Passion Stories with Free To Flourish

Street Mural Artists, Julia Gibb and Jeff Huntington came on to talk about their journey as artists and the non profit that they founded, Future History Now, where they paint murals with youth in underserved communities around the world.

Jeff and Julia talk about their struggles in the traditional school system and how they both came to find meaning and purpose once they started studying and working in the art industry.

They talked about how meaningful their nonprofit work is and that they are able to give students a space to learn and grow and develop life skills in each mural project.

The two bring different strengths to their collaborative projects and continue to learn from the variety of tasks and obstacles that come up with each project.

Tune in to hear their full journey and some of the important lessons they have learned.

Future History Now: https://www.futurehistorynow.org
Jahru: http://jahru.com
@feedajane
Collaborator: @yesbaker
Go check out their work online and around Annapolis if you haven’t seen some of the murals they’ve done. It’s amazing work! One of their main collaborative partners being @yesbakerfor Future History Now.


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08

Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter

I chatted with Peter Zdrojewski today about his journey merging his passion for the marine and sustainability field with education young adults.

Pete and I worked together teaching at a semester school centered around sustainability on the island of Eleuthera. We both started our careers as scuba instructors.

Pete now works at The Branson School outside of San Francisco where he teaches Marine Science and is the Class Dean.

Pete offers a lot of nuggets of wisdom to those who are wanting to carve out their own professional path. He mentioned that he didn’t necessarily know what he wanted to do at a young age, but knew he wanted to be doing his passions each day, rather than saving them for the weekend or on his vacations.

Peter talks about why his work is so meaningful for him and how he enjoys teaching and empowering young adults to take on some of the environmental problems they see in the world. Pete mentioned he loves teaching because her is sharing his passions with his students each day.

Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose


To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08



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Free To Flourish

I talked with Nevan who runs her pottery business, @printempspottery in Annapolis, Maryland.

Nevan and her husband make beautiful and functional pieces of pottery. Nevan said her hope is that people get joy out of using a handmade piece of art in their everyday lives. She said she never tires of hearing her customers say they used her mug that morning sipping on their coffee.

One of the biggest takeaways I had with talking to Nevan was how important believing in yourself is with pursuing your passions. She had discouragement from her art professors to pursue pottery and making her own pieces as a career, but tried anyway. Nevan shared how her parents instilled a ‘can do’ and supportive attitude with her at a young age. And her mindset continues to be one of ‘I can do this’ and rather than being flooded with self doubt.

And if you’re in the DMV area go check out Nevan and her husband, Doug’s work at the Eastern Market over the weekends! They will be selling lots of pieces for the upcoming holiday season.


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08

Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter

Passion Stories featuring Aquaculturalist, Michael Bowleg

I talked with @bowlegjr242 about his journey pursuing marine science and aquaculture as a career path. Michael is originally from The Bahamas and is currently working on Eleuthera to fulfill his PhD research on aquaculture solutions for the Caribbean spiny lobster.

He talks about how he transitioned from mainly studying and focusing on marine science to using that skill set to address a pressing issue in many island communities: food security. Michael’s career shifted into focusing on aquaculture as a viable food solution for The Bahamas and as a way to give back to his community. Michael is passionate about teaching local Bahamians about aquaculture and how it can be not only a solution to the fisheries industry but also a plausible career path for other Bahamians.

Tune in to hear Michael talk about what helped him keep working toward his goals over the years when he hit roadblocks, experienced doubt, and what his big plans are for bringing aquaculture systems into Bahamian communities.

You can check out more of his work and aquaculture updates on his Instagram @bowlegjr242


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08



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In this episode I talk with Liam McNamara, a Plant Design Specialist who worked with me last year when he left his job as a social media manager for a local cafe. At that time Liam knew he wanted to be doing work that he was more interested in and has some ideas of what he might want to do, but wasn't quite sure what to do next. 

Fast forward to now and Liam is running his own plant design business! Plants evolved as a passion of Liam’s when he moved down to Florida in 2018 and was exposed to so many of the different tropical plants that thrive in that environment year round. I really have not met anyone else who loves and knows as much about potted plants for your in home design.

Liam shared the importance of being able to talk through your initial work ideas with a coach and how that helped him realize the work he ultimately wanted to do. After working together with the 3 month coaching program, Liam was able to bring his idea of doing a plant business to life. Liam also learned about his natural strengths, one of the foundational practices of positive psychology, and how to best use them in his daily business tasks.

If you have any plant questions or are looking for tips, you can check out @home_tropic and message him! Liam is happy to help and offer up plant advice. Liam also has an Etsy shop where he sells unique plant cuttings that can be mailed directly to your home.


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08

Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter

Kiara has worked in mental health and counseling for over 10 years and now runs her own therapeutic practice. She specializes in working with millennial women entrepreneurs, professionals and has a coaching program to help newly licensed therapists who want to start their own practice.

@kjhartwell talks about how she was initially discouraged by some therapists in her field in starting her own practice, but sought out more information and talked to others to really determine if doing her own practice was something she could realistically do. She also talks about how having consistent clients and seeing their successes keeps her confident in continuing to do the work she is doing. Kiara shares some of the fears she had with launching her business and how she has learned to overcome them as an entrepreneur.

We also talked about how therapy has become less stigmatized in the U.S. but often times people are still reluctant to seek out help, especially if they are the first person in their family to see a therapist.

To learn more about what Kiara offers and some of the mental help tips she shares each week, you can visit and connect with her at @kjhartwell !


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08

Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter

 Megan O'Leary is a first time author and long-time professional writer. She has over 15 years of experience writing for magazine articles, flyers, posters, newsletters, marketing emails- anything with words on it- for clients of all sizes. She recently published her first novel, Into The Blue, which combines her passions for island life and mystery novels.

Megan talks about her strengths of persistence and discipline helped her stay focused and enthused on writing her book and pushed her to carve out time each day. Megan also shares how she realized that asking for help and getting support with her work has made her get where she wants to be much faster and easier. Anything from hiring someone to do her website, asking a supportive friend for feedback, to working with a coach have all helped her with her pursuits.

Megan’s book is out now! I am 2/3 of the way through it thanks to my recent beach vacation. It’s a fun one and covers life as a diver, island dweller, and all the funny quirks that come with that lifestyle. Her book is available on Amazon!

If you like hearing these stories you can subscribe to this podcast to listen to more stories from photographers, movement therapists, conservationists, and people from a variety of industries.


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08

Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter

I chatted with Maja Re, a Spiritual Designer, who shared her story of leaving her corporate interior design job to pursue work as a yoga teacher. Maja has found her purpose in work where she is helping others heal.

Her work has also evolved into more than teaching yoga where she has been able to merge her skill sets and experiences. She is now designing retreat center spaces and also teaching yoga for corporate companies.

She talks about how you can get creative in supporting yourself and making things work when you first make the leap in making a professional transition. Often times having constraints and things that initially look like barriers can push you into finding creative solutions, especially when you are early on in your entrepreneurial journey. We also talked about how just looking at what the next right step might be is sometimes all you need to focus on (and can help you feel less overwhelmed).

To learn more about Maja’s work and if you are curious of some of her offerings with healing you can check out her website: www.majarebornyoga.com !


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08

Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter

I talked with Shane Gross in this episode about his career path as a marine conservation photojournalist and how he has been able to turn his passion for the ocean into his own business. Shane and I knew each other from both living on Eleuthera for years and being in the diving and ocean conservation field. Shane's love for the ocean started as a child, watching documentaries and seeing images that his parent's took on their dive trips around the world. As an adult Shane started taking photos underwater in The Bahamas and quickly realized his images could be used to help raise awareness and protect the ocean. 

His images and projects have been used for conservation and policy efforts. Shane's goal is to tell a story of the marine life he is shooting and to invoke emotion with people viewing his images in hopes that the emotion will lead to action in protecting the marine world. 

With his work, Shane talks about how having a long term vision has helped him navigate many of the hurdles and setbacks that he has experienced doing underwater photography. Photography in general can be a tough industry to establish yourself and monetize your work, but seeing the bigger picture of how his work is contributing to conservation work and staying attuned to his long term goals has kept him motivated and committed to his craft. He also talks about his love for continually learning about ocean species and his almost obsession with wanting to be in the water observing them energizes him with his work.

Go check out some of his amazing images if you haven't seem them already! Many of which required lots of planning, technical skill, and risk taking! Shane released his first photo book with so many great photos of The Bahamas after living on Eleuthera for ten years. You can purchase his book and other prints on his website: www.shanegross.com. Shane also has a Patreon membership for those who want to continue to support his conservation work!


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08

Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter

In this episode, I talked today with Rick Smolan about his journey as a photojournalist and storyteller over the years and how he has navigated creating his own creative work and companies.

Rick has so many interesting stories and talks about how saying 'yes' to opportunities as a young adult opened a lot of doors for him in the photography industry. He also talks about how he remained optimistic and hopeful and loved to let experiences unfold in front of him. The uncertainty and the surprises that come with not knowing what was going to happen next kept him interested and excited about his work. Rick suggests to people earlier on in their careers to find something they deeply care about and that they feel self motivated with.

Rick’s notable book Tracks is available on Amazon and was also turned into a feature film. The photographs in the book are stunning and really capture the raw experience of Robyn Davidson’s solo trek across the Outback in Australia.


Consider checking out the Passion and Purpose program if you are looking to make a career transition into more purposeful work or have been sitting on a business idea that you want to launch: https://www.free-to-flourish.com/passionandpurpose

To book a call to learn more about the program:
https://calendly.com/rachel-freetoflourish/q-a?month=2022-08



Stay in the loop and receive tips, tools, and stories around positive psychology! Sign up for the: Free To Flourish E-Letter