Jump Start Your Joy

Click here to get email notifications for each episode.   Show Notes: Jess Ekstrom is the energetic CEO and founder of Headbands of Hope, and the developer of the Mic Drop Workshop. I had the pleasure of meeting Jess in Atlanta last year, and knew from the moment she shared the mission of her company (and it only further made me love her when she quoted Will Ferrell) that I wanted to talk to her more, and to have her on the show.   Jess Ekstrom and I talk about: Her earliest sparks of joy: food, and going on a scavenger hunt for a new skateboard that had her name spray painted on it How she started Headbands of Hope The insights she learned working for Make a Wish, and having met the owner of Toms shoes as she was creating her company Sometimes the things that are most earth shattering and game changing are the simplest How to get to inspiration from frustration Her Mic Drop workshop, and how it fills the need of having more women speakers at conferences and conventions Why we both love Will Ferrell and how

This week on the show, I’m taking a look at how I grew my business while working a 9 to 5 job. I’ll walk you through the inspiration, intention, and actions I took, and share reflections on how you can use these same tips to start or grow your own business.   Resources Do a Ten in Three. The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Kelly Denithorne is an educator, transgender advocate, and the blogger behind “Unordinary Style.” Kelly started her blog in 2010, and began it as a place to explore with her love of style while she was exploring women’s fashion. Born as a male, Kelly tried on several different titles for herself, from transvestite, to cross dresser, and then to transgender non-binary. In the last year, Kelly has begun teaching in her middle school as a woman, and has started the process of transitioning. In this episode, Kelly Denithorne and I talk about: Her earliest sparks of joy, hanging out with her sister Her experience of growing up as a male, and the confusion that she experienced around having unidentified gender variance Being a teacher, and transitioning from dressing as a male to dressing female this school year Seeking therapy with someone who specializes in gender variance The reactions of her students and parents to her presenting as a woman Her path to discovering her true self The role being a fashion blogger

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

This week, two big things hit me at once: the joy that comes naturally to children, and the Netflix special with Brene Brown, where she talks about the vulnerability that adults experience around joy, making it THE most vulnerable of emotions. What gives? The quick synopsis? Over time, we're conditioned to be cautious with our emotions, and we build up self doubt. What does it look like when you are wrangling a slow build up of self doubt? Eventually, this can lead to much of what many of us spend so long trying to unwind as you get into your adult life: Feeling like you are “too much” or “not enough” The impact of mean girls on your life Imposter syndrome, or, feeling like you’re a fraud and people are about to find out that you don’t know what you’re doing The “who am I to?” question that inner critics love so much Inner critics Resistance Feeling like you’re out of control Not trusting yourself to make decisions Confidence Self – image: how you dress and see yourself The good news? Once you recognize tha

The Inspiration of the Four Golden Insights 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   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 he reflected that he felt that the m

In Part 2 of the Season 4 Finale, host Paula Jenkins counts down the top ten most downloaded episodes. Listen to short clips from Jonni Pollard, Stasia Savasuk, Jess Ekstrom, Sharon Prentice, and Renee Linell and hear the favorite solocasts, too.   To get links to all of the episodes, click here.

Host Paula Jenkins takes a look at the top lessons, aha moments, and unexpected learnings of having been podcasting now for four years. There are tips, tricks, and lots of mindset and inspiration discussed in this Season 4 Finale.

Sister Michelle L’Allier is a Franciscan Sister from Minnesota, and I’ve had the absolute pleasure of getting to know her through leading retreats at San Damiano Retreat here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sister Michelle and I got to know each other over the course of several years, when she was the adviser for the retreat team I led. She’s a person that I feel so very lucky to know; she’s deeply spiritual and also approachable, meeting each person she encounters where they are. I’m really excited to have her on as the last guest of Season 4.   One of the things that I love about our discussion is that we dive into the question of “how do I be myself?” It’s a question that embodies the inspiration, intention, and action that have been the focus of this season. For Sister Michelle, the question of being herself led to the Franciscan faith, and an understanding of love, and what divine love means. For myself, I think that being myself means saying yes to Joy, listening to it, looking for it, and living by it.

Christy Tending is back for her sixth visit, and this time we’re talking about how our lives and businesses have recently evolved. It’s a living discussion, and one that started when we met to co-work at a cafe this summer and found ourselves diving into a conversation about how we’d recently had a very mindful and impactful experience of making decisions that have intrinsically changed who we are, and how we approach things.   In this episode, Christy Tending and I talk about: How things can reach a point where it’s no longer possible for you to continue doing what once worked for you How Christy quit drinking and the reasons why she chose to make that change The intrinsic connection between making decisions as a consumer, capitalism, and politics How I called bullshit on the idea that “the other shoe was about to drop” in my personal life and marriage How nagging is a choice, and how to stop nagging (zen moment: just stop) How you can create a business or an offering, or a podcast, by focusing on the thing

Learn the 7 things to consider when you're looking to follow your joy, passion, or bliss in creating a business or coaching practice. You CAN build a business that feels easy, you just need to take some key things into consideration. In this episode, I talk about: How to embrace letting things be easy Why you tend to add complexity to something The change in vibe and acceptance when you keep things simple and focused on what comes naturally to you How you can create a business or an offering, or a podcast, by focusing on the things that seem easy to you What’s easy for you is not necessarily easy for anyone else (and how that leads you to discount the power of what comes easily) Your zone of genius as explained by Gay Hendricks Don’t shy away from doing whatever feels easy for you The possible role of self doubt and the inner critic when you complicate things How to jumpstart your joy: petting puppies, listening more than you talk, and “eat the ice cream” Resources Join me at "She Podcasts Live" in Atlanta,

In this episode, I’m overjoyed to have EB Sanders joining me to talk about her work as a career coach, and how to design a career and a life that works for you. She has an amazing background of being a teacher, then a staffing and recruiting professional, and now she is a full time career coach helping creative people discover work that makes them happy. EB and I hit it off from the moment we said hello, and it was such a treat getting to pick her brain about how people design a career, as both a full time employee in a corporation, or as an entrepreneur. In this episode, EB Sanders and I talk about: Her joys of creating a book about being strong as a little girl Working with creative people to help them get to the next level of whatever they are working on in their lives The various definitions of what it means to be creative, from engineers to CPAs, to those trained in the traditional arts Her road to becoming a business coach: from teaching, to staffing and recruiting, to coaching How people approach want

This week on Jump Start Your Joy - I’m sharing all about how you can be both a planner, and allow room for creativity and spontaneity to play a role in your life or your business. As a planner at heart, I feel a sense of calm and “everything is right with the world” when I’m able to make a list, or, plan a trip. What I’ve come to discover after doing a podcast for awhile is that the magic of any creative process happens, though, when you make the plan and then don’t cling to it too tightly. I struggled with doing that for a really long time - of planning, but not needing to control the outcome once I’d figured out the plan. This week on the podcast I’m sharing how: You can make a plan, start working towards it, and leave yourself the space for creativity to take hold Set aside purposeful space to allow creativity to show up Become comfortable with releasing control of a situation Joy shows up when you leave room for it Artists Dates and how they can give you new ideas Trusting others can help you get your wo

Franny Burkey is a baker, shop co-owner, and pastry maker at the dreamy “Franny’s Cup and Saucer” in Point Arena, California. She whips up gorgeous cakes, delicious donuts, some amazing gluten free treats, all while working with her mom (and co-owner), Barbara. The shop itself feels like the embodiment of joy, with it’s sweet gifts, tasty treats, and loving atmosphere. When I started creating my list of who I wanted to interview for Jump Start Your Joy, Franny Burkey was definitely one of the first names I wrote down.   And, Franny herself is really one of the most joyous and endearing folks I’ve ever met, and so it was a real treat to get to chat with her for a bit about her childhood, her outlook on life (and business), and what she loves about her work. In this interview, you’ll hear about: – Franny’s childhood, growing up in Northern California, and having two parents in the food industry – How Franny comes up with flavors for her delicious Friday donuts

In this solocast episode, I’m exploring the topic of finding joy in uncertain times. In the midst of the shifting world events, I’ve felt weighed down recently. In this episode, I’ll talk about how it takes real courage to follow a muse like Joy in hard times, and following joy, and love, and our own hearts is more important now, than ever before. I’ve spent a lot of time mulling over why joy has felt so awkward recently, and why it still beckons me on. And, I’ve found a lot of uplifting quotes and thoughts from others to share with you, too. The six ways ways of finding joy in uncertain times I share in this episode are: 1. Define what’s true for you – regardless of what else may feel uncertain, what do you know is true for you, right now? 2. Take comfort that it’s perfectly OK (and natural) to grieve or feel sadness at the same time as you feel excitement or joy. 3. Take action: joy is an act of defiance and self care 4. Take action: caring for others spreads joy 5. Baby steps: Joy builds more joy. Little B

Jenny Mahan is a registered nurse and certified health and wellness coach, owner of Pine Creek Wellness, and a soap maker. Jenny works with people to help them reclaim their health in a way that invites them to reconnect with what delights and nourishes them. She lives on a farm in far northern Wisconsin and she is truly a multipassionate person - she’s also a singer and songwriter, author, jogger, and hammocker. It’s really a pleasure to have her on the podcast this week. In this episode, Jenny Mahan and I talk about: Her earliest sparks of joy as a child: music, being outdoors, and making things with her hands The role Outdoor Education played in her life Ecological design, and how she has looked for a reliable way to support her family The nurturing and comforting properties of plants and animals Therapeutic Communication and being a home care nurse What motivates people to make changes in their health How to plan for the challenges of life How to jump start your joy: by keeping what really matters in min

If you're starting a podcast, or another creative pursuit, you'll come across three things: Fear once you've said yes to the thing, Commitment to yourself, and, you'll run into a Nellie Oleson Moment. Mine just happened to be with Nellie herself! You can read the whole show notes here: www.jumpstartyourjoy.com/meangirl  

Kelly Denithorne is an educator, transgender advocate, and the blogger behind “Unordinary Style.” Kelly started her blog in 2010, and began it as a place to explore with her love of style while she was exploring women’s fashion. Born as a male, Kelly tried on several different titles for herself, from transvestite, to cross dresser, and then to transgender non-binary. In the last year, Kelly has begun teaching in her middle school as a woman, and has started the process of transitioning. The true inspiration that I see in Kelly is her dedication to being curious, and to “always be humble enough to learn.” As she and I spoke, it was clear that she is a powerful example of someone who is a lifelong educator, and learner. Inspired by another trans woman, Jessica Lynn, Kelly has started sharing her story so that other people can learn more about transgendered individuals, and to spread awareness. In this episode, Kelly Denithorne and I talk about: Her earliest sparks of joy, hanging out with her sister Her exper

Podcasting is a great way to get your voice, mission, or story out there, and it's changed my life completely. In this week's episode I'm sharing 10+ reasons you should start a show of your own if you're a life coach, doctor, or healer. Increases the know / like / trust factor with people quickly It’s a flexible way to express your creativity and interests Podcasting establishes you as an expert, and can provide you with a way to explore skill sets if you are coming back into the workforce after having kids) It’s a hobby that can grow into more (or doesn’t have to) It sets you up to network like a champ and make connections in an authentic way Itss fun, and playful, which makes it easier to do You can naturally grow your network Learn new skills in your area of interest by asking your questions from experts It's a media outlet like no other (you're in the same bucket with huge publishers) A show gives you something to talk about in your marketing, giving you topics to include in newsletters and social media

Zoha Abbas is the amazing powerhouse behind the site “Multidoer,” and she works with creative entrepreneurs to help them craft process in their businesses. Here’s what makes Zoha so interesting and special (and why she’s an entrepreneur after my own heart): she is a multipassionate herself, and has artfully meshed the worlds of creativity and organization together to create a unique business and offering. In this interview, Zoha Abbas and I talk about: Being a Multipassionate and starting a business How Multipassionates can balance work and life The separate aspects of being creative: both in money, and in art How to define your purpose by looking at your Values The Three Anchors that will help you create your own structure and process How people are motivated by different forms of accountability, and how to figure out what kind of accountability is right for you Why you should be using Values as a cornerstone for your business How to set up boundaries How to jumpstart your joy: with boundaries, paying it fo