Jump Start Your Joy

In this episode of Jump Start Your Joy, I am interviewing William J. Peters. He is the founder of the Shared Crossing Project and the director of its research initiative. He is the author of the new book, "At Heaven's Door: What Shared Journeys to the Afterlife Teach about Dying Well and Living Better." Recognized as a global leader in the field of shared death studies, he has spent decades studying end of life experiences. He is a practicing grief and bereavement therapist, and he holds degrees from Harvard and UC Berkeley. In this interview, we are talking about understanding shared death experiences. Read the show notes on my website. In this episode, William J. Peters and I discuss the definition of The Shared Death Experience Near Death Experiences An NDE (near death experience) that occured to William in his teenage years His new book, "At Heaven's Door" The research he has done on death, dying, and shared death experiences My own personal story of a shared death experience The work he does with the

I'm delighted to have guest Tami Hackbarth back for a second interview on Jump Start Your Joy. Tami is the host of a hundred percent guilt-free self-care podcast, and she runs a very successful coaching business where she works with women to help them define and follow up with self care. In this conversation, we're talking about taking the best care of yourself by addressing "deferred maintenance." In this episode, Tami and I talk about: how to approach deferred maintenance. what happens when you leave things unattended in your life, and how they can cause problems when they are not addressed. These can include getting the right amount of sleep, or getting basic checkups for your health. that taking care of the basics honors our future senior citizen selves, as it allows us to remain healthy and independent as we age. how our bodies change as we enter our 30s and beyond, and how it's important to intentionally make time and space for our own daily care the decline in muscle mass that all women experience

Signe Myers Hovem is a spiritual counselor, an energy worker, and the author of The Space in Between: An Empaths Field Guide. In this interview on Jump Start Your Joy podcast, we are talking about empaths and highly sensitive people (HSPs). If you are a highly sensitive person, or if you have a sense that you may be an empath, then I think you're going to get a lot out of this conversation (which ties so closely to this season's theme of intentional comfort on the podcast). HSPs and empaths notice the energy around people and places and things, and this can be overwhelming to them. The Empath's Field Guide, and this conversation, offers a lot of insight on how to manage your energy, hold space, and work with your gifts. In this episode, Signe Myers Hovem talk about: What it means to be a functional empath. The difference between empathy versus being an empath. Exploring what it means to identify as a highly sensitive person. The power of our words and what we choose to call things. Minding your energy,

I truly enjoyed getting to speak with Jonni, and felt myself sinking into the conversation in a deep way. One of the most inspirational parts of the discussion for me was when we walked through the Four Golden Insights, which are the pillars for the work Jonni does. Life is Sacred Love is our Nature – we serve, nature, and find connection Wisdom is our Power – Jonni talks about finding the intelligence of love, and reconciling the appearance of resistance and opposites. We also talked about “embodied leadership power, which equals the ability to influence the environment around us.” Wisdom can enliven and awaken the truth of who we are 4. Fulfillment is our Purpose – we find our purpose by fully understanding who we are Resources Jonni Pollard’s website The Golden Sequence by Jonni Pollard on Amazon   Jonni Pollard and I talk about: His earliest sparks of joy as a child – playing with other kids, playing games, and any kind of games where he could evolve and find excitement Being a multipassionate, where

Intentional Comfort is the theme of this season, and in this episode I'm taking inspiration from Priya Parker's Art of Gathering, and using her 3 rules of gathering to consider new ways to reconnect with what nourishes, fortifies, and supports you.  While her Ted Talk is about how to interact in groups and gatherings in new ways, I find that her rules and thoughts offer insights on how to connect with yourself, and how to determine what is meaningful to you when looking for intentional comfort. Here are the basics of what I'm covering: Don't leave it to chance This is the intentional part of things. If we leave the relationship and connection we have to and with ourselves to chance, it's far too easy to focus on the basics and logistics of life, and ignore time for self care. If you're longing for more time for yourself, or time to do thoughtful, comforting things, schedule that time in. Embrace your purpose For many of you, especially over the stretch of the pandemic, you may have developed some habits that

Stasia Savasuk is an amazing style coach, and the super power behind Stasia's Style School, The REVEL-You-Tion, and Wear Our Word. She helps women find "inside out congruency," which is all about how you can do the inner work to define your values, and match those in the clothes that you choose to wear. I've thoroughly enjoyed her leadership over the last year, and her program encourages beautiful, authentic growth that has people shining from the inside out. In this episode, Stasia and I talk about: - Bell Hooks' book, "All About Love" - Self-regulation, and how to regulate when you feel triggered - How Stasia chooses themes for her REVEL-You-tion program - Inside-out congruency: Who are you on the inside, and how can you reflect that on the outside? - Becoming happy with yourself now, just as you are - The BS of the standard cultural beliefs around what is beautiful - Why community is important in making change - Why self acceptance is so important and how it is life changing - Why New Years Resolutions don

I am delighted to be joined for a second time by Marsha Flowers, who is the owner of Five B and Co Candles, and the newly launched Little Bee Scents. In our conversation, she shares how she has listened to her heart to expand her business in new ways. After thinking about what she likes best about candle making (the creativity, creating scents, and community), she realized that she also wanted to help other candle makers (and soap makers too!) bring their dreams to life. In the spirit of mentoring and helping others in the field she loves so much, Little Bee Scents was born. In this episode, Marsha and I talk about: The launch of Little Bee Scents and becoming the candlemaker for Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City. How she is helping people get creative and produce quality products by offering custom scents for them to use in their own business, without having to buy a large minimum order Why Marsha wanted to change things up in her business The process of crafting scents that match the smell of beer,

Jacqualyn Jackson is the small business owner behind Investment Inspectors, LLC, who provides home inspections, home healings, and sound baths. Jacqualyn has embraced her multi-passionate personality by leaning into several of the things she loves to do: offering objective findings for people buying or selling a home, and in nourishing the more spiritual side of things in providing home healings and sound baths. I’m delighted to share how she’s woven these unique offerings into a single business that integrates with her personal values. Between 11/26/21 and 12/06/21, Jacqualyn is offering a sale on all Home Healing Services (including Sound Baths!) for virtual services in 2022. In this episode, Jacqualyn and I talk about: Jacqualyn’s early passions and why dance sparked joy in her as a child  What led her to home inspections as a career and why she became so fascinated by the art of spiritual energy protection for homes How Jacqualyn clears negative energy from a home What people may notice if they have bad

It's episode 300!! I'm sharing my top 3 reflections of having a podcast (and a business) over the past 7 years. Hear stories about staying inspired, how to remain consistent, why just starting is the hardest, and all about the magic of trying new things. Thank you to YOU for tuning in, for sharing JSYJ with others, and for bringing joy into the world. I am sending you love, and wishes for comfort and joy. Over the past 300 episodes, I've had some learnings and find myself reflecting on them. Here's what I know to be true: 1. Just start.  Whatever it is that you're longing to do, take that first baby step. The first step is always the hardest, and it's often the thing that keeps us from moving towards our purpose and our dreams. Recognize that it's likely fear that's holding you back, and that fear just wants to keep you safe. That doesn't always serve you, or your dreams. And, if you're already doing "the thing," you might find yourself dragging your feet to take future steps. Sometimes I dread editing my own

Andrea Scher has thrilled and inspired others for nearly twenty years through her award-winning blog Superhero Journal, her international workshops, her Creative Superheroes podcast, and her joyful e-courses. In this episode, we discuss Andrea’s new book, Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy Today, and how and she describes why this is the perfect time to tune into the small things that bring you joy. Read the full show notes on my website. Click here. In this episode, Andrea and I talk about: Why Andrea was inspired to write her book to inspire others to add more wonder and magic to their lives What a Wonder Seeker actually is and how wonder relates to joy Becoming braver and more resilient as you pivot your attention towards wonder and joy How Wonder Seekers create comfort by being open-hearted and cultivating a spirit of kindness and love  Some of the exercises in Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy Today and why 144 is her personal favori

Amy started Mimi’s Little Loveys after disability and chronic illness forced her to stop teaching and working with young children. She followed her heart and her own curiosity to create a business that honors her values, and allows her to take care of herself. Amy joins the show to talk about how she's found intentional comfort, and built a life that supports her, and allows her to do the things she loves. In this episode, Amy and I talk about:   The single thing that Amy brought with her after her marriage broke down and how it became the key to her new life What brought Amy sparks of joy growing up in a large family Amy shares how she came up with the business name and who her little loveys are We reflect on why it’s often a more extended and quieter journey to finding our own comfort and joy and why it’s vital to understand the importance of taking care of ourselves  How getting involved with the community during in-person events made Amy feel like part of another type of supportive family  The shifts Amy

What is Intentional Comfort? Why is it important? I'm sharing 3 conversations that paved the way for comfort to be the season 7 theme. Tune in to hear from Jenn Oglesbee, Ilene Smith, and Julia Samuels and learn more about what intentional comfort. In this episode, I'm taking a look at some of the foundational conversations that paved the way for me to choose a theme of intentional comfort and joy for season seven here on the podcast. 1. One was with Jenn Oglesbee, who is a life coach and a licensed clinical social worker. We had three conversations on Instagram Live over the summer (which you can find at my Instagram account: conversation 1, conversation 2, conversation 3). 2. Ilene Smith, the author of Moving Beyond Trauma who shared that the last 18 months have been a trauma vortex in a discussion we had in season 5. Listen to the full discussion with Ilene Smith here.  3. Julia Samuel, who is a psychotherapist who specializes in grief and wrote the book, Grief Works. She and I spoke about the importance

Pamela Seelig began her yoga journey more than 25 years ago when an illness (Bell's Palsy) interrupted her Wall Street career. As part of her recovery from that diagnosis, she she began meditating and it brought her some amazing results. Not only did it speed up her recovery, but the impact of meditating at during that time in her life led to a lifelong pursuit of sharing yoga wisdom with others. In this interview, she joins me to talk about Stress Relief, Meditation and "Threads of Yoga," her new book. What that means for you is whether or not you are currently practicing yoga, there will be something for you to glean from this conversation. We talk about: The importance of breath and breathing to calm down Calming your nervous system. Meditation and the various kinds of meditation that can help you deal with every day stress Santosha, which means contentment or gratitude in Sanskrit Breath practices to try right now, or anytime you need to re-center Her new book I feel like this weaves in so beauti

Comfort and Joy is the new theme for Season 7 and I'm thrilled to sharing all about "intentional comfort." After spending time in the messy middle, over the last 18 months our nervous system needs a pause and a reset and some intentional comfort. So that's what we're looking at in this episode. Here's what you'll find: 1. Intentional Comfort: It's the mindful activity of embracing comfort, and finding down time for yourself. It's important because we're all been in a "trauma vortex" since early 2020. (hat tip Ilene Smith) 2. What's the messy middle? (it's this weird undefined time we've been in, where we don't fully know when this pandemic will end, and know that we can't get back to where we were.) 3. It's time drop the idea that we should embrace "courage over comfort" or "living your big bold life" without balance of intentional comfort. 4. Introverts and highly sensitive people need to slow down and embrace comfort to be in a good place in their lives. 5. That we need comfort for comfort's sake. We need t

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 talk

Stasia Savasuk is an amazing style coach, has an outstanding Tedx Talk, and is the founder of Stasia’s Style School. She’s joining me on the show, and I’m delighted to share this interview. We giggled our way through our discussion, and had a hilarious time talking about style, what lights us up, how to find what kinds of styles fit YOU, and, all about Stasia’s inspiring story of becoming an entrepreneur. In this episode, Stasia and I talk about: Her early entrepreneurial work as a child, collecting and selling worms How she broke up with style, and wore very bland clothing for many years That one size fits all is bullshit How to discover style that works for you and reflects who you really are How to get in touch with who you really are What it looks like to belong to yourself How her differently abled child has taught her so much about inside out congruency Her thoughts on how to jumpstart your joy: asking yourself how you want to show up, don’t participate in body shaming, and getting outside Resources S

Andrea and I are talking about the many ways that you can make some noise, own your strengths, and speak your mind. It’s a big topic, and it could not come at a better time. At the heart of making noise is first getting comfortable with accepting the unique things that make you great. I know that many times, it feels more comfortable to play down your strengths because maybe somewhere back in your childhood or formative years you were told that you shouldn’t bring too much attention to yourself, or “brag” about what you are good at. The thing is, that’s all a bunch of BS. Each person on this planet has a very unique set of talents and gifts, and it’s your job to uncover them and share them with others. When you get stuck in the messaging that you need to hide your talent or play down what you do best, it means that you are not owning all of who you are. And it means that you are playing into fear: the fear that you’re not enough and the fear of outshining others. The truth is that no one wins when you hide yo

John McEuen reached out to share 2 new songs with us, and I'm releasing "Hey Joe" with the Oak Ridge Boys, and "Back in History" with John Russell in this episode as we listen to John talk about his book, the Life I've Picked. I could not be more excited to share this week’s interview. John is one of the most celebrated and best known banjo players in the world, and has had a long and exciting career in music. It was amazing to get to speak with him about his book, “The Life I’ve Picked,” his early days at the magic shop in Disneyland (where he became friends with Steve Martin), and about being the first American musical group to tour Russia in 1977.  I also loved getting to hear about John’s creative process, and how much he delights in creating music to share with others. You can hear the joy in his voice as he talks about his experiences. Plus, he talks about “bone records” which made to bootleg music into Russia in the 70s, and that is not something you are gonna hear on any other podcast today. Get all t

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

A lot of people are talking about FOMO, especially as the US is opening back up after the pandemic. As everything and everyone starts to come out of quarantine and shelter in place, and we are feeling safer about being in public, it seems that a lot of people are feeling he push to rush back into life, and, rush back to returning to life at the same pace we'd all been keeping in the end of 2019 (if not faster). And, many people are layering this return to "normal" with an urgency to catch up for "lost" time, or, trying to cram in more during this time because we fear what's to come after losing so much over the past 16 months. Because 2020 was a total sh*tshow, it's reasonable to be cautious and concerned, but I think it's amping up our anxiety. In this episode I'm sharing about how it's OK to slow down, and it's also totally OK to Opt Out during this transition time. Maybe you realized that you like a slower pace of life while you were in quarantine. Maybe you discovered you needed more quiet time for yourse