143. Nurturing New Seeds After PTSD Uprooted Us with Luvyna Mantle

FINE is a 4-Letter Word

Building your family and your life is like planting, nurturing, and harvesting crops on a farm. You put a lot of effort, a lot of heart, and a lot of energy into it, hoping your knowledge, wisdom, and patience deliver a bumper crop that fills your pantry and allows you a life of comfort, security, and happiness.

You may have heard the expression “Man plans, God laughs.” My version of that, of course, is Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

That’s how things went for Luvyna Mantle, who saw the crops she had patiently planted and nurtured ripped out by the roots just when she thought the harvest was about to come in.

Luvyna was raised with the values of hard work, sacrifice, and frugality by parents who owned a ranch in Kansas. Her father gave up his corporate job and her mother gave up becoming a global journalist to go all-in with the ranch.

In college, Luvyna met a man who, unlike the folksy cowboys and farm boys she was used to dating, showed up driving a sleek sports car and listening to rap music. In contrast to her stable upbringing, his parents were divorced and he received little accountability as he was shuffled between his parents and relatives. On their first date, they barely said 3 words to each other.

Funny, though - they got married at ages 19 and 18 and due in part to Luvyna’s values around money management and avoiding debt, they had a house and a lot more spending money than typical teenagers. Her husband went into the military to become a careerist. This meant following him to his assignment in Germany and giving up her studies – which she was fine doing.

Fine… yes… Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

Right before they shipped out, her husband suffered an injury and was unable to get proper treatment due to his responsibilities. Before long, it became apparent that his dreams of a military career would come to naught, and the family, which now included their infant son, would be coming back to Kansas.

But then COVID kept them stuck in Germany. Eventually, Luvyna was able to return to the States, but because of his condition, her husband had to stay longer. So for nearly a year after she returned to Kansas, Luvyna and her husband were separated except for one three-week furlough.

Once he was home for good, her husband seemed an entirely different man. While he got along fine with their second child, he constantly berated and flipped out on their toddler who was acting out with aggressive behaviors. Luvyna was afraid to leave her kids alone with their dad and scared that if she went out and came home, she’d find her husband dead. Something had to give.

The spoiler alert? Luvyna and her husband are still together and are actually happier than they’ve ever been. How does THAT work? What changed? And how has her experience inspired her to help other military families?

Luvyna’s hype songs are "The Man" by Taylor Swift and "Kings & Queens" by Ava Max.

Resources:

• Luvyna Mantle’s website: https://mantleandco.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luvyna-mantle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mantleandco
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mantleandco/
• Get Luvyna Mantle’s interactive cost-comparison that helps you save money marketing and selling your services: https://mantleandco.com/fg-funnels-vs-current-set-up--saved

Invitation from Lori:

If, like Luvyna, it feels like all the crops you’ve planted got ripped up right before harvest, the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide could be the batch of seeds you need to start over and plant anew.

Once you read it, you’ll

✅ Discover a counter-intuitive approach to making intentional changes in mindset and lifestyle.

✅ Learn how to own your feelings and your struggles so you can address them.

✅ Find out how to face fears, step out of your comfort zone, and rewire your beliefs.

It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. Using what you discover, the lament of seeing your almost-ripe harvest strewn about may be quickly replaced with a drive to clear and till the field to plant your next harvest.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start. The topsoil is ready to nurture your next crop, so let’s start planting seeds.

Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.

Now let’s meet Luvyna. Right over here, roaming through the field with her dog in tow, heading over to feed her chickens and cows. This sounds like fun!