Jump Start Your Joy®

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 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 played in her journey
• Her inspiration in starting to take on speaking opportunities
• How to jumpstart your joy: learn to accept who you are and how you work with it, sharing your story, and always be humble enough to learn

Resources Kelly Denithorne's blog: Unordinary Style How to Create Cleavage, as found on Kelly's blog Kelly (as Nadine Spirit) on Instagram Jessica Lynn's website

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.

1. Increases the know / like / trust factor with people quickly
2. It's a flexible way to express your creativity and interests
3. 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)
4. It's a hobby that can grow into more (or doesn't have to)
5. It sets you up to network like a champ and make connections in an authentic way
6. Itss fun, and playful, which makes it easier to do
7. You can naturally grow your network
8. Learn new skills in your area of interest by asking your questions from experts
9. It's a media outlet like no other (you're in the same bucket with huge publishers)
10. A show gives you something to talk about in your marketing, giving you topics to include in newsletters and social media
11. It's still a growing market where women are under-represented

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 forward with kindness, and remaining open and curious

Resources The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris on Amazon The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin on Amazon Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies Quiz Zoha Abbas in Episode 92 Sally Hogshead's Zone of Genius site

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 forward with kindness, and remaining open and curious

Resources The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris on Amazon The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin on Amazon Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies Quiz Zoha Abbas in Episode 92 Sally Hogshead's Zone of Genius site

Mallory Wisong is a virtual assistant, certified life coach, and I have the great pleasure of both working with her, and, having her join me on this week's episode. With a background doing admin work in the financial industry, Mal brings with her a unique blend of a knack for process and details, along with intuition, heart, courage, and the ability to hold the highest vision for those she works with. I think you will love getting to know her on this episode, and getting a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes with the show.

In this interview, Mallory Wisong and I talk about:

• Her earliest sparks of joy: reading books like "Dollhouse in the Attic"
• Her journey from the financial industry, to life coach training, to becoming a VA
• Taking responsibility for your life, and how that can be a life changing move
• Following your curiosity in being an entrepreneur, and remaining open to "what's next"
• How to make room for magic in your work and life
• The art of creating process that works for you in your business
• Letting Values and Core Desired Feelings be a guide in running a business
• Why being joyful seems to cause some people to question one's credibility
• Working environment, both from an internal / values perspective and an external environment (such as one's office or workspace)
• Synchronicity in working, and how leaving space for the unexpected can lead to amazing things
• That the right people, for your business, are out there, and you just need the "crazy faith" that all will work out

Resources Mallory Wisong's blog and website Mallory Wisong on Instagram Tiffany Han's "Crazy Faith" episode on Raise Your Hand Say Yes Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert on Amazon When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron on Amazon The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul by Danielle LaPorte on Amazon Courageous Life Coaching Certification Program

Skip Prichard is the President and CEO of OCLC, award winning blogger and the author of The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future. As a lifelong student of what makes people successful, he's interviewed over a thousand leaders, influencers, and notable people to talk to them about their lives. In the process of having so many conversations, Skip noticed that there were some similarities to the things that these successful people were doing, believing, saying, and living.

In this interview, Skip Prichard and I talk about:

• His childhood, and his early start as an entrepreneur, selling things at school to classmates in grade school
• Being a CEO of OCLC, a library tech company
• His creative process in crafting "The Book of Mistakes," and how he created the format for it
• The first mistake, from "The Book of Mistakes;" Don't work on someone else's dream
• How to make your current reality or situation better for yourself
• Filtering the shoulds that come into our lives
• The impact of kindness on people
• The choice to "respond or react," and how his wife's battle with cancer exemplified a beautiful choice to respond and embody joy
• Entrepreneurship as a spiritual practice
• That people buy you before they buy your service, and the importance of knowing yourself well as a business owner
• Three ways to jump start your joy: daily gratitude, creating margin or space in your days, living your unique purpose

Resources Skip Prichard's blog and website The Book of Mistakes by Skip Prichard on Amazon

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?

When did being joyful get to be hard? When did it become vulnerable to be joyful and experience joy?

If you've watched the Brene Brown special on Netflix (and you really should, it's amazing), you'll know that she shares that in her study of shame and vulnerability, she has discovered that people state that joy is the most vulnerable of all of the emotions.

"You can't have joy without allowing yourself to be seen. Joy is the most vulnerable and terrifying of all human emotions. Vulnerability is the birthplace of joy. True belonging requires you to be who you are." – Brene Brown

As children, joy is easy. It comes naturally. I know this first hand, from this week. Yes, my son and I had lots of experiences that were planned out and intended to be joyful, like visiting Mrs. Grossman's sticker factory, and the Charles Schulz Museum. Even without planned events, I've seen how my son can make a game out of just about anything at any time, how he will still belly laugh in the back seat for no reason, and how he'll befriend any animal or human he meets because for him, the world is still full of possibility. He has not yet built up the sludge of Stories that adults carry with them, that tell them to be careful, to act a certain way, to not trust, to be worried.

Resources

Brene Brown: the call to courage (link to:https://www.netflix.com/title/81010166 ) on Netflix Kennolyn Camps (link to: https://www.kennolyncamps.com/ )

Paul Selig joins the show to talk about his journey to become a psychic and channel, and share about "The Book of Truth." Paul channels the guides in this episode, and they share the truth about the nature of joy in the universe.

In this episode, Paul and I talk about: – his earliest sparks of joy in drama and theater – his journey to becoming clairvoyant, clairsentient, and then telepathic and psychic – how he built his practice as an intuitive – how he channels, and receives the texts that he shares – what it feels like to sit in channel with The Guides – difference between channeling, and when he is in the role of a psychic – if everyone has the ability to tap into channeling – what The Guides have to say about the pursuit of joy in this life – what it is like to honor the call of being a channel, and the impact it's had on Paul's life – if The Guides were present in the time of Moses, based on the fact that the phrase "Here I am" is found in the Old Testament, and very similar to what The Guides share in The Book of Truth – what balance looks, or doesn't look like, for Paul – how to jump start joy in your life

Resources The Book of Truth by Paul Selig (on Amazon) The Book of Mastery by Paul Selig (on Amazon) Paul Selig's Website Link to the webinars and seminars run by Paul on his website YouTube Video of an interview with Paul Selig on Waking Universe

Learn all about the basics of making taking care of yourself a priority, and why you might be having a hard time making that happen in your life. A great lookback lesson full of joyful ideas on self care.

I think it boils down to two things that influence decisions and when and how we eventually decide to take better care of ourselves.

1. "If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will. But if you are determined to prioritize your own life, you can." – Greg McKeown

If you don't set up and defend your own self care, something or someone else will. Some people call this setting boundaries (which is a topic for another post). If you don't literally mark off time on your schedule, and take the mindful steps to practice self care, it will not happen on it's own. You have to carve out the time to take care of yourself, or other things will always get in the way.

2. "I've never seen any life transformation that didn't begin with the person in question finally getting tired of their own bullshit." – Liz Gilbert And this really is part two of Greg McKoewn's quote as well – There's a breaking point in there somewhere around feeling frazzled and not addressing self care, and it's often that breaking point that means you dig in and become determined to make a change. Sadly, it often only happens when we get to a breaking point, either burnt out from pushing too hard for too long, or, to the point where we are frustrated and can't deal with ourselves anymore.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (on Amazon) Andrea Owen: Your KickAss Life episode 181 with Heather Chauvin Liz Gilbert on Transformation

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 Stasia Savasuk's website Stasia on Instagram Stasia's Ted Talk on "Dressing for Confidence and Joy": https://youtu.be/L5n3V0VYGNg