m like, my gosh. That’s the message that I want to send to my body every day. It’s not it’s not your arms are too long, your arms are your legs or whatever. You’ve got to sit in the middle of your forehead. It’s like, no, I want my body to know it is happy every day and the cells are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. And

Becky Brouwer: Because your body is made of love and you want to give that love back to your body too and just love what is. Love love it for who you are. And that is a great message to have. So well, good. Well, what do you think I should try next?

Wendy Johnson: What do I you are pretty brave in my book?

Becky Brouwer: You’d be surprised. I mean, why do you think I do this podcast? Like I gotta know. Like

Wendy Johnson: I well, if you ever get to go on a hot air balloon. I will go with you. That is one of my go-to things that I would like to do. And inside it terrifies me. But I would like to do it. I

Becky Brouwer: It’s a little more scary than being in an airplane ’cause airplane you’re enclosed and with the hot air balloon you’re kind of up there.

Wendy Johnson: So it might they’re both the same.

Becky Brouwer: Good.

Wendy Johnson: Yeah, that is something that I would like to do.

Becky Brouwer: Well good. Well, thank you so much for being with me today. This has been so good and I’m grateful that we’ve been friends for a long time. This

Wendy Johnson: Well, thank you very much. This was fun.

Becky Brouwer: Thank you for being with us today and we will see you next time.