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On this episode of the Living an Intentional Life Podcast, I sit down with Crissy Medina of Medina Fine Pearls for a heartfelt conversation about transforming shame into strength, wisdom, and beauty. Together, we explore how the experiences that weigh us down can also become the source of our most profound growth — when approached with intentionality, self-compassion, and reflection.

We dive into:

• How shame can influence our patterns and decisions without controlling our lives
• Practices for turning difficult emotions into intentional growth and self-awareness
• The power of acknowledging your past while intentionally designing a life rooted in alignment, self-love, and purpose

This episode is for anyone ready to release the weight of shame, embrace their authentic story, and cultivate a life of clarity, intention, and empowered beauty.

About Crissy :

I’m Crissy Medina—teacher, traveler, sound therapist, proud mother, and founder of Medina Fine Pearls. My love for pearls began while living by the ocean on Boracay Island, where I became fascinated with how these living organisms transform a tiny irritant into something luminous, imperfect, and uniquely valuable. That same philosophy guides both my life and my brand: just as a pearl forms layer by delicate layer, our challenges and experiences shape us into who we are—resilient, radiant, and truly one of a kind.

Connect with Crissy :

• Website
• Instagram

More from the Podcast :

• Sign up for JANUARY 2026 WORKSHOPS
• PURCHASE YOUR "Fall in love with yourself + your life : 2026 Planner!"
• FREE DOWNLOADABLE GUIDE - Creating a Heart-Centered Foundation
• Follow on INSTAGRAM
• Work 1:1 with Ashley : Book an Intentional Living Connection Call

Music by :

• Tristen Whaley / @t_whales / tristenwhaley@me.com / Spotify

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In today’s episode, I’m sharing a deeply personal story — my story — and the thread that has carried me through every chapter of my life: intentional living.

From studying Africana Studies in college…
to leaving a stable career at PBS to teach English in Tanzania…
to meeting my husband, navigating 3.5 years of long-distance, building a life across continents, and eventually rooting in the mountains…
to starting and expanding my business into photography, coaching, podcasting, retreats, writing, and creating tools for intentional living…

Every shift, every leap, every “yes” came from listening to the quiet voice within — the one that whispers:
Go here. Do this. Trust this.

And that’s the heart of today’s conversation.
Because intentional living isn’t about perfection — it’s about presence, courage, alignment, and trusting the wisdom that rises from within.

In this episode, we dive into:

✨ The Practice:
How intentional living shows up in the small, sacred moments — morning cacao, opening your planner with purpose, setting an intention before the day begins, and creating margin for stillness and gratitude.

✨ The Becoming:
How intentionality has carried me through profound growth, trauma, healing, and reinvention — and how doing “the work” helped me build a life aligned with my values and truth.

✨ The Expansion:
The five biggest benefits of intentional living, especially for the multi-passionate, multi-faceted soul:

1. It reconnects you to your truth.
   You stop reacting and start responding from your center. You hear what’s aligned and what’s not. You choose peace over pressure.
2. It anchors you through change.
   When life shifts — and it will — intentionality keeps you rooted in who you are and what matters most.
3. It brings purpose into the ordinary.
   Magic lives in the small rituals: your breath, your morning cup, your planner pages, your presence.
4. It builds unshakable self-trust.
   Each intuitive decision strengthens your connection to yourself and to the Divine. Alignment, ease, and miracles begin to flow.
5. It allows your multidimensionality to thrive.
   You get to be all of it — creative, spiritual, strategic, relational — without losing yourself. Intentionality holds it all together.

As we close, I invite you to reflect on one question:
What would shift if you created just a little more space to hear that inner voice — and trusted it?

Because that voice has never led me wrong.
And I believe it won’t lead you wrong either.

Here’s to slowing down, tuning in, and choosing to live with intention — today and always. 🌿✨

More from the Podcast :

• PURCHASE YOUR "Fall in love with yourself + your life : 2026 Planner!"
• FREE DOWNLOADABLE GUIDE - Creating a Heart-Centered Foundation
• Follow on INSTAGRAM
• Work 1:1 with Ashley : Book an Intentional Living Connection Call

Music by :

• Tristen Whaley / @t_whales / tristenwhaley@me.com / Spotify

Send us a text

To every single soul who has crossed paths with my work this year… thank you.

✨To my coaching clients—both 1:1 and inside The Collective—thank you for trusting me with your hearts, your growth, your expansion, and the parts of yourself you’re still learning to love. Holding space for your evolutions is one of the greatest honors of my life.

🌱 To those who have sat with me in workshops, gatherings, and cacao ceremonies—thank you for your presence, your openness, your willingness to peel back the layers and meet yourselves more deeply.

🎧 To every listener of the Living an Intentional Life Podcast—thank you for tuning in, for sharing, for letting my voice accompany you through your days. Your energy, your messages, your reflections fuel this mission in ways I can hardly put into words.

📸 To my photography clients—thank you for inviting me into your most sacred, fleeting, extraordinary moments. Documenting your love, your families, your milestones fills me with so much gratitude and awe.

📝And to everyone who has purchased the Fall in Love With Yourself + Your Life: 2026 Planner—thank you for believing in this creation, in intentional living, and in your own transformation. Knowing these pages will hold your dreams, your reflections, and your daily life is an indescribable honor.

Every one of you—whether we’ve worked together deeply or you’ve simply found a piece of inspiration in my world—has helped shape this season of my life and business in the most meaningful ways.

I am humbled.
I am grateful.
And I am endlessly inspired by you.

Here’s to the magic we’ve created together…
and to everything still unfolding. 🤍✨

With so much love,
Ashley

More from the Podcast :

• PURCHASE YOUR "Fall in love with yourself + your life : 2026 Planner!"
• FREE DOWNLOADABLE GUIDE - Creating a Heart-Centered Foundation
• Follow on INSTAGRAM
• Work 1:1 with Ashley : Book an Intentional Living Connection Call

Music by :

• Tristen Whaley / @t_whales / tristenwhaley@me.com / Spotify