286 Choosing and Creating Your Own Community
Connection and choosing the community that will help you grow and thrive is vital to self growth and peace of mind, especially when you are going through major changes in life or are thinking of how you want to spend your life.
In this episode Sarah Elkins and Vanessa Jupe discuss the importance of community and connection while navigating life and its changes.
Highlights
Planning for the future and enjoying the time you have.
Connection and support are vital to every stage in life.
If you don’t feel like you belong in a community you can make your own.
Quotes
“It took me a year before I was like, ‘Okay we’re gonna do the community event.’ I was just so worried about it, I just didn’t want it to become a negative thing, because I’ve seen so much of that and I want what we’re building to be incredibly supportive.”
“It’s tough because there are people and things that you love, and you’re like ‘ah, well, now that I have a kid I’m going to be making different decisions than I might have if it was just me’.”
“There are some very painful things that I experienced in my life that I don’t know if I’ve learned a lesson from yet, and there were things that I was scared about that were awesome! And I was like ‘Oh, I learned that I could do that thing that I thought was scary.’ Right? So it’s not always the most painful.”
Dear Listeners it is now your turn,
Your stories don’t define you - the things that happened to you or in your life - that’s not what defines you.
It’s how you talk about those things, It’s how you choose your internal dialogue, and the stories you’re telling so that you can shift them from maybe being a victim to being your own guide and hero.
Remember - there are lots of guides out there just waiting to be in your corner and support you, and I just have one request:
Listeners, it doesn’t have to be when you’re having a big decade birthday, or when you’re about to empty nest, or some random arbitrary part of your life that you can do the program that Vanessa’s husband created for them: Think about the moments in the last ten years that are really meaningful, that have shaped you into who you are today, and start thinking about what moments you want over the next ten years.
You can do that today. It doesn’t have to be a big decade birthday or the start of a new year, I encourage you to think about that.
And, as always, thank you for listening.
About Vanessa
Vanessa Jupe founded Leva after experiencing the challenges of breastfeeding, being a working mom, and finding work-life balance firsthand. She is a passionate leader with 20 years of experience in the digital product development. Jupe is also a mother and wife.
Jupe holds a BBA in Information Systems from the University of the Incarnate Word, an MS in Technology Commercialization from UT Austin McCombs School of Business, and a certificate in Women in Leadership from Cornell University.
Jupe is committed to helping working moms succeed. She believes that all moms deserve to have a fulfilling career and a happy family life. Leva is her way of making that happen.
Connect with Vanessa on her Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!
Check out Vanessa’s website Levapp and the associated Instagram and LinkedIn!
About Sarah
"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."
In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.
My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.
The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!
Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana.
Be sure to check out the Job Interview Storytelling Course as well to make sure you nail that next interview!