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Jemma Speg
This is Open Mind. Welcome to a brand new week. Here is your Mantra I trust the chapter I'm closing. I'm Jemma Speg and every Monday you guys know I give you a simple but powerful phrase to consider and bring into your life. A mantra, a philosophy to guide you in the week ahead and hopefully even beyond. In each episode I unpack what our mantra really means, how it has shown up in my life, and how you can bring it into yours with journal prompts and a weekly challenge to help you take everything we talk about and put it into real action at Open Mind. We really value your support, so please make sure to share your thoughts on social media and remember to rate, review and follow Mantra to help others discover the show. For more exclusive content, monthly bonus episodes, early access and ad free listening, join our Open Mind plus community on Apple Podcasts each month. You guys know if you are a member of our Open Mind plus community that I respond to your questions and comments in a bonus episode. So if you want to be included in that episode, make sure to leave a comment below below or you can DM me on Instagram Arantra Open Mind with your dilemmas, thoughts, questions, reviews, anything you want to share. Okay, stick around. We will be right back after this short pause. Did you know that gum disease has been strongly linked to cardiovascular issues like stroke and heart attacks? At Smile Generation, oral health is treated like what it really is, the gateway to your entire body. The mouth is literally the unsung hero of your overall health. When you take care of it, you improve your entire well being. Prevention and early detection often starts with oral exams, which can help diagnose health risks early. Luckily, Smile Generation has you covered. Right now, Smile Generation is offering a $59 new patient special that's a comprehensive exam, cleaning and X rays at a value of $290 for just $59. This offer is for new patients only. It is not valid for tricare or Medicare Advantage and may be covered by insurance, subject to your plan restrictions. To take advantage of this offer, book Your appointment by December 31, 2025 for complete terms and conditions and to book your appointment, just visit SmileGeneration.com mantra that's SmileGeneration.com mantra Get smoother, brighter skin instantly.
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Jemma Speg
Okay, let's get right into it. It is time for this week's Mantra I Trust the chapter I'm this episode is one that I specifically chose for today because I've been feeling very nostalgic as of recently. And the reason this is happening is because I am preparing mentally, physically, emotionally for some pretty major life changes in the next three to six months. I am definitely in the preparation stages of closing a chapter, saying goodbye to a lot of people, places, things, versions of me that I love deeply, but which are kind of not able to travel with me to this next phase of my life. I know we normally get kind of personal in the second half of our episodes, but today I'm going to talk about it at the beginning, straight up top of this episode, because these changes feel so relevant to this mantra that we're talking about today. In fact, they are the reason that I of course chosen to begin. A few big chapters of my life have closed for me recently and I realize, you know, I'm never going to be in that place or that space again. So the first is that I moved out of the first house I've ever lived in alone. And this didn't happen recently, but it has happened in the last year and it happened at a really busy time. It was when my book was coming out. Me and my boyfriend had been doing kind of semi long distance, so it didn't really make sense for us to live together. And then finally like all these circumstances aligned at the perfect time so that we could finally officially have just one place that was both of ours, rather than doing these shifts between each other's houses, like weeks on and weeks off. And it happened right as my book was coming out, as I said. So there was just a lot going on. I was so busy. I was so overwhelmed. The objective was to just move as fast and as quickly as possible and just to get everything out of the house and into the new house with as little delays, with as little stress. And we were able to do that. And I didn't really think anything of it. And you know, I closed the door in that house, in that chapter of living alone and of being solo and kind of just being by myself, a chapter that had been open for a long time. And it wasn't until probably in the last two months where I was like, oh my God, I didn't appreciate how special that really was and how sad I would feel. You know, I have to admit, as beautiful as it is, that me and Tom's relationship is, like, entering this new phase in this new chapter, albeit we have lived together not officially, but unofficially for quite a while. It was very scary. It's scary because you spend all this time thinking about what you want to happen and thinking about the best case scenario and thinking about the future and being like, oh, my gosh, one day we're going to live together, and one day we're going to buy a couch and it's going to be our couch. And one day we're going to get to paint the walls whatever color we want. We can put up wallpaper, cook dinner for each other. And you are so focused on that. And then it happens, and you look back and you're like, wow. I was so focused on that, not realizing that the chapter before this was also really special and beautiful in its own way. You know, living alone was an amazing experience. It was something that I wanted to do since I was a kid. I just feel like I don't think any woman in my family has ever, like, truly lived alone. And I was, like, one of the first ones to really be able to do that. And once the excitement fades, you know, you kind of miss it. That's the first chapter that I feel like I've closed, and I definitely trust that that was the right thing to do. But of course, we're going to talk about how there's mixed emotions in that a little bit later on. The second thing is that, yes, we've just moved into a new place, but we are also about to move overseas. We're about to move to London at the end of the year. And this has been on the cards for a while, and it's only in, like, the last couple of weeks where I've been like, oh, my gosh, this is like, seriously, this is something that we are doing. Like, we have applied for visas. We are getting ready to go. And I think it's just made me so. Made me really focus on the passing of time. It felt like only a couple of weeks ago I was moving to Sydney, and only a couple of months ago was I finally feeling like myself again in this new city. And I only just feel like I've started to get comfortable, and now it's kind of time to move on. It's this weird feeling knowing that you are excited about what's coming, but equally at the same time, you're kind of mourning slightly a Life you really love, but which you've slowly begun to realize you may have outgrown. There's no room in that space and in that timeline left for you to be able to expand. You've kind of done everything you've needed to do. You've seen everything you've needed to see. You've achieved what you are meant to achieve. In this chapter, then you have this choice. You can remain in that place where you feel super comfortable, super happy, super whatever, or you can kind of sacrifice your peace, perhaps for the promise of a new reality and of a new chapter that may expand you. So this is exactly what we're talking about today. The duality and the nuances of closing doors whilst opening new ones. When you are unsure how you feel, are you grateful or are you scared? Are you grieving or are you excited, Are you terrified, or are you at peace? We have to kind of begin, I guess, with this crucial question, which is why do we as humans have such a hard time moving on or closing certain chapters of our lives? One of the biggest reasons, I think we struggle to move on and we struggle to be okay with the fact that a time and a space and a moment in our life has ended, is that our brains are most certainly wired for familiarity. Even if a chapter in our life is no longer serving us, it is still predictable. And predictability feels very safe to our nervous system. Change, on the other hand, triggers uncertainty, which we know our minds often interpret as a potential threat. They interpret this as danger. This is, of course, rooted in evolutionary psychology. For our ancestors, venturing into the unknown could mean danger. So sticking with the familiar was often the safer choice. But in modern life, that same mechanism is what makes us cling to old jobs, cling to unhealthy relationships, cling to versions of ourselves that we've stopped rooting for and that are no longer good for us. We also tend to attach a lot of our identity to certain life chapters. A relationship is not just about the connection you have with the other person. It's about who you felt like when you were with them. A job is not just about a paycheck. It's a reflection of your self worth and of your skills and your ambitions. A house is not just a house. It's a place where you made memories, and it's a place that represents a specific time in your life. Closing a chapter can feel like you are losing a piece of yourself, because we've built narratives around these experiences and they have become a part of how we see ourselves. So when we lose that connection to that part when we break up with the person, when we leave the job, when we move houses, we can feel quite unstable. We can feel like we don't really know where the story is going to go. Another reason moving on is so difficult is the concept of sunk cost fallacy, one of our favorite psychology terms. We feel the need to kind of get our return on the time, the energy, the emotion that we've invested in something, even if it's no longer viable. So, for example, I always think about, you know, the situationship I had, right. I feel like I've talked about this person a few times and, you know, all kindness to him. It wasn't what was right for either of us, but for me, I just felt like I just kept sinking time and energy into a relationship that didn't have commitment because it felt like if I didn't eventually achieve commitment, if I didn't eventually get what I wanted this whole time, it would be such a waste. This is a bit of a sidebar, but I went to Disneyland the other day, and I feel like this analogy works very, very well. We will continue to stand in a line for 45, 55, 60 minutes, you know, when we know we're not going to get anywhere, when we know that we're just sinking time into this. Because the idea of walking away and maybe going into a line that will get you somewhere immediately, or going and doing something else will mean that you've wasted all this time. And that just feels so awful. To admit that maybe you were wrong or to admit that that space in that time and that period in your life was perhaps useless. The answer to this is that it's actually not. It's always going to be worthwhile. But just because you have put time into a certain chapter, just because you have invested psychologically or cognitively or in terms of your identity in a certain chapter, doesn't mean it's not still worth leaving when it's no longer serving you. From a psychological perspective, it's often more harmful to keep investing in something that no longer aligns with who we are becoming than it is to simply leave. Finally, we resist closing chapters because there is grief there. There is grief in saying goodbye to a version of you, who you handcrafted and who you probably loved, because grief is really uncomfortable. Even if we are moving on to something better, that's something I want to say. There is still loss involved. There is a loss of what we once had, a loss of the person we were, a loss of routine, a loss of our dreams. Our culture often likes to rush us during these periods and rush this process and push a narrative of just move on, keep looking forward, one foot in front of the other. But unresolved grief has a way of keeping us tethered to the past. And that's really where the power of nostalgia comes in as well, and what we call the nostalgia trap. Nostalgia is a beautiful emotion. It's one of my favorites because it really does allow us to just re experience the best moments of our life. And it really helps capture a really special moment in a way that we can physically return to it. It's an emotional time machine. Like a song, a smell, a photograph, it can instantly transport us back to a moment that shaped us. Psychologists have also found, you know, nostalgia boosts your mood, it makes you feel connected, it reinforces a sense of continuity in our lives, and it does remind us that our existence is rich with meaning and that in hindsight, there is a path throughout this life, but it can also turn into a trap. This happens when we spend too much time thinking about what we don't have anymore and not enough time on what we're creating. And it happens when we idealize the past so much that it feels a lot more appealing than the future. So instead of acting as a really gentle and kind reminder of what was good, nostalgia can basically become a standard we expect our life to match, not realizing that the memories that we have collected are probably no longer accurate compared to the time when we made them. We have these rose tinted glasses when it comes to the past, we don't remember things so clearly. But when we are comparing our current chapter to the previous chapter, one in which, you know, it already has that positive hue over it, we aren't acknowledging that. And so we feel like we failed, or we feel like this isn't as good. We feel like we made a mistake turning away. But I think we also know when it's time to move on. And I think we know when it's time to trust that this chapter is closing for a reason. And I have just a few signs that this may be the moment for you. This may be what you're experiencing. It's time to close a chapter. No matter the nostalgia, no matter the pain. If you know you are staying out of habit, not out of a genuine desire, you're staying just because this is where you're comfortable, this is where your routine is, because you actually don't have to push yourself. It's time to close a chapter. If thinking about your life right now drains you more than it excites you. You've only got one life. It should be something that you feel just completely luminous and joyous and inspired by. It's time to close a chapter. If you've stopped growing or learning, which is similar to my first point, but also if you're just continuously clinging to how it used to be instead of how it is now. If you're you, staying connected to a chapter is meaning that you are unable to be in the present and you're unable to grasp the reality of your current situation. Also, if you're feeling more anxious than at peace, you know that it's time to do some of that psychological work to close the door. Or if you're making excuses for yourself as to why you're holding onto it. And you know in your heart of hearts that these excuses are just you trying to protect yourself from pain. Finally, and this is the most important sign that it's time for you to move on. It's time for you to trust that what's coming is going to be right for you. It's when the future you that you want to exist is unable to be born unless you let go of the past. Basically, if you have a job opportunity in a new city, but you're clinging so deeply to the current city that you live in and you don't end up making that move that has shown that this future version of you has been prevented from existing because you're clinging on. Or if you're finding that you can't date or you can't meet new people, you can't make new friends or make new relationships because you're constantly comparing them to past situations. That, again, is a sign that future you can't exist if you don't first move on. These are all important signs to listen to, even if they feel scary. Sometimes that fear is a good thing. It shows us that we're invested and that we care and that we can acknowledge the stakes are high and therefore there's something more that we want. Of course, we can't get to that next phase without having a ritual or having a moment with our current chapter to properly say goodbye. We're going to take a short break, but when we return, we're going to talk about those rituals and we're going to talk about why it's so important to symbolize the closing of a chapter. Dr. Before you can open the door to the next one. So stay with us.
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Jemma Speg
Welcome back. Now that we've looked at the meaning behind today's mantra, I trust the chapter I'm closing. I also want to talk about how we can really embody this trust, how we can practice this sense of trust, how we can kind of give ourselves that final push that we need to fully open the next door and say goodbye to the past one. So to get to that point, like I said before, there needs to be some kind of ritual or some kind of signifier that the door is fully and officially closed. This could look like and you know, it doesn't have to be elaborate, but it could look like writing a letter to this chapter or to this past version of you, acknowledging, you know, what it gave you, what it took from you, what you're choosing to take forward. You might revisit a meaningful place one last time, take a photo that symbolizes the end. Or you might create a playlist that captures the emotions of this period of your life so you can revisit it when you need to. But it's not always there and omnipresent. These acts are more than just sentimental gestures, you know, they actually do truly help the brain process transition by giving the ending a tangible marker, something that signals to your brain, to your conscious brain, we are ready to move forward. This part is complete. Let's let go. It can also mean giving yourself space to grieve, like we said before, and to reflect before rushing into whatever comes next. You can't really rush this process. Some things do have to occur before you're Ready for what's next. And part of what has to occur is the detachment from where you are now. So spending a day or two just simply letting yourself feel sad about this, letting yourself feel, maybe even anger, grief, gratitude, any emotion that you want to feel or can feel about this, letting it rise to the surface, that will allow you to move through this easier. Psychologists, they call this emotional integration. It's the process of allowing feelings to be fully experienced so that they can move through us instead of getting stuck. It is an absolutely crucial skill to have in this situation and many others. By consciously, you know, marking the close of a chapter, you create a clean emotional and psychological state, but you also allow yourself to actually, truly honor what was good about it. I see this all the time. The reason people can't close a door, the reason they cannot say goodbye, is because they think doing so negates what was actually really special and valuable about this chapter. We see this as very black and white. In order to move forward, I must forget, I must erase this, or I'm going to be too beholden to my longing and sadness and nostalgia to fully make it in this new life. You can actually hold both these things at the same time. In reality, you know, moving forward doesn't require erasing the beauty, the joy, or the meaning of what you've been through. You are allowed to carry those moments with you and to remember them with fondness and still choose a different path. Humans are very complex emotions. Humans feel multiple. I think the estimate is like, they feel, on average, 12,000 emotions per day, distinct, different combinations and types of feelings. So why is it that when we have big transitions or big moments like the one you might be going through, we stifle ourselves or we convince ourselves that only one emotion gets to define this moment. I have to be completely happy, Otherwise, it's the wrong choice. I have to be completely excited. Otherwise, I'm scared. I have to know 100% in my heart of hearts that this is right for me. Otherwise, there's no point taking that step. The thing is, no one can ever guarantee you that the next chapter is going to be as good. It will just be different, and it will offer you new things. But the thing is, is that then the chapter after that might be even better, and the chapter after that might again flow differently, but will still be there to teach you something. You can't just see it as the before and after. This is a constant evolution. Basically, you just need to find a way, whether it's emotionally or physically, to symbolize that this Is it? And to symbolize that you're ready to move on so that you can feel any single feeling that you want to feel. And from that, I think, comes the capacity to actually be truly excited. You know, something that's interesting that we talk about every now and again on the podcast is the fact that excitement and anxiety often feel very, very, very similar. So if you're feeling anxious about this next chapter, it is possible for you to take that physical sensation and say, that's not anxiety. That's not stress. That's excitement. Things like a quickened heartbeat, your stomach kind of turning, restless energy like heightened alertness. Physiologically, physically, both of these emotional states are activating our sympathetic nervous system, which is why our bodies struggle to tell them apart. And it relies on our brain to interpret the sit situation and say, is this an anxious response or an excited response? You can actually go into that pathway. That's a manual pathway. You can go in there and say, actually, I'm going to choose to say that I am excited. I'm actually going to choose to say that this is not a threat. This is an opportunity. What if my body is just gearing me up for something amazing? What if something great is around the corner? This shift, I think, is especially powerful when closing a chapter. The moment we take a step away from the familiar, our nervous system will react. We know that. And without awareness, we might label that reaction as pure fear, and that might be all it takes to convince us to turn back. But if we remember that excitement, if we remember that good things sometimes come from stressful and hard situations, we can reframe those sensations as a sign that we're really actually invested in what comes next. And perhaps what comes next is going to be even better than before. Also, I think it's probably healthy to just kind of respect that things in life do have to end, that there are life cycles, there is a kind of death in everything. You know, not to get too existential, but it's probably a very beautiful thing and a very healthy thing. To acknowledge that nothing can last forever and to become comfortable with closing chapters. Saying goodbye, seeing death reflected in life while you're alive, maybe also focusing on the alternative of what would happen if you were never allowed to change or never allowed to close a chapter would also be helpful for you. So, basically, I challenge you to think about this hypothetical. Imagine if the chapter you were in was the final chapter, and you were never allowed to tweak anything. You were never allowed to move from where you are now. You were never able to explore new possibilities, new relationships, anything. Wouldn't that be even more terrifying than the idea of saying goodbye? The idea of nothing ever changing, of always being the same? Basically, I think this is like a lesson in be careful what you wish for. We're like, oh, I don't want this to be over. I wish that it could be like this forever. I wish that I could feel this way. It's like, would you actually like that if it happened? Probably not. So that's where that trust in closing the chapter comes from. Trusting that, you know, on a deeply spiritual, psychological, maybe even biological level, that change is actually a good thing. And change is important. You just have to learn how to accept it consciously. So what happens when we maybe face setbacks here because it's all fine and well to be excited about the new chapter, to know it's right to be experiencing a. A wonderful kind of metamorphosis. But what happens when it's like we just run straight into a wall and all we can think of is, if I go back through the door, then I won't have to keep running into this wall, or I won't have to keep experiencing the pain of trying something new. When we face setbacks in a new chapter of our life, there's a kind of particular cognitive dissonance that arises. We've already made peace with the fact that we're not going back. The door behind us is closed, maybe it's even locked. But now the path ahead is so uneven, we think, is this the right choice? This can feel deeply destabilizing because it challenges the story we've told ourselves about how this is going to work and how change is going to feel. We imagine that moving on will bring relief. It will bring progress and clarity. Real life rarely unfolds in such a straight upward line. It's going to be a little bit jagged psychologically. This is where expectation violation comes into play. The gap between what we anticipated and what is actually happening. And within that gap is where doubt, fear, so many other complex emotions will begin to arise. Not because the decision to move forward was the wrong one, but because we kind of stopped trusting ourselves. The temptation, again, naturally, in these moments, is to romanticize the past and. And to in that completely forget the flaws and the reasons that we want change. Maybe you're thinking, I left too soon. Maybe you're thinking this is all a sign that I've made the wrong decision. No, it's not. Setbacks in a new chapter are actually entirely normal. It means we're human. It means we're engaging with something real rather than imagined, which means that we're closer to the things we really want coming true because they're not just in our imagination anymore. Dealing with this reality means really shifting our relationship to progress itself and seeing progress as something that is up and down, up and down, up and down, but gradually more up. Instead of expecting, you know, like a seamless ascent, we have to embrace the idea that setbacks are really part of any mountain, any hill we're climbing. They're part of the architecture of trying new things and of progress. It's important to celebrate it and accept it if we want to truly embrace what's coming for us. Essentially, we need to embrace resilience and we need to continue to have that self. Trust you know that this next chapter is right for you. You and I both know that. We know there is a reason why you felt so uncomfortable in the life you had before you knew it was time to say goodbye. Trust that instinct. Trust that you know, or even if you can't trust yourself, trust that there is something bigger than you that knows that this is right. You don't need to control every outcome. Perhaps there is a path or a destiny that's bigger than you, that's unfolding, that you can't understand until you see where it's taking you. Just find a way to embrace this in a healthy and deeply satisfying way, and then you'll feel less afraid. We've explored quite a lot. We've explored what it means to truly trust the chapter we're closing and to carry its lessons forward. Also how to do that and how to kind of manage the setbacks associated how to manage the anxiety. But after the break, we're going to take all that reflection and turn it into even more tangible action. I'll share some journal prompts in our weekly challenge as well as a little bit more, so stick around after this short break.
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Jemma Speg
Welcome back. This week's mantra is I trust the chapter I'm closing. And we are continuing this conversation with our deep thought of the day. This is from Lao Tzu. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. This quote, it just really encapsulates for me why it is so important that we don't cling so tightly to anything, anything at all, whether it's a version of you, whether it's the past, whether it's your desire for something. I was recently listening to an episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler, actually two episodes, and it's an amazing podcast. Firstly, just giving them a shout out. But she has these very successful friends and she talks about how so many of them, they don't grasp for things. They don't beg, they don't plead for them. They accept that what is meant for them will find them. And they're okay with closing chapters. And because they're so okay with that, more doors open for them than anyone else. Also, sometimes, you know, we don't have the space to do every single thing that we want to do. We don't have the space for 2, 3, 4, 5 versions of you to be alive at the same time. You can't live them all out authentically. So it is a gift to say goodbye and is a gift to your true self to invest in what matters to you right now instead of trying to be everything. You know, when I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. It's this idea that identity, it's a fluid thing. It's always going to be changing what you are is just what you are right now. There is a future you who you don't understand or don't recognize yet, who you just need to trust is waiting for you. Change is the only thing promised in life. You can either fight it or accept it. But when we do again, what I think this quote is saying is that when we do, we are truly rewarded. We are rewarded more than anything else in life. Okay, it's time for our weekly journal practice. You guys know every week I like to just give you some journal prompts just to take this a little bit deeper. Every mantra is going to land differently depending on what you're going through. So there is no right or wrong answer to any of these prompts. Just let your mind go wherever it needs to go with them. Let it take you into the past, into the future, into the present, wherever you need it to. So here we go. We have three journal prompts for today. Also, I say this in every episode. I'm just going to repeat it. I know, I'm sorry. But if journaling isn't your thing, if you don't have your journal nearby, you can also just easily pause and think about these prompts. I actually would really encourage you to do that rather than just letting them float over your head so that you just get the full impact of them. Okay, firstly, looking back, what did you gain from a chapter you once resisted in ending? Secondly, what parts of your current life feel like they're nearing completion, even if you're not ready to close them yet? And finally, what would it look like to approach your future with curiosity and excitement rather than fear? What would you find yourself saying yes to now that you've made that space to reflect? Let's just give our mind a little few more moments just to rest and contemplate or just to relax. In a few seconds, you'll hear some music. I just encourage you to take this opportunity to process this week's reflections in whatever way feels right to you. And if this practice isn't something you connect with, that's totally okay. Feel free to just Skip ahead about 30 seconds. But as you settle in, keep our mantra in mind. I trust the chapter I'm closing and let it bring up for you whatever it needs to. Beautiful. Now that you've had a moment to reset, you've had a moment to ground yourself, it's time to take all that energy to take that buzz, to take that piece and bring it into action with our weekly challenge. I'd love to hear how this challenge goes for you. Any updates? Any dilemmas? Any further questions to do with the challenge? You can just reach out to me at Mantra Open Mind. Send me a dm. Send me a question. I'd love to be able to respond to it in one of our special bonus episodes available exclusively on Open Mind. But for this week, your challenge is going to be to do a closing ritual. You are saying goodbye to something. That's probably why you've listened all the way to the end of this episode. This means something to you. There is a chapter that is closing. So I want you to choose one small action that to you, will symbolize closing this chapter. Maybe it is deleting old files or photos off your computer, donating an item that holds previous sentimental value, writing a letter, making a scrapbook of that time so that you can close it. Whatever it is, find a way to again symbolize this process you're going through. And I think by the end of it, you'll be able to truly be okay with saying goodbye, whilst also being able to still appreciate the parts of that chapter that you honor and that you respect and that you are deeply grateful for. All right, as we wrap up this week's episode, I just want to share a few final thoughts about this mantra. I trust the chapter I'm closing. Every single one of us will be required to close so many chapters in our life, whether we want to or not. You just need to find a way to lean into this so that you can steer the direction of the next chapter that's on foot unfolding. If we cling too tightly to the past, it means that the future is going to rip us away violently in whatever way it wants to. Whereas if we let ourselves flow, we let ourselves be open to what the future might be guiding us towards, we have more of a say. This is an empowering thing. It's an important thing. And I hope this mantra has helped you recognize that and helped you feel a little bit less afraid. When we trust the chapter we're closing, we give ourselves permission to carry forward with what serves us and leave the rest behind. So wherever you are in your storyline, in your narrative, just trust that something better is coming. Trust that you're making the right decisions. Trust that you will be able to handle whatever is in the future for you. Thank you for joining Mantra, an exclusive Open Mind original powered by Pave Studios at Open Mind, we value your support, so share your thoughts on social media and remember to rate, review, share and follow Mantra to help others discover the show. For ad free listening and early access to Mantra with me, Jemma Speg. We invite you to subscribe to Open Mind plus on Apple Podcasts. I'll share another insightful and introspective Mantra with you next Monday. Until then, keep showing up for yourself and your journey. I'm Gemma Spaeg. See you Next week Mantra is hosted by me, Jemma Speg. It is an open mind original powered by Pain Story Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Incredible Mantra team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Stacy Warrenker, Sarah Camp and Paul Lieberskind. Thank you for listening.
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Mantra with Jemma Sbeg
Episode: "I Trust the Chapter I’m Closing"
Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Jemma Sbeg
This episode of Mantra with Jemma Sbeg centers on the mantra: "I trust the chapter I'm closing." Jemma unpacks the emotional complexity of transitions—how to let go of meaningful life phases, honor mix feelings like grief and nostalgia, and trust in what’s to come. She blends personal stories, psychological insights, and practical strategies including journal prompts and a weekly challenge, guiding listeners in consciously and compassionately closing chapters to make space for growth.
Timestamp: 03:21–09:10
"You look back and you're like, wow. I was so focused on that, not realizing that the chapter before this was also really special and beautiful in its own way." (06:07 – Jemma Sbeg)
Timestamp: 09:11–16:35
"A house is not just a house. It's a place where you made memories... represents a specific time in your life. Closing a chapter can feel like you are losing a piece of yourself, because we've built narratives around these experiences and they have become a part of how we see ourselves." (10:41 – Jemma Sbeg)
Timestamp: 16:36–18:10
"Future you can't exist if you don't first move on." (16:58 – Jemma Sbeg)
Timestamp: 19:13–23:45
"By consciously marking the close of a chapter, you create a clean emotional and psychological state... you also allow yourself to actually, truly honor what was good about it." (20:33 – Jemma Sbeg)
Timestamp: 23:46–31:20
"Excitement and anxiety often feel very, very, very similar... You can go in there and say, actually, I'm going to choose to say that I am excited. I'm actually going to choose to say that this is not a threat. This is an opportunity." (23:55 – Jemma Sbeg)
Timestamp: 32:47–39:00
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." (32:53)
On nostalgia and closure:
"Nostalgia is a beautiful emotion... but it can also turn into a trap. This happens when we spend too much time thinking about what we don't have anymore and not enough time on what we're creating." (14:29 – Jemma Sbeg)
On the importance of rituals:
"These acts are more than just sentimental gestures, you know, they actually do truly help the brain process transition by giving the ending a tangible marker, something that signals... we are ready to move forward." (19:40 – Jemma Sbeg)
On living with openness:
"If we cling too tightly to the past, it means that the future is going to rip us away violently... Whereas if we let ourselves flow, we let ourselves be open to what the future might be guiding us towards, we have more of a say." (39:23 – Jemma Sbeg)
Throughout the episode, Jemma brings a warm, introspective, and encouraging tone. She is open about her own vulnerabilities, balances gentle humor with honest reflection, and offers compassionate, actionable advice.
This episode is a thoughtful guide to navigating endings and new beginnings with grace. Jemma validates the complexity of letting go, offers psychological and practical tools for closure, and inspires listeners to trust in life's unfolding chapters. She leaves listeners with the empowering reminder that moving forward doesn’t erase the value of what’s been, and in trusting the process, new possibilities emerge.