Dealing with Loss, Knowing that Everything Works Together for Good, & Enjoying the Moments We Have

"We're all here for a reason." ~ Sally Pederson

Guest Bio: Sally Pederson is a #1 International Bestselling Author, award-winning luxury travel writer, and founder of Global Citizen Life. She empowers entrepreneurs and business owners to redefine success on a global scale. Her boutique consulting firm is more than a business; it's a movement towards freedom, financial sovereignty, and a life unbound by geographical constraints. Sally's mission is to guide her clients through diversifying their lives, enabling them to legally minimize their tax obligations, secure multiple citizenships and residencies, and safeguard their assets, all while living in their chosen countries. She champions the philosophy that one's life and wealth should not be tethered to the whims of any single government, advocating for a life of choice, freedom, and global citizenship.

Sally Pederson | Dealing with Loss, Knowing that Everything Works Together for Good, & Enjoying the Moments We Have

SHOW NOTES: 

• Website(s): https://www.GlobalCitizenLife.org
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallypederson1
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7YC6lQJBwl2BifcJ9W662A?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglobalcitizenlifeconsultant

REMARKABLE LISTENER SPECIAL OFFER(S):

• REMARKABLE OFFER 1: Enjoy saving 30% to 80% on EVERYTHING you order at MyPillow.com with Free Promo Code, “REMARKABLE“. Yes, that’s right! Use the best MyPillow promo code out there to save a ton of money on all 250+ quality, comfortable, cozy home goods at MyPillow.com/Remarkable. From sheets, to blankets, to pillows, to mattress toppers, be ready to sleep better and live more comfortably than you ever have before!

For more Remarkable Episodes, Inspiration, and Motivation, please visit https://davidpasqualone.com/remarkable-people-podcast/. Enjoy!

Transcript

Sally Pederson | Dealing with Loss, Knowing that Everything Works Together for Good, & Enjoying the Moments We Have

[00:00:00] David Pasqualone: Hello, friend. Welcome to this week's episode of the Remarkable People Podcast, the Sally Peterson story. This week, Sally takes us through her life from losing her father at four years old, her uncle shortly thereafter, getting married young, her husband disappearing and now being pronounced murdered. She talks about how she had an indecent proposal where some psycho male, I'm not going to say man, but some psycho male.

[00:00:28] David Pasqualone: Offered her five years of all expenses paid and a couple million dollars at the end if you're not happy. She talks about her journey, the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the pretty, the ugly, the pretty ugly. But we talk about how it all comes together for good. Even when life doesn't feel Like it's going the right way, or even when it seems like things are going wrong, how everything works together for God's glory and our benefit in the end.

[00:00:55] David Pasqualone: That doesn't mean we're not going to have hardships or difficulties or struggles, but it talks about how we can be encouraged that in the end it's for our best. So she talks about living life, not wasting life, and how you can live life. And waste your entire existence, or you can enjoy the moments we have, because we never know when they're going to be gone.

[00:01:19] David Pasqualone: So I'm David Pasqualone. I do know my name, and this is our good friend, Sally Peterson. Enjoy this episode of the Remarkable People Podcast now, share it with your friends and family, and hopefully we can encourage a ton of people across the world for your benefit and God's glory. 

[00:01:38] Welcome to the Remarkable People Podcast!: Warning. The interview you're about to experience has already positively changed people's lives. If applied appropriately, it can change yours, too. The views expressed are those of the guest and host. The content of this podcast is not meant to be legal, financial, or medical advice. This episode may contain graphic details of the guest's life.

[00:01:56] Welcome to the Remarkable People Podcast!: Listener discretion is advised.

[00:01:59] David Pasqualone: Hey Sally, how are you today? I'm doing really good. How are you? Man, I'm remarkable. I just told our listeners a small bit about you, but right out of your mouth, if you were to speak to them directly at this moment, and you guarantee by the end of the show, they will get at least one truth that they can apply in their lives.

[00:02:21] David Pasqualone: And become a better person. What is that truth you're gonna be able to convey to them? 

[00:02:25] Sally Pederson: Oh my, I mean, there's so many things that kind of pop into head. I guess the, the biggest thing, especially with what's going on a little bit now is life is short. You know, you're, you're living, but do you, are you really living?

[00:02:39] Sally Pederson: Yeah. Right. We, we say that we're alive and yes, we're, we're alive. But to me, there's, there's a big difference to be, be alive and living. And what that living is, it's different for everybody. You know, whatever they're passionate about, whatever they enjoy doing, the things that excite them. Are you, are you living that life?

[00:02:57] David Pasqualone: Yeah. And I think that's huge because we can exist And we can just kind of accept, but are we really thriving and living? I think that's a great question. I thought of the quote when you were saying that is, you know, fear doesn't keep us from dying. It keeps us from living. So, yeah. So Sally, we're going to talk about how this became so important to you.

[00:03:18] David Pasqualone: We're going to talk about your journey from birth through today. And that way, all along the way, people can see why this is important for their lives, how you achieved and overcame in your life, and they can too. And then we'll transition again to where you're at and where you're headed next, so we can all maybe go on the journey together.

[00:03:35] David Pasqualone: Sound good? That sounds great. Awesome. So we're gonna take a quick, short, 30 second affiliate commercial, and we'll be right back with our friend Sally Peterson.

[00:03:45] David Pasqualone: 30 second affiliate commercial? What can we do in 30 seconds? A lot. Go to mypillow. com forward slash remarkable. Pick anything you want on their website that you need or want. Use promo code remarkable at checkout and get 30 to 80 percent off everything you order every time. And right now free shipping 200 orders over 75 bucks.

[00:04:09] David Pasqualone: That's it. After the podcast go check out MyPillow. 

[00:04:13] David Pasqualone: Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, Sally. So let's start at the beginning.

[00:04:17] David Pasqualone: Everything that happens to us, good, bad, ugly, pretty, pretty ugly, makes us the men and women we are today, right? 

[00:04:23] Sally Pederson: That's right, absolutely. 

[00:04:25] David Pasqualone: For you to know that life is short and valuable and are we really living or are we just existing, bring us through your life. What brought you to this point? 

[00:04:34] Sally Pederson: I guess when, when we kind of go back to the, the earliest stages for me would have been my, my first experience with with death of, of a loved one and it was my father and I was in kindergarten and it was winter time, Canada.

[00:04:51] Sally Pederson: There was a bit of a snowstorm or the wind. I can't remember exactly because there was both. So there was a snow drift that went across the main road that the [00:05:00] bus came down to take us to school. And so it, it couldn't get through because of the snow drift. So my dad drove us to school that morning and he never made it home.

[00:05:11] Sally Pederson: He was in an accident. There was a lady on the wrong side of the road and hit him head on and, and he died. And so that, that was my first experience. And then shortly later, I want to say six months later, I can't really remember because as I was only in kindergarten, I was only about six years old. So then my uncle had drowned.

[00:05:33] Sally Pederson: And so that was, That was another one. Two of my uncles were out on a fishing trip and one slipped into the water and drowned and the other tried to save him, but couldn't. So, and then things were okay for a while. Like the, you know, things were, were good. And then I think kind of the next things were, it was weird in high school.

[00:05:54] Sally Pederson: Or was this one junior high? Anyway, there, there was some kids that got into a cult and started committing suicide. And so that was, that was a little bit. You know, unusual to say the least. And they were more, they weren't really friends, like acquaintances were more and more, but just that kind of ripple effect of people knew who these These kids were, I mean, we were kids too.

[00:06:16] Sally Pederson: We went to school with them. And then, oh my, I mean, it just kind of continues from, from there till you know, relatives, obviously age had to do with some of it when grandparents had passed and things. And then another kind of really big hit was my husband had disappeared. And After investigating and things, you know, it had been determined that that he had been murdered.

[00:06:41] Sally Pederson: His body to this day has never been found. And that was now over 20 years ago. And then there's, there, there's just been some other friends along the way. So I've, I've had a very young age. I've always had this constant reminder that You know, life, life is short. And, and I, I say it in, in a way, like, even if a person does live to a hundred years old, when you're enjoying life, when you're living, when you're doing what, what you love to do, it's still really short, like time goes by fast.

[00:07:14] Sally Pederson: And I'm sure people who are listening can, can kind of get that. And, you know, we realized when we have kids. As a kid, it takes forever for our birthday, forever for Christmas or Easter or whatever those holidays that, that we enjoy, they seem to be so far apart. But once we're adults, it feels like, didn't we, didn't we just have a holiday?

[00:07:33] Sally Pederson: Didn't, wasn't it just Christmas and it's coming up again or a birthday or, oh my, I'm, I'm how old now? Right. And, and it really is, is short. And so, With all of those things that that have happened, you know, I always try to find the the silver linings through them We are all going to to pass Eventually, and so it's important to to enjoy life to do the things we do to give back to help others and And kind of you know, make the best of the ride or, or deal the best we can with the cards that we have and, and make the best of it because there's, there's almost always, I mean, sometimes we never know the silver lining, but I, I always say if everything hasn't happened exactly the way it did, I wouldn't be exactly where I am now.

[00:08:22] Sally Pederson: And that that's kind of good or bad, but all things pass, you know, we're having good times. Life is great. Well, Life always, you know, has things that happen to make us grow, to make us stronger, and we go through some tough times or rough times, and then that too passes, and then we get into, again, good times, great times, and it's kind of, I like to see it more as rolling hills.

[00:08:46] Sally Pederson: peaks and valleys, because peaks and valleys are pretty extreme. But when we appreciate and have the good times, we know that there's times that are going to be a little bit hard and a little bit tough, but they make us stronger, they make us grow and they make us ready to then enjoy the next Golden Stage and that could be the next month, few months, a year.

[00:09:04] Sally Pederson: It's, it's different for everyone. 

[00:09:07] David Pasqualone: Yeah. Let's go back. You unpacked a lot and there's a lot that happened. So when you were young, did you have, and forgive me if I miss it, did you have a brother or sister or were you the only child? 

[00:09:18] Sally Pederson: I have one sister and two brothers. I'm the second youngest. 

[00:09:22] David Pasqualone: The second youngest.

[00:09:23] David Pasqualone: Okay. And you were in kindergarten or younger when your father died. 

[00:09:28] Sally Pederson: Okay, 

[00:09:30] David Pasqualone: were his parents still alive? Your grandparents? Well, 

[00:09:33] Sally Pederson: they, yes, they, they were, but they, they lived based almost the other side of Canada. So we lived in Alberta and they, they were living in Quebec, but he immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands when he was five years old.

[00:09:49] Sally Pederson: So they, they had immigrated over when he was quite young. And then most of the family obviously from the coast had moved in and, and settled down within the Quebec area. And he [00:10:00] ended up going further West to Alberta. 

[00:10:03] David Pasqualone: And how many, so your grandparents, your father's mom and dad, how many kids did they have?

[00:10:09] David Pasqualone: They had nine kids. Nine kids. But within three months, your father passed away and your uncle? And then my uncle from my mom's side. And your uncle from your own side. So three back to back, but two were their children. 

[00:10:24] Sally Pederson: No, no. It was my, my father. And then my uncle was from my mom's side. 

[00:10:30] David Pasqualone: Oh, okay. I'm sorry.

[00:10:31] David Pasqualone: I'm sorry. That's okay. So two deaths. And one on each side of the family. Yeah, that's terrible to have to watch anybody die, especially your children. And then you're like four and you got brothers and sisters. Do you remember? Was it like, what's going on? Was it dad's just not here? Was it really deeply impactful?

[00:10:50] David Pasqualone: Like, what do you remember at such a young age? 

[00:10:53] Sally Pederson: I mean, it's, I think in part, you know, you don't really understand because being six years old, it's hard, but, but I did realize that You know, he was gone forever. Like not, I didn't really understand the complete death part of it, but, but I did know that, that he was gone and I, I do remember the funeral.

[00:11:17] Sally Pederson: And so that kind of helped in a way to, to understand that, that, that was it. Even though I didn't really, because I remember I made a comment, I think it was to my mom. Because we had, it was an open casket and, and I, I touched him and I said, why is my daddy so cold? And so I remember that. And then, yeah, some of it is just Just a bit of a blur.

[00:11:49] Sally Pederson: Cause 

[00:11:50] David Pasqualone: you're so young. Yeah. 

[00:11:51] Sally Pederson: Yeah. 

[00:11:52] David Pasqualone: And then growing up, like, you know, children can grow up without a father or mother and it becomes the norm. So like you said, you don't even realize what you're missing. Going through school, did you and your siblings like be like, man, we missed dad. Was there any kind of rebellion or was it just life is, this is the new norm.

[00:12:11] David Pasqualone: And you know 

[00:12:12] Sally Pederson: For us, because like we lived in a very small town, so we had so much support from the town, like my dad knew everybody, like the church was overflowing, there was people outside, and so when I was really young, we really had a lot of that community support through that. I think So for me and my younger brother and probably even my older brother, a little bit, it just kind of became the norm.

[00:12:40] Sally Pederson: I think who had affected the most was my sister. My sister, as we got older and she got into like the teenage years, I think she was more of the, the rebellious Kind of one because she would have been about 10. So we were all kind of two years apart. So she was 10. My brother was eight. I was six. And then my, my younger brother was four.

[00:13:03] Sally Pederson: And so my younger brother really doesn't remember much because he was so young. But I would say probably my sister being 10, it affected her the most. 

[00:13:15] David Pasqualone: Okay. And then you kind of, we went through, you know, and you, it's your story. We say what you want to say, what you don't want to stay, but we went from, I lost my dad and I lost my uncle too.

[00:13:25] David Pasqualone: I lost my husband. That's a huge gap, right? So what happened with your husband? Like how old were you when you got married? Was everything good? Was it bad from the start? Did your husband, was it a random shooting? Was it an addiction gone wrong? What happened there? 

[00:13:41] Sally Pederson: So I was married at 21. Had a baby at 22 and then by 26 is when he had disappeared and we had, I don't want to use, I don't want to use the word love hate relationship because it wasn't, it was more of, we got along, like, we got along great and then we're living together, obviously, because we're and then we would drive each other crazy and then we would, we would separate.

[00:14:17] Sally Pederson: And then we got along so great and we would always go for dinner and we would do family things and it was good and then it's like okay well let's you know let's like we just couldn't live together is basically how it went because when we lived together we drove each other nuts but then when we didn't live together it was great.

[00:14:34] Sally Pederson: And we had a great relationship and we would, we would go out and we would do lots of family things together. And so it was it was, it was challenging and that could have been, I mean, it could have been an age thing because I was, I was 21 when we got married, he was 23. So, and, and then having a baby right away.

[00:14:51] Sally Pederson: So it, it was, it definitely did have, have its, its challenges. And it was at a time when, [00:15:00] We were meeting some friends for dinner and he didn't show up and I knew right away like something was wrong because he didn't, didn't answer his phone, didn't show up for dinner and that had never happened before.

[00:15:16] Sally Pederson: So the next day I went to his place because we weren't, we had separate places and most things looked, looked normal, but, but there was a few things that, that were out of place. But I was like, something's really wrong. And I remember when I, I left, I left his place and I went to the police station and filed a missing persons report.

[00:15:40] David Pasqualone: And as far as you know, you know, sometimes people have nothing, they do nothing wrong. They're just a victim, but a lot of times they get involved in things that are, you know, it leads to this. Did your husband get involved? He was 

[00:15:55] Sally Pederson: involved with some things that wouldn't do it. 

[00:15:59] David Pasqualone: Gotcha. So it was. Kind of like a consequence, I don't want to say consequence of the sin, but it, it can trigger factor.

[00:16:06] Sally Pederson: Yeah, yeah, it's, it was so. 

[00:16:11] David Pasqualone: So when this is going on, not only I'm sure you're like separator together, it's still your husband, you still love him and he's the father of your child. Are you feeling danger for your life at that point? Or are you like, you know, what's kind of isolated to his world? 

[00:16:26] Sally Pederson: I was kept fairly isolated.

[00:16:29] Sally Pederson: And, and my daughter, I mean, he did make some comments a few times if I asked something and he had said, you know, if you don't know you never have to lie. And, and so. I was, but, but I mean, like, he had a job, he went to work. So there, but I, I had some suspicions. I knew there, there was some, some things going on but definitely kept us out of, and as I mean, my daughter and I out of, out of things.

[00:16:55] Sally Pederson: And so there, there was a little bit of concern. Like we did think. How, how hard do we pursue this? How much pressure do we put on the police? Like how much, how much attention do we draw to the situation? Because then will it put me and my daughter in a potentially dangerous situation? So we like, because it's tough to say, because part of me thinks in hindsight, we should have pushed more, should have done more, should have, but then the other part was, Would it have changed the outcome because we still don't have answers or would it have just put us into more of a potentially dangerous situation?

[00:17:43] Sally Pederson: So we left it with the police to hopefully do what they do. But nothing has ever been resolved even to this day. 

[00:17:55] David Pasqualone: Yeah. And what year was that? 

[00:17:58] Sally Pederson: That would have been 2003.

[00:18:05] Sally Pederson: 2003. 

[00:18:06] David Pasqualone: Wow. Yeah. Yeah. And you're right. Over 

[00:18:08] Sally Pederson: 20 years ago. 

[00:18:10] David Pasqualone: This isn't a Hallmark card. I mean, reality is sometimes bad people do bad things and you really just let it lie. 

[00:18:18] Sally Pederson: And some people, you know, start to do some things that are on the fringes and then get caught up and like there's, and there's, you know, then there comes to a point that after I would hear some stories of, of things he was involved with and.

[00:18:38] Sally Pederson: Sometimes I'm just like, really? Because I know how people are too. That they, they make things up, right? There's just, there's, there's no truth to it. And so I have decided with it, there's, there's things that I know that I've, that I have been made aware of and that I, that I know of, and, and I'm aware of that.

[00:18:56] Sally Pederson: And the other things I just choose to not listen to or, or believe, because again, you know, He was no angel. I'm not perfect either. Nobody is. People make mistakes. He did what he did. He protected us as his family as, and so I, you know, I never, I still want to see the, the good. In, in, in that and, and the good things that he did.

[00:19:25] Sally Pederson: And then he was still the, the father of my, my daughter. So, and, and there were great things that he did and he was good to so many people. So it's, it's kind of interesting. It gives me the perspective when I talk to people and, and we say, you know, people will say, Oh, that person's a bad person. And it's like, Are they?

[00:19:44] Sally Pederson: Like there's, there's a thing that absolutely there, there are people that do horrible things and, and to people that person is a bad person, but there's many times that that same bad person does good and nice things for other people. [00:20:00] So it becomes this perspective and I get it when bad things are done to us, we don't like somebody they, and we, they are bad to us.

[00:20:09] Sally Pederson: It's just, again, one of those kinds of things that. Life is complicated and, and, you know, things just aren't black and white. There's, I would say there's going to be very few situations where a bad person is completely bad. Like, and, and I, I do believe that, but we have to think like even that bad person who may be in jail for life now, they probably did great things for their mom or maybe their sister, brother, uncle.

[00:20:38] Sally Pederson: Like it's there, there there's always, I always think there's, there's always some good, Within everything, it's the silver lining. And when it comes to people, you know, it's, it's tougher to, I said, it's tougher to label because we shouldn't really be labeling. We can, action we can. The actions that were done, absolutely.

[00:21:00] Sally Pederson: But then what caused that person, how many people have done things that they didn't like to do or want to do because they felt like there was no choice or they were just going to do something one time, you know, Not a great thing. Outcome kind of had good intentions or reason for it. So it's yeah, life is complicated.

[00:21:22] David Pasqualone: Oh, 100%. And when we were talking, you know, you never know what goes on behind closed doors and you know, even the worst person, I believe from the greatest love comes the greatest hate. And from the, you know, you can have the sweetest kid in the world and they're abused or, you know, gone through a trauma and they end up being some of the quote unquote worst people, right?

[00:21:43] David Pasqualone: So I agree with you completely. When I was referring to bad people, I meant the people that killed your husband. Like, let that lie. But at the same time, there's people who grew up in the perfect idyllic home. They're taught about God. They're given everything possible. They have an easy life and they run towards evil.

[00:22:02] David Pasqualone: And there's other people who are beat up and raped and tortured, and they end up the most godly people. So I agree with you. We should use good judgment, but not judge. And you know, if I went through what that guy went through, I'd probably be worse than him. But but just, you know, when I was talking about shaking the bees nest, starting the bees nest, I meant like if somebody murdered your husband, you're probably wise to let it go.

[00:22:24] David Pasqualone: Because if there was no upside to finding out. I just, you know, move, move and keep your kids safe. 

[00:22:31] Sally Pederson: Yeah. Yeah. And even like, even those who were behind it, like I have a vague idea, but not specific person. So say, say a group. We'll just use that. It's, it was a group and, and yeah, it was a horrible thing for them to do.

[00:22:51] Sally Pederson: Yeah. Yeah. Because that really affected us and, and the ripple effect, right? Of, of with my daughter and, and extended family. I was gonna ask you, how old was your 

[00:23:01] David Pasqualone: daughter? How old was your daughter? Just like you. 

[00:23:04] Sally Pederson: Yeah. 

[00:23:05] David Pasqualone: So what did you learn to transfer your dad and you, you know, you missed your dad. You didn't have your dad in your life.

[00:23:13] David Pasqualone: What did you learn from your life that you helped your daughter with? 

[00:23:16] Sally Pederson: Well, this one though, it was, it was different because I knew for sure with my It was an accident, we had a funeral, body was buried, that type of thing. And so at first we just said, because there was always a chance of, yeah, like maybe he just had to lay low for a while or, you know, The unseen for a while, or I mean, there's a number of things that we just didn't know.

[00:23:49] Sally Pederson: And so at first and for a long time, I would just say, you know, we're, we're not sure where daddy is because that, that was the truth. We, we had a feeling, but I didn't want to be always gone. And then what if he did show up? But then it became a catch 22, because I didn't want to say, I didn't want her to think that, Oh, daddy doesn't love us.

[00:24:11] Sally Pederson: And he just left us. And doesn't care because that I know is not the case because I, I do know that he cared and, you know, wanted to keep us safe and, and things like that. So it, It was a tough balancing act. So for a while, I was just like, well, we don't know. And then after some time, I would say, you know, I think daddy's in heaven because he wouldn't just leave us because he loved you and, and he wouldn't just walk away.

[00:24:38] Sally Pederson: And so that's kind of how, how that went with that. So that, that was challenging because yeah, I didn't, I didn't want her to grow up thinking that he just left and walked out. 

[00:24:51] David Pasqualone: Yeah, that leaves a whole different set of scars. 

[00:24:54] Sally Pederson: Yeah, 

[00:24:54] David Pasqualone: so In some ways, it was a different situation, but bottom line [00:25:00] is a dad was still gone.

[00:25:02] David Pasqualone: So do you feel that parenting her with an absent father, you know, murdered father, did that help you? And how did you, like for our listeners whose parents are gone, I mean, you've got other wives right now whose husbands are gone. They don't know how to communicate to their kids. What advice do you have for them?

[00:25:20] Sally Pederson: Well, you know, I, and I say it for this, for, for people who are single parents, but even, even those who are divorced and separated, like don't say bad things about your spouse, ex spouse, ex partner, like you're the, the parent of, Your child, like you loved that person at one point, whatever had happened, the arguments, the fights, the betrayals, the, the leaving, whatever it may be.

[00:25:47] Sally Pederson: I, I, I don't understand when people start saying bad things about their ex. Or, or their, their child's parent, I always, and I get mine was a bit different, but I, I could have said, well, he shouldn't have been involved in this, or he shouldn't have done that. And, you know, he was bad and, and, and then she assumes like she's taking all that in.

[00:26:09] Sally Pederson: I, I always think there's always positive. And I just said, you know what? Daddy loved you very much. Something happened. He wouldn't have just left or, or walked out. And I think that's what every parent needs to do. Whether their, their spouse is with them or not, that it always should be, even if they do frustrate you.

[00:26:32] Sally Pederson: But we should never be saying bad, mean, or negative things about the parent, the other parent of our child. You know, when you're out with your friends, Fine, vent with your friends, say what you want about them, but when you're at home, in the house, your child's in the house, or you're at a, even a birthday party, you just don't say bad things about the other person.

[00:26:57] Sally Pederson: Because kids hear, or kids read body language, and they read into that. And, you know, life is tough, and even if they're not a great parent, they should, they'll figure that out when they get older. They'll know. They, they see things. They see how people act. But as they're young and growing up, we should always try to be the positive and say, well, you know what?

[00:27:17] Sally Pederson: They're doing their best. They're trying. I know they disappointed you, whether it's he or she. But, You know, and just, just to have those positive things being said and look for the positive things, because no matter what, there's, there's positive things in every person, you know, maybe daddy's trying really hard or mommy's been really sick, but you know, she loves you, whatever the situation is.

[00:27:40] Sally Pederson: You can always give a positive turn to it, no matter what. 

[00:27:45] David Pasqualone: Yeah. I mean, even Hitler, he was a great orator. He could lead the masses. He just chose the wrong way. So yeah. All right. So let's get back to Sally. So now you're a single mom. You have a daughter. You're not sure where life's going. It's 2003, 2004.

[00:28:05] David Pasqualone: Where does your life go from there, Sally? 

[00:28:08] Sally Pederson: I started a business because I had to do something. My husband supported us quite well. I mean, I was, you know, my, so my, because my daughter was young, I was just getting back into work and just doing waitressing to have some, adult communication and and some some time away.

[00:28:27] Sally Pederson: And I knew that just wasn't that wasn't going to pay the bills. And I also did some first aid and CPR teaching casually at one of the Universities in Calgary at the time. And so I kind of figured, wow, when I'm teaching, I'm getting paid so much. And I know the school's charging X amount, and there's so many students.

[00:28:49] Sally Pederson: And I'm like, I need to be. Doing my, my own business. And so I, I started up my own safety consulting and training company. And, and I find that it's, it's what I do when,

[00:29:06] Sally Pederson: when I guess when, when things happen that, that are tough, when I hit rough patches, it's And things that are stressful, I really kind of throw myself into work. I start new projects, I do things, I keep myself busy. And so I started a company and I started teaching more first aid and CPR courses because I was certified and already doing it at the school.

[00:29:28] Sally Pederson: And it really, it was good because It allowed me to then make up my own schedule. And I also had a lot of help from my parents and his parents. So they really kind of came together as a community to, to help. So if I had to teach class and they would help like pick her up from school or Do kind of family things and, and would help out as, as I [00:30:00] started and, and got running that, that company and, and ended up you know, it ended up doing quite well and it, I had it for, for gosh, almost, I was teaching for almost 20 years in total.

[00:30:12] Sally Pederson: So, so quite a, quite a bit of, of time. And Yeah, I just, I think people in the human body and medicine are quite interesting as well. And so that's, that's what I did. And I just, it was good because it gave me a lot of flexibility. And so I was kind of that working from home before working from home was even a thing 20, 20 ish years ago.

[00:30:40] David Pasqualone: Nice. And then did you end up selling the business? Did you end up partnering? What did you do with it? 

[00:30:45] Sally Pederson: I, I ended up selling, selling it many years later. Like, so let's see, back in about 2011, I decided it was time for me to, to leave Canada. So about 2011, it was a series of events, again, that happened within about, I would say within about two ish years.

[00:31:10] Sally Pederson: So I was finally at the point where I could get a court ordered death certificate. for my husband. So I had to go through the process and go to court and they had to have reasonable belief that he, he was deceased. So I got that and then I had, and it was around that time too, I, I was dating a guy for several years and, and I think in part With the death certificate and the ending, and there was a few things.

[00:31:42] Sally Pederson: So that, that ain't that relationship had ended, which then again was a little bit tough on my daughter because he was around for a long time and we were living together and we were together for several years. And so that relationship ended and it started to go on some dates with a guy who I met who was good friends with, with my husband.

[00:32:04] Sally Pederson: You know, back that 20, 20 years ago, just, and, and then he died of an aneurysm. And I just thought, you know, like, I, I really just need to get out of Canada. Like, I just need a break. So those, that, that was a pretty short time. And I had my company. And so I thought at first, Maybe I'll expand safety consulting and training because we dealt with in the construction industry mostly, and was initially going to expand down into the United States.

[00:32:34] Sally Pederson: So I can go to the States. I can still have my business. It's very close, probably just California area. And I had a, A guy who did some teaching for me and stuff like that, and he was a lot into health and safety and did some training. And he said, well, I can be your business partner. I'm like, okay, we could kind of work something out.

[00:32:55] Sally Pederson: And then about a week or two before I was supposed to leave or plan to leave for the States and I was going to visit my friend. He said, well, let's, let's meet for I can't remember if it was breakfast or lunch. And and he said to me, he said, So you know, I'm absolutely still willing to, to be your business partner.

[00:33:14] Sally Pederson: But I think to do it, it would be best if we pretend we're a couple. You pretend to be my fiancé. And I'll buy you a, a big ring. And I'll buy a house. And I'll send your daughter to any private school that you want, anywhere in the world. And when she's done school in five years, if, you know, you're not happy with how things are going, then, you know, we can dissolve the company and I'll give you 2 million and we'll split up.

[00:33:48] Sally Pederson: I'm like, how does that make sense? Like, well, because then we're strong business partners. Like then people won't try to like break up the business or come between us or something. And I said, that is ridiculous. Like in my head, I'm not going to lie for a minute. I'm like 2 million. Then I thought, I'm a little bit old school, I remember there was that movie Indecent Proposal with Demi Moore, and it's like, she got a million for one night, you want five years for two million?

[00:34:16] Sally Pederson: You know, just as a, cause I was just like, you're, and I, and I, and I said, and this person, this man was married with children. And I'm like, not only are you going to ruin your family unit, And I just thought for me, I thought so many things that one was late. I'm not for sale, but that's the biggest, like, no, I'm, I'm not for sale.

[00:34:44] Sally Pederson: The second one was, what if I actually, then in five years time, I met somebody and I met somebody I really liked and we really, and then to say, Oh no, this is, this is just pretend. Cause he's paying me. What kind of person am I? [00:35:00] If I accept that and say yes to that, and then on top of that, for my daughter to be like, Oh, honey, it's, we're just pretending because we're going to have this stuff, a house.

[00:35:13] Sally Pederson: And, and then, well, he wanted to ship her off to boarding school. Yeah. I was going to ask you, 

[00:35:17] David Pasqualone: he wanted to ship your daughter off to boarding school. 

[00:35:20] Sally Pederson: And then, you know, but you're, you're going to go to boarding school and we'll have this, but then, you know, if, if I, I'm not convinced in five years or whatever, like it's all made up.

[00:35:30] Sally Pederson: But then, then mommy will have 2 million. Like it was just wrong on every single level that I could think of. And of course I was like, no. And then he disappeared. So then I just thought, you know, I have, I have a house in Costa Rica. It was bought years ago for kind of my retirement is where I was going to retire.

[00:35:55] Sally Pederson: So I just thought that's it. We're moving to Costa Rica. And within about a month, I had bought three one way tickets, one for me, one for my daughter and one for our dog. And, and I was just like, that's it. I've had enough with North America. I am done with you. And we up and moved to, to Costa Rica. 

[00:36:19] David Pasqualone: Nice. And how did you like it there once you arrived?

[00:36:23] Sally Pederson: It was, it was good. The first thing I had to do was figure out where my daughter was going to go to school. School year had already started. So that was kind of the first thing. And I mean, there were, there were challenges. We didn't know anybody. We didn't speak Spanish. For me, it was what I, I really needed.

[00:36:42] Sally Pederson: I needed that change. For her, it was harder because going from a city of over a million people to the town of 10, 000, where you don't speak the language and your classroom is now Seven, six, seven people instead of 30. So. And she's like what, 

[00:37:00] David Pasqualone: 14? 13. 

[00:37:01] Sally Pederson: 13. Yeah. Yeah. So not great for her. She, for a while, she said Costa Rica was the worst time of her life.

[00:37:11] Sally Pederson: She spent about four years there now that she's older when I, and I've talked to some of her friends and I said, Oh yeah. She said like, she hated Costa Rica is the worst time. And they said, really? Don't say that to us. It seemed like she enjoyed it. I said, well, hopefully her perspective has changed.

[00:37:26] Sally Pederson: But at the time the time it was tough. I mean, we, and we went back to Canada often because I still had my company and my business and holidays. We would go back and then she would go back for the summer because then when she was. When she was 14, she could have a summer job. So she would go back to Canada and stay with my mom and have a job.

[00:37:45] Sally Pederson: And, and, and she enjoyed that and then come back. But yeah, she, she really wanted to to move back to Canada. And I said to her, I said, you know, I mean, it was like legally you can, you're at the age, I can't force you. And she said, well, I want to have a real prom, not just, you know, graduate school with six people.

[00:38:06] Sally Pederson: I said, I get that. Like I can, I can understand that. And I said, but I, I can't go back. Like I'm just, I will be miserable. And then I, I hate winter. I just like, I, I, I know I won't be a good person. I won't be happy. I will probably drink too much. And I had gone through phases of drinking a lot. And I just knew, I just said, I, I can't, I can't go back.

[00:38:34] Sally Pederson: I said, so we're, we're at a situation where if I make you stay, you're not happy. If I go back with you, I'm not happy. So the only way we're both going to be happy as, as best can be, which will both not be happy is. For her to go back and I stayed in Costa Rica and that's what we decided to do. So she moved in with a friend of mine and went back and I stayed.

[00:39:01] David Pasqualone: And then how long did that last for? Was that, 

[00:39:03] Sally Pederson: Well, she's still in Canada. She stayed, she's, she's still there. It's, it's her home. It's her city. She, she loves it. Her friends are there. All of that. And I, I think I stayed in Costa Rica for about another year and a half. I'm not sure if it was even a full two years, and then it was just to the point I thought, I'm an empty nester.

[00:39:29] Sally Pederson: I'm 40. I, why am I here? And I, I did start to get a little bit bored because it's beautiful. It's a beautiful country. But being single by myself, it just, I had a feeling, if I stay, I'm going to stay single forever because it was just the way that I felt at that time. And so then I just started traveling more and then relocated to Spain, spent several years in Spain.

[00:39:55] Sally Pederson: I now also have a place in Montenegro. So I'm basically in, in Europe [00:40:00] most of the time, but I still do a lot of traveling and started a new company. And kind of moved, moved on to, I guess it was the next chapter of life. 

[00:40:12] David Pasqualone: Yeah. So where are you today and where are you headed next? 

[00:40:16] Sally Pederson: So today at this moment in time, I'm in Nashville, Tennessee.

[00:40:22] Sally Pederson: I do house and pet sitting. So I'm here taking after a cat looking after it. And I was not supposed to still be here. So the last kind of two years, it's probably been, have been, A little bit rough. My mom had been diagnosed with cancer. And so I'd been spending more time between Europe and Canada, probably about two to three times a year.

[00:40:46] Sally Pederson: She's had surgery on her lung. She's had her pancreas removed. And it's, it's gotten worse. So earlier, late last year in December, she called and cancer was back. And so she wanted me to come back. And so I went back. The end of January because I had a few things I had to do that I had planned. So I went back the end of January and that's been another battle within itself because part

[00:41:22] Sally Pederson: we would know for a while, like my mom would say stuff or do stuff and whether it was like my stepdad and I would look at each other or I'd talk to my brother and we would say, is she like mentally, is she, is she okay? She's. Not making much sense sometimes with the things that she would say and thoughts and stuff.

[00:41:41] Sally Pederson: And she, now we don't know exactly if it was the medication, like she did have some shrinkage in the frontal cortex of her brain, which is early stages of dementia, which leads to Alzheimer's. Doctors didn't, they said it was kind of normal at what it was, but we're like, It's, it's not because of, of how she was acting.

[00:42:02] Sally Pederson: And so anyway, it got to the point, so I was still in Canada and I was, I was doing some pet sits and stay and stayed at, at friends because just to give some space, because she was really, it just seems like she was really lashing out at the people that were around. So she wanted me to be there. And for the third time, as soon as she calls, I fly halfway around the world and I'm there for my mom.

[00:42:23] Sally Pederson: And. Then she accused me of having an affair with my stepdad. And so that was back in, I would say around April. So I, I, I had a pet sit in Austin that I had planned. So I went to that just thinking, you know what? She was like, she's crazy. Was it, it was ridiculous. And, and I thought, okay, she's just.

[00:42:53] Sally Pederson: Having a moment of craziness and I'll just give her some space and, and things will be okay. And so just before I left, I was talking with my daughter. I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna, I got a pet sit for a month down in Austin. I'm gonna, gonna go to Austin and just, you know, give grandma some space. And, you know, she's, she's dealing with it, but we knew like, she's like, some of the stuff she said was just crazy.

[00:43:13] Sally Pederson: And she said, yeah, well, grandma says, every time you come over, you're drunk. And I said, what? I said, I, I donate plasma every, I was going every Monday and Thursday and I would get like a juice box and some sugary treat candy things that I never eat. And so to give her space, I would still come over and visit and every Monday, Thursday, after I donate plasma, I would go by the house and give her the things that I got because she always liked them.

[00:43:41] Sally Pederson: Have a visit, sometimes stay for dinner, not always. And then I would leave and go back to my friends or if I was pet sitting there, the house that I was staying at there. And I said, that's ridiculous. Like I'm not drunk when I go over there. Like, that's absurd. He said, yeah, well, grandma says you are, and she wishes something would happen to you.

[00:44:02] Sally Pederson: I was like, what? She said, yeah. And I said, well, your grandma's crazy. Like she's literally starting to go crazy because that's ridiculous. And then obviously it hurt as well because it's like kind of mother wishes something would happen to their daughter. Like, and, and I was there to help, like, she's the one that called me.

[00:44:25] Sally Pederson: She wanted me to come and be at her appointments because I was. An emergency medical technician before, and that's how, and then I got into doing all the first aid CPR training. And so I knew like some medical stuff, I mean, not a doctor, but some, and she would always, and she wanted me there. And then I just thought, wow, to go from wanting me there to being like, now I'm having an affair with my stepdad and I'm always drunk and she wishes something would happen to me.

[00:44:54] Sally Pederson: It, it, it just, it was crazy. So. I went for [00:45:00] that pet sit in Austin. And while I was there, I found this one in, in Tennessee, that was for three months. And I thought, okay, well, mom's still not doing good. I'm not sure if I want to go all the way back to Europe because I mean, statistically she's beating the odds because at this point she was still alive.

[00:45:17] Sally Pederson: And in, when she called me in the December of last year, she was at stage four. Pancreatic cancer that has spread. So most times they, they say roughly four to six months is average. So of course I know average, there's people that don't last that long and there's, there's others that, that are longer.

[00:45:35] Sally Pederson: And so I thought, okay, well, I'll come to Nashville because then at least I'm still North America and I'm closer if need be. And so I was, Unfriended on Facebook, blocked, deleted, like no, no contact whatsoever. I would know what's going on a little bit because my brother would tell me because he even thought like, she's crazy.

[00:45:57] Sally Pederson: And it did get to the point that they kept her in the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation for, for 24 hours and they, they let her out at this point now. So it's been about five or five months since then. I talked to her once cause my brother's like, you like, she's getting really bad. You need to talk to her.

[00:46:17] Sally Pederson: You need to talk to her. And I said, okay, fine. So I phoned, talked with her and I said, well, keep me posted. I was a few weeks ago. No contact. They still haven't. And so I'm, I'm just giving space. So that's been a challenge. And then in the meantime, a month ago, I ended up in the hospital in the United States to undergo two emergency surgeries to remove a stone in my bile duct and then to have my gallbladder removed.

[00:46:44] Sally Pederson: And so I'm just due for, for follow up now, which is. They had to put in a stint, so I need another surgery to, to have that removed, probably within the next week or so. And, and then I'm deciding, oh, and the, and the lady that lives here is very sick. They're on holidays. They were supposed to be back, but she needs surgery, but she's not healthy enough for a surgery.

[00:47:08] Sally Pederson: So I've stayed longer here and said to them, like, I have the flexibility to stay longer. Not only it's, it's kind of working for me because I still need this other surgery, but I, I could get it back in Canada or back in, in Spain. So there's really been this last few months really a lot of unknown.

[00:47:31] Sally Pederson: And I say to my friends, like this year, this entire year since, since January, well, like pretty much since December, but since January, for sure, not one thing that I have planned. For this year has gone as planned. There's been changes, modifications, things happening, unexpected. Like, it's just been not my year.

[00:47:58] David Pasqualone: So what do you think about, we talked about how this is all about living life and not just existing. And like you said, you planned and nothing went to plan. 

[00:48:09] Sally Pederson: So 

[00:48:09] David Pasqualone: Sally, for our listeners, what encouragement or advice or steps, like, Hey, when I get out of balance and I'm stressed because nothing's going my way, then I remember and I bring myself back to balance.

[00:48:20] David Pasqualone: What are the steps you take to do that? So our listeners can too. 

[00:48:25] Sally Pederson: Well, I, I do have a belief in, in a few of the things that say everything happens for a reason, and you are exactly where you need to be. And even if sometimes I don't feel like I should be here I also think with what's going on now, I, and, and I'm, I'm You know, like the things aren't good with, with the homeowner.

[00:48:51] Sally Pederson: I mean, I'm going to be fine. My, my surgeries went well and they're, they're okay. But it's, it's another part of me that just says it's happening because for whatever reason I'm supposed to still be here. And whether it's because if I, and I think about it, if I, if I fly back to Europe, am I going to be there for three days and have to turn around and fly back to Canada?

[00:49:12] Sally Pederson: Am I, I'm, I'm here because this, for whatever reason is, is where I'm supposed to be for now. Make the best of it. There's, you know, it's, the weather's still great here. There's good things and, and, and it's just, it's finding those silver linings. Right. And the thing is, is we can't connect the dots in front of us because we don't know where the dots are going to be.

[00:49:36] Sally Pederson: Looking back, it's easier to connect the dots and go, Oh, well, this happened because of this. And because of that, this and this, and this happened you know, we think of things and it could be. That we think something is bad, but then we look back and we're like, oh, but if that happened, then that followed and that was a good thing.

[00:49:55] Sally Pederson: And then I met this person and I did this, or [00:50:00] you know, I bought that lottery ticket and won thousand dollars. Like it doesn't even have to be huge, but it's everything in my mind is everything is connected. And so, even though I don't know yet, and I don't know why, but I'm here for a reason. And And it could be, I never know, like, maybe I'll meet somebody next week.

[00:50:22] Sally Pederson: Maybe you know, maybe unfortunately. My mom, who's not doing well, really starts to go downhill quickly, and I'm a lot closer that I can hop on a flight and easily get back to Canada within hours, as opposed to if I'm in Spain, it's going to take a lot longer. If I'm at my home in Montenegro, it's going to take a lot longer, like at least 24 hours and four flights to get from one place to another.

[00:50:51] Sally Pederson: Maybe it's something else that I just don't know yet. But I, I believe in that you are exactly where you're meant to be, whether it's, I need to learn something. I need to do something. I need to meet somebody. I need to, I don't know, but I, I will know in the future. Because again, we can connect the dots going backwards, but we don't know where those dots are going to be in the future.

[00:51:18] David Pasqualone: Yeah, well said. I remember I had a poster when I was in high school that said, we don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. It just showed like God's hand holding the earth up, right? 

[00:51:28] Sally Pederson: Yeah. 

[00:51:29] David Pasqualone: Well, 

[00:51:29] Sally Pederson: he has me here for, I don't know why there there's, I, I believe there, there's a why, because I could have left.

[00:51:37] Sally Pederson: I could have said, no, you know what? Like, I just want to get back to Spain. I want to see my friends. I want to have surgery there. And I, I was waiting to do it there, but there was another plan because I was waiting, waiting, waiting. It was like, no, and that's how I ended up in emergency. Cause. I was like, I, and I had to get it done.

[00:51:56] Sally Pederson: And they said, I, you know, if, if I didn't, and if I didn't go in that it could have led to pancreatitis and sepsis and, and I, I could have died if I would have continued to wait. So there, there's always a, I, I believe there's always a reason. And, and it could just be like in some situations, a learning experience, but I'm still here because 

[00:52:21] David Pasqualone: I'm supposed to be.

[00:52:23] David Pasqualone: Amen. Well, how can we as a community help you best, Sally? What's next on your agenda or what's the next step in the plan as you have it? Even though the plans change every time so far, what's the next step in the plan? How can our reach, our listeners reach you, connect? 

[00:52:41] Sally Pederson: Well, I mean, like, I think the, even not, not to reach me.

[00:52:46] Sally Pederson: I mean, the, the best thing is be nice to people, be kind, pay thanks. Forward. If you can, like, buy, if you can buy somebody a coffee, smile, walk by somebody and tell them, that jacket looks great on you. That color looks amazing on you. Like, just, I just really think that we need a lot more niceness and kindness in the world.

[00:53:10] Sally Pederson: That's, that's the first thing. For me, I now have a company called Global Citizen Life, where I help people financially diversify globally. I help people move abroad relocate to different countries, full time, part time. And, and I have just some travel articles on, on my website. If people are just interested, maybe they don't want to move, but they're interested in maybe traveling to, to different countries and checking some things out, they can have a look there. It's called globalcitizenlife. org. But, but really it's, it's just, I think the world is, is really right now just missing empathy and kindness. Because we all have things in common. You can, we can sit down with somebody that we think we would have nothing in common and we can almost always find something.

[00:54:00] Sally Pederson: Whether it's an experience, a place we've been, something in common and everybody's going through something. Like we, we like to pretend we're all good and we put on the brave face because we need to and we have to. But everybody is or has gone through stuff. And so we just, we just need to be a little bit kinder to everyone.

[00:54:23] David Pasqualone: It sounds good. Share the love, right? That's 

[00:54:25] Sally Pederson: right. 

[00:54:26] David Pasqualone: So it doesn't mean we embrace sin. It doesn't mean we accept everybody and their sin, but we love everybody just like Jesus did. So well, Sally, it's been a true pleasure. Thank you for being here today between your birth and today. Is there anything we missed in your life story that you want to share or a final closing thought for our community?

[00:54:46] Sally Pederson: No, I think, I mean, we've, we've covered a lot. It's, it's been, it's been a, an interesting journey. Don't want to experience some of those things again, but again, I, I'm a believer that all of those things [00:55:00] that happen to us make us who we are. Even when there's times we think, what did I do to deserve this?

[00:55:08] Sally Pederson: It's that's the kind of the wrong questioning. It's what, what do I need to learn? How do I need to grow? What is this that I'm going to then take away from this to pass on to others? Because everything that happens has ripple effects and those ripples, we have no idea the people that have affected or we will affect with those ripples, good and bad.

[00:55:35] Sally Pederson: And so that's why, you know, I'm always silver lining, you know, try to find the good because there's, there's always something or, or empathy because people are just going through stuff and maybe, you know, they're frustrated. They, they do something or say something that just because of where they're at now, but it's not normally what they would do or say.

[00:55:57] Sally Pederson: So I think it's just having, having empathy and And sharing love, you know, like, like I said, just, it's amazing what you can do when you say to somebody, if you're walking down the street, just be like, that looks so good on you. And you give somebody a compliment, how much it not only brightens their day, but then as that ripple effect, they would say, Oh yeah, I was walking down the street.

[00:56:17] Sally Pederson: This person said this to me today. It was so nice. And then somebody was like, Oh wow, somebody there is, there is nice people in the world. That is so nice. And it's those ripples of that niceness and kindness. 

[00:56:30] David Pasqualone: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. It's definitely, there's so much negativity in the world everywhere we go that even the simplest gesture can make a life changed in a moment.

[00:56:41] David Pasqualone: So thank you for bringing that up, Sally. Thank you for being here today. Ladies and gentlemen, check out the show notes, get a link to Sally's website, check out what she's doing. Connect with her if you're thinking about traveling abroad and maybe even getting some property and Anything else she's doing, you know, check in and keep tabs on her.

[00:56:59] David Pasqualone: And we'll be hoping and praying that you get fully recovered from this surgery you had. I remember when we talked in the pre call, you had just had it. So I'm glad you're feeling better, but you still get that last piece of the puzzle, huh? 

[00:57:12] Sally Pederson: Yeah. One, one more. And it's, it's a simple procedure. So it's I'm, I'm doing great.

[00:57:18] Sally Pederson: So it'll, it'll be good and it'll go well. And, and then then I'll be back to a hundred percent. 

[00:57:24] David Pasqualone: Excellent. So ladies and gentlemen, like Sally's story shares, life is short. We never know what's going to happen. Follow God. Enjoy each moment. Make the most out of each day because you don't know where it's going to lead.

[00:57:38] David Pasqualone: And then like our slogan says, don't just listen to this great content, but do it. Repeat it each day so you can have a great life in this world. But more importantly, after the short 70 to years and eternity to come. So I'm David Pasqualone. This is our remarkable friend, Sally Peterson. Sally, thank you again for being on the Remarkable People Podcast.

[00:58:00] Sally Pederson: Thank you. 

[00:58:01] David Pasqualone: All right. Ladies and gentlemen, share this with your family and friends and those you think it'll help. We love you and we'll see you in the next episode.

The Remarkable People Podcast. Check it out.

The Remarkable People Podcast. Listen. Do. Repeat. For Life!.

The Remarkable People Podcast.