The Creative Pivot - Actionable Inspiration for Midlife

This is the last episode of The Creative Pivot, but it is not the last episode of the podcast. The podcast will be coming back in a slightly different form, so stay tuned and ensure you are subscribed, so you don't miss it. Kristina Brummer and I introduce our Grow Mastermind for Women Entrepreneurs. If you are a business owner and a women we hope you listen in to learn more about us and this special program that we will be facilitating. Spaces are limited to ten participants, plus the two of us. Doors close on February 16, but we believe the spots will fill quickly, so sign up soon. This recording came about after a pause in recordings at the end of the year, it started off as a conversation with my friend, collaborator, and co-host, Kristina Brummer, and it became one of my most favorite episodes that have been recorded. Kristina must have sensed that it would be special, and she told me to hit record during our conversation. What if we used these winter months to call forward what we want? To not go blazing into the year like a lean, mean action machine? As my husband likes to say, mornings are for coffee and contemplation (thank you, Stranger Things). January should be our contemplative month. We talk about grief, process, growth, and acknowledging that we want some new things. We are not going to should all over ourselves with resolutions, but we will proclaim what we want with our reflection and intentions. Links to what we discussed during this episode: Katherine May Lisa Congdon

Sharon Nichols joins Kristina Brummer and Heather Johnston on the 9th and final episode of the Grow Your Heart Centered Business Series on The Creative Pivot. Sharon is an Enneagram 9 who loves the insight she’s gained through the Enneagram and encourages others to explore and discover their own type. A few resources include: The Enneagram InstituteThe Essential EnneagramSharon is the founder of Grow Love With Words (GLWW). GLWW began several years ago as an idea that just wouldn’t go away. Sharon wanted something fun, playful, and interactive for a workplace design project, and GLWW, a magnetic affirmation word kit, was born to help reconnect us to the good in ourselves and others. Sharon is a hope and possibility enthusiast who loves the intersection of interior design, welcome, hospitality, and creating beauty in our physical and conversational spaces. She is currently honing her design craft at UCLA's Interior Design and Architecture extension program. All of this while sharing her life with her beloved Scott and their fun-loving golden retriever Winston. You can find Sharon at @growlovewithwords & @sharon_nichols_inspirations Marketing without social media by Alexandra Franzen. Enneagram Empowerment: Discover Your Personality Type and Unlock Your Potential by Laura Miltenberger Host Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary but she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot. She is on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they can build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Contact Heather at thecreativepivot.com Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Contact Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.com

This episode introduces you to Coach Sheila Morgan and we talk all about people pleasing, learning to set boundaries, sober October, her podcast Relationship Reboot, and why we both love the professional field of coaching. If you are listening in and you wonder about those earrings that Sheila is wearing, check out Rhino Cat Designs for more info Sheila is a relationship and mindset coach. Who helps people get over the guilt and shame so they can have amazing relationships. Website: https://shesmylifecoach.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheila.d.morgan/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sheila.D.Morgan1 Podcast: https://sheilamorgancoaching.com/podcast/

This week on the Grow Your Heart Centered Business Conversation, Kristina and Heather discuss ways to declutter and organize your thoughts to improve your productivity and create more time for you. By clearing our minds we allow ourselves to move away from the "I'm too busy to find time for self-care, rest, and fun" mentality that we can easily fall into as entrepreneurs. Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business

As heart centered entrepreneurs we always want our authentic voice to shine, but how do we do that? What things do you do, or wish you did, to talk with your clients about the ways your business can make their lives better? Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business

In this episode, we are speaking with Holly Holton, creator of The Decision Umbrella. Holly has a story that is a bit different from other women that we have interviewed. Holly's creative pivot was created within the organization where she had built a thriving sales career. She was great at her job but she wasn't happy. She saw a need for a new position of Director of Sustainability and made it happen. This is a very creative, creative pivot. Listen in as we talk about Holly's journey in her career as well as her choosing an entrepreneurial side project. Holly's Bio: Holly Holton is a Corporate Sustainability Director, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Enneagram Practitioner, and HeartMath Certified Mentor. As a writer, coach, and speaker she focuses on the power of choice and decision to create change. Holly is a champion for self-awareness as a strategy to transform lives and heal our world. @thedecisionumbrella www.thedecisionumbrella.com

Amy M. Le is a Vietnam War survivor and CHD warrior. She was born in Vietnam nine months before the fall of Saigon and immigrated to the United States in 1980 at the age of five with her mother and cousin. Her family was among the hundreds of thousands of boat people who fled Vietnam after the Vietnam War. They were sponsored to Seattle, WA and made a life for themselves in the Pacific Northwest. Amy graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Sociology and worked in the technology and telecommunications sector for twenty years. After her mother's death in February 2017, Amy left her corporate career to write her debut novel SNOW IN VIETNAM as a tribute to her mother's heroic decision to flee their homeland. Her Snow trilogy are historical and women’s fiction novels based on her family’s life and are available through independent bookstores and online retailers. Today, Amy is a full-time writer living in Oklahoma with her husband and son. She owns Quill Hawk Publishing and helps emerging authors indie-publish their work. She is also co-founder of The Heart Community Collection, a resource for the Congenital Heart Defect community. Her latest writing project was as one of the authors in the book, Asian Women Trailblazers Who Boss Up book, which profiles 16 Asian women who have broken the bamboo ceiling to blaze a trail for themselves. Sales of the paperback support two nonprofits whose mission is to preserve Asian history and amplify AAPI voices: The Banh Mi Chronicles and Vietnamese Boat People podcasts. The book can be purchased from Quill Hawk's website: www.quillhawkpublishing.com https://www.facebook.com/quillhawkpublishing/ https://www.instagram.com/quillhawkpublishing/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amymle/

Watching an episode of Downton Abbey we were intrigued by the idea of people leaving their calling cards when visiting. Our conversation today is all about what our calling cards are and what they say to those around us. would the modern-day equivalent of your calling card be? Is it your website, your email, or your Instagram bio? When people speak about you and your business to others are you confident that they can describe what you do, who you serve, and the solutions you provide? Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business

Do you have an activity or tool that always brings you back to feeling aligned? That works so well in helping you to learn more about who you are, what you do, and why you love the things you love? You may call it self care, but what about calling it soul care? Stacy Cordova is our guest on the podcast and she talks about her journey to discovering human design as her soul care alignment tool. Heather has experienced a Soul Map Human Design reading from Stacy and if you visit her website you can find out more about scheduling your own. During episode 21 of The Creative Pivot podcast you were first introduced to Stacy and her story of a career in education, moving to administration and back again to teaching, her experience in writing her book on reproductive rights, her experience as a teen mom not feeling a choice was hers to make, and her Aunt's story with having her reproductive rights stolen from her. This is such an important part of Stacy's story so I hope you go back and listen to that episode if you have not already. You can find it here. Stacy Cordova is a veteran teacher and lifelong learner, and exploring the world of Human Design has been a game changer for her. Experiencing burnout from a stressful work environment, navigating a family health crisis, and being ready to quit everything, the tools she learned by honoring her Design have been instrumental in turning a stress-filled life into a life with more focus and flow. If this calls to you, reach out and you will be amazed to learn those idiosyncrasies you have always had are a part of your unique design. Visit Soul Care Commune at http://www.soulcarecommune.com

People-pleasing is the strong urge to please others even when they may be putting their own needs at risk. People-pleasers may have the tendency to take on responsibilities that are not asked of them. These actions can lead to higher levels of burnout as both an employee and an entrepreneur. On this week's episode in the Growing Your Heart Centered Business Special Series, Kristina and Heather discuss their own patterns of people pleasing and ways that you can recognize when you slip into a people-pleasing role. Referenced in our conversation: TedX University of Toronto talk from Salma Hindy called Why People Pleasing is Hurting You. Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business

We are all storytellers, and we can weave some scary stories to keep us from growing, trying new things, or changing relationships. There are tools to start writing our stories from a new perspective of possibility. On this episode of the podcast, I share the five journal prompts that I have found to be helpful when choosing to write your story from a new perspective. More of a heroine's journey. What path did we choose to take by not changing how we move through the world, and what actions are we going to take to end up with new results? Join me November 7-11th to Jump Start Your Next Chapter of Midlife. We will take each one of these prompts, journal, and decide on what we want out of the second half of our lives, including our business and career aspirations. Sign Up Here, to access the free pdf of these prompts and to join the mailing list to get all of the details about the Jump Start challenge happening in November.

How are you using your time? Do you hear the words, "I'm so busy", coming out of your mouth on a regular basis? This episode we talk about our own time management quirks, our real thoughts on why time is one of our greatest assets, and the importance of paying attention to where you are spending your time. Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business. ------------------------------------------------------ Interested in learning more about creating a new career or business at this stage in your life? visit TheCreativePivot.com and schedule a free appointment to learn more about how you can learn to get out of your own way and make big, positive, changes in your life.

What if your journey to self-care led you to your dream career? That is what happened to my guest Amanda Ferrat, Advanced EFT Practitioner. What started off as a somewhat toxic relationship with self-care led her to discover the tool that became her self-care tool of choice, and now she helps others through the practice of EFT and wellness counseling. Amanda Ferrat, founder of Value Yourself Counseling, is a certified Advanced EFT Practitioner and emotional wellness counselor that uses her compassion, empathy, intuition, and skills to help women break barriers and limitations to build new thought patterns and beliefs that allow them to embody their inner Badass and obtain emotional freedom. She pursued her entrepreneurial path after a long and complicated journey with grief, trauma, and physical and mental health struggles. Because her healing journey has not been easy, Amanda actively works to create a world where it is safe to be your authentic self 100% of the time. When not helping others, Amanda loves to spend time adventuring along the Oregon Coast with her dog Ludo, snuggle with her cat Esme, or add to her collections of crystals and craft supplies. Website- http://valueyourselfcounseling.com Schedule a Badass Breakthrough Session- https://vycscheduling.as.me/badassbreakthru Instagram and TikTok handles- @valueyourselfcounseling Facebook Group-https://www.facebook.com/groups/552924045653264 Ready to make your own creative pivot, reach out to work with Heather. Schedule a free introductory call with me. Visit http://thecreativepivot.com IG: @thecreativepivot FB: @thecreativepivot IN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherbjohnston/ Host: Heather Johnston - Life, Career, & Business Transition Coach Guest: Amanda Ferrat - Advanced EFT Practitioner

Kristina Brummer and Heather Johnston are back with the second episode in the Grow Your Heart Centered Business Series. This episode Heather introduces the Five Projects Rule, a concept discussed by Charlie Gilkey, the founder of Productive Flourishing, in his book Start Finishing. This concept or rule was discovered on Jenny Blake's podcast Free Time. This episode came on the heels of our first episode. We started talking about time management and taking on too many projects. We hit record once we realized that it was a perfect conversation for all of the heart-centered leaders and entrepreneurs. The Five Projects Rule is a great framework for better management of our project and helps to create an understanding of what we need to own versus what we can pass on to team members, or with home projects, our partners and family members.. Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business. ------------------------------------------------------ Interested in learning more about creating a new career or business at this stage in your life? visit TheCreativePivot.com and schedule a free appointment to learn more about how you can learn to get out of your own way and make big, positive, changes in your life.

Kristina Brummer and Heather Johnston are back with another episode in our Grow Your Heart Centered Business Series. This conversation is a juicy one as we talk about the lessons we learned from starting our businesses. We are sharing our top tips to help you get started with your heart-centered business. I'm not going to give any spoilers you will need to listen to the episode to get all the details. When we were planning this episode we realized that it was a perfect combination of the Why, What, and How that you need to keep in mind when getting started. What to do from business platforms and processes to mindset and mental preparation. Bios: Heather Johnston In the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life. Kristina Brummer Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business. ------------------------------------------------------ Interested in learning more about creating a new career or business at this stage in your life? visit TheCreativePivot.com and schedule a free appointment to learn more about how you can learn to get out of your own way and make big, positive, changes in your life.

We all approach midlife from different perspectives. We might be drifting through life putting our hopes and dreams on hold. Flowing towards new beginnings, a chance to change careers, make a move, or start a new business, but we don't yet know how to make that happen, we just have faith that we are headed in the right direction. Or are you paddling? You know what you want, you are pretty sure you know how to get it, but you need some assistance in getting out of your own way. This week we talk about those three different phases of heading into midlife. Where are you in this analogy and where do you want to go? I am taking new 1-on-1 coaching clients starting soon. Visit me at thecreativepivot.com and schedule our free consult call. I can't wait to work with you.

Episode 53 and it is a special one as it kicks of the Grow Your Heart Centered Business Series with Kristina Brummer, Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, and she knows first hand how it feels to get lost in the weeds of the day-to-day operations of your business. She started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion she changed the trajectory of her life. Together, Heather Johnston & Kristina Brummer, we will be having a series of conversations that digs into what it is really like to grow your business from two women who have been there and are still doing that. In this episode, we discuss: All the links: More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business. ------------------------------------------------------ Interested in learning more about creating a new career or business at this stage in your life? visit TheCreativePivot.com and schedule a free appointment to learn more about how you can learn to get out of your own way and make big, positive, changes in your life.

This podcast episode is near and dear to my heart as I am talking about two of the most significant life changes I have gone through recently, career change and the empty nest. In this episode, I will discuss three stages that you go through with big life changes: With each stage, I discuss the important things to consider and actions that you can take to move forward. Speaking of empty nesting since many of my listeners are processing an empty nest I will be offering a virtual empty nest mini workshop in October 2022. Make sure you sign up for my mailing list here, to get all the information. Interested in learning more about creating a new career or business at this stage in your life? visit TheCreativePivot.com and schedule a free appointment to learn more about how you can learn to get out of your own way and make big, positive, changes in your life.

Welcome to Episode 51 of The Creative Pivot podcast. Today's episode is a solo episode and I talk about: Are you looking to get a business idea off the ground? Not wanting to start 2023 without starting on your business? Let's work together. Visit thecreativepivot.com to schedule a call with me today!

This episode is a special one, we talk about giving yourself permission to change your mind, midlife reassessment (midlife crisis if you want to call it that), and big changes coming up for the podcast and redefining success. Changes are afoot but still going one step at a time. Interested in learning more about Creative Pivot Coaching visit my website Thecreativepivot.com Schedule a 1-on-1 session with Heather Johnston Schedule Now Follow along with The Creative Pivot Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Join my newsletter here