Bestselling author of 7 books, well-known personal growth pioneer Jennifer Louden joins me on the podcast to talk about her latest book, Why Bother?, and what it takes to have impact and be a leader right now.
JENNIFER LOUDEN is a personal growth pioneer who helped
launch the concept of self-care with her first bestseller, The Woman’s
Comfort Book. Since then, she’s written six additional books on well-
being and whole living, including The Woman’s Retreat Book and The
Life Organizer, with close to a million copies of her books in print in
nine languages. Jennifer has spoken around the U.S., Canada, and
Europe, and has written a national magazine column for a Martha
Stewart magazine. Plus, she’s been profiled or quoted in dozens of
major magazines; two of Brené Brown’s books, Daring Greatly and
Dare to Lead; and has appeared on hundreds of TVprograms, radio
shows, and podcasts—even on Oprah.
Jennifer has been teaching women’s retreats since 1992
and creating vibrant online communities and innovative learning
experiences since 1999. She writes weekly to her email list of 20,000
and hosts an online paid community of over 600 members. She lives
in Boulder County, Colorado.
3 Key Points
- Don’t rush to make a decision just to feel safe. Think about the impact of both your chosen action and your alternative options.
- Setting boundaries is saying, “my desires matter.” Without boundaries, no true connections can occur, and we cannot have impact.
- Use the joy from your desires to push you through what you don’t bother about and get your impact out.
Quote
“I think the effort that we make is to be emotionally and physically available to life. It’s to work through the traumas and scars and inevitable disappointment and griefs, and not to become smaller.”
What We Talked About
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 01:21 – Have you consciously tried to create your impact in the women’s self-care movement?
- 03:45 – How can letting go of expectations improve your life?
- 05:35 – How has COVID-19 affected you?
- 06:40 – What’s your role in changing the world?
- 08:45 – How are people recognizing what they want during these difficult times?
- 10:11 – On recognizing desires
- 13:35 – How should we be making plans?
- 17:00 – Thinking about returns on emotional investment and following desires in marketing
- 21:20 – On setting boundaries and “hiding away” to have what you want
- 24:10 – What is the conflict between setting boundaries and how our brains are programmed?
- 26:24 – What triggered your way of looking at impact?
- 29:15 – How did the relationship between your parents form your views of women’s self-care?
- 31:50 – What is your relationship with ambition?
- 37:58 – Do you consider yourself to be a leader? Do you consciously cultivate leadership?
- 42:17 – A visitor drops by
- 42:50 – Owning your impact and moving flexibly without burnout
- 44:51 – How does your personality influence your journey as an entrepreneur?
Actionable Tips
- Think about what “enough” is for you.
- Notice where and how you already impact others. Build on those while considering the ways you want to have impact.
- Look inside yourself and identify your natural interests and desires, then find ways to serve—others and yourself—with those.
Resources Mentioned
- Books by Jennifer Louden:
- Other books:
- Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One by Jenny Blake
- Now What? by Laura Berman Fortgang
- The Enneagram
- Find Jennifer and get the first chapter of Why Bother? for free at jenniferlouden.com
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Ursula Jorch, Host of The Impact Interviews
Ursula Jorch is a business coach, speaker, and podcaster who shows women leaders how to turn their businesses into profitable agents for lasting change, global impact, and a force for good in the world.