THE JOURNAL COACHING PODCAST

This is the season for cultivating seeds and laying the groundwork for your dreams. Are you longing to create a life that's more meaningful, authentic and just feels better?

As coaches, entrepreneurs, helpers, and therapists, we're constantly in the business of helping people change their lives for the better. But before we can help others effect real change in their lives, we need to first lay the groundwork for that change within ourselves.

In this episode, we will explore the next five steps you can take to create the foundation for a personal shift, pivot or transformation in your own life.  Are you ready to get started? Are you finally ready to take the plunge and go for your dream life? If so, it's important to lay the groundwork first, and in this episode, you will learn a writing practice that will help you get started on your journey. Listen in...

Have you ever thought of your journaling practice as a business relationship?

Establishing a new journaling practice may seem like a daunting endeavor, and it CAN be at first. But if you begin slowly with interest and curiosity instead of with pressure and expectation, like any new business relationship, your new journaling practice can yield so many benefits, including deeper connections, greater insights and opportunities for growth. In this episode I’ll be sharing 5 Steps to Creating an Effective and Sustainable Relationship with your Journal and by extension, with yourself.

If you’re struggling with forming a consistent journaling practice, then stay tuned because this episode is for you. Enroll in my free mini workshop: 4 Steps to a Mindful Writing Practice for a simple strategy that will deeply impact your journaling relationship. Enroll at www.letswriteforachange.com.

Self-love is one of the most important things we can ever learn to give ourselves. It is essential for our wellbeing and allows us to flourish both mentally and emotionally. In this episode, we will explore 7 benefits of self-love, as well as what self-love actually is. We will also look at some tips for how you can start to cultivate self-love in your own life and finish up with a few inspiring quotes about self-love. If you're ready to start taking better care of yourself, then stay tuned!

Download the 31-Day Self-Love Journal at www.etsy.com/shop/journaljunky

The words we speak are powerful. Our words begin in our thoughts and become real through our choices. Becoming aware of our thoughts and our words puts us in control of our lives. Journaling helps us to pause and notice our limiting beliefs and the words that hold us back from our dreams. If you've let your words hold you back from your dreams, this episode's for you. In this episode, you will learn how to use your journal to ask good questions about what's going on internally, so that YOU can take control of your dreams again and make them a reality.

Journaling Meditations are created to welcome you into an intentional space for writing.  You are invited to gather your journal and writing utensils and be here, right now, in this moment. 

Included in this journaling meditation, you will hear positive affirmations and reflective prompts regarding pain. Take a moment to grab your journal and your pen, you may want to pause this recording and reflect.   You are free to write or simply sit and relax your mind.  I invite you to challenge yourself to think differently about the pain you are currently experiencing. Breathe deeply as you reflect on these healing words.  Focus on your breath and be here, right now, in this moment, together...

Dear beautiful. In this episode, I'm sharing my thoughts about growth. We all love the idea of growth but I'm not sure we truly understand the requirement and cost of that growth. We entered our gardens, we've planted seeds, and now those seeds will begin to grow, but did you know that in order for a seed to produce growth, it first becomes broken? Once we've broken ground, and planted our seed, that seed requires water in order to experience the level of growth that becomes evident not only to you, but to those looking on. On the natural, this process is called imbibition. It's the process by which water enters the seed and fills it up so much that the seed breaks. This breaking point activates the proteins which in turn activate the growth of the root. This process of transition happens over a space of time. Growth may take days, weeks, or months. It depends on the type of seed that's planted and how diligently it's cared for. After the new plant becomes rooted, then the evidence of growth becomes manifested at ground level.

This is your message my friend: Don't be afraid of being "broken." Be willing to open yourself up to the possibilities of who you are. There's so much beauty within you, but you have to be willing to be vulnerable enough to experience all of who you are and of who you could be. Let's continue this journey together. I am here to guide you. We are all here to support you. Keep up the good work, you're doing just fine...

#writetoflourish www.letswriteforachange.com

Hello my friend. In this episode, I'm sharing my journaling practice for anxiety. Writing down my needs, and my thoughts and feelings are so cathartic for me. The act of writing helps me focus, relax, and create something other than my fear. Emotions are real and normal. I hope you use this journaling practice to move you through your moments of anxiety. Take your time and move through the cycle with grace + compassion. BREATHE. NOTICE. REFLECT. REFRAME. CREATE.

Hey my friend. In this episode I share a little of my story and how I'm processing this season of uncertainty. I'm quietly asking myself all of the important questions to check in with my feelings and emotions. I'm sharing these questions with you and together we can dig deep to find the answers we need to FLOURISH in this season. Let's continue the conversation at www.letswriteforachange.com.

Welcome back my friend.

This is one of my favorite journaling prompts:

What do you want less of in your life? What brings you feelings of stress and overwhelm? What makes you feel frustrated? What's in your life that no longer serves you?

How do you know when something no longer serves you? It creates stress, anxiety, guilt, overwhelm, frustration when you use it, see it, listen to it, watch it, make excuses for it, avoid it, do it. It's the thing that doesn't bring you joy, the thing you try to hide, and ignore.

What habits, beliefs and stories no longer fit into your idea of the best version of your life? What doesn't align with your core values and the beliefs that define your life?

It's time to dig it out! The digging is what hurts. The growing part has its pain too, but the digging...the breaking up of fallow ground solidified by years of compact stories, thought patterns, behaviors and beliefs is HARD.

It's hard to uproot what's been planted for years but in order to grow and move forward it has to be done.

For years, I've held on to the story that i was too sensitive yet too strong and overbearing and forthcoming. For years I've held myself in check not wanting to shake things up or come across too strongly. For years, I shrunk myself, my opinions, and my voice trying to be overlooked just in case someone took offense.

But I realized that I was doing myself an injustice by closing up within myself and treading lightly never wanting to "rock the boat." I was losing the power of my voice and the ability to bring my perspective to the table.

So I decided to change that story of fear and to claim myself in the fullness of who I was created to be...and the digging began.

Breaking ground is painful. It's becoming aware of the old stories and challenging them. It's being honest enough to notice the feelings that show up and being brave enough to sit with them through the fear of vulnerability.

It's the space between what is comfortable and what's possible. It's digging up the roots of the stories and events that shape your life and define your personal narrative. It's painful, but oh so freeing. It's the human growth experience.

once you've dug up all of the stories ... and recognize the beliefs, choices and stories that no longer serve you, you become more aware and intentional about the life you want to live and cultivate. Breaking ground is all about creating space for something new. It's about making room for something better and of more use and value. It's about preparing ground for deep cultivation of beautiful things that will sprout and grow and flourish into something that will serve for years to come. It's about preparing for a legacy to be created and left behind. The fear and the pain will be there but it won't last forever. Yes, we will mourn for the comfort and familiarity of what used to be, but even that will be overshadowed by our new found freedom and liberty to choose something new and beautiful and necessary. Greater hope and expectation will override the fear and be the segue into new dreams and possibilities.

So now I challenge you to face the fear of pain. You are strong enough to feel. You were created to feel and you can bear the capacity of your emotions. What you're searching for is on the other side but it takes some digging and rooting up. It takes courage and tenacity, determination and grit. And if you're willing to do the work, you'll reap the reward. On the other side is self-compassion, and love, and gratitude, and healing. Confidence, and trust, clarity, and peace. Breaking ground is the first step to building something new.  Come write with me at www.writetoflourish.com.

"It’s hard to listen to what our hearts and souls are trying to tell us when there’s no space to let in the things we need to hear.”(Corey Wheeland)

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Journaling is the space to let in the things we need to hear.

Journaling requires us to be still and to step into the rare moments of quiet  we find in our lives.

Have you ever wondered why we're SO "connected" to each other, but yet we CRAVE community and belonging?

We're surrounded, but yet we feel so alone.

The reason for this is that we lack a deep and personal connection within ourselves, and therefore we lack a sense of community with each other.

The world is loud.  It's busy. It's information overload.  Its judgemental. It's fast. It's overwhelming,  and the "noise" causes stress and anxiety.

Couple this with a decline in wellness and self-care, and we see a rise in depression, suicide, negativity, and crisis.

It's imperative that we choose ourselves daily.

It's so important that we CREATE moments to reflect on our thoughts and monitor our feelings. It's important to be aware of our needs.

Our hearts and souls are continuously whispering wisdom into every moment.  Our intuition and conscience are speaking and guiding our choices but we cannot hear them.

My friend, take a moment today, and carve out time to sit in repose.  Put down your phone, stop scrolling, stop searching and listen.

Grab a pen and grab your journal and write until your mind gets quiet.  It doesn't need to be an hour. A few moments at a time would be a great start.

Practice quieting.

Practice listening.

Practice journaling,

and you'll get better with time.

You have a voice.

You deserve to be heard…Share your thoughts at www.letswriteforachange.com