 Hi, today's episode of We Are Only One is brought to you by Mt. Gox, mtgox.com and usgolecoins.com, 1-800-HOTCOIN and MEZEGRIL, m-e-z-e-g-r-i-l-l.com. Hi, everyone. Welcome to episode five of We Are Only One. I'm Jude Byrne and today I am very honored and happy to have as my guest Angela Trapp, Angela is a health and wellness coach and a psychotherapist and she's also the loving wife of Reverend Dr. James Trapp, the CEO of Unity Worldwide Ministries and the loving mother of Jaylin Trapp. Welcome, Angela. It's wonderful to be here too. Wonderful. So I know you're not living in New York. I wish, but no. Not yet. Not yet. What brings you to Manhattan? Well, we've had the wonderful opportunity, Jaylin and I, my son, to attend New York Film Academy summer camp for filmmaking. So we have been here all week since Sunday just enjoying the sights and shopping and enjoying the food and Jaylin has had a fabulous time in camp. Great. Today we're going to be talking a lot about, and Angela is walking the talk, the importance of parents supporting their child's dreams and their gifts and their talents. And I'm sure many parents are going to find this very interesting and I'm going to talk to supporting your inner child's dreams since I don't have any physical children. That works too. That works as well. So tell me why you're such a staunch advocate of this and how you come to this? I think like many things, it comes from a personal experience of growing up. My parents supported my dreams, but I think I got two different messages. They would show up, well, let me backtrack a little bit. My talent was acting and I found that out very early on in life. And my mom would definitely support me in terms of showing up at every play and every event and everything. But I think she also gave us the message that we also needed to go to college. And so I had these two messages going on. I knew what my passion was, but at the same time, being a good parent, wanting your child to grow up and be able to be independent and take care of themselves, she was like one of those people that just said, you need to go to college. And it wasn't an option in the house. And so that's what I did. And I did it for a long time because it was not what I wanted to do. And I think that experience, growing up, pursuing something that really wasn't something that my soul and spirit really wanted to do. It kind of, not kind of, absolutely made me passionate about finding what my child's gift was early on in life and in his life and supporting that, fully supporting it, nurturing those gifts and not trying to create him into something that I wanted him to be. What a gift that is for him. I think so. I like to think so. Yeah. Yeah. And how did you, was it obvious what he was drawn to, what his interests were? It kind of, I have to say, yeah, it kind of was. I remember reading, and I'm not sure the author of the book, but they said something to the fact of looking at what your child gravitates to naturally. Like, what do they gravitate to naturally? And that's a hint. It's a clue. And for Jalen, it was acting. It was just acting. How about that? Yeah. And so we just immediately, once we identified that or became aware of that, we just started to put him in acting classes and supporting that talent and that gift. Now, what would you say to parents who might not know? Are there certain clues? I think there's a fellow named Howard Gardner. Howard Gardner, yes. Who talks about different intelligences. Yes. Yeah. His work, Howard Gardner's work, I found fascinating because it introduces a whole different way, a unique way of looking at how we learn. And also that there's more than one intelligence. There's many different ways to be intelligent. And once you discover that person's strength, then you can teach them to that particular quality. Like, some of us are verbal. They're seven, and I'm not quite, I don't know exactly the list of seven, but you can be musically inclined. For example, if music is your thing, you might want to have background music playing when you study. If you're visual, for example, instead of your study cards, your little study cards being just white, you may want to have them colorful. These are all tools just to help you learn. Yes. We were speaking earlier in the show, so I checked out Howard Gardner, and I find it fascinating. He also said there was touch, and that could either be the sign of a dancer, someone who's really physical with their body, or it could be the sign of a surgeon. Exactly. Which is very interesting contrast, too. Right. So, it might not be quite as predictable where people are going to end up for what they're responding to, but I thought it was really important that I think in our schools, we've emphasized, and I know you're an educator, too, we've emphasized the linguistic ability and perhaps the mathematical second. But we haven't really tuned into some of the more subtle ones, like the music. Right. And I think that's why mixed media works so well. Yes, exactly. And things like only one TV. Exactly, exactly, exactly. Because if you're not hitting one kind of intelligence, you might be hitting something else that's communicating to people. Precisely, precisely. So, it would be fabulous if our schools would, all of them would adopt his theory, I think. I agree with you. And what a blessing for Jaylin that you're supporting him like this. Absolutely, absolutely. I think all parents have a desire to support their children. And I really, as I've traveled and spoken to different parents, I think more and more parents are realizing that, you know, I'm going to support my child's dream and not try to force what I think is right on them. And several parents at the camp that Jaylin attended this week, it was just fabulous. They had flown from all over just, you know, to be there and to bring their children, hey, it was acting and it was also filmmaking. So it was wonderful to sit down and speak with parents who were supporting their children's dreams. I'm sure that part of the challenge may be the parent not coming to terms with their own feelings about that or perhaps fears of, especially if it's more artistic pursuit. And I know we had that in my family too. My sister was an artist and she knew from a very early age she wanted to be an artist and my parents were very big in education like yours. So art school was not an option before college. College had to come first. And so she followed the pragmatic for my parents, got a teaching degree, was assigned to a school that was very, very rough and ended up going to school and fulfilling her dream as a commercial artist. That's wonderful. So she knew and I think when we have that, especially when you see it in a child, but also I'm going to talk about adults too. Sure. You know, but as a child when you see that, that is I think a spirit speaking through that child, right? That's the child's spirit. I agree. I agree. Sometimes it's very subtle and so a parent might overlook it or miss it. So a part of that challenge is being very aware and so you can capture it. Because sometimes people, you know, they come here and they just absolutely know from birth. I'm a doctor. I'm going to be a doctor. I'm going to be a lawyer, a surgeon. But I think there's the other section of people, sect of people like myself and you're just kind of clueless, you know. And then also the other part of that is it might not be the traditional profession. Right. And then that's where you come into do I really pursue this? Am I going to be able to support myself? You know, and I think that's that background fear talking, speaking and keeps us from following our dreams. It's like, is this really going to be possible? Maybe I should really get that nine to five job, even though I don't like it. It's nine to five great benefits. It's guaranteed it's certain, even though I'm unhappy there. Right. So can you talk about what helped you come to terms with the fact to trust your inner voice? Was it anything to do with the Unity Worldwide Ministries? Absolutely. Funny you should mention that. Yes, absolutely. When I found Unity or I probably should say Unity found me. We found each other. That was one of the greatest turning points of my life. Beautiful message about, you know, we're wonderful, unique expressions of God. So I'm God's great idea. I mean, what an amazing message that is. I am God's great idea. And with that knowledge, with that awareness, I was able to shift from safety and limitation, I should say, and embrace infinite possibilities, which allowed me to step out on faith on several different areas in several different areas in my life. That is a gift. I have had the honor of hearing your husband, Reverend James Trapp, speak several times and down at Unity on the Bay. And I've traveled to hear him speak. He's very inspiring. And I think that's such a gift. I have had that same experience where we go from feeling, maybe there are a couple of possibilities to the world is our oyster, right? There are infinite amount of possibilities if we have the faith and trust. And listen, and for me, the biggest challenge is getting out of my own way. And being still and listening, you know? So I think you're listening for yourself and you're listening for your son, which is beautiful. And I'm teaching him, I think more importantly, I'm teaching him how to listen for himself. One of the things that we do as a family is we, Jaylen was very young when he started doing this, but creating a vision map, you know, treasure mapping. He's been treasure mapping since he was probably six or seven years old. And if you're not familiar with treasure mapping, I'm sure you are, but it's basically creating a visual, I guess, individual project. It can be pictures, affirmations, different things that you would like to see come into manifestation for you. And so we started, we taught Jaylen that at the age of six, and he's continued to do that and make that a part of his process. I remember one time in sixth grade, he was struggling with paying attention according to his teachers. And so he would have an affirmation on his treasure map. He basically said, I am a great listener. I mean, he was six, so it was pretty simple, but this was something that he would wake up in the morning and look at every single morning and read his affirmations, look at his pictures, and that's how he would start his day. So you're just never too young to start the principles and practices. I agree, I agree. I know for myself when you were speaking about, I was not one of those people who came out focused. I have so many interests that have been blessed to be able to explore different things, that it was very confusing for me. What am I going to do that will be most fulfilling for me? And the way the show came about, which was awesome, doing this show is a gift for me, and it combines so many things that I love and am interested in. And it came about through being quiet and asking for guidance and then being connected to the owners, Bruce and Ed, and their vision of only one TV and that we are only one. And sending this out to across the world. But I think that sometimes the practical does get, we need to balance the gifts and the inner voice with the practical, but I think quite often in our society it has been the leader. It's been out of balance the other way. And so many people, I wonder if you could talk about your experiences as a wellness and health coach. You see people, I've always felt that when you're divided, that's where your body can, your spirit's in dis-ease and so your body's going to manifest that if you don't listen to it. Exactly, exactly. I believe that as well. I believe that that's the universe way of reminding you that you are off course, that you are not doing that lowly listening and following the guidance of spirit. One of the things that I found out, just working with individuals and most of the people that I work with are very successful professional people. So when you look at someone and they're a successful doctor, lawyer, or whatever you're thinking, wow, that person must really be happy. And working with that particular individual, I would find out that many of them were very unhappy, very successful, worldly success. But inner, just really, just really sad. And sometimes what would come up in the conversation is, for me, because I'm always about, well, what is it that you really wanted to do or what did you like to do when you were a kid? And oftentimes I would get a response, well, I really wanted to be a musician or I really wanted to be an actress or an artist. And I would ask, well, what happened? Why didn't you follow that? And typically the response was when my parents told me that I needed to get a real job, I needed to do something that was going to support me. And that was totally coming from love of a parent, concerned about their child. But I think as a result of that dream or that natural ability, those natural talents were kind of, you know, not kind of, were definitely put in the back pocket and on the back burner, and so you went the safe course. Even though you worked very hard to achieve what you have succeeded in, still there's this little part of, it's this unhappy, unfulfilled, just unfulfilled. And sometimes you don't even know what it is, but gosh, I'm just, you know, I just don't feel 100% here. I think it's like you're leaking some energy, but you just can't figure it out. Yes, you know, you said playing it safe. Playing it safe. One of my favorite quotes from the movie Moonstruck with Cher, when Nicholas Cage says to her, playing it safe is one of the most dangerous things a girl like you can do. I love that. I think that's really true for our heart and our soul, you know, because it's not allowing us to really extend ourselves into the magnitude of who we really are. To expand. You know, and I wonder, since you're in the flow with encouraging and supporting your child so well, what could you tell a parent who is just really concerned, especially if their child is artistic and in an area where they feel that the chances are not as good to make a living? What would you tell that parent? I would say to do your research and find programs that would support your child's talent. And there are so many different programs out there. There are programs that cost a lot of money, and then there are programs that don't have a cost attached to them at all. One of the things that Jalen did is that volunteering. Volunteering somewhere. If you can't afford that particular program, asking can I volunteer? Can my child volunteer? Can I volunteer? It's an opportunity. And then really the being aware, kind of listening to your child and being aware to find out what those gifts are because sometimes the gifts are not so obvious. Yes. I think many adults, myself included, have been going through different reinventing. Perhaps I have friends who have played the practical route and then just one day just really couldn't stand it anymore and took the leap of faith and followed their heart's desire and interestingly enough in the arts and are very successful and very happy. But it takes that leap. There's the difference between staying asleep or taking the leap of faith. But I think children, it's so imperative for the parent to be behind them or else they feel a conflict. Unsupported. And not supported. We know that self-esteem is really critical and I want to talk to you about that after we thank our sponsors for allowing us to follow our dreams. So first up, I would like to thank Mount Gox. It's an online exchange service for bitcoins. They are now taking euros and the British Pound and the Australian Dollar and soon the Canadian Dollar. And we hope that you will catch our show at 2 p.m. with Bruce Wagner, the bitcoin show. And USGoldCoins.com, 1-800-HOTCOIN, our trusted advisor for investments in rare gold and silver coins. Andy takes the mystery out of buying silver and gold. He will hold your hand. So check him out at 1-800-HOTCOIN for the current inventory. And Mese Grill, where authentic Mediterranean food meets modern flavor. They have fabulous tabouleh, hummus. We eat there a lot and it is great. I can testify to that. And they are now serving breakfast. They're located at 8th Avenue and 55th Street in New York City. Just a couple of blocks south of Columbus Circle. So thank you all for allowing us to pursue our dreams here at OnlyOneTV. So self-esteem. That's something, I think, that can make or break a life. Absolutely. I've worn many hats. An educator, guidance counselor. One of my favorite jobs was a guidance counselor. And I was a guidance counselor at a high school in Florida. Oh, boy. That was exciting. I love teenagers. I know it's rare. I'm sure they love you. They can feel the love, I bet. They can feel the love. And actually, that's one of the things that I became aware of instantly is that that is exactly what they needed. Love, affirmation, and attention. And I would have these, what can I say, very mature girls kind of hang out around my office and young men who were, I guess, trying to be gangsters or something. I can't, you know, with the saggy pants and so forth and so on. And they would just kind of hang by my doors. And these would probably be the really rough, tough kids. But really, all they wanted from me was what are you doing? How are you today? What are you up to? And that's when I realized they were just starved for attention. Starved for attention, validation. So somewhere in their life, they, you know, that was missing. That was missing, that part was missing. And it's so crucial when you're growing up and especially when you're an adolescent. Yes. Sometimes parents, not all parents, I mean parents, you know, we're all doing the best we can. Sometimes parents, I think, though, kind of forget that even though you're 15 or 16 years old, you still would like to hear the word, I love you. Yes. I love you. All the material things we're taking care of, but the kids, they still want to hear that. Yes, I, you know, love is, I was thinking when you were speaking earlier, differentiating between financial success and yet the unhappiness. So is it, of these people who have hit the top of their profession, but inside they're not happy, so are they really successful, you know? And I've traveled a lot, been blessed to have gone to some third world countries that in financial terms would not be considered too prosperous, if you will. And there was so much love with the people and among the people. And their way of life is very different, you know, living very close to the earth, sometimes in straw huts or clay huts, and so happy. And looking at the families, the interaction together to be is a real sign of what's going on. And in the airport, seeing the mother and the father and the child all happy and, you know, embracing each other and being loving and no lack of communicating that love. And a different emphasis and I think right now with the shifting sands of our society and our consciousness, how key it is, as you say, to be mindful of how important love is and to communicate that to not, you know, our children and to our friends and to our loved ones and to ourselves. First and foremost, too. Self love. Self love is key. And if we've been raised in a traditional religion, quite often we haven't gotten that message. You know, we've gotten myself, I won't name because I don't want, I'm not into any kind of blame, but I was raised with a set of beliefs that we weren't worthy to begin with. And one time I went to Unity and I heard the term original blessing and that just opened my heart. And the teachings of Unity in particular and New Thought, Higher Consciousness-Oriented Center I think are doing a world of good for people who maybe didn't get worthy messages of worldliness, self love. And once you feel more grounded myself, then you can take on so much more and enjoy so much more of life and see there is so much more of life. You know, it's like picking the blinders up, you know, and share that love with everyone else. Yes, share that love. So are you keeping a library of Jalen's dream boards? That to me would be like a very, yes, yes, yes, I am. Yes, it is something interesting I think for him when he becomes a man and look back. He's a great kid and not just because he's my kid, he's a great kid because he's grounded and he's growing up in many universal principles, universal principles. And he's 12 years old and he applies in daily in his life. I just wish someone would have shared those principles with me when I was a little girl. I asked him, well, what kind of a girl I would be? I would have known this as a child. You know, to be wax and power. Yes. To know what I am magnificent and unique and loved. No matter what I do, I am loved. Yes. I'm proud. It really is. And for a listener who are not that familiar, I wanted to kind of go through them. Sure. First one is that God is good all the time. All the time. And the second that we are divine sparks of God. And so we are good. And that just opens up so much. And the third one is the law of mind action. Law of mind action. Right. That are thoughts. Create our reality. Create our reality. And the first one is that prayer and meditation are our way to communion with the divine source. And then the fifth one, which Angela is doing, walking the talk. Walking the talk. And taking those principles out into the community. Right? Right. Practical Christianity. That's why it's called practical Christianity. Yeah. Yes. And it's a nice combination of what we're speaking of, the balance of listening and fulfilling your dreams. And doing it in a way that you are in the world. And hello there. You're absolutely right. So that's one of the things that I love about community. I find it very empowering. And it challenges you to take responsibility for your life, for your actions, for your decisions. And that's a good thing. When you realize that you're co-creating, you're a part of this. So no one is doing something to you. You're dancing with everyone else, basically. And which is wonderful because if you don't like your partner or if you don't like the dance hello that you're in, you get to change that. We have a power. We have power within. We have to change that. To change your reality. To change your reality first by changing your facts. And changing the way you see yourself. That is so empowering. Yeah. I had a conversation with a friend the other day and she just gave me a whole new outlook. And hope is so important, I think. Especially today with a lot of the surface insanity that's going on. To hold on to those truth principles and realize not only other lessons, but there are blessings in whatever is going on. And that can be a good stretch. It is a stretch right now, I think, of what's going on. But it is absolutely, I believe the truth. But this is the opportunity for us to really turn to principle. More than ever turn to principle. What we know works. Prayer, affirmation, listening, listening for the guidance and trusting that everything, even though it appears to be chaos, is in the Bible. And that's a big one. That is a big one. That is huge. You can chunk it down and you have a little bite size. But it really does help. It does. When we really embrace that. And I found it lifts the vibration. And when we lift the vibration through prayer and meditation or through doing something that we feel is one of our gifts or one of our dreams at whatever level. It doesn't have to be on stage in front of thousands of people. It could just be in our living room doing something we like, drawing or writing or dancing or doing math or doing a computer program. Whatever it is that is your bliss, follow your bliss. Then it takes you to a place where you are more resonating with source and who we really are. And then it helps us have more spaciousness to deal with some of the worldly challenges. And I think then your energy is at a certain level. So then you will attract people that have about some consciousness. But not only that, you are able to spread that truth in their consciousness to everyone that you meet. And it's not exactly saying it. It's being. It's God. So you don't have to walk around giving us teachers or, you know, other than what you do. You are being it. And I think that's the greatest difference with community. You don't have to say, you know, I'm a child of God. I can look at you and say, what is she connected to? She's, this light is coming from her. You know? She's loving and kind and patient. What's going on with her? And you did not give me a lecture and try to have it in literature. You're just being great. You're being magnificent. And you're encouraging your son to be his magnificent self. Absolutely. And then whomever he encounters, he's going to share that with too. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I mean, it's just a ripple effect. That's right. Globally. All connected. We are. We are. Only one TV. That's right. We're interconnected. We are only boys. Yeah. I think that's just such a gift that we do have that freedom to choose again. And like you said, if you see yourself, maybe you're dancing to a different song than you really are hearing. And so you're not necessarily dancing as well as you might. You know, to kind of revisit that. You have the power to change it. Absolutely. I wanted to share just one of, I do many different, oh great, little rituals with Jayman. And one of the things that we've done out of his life, but in particular, when he started to go to school, is that before he needs to purr, so this has been going on since he was five years old, he's getting ready to get out of the purr. And my question is, I always, who are you? Jayman. And he reprised. I mean, I'm Jayman, moon-dweller trap. Oh my goodness. Beautiful. And so he needs to have a rat in his mind. That is his affirmation throughout the day. And sometimes I'm like, what does that mean? And he'll go around to say, I can do anything that loves me. I'm a great student, but I just love that. Because at that, I'm like, whatever happens throughout this day, I know that he left out of my heart knowing the truth of his being. That is so beautiful. That's it. You are Angela Traff, loving child of God. We can do that for ourselves in the mirror in the morning. That's great. For a few seconds, at least we're in touch with the real truth of our being. What a different day that will be, I'm sure, planning those seeds. And it's so important, right now, in particular, I think. Have you had challenges where you've come across either an adult or a child that you just feel it's really hard for them to get through to them? How would you... Do you think love, the loving kindness, is the best approach? Some people just have such a shield up of defensiveness. And I don't want to hear that. And it's probably from fear and protecting themselves. Can you give us any ideas on how to break through that? How do you deal with that? It's going to sound very simple, but one of the things that I found that worked is the compliment. It's the start of the interaction work with compliments. I love your earrings. Sometimes I'm laughing when we can kind of feel the energy. It's just like... And for women, I don't know why. Sometimes it's just like, darts are, you know, but darts are just coming at me. We can feel that energy. And so, to move around that, sometimes I would just throw up to the person, I love your earrings. I can feel the vibration. I can feel the vibration. I can feel what you're saying that some people throw up coming down. That's the opening. That's just the opening. And then going through that opening and expanding that conversation. But that's a shift. I'm talking about experience. It's amazing. Some of us are just walking around very, very, very much together. Lately, some crazy interactions between people that kind of have come up out of nowhere. And since we are all connected, you know, I believe it is really important to, like you said, be sending out that love or that higher vibration so that we can stay mindful of the loving spirit inside of who we really are and not get lost in some other detour, you know, energetically. And in our world today, again, it's challenging about I feel the best and the reason why we are supposed to go deeper into our principles in our practice. I think what you're demonstrating by being here in the city and supporting Jayden and coming and the work that you're doing and the work that your husband is doing is sending out such wonderful vibrations to the planet. Thank you for being here and gracing us with your presence on the show. It's a gift for me so thank you. We are one. Yes we are. We are one. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your time here and I look forward to seeing some of Jayden's films in the future and also some other shows and come back with them. Have a beautiful rest week everybody. Remember we are only one and only one TV.