Guidance for Grownups
Welcome to the adult-facing branch of
Created for parents, grandparents, educators, helpers, and imperfect humans
who want to lead with more love, empathy, humor, humility, and emotional responsibility.
Through
The Secret PondCast with Carmen Miller
featuring
The Secret Pond Perspective and Don’t Be a BEEP with Carmen Miller,
I share stories, reflections, and practical tools to help grownups look inward,
heal what we carry, become the best version of oursELF,
and model what we hope to teach the next generation.
WHY The Secret Pond?
I had no idea that the foundational years of my childhood- nearly 50 years ago
(Aye, aye, aye, typing that makes me feel SO OLD!!) were quietly preparing me for the work I do today.
I truly believe that ELF365 wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for my childhood hero…my Grandad.
I grew up in a small town quietly tucked in the beautiful, golden pastureland of rural Oklahoma. The most pivotal moments of my childhood were spent with Grandad.
When we weren’t talking at the kitchen counter or out on the back deck,
we were pond-hoppin’ between Grandad’s secret ponds in the open prairies
of Osage County.
I would run to Grandad every time I had a problem.
WHY?
Because he always took the time to sit, listen, and reflect with me.
He let me process my feelings, which validated me, and made me feel seen, important, and loved.
He didn’t lecture or bandwagon.
He asked gentle questions and shared relatable stories, offering perspectives that sparked empathy and understanding. The biggest difference, the part I now understand was so rare, was his neutrality.
He was loving but never negative or judgmental.
Grandad impacted the trajectory of my entire life- and in turn, Drew’s-
through the loving and objective way he guided me.
The world needs that kind of guidance now more than ever.
My passion for this work was deepened the day I heard the quiet whisper,
“Be there for kids like Grandad was there for you.”
Grandad’s secret ponds have become my metaphor for simple,
joy-filled presence and soul-deep peace.
That zenith is often only reached after we’ve met our own hurt
with love and quiet truth.
That's why I dove off the deep end and created
Guidance for Grownups!
No one wakes up thinking, “Hey, I think I’ll be a BEEP today!”
So let's talk about it on
The Secret PondCast with Carmen Miller
Yep! Double pun intended!
This is essentially my blog...podcast...video series?
Ermmm, maybe it's having an identity crisis...
but it's truly all three.
Annnnnd...there are two sides to every personality...wait...what?!
There’s the more reflective side, where we use stories, simple questions,
and visualization tools to help us reach our Secret Ponds
in The Secret Pond Perspective.
Then there's the more...unorthodox side. Lol
Don’t Be a BEEP with Carmen Miller
Basically, it's my willingness to go first! Lol
No need to throw me under the bus, I’ve already got it covered! 🤪
I use my own experiences, realizations, missteps, and lessons learned, along with a sprinkle of visualization,
simple questions, and fun personifications of systems and societal expectations...
so we can wade through our emotional waters together...and have some laughs as we splash our way through!
Can you imagine having fun while healing your triggers?!?
You know, the things that make you a BEEP?!
It CAN be done!
So let's do it!
And together we'll reach our Secret Ponds.
Watch or listen...or read HERE!
And since so many of us are parents and grandparents, educators, and just caring adults,
I'm sharing my
7 Pointers for Parents to Help Your Kid Deal With a Mean Kid Poster.
Click HERE to sign in for your FREE download.
The Poster pairs with my 7 Pointers Series where I share how I used these techniques to help Drew,
and how I I got there in the first place!
Find it HERE on The Secret PondCast.
Click HERE to join our community!
It's always free...and usually FUN! :)
As Grandad always used to say-
“Now there’s some sense to that.”
~ Joe Rash
Wishing you much love and laughter,
