Today, I interview Jean Kathryn Carlson who grew up in a religious family and felt invisible for much of her childhood. The goal was to be perfect and keep the peace in order to secure her place in heaven. She never felt enabled to be herself, to open up, or to color outside the lines. 

She felt so much pressure to get things right, she was always too afraid to connect with people or truly have fun as a child. Instead, she found her place of fun and play inside her own imagination. She created new worlds of adventure in her mind, and her creativity came alive. In this part of her story, Jean makes a brilliant connection. She tells us that the wound is important. The place where the problem lives is the place where we can dig deep and find gold. There is a gift there, where we listen and feel and make that connection. Jean continued in her studies, but the religious inner conflict tugged at her. 

She says that love was a double-edged sword; there was a great big God who loved her, but she also had a constant fear of condemnation. She hadn't yet figured out how to access her own strength, so she relied on the outside world -- teachers, ministers, and other adults -- to assess her and decide how she was doing. She lost some self-worth in this area. She found a love for the Spanish language when studying it for her undergrad. She also had a connection to music. 

When she moved to California, she had a tremendous sense of value because she had two skills that could be used. She was starting to find her place, express her creativity, and feel affirmed because of her expertise. She had experience teaching, but she still had that active imagination and her heart was to become a storyteller. She was finally finding herself. She left a 25-year marriage and began to come alive, realizing she was able to shine from within and let her joy spill into the lives of others. 

Joy is her passion. Today as an alchemy coach, she works with people to focus on their energy, language, and habits, "to create a more joyful, expansive, expressive life".

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Jean Kathryn Carlson believes that play is the new work. Her passion for solitude, music, nature, and dreams supports her in living a life full of magic and miracles. She loves to hang out in the invisible realms of the imagination where anything is possible. Intuitive Dreamworker, Storyteller, Thought Detective, and EFT Practitioner are some of the tools she uses in her Alchemy Coaching. Her life purpose is to joyously express the wonder and mystery of life and guide others on their unique journey of joy. She knows that when we claim our inner authority we are empowered to live more joyfully no matter what is going on around us. Jean Kathryn is a certified Dream Coach and Dream Facilitator, Law of Attraction Life coach, certified ProEFT Coach, certified Speaking Circle Facilitator, Certified Tribal Marketing Coach, and SendOutCards Affiliate. 

Find Jean here: 
http://www.vibrantlivingalchemist.com/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeankathryncarlson/ 
https://www.facebook.com/jeandreams2 
https://www.facebook.com/VibrantLivingAlchemist 
https://www.instagram.com/jkdreams2/?hl=en 
Go to www.vibrantlivingalchemist.com to book a free 20-minute consult! 

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I'm your podcast host, Dr. Doreen Downing, and I help people find their voice so they can overcome anxiety, be confident, and speak without fear. 

Get started now on your journey to your authentic voice by downloading my Free 7 Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com.   

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I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.