STOP IGNORING THE RED FLAGS | Jill L. Ferguson's Story | Episode 116
Jill L. Ferguson has spent much of her life creating.
She wrote and illustrated her first book at five years old, began publishing professionally at 12, built a career spanning writing, education, leadership, consulting and entrepreneurship, authored and ghostwritten dozens of books, and founded 13 companies across multiple industries.
But some of Jill's greatest lessons did not come from the things she built.
They came from the moments she had to decide whether she was willing to walk away.
In this episode of Created Worthy, Jill shares the many pivots that have shaped her life, from leaving the church she grew up in and discovering who she was outside of her family's expectations, to navigating marriage, grief, leadership, career success, divorce, health challenges, entrepreneurship and eventually finding love again.
She also shares what happened when a career that looked incredibly successful on paper became completely unsustainable. In just 18 months, Jill moved from director to vice president to chief of staff, while spending the final ten and a half months of that season on 132 airplanes.
Eventually, while floating alone in a mineral pool during a three-day spa getaway, Jill had a thought she could no longer ignore:
I should quit.
And she did.
That decision opened the door to an entirely different chapter of her career.
Danielle and Jill talk honestly about learning to trust your gut, recognizing red flags, leading people with curiosity instead of ego, knowing when a client or opportunity is no longer right for you, and letting yourself change direction even when the path you are leaving once looked like success.
They also explore Jill's creative processing practices, including painting, quiet environments and binaural beats, along with the work she is doing today through Creating the Freelance Career, Let's Talk About Love, and the Whiskey Dog Mystery Series she co-writes with her brother under the pen name Faith Walker.
If you have ever wondered whether you are allowed to change your mind about the life you built, the career you chose, the relationship you committed to, or the version of yourself you once thought you needed to become, this conversation is for you.
Sometimes moving forward requires building something new.
And sometimes it requires finally being willing to say, I can't keep doing this.
No matter what chapter you are walking through right now, YOU are Created Worthy.
Content note: This episode includes conversations about grief, divorce, a spouse experiencing a significant mental health crisis, suicide, medical challenges and major life transitions.
ABOUT JILL FERGUSON
Jill L. Ferguson is an award-winning writer, author, ghostwriter, educator, coach, entrepreneur and self-described "Jill of many trades."
She has authored or ghostwritten dozens of books, created courses and curriculum, taught in higher education, worked as a consultant and administrator, and founded businesses across publishing, wellness, education and entrepreneurship.
Her work has appeared in publications including Entrepreneur, The Chronicle of Higher Education and HuffPost. LA Weekly has named her an "expert to know," and Maxim Magazine named her an "industry disruptor."
Today, Jill is the founder of Creating the Freelance Career, where she helps writers, creatives and entrepreneurs build sustainable careers on their own terms, and the co-founder and CEO of Let's Talk About Love SPC, a California Social Purpose Corporation created around a mission of elevating love, compassion and connection in the world.
She also co-writes the Whiskey Dog Mystery Series with her brother, Eric Ferguson, under the pen name Faith Walker.
Jill lives in sunny California and works with clients around the world.
THE EPISODE RUNDOWN
✨ Writing and illustrating her very first book at five years old
✨ Becoming a published freelance writer at only 12
✨ Growing up in western Pennsylvania, rescuing animals and developing a lifelong love of creativity and compassion
✨ Growing up deeply involved in church and serving in leadership from a young age
✨ Learning who you are separate from your parents, family and the expectations you inherited
✨ Jill's unconventional college journey and the family circumstances that brought her back home
✨ Becoming a professor while still completing graduate school
✨ Stepping into department leadership at a young age and leading people who had significantly more tenure than she did
✨ Why Jill's first priority as a new leader was rebuilding relationships and listening before changing anything
✨ What leaders can learn by asking people what is working, what is not and what they need from you
✨ Jill's first marriage and the heartbreaking mental health decline that eventually forced her to make a decision for her own wellbeing
✨ The difference between loving someone and being able to continue living inside the consequences of the choices they are making
✨ Receiving three unexpected job opportunities in ten days during one of the most difficult seasons of her personal life
✨ Negotiating a salary that nearly doubled her previous income
✨ Discovering a massive fibroid and undergoing a hysterectomy only eight days after beginning a new job
✨ Going from director to vice president to chief of staff in only 18 months
✨ The wake-up call of flying on 132 airplanes in ten and a half months
✨ Realizing that impressive opportunities can still be completely unsustainable
✨ The spa trip where Jill finally admitted to herself, "I should quit"
✨ What happened after Jill walked away from her executive role and almost immediately began receiving consulting opportunities
✨ Using painting and creativity to process grief, change and the ending of her first marriage
✨ The unexpected story of reconnecting with the man who would eventually become Jill's second husband
✨ Building a completely different life after divorce
✨ How the book Creating a Freelance Career became an entire platform for helping writers, creatives and entrepreneurs
✨ Why Jill believes you should only work on things you love with people you actually want to work with
✨ The difficult entrepreneurial lesson that sometimes you need to fire a client
✨ Why Jill has learned to trust her gut when something feels wrong
✨ Recognizing red flags before they turn into relationships that continually drain you
✨ Jill's favorite creative processing practices and the binaural beats app she uses while writing
✨ The mission behind Let's Talk About Love and Jill's vision for elevating love around the world
✨ Creating heart-centered businesses where people's individual values actually align with the work they are doing
✨ Writing cozy mysteries with her brother under the pen name Faith Walker
✨ Jill's reminder to follow your heart, trust what you know and take love everywhere you go
CONNECT WITH JILL FERGUSON
Jill's Website: https://www.jillferguson.com/
Creating the Freelance Career: https://creatingthefreelancecareer.com/
Let's Talk About Love: https://letstalkaboutlove.world/
Whiskey Dog Mysteries: https://www.whiskeydogmysteries.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ferguson4473/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-l-ferguson-1a1607/
SPECIAL OFFER FOR CREATED WORTHY LISTENERS
Jill has generously offered Created Worthy listeners 20% off eligible offerings through Creating the Freelance Career.
Visit: https://creatingthefreelancecareer.com/
Use code:
CREATEDWORTHY
RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED
Creating a Freelance Career by Jill L. Ferguson
Jill's book is designed to help creatives understand how to begin, build and sustain a freelance career, from finding work and pitching clients to building a brand and navigating the business side of freelancing.
Learn more through Jill's website: https://creatingthefreelancecareer.com/
Official book page through Routledge: https://www.routledge.com/Creating-a-Freelance-Career/Ferguson/p/book/9781138605787
BrainWave: 37 Binaural Series™
Jill shares that one of her favorite creative processing tools is the BrainWave binaural beats app. She uses different settings for meditation, focus and creative writing, including the creativity-focused programs.
Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brainwave-37-binaural-series/id307219387
As with any wellness tool, individual experiences vary. Binaural audio should not be used while driving or operating machinery.
Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck
Jill talks about reading Martha Beck's Steering by Starlight while navigating the ending of her first marriage and using some of the ideas in the book as prompts for drawings and creative processing.
Learn more: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/593155/steering-by-starlight-by-martha-beck-new-york-times-best-selling-author-of-finding-your-north-star/
Whiskey Dog Mystery Series by Faith Walker
Jill and her brother Eric Ferguson write the Whiskey Dog Mystery Series together under the pen name Faith Walker.
The cozy mystery series follows dog groomer and amateur sleuth Sarah Carter and her Australian cattle dog, Whiskey, as they find themselves tangled in mysteries throughout the quirky town of Cottageville.
Explore the series: https://www.whiskeydogmysteries.com/
CREATIVE PROCESSING ACTIVITY
Creative processing is simply activating your creative mind to process a certain intention.
Jill talks about using painting to move through some of the emotions surrounding the ending of her marriage and using sound, particularly binaural beats, to support creativity, focus and reflection.
For this week's creative processing practice, give yourself 20 uninterrupted minutes.
Put on music, ambient sound or another environment that helps your mind settle. Grab a journal, sketchbook, canvas, notes app, spreadsheet, puzzle, walk or whatever form of creating feels natural to you.
Then sit with this question:
What am I continuing to choose simply because I chose it before?
Do not immediately try to solve it.
Create while you think.
Let your hands do something while your mind becomes curious...
You might be surprised by what becomes clearer when you stop forcing yourself to find an answer.
Further Processing Questions:
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Where in my life have I been overriding a quiet "no" because saying yes feels easier?
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Is there an opportunity, relationship, commitment or expectation that once fit me but no longer does?
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What red flags have I been explaining away?
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What would change if I trusted myself sooner?
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What does "following my heart" actually look like in this season of my life?
The goal is not to create something impressive... The goal is to create enough space to hear yourself again!
You got this!
CONNECT WITH DANIELLE DAMRELL
Danielle Damrell is a creative speaker, Certified Life Story Coach and the host of the Created Worthy Podcast. She helps people process their stories, reclaim their voices and lead with clarity, creativity and courage.
Website: https://damrellcreativeco.com/
Created Worthy Podcast: https://damrellcreativeco.com/podcast
Danielle's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielledamrell/
Created Worthy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createdworthypodcast/
Created Worthy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/createdworthypodcast/
Listen and leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/created-worthy-the-life-stories-podcast/id1572230854
ARE YOU A COOL PERSON?
If so, please leave a review!
If this conversation made you think about something you have been holding onto simply because you once chose it, share this episode with someone who might need permission to reconsider what their next chapter could look like...
Take a screenshot while you listen and tag @createdworthypodcast, @danielledamrell and @ferguson4473 so we can see what part of Jill's story stayed with you!
And if you have not already, please take a moment to leave a five-star review wherever you listen!
Every review, share and message helps these life stories reach someone who may need the reminder that changing direction does not erase everything that came before it.
Through every version of your story, you are Created Worthy.
Produced by Danielle Damrell Creative Collective, Inc.
