Jump Start Your Joy®

Welcome to Jump Start Your Joy's Top 10 of Season One. As I round out the 6th Season of the podcast, I found myself wanting to take a look back at how the show started. Season One was magical, and memorable in so many ways.

You can read the full episode notes on my website.

Here's the sampling of who you'll hear in this episode:

1. Kathleen Davies, from Episode 1. She is a preaching pastor in Houston Texas, and my former room mate at Yale Divinity School.

2. Matthew Wood, Senior Sound Editor at Skywalker Sound and the voice of General Grievous in the Star Wars universe. Matt and I attended grade school together, and he shares how George Lucas chose him for the General Grievous role. He was on Episode 3.

3. Molly Larkin, a life coach, and registered nurse. We discussed Loving Kindness in Episode 10.

4. Liz Ross, advertising agency veteran and past president of Periscope agency in Minneapolis. We talked about leadership and putting people first in Episode 21.

5. Lexi Koch, a life coach and farmer. We talked about the courage it takes to be vulnerable in life. She was on Episode 35.

6. Holly Becker is the powerhouse behind the blog Decor8, and founder of "Blogging Your Way." She came on to talk about how to find your voice, and joined me Episode 36.

7. Jennifer Lee is the author of "Right Brain Business Plan," and a great business coach. She was on Episode 38 and we talked about how to build a sustainable creative business.

8. Sharon Aldeguer is a body builder and an IT professional. She had a brain tumor removed, and suffered nerve damage during the surgery. She joined me to talk about hope in Episode 45.

9. Flylady Marla Cilley has a successful website and helps people reign in the chaos of their homes. She joined me for Episode 46, and we talked about how habits and routines can help you find more joy in life.

10. Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block, and founder of Remember Betty was my guest on Episode 20. He had released a new album "Look at Me," which benefitted his nonprofit which supports breast cancer patients. He shared about losing his mother, Betty, to breast cancer and his family, and the fans.

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Season 6 has been all about finding joy in the messy middle. In the season finale, I'm looking back and the 5 most memorable conversations I've had with guests over the last year. For each one, I'm sharing a bit about what stood out about our conversation, and, playing a bit of the episode so you can hear them explain things in their own words.

Dr. Jeff Speiss is the author of "Dying with Ease," and he joined me early on in the season. I love that he shared about what he's learned from working with people who are dying, and what we can all do to feel more joy while we are alive. He also talked how listening to someone in a difficult time is often the most profound gift you can give them. Tune in to our original full length conversation in episode 268.

Molly Knoderer and I went to high school together and played softball on the same team. She's a co-owner of Legacy Concierge Services, and an author. Her business works with finding care for the elderly, both in working with families and with aging people. I loved that she shared about overcoming obstacles and self doubt. And she also talked about some of the lessons she's learned about how to face hard times (like 9/11) from working with elderly clients. Listen to our whole conversation right here in episode 270.

Lan Cao, and her daughter, Harlan Margaret Van Cao wrote an amazing memoir together title "Family in Six Tones." As an immigrant from Vietnam during the Vietnam war, Lan Cao has interesting perspectives on belonging and family. She shared about how learning the syntax of English as a child gave her a framework for understanding complexities in life, and she talks about how that layered in to her understanding of her daughter as a high school student. You can listen to episode 274 by clicking here.

Erica Courdae is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant, and a life coach, and small business owner. She is also the host of Pause on the Play. I had the pleasure of meeting her in 2019 and was really inspired by her talk about "Imperfect Allyship" at She Podcasts. I loved having Erica come on to share what imperfect allyship looks like, and how we can all approach anti-racism in a way that leaves room for honest mistakes as individuals grapple with difficult topics in an earnest way. Listen to episode 283 here.

Sonya Renee Taylor is the author of "The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love," and Radical Executive Officer of The Body is Not An Apology, a digital media and education company promoting radical self-love and body empowerment as the foundational tool for social justice and global transformation. It was a true joy to have her on the show, and I loved that she shared about how she defines radical self love. And, I was inspired hearing her talk about she only "gives from her overflow" in regards to activist work. You can listen to this whole delight-filled conversation here on episode 287.

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1. Introspection - Using the tools above, or working with a coach, a mentor, or a journal can provide a lot of insight for you. It's also important that you take time to heal any sort of past trauma or issues that might be making it hard for you to define or get in touch with your passions.
2. Just start moving and working on things. Lots of times people think that they need to have everything all figured out before they can take the first step. Instead, think of the first logical step and give it a try.
3. Let your passion stand on it's own. If you're interested in something, give it a try. Sometimes, instead of taking a first step, you may think that you need to have a plan to monetize a hobby, or have an end goal in mind for why you'd begin working on it. Passion and creativity are often most joyful when they are done for the sake of being fun and playful. You don't need an end "result" on the horizon to begin.
4. It's OK to make bold moves. You often learn the most when you try something that is out of your comfort zone. Many people worry that they will "fail" when they try something they haven't done before. What if you removed that idea from the equation, and decided that there was no such thing as failure when it comes to following your passion?
5. It's OK to "go back" to something if your first try doesn't work the way you'd planned. If you are working on building a business, and it doesn't work the way you'd envisioned the first time, it's OK to go back to work that supports you and your family. There's no shame, and nothing lost in continuing your quest as a side hustle, or starting over with a new focus.
6. Notice if you've had "enough." You might discover that something that once brought you joy no longer does. Or, you might realize that you've had enough at a job that isn't serving you, or that you're no longer interested in continuing a hobby or a business that you once enjoyed. This is natural and part of being human.
7. Look for the pivot points. I also call this being "well planned and loosely held," but notice when you see something shifting before your eyes in your plans. Often times, as you begin to build something your focus changes. You can also shift your business or your hobby or your interests to match those changes.
8. Follow what feels right. If you've grown tired of doing something, stop. If something else feels interesting or bring you joy, do that. Resist staying with something just because you "should."
9. The universe will give you opportunities to show you that you can do it. As you begin to grow your hobby or your passion or business, you'll see that the universe will show you that you're very capable of doing something. Looking back, you'll be able to see that you overcame challenges to get to where you are. Stop to celebrate those wins. You grow and change as your interests do, and it's always good to notice that you did something you once thought might be impossible.
10. You'll get more of something when you're ready. This may have to do with manifesting, or with growth. You'll see that once you've got a grasp of how to do something, you'll often be faced with opportunities that allow you to grow. Be intentional about the growth. You might find that old versions of what you thought you wanted resurface. It's OK to say no to things that don't fit you, anymore

Resources

Brene Brown’s “Living Our Values” Exercise

ClaimPodParity List and Website

Jen Edds of Brassy Broadcasting Company (she created the #ClaimPodParity song)

Heather Hall, Coach for Introverts

Interview with Lauren Artress about Labyrinth

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for mindbodygreen, and she has just released the amazing book, Return to Nature: The New Science of How Nature Landscapes Restore Us. In it, she shares the different kinds of landscapes, how they effect your mental health, studies about why they improve your mental health, and things you can do to counter-act the effects of climate change on these landscapes. This discussion fits so well into this month’s theme of “finding home,” and I hope you love this conversation about the return to nature with Emma Loewe.

Read the full show notes on my website.

In this episode, Emma Loewe and I talk about:

• How the idea of this book came about
• A profound memory Emma has of a maple tree in her yard growing up, and why many of us have anchoring memories that revolve around nature.
• My resonance with the landscapes of oceans and coasts and forests and trees.
• What a forest bath is, and how to experience one
• The fractals in trees, and why that is soothing to humans
• How to handle grief and anxiety over climate change in an effective and non-overwhelming way

Resources

Emma Loewe’s book, “Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us” on Bookshop.org

Emma Loewe’s website

Emma Loewe on Instagram

Love the show, and what to show your support?

Buy me a cup of coffee, and I'll give you a shout out on the next episode.

In this episode of Jump Start Your Joy, I’m so excited to welcome Heather Hall, a transformative Leadership Coach, strategic Executive Coach, and evocative Spiritual Director whom I met through CLCC. She’s also the author of Step Up and Stand Out: 20 Tips for Aspiring Introverted Leaders. Heather helps aspiring introverted leaders, and their managers, connect with their voices and values to bring their ideas and vision to life. I hope that you enjoy this episode about stepping up and standing out for introverts with Heather Hall.

In this episode, Heather and I discuss:

• What is an introvert, extrovert, and ambivert? What goes on inside the mind of an introvert?
• How discussions around “following your passions” puts pressure on introverts to prove themselves or go for something seemingly larger than life.
• The corporate world was created by extroverts for extroverts. So, how do you navigate leadership as an introvert?
• Why Heather wrote Step Up and Stand Out and the lessons she’s learned throughout her corporate career.
• How workplace boundaries can improve your quality of life, your relationships with co-workers, and even prevent burnout.
• The power of saying “tell me more” before accepting opportunities or new commitments.
• Tips and advice for transitioning from a specialist role to a leadership-focused management role.
• How introverts give away their power at work and how to fully own your introverted skillset without people-pleasing or perfectionism.
• Networking, collaborating, and creating effective partnerships with extroverts.
• How to cultivate more joy in life.

Resources:

Heather Hall’s website: Discover with Heather

Step Up and Stand Out: 20 Tips for Aspiring Introverted Leaders by Heather Hall

Connect with Heather on LinkedIn

ClaimPodParity List and Website

Love the show, and what to show your support?

Buy me a cup of coffee, and I'll give you a shout out on the next episode.