MakeYour Smile SHINE

At MountRoyal Dental, your smilematters.Weprovide comfortable, convenientand personalized dentalexperiences that ensurelong-lasting smilesfor youand your family NowAccepting NewPatients

LearnmoreatSmileDuluth.com

Home

Dr. Johnson and her husband, Ben Johnson, an industrial engineer, make their home in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood. They share their home with a Corgi named Flynn, and enjoy cooking and hiking together.

And Johnson’s parents still live here in Duluth, allowing

By Molly Ovenden

The year 2020 left many of us wilted, hanging on until the new year, hoping 2021 would be better in every possible way. Unfortunately, change did not happen overnight.

March 2021 marks one year since the threat of the COVID-19 virus shut down our neck of the woods. What if we reflected back on 2020, in order to look forward? What if we reset and began to live with a renewed, positive mindset and with the eager anticipation of intention instead of the heavy disappointment of expectation? We’ve all been in this time of transition together, but we don’t need to be stuck here forever.

What might happen if we follow Yana’s example and use the crises we’ve experienced in 2020 as impetus for living lives with creativity and inspiration in order to thrive in 2021 and beyond?

Who is Yana?

Yana Stockman, 33, born in Ukraine, is a vibrant, generous and resourceful woman, driven by positivity as she helps clients uncover the essence of their true self, offering help through her coaching business. Having travelled to nearly 30 countries, Yana emigrated and made Duluth her home. She’s continually inspired by the women in the Northland who are “so tough and so creative and so passionate,” and by the arts community that is “mind-blowing.”

Curiosity and a desire to learn filled Yana’s childhood with exploration and philosophical discussions. Her parents supported her relentless pursuit of education and creativity. Cultivating resilience and a desire for continual self-improvement, dance and basketball also allowed her to travel where she grew up.

Yana dreamed of travelling to places she saw in National Geographic, too. There was so much in the world for her to discover, yet she believed it would never be possible to leave Ukraine. Money was always needed for essentials like food, clothing, education and shoes.

During her college years, however, she restlessly pursued the winding road to self-discovery, searching for a place to belong. Studying psychology brought courage and opportunities to travel further afield into Europe and beyond.

Her intrigue grew as she observed cultures, religions and discovered definitions of happiness for the people she visited. Eventually, she concluded that while the food and cultures are different, people all have something deeper in common. All humans desire to have their basic needs of love, belonging and security met. She began to believe that at the core of each person, “no matter where you go, you just bring yourself and your needs.”

When she first came to the U.S., she had an opportunity to participate in a work-study program with the purpose of learning English with an introduction to the culture. During the program, she worked in a restaurant. She said that for her,

“something about fast food, something about traditional Americana was romantic for me.”

“To make those chicken sandwiches” and to watch the same people eat there daily like they’d done for decades intrigued her, she said.

When the opportunity came along to use her psychology degree in America, Stockman felt it was meant to be. Her new employer explained the job was in Duluth.

“Where?” she asked. “Somewhere up north? Let’s do it!”

So, she got packing. What she packed and what she left behind is something we may all learn from in order to thrive, as Stockman has done in Duluth.

Unpack in times of transition — it’s a gift

On the plane, Stockman had an epiphany. Not only had she chosen to leave behind souvenirs from her travels and, though a lover of fashion, extra clothing, she left some of her thoughts, too. In order to succeed on this new up north adventure she would choose to also leave other things behind that had weighed her down, mentally. Psychology aided Stockman’s personal discovery that in times of transition, limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging voices surface.

We take on memories of childhood experiences and “generational differences between our parents, grandparents,” and “we’re packed with those stories for sure. Our backpacks are full of their beliefs that we accept as our own,” she said.

Stockman wondered whether she and others could get free from meaningless clutter, from doubts and fears, in order to thrive and experience a blissful life. So, she unpacked her mind. With renewed freedom, she eagerly listens to other people’s stories, giddy to help them during times of transition and relishes watching them discover what a gift it actually is to unpack their own luggage and thrive.

Thrive in 2021: Yana’s top tips

• Be honest and examine your beliefs: What stories are you telling yourself? Is this your story? Then, in times of crisis or transition, start asking, “What is in this for me?” instead of “What is against me?” And, instead of dismissing worry, ask why you might be experiencing worry.

• Make meaningful connections: Share your process of inner-work with someone you trust. Stockman says it’s essential for women to get together to support each other. Having honest conversations with each other can open up opportunities and help us to get unstuck from past scarcity mindsets.

• You don’t have to do it all — delegate: Since we’re constantly trying to prove ourselves, Stockman urges us to let go of some of the responsibilities that we have. Women “have too much on their plates and they must learn from this pandemic” and ask for help, she said.

• Model for the future generations: Stockman sees “so much magnificence” in every person she’s ever met. “We always have the potential,” she said. “We always have the belief. We were born in (a) magnificent way. We are creatures of, I don’t know, magic.” Have honest conversations with the young people in your life to show them their potential and their magnificence. Engage them in conversation, too, when they feel stressed and overwhelmed.

• Live with intention, instead of expectation: Changing your mindset is essential to thriving. Intentions can positively shape our daily behaviors and habits, which can turn into a future we’d like. Unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment, leading into a cycle of telling ourselves stories of limitation.

Stockman can be reached at LifeCoach@YanaStockman. com or 770-742-6224, or visit YanaStockman.com. D