S1E1 - The One With The Nissan Lady.

Welcome to LifeKit Unplugged by Every1Pilates! In our very first episode, host Paula — Pilates instructor, recovering perfectionist, and your new favorite deep talker — kicks things off with a raw, honest, and surprisingly funny conversation with someone she calls her favorite person in the world. Who is she? Well, you’ll have to wait for the next episode to find out. 😉

This week, we unpack everything from warning labels for our lives, how we bounce back from disappointment, what’s really inside our emotional survival kits (spoiler: a lot of Jesus and good food), and the weird little things that make us feel safe enough to open up.

Stick around for the LifeKit Unplugged Lightning Round — where we confess our last Amazon purchase, the truth about our fridge, and who we’d call if we got a flat tire (hint: maybe Mom).

✨ Quick reminder: This podcast is not therapy — just real people sharing real stories so you feel a little more seen, a little less alone, and maybe even inspired to build your own LifeKit unplugged.

If you laugh, tear up, or think of someone who needs to hear this, share it with them. And come hang out with us again next week — where you’ll finally learn who the “Nissan Lady” really is!

 #Pilates #MentalHealth #Community #Gratitude #LifeKitPodcast #Every1Pilates #Faith #RealTalk #PodcastLaunch 

Transcript

Paula (2): 0:00

hey, friend, and welcome to Life Kit by everyone Pilates, a place where we get real about life, emotions, and the beautiful chaos in between. I'm your host Paula, a Pilates instructor, recovering perfectionist, deep thinker, and someone who just wants to make mental health normal to talk about without it feeling like a therapy session. Each week, I sit down with a guest and we unpack what keeps us going, what takes us out, and what's inside our emotional survival kit. Quick disclaimer. I'm not a licensed mental health professional, and this podcast is not therapy or medical advice. We're just here to share stories, laugh hard, maybe cry a little, and remind you that you're not alone. So grab your coffee, go for that walk or hide in the bathroom from your kids. Let's get into it. My guest today is my favorite person in the world, but to keep our biases out to a minimum and get you curious, I won't tell you who she is on paper. Until the next episode. With that said, hello, beautiful. Thank you for making time for this conversation and is there anything you would like to share before we start?

Julia: 1:22

Hi. No. I am just excited. I'm ready. I am expecting for what God is going to do with this podcast and through you, and I'm just grateful to be a part of it. Let's get into it.

Paula (2): 1:37

So excited. Okay, so here we go. First question, if you're live came with a label or warning sign today, what would it say? Okay.

Julia: 1:51

Okay. My life living as is right now in this stage, in this season, can't give you too many guidelines. Okay. What would it say? You know, you guys, I didn't get the questions before.

Paula (2): 2:11

That's the point though. It's the unexpected. If your life came with a label or a warning sign today, what would it say? If you could see the camera, you would see smoke coming out of her head right now thinking so.

Julia: 2:39

Where they grab like a big screen or a big paper and they start putting like dots together and lines. Connecting to the lines that, exactly.

Paula (2): 2:47

Well just think of you as a bottle, like what would it say if there was a label, like with a warning sign or a description on your back?

Julia: 2:57

The only thing that is coming to the thing is I know I'm gonna be like at the gym later or at work, and I'm gonna think of the perfect answer and I'm gonna say, why didn't I say that?

Paula (2): 3:09

But that's the beauty of life. It is not scripted. Good

Julia: 3:15

things are coming mind right now. The word gratitude, because I'm living a moment right now of so. Many blessings, so much goodness from God. So that's just coming to, to my mind, it's the feeling that I'm, I'm most feeling in the past couple of months, and I'm just constant, like honestly even getting emotional of how grateful I have been these last few months. So I don't know if my bottle would be like.

Paula (2): 3:44

Grateful, gratefulness. Just say grateful. No warning. Any warning, like anything that just, warn people, you know?

Julia: 3:57

Huh? And like living in the present. Enjoying the, is that a warning? Like how to, it's your warning. It can be anything you want. That are coming to mind, just teaching me how God has really been teaching me how to enjoy, enjoy the moment. And not that we're not looking towards the future and planning for it in, in a way we are. And also not forgetting the things that happened in the past, but just he's really given me the, just like the gift of being able to enjoy what I'm living now, you know, not anxious about what's gonna happen or, or worried about the things of the past, but really truly just enjoying the stage, the season, the everything that I'm living right now. So it would be a, a reminder of living in the present, you know?

Paula (2): 4:49

Okay. Second question. What tends to knock you off balance emotionally or mentally? Any usual triggers?

Julia: 5:00

Okay. What tends me to knock me off balance? Not much, I'll be honest., I go with the flow a lot. If something does like upset me, I think I bounce back. Almost immediately. I think something that will knock me off a little bit is like me being so sure of a plan and it not, and it kind of like falling through. Like I'm really excited for maybe a job or for a trip or just for something that I've already been looking forward to and it like falling down. I do get disappointed, you know?

Paula (2): 5:35

Mm-hmm. But

Julia: 5:36

go with it and it is what it is, and.

Paula (2): 5:39

Okay. When you are in a funk or a spiral, what helps you come back to yourself?

Julia: 5:46

Prayer. Spending time with the Lord, talking to him, bringing my feelings to him every single time. And when I don't pray, what helps? What helps me get back into it is nothing. I'll feel that way until I bring it to the Lord.

Paula (2): 6:00

Yeah,

Julia: 6:01

I can't until I talk to him about it.

Paula (2): 6:05

Are you someone who can receive love easily or do you kind of duck when it comes at you?

Julia: 6:12

Yes. I love I love receive it. I, I, I love it. I think I give it so much, and I, and I receive it very well as well. I'm open for it. Come.

Paula (2): 6:25

Let's go there. Have you ever felt stuck in depression or deep sadness? What got you through

Julia: 6:34

By the grace of God? I have not. I cannot say that, that I have, I think I had, um, a difficult Are we going there?

Paula (2): 6:44

We're going there.

Julia: 6:45

Okay. I had a hard breakup at one point in my life and it was a sad moment, but. I don't look back at it with that, with that., Maybe you can answer that as well. You were such a part of it., But I don't think I would give it that, that label. I don't feel like it was, that I feel like it was such a blessing that it happened. Mm-hmm. And I think I got over it pretty, pretty quickly too.

Paula (2): 7:10

What? So what got you through like any tools you could share that will work for you when you are going through that breakup and Jesus feeling that sadness.

Julia: 7:22

Jesus, you community. That's it. Jesus. And community.

Paula (2): 7:29

Good one. What's your emotional go bag? Like your real life tools or healing or surviving tough moments. Huh? My Life kit. Your Life kit. I love that bag.

Julia: 7:47

What is in my bag? I like this version of, do you know the trend of what's in my bag?

Paula (2): 7:52

No.

Julia: 7:53

Celebrities and

7:54

the influencers,,

Paula (2): 7:55

do like I ever know,

7:58

pull out things that are in their bag. This is such a, such a good, what's in my bag?

Julia: 8:01

What's in my bag of my life, kid?. My Bible, the word of God.

Paula (2): 8:06

Mm-hmm.

Julia: 8:07

My friends. You music, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll put that up there.

Paula (2): 8:14

Oh, yeah. Good one.

Julia: 8:15

Change my mood immediately., You could play a sad song right now. Let's weep. Let's, I'll immediately. Music is something that just, it really. My spirit so well, so music is in there for sure. A good book, A nice sunset Being outside. Food. Food. A good meal., Can we pause for a moment for a good

Paula (2): 8:47

food? Oh, that's a good one. Food mind you guys, she is. Perfect. I am so jealous. She can eat the world and still look amazing. She is one of those lucky ones. You too. Okay. What's something people do that makes you feel seen or safe enough to open up?

Julia: 9:14

Wow. That is such, this is my favorite question so far. What is something that people do that makes me feel like open up? This is a really good question for me because I don't open up very easily. Takes me a it's such a weird balance because I'll make a quote unquote a friend immediately. You know me. Like I will talk to anyone at any moment, but to open up takes me,, a long time. So this is a really good question. Listening. And I feel I, I have your ears,, like I have, your attention. I have your, you want to,, I, I don't like the, I don't know. How was your day?, That's a good question,, but I'm just gonna say,, it was good, but when you like, look at me and you're like, but what happened during it? Like, how, what was, did anything make you upset? Did anything like, the genuine desire to get to know me, that makes me feel so safe and remembering things that I told you makes me feel so seen and special. Bringing up things that I like. I don't know if I get in a car. Like the other day this happened, I mentioned like months ago that I liked the song and yesterday I went to dinner and when I got in the car, that song was playing. So like little things, like that make me feel really special. The remembering of things that I've told you. Just there, just your present being present. Being available.

Paula (2): 10:35

I love how you managed to tell this example without giving any hint if this was a date, if this was a friend, if it was a he or she in the car, like that was really slick. Like it just smooth. Tell the story with no details. Yeah.

10:56

You'd be surprised.

Paula (2): 10:57

Okay. Okay, we're gonna leave that one.

11:00

Fine. Fine. Have asked you without you knowing that it was for me.,

Julia: 11:05

I will come up to you like, oh my gosh, do you remember that friend I was talk talking to you about? Can you believe that this guy did whole time? I'm talking about me.

Paula (2): 11:14

Wow. All right, next question. When someone hurts you, do you confront, retreat, or something in between?

Julia: 11:23

Ooh,, ooh. And I'm gonna be so honest right now and vulnerable with you guys that don't owe me. This is not the answer I wanna give you. This is not, I believe, the healthy answer and I know that God is working on this., But I retreat Yeah. And I don't advise it. It is so emotionally. Like immature,, it really is. But I retreat. I don't wanna talk about it. I don't know how to deal with it. I just run away. I don't even wanna talk to you anymore,? And I'm not even mad at you. I just don't wanna deal with that part of my heart, like, why am I disappointed? Ew, I don't like that. I'm not just not disappointed, I'm just never gonna talk to you again. And now I'm good,, hate that terrible thing to do.

Paula (2): 12:02

Sometimes it's the right thing to do, but temporarily, I guess you just take it to another level. But I would say that, yeah, taking a step back definitely can be a good, I, I can see myself doing that sometimes to just regroup,, let the cortisol level come down a little,, just soothe the micro system for a second, just a basic physical reaction of being upset and then come back. To be able to have a conversation. So I don't say anything I regret, which I know doesn't, it, it doesn't work more often than it does, but it's still something that I try to practice.

Julia: 12:42

I know the way you're talking about it though, but the way you do it.'cause I've seen you do it to me Inclusive, yes. Do it is, I do think it's healthy because you. Say what you feel. You say that it disappointed you, that you're angry, that you don't wanna say something, that you regret, that you don't understand what you're feeling, and you're gonna need a second to process you process and come back. That's different than my response. My response is that you might not even know that I'm hurt and I just don't. Don't no God. But I'm not much anymore. God is really, he's really walking me through that. But definitely I'm more of a recruiter.

Paula (2): 13:21

Okay. Next question. We have two more here. What motivates you to keep going, especially on the days when nothing is inspiring?

Julia: 13:31

Ooh. What motivates to keep me to keep going? My obedience. Honestly, I think it's so much easier for us to be disciplined than, what is like, the other one?, It's either it's like disciplined or when you're like, really wanna do motivat. Motivation. Yeah. Motivation. Yeah. I think it's a lot easier for us to be disciplined than motivated every single day. So my discipline keeps me going, my discipline to my ministry, my discipline to my gym, my job. Like I don't go to the gym and to work and to serve every day because I want to, not every day, but I do it because it's just what, it's what I, it's what I signed up for and it's, what I want ultimately is the goal to have, you know something, then you have to. Yeah, so my opinion,

Paula (2): 14:20

yeah. Last question. What can I or someone in your life do to help you get closer to a dream or a goal?

Julia: 14:31

Pray for me. Follow up with me.

Paula (2): 14:38

Keep you accountable,, yeah.

Julia: 14:40

And even, those are things that you could do like emotionally and spiritually for me,? But sometimes we can help,, with like little things too., I know you're doing this podcast if I know there's a mic you really like, invest, invest my time, by praying for you and asking you about it and invest my, my. Yeah, my time and, my finances,, and invest, all parts of me.

Paula (2): 15:03

Your resources?. Yeah.

Julia: 15:05

My resources. Yeah.

Paula (2): 15:06

Good one. Okay., Okay. Now it's time for the life kit, lightning round. Don't overthink, just say the first thing that comes to mind. You cannot think this one, you just have to blur out. Whatever comes to mind. Are you ready? Yeah. Montego, Rachel. Somewhere. Somewhere. All right. First question, what was your last Amazon purchase?

Julia: 15:33

Oh, a present for my pastor because it's her birthday on Saturday

Paula (2): 15:36

this morning. Okay. Okay. Second question. If we opened your fridge right now, what could we actually cook with? What's inside? I would chop. Yeah,

Julia: 15:45

you can make some eggs with some spinach and some peppers. Oh, I'm this lightning round.

Paula (2): 15:53

When was the last time you washed your car? Like for real?

Julia: 15:57

Oh, I just got back from a trip, but my best friend washed it two days ago.

Paula (2): 16:02

Okay., You get away with that one? Yeah,

16:05

now I've been

Julia: 16:06

out.,

Paula (2): 16:06

How long does your toilet paper last in your house?

16:10

Oh, I have zero idea. I don't know how often I change my toilet paper. I hate even begin to, I don't have no idea.

Paula (2): 16:17

And there are two more people in the house, so it's like how do keep track. When you get a flat tire on the side of the road, who do you

Julia: 16:27

call first? I've never gotten it, but if my mom's in town, my mom'cause she'll just figure it out., Or my best friend or. If I have a boyfriend, my boyfriend, you almost

Paula (2): 16:42

gave that one out. Alright. First song on your emotional rescue playlist. Oh my gosh,

Julia: 16:50

who am I that The king.

Paula (2): 16:57

I love that song. I

16:59

love that song.

Paula (2): 17:01

I know that is really good., Your go-to comfort meal when the day sucked.

17:07

13 Alfredo with Fried Parmigiano.

Paula (2): 17:10

Oh, okay. What's something you're oddly proud of that no one really knows?

Julia: 17:19

I'm really proud of my car. No, but people know something that nobody really knows., Oh my gosh. Proud of something that nobody really knows, proud of, something that nobody really knows. I don't know. What car do you drive? No, you guys, it's not a nice car. It's nothing crazy. But my car is anointed. There's something about the presence in my car. My best friend said this the other day. She was borrowing my car and when she picked me, so when she returned my car, she was like, I bled in this car. Worshiping your car is anointed. And it really is. I, there's something, I'm so proud of her. Can you describe her? What can you describe your lady? She's a Nissan Altima. She's a 2014 Nissan Altima, but it's not far. It's just, it's the fact that I, it was my first purchase, as a adult, and she's all just there. And she's paid for, and I worked so hard for it, for that car and she, that car never gave me any trouble. And it really is, you get in my car.

Paula (2): 18:11

See, it went out and you were melting in Florida for three months, but okay.

Julia: 18:17

My, my AC broke one time and for absolutely no reason I didn't replace it for three months. It was

18:23

such a hard time, and I dunno why I procrastinated.

Paula (2): 18:28

Okay., The one before last, weirdest thing that makes you laugh. Uncontrollably. My memes tell the truth.

18:36

Oh, you no. Say this to, and it's in your podcast. I want to respect you as much as I can. You can cut this out if you want to, but No, no, no, no, no.,

Julia: 18:49

Something that makes me laugh uncontrollably, friends will have me cackling for sure.

Paula (2): 18:54

Yeah.

Julia: 18:55

Yeah., People, I, I can't think of a thing that makes me laugh. I can just think of the people that make me laugh the most. My mom, my cousin, my best friend. Those are the things that make me cry.

Paula (2): 19:06

Okay. And last question. If your emotions were a weather forecast, what would it be today?, Sunny Baby. Sunny, like the real one or those, there's only 1% chance of rain and then half an hour later it's like pouring. No,

Julia: 19:25

no, not the sky

Paula (2): 19:26

down.

Julia: 19:27

I think I'm unpredictable. I think I'm sunny. It's sunny. All always sunny all the time. And then,, every now and then we get a little drizzle, but it's like the kind that you go and you have fun with it. Like you, you dance in the rain. Like my drizzle is not stopping anybody. Okay.

Paula (2): 19:40

Okay. Thank you so much for being here, obviously, and being vulnerable and,, playful and just opening this podcast with so much grace and beauty. And here is our. Thank you. Thank you for hanging out with us today. If you felt something laughed, teared up, or just felt less alone, go ahead and share this episode with a friend. You never know who might need to hear what was said today. Follow us, leave us a review, and if you've got. Your own life kid story or want to be a guest sliding to my dms or send me an email. Until next time, remember, you are doing better than you think, and you don't have to figure it all out alone. Anything you wanna say before we close? We can end with a prayer. Oh, go ahead. Pray it out. Pray us out, man. Thank

Julia: 20:37

you Lord for this podcast. Thank you, Lord for this morning for. Putting this desire in her heart, God, thank you for her. Yes, for her obedience. We just pray that this will touch someone's heart, God, that it will awaken something in them, that it will have someone touching a part of their hearts that maybe they haven't confronted yet. God. Let this podcast just bloom for your glory. Let it bring peace. Let it bring joy. Let it make someone laugh. Let it make someone cry. Do as you wish with this podcast, Lord, we give it in your hands. We trust you with it. We're expecting. Of what you're gonna do with it, God, and we're just excited to be a part of it. We're excited to be a part of what you are doing in our lives. God, thank you so much for this hour of wonderful conversation. We thank you. We love you so much. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.

Paula (2): 21:33

Disclaimer, this podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purpose only. Do opinions and personal stories shared are not a substitute for professional therapy, diagnosis or treatment. Paula, me, am not a licensed mental health professional. If you're struggling, please reach out to a qualified provider or mental health resources near you. We love you and I will see you at the next episode where I tell you who the Nissan lady is. Bye.