The power of the mind is often underestimated and overlooked in the reality of our lives. What most people forget or don't realize is that every word we speak, every thought we indulge and every action we take, serve as the precursors to what we invite into our lives. There is no bad luck, good luck, happenstance or otherwise. There are only conscious or unconscious manifestations and creations. This is physics, plain and simple. The Spiritual Laws of the Universe mirror that of the Laws of Physics and if there is one thing to take away, it's that life is a boomerang. What we throw out, we will get back. There is no way around this because it is law and the laws are neutral. They don't care if you're a great person or you volunteer or if you are following your dream or if you are going to prison for a horrible act of violence. The laws simply react to the energy that powers them and we are the creators of that energy. In the great spiritual text The Dhammapada, Buddha reminds us that there is no way to escape the consequence of a negative thought. Our guest today knows all too well how these consequences can manifest in life and we will spend the next two weeks unveiling her story. Maryann Lekas is the kind of girl you just want to be around. She's funny, smart, loyal and loving. She is generous with her love and learning to be generous in the realm of self-love. Her journey is one of high-level athleticism that was steeped in pain and hopelessness. Her body was fit and set to achieve alongside the best of the best but because Maryann could not find a sustainable way to believe in herself she battled every step of the way. Her path eventually led her to an 8-year span of darkness where she led a secret life and moments where her only hope for getting out was to plan her suicide. Today we share part one of our conversation with Maryann, this is a two-week podcast that you do not want to miss. In this first episode, we follow Maryann’s story from her entry to the pool as a child to a competitive Water Polo team leader while earning her degree at Indiana University to Greece where she lived and trained in preparation for the 2004 Olympics. An extreme training regime, paired with extreme dieting left Maryann with a major injury just months before the Olympics followed by a dangerous staph infection mere weeks before her competition. Her coach came to her and presented her only hope for Olympic glory, a decision that was a character-defining moment. In its entirety, Maryann's story teaches us all a lesson on the importance of believing in ourselves and to stop dulling our gifts and achievements. It is a story of self-love and how to find it. Our intention is to honor this incredible woman by sharing her with the YT community in hopes that anyone out there finding similarities in their story will reach out for the help they need. Maryann and her husband Tommy created MindSet Elevated for the very purpose that no athlete has to endure a secret life of doom. We are all here for a purpose and we are all sources of the loving creativity that brought us here. We are so glad you have all showed up this week to share in Maryann's journey, we are so grateful for your support of the show. The YT community has grown into a global tribe of strong, like-minded and open individuals looking, finding and living their purpose. Our guests today are absolutely a part of this tribe and we couldn't feel more honored to share them with you over the next two weeks of the YTP.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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