Apr 20, 2023
Description:
Jeanell shares her story of quitting a high-levelexecutive position and following her heart to live a morepurpose-driven life. In her words: “One day I woke up, andsomething said to me Jeanell it’s time to go.”
Shownotes:
Jeanelle's journey of self-discovery is nothing shortof inspiring as she shares her experience of reconnecting with herspirituality and finding true fulfillment beyond the confines offinancial success. In this thought-provoking conversation,she shared her courageous decision to leave behind a thrivingcorporate career in pursuit of a life that aligns with her corevalues.
In this episode, you will be able to:
The importance of honoring one'score values, listening to one's intuition, and finding alignmentwith one's soul's purpose.
How to live a more meaningful lifefrom a fresh perspective.
Finding one's passions andstriking a work-life balance are crucial.
Connect with Jeanell Greene:
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Sabine Kvenberg onInstagram
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TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00 Jeanell: I found myself in sales because Ilove being with people. I'm very chatty and outgoing, and itworked. But then it came to a point where I realized that this wasnot what I felt that God had planned for me. I felt like that firsthalf of my life, that first 40 years was great and I got to see anddo some amazing and achieve some amazing things, but there wassomething that I felt was missing.
00:00:27 Sabine: Hello, my name is Sabine Kvenberg,founder and host of BECOME. The content will inspire you to reachyour aspirations and become the best version of yourself. I featureinterviews with successful individuals from various industries,delving into their personal and professional journeys and theirstrategies to achieve their goals. We have to become the person weare meant to be first so we can live the life we are destined tolive. That means we must overcome challenges and work throughdifficult times to learn, grow, and become the new, more fabulousversion of ourselves. I'm so glad that you're here. Let's get onthis journey together.
00:01:18 Sabine: Hello and welcome, Jeanell. How areyou? I'm so glad that I have you here as my guest today.
00:01:27 Jeanell: Thank you, Sabine. I'm happy to behere.
00:01:29 Sabine: So let me give our listeners just aquick view of who you are in a nutshell. Jeanell is a life andrelationship coach who has a mission to save marriages and healfamilies from generational trauma caused in childhood. Beforestarting her own coaching practice, Jeanell was a highly successfulsales executive in the software industry. But when she turned 40,God or the universe had a different plan in mind for her. She isproof that anything is possible and dreams can come true even ifyou have no idea how. Jeanell has a unique perspective that hasallowed her to achieve more than most people do in 20 lifetimes.She lives by example and is committed to creating her dreams or herdream life every day. Hold on to your seats and welcome again,Jeanell.
00:02:39 Jeanell: Thank you, Sabine. Thank you somuch.
00:02:42 Sabine: So where are you chiming in from?
00:02:45 Jeanell: I live in Vancouver, Canada.
00:02:48 Sabine: All right, fantastic. I have quite afew people that I interviewed in the past that are from Canada, soI love that this podcast show is international. So I also hadpeople from South Africa, Australia, Germany. I love the diversity.So before we dive in, I just wanted to ask you, you are a certifiedlife and relationship coach and you work with both couples andindividuals. So was that always your dream career?
00:03:28 Jeanell: No, it's never dawned upon me untilthat moment when I was sitting on my couch just about to turn 40.You know, I've always been since I was a child, very talented andgifted. In school, I kind of just picked things up. I was a concertpianist, I was a competitive dancer. Everything just fell on mylap. And so I found myself in sales 'cuz I loved being with people.I'm very chatty and outgoing and it worked. But then it came to apoint where I realized that this was not what I felt that God hadplanned for me. I felt like that first half of my life, that first40 years was great and I got to see and do some amazing andachieved some amazing things, but there was something that I feltwas missing.
00:04:20 Sabine: Yes. So you were in the corporateworld, you had a six figure career and you gave that up basically.Was that in alignment when you turned 40 that you had all of asudden that vision that there must be more in life? What was thatpivotal moment for you that gave you that realization?
00:04:44 Jeanell: Yeah. Well, one thing I realized isI couldn't stay in a company for more than four years. Four yearswas kind of the limit that I would stay anywhere for in one place.And so I had actually just won a trip to Rome. Huh? I was one ofthe top 1% in the company, and they send their top performers onthis exorbitant, extravagant luxury trip. And I remember going tomy boss and saying, "You know, I don't know how much longer I wannabe here." And I remember him saying to me, "Well, what do you meanyou're like at the top of the food chain, you're like winning allthese things and you're doing so well. Why would you wanna leave?"And part of me was quite confused because yeah, why would I wannaleave, right? I'm getting whatever I want. I got to work from home.I sometimes work five, six hours a day making lots of money andpeople throwing all these prizes. And yet there was somethingmissing inside of me. And it felt like there was a calling. It feltlike I had not used up all of Jeanell. And so it was almost feltlike whatever it is that I wanted to do next had to be all of me.And in sales, as much as I loved it, I felt like I had to wear amask. I felt like I had to be someone else. I had to grow thickskin. I had to just not be authentically me. And I think a lot ofus, as we get older, we really start to hear what that authenticitysounds like. And you know, you are much more aware when it's not,something's not right.
00:06:19 Sabine: Yeah. I totally get it.
00:06:21 Jeanell: Yeah. And so I actually quit my job.I had no plan B. I just, one day I woke up and something said tome, "Jeanell, it's, it's time to go." And so, I went downstairs andI said to my husband, "I'm gonna quit today." And he said, "What?"He said, "Are you sure about that?" He said, "Do you have anythinglined up?" And I said, "Nope." But it just got to a point where mysoul was screaming and it was crying and I just knew, I'm like, Ican't do this anymore. And I couldn't tell you to be honest beenwhy that was what that was. I just, you know, you just know yourintuition is just really, really loud. And so I took the next sixmonths to the next year just really trying to figure out who am Iand what do I want?
00:07:10 Sabine: Right. And you know what theinteresting part is that you followed your intuition. And a lot ofpeople don't do this. They're not attuned to it. And when you cometo that point that you realize that money is not everything, moneyalone doesn't give you the fulfilled life that we all really aresearching for. And that's why I feel a lot of people in this worldright now as we speak, are struggling with a physical health, withtheir mental health because of this unalignment, you know, they arenot aligned with their soul. Their soul's purpose. And I trulybelieve that. And that's what this podcast is all aboutreally.
00:07:58 Jeanell: Yes.
00:08:00 Sabine: Becoming your next greater self andreally fulfilling your life's purpose. So you said, and I love whatyou said, you know, it doesn't match up with all the Jeanell thatyou are and that you know. So during that time that you took off,and I by the way hear this a lot in my interviews, that there hasto be sometimes a time period where you are unsure, where you justhave to be still, where you just have to take a rest for theuniverse to respond. And I hear that in you, too. So lead usthrough that process, that metamorphosis, so to speak.
00:08:43 Jeanell: Yeah. Well the first thing I startedto do is I started to listen to some Christian music and just getreconnected to God because a lot of us, when we get into the grind,especially in corporate, we forget to feed our spiritual body, youknow? And so I got reconnected to that, and then the next step Iasked myself was why was I so unhappy? What was it that wasmissing? That was part of my core values that I was not honoring?Because like you said, if we're not in alignment, then we're gonnafeel that pain, that struggle. But if you don't know what yourcenter is, if you don't know what your core values is, you're nevergonna know what makes you happy and what doesn't make you happy.And so I've spent a couple months just thinking, what is Jeanell'score values? So that whenever I do, if I look for a new job or Idecide to start my own business, it's my center point. And what Idiscovered was I have five core values, and my five core values isfamily, fun, freedom, flow, and faith. And when I honor those fivethings, I am always good. And whenever I don't honor those things,I feel it. So as soon as I start to feel that icky feeling, I goback to my values and I go, okay, what, which of those values am Inot honoring right now? And usually it's fun or faith.
00:10:14 Sabine: Yeah. Yeah. I can totally, totallyrelate to it because when we do something that we are passionateabout and we are really engaged in our work, sometimes we forget.And not that it's not fun, right? But we still have to have a livebalance with everything and said, "Wow, have I done anything funlately? Like just going out on a canoe trip," or whatever it may befor you, right? And I totally get it. And this is when most peopleget burned out, by the way, if they're not in balance with theirlife,
00:10:55 Sabine: Let me hop in here real quick toshare something with you. Have you ever tried to build your ownwebsite, start a newsletter, or build a course and charge for it?Have you ever wanted to make money online, but are totally confusedby all the different systems you need to have? That's why I useKajabi. Kajabi is the most popular system for online marketers,coaches, thought leaders, and influencers. Kajabi helps onlineentrepreneurs take off. Over 100,000 of us use Kajabi and have madeover $4 billion. Why not be part of it? The best thing is you don'thave to figure out tons of systems or crazy technology to startyour online business. Kajabi helps you do all of that, and it's allon one platform. That's why I use it. It makes my life so mucheasier and I can even earn money while I'm sleeping. You can buildyour web pages, blogs, and membership sites. You can create offers,checkout pages, and collect money. You can host your videos. Youcan start your newsletter list, capture emails, start yourmarketing funnels all in one place. It makes it fun and easy withawesome tutorials and support. Since I've joined Kajabi from thebeginning, I have a special affiliate link that I would liketo share with you. A 30-day free trial. So nothing to lose, buteverything to gain. Just go to my link that's in the show notessabinekvenberg.com/resources, and we will redirect you to the freetrial page. And if you are just starting out and want to get youroffer out for sale in just three days, let me help you do that.Visit my web page, by the way, that I built on Kajabi and apply to‘MAKING IT HAPPEN’ So now, let's get back to the show.
00:13:06 Sabine: So you rediscovered or discoveredyour five values that are very important to you. What was then thenext step that helped you through that process to get to where youare now?
00:13:22 Jeanell: I asked myself, you know, who am Iat the end of my life? What is it that I wanna be able to achieve?And what I discovered is I wanna be able to make a difference. Iwanna make an impact in the world. I don't even care if peopleremember my name. I just wanna be able to have left this earthbetter than when I came. And so the question I asked myself was,what would be the greatest expression of my love? What does thatlook like? I mean, we all have love inside us and we all express itdifferently, right? Some of us are nurses, some of us like to cook.But I said, you know, what is authentically Jeanell? If God wasable to create the perfect job for Jeanell, what would that job be?And so I really just started to brainstorm what are the thingsabout life, about people? Where am I passionate? And you know,coming from corporate, I knew that I loved being with people. Ilove teaching, I love inspiring. And people listened to me. Peoplereally took in what I said. And so I actually hired my own coach totry to figure out my life. And in that process of her helping me, Irealized that's what I wanna do, is I wanna be like her. I wanna beable to come into people's lives and help them find clarity andpower and confidence and find themselves again.
00:14:51 Sabine: Yes. Yes. So, totally. You know, whatyou said is so, so true. You hired yourself a coach, even coachesneed coaches. We consistently are growing. Absolutely. So what madeyou decide, have you had an experience that you could use that wasreally a dark time in your life perhaps that helped you to do whatyou do now?
00:15:18 Jeanell: Absolutely. I've had a lot of darkthings happen in my life. You know, when I was nine, you know, Igrew up with really great parents who loved each other a lot. Theywere affectionate, they were playful, they did everything together.But then when I was nine, my dad cheated on my mom, had an affairwith my mom's best friend who was actively pursuing my dad. And hegot her pregnant and he laughed. And I was nine, my sister was six,and my brother was three. So we were very young and because I'm theeldest, I was kind of my mom's sidekick. So she'd go on these likelate night detective, hanging out in front of their house, waitingfor them to come out. And I was her partner in all of that. And sothat was a very difficult time in my life. But having gone throughthat, and so how this story ends, actually, lemme lemme finish thestory. So my dad leaves, he gets sick three years later and hecomes back to my mom and he says, and my mom is a nurse. And hesays to my mom, "I'm sick, will you take care of me?" And my momsaid, "Absolutely, yes. And you can come home under two conditions.Number one, you never go back. If you're here, you're here. Andnumber two, we never talk about this ever again. We forgive, weforget, we move on." And she honored that. She never brought it up,never hung it over his head. And this is why I'm such an advocateof forgiveness. And I think we all need to learn how to not onlyforgive ourselves and then be able to forgive other people. But inthat experience, I, you know, I thought that even though my dadcame back and he passed away and it was peaceful and it was lovingand we were there going into my twenties, I realized that there wasstill a lot of stuff that I hadn't resolved because of my dad. Andwhat happened as a nine year old. And what I discovered doing thework was I had made three decisions at nine years old. I decidedthat I'm unlovable. I can't trust people and everybody I love willleave me. So even though, even though that was complete, thatrelationship was complete, the trauma still kept going. And so I'vespent the last 20 years of my life daily still dealing with thosethings.
00:17:49 Sabine: Yes.
00:17:49 Jeanell: Right. And you know, now that I'mmarried, I'm married to the most incredible husband. You know,there's still things that he'll say that will trigger me because ofmy trust issues. But there's nothing there. But it's just this kneejerk reaction that I have to manage and be responsible for. But toanswer your question, I think why I'm such a great... I know that Iam such a great coach because I have so much compassion for people,because I have been through a lot of what they're dealing with.People pleasing, perfectionism, you know, abandonment issues, trustissues, confidence issues. You know, I was molested when I wasnine. There's so much to share. But in the moment, and I wanna saythis to the listeners in the moment, we think to ourselves, "Whyme? Why did this happen to me?" But really what I'm discovering iseverything happens to us for a reason. And it is up to us to findthe gift, the lesson, the opportunity in every one of thosechallenging moments. Because it is in the challenge that we grow.It is not in the days when life is blissful that we actually grow.No, it is in those dark moments that those happen.
00:19:05 Sabine: Absolutely. I cannot agree more. AndI see that is a recurring theme with all of my guests. That's whenwe grow, that's when we make a difference. And that's when wediscover what we really can do. But the interesting part is whatyou mentioned, that especially when we are children, theexperiences that we have there are in our subconscious mind,ingrained and consciously. We already, you know, say, okay, thatwas in the past. All right, whatever it's done. But it pops up atmoments, why are we not getting through this? Or why are we notmoving forward faster? Or why is there a block? And it's because ofthose same things that are in the past, it still have to be workedout and released. Were transformed into what was into how we canuse it into what is now. And it's an ongoing work. That is very,very fascinating. But I want to go on to a little bit of a lightersubject now because I love stories. And one of the things thatstruck me when we connected was your crazy story. So one of thethings that you shared with me that you met the Queen of Englandand was almost arrested. So can you share a little bit more aboutthat?
00:20:40 Jeanell:Yes. So lemme just show you. So thisis me, at six years old. That's my mom in the back with the cameraand my sister in the background. And the reason... First I wannashare why I keep this picture. I dug it up when she passed away cuzit was in, you know, in my storage unit. And when I look at thislittle girl and what she had to go through to meet this woman andhow she was unstoppable and she saw the moment escaping her. Shewas like, "No, I'm gonna run after her and I'm gonna go for it."And she got what she wanted. This is why I keep this picture in myoffice cuz I remind myself this is who I need to get back to.
00:21:26 Sabine: So you basically run out through thecrowd, you know, and this little, little tiny one for the listenershere, I see this picture. I could see Jeanell, she was just outbehind the... or in front of the barrier and just... she stoodright in front of the queen and the queen was so gracious to lookat her. And did she say something to you?
00:21:52 Jeanell: Yeah. So what happened is, this isactually, my mom used to work at the hospital and she came to opena new wing, to cut the ribbon. And I remember that day it was acloudy day and my mom said, "We're gonna go see the queen." And Iwas a... like I told you earlier, I was a dancer. I knew how tocourtesy, so I was like, "I need to show her my courtesy." And sowe passed by a grocery store and I said, "Mom, we need to stop toget some flowers for the queen." And my mom is thinking to herself,"You're never gonna see the queen." So she goes and buys thecheapest flowers that she can find just to keep me quiet. When weget to this place. And they, as you see, they have the pillars andthey have the yellow rope. And the RCMP comes through and says, youknow, children are not allowed to pass this line, keep them back.Of course, everyone says yes, but of course, I'm so little, thisrope is above my head, so it's easy for me to wonder. So weprobably wait maybe an hour. And finally she comes down, and ofcourse everyone is screaming, right? Trying to get her attention.And all the kids are throwing, you know, waving around theirflowers and I'm screaming, "[inaudible] I have flowers for you," Ofcourse she doesn't see me, hear me. And I see her, I notice, I'mlike, "Oh no, she's leaving, but I have flowers," so what do I go,do I just make this decision? Like, "Okay, I'm gonna go for it."And I just bolted and I just ran after her. And everybody in theentourage turns around and then the police start chasing me. Butshe sees this happening, so she waves them off. She's like,"It's okay, it's okay" So she walks back to this area to where I'mstanding and she just says to me, she says, "Are these for me?" AndI said, "Yes, you're majesty." And she said, "Oh, thank you so muchdear." And I courtesied and they took the picture as she wasgrabbing the flowers to me, and I got on the front page of thenewspaper.
00:23:55 Sabine: Oh, how fun. What a fun story thisis. I love it. I love it. Thanks so much for sharing. Which alsogives us another little golden nugget. And that is, if you reallywant something, you go after it. No matter how difficult it mayseem, or it seems impossible, you just do it. Great reminder.
00:24:23 Jeanell: Yeah. I knew in that moment thatthis moment was never gonna come again. And I was like, I eitherlet it go or I go after it and I feel like that's how I've tried tolive my life.
00:24:35 Sabine: I love it. I love it. So, Jeanell, ifpeople want to get in touch with you, what is the best way to dothat?
00:24:43 Jeanell: Yes, they can reach me on my websiteat jeanellegreen.com or at saveourmarriage.ca
00:24:53 Sabine: And I will make sure to put it in theshow notes as well. Thank you so much for sharing your story andinsights and I wish you many, many more years of excitement andjust life full of new experiences.
00:25:13 Jeanell: Thank you.
00:25:14 Sabine: That was my interview, and if youenjoyed it, give us a five star review, leave a comment and shareit with your friends. Thanks for listening. Until I see you again.Always remember, serve from the heart, follow your passion and livethe life you imagine.
