Episode 90: On Accepting Help and Always Evolving As An Individual and A Business: An Interview with Jolinda Johnson, Wellness Mentor + Priestess
In this small business interview, Fiona talks to Wellness Mentor and Priestess, Jolinda Johnson, about evolving her business and stepping outside of what she has been doing into something new. Listen now as Jolinda shares how she deals with self-doubt, starting a business in another country to the she grew up in and the iterations a business can take, and why it’s okay to ask for help from others.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Introduction
Catching up
Describing her business
How it started with women's health/Her upbringing
Dealing with self-doubt
On trying something else
On dealing with burnout
On running a small business
Dealing with stress as an entrepreneur
Creating a diverse workforce
More on diversity
Starting a business in a different country
Who and what helped build her business
On being a rebel
On doing things differently
Her most proud moment for her business
Connecting with Jolinda
Conclusion
Connect with Jolinda Johnson
Episode transcript:
Hello and welcome to episode 90 of My Daily Business Coach podcast. Today, it is an interview with an absolutely inspiring, beautiful, just a really, really wise small business owner that I've had the pleasure of working as one of her clients. And we've also worked together in terms of me as a business coach with her brand. So I'm really excited to be sharing today's interview with Jolinda Johnson.
Jolinda Johnson is a wellness mentor and a priestess, and I first discovered her through Instagram back in 2017. I had to go back through my emails to say when I actually started working with her, but I found her on Instagram in 2017 and at that time in my life, my mother had passed away. I was going through a lot of sort of challenges in my personal life. We were trying to get pregnant again and just a whole lot of stuff was going on. And I looked I had seen so many naturopaths and acupuncturists and, you know, all these different types of people. And I found Jolinda and I just watched her posts and listen to her just true authenticity. And I don't mean that in kind of the buzz word that it's become, but really just being who she was and really being there for women who were in a similar situation to myself.
And so I contacted her on Instagram and we started working together as she was my coach or mentor, I guess you could say. So I worked with her for about I can't remember if it was three or six months, but in that time I made total changes to my life. So at the time, you know, I had been having a wine like a lot of people on well, I didn't drink Monday to Thursday, but on the weekends I did. And I often saw the wine as kind of my point of relaxation, like, OK, once I can get to, you know, open my bottle of wine, then I'm relaxed. And it was really when I look back on it, not the greatest, I guess, association with that was my point of relaxing rather than anything else. And working with Jolinda, we worked through, you know, what else can I do to relax and what else could I be doing that would be benefiting my body, my mind, my spirit, all of those things. And with Jolinda, I also had to work through, you know, the realisation that I wasn't getting pregnant, the natural way which I had been able to get pregnant previously.
And so we worked through, you know, just trying IVF, which is what ended up happening for our second child. And I just remember kind of fighting her or being so defensive about things that she would bring up. And it wasn't at all on her. It was totally my own ego was coming out and all these sorts of things we worked through. And she was just such an incredible soul to hold that space and do so in such a beautiful, non-judgemental way. And that is Jolinda. She is from the minute you meet her, she is just so warm and open and giving. And, you know, she starts her sessions with meditations. And so often when I worked with her back in 2017, 2018 and then again last year, I'm pretty sure that's when I did it - 2020 or 2019-2020.
You know, every time I'd kind of, you know, because of the time difference. She's in Spain and I'm in Melbourne, so we would do them in the evening and sometimes I'd get in and be like, I'm so tired. I just, you know, I just want to watch Netflix and then I'd get on and just within five minutes, I'd feel so calm, so restored. And Jolinda just has a beautiful way of working with what you need rather than some prescription on, you know, this is what wellness is absolutely love the way she works. But I've also been able to watch her business evolve over the last few years and seeing how she's really stepped into who she is and what she is really, you know, aiming to challenge and help in the world. And I absolutely love what she's doing.
If you listening to this and you're someone who is also, you know, maybe going through burnout or maybe it's been years since you went through burnout, but you you never really worked through that stuff. Definitely get in touch with her. Likewise, if you are somebody who suffers from any kind of hormone health issue, definitely get in touch with her. She has just been instrumental in in really helping my own health, but also really getting me to think about other things, really getting in tune with who I am spiritually as well. So, yeah, I just had to have her on the podcast and I'm so, so glad that she came on in this interview. We talk about why she started her business, how she started it, how she did it as a, you know, new person in. A different country, so she lives in Spain, but she's originally from the U.S. and we talked about what that's like and also what it's been like, evolving her business and sort of stepping outside of what she has been doing into something new. And how does she deal with the kind of self-doubt and the the things that come up that kind of can blunt your motivation when you're doing something new?
So, yeah, absolutely loved chatting with her. I know you're going to get so much from this, regardless of where you are in your health or spiritual journey and a small business owners. Yeah, I just think it's so important to stop and look at all parts of your life. Often we can get training. I mean, I do training with a lot of businesses on systems and processes and tactics and marketing and brand. And, you know, I've worked with business coaches that are very similar, but I've just found just so much beauty in working with somebody like Jolinda for my business as well as my life in general. So I can't thank you enough for all the changes that she has brought into my life and just the expansion of my ideas and and knowledge about the world, but also just, you know, what a beautiful soul she is and how inspiring she is to to really be taking leaps and bounds in her own business because other people watch that and get inspired. So here it is, my interview with Wellness Mentor and priestess Jolinda Johnson.
All right, welcome to Jolinda. I'm so, so looking forward to chatting to you today. So how are you feeling right now? Has how's life for you in kind of still open land and good, all things considered?
I'm doing really well. You know, everyone that I care about most in the world is healthy. And that's the most important thing, I think, at this point.
Yes, completely, and you are based in Spain and but as your accent shows you originally from the U.S. and we'll get into all this accent accent, although I think you've got a bit of like European in there because you're sounding almost like a posh version of British and American together. Can you tell us a bit about your business? So people listening would have just heard me in the intro talk about my amazing experiences with you and literally life changing experiences, if you don't say that lightly. But how do you describe what you do and all the kind of different elements of what you do?
I am a wellness centre and priestess, primarily focussed on burnout and perimenopause, and I help my clients break up with burnout and return to the wild, whole human and free. So I use my training as a certified holistic health coach with a specialisation hormone, health certified life coach and a priestess, which really someone Iida for me, someone committed to social justice and connexion, to spirit and letting that energy work through me to help my clients really reconnect all of the. Different components that go into that mind, body, spirit, connexion, and call back all of those parts of themselves that for whatever reason, they've had to abandon along the journey of their life so that they can redefine wellness on their own terms.
Oh, I love that, and obviously I've had the benefit of learning from you and working with you and David just now, when I asked you, what do you do, like, it's so obvious that you have a passion for what you do and you really are committed to this and not just teaching others. You live your life like this as well. Can you take us back to when they started? Like, why did you get I mean, everyone should be interested in their health, but lots of us are not or we don't work in that space. So why health and why women's health? And how did the idea of what you're doing now come into play? And often if people are following you or part of your membership or working with you, you often talk about wild or rebellious that kind of come into into what you do. And and can you tell us about sort of when it started?
And I guess secondary to that, I know it's a long question, but bear with me. Secondary to that… That's why I coaching sessions always went so far because we could just chat. But what was your upbringing like, like all this kind of spiritual stuff and energy, was that part of your upbringing? Was your parents really into health or running your own business or helping people in in the field that you're doing now?
Yeah, lots of things to mention. I like I should have taken notes and I should get better at asking sort of questions.
It's fine. So my. Great great grandmother was from the Cherokee tribe and she was a healer named Joanna and I honestly in these last few years have realised that a lot of my I would say natural healing gifts come from that lineage because the side of my family that's always had quite an interest in and health has been on my paternal grandmother's side. And my paternal grandmother, you know, moving a little bit closer to me in my ancestry. She was very much on the vanguard when it came to just juicing. And, you know, it's not anything I recommend now. But when people thought skim milk was healthier and, you know, just like longevity and kind of using natural remedies for things, you know. And speaking of rebels, I mean, she you know, she had four children, but then in her 40s decided to go back to school and get a master's in education. And then she had a, you know, 20-year career as a teacher. And that was, you know, in the 70s and early 80s, which was very unheard of to reinvent yourself in that way, you know, completely. And, you know, they were. They were church people, but growing up with my two parents, they. They considered themselves unity students, there's a branch of Christianity called Unity Christianity, and they. They really taught me things that are very popular now that I couldn't really explain as a child, I thought they were very strange. I didn't appreciate it at all. You know, we when we sat down before we ate, we always said it's called the prayer of protection. The light of God surrounds me, the love of God and fills me. The power of God protects me, the presence of God watches over me wherever we are, God is. And that's something that they still say that every single time they sit down. And and I didn't appreciate it at all. I rejected it as I got older. And I just thought, this is just, you know, this is just something that you guys do. As as you know, we individuate as teenagers a lot of times.
Even the things that our parents do that are helpful, we just say that's you know, that's my father wanted me to meditate. From 11, he would say that after breakfast, I, I had to sit and at least for five minutes try to meditate before school to help me focus and not that I had problems with with attention. Quite the contrary, but it's it's something that he had found helpful in his own life. So he wanted to pass that to me. But when I went to university in New York City in 2000, which saying that sounds so long ago before you. Well, I really I really forgot a lot of that. And, you know, in terms of health, I. I grew up in a house that was very focussed on weight loss coming from my mother, I did not have a model for what it was as a woman to treat my body as something I respected and something I wanted to care for. I really saw what it was like to just approach health from an adversarial place, you know, like my body's not doing what I want, so what do I need to do to change that? And I developed disordered eating from the age of 10 because I saw my mother was always dieting. And I also had primarily white friends. I should mention. My mother's white. I had primarily white friends who had a very different body type than I did. And you know that combined with all the images we get, you know, in the media, I mean, it's different now than it was, you know, 20, 30 years ago. But, you know, I remember just having my walls plastered with images of thin white women and that being the standard that I wanted to be like.
And so, yeah, I. In the early, you know, early years, it definitely in my 20s, you know, for me, healthy was skinny. And so all of the different things that I try, you know, the vegan diet, the raw I was raw vegan for a year. I also didn't have my period during that time, you know, macro macrobiotic juice, fasting. You know, in my 20s, I done a lot of juice fasting. I did a ten day water fast, you know. If if if it's out there, I've probably done it and, you know, with no respect for my body whatsoever, all from this point of how can I lose weight? And, you know, but that's that's where the idea for my first business, which no one knows about, because I started it when I was still a full time teacher and not at all prepared to be an entrepreneur. And that was called delight, light and wellness. And so when I started Delight in Wellness, that was in two thousand twelve. I just wanted to help people repair their relationship with food and to discover the the joy that exists in nourishing your body from a place of wholeness. And I knew probably a tenth of what I do now, but I still knew quite a bit and it was very much centred around. How can I ditch the diet and the diet culture and figure out what foods just make me feel alive? And then I was diagnosed with my autoimmune disease, which is called ankylosing spondylitis, and it's basically a form of spinal arthritis. And that was a revolution because all the things that I was doing. That I thought were healthy, quote unquote. I was I was eating Degan at the time and all organic and just, you know, my, shall we say, ideal weight. So I wasn't underweight, wasn't doing anything that I thought was, you know, a red flag. I was diagnosed with this all the inflammatory disease.
And one of the things that really helps is not eating starch. So you can imagine as a vegan, I was having, you know, all the legumes and all of the sweet potatoes and all the quinoa brown rice and all that. And that had to go. And that was a big realisation to me that, like, wow, there's not this perfect way of eating. There's not one way of eating for everyone. And the foods that I've kind of villainize were actually the ones that were going to make me feel better. So that was a huge shift in perspective. Fortunately, the diet that I started following for that is also one that's really good for fertility. So a few years later, I got pregnant with my son and that was, you know. The first cycle trying, but I knew what I was doing without being obsessed with fertility, persay, I knew that I was on the right track. And and then when he was almost two, I thought, I want to try for another one. But instead of just letting it be this natural process of OK and doing the right things and I love my partner and everything's going to be all right. I came at it from a very strategic place of, OK, I've got the foundation now, what can I tweak? And I fell down that rabbit hole of what makes the best quality egg.
What makes the best quality sperm, how can I do everything? A thousand and ten percent. And I just got totally overwhelmed. I lost trust in myself, but I realised that I also would like to work with other women who were potentially feeling that way, because if I felt that way with all of my background, imagine someone who had no clue. And that's when I thought, OK, I'm going to really focus on fertility coaching and I was at that stage in my life, right. I was just coming out of being a stay at home mom. I was fortunate enough to be married to someone who. Allowed that when I say loud, I mean, his salary allowed us to do that. And I thought, well, I don't want to go back to the realisation I had, I don't want to be a stay at home mom, but I don't want to go back to teaching either. So maybe I should really give this coaching thing a go. And I started working with women around fertility from a health coaching standpoint, and I quickly realised that I was lacking some of the tools that I needed to. Go a bit deeper and ask the questions that would help to get under the just get get to the root of things like you're making these choices, but what's driving that and also the emotional stuff as opposed to the diet stuff was what I really started to kind of light up.
But I did feel a bit out of my depth some time. So that's when I decided to go and do my life coach glorification. And at that point I was like, yes, I'm going to do this. I'm going to focus on fertility and. That's going to be my niche, and I felt really confident about that. But after a couple of years, I realised that I really wanted to. Help people beyond fertility, because I would have women come to me saying, I have painful periods, I really struggle with PMS. But I want to have children and I think, well, I could help you, but you only see me as someone who helps people have babies, you know? So that became kind of this source of discomfort. And the body always knows so that, you know, in the months leading up to the decision to leave for Chile coaching, I was just I was feeling a lot of tension in my body, very similar to what I felt like, what I knew was time to leave my marriage. And I thought, great, this is happening again where I'm like in this situation that I thought was the right thing, but it's time to let it go. And so I did that. I let fertility coaching go, transition to women's health coaching. And then after I did a 14 months priestess journey, that's where I really reclaimed that part of myself. Because when you say that your priestess, it's really it's not something like coaching where you get a certificate. It's it's really a process of remembering and reclaiming a lot of your spiritual gifts that you've always had. And that brought in a whole other layer to my work.
But then last year I realised, like, yeah, I've got this issue of gender because I'm not addressing that. And it's not just women who have who have periods who experienced perimenopause. Which is become a passion of mine in the last year as well, who go through these hormonal changes that I'm addressing, people who identify beyond women are are going through these things, too, and yet I'm not talking to them.
So that's when I decided to drop gender from my business. And that's why I no longer it's one of the primary reasons why I don't call myself a women's health coach anymore, because I want to also be here for four non-binary folk, for non gender conforming folk, for trans folk. You know, and I think that in in the last year, we've seen that if you don't come out and say who you're here for in very plain language, people don't know if they can trust you. At least that's what I've experienced. So. That's kind of my new challenge, and I feel like even though it's been a since the start of daylight in wellness, it's been nearly 10 years. There are always things in my business where I will feel like I am still a novice and, you know, still a beginner. But that's what keeps things fresh. And I'm a lifelong learner. That's one of my strengths. So I never want to get to the point where I feel like I know it all because I know that I don't. And that's a really scary place to be. If you think that you've reached the point where you no longer have to look at yourself with curiosity. So that's one that's been my evolution. I told you would be a very long answer, but I hope that you enjoyed my TED talk.
You know, that is that's so interesting from the from the press that you talked about to the table, to your father, you know, instilling a sense of let's meditate and, you know, take that minute to be calm before the craziness that can happen in day to day and and then all the way through. I mean, you know, thank you for the work that you are doing with non binary people, trans people that are in a state of transition, whatever way in their life, because it's so important that there are people like you in the world helping everyone. So I just want to say thank you from, you know, my behalf to that as well.
When you're talking about all of those different stages that you went through from the first business a long time ago, a decade ago, almost two to now, and you've had to change and evolve. And you said, you know, you felt tension and all those things have how have you actually gone through the self-doubt that might come up for anyone who's going through a transition?
I know I've had plenty of self-doubt when I've moved to certain offerings in my business or when I've stepped out into the spotlight a bit more. Putting out a book or other things like that. Have you got aside from the learning, of course, which is a part of it, because you can look at how did other people do this or but what if other people, you know, done in situations where things have been uncertain that for you and I guess for people listening to this, how have you dealt with the self-doubt that creeps up when you are switching from, you know, say, for instance, the fertility kind of coaching and mentoring, you know, that you could you know, someone could look at you from the outside and be like, well, that's a that's a great ongoing source of income for you, that everyone's trying to get pregnant all the time. That's never going to be. And, you know, it's like funeral services. There's always going to be a need for people to try and get pregnant and there's always going to be a need on the other side of life as well.
So how did you kind of go past, oh, my gosh, that's a really safe or secure thing. And then I'm going to try something else a bit different.
To be honest, a lot of it is divine guidance because I my ego did not want to leave and but the universe will always send you signs when you're not on the right path and things. That should make sense. Or I should say things that should drive your business forward opportunities. You know, I was getting a lot of attention, and yet I wasn't. Feeling fulfilled and. It's that feeling sometimes you just have to trust the feeling and if it starts feeling like. It's not for you, even though. All signs say you, like you made the right decision. If it feels wrong, then it probably is wrong and. I know that. The doubt that I experienced from what I call the kind of thinking brain override, you know, when my mind is doing cartwheels, trying to convince me of something, but my body is. In pain or I am having trouble waking up in the morning or I just feel like I'm dragging myself through the motions, even though I can pretend to be enthusiastic, my body always knows and. The self-doubt that can creep in is often just that ego mind who doesn't like change even when it's a positive change, the ego mind doesn't like change and. You know, Eartha KITT, the actress and singer, Eartha KITT is one of my kind of I call her a guiding rebel and you know, she says that life is always going to be full of challenges. And if you don't like challenges, then you need to get out and. I think, yeah, you know, it's always going to be a challenge and there's always going to be doubt and there's always going to be fear. But without those things. You really can't. Be an entrepreneur, you can't be in this game because it's anything but secure. And you can even you know, you can be financially secure, but. Any time you have a new idea, there's always risk, any time you want to try something new, you know, you feel guided towards it. You're not sure how it's going to go. But I don't want to get to the end of my life thinking, oh, I wish I had pursued that idea. Because. That's the doubt that gets you the doubt over things that you really knew you wanted and you didn't pursue because. You talked yourself out of it.
Mm hmm. So, yeah, and so much of life, I think we've gotten into a situation where in parts our life is we think our life is supposed to be comfortable in all parts, you know, in a relationship all he should be the perfect person or she should be the perfect person. Or, you know, like we've gotten into a state of being comfortable in so much of life that when we have to be uncomfortable, it's always like, oh, do I really want to go there? And it's like, yeah, you need to in order to grow, just like a muscle needs to like terabit in order to get stronger.
And we need to be willing to be a beginner. I think that's one of the challenges as you progress in your career, you. Don't want to be a beginner again.
Yeah, totally, and I hear that all the time. I'm 40 or 50. I don't want to start again and it's like it's starting the next exciting thing that's going to happen. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I love I love that. Thank you. And I do I do also agree that the universe shows up in lots of different ways. But another thing that you talk about and you've talked about it, you know, just earlier when you said sort of what you're doing a lot more of is about periods and menopause and things that, you know, I wouldn't necessarily be thinking I'm going to talk about on a business podcast, but you work with a lot of people who are in a stage of burnout and who's never really sort of looked at their own health as something to prioritise outside of potentially, oh, I've got to lose some weight. But really, looking at the holistic health, why do you think that this is? Because we are bombarded with health and you can't see me, but I've got to innovate to come as kind of fizbo and, you know, so many athletic leather athleisure wear brands and like, it's all around us, this kind of surface level health. But still, so many people never really dive into what is healthy for me. And why do you think that is right now, especially the entrepreneur land or, you know, coaching so many? Why do you think that is? And I guess what do you think people could do as the first step if they are feeling like they're experiencing burnout?
Yeah, well, you know, I most of what we think of as health is firmly rooted in ableism and capitalism, to be honest. You know what? How do you sell things to people, you make them think that something's wrong and you play on those doubts, you know, you play on those pain points and that's not how I sell. But if we look at mass marketing, that's especially when it comes to health and wellness. It's a lot of you're this way, you shouldn't be that way. So buy our product and we'll make you better playing on people's fears of insecurity and fat phobia and. Ido. Obviously separate myself from that in all forms. And I think it's just it really does go back to. Fear of the female body and wanting us to constantly be distracted and divided. And we are just conditioned from the beginning, those of us who have been socialised as women were conditioned from the beginning to care very much about the exterior and have no or very little knowledge about what actually contributes to our health. You know, my typical client has been on every single diet you can imagine and yet does not know the basics of her menstrual cycle, does not know what actually happens during perimenopause, does not know what contributes to. You know, a full rich lifestyle, once you cross that threshold, you know, in that last year of your life, what what's actually going to contribute to heart health, bone health, brain health? The things that actually make us feel vibrant, we're not taught that we're taught how to be pretty, which is also a word I reject, you know, how to be pretty, how to stay young, because who wants to ever age, you know, how to constantly pursue a certain size, even if that size is not what our body wants to be and. You know. It's not it's not a coincidence that a lot of the women who had the perfect body, you know, now it's my turn to do the inverted commas, the perfect body in their 20s are the ones who struggle most with their fertility in their 30s, because the image that we're constantly shown is of women who are below their ideal body weight. And yet we said that that we're told that's healthy. Working at working out of the gym, even though we are already depleted, but feeling like we're, you know, we're killing ourselves at the gym, you know, and that's healthy. And we at one point you have to look around and think like. How is that actually contributing to my health? How is constantly working against my body and severing that connexion between my body and mind? How is that contributing to my well being, you know, and and the truth is that it's it's not obviously and for me, a lot of what I do is I help my clients get back to basics and go beyond all of that messaging and also go beyond this idea that health exists with a particular product. Or, you know, marketing scheme. That it really is something that you get to discover and experiment with. And it's really this process of reacquainting yourself with. Your body as a as something that isn't outside of yourself anymore, it's something that you deeply trust and. You know how to nourish yourself, both with, you know, food, with movement, with rest. With opportunities for connexion and love. And you're in a place to. To really receive that as well, and so it doesn't become this head game of how much they eat today, how many calories if I had, is that organic? Is that, you know, whatever it's I trust myself. I know how to nourish myself. And I'm OK. I've got this. I really believe that health starts when you feel like you are your own expert and you repair that relationship between your body and mind, so they get working together again and you know that you've always got your back, that you're your best ally. For me, that's a huge component of health and wellness and and that's what I try to. Give my clients.
Well, and I owe so much of what you just said, that we could just be here for hours, but I feel like it's so true we don't learn anything about our menstrual cycle except to shun away from it and, like, hide it and, you know, you know that it's dirty or it's taboo or don't talk about tampons in front of anyone, you know, like, it's we're just so conditioned from a very early age. And then also, I think, you know, regardless of of gender, when when you get into small business as well or running running a business of any kind, it's just so, again, external things outside, like how much are you earning, how big are you? What does the office look like? How do you look like on social media, like all these things, as opposed to really aligning like you're talking about the mind and the body and what am I doing today for my business, but also what am I doing today for my health? Because if you don't have your health, you won't have a business no matter how successful it is, you know, your health is everything is cliches. That sounds.
Yeah, but that's often my biggest competition is, you know, it's not other health and wellness coaches. It's business coaches because it's just giving.
Yeah, but but my point is we have this idea of, OK, I'm going to invest in my business and then once I have that money, then I'll invest in my health, not realising that. You know, you can't grow your business to that point that you envision without your health. And what what is the point of having a successful business if you are dealing with chronic issues that keep you sidelined? And I am saying that from the perspective of someone who has a chronic issue that I've had to learn to work with and it doesn't sideline me. But. It's there all of the time, it's something I have to take into consideration every day because if I push myself too hard, then my body responds with a with flair and that's, you know, me on the floor not being able to move, which is not a good situation when you're a single mother in a foreign country running your own business. So obviously, I have to I have to respect the needs of my body before the needs of my business sometimes. And no one to say that's enough, even though I want to go a lot faster with things. Where am I? Where am I going faster towards if it involves sacrificing my health? Oh, it's not a right I want to be on.
Yeah, and also just I just always remember being with my dad, you know, towards the end of his life, and he had sold his house, had sold all these things. And I remember like looking at his bank balance with him, doing like getting him into his online banking and being like that. And he was just like laughing and being like, oh, this is the most money I've ever had, but I can't do anything, you know, I'm too sick to do this. I can't walk. I can't do that. My health like I was like it's it's like that Alanis Morissette Byronic song or whatever it was called. But yeah, it's just like that's the thing. People are working so hard and I want to build a financial success for my children and everything else. But it's like if you crash, like that's going to be the first thing that like your health is the most important. Nothing else matters if your health isn't there. So, yeah, completely, completely agree with you. And I think everyone should have a session with Chilena. But so we've talked about
I also I have to say, though, you know, like invest in the business coach because that also when we talk about stress, wow. Is there a lot of stress as an entrepreneur, you're trying to figure everything out on your own, you know?
So, yes, definitely do both. But I don't think that, you know, when you achieve your business goals, you're suddenly going to get the magic wand of of health as a reward, you know, because when we talk about burnout, a lot of times people think, well, when I reach that level of success that I'm going that I that I'm working towards, then everything will fall into place and I'll get I'll get time to rest and I'll I'll everything will you know, all these things that I've been hearing, all these niggles of, you know, that my body's saying, like warning, warning. That's just going to resolve itself because I'll finally be able to relax because I've reached the pinnacle and, you know, the body is going to do what it's going to do when it wants to do it, regardless of how successful do you think you are? You know, and that's the thing about success. It's always moving. You know, if I look back, if I saw where I am now. Even five years ago, I would think, wow, are you successful and now today I think. Gosh, what am I not doing? What like I still need to do more and more and more and more, you know, and that's that's dangerous, you know, so. Yeah, bottom line, health. Your health will contribute to the success of your business and the success of your business will contribute to your health. It's a. You know, mutual relationship, and so you need both.
I completely, completely agree, and I can't stress it enough. I, I do think yes, I agree with you that yes, people need business coach, but they can't do these things alone. But your health is is absolutely number one. And I wanted to ask you about and that we've had various conversations around is about things like equality and race. And, you know, being a woman of African-American heritage that you are, it's also something that you're very focussed on. And even when you talked about before, you know, really being there for other parts of society, that potentially mainstream wellness coaches, wellness mentors may not be like, you know, when you're talking about trans people and people transitioning into different parts of of who they are. So I know that, you know, it's been a very tough 18 months or a year or 14 months for most people in the world going through covid, but particularly I think more so in a way, for anyone who has is a person of colour because of everything that got brought up almost a year ago now with George Floyds death in the US that love to. And I know we've talked about this. You know, I know I'm a white woman asking you for help, and I know that that can be a horrible, you know, not equal. I don't know what I'm trying to say here, but to ask you for help with this. But I do know that we've had lots of conversations around race, and I know that you talk about that a lot. And that's also a huge part of health. Like health also encompasses mental health, not just physical health. But I'm wondering how people can move with, you know, all the goodness that they wanted to do in the world based on the learning from last year. But thinking about how can they be part of real change and how can they show up authentically as themselves business owners, whether they are black or Asian or white or anything? What advice would you give to someone who's listening to this and is thinking based on everything that happened last year, I wanted to create a more diverse workforce. I wanted to be more inclusive to all types of different people, but they haven't been really committing to that. Or maybe they've done part of it, but they haven't done all of it and know that you're quite passionate about this. So I'm wondering if there's any advice that you would offer to see any skin colour person listening that is trying to really show up in their business in an authentic way. Does that even make sense?
Yeah, but I do think that the answers have to be different because, you know, when you talk about it's been a year and how am I committing and the work that I'm doing and you know that that's for white people because that is the choice. If you have a choice, whether or not you want to deal with racism, then you are white. Mm hmm. If it's not a choice, then it's because you're not white, because this is something that regardless of the privilege that you experience as a person of colour. And I say that because I am a woman of colour who grew up with incredible privileges. I mean, I went to an Ivy League school. My first car was a Range Rover, you know, but at the end of the day, I especially here in Spain, they don't know anything about that. And in the states, that also does not matter because you're still you're still black and. You know, when it comes to if you are a white person and you have felt like you wanted to do more, then like the first thing is. Are you really committed to the work of anti-racism and have you sought out. Anti-racist educators to pay to help you because reading a book. Especially those books that have written have been written by other white people about their experiences. That's not going to cut it, you know. And any time we're examining privilege and, you know. As a person of colour, I've also examined my own privilege when it comes to, you know. Well, just you know, for me, gender is a privilege, for example, because I, I am. This gender woman. Although even saying that. I I've kind of in the past year, I've realised I'm more non gender conforming, but, you know, at the end of the day, I'm comfortable with this body and I don't know what it's like to want to have a different one. But for me, that's a privilege, you know. But. If you're a person of colour and. You're thinking like, how can I be how can I be more committed, you know, a lot of it is is.
Giving yourself opportunities for rest because you can't have resistance without rest. A lot of these systems have been built on the idea that we're always going to do one hundred and ten percent because we were raised by people who. You know, that's the only way that they had to survive is by doing more than was expected of them and we carry that within us, you know, so it's kind of like, you know, especially when we talk about burnout. Living under these systems of oppression is a constant source of stress. And fuels are burned out because so many people of colour, especially, you know, just professionals, entrepreneurs, we don't realise that what we're doing is exceptional a lot of the time. You know, we don't know what averages because we've never given that opportunity to just be average. We've always been striving. You know, we've always been striving to get noticed, to be part of the conversation to, you know, we we've been the only people who look like us in a room. And we've had to adjust ourselves, you know, engage in emotional labour that wasn't ours to engage in. And so a lot of these things we do automatically, we don't even realise. So for us, it's kind of realising where have I given myself away and. How are my what behaviours have I taken on that? I need to. Kind of let go of and can I feel safe in letting them go because so many of them have are so ingrained. Survival strategies. But, you know, also realising that. We always have the power to vote with our dollars or pounds or wherever in the world you are euros, and if you see a corporation who is not. Taking a stance against against racism, against, you know, white supremacy, who are constantly supporting people who are also very vocal about. Things that you find abhorrent and, you know, 100 percent that they are not for you, then you stop buying things from them. Look at like who's on the board and write letters, go to Twitter, you know, mention them my name. You know, that's also something that. Is is important to for them to see that it's. Going to affect their bottom line if they don't change their practises, but. You know, if if the short answer to your question is if you're a white person, then you know that your work. In involves working with an anti-racist educator, and I am not one, but working with an anti-racist educator, paying them for their time, going through, you know, whether it be their course or their live programme or their, you know, showing up for the, you know, one on one sessions.
And constantly acknowledging that, like, if if it's a choice for me, then I'm experiencing privilege in some way, you know, if this is something that I can choose to do or not, then I'm already coming at it from the point of privilege. And if you're a person of colour, then, you know, to know that it's not your job to do the work of anti-racist education, that it's not your job to. Constantly prove everyone wrong, you know, with your excellence, because. That's that's how racism works, you know, it makes you feel like you have something to make up for when you're really final all along, but in that constant compensation or constant striving, you. You burn yourself out and you wear yourself down. And you can't be the most potent version of yourself that you were meant to.
Thank you for just so I mean, as always, he's such a considered and heartfelt response that I feel like it's really helpful and thank you for me. Thank you for on my behalf as well. But I also think you gave so many great at such great advice as well for anyone listening who is a person of colour. And also, just on that last point, like, I think I heard someone the other day say that I don't remember where I was listening to it, but they said the opposite of depression is not happiness, it's vitality. And I think that's what you've just picked up on there. That is this pushing of yourself constantly. You know, how can you be vital, have vitality at the same time, you know? Yeah. Yeah.
Well, I mean, even speaking of choice, most of us were being asked by people who did not have a choice. And when I think to my father, who's a brilliant man and. You know, he grew up at a time when black men who had his same talents and. Brilliance were literally killed, and we're still seeing that today, but you know what I think of when he was a teenager and and the things that. You know, it was just a constant state of fear for we're talking about the 1950s, you know, in the United States called the state of fear of what's going to happen to me if I just live. In the way that everyone else is living. And that's why racism is a constant state of stress, because it makes you feel like you will suffer consequences for just being alive.
Yeah, you know, obviously, as someone who's never felt that, you know, that's the thing, that it just I feel like we just we I'm saying me as a white person just keep we just keep needing to uncover and uncover and uncover uncover all the layers of privilege, because it's just it's never ending. Once you start opening it up, you're like, OK, why do I think this? So I've never questioned that. I remember talking to a very close person with last year and and saying, you know, they had said, I'd like to be referred to as this is a person of colour. And I said, OK. And then and then they stopped the conversation and just said, I just want to ask you, you know, when have you ever been asked what you would like to be? And I was like, never I've never, ever been asked that. And it was a real you know, because you just go along with your blinkers on and what you've just said then, it's just so powerful, like just wanting to live like everybody else.
Yeah. And you don't like that's why for me bringing in. Did you know those issues, not not just race, but also gender has has been critical for me because if you notice, especially in the online space and if you if you notice in the mental health space, the same coaches who refuse to talk about gender. Refused to talk about people of colour as well, and. It's really about honouring humanity, you know, at the core of it, it's honouring humanity and. A lot of people, when they hear the word white supremacy or the phrase white supremacy, they they think, you know, well, that's not me as I I'm not I don't participate in that. We all are in it. It's and that's the standard, you know, that's the standard that we have to move away from. But that's that's the standard.
So if you think that you're not you're not part of white supremacy, then, you know, look at look at the images that you're constantly surrounded by. Look at how when you want to find a stock photo, for example, and you type in a woman who pops up. You know, I have to go out of my way to search for people who look like me. And then. Move that even further, extend that even further and think, you know, in the health and wellness space, for example, when do you ever see images of people who are not able bodied or who are differently abled?
They are not included in the conversation because no one wants to be them. You know, we're like we're taught that health is like this thing that, you know, looks a certain way that is like free of disease, you know, and it's very much like based on your individual choices. And so if you make all the right choices and you'll avoid being that, you know, the person who's chronically ill, the person who's differently abled, a person who's disabled, and that's also something that has to be addressed because it's really just about seeing the world in one way. And anyone who's not in that, you're you know, you're not valid. Your experience isn't valid. And so that's why in my business, I've also moved away from. From calling myself a health coach because. It's a term that doesn't encompass a whole lot of people who. Still can experience wellness.
Oh, yeah, I don't know if you've ever read the book. What is it called? My body. The body is not an apology.
Yeah. And I feel like I remember reading that last year, a friend had recommended it and yeah. Just that idea of like this so much that it's almost like people are apologising for, you know, sorry I can't you know, sorry your doorways are not built properly so that everyone can get into this restaurant or you like. It's just yeah. I'm sorry, I'm bigger than I should be and I'm taking up too much space, you know, like this. Just this. It's such a and yet we're in the majority. Oh yeah. It's like we're taught to hide these things about ourselves that actually. You put us more in the the norm then than take us out of it. You and I, when I'm in a group of people, the majority of us have something that we're that we're struggling with or that we've been made to feel is different or. Not allowed, you know? Yeah. Mental health issues, physical health issues. And yet we're constantly told that if we're not the standard, then we're less than yes, that's just yes, I am not the standard and I will you know, I was born not being the standard because I was born with a clubfoot. I was, you know, which is something that until the last 10 years, I fiercely rejected about myself, you know, and that's the thing. It's like these things that you're born with that make you you that you're taught to fear, that you're taught to reject. That you're taught to hide and yet you're never going to get another version of yourself. You only have this one body that goes with you for as long as you're alive. And so, you know, learning to embrace that. Is it goes beyond just, you know. Self-love, it's. It's really dismantling these systems of oppression within yourself so that you can see yourself who you really are. I'm not who you've been conditioned to think you are.
Yeah, and that you can just leave now rather than this whole like, I'll put that on hold until I'm I'm there or I'm asway or I'm in the same way that people doing business as well, like, I'll celebrate, you know, once I have something big enough to celebrate, not just the small little steps that, you know, should be celebrated as well.
Like, gosh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Thank you. Another thing I wanted to ask you is that, like you mentioned before or that we talked about the start, you are from the US, but you live in Spain and you started your business in a country that you didn't grow up in and you started after having your gorgeous son laying out as well. Although when I'm learning about this earlier business, that was well before he was born. Is it. Yeah. Yeah. So how difficult was it starting a business in another country as well as, you know, raising your child with your husband now ex-husband. But how did you stay motivated when I'm sure there must have been times when you just wanted to kind of give up or get a job or let someone else worry about you. No, I mean, I know I've lived in another country, but I lived in another country where it's very, very similar to where I live now. So it's the second language and so very similar cultures. But you're in a completely different language country. How did you start the business and how did you kind of keep yourself going when you when everything was just very different to what you'd grown up in?
Yeah, I read there that first year was. Was tough. I'm not going to I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it was because I didn't know, you know, when I when I talk about the lying Willis, I mean, that was a hobby. You know, when you when you think of is this a business or a hobby? And I will say that was a hobby because I had a full time job and I was dabbling. I didn't really dive into the deep end until. When was that, 2016, twenty, seventeen, and I had to learn. A whole new way of doing things, what it meant to be self-employed in Spain and figure out the tax system and. Am I going to market to people here or am I going to use my network in, you know, Australia and the States and Europe, you know? And smaller things like.
As I said when I first started as a fertility coach, which is something that people are hearing about more and more now, but in 2016, not so much, you know, so to speak. And what is it that you do? And introducing myself back when we could still meet in person, always that feeling of I'm not going to be taken seriously because I'm not an endocrinologist or I'm not an embryologist or I'm not an ob gyn, you know? That's something that took a long time for me to get over, that I have very, very different skill set and very different gifts than an allopathic physician. And that's OK. You know, I don't have to pretend that I'm trying to to do that job because I'm not.
But there is always this kind of I think. Whatever you go all in and you're going to experience that feeling of resistance in those voices of should you really be doing this? And I remember even though I was you know, I was earning money and I I have, you know, clients consistently, but I was still looking on websites for English teachers, you know, or I think there is one point. I was like, maybe I can earn extra money transcribing things. I mean, just random things. That is like, what if this doesn't work? And, you know, thankfully, I even though they weren't physically here, I did have the support of my family. And that's something that, you know, I'll share because I. Felt an incredible sense of shame around it. And for anyone listening who might be in a similar position, I don't want you to feel shame. So I'll share mine that there were months where my parents had to help.
Because I was starting my own business after getting divorced while raising a three year old. And that was a lot, and sometimes you've got to look at your support system and instead of judging it as, oh, God, you know, like if I if I were smarter, if I were more talented, if I, you know, had my stuff together, you know, I wouldn't be in this position. Just be grateful, you know, be grateful that you have people who believe in you and who will help you through those difficult times because a lot of people don't. And, you know, when I say I come from a privileged I mean, that is a huge privilege that I have a family who, you know, I'm an only child and my parents have always believed me even when I didn't believe in myself, which has been a tremendous gift.
And, you know. If if there's someone in your life who. Has said, like, I really believe in your idea and I'll help you with that, whatever you need, then just accept that as a tremendous gift and part of your journey as opposed to I don't need that because I should be able to figure this out on my own. And if I'm not figuring out on my own, then I'm failing. Because that's how I talk to myself. You know, when I was first starting out and. It wasn't necessary. It wasn't necessary.
Thank you so much for sharing that, because I know I was just nodding Rudloe like, yes, yes. In so many ways. Yeah, I've I've I've done that to get my sisters sent money to me, you know, at various times in my life or my, you know, like I just think we are incredibly privileged. But it might not even be financial. It could just be someone saying, hey, I'm happy to sit with you and go through your finances because I've got the expertise in that. Or, hey, I'm happy to show you how this platform works, because I use it all the time. And I think, yeah, sometimes we can get in the whole defence mode of like, I'm not charity or, you know, you don't have to get me. And yeah, it even like I've had people contact me on Instagram and I've said to them, I'm happy to jump on the phone with you and go through this. And I am aware of not wanting to come across like, oh, you know, I'm pitying you or anything like that. I think it's really, really important what you've just said. Just accept it and take it as a gift.
Mhm. Yeah. Because they don't come around all the time and yeah. And also what other people would give to that as well, like you know, we were so lucky to have have those types of people in our lives so and that's, that's just going because this comes up with my clients a lot and and it's also something that contributes to burnout. Is this, you know, reluctance to receive, you know, and every time I refuse to receive, I robbed someone of the opportunity to give and so many people love to give. You know, that's really what makes them feel. Fulfilled. Is when when they have the opportunity to to help, to support. And. We don't have to think of ourselves as a burden if we are involved in that exchange, you know, sometimes we'll be on the other side and we'll have the opportunity to offer something like, you know, just as you said so. Be willing to to accept help in all forms and and give it to.
Yes, and speaking of help, how or who has sort of helped you with building your business, I know that you have mentioned the life coaching course that you've done or that the beautiful you, beautiful you. And I know you're quite friendly with the woman who's the founder of that. Are there other people or say, mentors, golf courses or books or anything that sort of, you know, song or anything that sort of helped you build your businesses, do you think?
Well, training with beautiful you coaching academy was life changing in so many ways, but going through their their core programme was a real journey of self development and it finally gave me the confidence that I needed to really go out on that limb because that's where I was before training with them. I had gone through other courses that focussed on building a business as a coach, but I didn't believe in myself and they didn't think that I that I could do it. And after going through the beautiful you training, you know, I not only left with tools for helping my clients, but I saw myself differently and I knew how to better engage with my inner critic, you know? So I'm that that that is a huge shift when you hear the voices of the inner critic, but you're able to say, sit down, girl. I'm not today, not today, because I have other things that I want to get done besides listen to you. So that was also the journey that I mentioned, you know, the 14 month journey. That I did through Christus Temple School and my mentors in that, that was also. You know. That was pivotal for me. And just working with. My own coaches, you know, and we've worked together as well, Fiona, you know, the tables turned, you know that actually asking for your help. No need to, but thank you.
But but, you know, you've you've been my coach at one point and but. You know, I have always invested in coaches and mentors, and in the last year it's been really. Very healing for me to work with other women of colour. And to have those people that I can go to. When I can say, like, yeah, you see what's going on, it it's not just me, I'm not crazy and yet you're not. You know, we see it, too, because. Coaching is, you know, it's dominated by. By whiteness and a lot of white people who have not done the work, who will not do the work and who refuse to see things differently, and sometimes that can make you feel really just tired and and knocked around and feeling like I'm doing all the stuff that I'm supposed to be doing. Why why aren't I experiencing the same results? And it's really important to have those people in those connexions that you can go to. And, you know, even if if that doesn't apply to you, I think any time that you're a leader in your field, you always need spaces where you can be vulnerable and you can be at the beginning again because that's how you stay. Fresh and really in touch with what you want for yourself and for your business and for, you know, your next evolution. So, yeah, I if I were to condense my answer, I would just say keep investing in people, buy all the books. You know, you can't see it. But I've got so many books behind me and I'm an avid reader, but invest in people and invest in community and know that you don't have to do this thing alone. Mm hmm.
Yeah. I completely agree with you that I have my own business coaches and I'm part of a mastermind in the U.S. And yeah, I definitely feel like you need to invest in yourself as well. And I think it's also really important what you said about the last year and working with women of colour and people of colour. I, I, I definitely champion that. And I think that there's this if you're listening to this and you're in Australia and you are a person of colour, there is a sort of new business that's coming up called We Are the Movement, and they specialise in helping people build, you know, their careers and also look after the mental health people of colour. So they seek those places out. And if if anyone has any recommendations, please let us know so we can include that in the show notes for our podcasts and on our social media as well. But the other thing I want to tell you I want to ask you is can you tell us a bit about the, well, rebel collective talking about people investing in themselves? What is a rebel, in your opinion? And then also what is the, well, rebel collective?
Well, for me, a rebel is a change maker. A rebel is someone who refuses to live by the rules and. Is constantly questioning like. Why are things done this way and does this work for me, independent of what everyone says should work for me? Does it feel right for me? Does it. Align with my with my vision for my life and if not having the freedom to say. Not for me, I'm moving on. It's it's really an inner an inner knowing and an inner confidence and an inner trust. So that you're not constantly looking for external references. Of how you should be, how you should feel, how you should think it's. You know, constantly taking like looking for other perspectives, but coming back to what's right for me. And in my life. That's that would be my definition of of a rebel. And the well rebel collective is my paid membership, and I only take five people each month because unlike other memberships that I have been involved in, I really want to know each and every one of the people who's there. And it also includes group coaching.
So when you sign up, you get the opportunity to be coach twice a month in a group of other people who are on the same journey. And, you know, I offer groups in. Australia and three of the members there in Australia, they're in the States. I have one from South America, the UK, Europe, you know, so I try to accommodate everyone. And it really does feel like a family, because I've noticed that in the last year when I join a Facebook group or an online community, I'm really reluctant to participate because not because I don't have things to say, because obviously I do, but because I don't feel safe. And so for me, my premium is always on my my priority is always on creating safe, sacred spaces for people to feel truly seen and heard. And that doesn't happen by accident. So. Yeah, that's, well, rebel collective. I call it a group for badass visionaries who want to redefine their relationship with wellness, and that's what we're about. So. They're also the only ones who have access to one off sessions with me, so that's that's also been a change because I used to do one off 90 minute sessions for everyone. And now the first opportunity to work with me, if you're not part of While Rebel is my power Powerpack, which is three, two hour sessions. And then I also have a six month mentorship for those who really want to go in deep and explore. You know, everything that is both contributing and taking away from from their wellness as a human being.
Well, we will definitely link to all of those things in the show notes, and I can't say it enough that like I really do think you show enough of the times we've worked together. You have made so many changes in my life happen purely because you questioned me and you were like, well, what would this look like and what would that look like for ideas in my head? Now I'm doing my oracle to introduce me to minutes like a long time ago, but. Yeah, so so thank you so, so much. Is there anything that you would do differently or or are you like. Nope, there's nothing I'd do differently. I guess I always ask people this question. Like when you're looking at your business now, is there anything you would have done differently if you were just starting out with the knowledge that you have now?
Yeah, for sure. I would have reached out for help sooner. Yeah, I. I would have. Started delegating things sooner. And I think that's. It can be really scary to say. One, I need to spend this money to make this money, especially when you feel like you don't have a lot of money at the start. But I try to do everything entirely on my own for for too long. And, you know, to be honest, there's still a lot that I do myself. I'm not over here saying, like in my graphic designer that I have on retainer. But but either way, when I started working with my virtual assistant, that could have happened like two years prior, you know. So really looking at the things that. Are not in your zone of genius and prioritising. Getting those off your plate and it might not even be something in your business if it could be hiring someone to help you with housework, you know. Because that's that's something that takes away our energy a lot is just especially when you work in the online world, sometimes it happens to me. I get so involved in my projects and, you know, sucked into the screen. And then I look around my apartment. I think, well, who's living here?
But, you know. Who's got to do it? You've got to find that extra energy to do all the things and and then you're coming at your business the next day with less. So, you know, I would have I would have delegated sooner. I would have asked for help sooner, and I would have released the shame I had around doing both of those things sooner mean such a great elf. And I just yeah, I totally agree with you. I feel like just asking for help is the biggest hurdle sometimes. And you're making that hurdle yourself because we are refusing to ask for help or thinking, again, that whole idea of I'll do it when I get to this, I'll do it when I'm big enough for all of these things we tell ourselves. And then I guess I would also love to know, what are you most proud of from your journey, you know, owning and running your own small business.
I am most proud of still being here, to be honest, because. I could have quit, I could have quit many, many times, and I am proud that I have continued to build a business based on my values. You know, not. Not. Not hiding from what I know to be true so that I can be more palatable. And doing it with my son, watching me the whole time. You know, so that he doesn't think. Like I did that. There are certain things that men did and certain things that women did, and he sees me doing everything he doesn't really know what's what's a woman's role in the house or a man's role in the house, because he's just got me. And so he sees me earning the money. He sees me fixing the stuff. He sees me, you know, in the kitchen. And he comes with me and he you know, I teach him how to make simple things for himself, you know? And I'm really proud that that that's the experience that I'm giving him because. It hasn't been easy, but it's definitely been worth it and. Yeah, and just on a superficial note, I was recently awarded something that I was nominated for a few years ago, so I received a coaching award just last month, and I'm really proud of that because. It's it's an acknowledgement of my evolution and taking those risks and. Seeing all of those parts of myself that I didn't want to see in in previous years, so. Yeah, that's something that I'm celebrating that I'm acknowledging as well.
And so you should and it's definitely not superficial. I, I, I only wish that we didn't have these covid restrictions and they could have come to Australia. I know. Like, I didn't read it like I did. Yes. I remember when that was when we just started working together I think twenty seventeen or twenty eighteen but in 1828. Massive, massive. Congratulations on that. And we'll get to that in the show notes and we'll link to the places that you've mentioned as well. And so other things we'll link to in the show notes are places that people can connect with you. So if people are listening to this and thinking, you know, oh gosh, she sounds like a woman who's, you know, just someone that I could use in my life like everyone should, how can I connect with you? Where is the best place? Is it social media or is it your website? What is the best place that people can connect with you? And I guess what's next for you as well?
The best place to connect with me is on Instagram. That's where I'm most active and cultural. ENDA and my website, Jolanda Johnson Dotcom and. Yeah, what's next? I want to continue building while rebel and I will be offering a new programme specifically for people going through the perimenopausal transition. That's also next, and I recently became a faculty member of Feminist Coach Academy, so I'll be delivering a class around. Burnout and. Well, basically burn out through an intersectional feminist lens, so I'm excited about that and. Yeah. I will eventually write a book, I know that that's a given, that's a given. But I'm not sure when, so I'm just. And I. I know that what's meant for me will always be there for me, but for anyone who's listening and you feel like you've got to do all the things all the time, you know, take a breath and. It's OK to go slow. It's OK to focus on, you know, what's in front of you and have that big vision, but to not race towards it, because I think that these days we're just we're surrounded by so many different examples of success and. It looks like things happen instantly, you know, that whatever we want, it's it's just a matter of time management. And, you know, we've we've all come through a very difficult year and we have to make space for that to, you know, and for me, it's not always a question of time as much as capacity. You know, do I have the capacity to do this right now, and that can be a hard question because a lot of times the answer is no. But we have to we have to be gentle with ourselves and we have to give ourselves space to. To rest and recover and and also to to dream. You know, and that often happens in those spaces where we're not we're not being productive. So I just wanted to share that for anyone who's listening and has big goals, it's OK to to take things slow.
Yes, ma'am. I agree. And I often refer back to this. Who said Arthur Ashe quote? And he said, start where you use what you have, do what you can. And I think Mother Teresa also has a quote similar to that. But yeah. Or, you know, unquote, Oprah her whole you can do it all, but not all at once. So I feel like. Yeah, just reminding ourselves of that. It's a really good reminder. Thank you and thank you for being on the podcast and thank you for just providing so much wisdom. As always. I know that every time I did coaching with you, I would often be sort of rush, rush and then get to the, you know, because of the time difference would have it in the evenings here. And I'd get on and think, oh gosh, you know, and then we within a few minutes I'd feel so relaxed. And you just brought me back to myself and into what's important. So thank you so, so, so much.
Oh, it's been my pleasure to be here for you. And I thank you for having me.
And I'm really excited about this one. But yeah. Thank you. And take care and enjoy the rest of your day.
You too. Thank you.
And this conversation, it just. Yeah, reminded me so much of the coaching sessions that I used to do with Jolinda. As I said earlier, I worked with her twice in 2017, the end of 2017 and then again in 2020. No, must have been 2019.
But yeah, listening to her now I just feel that same sense of calm and peace and just sort of motivation to want to look after, you know, mind, body, spirit, connection. So I'd love to know from you what you took away from my chat with Jolinda Johnson today.
For me, two things really stood out from the chat, one being that things will change and evolve with your business and you have to be open to that. And I loved her. Jolinda talked about her business journey starting, you know, a decade ago in a kind of different part of the overall health idea. So, you know, she talked about starting with, you know, different types of foods to eat and nutrition and all the things that she'd been trained in. And then she's evolved and evolved and evolved and she's evolved as a person. And then in turn with that, so has her business. And I think that's a really important lesson, that when you're starting out don't feel like, oh, I'm starting this business, it's set in concrete. It has to be like this for the next ten years. It doesn't in my own business, this is my sixth year. It has definitely changed and evolved as I have grown as a person and as I have changed and evolved. And even, you know, this year, I'm sure I'll be learning new things and being part of things that I haven't been before, which will again, you know, upper level me and allow me to then share those trainings or those different parts of myself that I've learnt about with my clients. And so, again, the business evolves, so don't be scared of that. And I think Jolinda is a great example of taking something that you want to do and then sort of moving with it as you grow and evolve as a person.
And then the second thing that, you know, she spoke about, which I really had to do a lot more in my life, is accepting help. I think that was such a huge one. And I know from so many small business owners that I work with that, you know, it's a really hard thing, particularly if you are quite an ambitious, independent person. And I would say majority of small business owners are that that's why you start a small business. You sort of want to have control over your time. You want to do things your way. You want to you know, you're really curious about things. And often as a small business owner, you are the person other people turn to for help. And so it can be even harder sometimes for you to ask for that help. So I absolutely loved that Jolinda was so, you know, open and real and talking about, you know, accepting help when she needed and being open to receiving that, because often the person giving it is really wanting to give it. And by just knocking it back or being defensive or, you know, taking it as a blow to our ego, it's actually not just a bad experience for ourselves, but also for the person that's really trying to help. Yeah.
So I absolutely loved that. Just a reminder that accepting help, whatever form that comes in, is totally fine and actually should be something that perhaps we look at doing a bit more often in our small business.
So that is it for today's Small Business interview. I would love to know what you thought of this. So definitely reach out to me on Instagram, I'm at @mydailybusinesscoach, I'm sure, Jolinda, that would also love to know what the takeaway was for you. So definitely reach out to her on Instagram as well. She is at @coachjolinda And if you want to check out more of Jolinda Johnson, definitely go over to jolindajohnson.com. And of course, we'll link to those in the show notes along with a full transcript of this episode, and that'll be available over at mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/90 as this is episode 90. Thank you so, so much for listening. If you enjoy this, please share it with a friend. Or if you have and or if you have two seconds, please leave a review. It just helps us get found by other small business owners across the globe. Bye.
Thanks for listening to My Daily Business Coach podcast. If you want to get in touch, you can do that at mydailybusinesscoach.com or hit me up on Instagram at @mydailybusinesscoach.
