.

.

Right click here to download…

.

Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Carey and Zoë, for being part of this Project, and before we begin, I’m going to let you introduce yourselves.

Carey Mann: Thanks for having us.  It’s really great to be doing the interview with you.  My name is Carey, and I’m from zoëandcarey.com.

Toni: Okay, and I know we are … for those who are listening to this interview, we are going to be doing a joint interview with Carey and Zoë, and so you guys let us know who’s talking, and I’m sure that this is going to be fantastic.  So Carey, let me ask you – who do you inspire, and how does that happen?

Carey: I would say that we inspire our clients first and foremost.  I think our mission statement is to help women create the lives that they really, really want by redesigning whichever part of their life isn’t working for them, whether that’s focusing on creating healthy, fulfilling relationships, their own business, a better relationship with their body and self, or just to be more open and adventurous and positive about life in general.

We’re firm believers that change is an inside job, really, and we believe we inspire people to do the inner work that gets reflected in their external circumstances.  We’d like to inspire people to take healthy risks.  We both had quite exciting media jobs/careers in the past, which was fun, but we knew when we were doing those jobs that we weren’t really fulfilled in what we were doing.

So making a transition to setting up private practices as therapists was quite scary in terms of identity and who were we becoming – we’re becoming something else altogether from what we were before, and we didn’t really fully believe that we could do it.

What we’ve learned is that you don’t need to know exactly how you’re going to do something, you just need to believe and trust that you can do it and focus on what you want, because obviously what you focus on you get more of.

Toni: Absolutely.  And so can you give an example of how that inspiration occurs between you and your client?

Carey: I think … I think the inspiration with clients is generally due to the process of the session, and then obviously each client is very different.  So can you be a bit more specific with that?

Toni: Sure.  Just an example, or even an example of a testimony that someone may have given you where that transaction that occurs between you and your client and inspiration – just an example of what might happen?

Carey: Hang on for a second, Toni, because we’ve really thought about what we’re going to say, and I mean, I’d have to really think about … I’d have to think about that for a second, so …

Toni: Absolutely.

Carey: Hang on one second.  One sec.  Toni, could you read that out loud so Zoë can hear that as well?

Toni: Sure.  I was just wondering … hi Zoë, welcome to the interview … I was just asking … I want everyone who is listening and reading the transcript to really get a sense for what you do and how that inspiration occurs, because it sounds fantastic.  So, can you give an example of what happens when someone’s in front of you?

Zoë Clews: Okay.  So I guess the first thing we do is talk to that person about what it is that they want to achieve in their lives, what it is they’re struggling with.  So, using an example of a relationship, say we have somebody who comes in who is having trouble meeting somebody, seeking the right sort of person or the relationship is not working.

The first thing we do really is identify what might be in the way.  So it might be an issue with self-confidence.  A lot of time it’s fear.  Working the process with the same person, we get to identify the fears, perhaps those came in childhood in their beliefs and we try to help them come to that themselves.  It’s really identifying and clearing those at a subconscious level, and we look to make changes to get someone focused on what they see now and what sort of person they do want to see.

A lot of times we’re working with someone on their relationships and focus very much on improving the client’s relationship with themselves.  We’re firm believers that if you have a good relationship with yourself the more likely you are to have a really good relationship with their romantic partner.

Toni: Well thank you for that.  I think it’s really important to clarify how that inspiration occurs, and it just sounds like the work that you guys do is so fantastic that I wanted to make sure that we knew what happens between you and your clients.  The work that you guys do, then, how do you help them to … help people to explore their own potential when you do this type of work?

Zoë: Would you mind saying that again, Toni?

Toni: How do you help others then explore their own potential?

Zoë: So the purpose of our work, really, in our practice, is specifically on helping somebody realize their full potential.  Like I said, we begin by helping clients really identify limiting, unhealthy beliefs that are standing in the way.  What I/we found is once you start to remove negative beliefs, negativity, thought patterns, certain destructive behaviors, perhaps, then somebody can move much more towards their own natural self-confidence.  When you start to, I guess, challenge someone’s limits about themselves, they have a bigger sense … they get a bigger sense of who they are and what they can become and realize that nearly anything is possible.

Helping them … part of the process as well, I think, is helping someone identify what it is they really, really want.  It can be a bit of a hard question.  You know, we’re all very much focused on what we don’t want.  I think what we’re often conditioned to do.  We all know what we don’t want, asking yourself what you really, really want in life can be challenging if you realize you need to make changes to achieve this.

What Carey and I do is … the reason we’re here, really, is to support women on their journey as they do this.  We also think of beliefs like invisible walls, and we really don’t know what they are until we keep coming up against them and we realize we’re in the same old pattern of behavior or thinking.  We very much, you know, we think if you can change your beliefs you can change your life, but the first steps in doing that is identifying what those unhelpful beliefs are.

Toni: So what inspires you?

Zoë: For me, the resilience of the human spirit, I’d say that inspires me.  I’m constantly inspired by the man on the street and by that I mean that, you know, we’re often offered up celebrities and famous people as role models, when in fact there’s been people, clients included, that I’ve met who have worked very hard to overcome tragedy or trauma in their early life or later life or present life, and they refuse to let it crush their spirit or limit who they are.

I mean, those to me are the people that really inspire me, whether that’s someone who is … I don’t know, a recovering addict, someone who struggled with mental illness.  Anyone who takes responsibility, faces themselves, keeps on pushing forward and refuses to give up, even in the face of great adversity, that’s what I would say would inspire me.

Toni: Thank you for that answer, Zoë.  Would Carey like to answer that question?

Zoë: Yes.  I will just pass you over.

Carey: Hi, Toni.

Toni: Hi.  What inspires you, Carey?

Carey: I’m totally inspired by forward thinking people like Dr. Bruce Lipton.  He is obviously bridging the gap between spirituality and science, and also Gregg Braden – he does something similar where he sort of combines his own discoveries with new science, insights into history, religion, and ancient mysteries and that kind of thing.

The person that’s inspired me most in terms of personal growth and change in my life has absolutely been Neale Donald Walsch, who completely changed my belief and perceptions about relationships.  I mean, reading his work really enabled me to see how you can thrive in a relationship once you let go of the fear.

Lynne Twist is very inspirational to me, and I’m kind of now looking at liaison with The Hunger Project about organizing some kind of fundraising event.  So I’m quite inspired by people who have changed my life with their thoughts, their belief, their wisdom, their knowledge, and sort of looking at empowering men and women to change their own … end their own hunger, very empowering people with empowering words and thoughts and philosophies.

Toni: You can hear that.  It’s really… it’s really interesting.

Carey: I’m really passionate.  I’m very passionate about it.

Toni: You can absolutely hear that.  When you … have you ever had a day, Carey, when, you know, you might need to seek a little bit more inspiration than the day before?  Are their go-to tools and resources that you tend to reach for on a consistent basis, in addition to what you’ve stated?

Carey: Yeah, there are.  I mean … I mean, I run.  I used to hate running, and as you get a little bit older you realize actually “I’ve got to do some activity,” you know?  I used to hate running until I sort of wired in learning with running.  So on a sort of every-other day basis, I go for a run and I put in my earphones and I listen to something new, somebody new.  It could be something a friend has said that inspired them.  It could be something my husband has said has inspired him, but I use that kind of thing as sort of, more or less, an every other day kind of inspiration.

But there’s also things like meditating and doing things like that where you’re just kind of bringing yourself back to living in the moment.  And also, gratification is so important every day.  I get up in the morning or I go to bed at night, one or the other, and I write in my gratitude diary all of the things that I’m really grateful for, because that keeps me very positive and very living in the moment and knowing that I don’t have anything lacking in my life.

We’re all such consumers, and we live our lives thinking we need more than we do, you know?  I think it’s really important for you to just think about “what I need, not what I want” all the time by being a big consumer.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m the proper girl , I love clothes, but I think those … my spending and everything has very much changed through the inspiration that I have in my life.

Toni: So what are you doing now to explore your own potential?

Carey: That’s an interesting one, actually.  I think we both, Zoë and I together, I think … I mean, I can pass you over to Zoë in a second, but I think we explore our own potential by encouraging each other and ourselves to grow and challenge each other and ourselves.

When you’re in a relationship like Zoë and I are in … I mean, our relationship sometimes is more tense and more intense and more challenging than my relationship with my husband.  So we remind ourselves that it’s often only when we feel uncomfortable in feelings or in situations that we can really push the boundary in terms of change, and we can really grow, because when I feel or see a situation that I feel uncomfortable in, I don’t walk away from the person or the situation.  I really think about what’s underneath that, and obviously, it’s never about anybody else, it’s always about me.

I think Zoë and I very much grow together.  We also think one of the most important things that we can do in our lifetime is to learn to be our own best friend.  We think this can be challenging.  It’s just not something we’re conditioned to do, but it’s beyond worthwhile.  And for us, a good relationship with yourself or the self is the foundation to a happy and successful life.  Would you like me to pass you over to Zoë?

Toni: Absolutely.  Thank you so much for your answers, too, Carey.

Carey: Okay, thank you.

Zoë: Hi, Toni.

Toni: Hi, Zoë.  So the final question of the Project is, what do you do to explore your own potential?

Zoë: I think I’d agree with what Carey said in terms of pushing myself forward.  I think it’s really important when you’re feeling low to understand that it’s just a perspective and it’s just a day, and you’ll even feel differently the next day.  I also think putting yourself into situations, you know, feeling the fear and doing it anyway has always been a big thing for me.  Even if I thought I can’t do it and I’ve been feeling really anxious, I’ve sort of pushed myself forward.

You always surprise yourself, really.  You know, whatever happens you find that you handle it, you know, and I think one of the most important things with fear is to push through it.  And you don’t have to particularly do it well, you just have to make sure that you do it.  And each time you’re learning and growing, really.

Like Carey said as well, I think, you know, learning to love yourself can be a real challenge, but I think it is one of the most important things you can do, as well as our intimate relationships with others can also reflect back to us things that we need to work on.  I think relationships are a great mirror, really.

So, you know, just being open, really, always thinking “What can I learn from this?  How can I move this forward?  How can I grow, surrounding myself with people that are positive, people that I find optimistic, people that are going to champion you, as well as challenge you?”  I think it’s really important, the people you choose to surround yourself with.

Toni: That’s a great way to bring closure to this interview, because what you both are doing to help women with their own beliefs and to move them forward, you guys also work on that yourselves.  And I love that Carey spoke about running and working on herself not only physically but mentally as she runs, to the way that you’ve described about, you know, how you need to feel about yourself.

And we will position your website at the bottom of this transcript so people can learn more about you and the work that you both do, and we’re very lucky to have you on the Get Inspired! Project.  And we thank you so very much, both of you, for being here.

Zoë: Thanks, Toni, it’s been great.

Carey: Thanks, Toni.

Toni: Okay, take care of yourselves.

___________________________________________________________

For more information about Carey Mann and Zoë Clews:  www.zoeandcarey.com

.

.

.

Right click here to download…

.

Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Deepali, for agreeing to be part of the Project today and joining us all the way from India.  Would you please introduce yourself to us?

Deepali Khanna: That is my pleasure, absolutely my pleasure, Toni.  I am Deepali Khanna, based out of India.  I’m a trainer specializing in soft skills and financial training, and my main purpose is motivational training.

Toni: Great, motivational … I’m sorry.  We will have to beg for forgiveness for those who are listening to the recording, because we do have a bit of a delay, but Deepali and I will do our best to make sure we don’t jump on each other.  Go ahead, Deepali, what were you going to say?

Deepali: I was going into a little bit of detail.  I’ll give you a detailed background about myself.

Toni: Go ahead.

Deepali: Shall I go ahead?

Toni: Absolutely.

Deepali: Okay.  After having done my Master’s in management and having worked with international organizations like KPMG Peat Marwick, ICICI Bank, Centurion Bank, I somehow decided to get into training because training was one area – training as well as psychology – these are areas that always interested me, and it was out of pure passion that I got into these; and today I’m loving it.

Toni: Oh, fantastic.  Well, Deepali, when you think about the word inspiration, who do you think you inspire, and how does that happen?

Deepali: Well, I try to inspire each and every person I come across, be it my family, be it my friends, my colleagues, those group of trainees that participate in my training workshops.  I always try and inspire people because I believe if one is positively inspired in life, then no negative circumstance can bring the spirits down, and he cannot take a wrong path to achieve great things in life.

Toni: How does … what happens between you and others when you are inspiring?  Can you tell us some techniques that you use?

Deepali: Well, some techniques that I use … first of all, I would like to answer in my own manner when you ask what happens when I try to inspire others, what happens between me and them, is there is a lot of exchange of positive energy through which we benefit, the person who inspires, and the person who gets inspired, and the techniques that I use are usually motivational dialogues and encouraging dialogues; maybe I use a certain movie clipping to motivate them, audio visual tools through which I motivate them, and that is supported by my dialogue with them, maybe counseling or detailed personal interaction of my own experiences of life.

Toni: How do you think that you would help others to explore their potential?  When you’re having this exchange with someone and you’re in their presence and you’re having this positive dialogue, what happens with that person’s potential?

Deepali: The person is able to realize that he has a lot of hidden talents and power, but because of circumstances, because of work pressures, expectations of peers, bosses, family members, he is not able to look within.  So people are not able to introspect and dwell within, so this is when we come across each other, especially during a workshop.  We try to take them through … we give them exercises, we give them time to go and think, look within themselves, try to find out their own positives, their own strengths, and then show them how to build upon these strengths.

Toni: So you build upon them so that they can take that forward, I would imagine.

Deepali: Oh yes, oh yes.

Toni: So Deepali …

Deepali: and we guide them … yes?

Toni: No, no, no – go ahead, finish your thought.

Deepali: Yes; and then we further guide them to look on the road ahead using their strength and overcoming their weaknesses.

Toni: What inspires you?

Deepali: What inspires me?  I get inspiration from within when my circumstances … my trying circumstances at a very young age when I lost my father when I was just 14, and my life had changed totally.  I used to be quite depressed myself, and there were nice people around, be it family, friends, be it my mom, who did their best to bring me out of it and who motivated me to move ahead in life.  Now when I look back, I feel when they could do this for me, and when I could do so much, I could come out of those trying circumstances, I should do the same for others.  So there is this spirit within.

Toni: There is … I’m sorry – there’s a spirit within, is that what you said?

Deepali: Yes, yes, that is what I said.  Yes.

Toni: It’s interesting how … I like the way you have said that, that so many people at that point in your life were there for you and helped you to get out of it, that that’s what motivated you to do that for others.  I mean, that’s amazing.  What a great testimony to those who helped you.

Deepali: Thank you so much.  Oh yes, I’m always thankful for them.  I’m always thankful to God for making those sources for me.

Toni: Did you … I would think that it took courage to be able to come out of a state like that after a loss.

Deepali: Oh, yes.

Toni: Where did the courage come from?

Deepali: To a great extent, from my mom.  She has been a source of strength all the time, and from God.  I’m a devotee of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and since a young age I have been attending spiritual discourses and things like that, devotional singing bhajans and such stuff, so that has helped me big time, a lot.

Toni: When you are seeking inspiration, do you tend to go to the same sources to be inspired?  You know, are their tools and resources that you use on a consistent basis when you’re looking for inspiration?

Deepali: Well, talking of today, I get a lot of strength from spirituality, reading spiritual books, attending spiritual discourses, programs, and of course these people are still available, and I love to go back to them.

Toni: How do you find … in today’s world, Deepali, how do you stay inspired, particularly in the field that you’re in of training?  I know here in the States, it can be a very difficult environment to be in because people are losing their jobs, but yet they’re trying to up-skill people that are left behind to fill positions; so how do you stay inspired in your work?

Deepali: There are testing and trying times all the while; there have been difficult moments, especially after I started again the last three years back.  There has been a lot of depression in the economy, due to which training has been the last priority for the corporate world.  So there have been a lot of trying times.

But then with the help of my supporting friends, my family, and God Almighty, I have stuck to it and it is my determination and my strong faith in God and support of family members and friends that keeps me inspired and motivated all the time, and I have a belief in myself that I’m going to do it, and achieve it.

Toni: That’s fantastic.  That is a key component to success, isn’t it, self-belief?

Deepali: Oh yes, oh yes.  You have to believe in yourself, you know?  You have to have that conviction that “I am going to make it.”  Nothing happens in a day.

Toni: I understand.  I really do; and those who are listening to you on this Project are probably … there might be some around the world that are shaking their heads going “I know, but sometimes that self-belief is really difficult when things are challenging.”

Deepali: Yes, yes they are.  They are, and there have been daunting times also when I wanted to go back to a safe job again, but then somehow my gut feeling always said that, no, I am meant for this.

Toni: Fantastic.  Good for you!  So the final question of the Project, Deepali, is what are you doing now to explore your own potential so you can stay in this place of conviction?

Deepali: What am I doing now to explore my own potential?

Toni: Yes.

Deepali: I see.  There is a variety of people that I come across almost on a daily basis, and there’s so much to learn from each and every one of them, be it the HR head of an organization, be it a participant in the training workshop, or be it a student – be it anyone – there is so much to learn from each one of them.

And the requirement of every individual is so unique that every time I conduct a workshop or I interact with a particular group, I realize that no, there is so much more that can be done, and I keep on exploring  methods.  I keep on exploring a lot of things, reading new stuff, and going to things that people like you are doing, and there is so much to learn from everyone that one comes across.

Toni: Well, Deepali, you have come full circle for me, because what you do for a living … the way you described it is there is an exchange of positive energy between you and the people that you work with.  However, what you needed to be inspired, you received that positive energy from your family, and you fed off of that to keep moving so that you can do the work you do, and now you continue to explore your own potential by learning from others that are in front of you.  So what a great cycle of learning and moving forward that you’re in right now.

Deepali: Yes, yes.  Every day there’s a new experience, and every day is a day for learning.  Until the last breath, we keep on learning, and I move with that strength and that conviction only.

Toni: Well thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on inspiration and taking time away from your day – or evening I would imagine there – in order to participate in the Get Inspired! Project.  It’s been a pleasure to meet you.

Deepali: That’s been my pleasure, and thank you so much for calling and making me a part of your valuable Project.  Thank you so much.

Toni: You are quite welcome.  Take care of yourself.

Deepali: Thank you.  You take care, too.

___________________________________________________________

For more information about Deepali Khanna:  deepali-enlightenment.blogspot.com, YourStory, LinkedIn

.

.



.
Right click here to download…
.

Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Elisabeth, for joining us today on this interview.  Before we go into the questions, can you please introduce yourself?

Elisabeth Donati: Absolutely.  My name is Elisabeth Donati, and I live in Santa Barbara, beautiful Santa Barbara, California.  I run an organization called Creative Wealth International and our goals here are, in a nutshell, we teach women and teens and kids about money; specifically, how to think differently about it.  We ask them to think outside the normal realm of finances and go a little bit deeper, and we do those in programs that are incredibly fun and effective.  That’s who I am, and that’s what I do.

Toni: Thank you for that!  When you think about the work that you do — or even just in your personal daily life — and you consider that word, inspiration, who do you think you inspire and how do you do that?

Elisabeth: I was thinking about that this morning, and I think that my goal is always to inspire anyone I touch because I think that’s our official goal in life.  But one of the things that I teach in all respects is that we lead and teach best by example.  I think the best way that you can actually and I can inspire others is actually to live inspired; to be inspired; to show people that I’m inspired to do other things.

Specifically, in terms of who I inspire, obviously I said everybody that I come in contact with.  I like to inspire them to think differently and to think outside their box.  One of the things that I love doing in my coaching in inspiring those people is just to literally ask them to think past — somebody coined this term a couple years ago — the arbitrary rules of our lives and the arbitrary rules of the world, the Universe … and having them think outside of those arbitrary rules to find their inspiration.  I love that.

In terms of who I inspire, again everybody, but specifically women and teens, because I find that women are so – and this obviously is a generalization – but I find that the majority of women that I talk to and work with need to be inspired completely differently.  Because in the context of money, which is what I teach, women have a difficult time ascribing meaning to money — and so do kids — because it doesn’t really mean anything to them other than to buy stuff.

I think the best way to inspire somebody is to constantly ask them to ask different questions of themselves.  That’s kind of my favorite thing to do is just getting them to question things that they otherwise wouldn’t have questioned before.

Toni: When you’re doing that and you’re creating that space — whether it’s working with teens or with women and you’re asking these different questions — how do you think that that then translates into them exploring their potential differently?

Elisabeth: Well, again, asking them what their current potential is.  We all have, I think, a set boundary, and a lot of people call that your comfort zone.  And I always call it your discomfort zone, because the bigger the comfort zone gets, the less discomfort you experience because you’re much more comfortable doing everything.

The first thing in order to get somebody to explore more potential, you have to get them to realize where they got their current potential.  Because potential, just like anything else, to me is this box that we put ourselves in.  I have this much potential to make this much money to do this with my life, can’t go above this tall of a mountain, I can’t drive past this kind of a car, I can’t have this kind of a relationship.

Before you can go outside the potential boundaries, you have to recognize both where the boundaries are and how those boundaries got there, which is actually more important than the boundaries themselves.  Because until you can describe your own boundaries or lack thereof — if you’re good at it, you get sense of it — it’s really difficult to explore.

Once I get people to explore the boundaries and where they came from, then you can ask them to see things differently, hear things differently, feel things on a different level or kind of on a different plane of their lives.  Because all of a sudden they can step out and they go “Oh, wow … I didn’t see that I had put that boundary on myself.”  If you can ask them to literally live on a different level once they recognize their current boundary of the potential, it’s amazing what can happen.

Toni: The current boundary or the current potential … does that also maybe translate into a self-belief?  It sounds that way a little bit to me, like you’re helping them also to know this is what you think you might be really good at as far as what your potential is, but let’s talk about some other things that you might be really good at that they never believed that they had that potential.  Is that part of the work that you do as well?

Elisabeth: Absolutely.  One of the things that I love doing once they kind of recognize their boundaries and where it came from is I like to ask them and help them discover what makes them tick.  What does somebody say to them that causes them to be passionate about something?

Yesterday, I had a luncheon to go pick up a little grant check from an organization in town here, and I serendipitously sat next to this incredible man who had the same passion as me in terms of the fact that we’re teaching children the wrong way, very effective, and he and I had a 30-minute just incredibly passionate conversation and are going to be able to do some things together.

Asking them to ask themselves what is it that drives you to this passion?  A feeling of movement toward or away from something can be inspiration, or showing them where potential is for them, but really getting them to find out what makes them tick.  In all of us, different things tickle us and drive us to that place of being impassioned enough to make a move.  When you’re impassioned enough to make a move, like I said, either toward or against something, then your potential just sort of expands exponentially with that organically.

Toni: When you come at the word inspiration, for you, what do you need to be inspired?  You made a comment earlier in the interview, you said you know you need to live an inspired life and to set that example.  So what inspires you?

Elisabeth: A whole lot of things inspire me, and I was thinking about the question obviously, earlier.  I think the biggest thing that inspires me is when I think something possible.  It’s hard to be inspired if you think that something … no amount of energy you put into it or money you throw at it is going to change something.

I used to live, when I was younger, with this context that things were fair or unfair, or the unfairness of that.  It was really hard for me, like the injustice of something not being fair.  Then, when I came to the realization that there’s no such thing as fair, then what you begin to realize is that you can reframe it in a way that allows you to turn it into inspiration towards something or simply let it go and move on.

When I see that something is going to touch somebody in a positive way, that inspires me towards movement, and I think it doesn’t take a whole lot.  I think just as with, you know, about everybody else, when you also see someone out there and you keep yourself in tune with or connected with or in front of other people that are both inspiring others toward action and being inspired themselves, again it is like a snowball effect.

For me to be inspired, I have to be inspired by others and for me to inspire.  It’s sort of a … I try to put myself in this center where I’m surrounded by and staying in touch with … for instance, I don’t watch the news.  I don’t read the  paper.  I haven’t read a newspaper or listened to the news or watched television news in years.  I don’t find it helpful, beneficial, inspirational or anything.  What I do is consciously and purposefully put myself in front of and expose myself to lots of things that inspire me, and that’s one of the things that keeps me inspired.

I constantly am looking for opportunities, though.  That’s probably the other thing.  My eyes are open.   I constantly look for ways to be inspired.  And you know, because you’ve been doing all these interviews with people, and you know as much as others that when you look for what you really want, you find it.

Toni: I would like to ask you to clarify a statement that you’ve made as well, because I wrote it down and underlined it — and that’s what I do on these interviews — and people who have been listening to these, certain words just kind of jump out at me of what all of you are saying.

And what you said here was that there was no such thing as fair.  That you realized at some point in your life that there is no such thing as fair.  That was one of the first things that you spoke about as far as looking, the change that you went through to live an inspired life and to be inspired.  Can you help me and help others understand what you mean by that?

Elisabeth: When I was younger, I would see things that would happen to somebody and I would say “That is just not fair that that happened”, and then I noticed the emotion, the physical visceral sensation, because I really like to get into my body.  What’s my body saying versus my head?  Where is that unfairness thing coming from, and how am I feeling it.

What I realized is that it used to cause an anger in me and made my stomach turn sour.  It was just not a pleasant feeling.  What I came to realize is that until you come – and this was for me – until you come to the understanding that things just are, right?  We always say, it is whatever it is and until you just accept it, it is there.  There is no such thing as fair, and we’ve made that up.  Why do we think there should be fair?

Somebody asked me the other day, if there was somebody standing on the street outside of a store and he was getting signature for the gay rights, the marriage gay rights in California, and he said “Are you for it?”  I said “I’m not for it, and I’m not against it.”  He said “I don’t understand.  How can you be neither for it nor against it?”  I said, “Well, I’m neither for it nor against it.  I am neutral.”

He says, “Well do you believe that everybody has a right to do this?”  I said, “I believe that we have no rights.  There’s no such thing.  We are not born into the world with rights.  We are born.  Period.”  He was dumbstruck.  He had no idea.

There’s no such thing as fair, there’s no such thing as rights.  We are.  Until we get to the point where we realize that we just are and that’s our complete 100% choice … once we get to the point where we realize we have choice, which is one of my favorite subjects in our camps.  Every single program we teach is all about choice.  The underlying thing is we have a choice to think, to feel, to move, to be inspired, all of that.

I don’t know if that clarifies, but there’s just no such thing as fairness, and until you realize that everything just is, is, you can’t go at it from a positive.  And I guess that’s the whole point.

There’s a difference between being inspired to move at something because you’re pissed off and angry about it and being inspired and moving toward change because you see the beauty and the incredible positive part of change.

I have found for myself – I can only speak for myself – that when I approach something from a point of being angry or feeling like there’s this sense of injustice, there’s always this undercurrent of negative, sour, yuck — for lack of a better way to say it.  When I move toward it from the sense of “Oh my God, look how beautiful it would be”, then I have a completely different sense and a completely different result.

Toni: It almost sounds like it’s a visioning process, in a way.

Elisabeth: Totally.

Toni: If you’re doing part of the visioning and you’re in this “I need to, I want to move forward, it must look in this positive light” because if it doesn’t, then almost why bother?

Elisabeth: Yes.  I think it also has to do with pushing yourself versus pulling yourself.  Pulling yourself forward from a point of already having envisioned it and seeing it done and seeing the change is so much more positive and easier than being angry and frustrated and unjust and people have the right to do this.  It’s like, oh bull …

Toni: How does all that translate for you in exploring your own potential?

Elisabeth: I just literally have to … in order for me to explore that, there’s a lot of things that I have to need.  I need to be alone.  I know that one of the things that I absolutely have to have is alone time.  My ex-husband did not understand that.  My current boyfriend absolutely gets that.  We spend two or three days together, and he goes his way and I go my way, because we both have to have this alone time just to move forward in any way.

I really need new environments, new people and energy.  I found that I’m one of those people that needs a lot of variety.  There’s a great book I would recommend to anybody that’s listening called Get Motivated by Tamara Lowe.  She divides us all into, she calls it DNA, I think it’s something … I forget … in needs and awards.  People either thrive on variety or they really thrive on things remaining the same, stable.  I’m a variety girl, and if I don’t have a lot of variety in my life, I can’t do anything potential wise.  I just feel stuck in this little glass sort of thing.

The other thing — which is probably why I have concentrated my life over the last 10 years on the financial realm — before I was in finances, I was actually a fitness trainer and ran health clubs, and I have a degree in commercial industrial fitness.  And I realized when I switched to money, my purpose didn’t change.  I’m still empowering other people to take care of themselves. I’m just doing it through a different realm with the money.

What I really have realized is that for me to explore any of my potential, my basics have to be handled, which is how and where I go with the kids and the women.  I say women, but I also work with men.  And my trainers, obviously there are a lot of them that are men.  Being able to help them get their basics covered, because when you’re worried about money you can’t explore anything.  You have to get past that whole money thing.

The whole idea that you teach best what you most need to learn, I really think that for most of us that’s very, very, very true.  It doesn’t mean that we’re not good at what we are teaching, it means that we got good at it because we needed to learn it.

Toni: It’s so interesting, Elisabeth, you are probably the sixth person that I have interviewed in a row that has used that exact same quote.

Elisabeth: It’s true.  I went to a lecture last week from a guy who preaches ayurveda from India and he did a 45-minute talk on relationships, and he was angry.  His wife was there sitting on the floor running a Powerpoint, and all I could think of was, “You hate your relationship, oh my God.”  I left there with the saddest feeling in my heart for this man because he was preaching something he really wanted to get, but he didn’t get it, you know?

Toni: That is so incredible, and I bring that up because it’s so … with everything that you’ve talked about in this interview — and you have given so much information in such a short period of time, and I know for myself I’m going to have to listen to this again because there’s a lot to pull out of here — but how you talked about who you inspire.  But how you go about that, the way you’ve described potential — needing to know where you’re at now with potential — to what inspires you.  And to just know that things are the way they are and we need move on from that, the 100% choice issue is amazing.

You’ve given an amazing wealth of information, and I can’t thank you enough on behalf of the people who will be listening to you and reading this interview post, what you have given today.  For that, I am incredibly grateful.

Elisabeth: I’m absolutely honored to be part of the Project, and if any of those words help inspire anybody towards anything positive in their life, it’s a worthwhile venture.

Toni: Thank you so much, Elisabeth, and I hope that we speak again soon.

___________________________________________________________

For more information about interviewee:  www.elisabethdonati.com

.

.



.
Right click here to download…
.

Toni Reece: Christine, before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?

Christine O’Connell: Sure.  My name is Christine O’Connell.  I work for Advantage Sales and Marketing as a manager in the talent development department.

Toni: Okay, and whether this is in the work that you do every day or even personally, the first question that I want to ask you is who do you inspire and how do you do that?

Christine: That’s a great question, and I would dare to say I think I inspire anyone that I encounter in my life across the board.  So whether it be personally or professionally, I think one thing I’ve learned is that in life you have an influence on others in one sense of the word and making sure that any time you interact with another individual — whether it be like I said professionally or personally — that you’re aware of that.  And I think every day there’s a little bit of influence.

I think primarily in the workplace it is my staff and my team.  I think I have the ability to kind of see the stars inside of them, maybe the hidden talents, and make them or help them pull those out and, you know, be able to rise to the occasion and do what’s needed to move themselves in their career professionally as well as personally.

Toni: Fantastic!  And when you do that and you work with these people, what do you do?  How do you go about realizing that influence that you have on others that may actually inspire them?

Christine: It’s funny because, you know, someone once said to me, “How do you do what you do?”  And I’m like “I don’t have a method to my madness or a science to what I do.”  “But it’s really about finding out who the person is and what’s important to them, and giving them and providing them the opportunity to grow and move down that path for them in life, whether that falls in the agenda you have for them or not.  And I think that’s probably a difficult piece a lot of people have, “Well, that’s not what I want them to do, so I’m not going to help them.”

My theory is, if I can do anything to help them move to wherever it is, it’s inspiring to them.  They feel … I guess the cool part about it when you hear them say “Thanks for challenging me” or “Thanks for giving me that opportunity” and “That opportunity has made me feel like this, or has made me feel like I can do anything now.”

Toni: How does that translate with what you do on a day-to-day professional level into your personal life?

Christine: Well, I think in my personal life I try to inspire and be there for anyone that I’m friends, family, whatever it is.  And how I do that in my personal life is, you know, I think I’m the one people reach out to a lot.  And it’s such a privilege to think that people reach out to me and think that I can help them walk down a path, figure out a new direction, you know, inspire them to do something different, and just by being there and listening and really kind of giving some personal experiences to lend when I was in a situation or that type of place or what my thoughts were, you know.  But always indicating that really it’s up to them to make that decision and really drive and get what they want out of life because life’s just too short; you have to drive and you have to get what you want because you never know.

Toni: So basically, it sounds as though it relates to both personal and professional.  I just heard some personal ownership taking place that you drive towards others is that, “I’ll help you get to this place, but there has to be some personal ownership along the way.”

Christine: Absolutely.  You know, you can inspire and give positive words and support, but it really is up to each and every person to make that difference or make that change and drive down the path that they want.  And in thinking about it, you really have to take a look at who you are, what you want, and what’s really important to you and drive down that.  And I think making people accountable or asking them to say “Here’s what I think”, but if you … and you get to live with yourself for the rest of your life, what is it that you want to be known for, or what is it that you want this to be?  What is your outcome that you’re looking for?

Toni: Do you run into resistance?

Christine: Sometimes, yes, absolutely.  It’s like, “Oh, it will never work” or the negativity or — it’s horrible to call it this — but the “poor me” syndrome, the victim syndrome.  Each one of us has the opportunity to say “I’m not going to be that person; I’m going to step out of this, I’m going to make myself into what I want to be”, and I think it’s showing them that there are ways or giving examples or stories that lend to that, where you’ve seen it either in yourself or others that could help that person get to that point.

Toni: When you do all of this work to help others to be the best they can be professionally, challenge them, also personally, what do you seek for yourself?  What do you need to be inspired, Christine?

Christine: I need someone to do the same for me, so I don’t think I would be giving back as much if someone hadn’t given to me as much.  There have been a few people in my life throughout my career that have really inspired me; and they’ve given me the opportunities, they’ve taken the risks, they’ve shown me the light in one sense.  You know, “Here, try this, go here” … and if I didn’t have the accountability to step out there and do it, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.  And I give all that credit to those people that have inspired me throughout my career and my life in general.

Toni: And when you are with those people or those people that have shown you by example and provided you with the affirmations to take that risk, do you find yourself when you feel like you might need just a little bit more inspiration or you need to kind of fill that up again, do you reach for certain tools and resources to do that?

Christine: I probably reach for people that give me that boost most, so it’s reaching out to those people that were my mentors or going back to maybe something they wrote or something that was inspiring that I’ve read to get me back on page and back in the place where I need to be.  Tools and resources?  Really, it’s anything that’s going to motivate me.  I mean, one thing I do every day with my team is I send a quote of the day because it’s the quote that’s going to inspire me for the day, and I want to inspire them in a certain way.  So it’s the little things really that matter most, I think, and reaching out and having those available to me.  So whether it be a phone call from a friend, catching up, reading a motivational article or a quote, those types of little things really make a difference for me.

Toni: And when you’re exploring your own potential — which in your professional life it sounds like that is really what you do is that you explore other people’s potential and make sure they are successful — how do you do that for yourself?

Christine: I’m always looking for whatever opportunities are in front of me, and I’m willing to take on any challenge.  And it’s interesting, in my career I have moved a lot in terms of position — sometimes by choice and sometimes not by choice — but every choice has been made consciously and has the timing and fate around it that it was the right move to take me in the next direction that I need to go into, and that goes for my personal life as well.

You know, you kind of encounter situations where you can go one way or the other, and you take the risk and you go that way and it actually pays off in the long run.  And it’s just getting out there and putting yourself out there and allowing that risk to happen, and then taking accountability whether it works or it doesn’t.

Toni: Do you think it takes a lot of courage to do that?

Christine: I think it does.  I think it’s a long time coming.  I think for me, personally, it probably just needed a good first part of most of my life, about a quarter of a century before I figured it out, I think, and it’s part of driving down that path.  And I think every day I continue to learn more and more how to do that.

Toni: How do you think someone can do what you did?  Go for the opportunities, realize that you’ve got to put yourself out there, but where do you think they can go to gather that strength and courage to walk down that path?

Christine: I think first you have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe in who you are.  Confidence and self-confidence in who you are is key.  If you’re not sure who you are, I think you need to find who that person is and figure out what it is that motivates you, what inspires you, what are you passionate about?  My passion is helping people do what they do better, so it doesn’t matter what part of my life … that’s what I’m passionate about, and I want to make sure anything I do involves that.  So it’s really about looking inside yourself and saying “Is this where I want to be?” and what it is and going and finding it.  Now if that takes you reading a book, if that takes you reaching out to friends, if that takes you going to counseling, whatever that avenue is to get there is what you need to do to get there.

Toni: I’m sure there’s a ton of resources and tools that you would provide to others to help them get to that place to determine what their passion is and to help them with their self-confidence.  I’m assuming that maybe there were times when you reached for those tools as well.

Christine: Yes, absolutely.  Strengths Finder is one of the biggest things I’ve actually used.  The thing about Strengths Finder I like is it focuses on what you do well and asks you to do more of it, versus what you don’t do well.   I think a lot of times when you use tools, you focus on what you’re not doing good and try to work on that.  I’d rather focus on what I’m doing good and do better of that.  I think that’s one of the key tools.  I mean, there’s many assessments such as Myers-Briggs discs, all kinds of assessments out there that will help you kind of find where you sit, what you tend to do most, that will help guide you down the path of what’s going to work for you, but it’s definitely not what you need to change about you.

Toni: I see.  So the work that you’ve done on yourself, Christine, how would you say that’s translated into your professional career and what you do on a day-to-day basis?

Christine: I think how it’s translated into my career is really the opportunities that have opened, the doors that have opened for me throughout my career.  I think professionally I have a pretty good reputation in the industry.  I know what I’m doing; people know that I know that and there’s just something about it that in your network that people talk about.  And it’s a good feeling to know that it’s not just one person, it’s multiple people, and those connections make everything that has happened in my life happen.  Personally, I don’t know; I think it’s about, you know, really identifying with myself and who I am and where I’m going and following that path.

Toni: And I would think that what I’m hearing you say as well through this whole interview is setting that example, that if you’re not sure, be sure.  If you seek help and influence, make sure that you find the right influence for you, the right inspiration for you, and to take that personal ownership.  Is that what I’m hearing you say through this interview?

Christine: Absolutely.  I think that is right on.

Toni: It’s really amazing.  You have provided a really nice way for people to learn from your interview how the personal development does absolutely tie in to a professional career — and when it fits, it fits — and to never stop seeking and to always know where you sit.  And I think that people listening to this interview will benefit by what you’ve said and learn from it.  So for that, I truly thank you for taking part in this project.

Christine: Thank you.  It was a great opportunity, and I’m so excited.

Toni: Thank you, Christine, and I hope that we speak soon and good luck to you.

Christine: Thank you.

.

.
Click on the image and the file will open in your default audio player.

This interview was recorded in Skype.  To download the audio,  simply right-click the green player image and select “Save Target As” to save the mp3 file to a folder on your computer.

.

Toni Reece: Thank you for agreeing to be part of the Get Inspired! Project, Susannah, and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?

Susannah Ford Crush: Yes, I certainly can.  My name is Susannah Ford Crush.  I am from Kent in England, and I am a photographic artist and author of poetry.

Toni: Oh, fantastic!  With the work that you do, or even in personal relationships Susannah, who do you inspire and how do you do that?

Susannah: Well, I like to think that I plant a little inspiration into the lives of everyone who meets me, particularly people who read my poetry and view my photographic art.   My poetry is inspirational in the sense that I write about life, you know, the lessons we all learn, love, positivity, and triumph through adversity, and of course comedy, because life is full of that.  Generally speaking, my poetry and prose is quite observational.  I tend to focus on people and experiences.  My photographic art is very modern, and I use a lot of unique styles and techniques to create images that really catch people’s attention.  I want to give them something deeper than just a basic image, something that will make them think or leave a mark on their life in some way, however briefly that might be.

Toni: That sounds very, very interesting.  When you use your poetry or your images, how do you think that that might help others explore potential within themselves?  Susannah, are you there?

Susannah: Hello?

Toni: Yes, I’m here.  We have to forgive to the audience that we are recording on Skype and there seems to be a bit of a delay; however, we ended with you talking about how your images might encourage others to think a little bit deeper, and that you’re very observational, and my question to you was, using your poetry and using your imagery, how do you think that might help others explore their potential?

Susannah: Well, basically what I’m doing is showing people what is achievable by simply having the confidence to achieve things myself.  I am basically showing people that there are a wealth of opportunities and possibilities beyond the confines of their own personal lives.  My book entitled “In My Shoes” was a great way for me to be able to showcase an interesting combination of the best of my work in writing and photography, and it’s also a great way for people to step into my world by stepping into my shoes, which is the whole point of the title.  And so in doing that, people can take some confidence and motivation to do a lot of great things in their own lives.

Toni: I see.  Do you receive feedback from your audience and examples of how your work has helped them to explore their own potential?

Susannah: I do often get a lot of email actually from people.  Basically, I get a lot of people thanking me that something that they’ve read that I have written has really inspired them to have some confidence to really take a hold of.

Toni: So to take a hold of their own situation, so you do receive that feedback from others, then.  Susannah, we are experiencing a delay.  For those who are listening, Susannah is in the UK and Skype, as wonderful as it is, we do seem to have our issues.  Susannah, are you there?

Susannah: Yes, I am here.

Toni: Okay.  We’re going to continue through.  Are you okay with that?

Susannah: Yes, that’s fine.

Toni: Okay, great.  What do you need to be inspired, Susannah?

Susannah: Basically, it really doesn’t take all that much for me to find any inspiration.  Music has got to be one of the biggest influences in my life.   My father was a musician in the 1960s and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Pink Floyd, and my mother has always been heavily into the music scene, too, so my older brother and I had a very musical upbringing.  In fact, I can say most of my strongest childhood memories incorporate music in some way.  I grew up hearing my dad’s guitar, always allowed to explore my parents’ record collection, so that really was my first true and greatest inspiration.  I now actually write and record my own music.  I sing as well as play the guitar and drums.

Toni: So do you use the inspiration that you find in music?  How does that translate into your photography or your poetry?

Susannah: It definitely translates into my poetry firstly because basically I started off writing lyrics to songs and then I went over into poetry from there.  Basically, it then inspired me to appreciate all forms of art, so that’s how it also came to inspire me to do some photographic art as well.

Toni: When you are looking and seeking for inspiration, Susannah, do you reach for … I know music you stated … are there other tools or resources that you use to stay inspired?

Susannah: Well, I can say that from a young age I developed a gift for performing, and I’m a natural born actress.  I was put into theatre school by my parents at the age of 9 until I was 18, so the stage will always be my true home and a center of a lot of inspiration within me today.  My passion for the dramatic arts gradually led me into having an appreciation for art as a whole.

Toni: How do you compare being inspired with the music that your parents listened to, to the music that you listen to today?

Susannah: It’s hard to say really, but basically I think my true passion for music does come from the music of my parents’ generation, so we’re talking from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, basically.

Toni: That’s interesting.  My parents as well were musicians, so I understand where that inspiration comes from, from that time frame.  When you are looking to continuously explore your own potential so that your artistry can blossom and your performance may be enhanced in some way, what do you need to explore your own potential?

Susannah: I would think that basically self-belief is a key element for me to be able to explore my own personal potential.  I know that I need to set aside time regularly to boost my own confidence and remind myself of what I’m capable of achieving.  In the past, I have had confidence issues and suffered from anxiety, so it’s really important for me to remember to give myself a pat on the back from time to time.  I know that I do sometimes go through periods of not being quite as artistic as I usually am, so it’s during those periods that I like to take some time to reflect.  That’s when I really give myself credit for whatever I accomplished so far, and it really helps me to get back into a position where I can generate further potential in a creative sense; you know, basically let the creative juices start to flow again.  I could also bring in my strong imagination into this question.  Without that, I would probably be at a great loss for empowering myself to be creative in the first place.

Toni: The self-belief is a very, very important topic when it comes to inspiration.  Are there tools that you reach for, Susannah, in addition to patting yourself on the back and appreciating your gifts?  What might you reach for?  Where do you find other ways to explore that potential and to stay strong in that self-belief?

Susannah: I like to do exercises in mediation every day; that really kind of starts my day off well.  If I know that I’ve taken some time aside from how busy I can get and just sit quietly, breathe, and focus my attention on just being, basically; you know, just taking some time to relax.  I know that I can then give myself more of an ability to be able to focus myself better on being creative.

Toni: I would imagine that the self-belief and the imagination, the confidence, those are very, very strong needs to work on and to work through whether you’re creative, whether you’re in a workplace, no matter what your position in life is, I believe that the self-belief, your imagination, and your confidence has to be strong in order to move forward and to stay inspired and to inspire others.  Do you believe that?

Susannah: Oh, fully, I totally believe.  I think that’s one of the most important things that you can do for yourself, for your own confidence in whatever you do, whether it’s something artistic or otherwise.  I think you’ve really got to boost your confidence regularly, give yourself that self-belief that you can continue to be successful in whatever realm it is you are successful in.

Toni: So from what I’m understanding from you, Susannah, the who that you inspire are the people who are looking or reading your photography or your poetry, and you tried to keep that in a positive way to get people to think a little bit deeper, to know that things are achievable, and the confidence issues of being in my shoes helps, but that came from what you need for inspiration, which you’ve spoken about self-belief and confidence.  So there seems to be a direct correlation on what you seek for inspiration and to explore your own potential that translates very beautifully into your artistry and your poetry.

Susannah: Oh definitely, yes.  I think I have tried many times to try and get that really across, and it did take a lot of effort to begin with, and I suppose that’s partly due to when I was younger not having the confidence and the wisdom to be able to get that across as well, but that’s what I tried to do and really making it noticeable to other people.

Toni: Now we did have a bit of a delay there; I want to make sure because it’s very, very important to what you had just said, that we heard you say that when you were younger of course you didn’t have the wisdom of how important those attributes were.  For those people that are out there reading your interview or hearing this recording, Susannah, can you give an example of how you realized that you needed to boost that self-belief and the confidence?  How did you know that you needed to fill that up?

Susannah: Well basically, for many years I was around people, my peer group, a lot of people were complaining that they lacked inspiration and, basically, I first wrote a piece of prose that was about hearing those people complain about their lack of inspiration.  What I wanted to get across in that particular piece was all you need to do is take a look around you and stop taking what you see for granted, and you can even use your own imagination to increase your inspiration and your self-belief.  The human imagination is very, very powerful.  I have always had a very strong imagination and really used it to its fullest, and I find I can connect with other people who have strong imaginations in a very meaningful and inspirational way.

Toni: Well, I have to tell you, even with our technical glitches of speaking by Skype and recording, you’re interview is very powerful, Susannah, and to be able to be so honest about what your own needs for inspiration are and where they came from and how you explore your own potential to talk about so beautifully your poetry and your photography in the way that you did, you will definitely paint a picture for someone that will benefit from your story and just this little snapshot of your story, and for that I so appreciate you giving your time to the Get Inspired! Project so that others can benefit from this snapshot of your story.

Susannah: Well thank you very much for giving me this opportunity as well.  I’ve really enjoyed it.

Toni: Thank you, Susannah, very much, and I hope to speak to you soon.
___________________________________________________________

For more information about Susannah Ford Crush:  www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/433508

.