Are you prepared to untap your fullest potential in your mid-life? The second half of your life is exciting and means being intentional with how you choose to live it. It means living abundantly and with purpose just like how God intended it from the beginning. 

show notes:

In this episode, we have Francine Rivera, the founder of francinerivera.com and the host of the Life Untapped podcast. She is also a life coach for midlife women helping them navigate the challenges that come with their second half of life. She describes how her own mid-life journey quickly transformed when she realized all the power she held in that particular season of her life. 

Listen in to learn the six pillars you need to incorporate into your everyday habits to start living your life untapped.  

“It sounds so cliché, but you really do need to put on the oxygen mask first on yourself before you can help others.” ~Francine Rivera

What you will learn:

• Get to know Francine – the family caretaker, lover of nature, and life coach. 
• How Francine’s love for helping women with their health has evolved from a group instructor to a life coach. 
• How her own experience drives her passion for empowering mid-life women to prioritize themselves.
• The six pillars to living your life untapped; 
  1. Define your identity as your creator defines it.
  2. Establish your vision in all areas of your life.
  3. Prioritize self-care before taking care of others.
  4. Prioritize health and wellness by treating yourself like royalty.
  5. Have time management and home systems.
  6. Change your money mindset and start thinking about multiple streams of income.

• How to get the self-guided or coaching course program that Francine offers to help you untap your life. 
• How to recognize and work through your limiting beliefs to live out your potential. 
• Learn to honor the seasons of your life with grace and progress. 
• The steps to take to make yourself better than you were yesterday. 
• How to reduce your stress by praying and treating yourself better mentally and physically. 

Relevant Links: 

• Website: https://www.francinerivera.com/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamfrancinerivera/ 
• Free course: http://Theguiltfreebalancedlife.com

Detailed Transcript:

Speaker 1:

Hey, beloved Welcome back to the show. Today, I am talking to one of my sweet friends, Francine Rivera. She is a lifestyle consultant, successful entrepreneur, author, certified health and wellness coach, and award-winning salesperson. Her passion lies in helping women envision change and embrace their unadulterated true self. She was tired of seeing other moms put themselves last and wake up a few years later, not knowing what direction to go in to reclaim their dreams and prepare for their future. She provides new direction for women in midlife, seeking clarity in their lives from self-care, organization, and time management hacks to health and financial wellness. Francine walks the walk as she manages her unique multi-generational lifestyle with her husband, caregiver for her elderly father as well as her young granddaughter whom she homeschools.

First, before we dig into all of that though, I just want to thank you for listening and sharing out the podcast to help us grow. It means so much to me, it means the world to me that you are listening and finding value. And this is my business you guys, this is how I serve you, this is how I help you grow, helping you have breakthrough helping you be healthy and whole to be the mom you were created to be and to show up as your best self, the best version of you. Your kids need you to be healthy and whole your inheritance is wholeness and to prosper and health just as your soul prospers is to leave a legacy of wholeness for your kids.

So today, I have a small ask if you’ve been a fan of the show, listen to three or more episodes, if you could please just take a few minutes to head to iTunes or wherever you listen to rate the show and leave a review and just share this message with someone that would just mean the world to me. That is the best way you can thank me in the podcasting world, that is how the show grows. It’s how we get visibility, it’s how other people can see and what learn what to expect from listening to the show. So we would love you to do that. I appreciate you with all my heart. Thank you for listening. And if you screenshot your review or this episode and add it to your stories and take me @HeidiBramm in your Facebook stories, I will enter you in the giveaway that I do at the end of every month.

So number one, go write the show, go to iTunes rate cover below to five stars, and then click to leave a written review. Be sure you screenshot that before you submit it otherwise you won’t be able to view it. Number two, subscribe to the podcast while you’re there. And number three, share your screenshot in your stories and be sure to tag me @HeidiBramm, this is how I will see and save your entry. You can enter multiple times per month if you’ve already left a review share a screenshot of a recently listened to episode and why you loved it. You’ll also get a bonus entry by joining the Facebook group. Just search cover beloved on Facebook and you will find us there are so many chances to win.

Also, I want to make sure you know that I am now booking inner heart-healing sessions. I have two packages that offer discounted bundle pricing. One is a shorter breakthrough bundle if you’re feeling stuck and just need a few weekly sessions, or I have a deep dive bundle if you need more. So message me at support@coverbeloved.com, for exclusive pricing for podcast listeners only.

Here’s a review from Shannon, “Inner healing is about healing our deepest wounds in a gentle way with God’s help. It’s about bringing the Holy Spirit and Jesus into our healing process. So while we address very deep personal hurts, it was gentle and powerful and soothing. My favorite part was connecting with my happy moment at my wedding because it brought me back to the place of connection and joy.”

You can actually listen to Shannon’s entire live prophetic heart healing session on episode number 42 in the podcast. I just love these sessions. It’s actually when I see God the most working through me and with other people. Inner heart-healing sessions give you tools to usher in healing into your life so you can experience breakthrough freedom and healing like never before. So you can learn to hear God’s voice for yourself so you can break free from addictions, past pain, trauma, and limiting beliefs and step into the fullness of what God has for you. It’s amazing! Alright beloved, let’s dig in. 

Speaker 1:

Yay! So here we go. I love having my sister-friends on the show because God works in incredible ways and crossing our paths at just the right moment. Francine and I met just this year through our podcasting community, we have the same incredible podcast coach. And Francine is the founder of francinerivera.com and host of the Life Untapped podcast where she passionately shares practical tips and tools to help them in life start their chapter two with clarity so they can feel empowered to thrive in their life and in their work. She has taken over 30 years of setbacks, failures, life lessons, and successes and made it her mission to help others realize their true potential, have financial freedom, be the best version of themselves, identify their true self and give themselves permission to put themselves first. I knew I just had to have her on the show to share her story, her encouragement, and purpose and dreams for all moms, how she’s been able to navigate disappointments and fears, and just how she felt. So welcome, Francine.

Speaker 2:

Thank you. Thank you, Heidi, great to be here. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

Yes, absolutely. So tell us if you don’t mind just a little bit about you. What are your hobbies and how you like to spend your free time?

Speaker 2:

Sure. Well, I am a mother to four grown children and three bonus grown children, nine grandchildren, one of whom were raising, plus I live with and take care of my 87-year-old father, he’ll be 87 tomorrow. So, when you ask about free time, and also a married when you ask about what I like to do in my free time, I’m like, huh, I care for two humans 80 years apart. There’s not much of that. But um, I just love spending time with my family, and reading and going to the beach, and spending time outdoors. So, yeah. That’s. 

Speaker 1:

You live in such a beautiful area. Where are you from? 

Speaker 2:

Well, I live now in Melbourne, Florida, which is the Central East Coast, the Space Coast where the Kennedy Space Center is. But I’m originally from New York, born and raised there. Spent many years in New Jersey. Then we were in Charleston, South Carolina, which I absolutely adore for 10 years before we moved here. And apparently you just never lose, lose the New York accent. So I’m told.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.  Yes, I can definitely, definitely hear that. Awesome. Well, tell us what you do for a living. I shared a little bit about that. But just tell us a little bit more about that. Your journey to getting to where you are today.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I am a life coach for midlife women, helping them navigate the challenges that come with their second half of life after putting everybody else first pretty much and putting themselves their dreams, their vision, their health sometimes on the backburner. How I got to this point, I was a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, I owned my own fitness studio. So I taught 26 fitness classes a week it was crazy. I just it’s just kind of evolved since then, since then. I’ve been obsessed with helping women with their health, and I guess I’ve aged and encountered obstacles that I’ve overcome. It’s just been my mission now to help others overcome those obstacles, hopefully, a little bit better than I did. So that’s, that’s how I’m here it just kind of more often. But I love coaching women, and it just it became more than just fitness and health. It was just like all the things because mindset is key to everything. So..

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I resonate with all of that. And I started listening to your podcasts as soon as I realized I was midlife. You know, it’s funny, like as you get older, and I’m like, okay, I’m 40 now, but it never registered in my mind. Midlife! Oh my goodness! And so, at being a homeschooling mom running a business, managing the house, like doing all the things, right? I totally relate to putting yourself last, and it can creep up on you like before, you know what, you’re 40, right?

Speaker 2: 

Yeah, yeah. And you keep saying, Oh, I’ll get to it tomorrow or I’ll do that for myself tomorrow, and tomorrow doesn’t really never comes. And then for me, I woke up it was like a few years later, and I was like oh my gosh, I’ve let myself go. Like, how can I do that? And there’s all this shame and guilt and then you’re like, Alright, wait, no. Let’s not have to go down the shame and guilt path like it’s okay to you know, feel a little guilty for a little bit but, then don’t unpack and live there. Pull up up girl pants, and just get back on track.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, I would imagine there’s a lot of unlearning that needs to be done throughout that process. So would you mind telling us how you got started with this concept of living a life on tapped and what that has been like for you?

Speaker 2:

Um, I think I touched on this but I was, I was just tired of seeing other moms put themselves last wake up a few years later, not knowing what to do. To go into how to even reclaim their life or prepare for their future, they don’t even remember what their dreams, and visions were from, say their early 20s. You know, it was, it’s been so long, so they’re usually seeking direction like, which way do I go? And then they’re asking, is it too late? You know, society puts this big, I guess emphasis or glamorizes youth. So a lot of us when we enter our midlife 40’s, 50’s, and beyond, were thinking, gosh, we’re done, we have nothing left to contribute. And that’s not true at all. So I really want to get that message across to women, like you’re not done like you have so much wisdom, you have so much to offer.

And sure you might have put yourself on the backburner for all those years. But you can get back on track, and still take care of your family, and your spouse in your house and but putting the self-care back up on that list and putting your dreams back into focus. So I mean, for me, it was a long journey, trying to I guess, nap, like I said, navigate all that and realize that I’ve let myself go all these years. Even in the fitness industry, I was like, how could it, how did I gain weight, being in the fitness industry, like I know better. So there was a whole bunch of shame and guilt. But I think it puts me in a better position now to understand everybody else, what they’re going through. And I understand the stress of daily life and trying to keep it all together. So I really try and bring that message across to my clients that it’s okay to practice daily self-care, so it’s okay to put yourself at the top of the list and to not burn out as I almost did.

Speaker 1:

So good. I just had that come to me as you’re speaking, and I had to go through that in order to better relate. And so I could probably even mean, be more compassionate and understand what someone is going through. And I just thought of Jesus, you know? He had to go through betrayal, a friend, a close friend, you know, in order to know what it was like to feel and to understand it. And we come from when we experienced that, and we have that pain from betrayal from those closest to us. Or, you know, he got judged for something that shouldn’t do. And so, he got punished for something that he didn’t do. And, you know, it just I don’t know, I want to share that that came to my mind as you’re speaking like, sometimes we’re so like, Why me? Why am I going through this? Why this pain is we all it is all for our good because, whatever path you’re on, right, that’s gonna come up, and that’s gonna help us serve others and ourselves better later down the road.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. When you flip your thinking about it, instead of saying life happens to you, life happens for you. And there’s always a reason why you’re going through things. And for me, it’s because, now I can help other women navigate those, those obstacles, and stresses and things that may come up.

Speaker  1: 

Definitely. Well, can you share a little bit about how you take women through the process of living a life untapped?

Speaker 2: 

Yeah, absolutely. I believe there are six main phases or pillars to living your life on top. And it’s a multi-pronged effect, boost, it involves boosting your confidence while learning to recognize limiting beliefs, and we all have that stinking thinking in our head. So I teach them to replace those beliefs with new empowering ones. We get really clear on your identity, who God says you are not what society says, or some random friend from high school said something to you, maybe 30 years ago that you’re still thinking about. We’re not some, you know, keyboard warriors on social media, what they say about you, like we really, we got to get back to your roots, who our creator says you are that your identity. And we go really deep here, because it’s probably been a year since somebody really thought of themselves in that sort of way, and it’s foundational work that can’t be skipped.

And it’s usually the most emotional pillar, and then after we get their identity established, we work on creating their vision for all areas of their life. From relationships to finances, to how they want to feel on just on the daily. Here’s where we get permission to dream again, with no judgment from others. And if we don’t have a vision for all areas of our life, were just like a ship, bouncing on the waves going wherever the wind leads us instead of us knowing where we’re going. So and that’s true for like all zones, like from relationships to how we parent to romance with our significant other, we need a vision for how we want our environment and surroundings to look like to feel like our purpose for work and career spirituality. So we just we established the vision and then um, oh, very important to we establish a vision from money, because I find that finances is a huge stress for a lot of us, and do we have debt and most people aren’t usually talking about vision for money.

So we, the greatest leadership book of all time says where there is no vision the people perish. So that’s why we have a vision, even for the money aspect. The third pillar is self-care. Now, if you don’t want to burn out, you know, with all the things like I almost did, you really need to put yourself first and it sounds so cliche, but you really do need to put on the oxygen mask first on yourself before you can help others. And one of my favorite lines is don’t burn out, keeping others warm. And that’s what us females do. We, we totally burnt out doing all the things for everybody else, and then our health suffers, your family is going to notice and respond differently to you when you set your own boundaries, and abide by them. And then ultimately, you’re not only going to have the energy to do more things, you’re going to be happier. And you’re going to set an example, say if you still have children or grandchildren in the home. You’re, you’re giving a good example to them on how you need to take care of yourself.

Because, if we’re constantly burning out and doing all the things, what are we teaching our daughters? They’re looking at us going, oh, that’s what a good mom does. So we set the tone on how for others to treat us, just via this one habit. We charge our phones daily, so we can definitely do something for ourselves daily to recharge. The next pillar is health and wellness, and this goes back to your identity. When you’re clear on who you are and who you’re meant to be, you’re going to treat yourself like royalty. How would you treat the Queen of England if she came over for? I don’t know, it’s crazy analogy. But the Queen of England comes over and they’re going to stay by your house Heidi, she, Queen Elizabeth wakes up in the morning, are you going to slide her a bowl of frosted flakes and then and say, hey, goal is you’re probably gonna like, put out your best practice. So that’s how we should treat ourselves. We’re royalty, why are we not fueling ourselves with the best nutrition, why are we not taking care of ourselves in the best way possible. So again, that’s why ties into our identity. So many people have illnesses, and we’re dealing with just so much stress that affects our sleep, it causes depression, anxiety, and it just ultimately robs us of having a fulfilled purposeful life. So, I really focus and like I said, in the beginning, my background is health and fitness. So I’m totally obsessed with this pillar.

And then we go into time management and home systems, because I’m a total nerd, and I’m a geek, and my systems have systems. And lack of time is the most common excuse I have heard for decades, for decades. So I share my best secrets for running home smoothly to fit in more of the important stuff besides the urgent. So you’re not just running around all day putting out fires, I just have a system for the, it’s not the sexiest of subjects at all. But it’s going to give you the illusion of having more time in your day. So we can’t really control time, like I say time management, we can only control ourselves. So it’s the systems that you have in place to reduce decision fatigue, because that yes, that’s a true thing. And to just help you do the mundane and the unsexy stuff a little bit more efficiently.

And then the last pillar is money mindset, now like I said before, financial matters are usually a huge stressor for most families, most families. And I don’t think we can reduce stress without this component of finances. We talk all the things here from scarcity mindset versus abundance mindset, to operating from a place of lack instead of abundance, to why you should probably pay off debt and not be like 90% of society, who believes if you can afford it, why not? And not now, that was me a few years ago, my husband and I, we had no consumer debt, like on the credit card. But we had the house loan, we had the boat loan, we have the cars, and we were able to afford it all. So we thought there was nothing bad to it. I mean, this is what Americans do. We borrow money, and we have these bills, and we just pay it. So again, I didn’t think differently until I heard this one statement, I totally rocked my world. It’s not how much you make, it’s how much you keep. And I was like, oh, because I thought the more you make, the more you were able to keep it, you know, I totally transformed my way of thinking.

So I helped my clients go through the whole money mind shut sets, and we talk about multi-heavy, multiple streams of income, why you shouldn’t have all your eggs in one basket, and how to reduce that risk. And I think 2020, really drove home that point even more. I mean, who would have even thought that waitresses or hairstylists, or any brick and mortar owner would be out of work for a while. So we need options and I try and teach my clients like money is a seed, you either eat it, or you plant it. So, to recap, its six pillars identity vision, self-care, health, and wellness organization, and money mindset. And that’s my blueprint for you helping a woman establish their best life to go forward, living a life on top..

Speaker 1:

That’s so good. I love it. And it’s I mean, it’s so easy to get to midlife almost, you know, being in survival mode for your first half, right? And then suddenly, you’re like, what, I don’t even know how to do any of this stuff. I just need a complete midlife reset almost right. So you touched on every area, which is so crucial. And just going back to when you said if the Queen of England comes over, right, I was just thinking like, yeah, you went under a leftover plate of your kids toddler scraps? Would you?

Speaker 2: 

No. 

Speaker 1: 

You definitely wouldn’t. I love that and they don’t burn out keeping others warm, yes, yes. Yes, and I’m having boundaries of you know, what, how, how you expect your family even to treat you. You know, we’re going through that right now even where are older too. So we have an almost 8-year-old, and a 16-year-old and as their life has gotten busier and more full, there are chores and stuff has have slacked off at home. And we, have had to pick up that slack. Right? 

Speaker 2:
Like, not..

Speaker 1:
Here, their lives are very full between work, and sports in school. It’s like, wait a minute, how did this happen? Right? So we had to go back to the basics of like, you know, no matter how full your life is, you still have these responsibilities. And we were allowing certain things to give him grace in the season. But also, I feel like they kind of took advantage of that too. So I had to come up and be like, No, these are boundaries and so if you don’t adhere to that, right, you’re gonna have those consequences. But yeah, definitely, like some, this is something that would serve a lot of people. So how long is your process, your program?

Speaker 2:

They, I have two options, they can go do the course by themselves self-study, self-guided, do it at your own pace, it’s all online. Or they can get the coaching package with me, it’s called on tap your Divine Self. And they not only get the course, but they get six, one on one calls with me. So two a month for three months. And we’re going to personalize the blueprint for your specific situations. So it’s kind of like, not that there are shortcuts in life, but it’s more the fast track like, look, I’m serious, let’s get it done. I don’t want to fool around and try and mess and do this with myself. So you invest in me to keep you accountable, right, and coach you along. So those would be the two most popular options for working with me. 

Speaker 1: 

Yeah. Awesome. Cool. Thank you for sharing that. I would just love to ask you what you would say to other women who have fears about living a life untapped, and need help uncover overcoming excuse me that fear. And stepping outside? Imagine there’s a lot of like conditional things going on, like subconsciously, this is the way I’ve always done it. You know? So how do you address that with your clients?

Speaker 2: 

So many, so many things. Fear is a liar. Stop your stinking thinking, because right there that’s thinking, thinking it’s limiting beliefs, it’s believing the inner voice in your head and just believing you’re not good enough, or you can’t do it or that’s not for you. You’re not smart enough, and that’s all limiting beliefs. So those are all blocks, that it’s preventing you from living your best life. So that’s where the coach comes in to help you recognize that and work through it. Like my biggest fear would be standing before our Creator one day, and him not asking me why I gave you all these gifts, why didn’t you live up to your potential? So you have to think that like, am I my living up to my potential? Or am I playing it small? You know, you need to get uncomfortable to achieve whatever you want to achieve. It’s not easy but yeah, it’s a decision. It’s a definite decision to just do it. And it’s going to be uncomfortable in the beginning, but it is so going to be worth it on the other side. 

Speaker 1:

Yeah. What advice would you give to women who are struggling with operating in that almost like conditioned self, right? Have I need to do at all, you know, and they’re kind of stuck in the I don’t wanna say mundane, but like they’re stuck in that old track, and they’re having a hard time breaking through that?

Speaker 2:

Well, it’s not that you have to do it all. There are seasons in life where we’re gonna have to put things on the backburner, especially like when your kids are young. But as your kids get older, when we’re talking midlife and your kids are getting older, now you can maybe do more things. So there are definitely seasons. I don’t think you can do it all, all the time. But I would just tell the person to do the best they can but have grace. You need to have grace. You can’t go, you know the opposite of the person who’s too fearful to do anything. You can’t go to the other extreme, try and do it all and then burn out. I try to do it all at once. And they say, oh, I tried to get it. No, you need to have grace for yourself and baby steps. It’s progress, not perfection.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, progress over perfection. I love it! All right, well, would you mind sharing some areas of your life, or maybe lives of the women you’ve coached, like things that you’ve seen? Where there’s been a disappointment, with plans for their future? 

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

What practical tips do you have to help them make the best of things if they’re not where they want to be? And they’ve maybe experienced some plans with planning that disappointment with planning for their future? What can you share about that?

Speaker 2:

Start small, I would say the first and most important thing is to just pray and give it to God. Like, totally pray, getting the word, work on your identity, because that’s the foundation once you know who you are, and you have that self-love, then for yourself, you then automatically treat yourself better. And then, you’re going to set better boundaries. So you can take it step by step, give it to God, find out your identity, set better boundaries, and then just do a little thing every day to reduce or manage stress better, improve your health, maybe you focus on just upping your water intake, or eating more fruits and vegetables or something to improve yourself to be a little bit better than you were yesterday. So you can, you can baby step it in for sure. Like I said, so I’m not sure if that answered your question.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no, so good. Because oftentimes, we want to, you know, bite everything off at once, right? And we take, we take on more than we can handle. And then we get overwhelmed, and we do nothing. And we stay stuck. So I love that. It’s something we need to hear over and over again, just start small. What can you do today?

Speaker 2: 

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 

Right now. Yeah. So in this season, and with the temperature of the times, we’re currently and we all have so much coming at us whether you’re a male, female, young, old, it’s like crazy times right now. So what can you say to encourage the ladies listening to this podcast today that are going through a disappointment in this and in trying to make a shift midlife right now? During these times? 

Speaker 2:

Oh, my gosh, these times are nuts. Oh, redo. Honestly, the biggest thing is getting the word pray, and manage your stress, reduce your stress, because stress is going to lower your immune system. Stress is going to affect every area of your life. So I think that’s a big one right after you give it to God and just stay in his word is managing your stress better. Honestly, that’s the biggest thing because it’s crazy. It’s crazy out there. I know. We’re on the same page. So we, I know you agree it’s crazy out there. 

Speaker 1:
Yeah. 

Speaker 2: 

And back into self-care. It’s just its self-care. It’s treating yourself better to stay well, not just physically, but mentally you need to be mentally strong these days. Because this, if it’s not the virus, you can be beaten down mentally.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, definitely. And if you’re coming and operating in that state of anxiousness, or fear or overwhelm, that’s going to kind of hijack your emotional center of your brain and you’re not going to be responding, right? Practically, you know, you’re gonna be just reacting to what’s coming at you. So, awesome. Well, if people want to connect with you, Francine, where can they find you? 

Speaker 2:

Yeah, francinerivera.com, I’m on Facebook and Instagram, and I have a three-day free video course. If your listeners want, they can go to theguiltfreebalancedlife.com, and they’ll get me in their inbox every day for three days and listen to my free videos on all the things.

Speaker 1: 

Awesome, thank you. I will put that link in the show notes. What if I could just close out the session if you don’t mind sharing? We’re almost to the end of 2021. But what’s next for you in either 2021 or 2022? What have you got planned? 

Speaker 2:

Oh, my gosh, just to help more people. I’m just obsessed with helping other women to navigate. Like I said, the second half of life living up to their purpose, the way God intended them to live to live abundantly. Yeah, so if I can just help more women do this, and see the potential that they already have inside of them, but it’s been buried so long. That is my vision.

Speaker 1:

I love it. Well, thank you so much, Francine, for joining us today. I just pray that the bright people come into your path that define connections as you help women in midlife that they are just lit on fire in rediscovering their purpose, and their vision and renewing their mindset and that all the gifts and blessings God has for you just comes your way with ease and joy in abundance. And so thank you again for coming on the show today.

Speaker 2:

Oh, you’re welcome.

Hey beloved real quick before you go, if you found value in today’s podcast and you learn something new, head over to iTunes for Covered Beloved, and leave a five-star review, hit subscribe while you’re there. And of course, if you have friends who would benefit from today’s episode, be sure to share. Until next time, remember God’s got you covered.