Hello and welcome back!

In today’s conversation, we are chatting with Jen Jones Donatelli. She is a creative life and leadership coach, as well as the founder of Creative Groove—a small business offering courses, coaching, creative mentoring, and community programming around creativity and self-expression. Prior to her work with Creative Groove, Jen worked in various forms of media and entertainment for nearly 20 years. Her resume spans feature films, award shows, talk shows, sitcoms, red carpet reporting, and print/online journalism for outlets including Glamour, REDBOOK, Business Insider, Playboy, Los Angeles Confidential and many more. She is also a mom to 7-year-old twins and very much identifies with the term “messy mompreneur!”. Listen to hear us discuss all things multi-passionate entrepreneurship, inattentive ADHD and mom life.

Main Topics included in this Episode

  • Jen’s background and what led her to finding her Creative Groove.
  • Her passion for coaching and supporting others in their creative journeys.
  • Her weekly rhythm as a mompreneur and how she makes sure to dedicate time to her multiple ventures.

Connect with Jen

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Alysha

Music Licensing Info

Music by Eli Lev - Dancin' on the Lawn

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Episode Transcription

Speaker 1

Welcome back to the Messy Mompreneur podcast. I'm your host, Alysha Sanford, and I'm so happy to have you here. Today we are chatting with Jen Jones Donatelli. She is a creative life and leadership coach as well as the founder of Creative Groove, a small business offering courses, coaching creative mentorship. And Community programming around creativity and self-expression. Prior to her work with Creative Groove, Jen worked in various forms of media and entertainment for nearly 20 years. Her resume spans feature films, award shows, talk shows, sitcoms, red carpet reporting and print and online journalism for major outlets. She's also a mom to seven-year old twins and very much identifies with the term "messy mompreneur", so I am excited to chat with her today regarding all things multi passionate entrepreneurship and mom life. Well, thank you so much for joining me for a conversation today. I would love it if you would share a little bit about yourself and your family to kick us off.

Speaker 2

So my name is Jen and I am a mom. So I have 7 year old twins. We live in Cleveland Ohio, so they were actually born in LA. So we lived in California until they were two. And then we. Moved back to the Midwest just to kind of my husband and I are both from here. So we wanted to kind of be closer to family and give them an upbringing that was similar to what we had. So I definitely missed California, but we're back in Ohio now. So that's us in a nutshell.

Speaker 1

Well, I'm glad you're able to be with family now. I know that that's. A luxury to have I have all my family close so I know I'm probably spoiled by that.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it is. It's very nice. I'm like, I was really close to my grandparents when I was growing up, and so I wanted that for them. And you know, my parents and my husband's parents are here. So, yeah, it was kind of like a coming home of sorts.

Speaker 1

Well, as we get into our conversation regarding multi passionate entrepreneurship and everything you specialize in, I'd love it if you could tell us a little bit about your journey. Kind of your journey into your career, how it transitioned into what you're doing now, and then maybe even touch on how motherhood and coming into that played a part in. Every everyday life.

Speaker 2

So I'll try to, I'll try to uh nutshell it. But yeah, I I've had two kind of major realizations recently. One is that I've never really had a traditional job, and two is I've actually been self-employed for 18 years, so. So I didn't always really view myself as an entrepreneur. I really viewed myself more as like a freelancer for many years and they really are one and the same. But it's interesting how we have these different lenses of how we view ourselves. But Long story short, I had a degree in magazine journalism and. Straight out of college, I took a little bit of a detour into working in TV production, so I was working at a talk show in Chicago. And I worked there for about 3 years and I absolutely loved it. So actually a week after September 11th, so a few decades ago, but I moved out to LA because I just wanted to do more in the entertainment field. And so for a long time, I was doing different gigs in film and TV production. So I was always kind of freelance writing on the side, so I was definitely working in different forms of media. And then in 2005, the show I was working on got cancelled. And I happen to have a lot of kind of side writing work going on at the time. So I was like, OK, well, I'll kind of see these projects through for the summer and I'll look for another, you know, full time job in entertainment. But I kind of took an accidental detour at that point into what I would call full time freelancing. From that point on I was really work really working for myself, writing for different magazines, writing for different digital publications, doing editing gigs, copywriting for a long time. I was working with a publisher called Capstone. Press as a work for higher author. So I was writing books for young girls, so I was pretty much doing every different type of writing you can do. And as time went on, I started teaching classes. So I started teaching people, you know how to break into freelance writing, how to pitch the media, different classes and topics that were kind of rooted in my expertise. And also around that same time I had a client who paid for me to go. Through coach training. Because I was helping her. Facilitate workshops and she wanted me to kind of be versed in the coaching model. That she worked in. And so that opened up a lot of doors. So for a long time I had all these different income streams I was writing. I was editing, I was teaching, I was coaching, but the common threads were really creativity and storytelling, and so. After we moved back to Cleveland in late 2017. I started to notice as the years went on that my work around coaching and teaching was actually energizing me. And my journalism work that I had loved for so long was actually kind of draining me and it got to the point where I got. Really burnt out. And I ended up kind of going full time. Into coaching, facilitating, teaching and with my business creative groove. So that was a really gradual transition, but. I finally went all in with it in 2022, and so it almost feels like a new beginning, in a way, even though I've been doing all. These things for. A long time because like I said before, for the longest time I considered myself a freelancer of sorts that had a lot of different income streams, and now that I'm really kind of all in with creative. So I really see myself more as like a business owner or entrepreneur. So it's been interesting to have a more singular focus and to kind of leave those other income streams behind. So that's where I'm at now and I know you asked about. Kind of how being a mom fits into all of that. So I do feel very lucky that I've worked for myself for this long because I, you know, I've always been able to make my own schedule. I've always been able to ebb and flow. How many projects I was taking on. I've always worked what I would consider you know more than full time, you know, but I I've definitely always been in the driver's seat in terms of my workload and. Client load and what I can do would not do and that came in really handy, you know, because my kids, they were the NICU for a few months, you know, and. All the all different kinds of life situations, and so I do feel lucky that I've been able to work from home. You know this whole time and that I can spend time with them in ways that I might not be. Able to with a more traditional job.

Speaker 1

Yeah, there's definitely a beauty to that for sure. I'm just freshly into it. My daughter is now 19 months and she I'm learning how to try to blend everything while also having an attentive ADHD and all these things. I want to do and all these things that are just waiting for me to continue on and it's so hard to find a way to. Make time for everything. So I'm really excited about our conversation today because I. Know that that's. A bit more in your realm of expertise. So and I know that you're a creative coach and a facilitator, and that you have said you help multi passionate entrepreneurs. Find a cohesive vision for their life and work. I'd love it if you could share a little bit more about.

Speaker 2

And before I do, I'm not sure if you know this, but I also have inattentive ADHD. And I actually didn't know that until the last few years even. And it was because for some reason in my 40's. All the symptoms really came to the forefront like I never suspected before that I had ADHD. I was always able to thrive doing a million different things in the last few years I struggled a lot more and that was actually another reason I chose to have singular focus. Because I couldn't do all the things and do them well anymore, you know? And so you do have to kind of find your rhythm and your way of doing things when you have ADHD. So you're definitely not alone. I know you already. Know that but. It's so much more common than you would think. And for a lot of us who get this later in life diagnosis, we're just starting to navigate, you know. How to thrive within that and how and starting to understand ourselves more like ohh like This is why it was always this way. So, but I think that's a reason to answer. Your question that. I'm so passionate about working with people, not necessarily who have ADHD. I mean, it doesn't have to only be people with ADHD. Hmm, but I tend to attract people who may have ADHD or. Who almost they want to do all the things or they have tons of ideas and they might view that as kind of a setback rather than a superpower. So, for instance, each year I host a challenge called March Radness. And it's for people who tend to experience idea paralysis, like maybe they have a million ideas and they're having trouble taking action on it. And then, because all of those ideas feel equally important, or equally pressing, or they don't want to leave any of their ideas behind, you know they want to do them all at once. And it's kind of. Keeping them at the starting line. And So what we do in Mark Travis is we take a bracket that's kind of inspired by the March Madness Basketball tournament. We list all of our ideas and then we go through a framework together to kind of narrow down to the next right thing. It doesn't mean they're never going to do the other ideas, it just means this is the low hanging fruit that makes sense for you to act on now and then we provide kind of that accountability and momentum to help them launch that idea and move on to the next thing. Also, I really enjoy working with entrepreneurs who. Might have really diverse income streams in their business. And they feel disjointed, like the analogy I always use is, you know how an iPhone you know, you have the different drains on your battery energy. Like you've got OK 20% videos, 10% photos, you know, 30% music and that's how I think of it. When you feel disjointed with your business, with your life, like you're trying to do all these different things. And they're all draining your energy because they don't feel connected. So the way I like to work with people is to try to find the connectivity within it and almost make like an. Ecosystem of sorts. To make it all make sense because a lot of these people don't want to sacrifice anything they're doing, but they're also kind of exhausted and overwhelmed by it all. So it's like, OK, how do we integrate more? How do we have these things kind of fuel each other? How do we kind of harness your energy so that it's all funneling through in the same way if? That makes sense. And so I really enjoy helping people kind of embrace being multi passionate, being a multi potentially and using that to their advantage rather than feeling like it's holding them back.

Speaker 1

OK, so you said March Madness, so I definitely missed it. I came into contact with you. Just after that. I'll have to watch, I guess next year for that. That's I'm interested in that because. That it seems.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and it's actually called March radness.

Speaker 1

Yes, radness, thank you for correcting me.

Speaker 2

No, you got. It I'd love. Yeah, it's a really fun challenge and what I've enjoyed about it is now I've been doing it for three years, so I like looking back on my brackets because I'm like ohh like I've done all these things. Or maybe I didn't do that and it's time to bring it, you know, to the forefront. Or maybe it's just past its prime. Like a fun way to kind of keep it inventory. Of all the different things you want to do, whether it's in. Your work or. In your life and just kind of check in with yourself to see where. Where am I with? These things and am I moving forward.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I really wish I had caught that because I think that would have helped me a lot this year. I have things swimming in my head and it's just again, they're things that I want to do at some point. But in my head in my mind, I feel like I want to do it all now and I can't. I don't have the bandwidth to be able to do everything and to move forward and. All those avenues and. Move the needle, as they say on all of them, and it, you know, add in motherhood and working from home and home tasks. And it's just, there's just not enough time. But I love that you help people to remember to just kind of, you know, focus on one and just kind of. Table the other items for now and come back to them if they still. Resonate with them later on when they do have more time.

Speaker 2

You know, almost when you said that I had this vision of different kind of bubbles coming together as a Venn diagram. Because I think when it all fits together, you find that sweet spot where you can do multiple things, you know and have it feel energizing as opposed to overwhelming. And so, you know, I know. You have a really, you said 19. So you're in like the sick of it, you know? So yeah, it's like. It's so interesting finding your rhythm with these different things because, yeah, sometimes life just takes over and that's why it's good to keep some sort of inventory of your ideas, because that way, you know, you don't kind of like lose that brilliance when you're ready. To come back to it.

Speaker 1

Well, you mentioned overwhelm. So my next question for you, how do you balance encouraging clients to explore new ideas while also helping them to stay focused and avoiding becoming overwhelmed and scared?

Speaker 2

I mean I really lean into energy, you know? And like I mentioned before, like I really kind of took notice of where was I being drained. Where was I being energized and I one of the things I always say I haven't said this yet in. The podcast, but. I lead people through something called the artist way, which is a method for reconnecting your creativity. And UM, it's really about designing a more creative life. And so one of the kind of mantras that we use in that class is to ride the horse in the direction it's going. You know, and so. That's, that's what I mean about following the energy is noticing, you know, what's lighting up, what's energizing you, and creating more of that, and then maybe minimizing, you know, the pieces that are draining you or that don't feel resonant. To you anymore? Because I think that's what keeps you. That's what keeps you going, you know. And so if you kind of lean into the energizing. These you'll be able to. Energy to your daily life and to. Your work and so I guess that's what I mean about new ideas and kind of meshing the new and the old, keeping yourself aligned, you know, and following the momentum following the energy, you know, if you're bringing new ideas that are really energizing you, how do those kind of integrate with the things we're already doing? Because you're right, we do have. Kind of all these pieces and parts to our lives, you know. And I think if you can look at them as kind of. A collective hole as opposed to bits and bytes. You know, it just makes it so much easier to move through your day.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I'm just thinking of all the I see the word burnout everywhere and you know it's whether it's creative burnout or just momentum and steam, burnout or burnout in your daily life while trying to accomplish everything, it's. I feel like everybody experiences it at some point, if not multiple times in their life, and so. Yeah, it's just I think people need to talk about it more and maybe just prepare themselves and find ways to. I don't know. Help them avoid it.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I definitely crashed and burned pretty hard. Probably about, I would say, 12 years into my freelance career, I was always I was kind of a guest person, you know, I loved what I was doing so much for work, that it was very rare that I would turn down a project and I always had so much energy and enthusiasm for what I was doing that it. It was almost like it time was like elasticity. Like, yes, I can do this. I can take on you know. 15 different projects at the same time and. You know that worked for quite a while and then after my kids came into the mix, it was like, oh, wow, I can't do all the things anymore and do them well, you know, and I was still trying to hold myself to those previous standards, and I was really grinding, hustling, you know, 24/7 trying to, like, keep the train on the track, you know, and at. Some point I just burned out. Quote and that was actually when I had to make that hard decision about am I going to keep going like this because I noticed that I was like, I was having trouble willing myself to do the work the way I always had. I was like dropping the ball more. You know, I was having trouble keeping up with my workload. And that's not like me, you know, I've never had those problems. 4 And so now, in retrospect, I can see that with several things, one and it was undiagnosed ADHD, you know, which really escalated so much more. After I had kids, because another thing I didn't mention is that I went through IVF, you know, and so my hormones have really. Been on a roller coaster, you know, ever since then. And so it was kind of like this perfect storm of I'm in my 40s now. You know, my hormones were out of whack. I have ADHD. I have twins. You know, in addition to kind of running my own business. So it was like and that that was really what led to burnout and so. It kind of came to having to make some hard decisions about how I wanted to structure my life and work moving forward, and I think it is important, you know. Two, notice if you are having symptoms of burnout because it's not something that just goes away on its own, you really have to acknowledge it and take intentional steps to address it, or else it can really compound itself and hold you back from accomplishing the things that you want to in your career.

Speaker 1

Well, it's interesting that you mentioned the diagnosis of inattentive ADHD after coming to motherhood, because I've actually heard that quite a bit lately that a lot of women, well, especially women, they go through life undiagnosed because they don't have. The stereotypical traits of like the hyperactive little boy in class, you know, they're quiet and they're just. They're just completely in a different world, with thousands of thoughts and just but they're quiet about it, so they don't. They're not as they're more under the radar. But anyway, a lot of women apparently find out about their diagnosis after coming to motherhood, when all of their hormones are out of whack and it's just it's so easy to chalk it up to mom brain. But I'm like, wow, no. My tendencies and my I guess I don't know if you call them symptoms or whatnot, but they they're just so much more exaggerated now that I have a little one and I just feel that much more. Pulled in a million directions, I guess, but also you did say that you almost have to. Take a look at your preexisting expectations for yourself and that, that and that's I'm glad you said that because that's such a true statement.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it's almost like the before and after, right? OK. You know, and we're still kind of shaping like, what is our after? You know, my kids are going to be 8 this year and I feel like I'm just starting to find my groove again in a lot of ways, you know, and actually read something. Interesting recently that the. Postpartum period can actually be up to seven years, which is really interesting because we think, Oh my kids, you know, not an infant anymore, you know, like. I should have bounced back completely, but in reality it rocks your whole world, you know. And then you have to kind of like, restructure your life. And so it sounds like you're, you know. Kind of in that like toddler phase and trying to figure out, you know, you're also navigating your own ADHD diagnosis and your mom for nurse. So again, it's like it's not surprising that you're having the kind of like reckon with all of this and figure out, OK, what's my new normal you know and how do? I want to. Show up in my daily life and I think. I think that's absolutely par for the course.

Speaker 1

Not to put you on the spot, do you find that you work with a lot of the term mompreneurs? I know it's kind of a silly one, but do you work with a lot? Who are parents and also entrepreneurs?

Speaker 2

Well, it's interesting because I'm thinking about the different kind of archetypes that tend to come through my classes and coach with me. There's like a portion of people who are actually going into retirement and they're trying to map out like, how do I want to make the most of my retirement? How do I want to finally nurture my creativity? You know, after years of, like, putting my nose to the grindstone. Like how do I want to plug back into my passion? So I have a fair amount of clients that are actually older and they're looking to create a more fulfilling life for themselves in retirement. And then like I mentioned before, you know, I tend to work with a lot of people who are multi passionate they. May be moms or? Parents or not, but who feel scattered and really want to. Instead of trying to fit a mold or be something different from what they are, they want to actually embrace who they are and use it to their benefit as opposed to kind of shaming themselves for maybe not fitting the mold. And so I helped them kind of align with really who they are and use that as a superpower instead of a setback. But a lot of those people are moms, you know, because. You know that's. There's a lot. Of a lot more people going into entrepreneurship and a lot of those people are parents who might want a more flexible lifestyle or who want to kind of work on their. Own terms so. I wouldn't say all of my clients are parents necessarily, but a lot of them certainly are.

Speaker 1

Well, it's kind of fun to hear that you work with a lot of people coming into retirement and looking at how they want to spend their, I'm assuming more free time than they had prior, so that's kind of fun to hear, yeah.

Speaker 2

And I would say the most common type of client that comes to me is someone who wants what I would call creative mentoring. So maybe they're looking to start a podcast, or maybe they really want a consistent writing process and they're feeling stuck. Or like I have a client who's launching A tarot card business. So I by no means consider myself a business coach. UM, but actually with her, like, that's kind of what we do. Like we map out creative strategies and approaches for her business. And so it's interesting because each client each person is so different and that's actually what I love about my job. It makes it. No, no one. Day or one client journey is the same and I'm really energized by that because I love kind of supporting each individual to be who they are and to really. UM shine. And so it's kind of interesting because I was actually just filling out a questionnaire earlier about like your ideal customer avatar. And I had the hardest time with it because of, at least for myself. You know, each of my clients and the outcomes they want are so different. And that's actually the one thing. One of the things I love. About what I do. And so I would actually kind of apply to myself. Kind of the motto that I give other people, which is like. Yes, you know, all the gurus say you need to have an ideal client avatar. You know, like you need to know who you're speaking to. And I do agree with that, you know. On most levels. But I'm also not going to make myself wrong for working with a lot of. Different types of people. And I find that my business is growing and thriving that way. And so I always say, you know, take what serves you and leave the rest. And I think that's really important. For people to. No. Yes, there's a lot of great wisdom out there. There's a lot of great advice, but you don't necessarily have to follow the blueprint to AT if it doesn't feel aligned with who you are and how you work.

Speaker 1

Oh, for sure, I know I hear the term niche down all the time so. I'm a for background for you. I'm a photographer and I work with primarily babies, but I don't work with only babies because I love to follow their families as they grow. You know, I dabble in a few other genres, but they for the most part, they relate to. Other but you know, I just, I don't think you have to niche down. You have to know who you're serving for. You know, that could still be a broad group of people if you, you know, you could still identify them.

Speaker 2

I totally agree and I think multi passionate people by definition are generalists of the sort. You know, and it's been interesting to think about that because when I worked in LA, you know, a lot of the people who kind of picked the lane right, like they were makeup artists or they were set decorators or, you know, they were. In accounting or whatever it might be like, the people who picked Elaine and stuck with it were the people that accelerated their career the fastest, you know, made. The most money. But I always kind of derived my fulfillment from doing a lot of different things. You know, having a lot of different buckets and interests. And that was what really lit me up. And so you have to think about, you know, where does. Your motivation come from. You know, and you don't necessarily have to. Pick a niche per se, if that's not what's going to make you wake up and feel energized to like, dive right into your work and it sounds like. For you like having that freedom to work with different types of clients and not just kind of put yourself in the box is one of the things that you relish about what you do.

Speaker 1

I'm definitely going to take a look at everything that you offer. And you mentioned courses and whatnot. So we'll have that information in show notes for people to find as well, but I want to ask you a few questions that I love to ask all my guests, because it's just fun to see what works for everyone. In all their different capacities of, you know, daily life. So the first one is in your home business or work life. Do you have anything specific that you have outsourced and you swear by it because it just makes life easy? Or is there anything you would like to outsource in the future?

Speaker 2

Ohh wow, yes, there are definitely things we outsource. Well, we actually bought a new house in the last year and it was a pretty big fixer upper and neither my husband nor I is handy. So we just basically agreed like. No matter what type. Of work needs to be done. We're probably going to use a. Contractor for that. And that's worked well for us. We have. We have had a cleaner, pretty regularly and I find I feel so lucky about that because honestly like. It's just nice to kind of have that support and so like house cleaning is definitely like top of my list. If we're able to outsource anything as far as my business goes, I thought about this a lot because I. Am a solo printer. You know, I've always worn all the hats. So like, I've never had a virtual assistant. You know, I've hired people from time to time on a contract basis to maybe. Very specific things about a project, but of course I've hired, you know, website designers or people to kind of execute more foundational things for my business. But out of ongoing. This I would absolutely love to maybe have a virtual assistant or even coaching. You know, I would like to be able to invest in coaching more and so those are types of outsourcing that I'm kind of working toward. But yeah, I would say for the most part, stuff around the house is really tops in terms of our outsourcing approach to date.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it's amazing how much housework can take up all your time and time is so valuable. It's just so limited, yeah.

Speaker 2

And I think like the way you feel when you come home and your house is just like sparkling, like there's not, there's not much that can. Top that you know. And I know I certainly can't do it the way that they do it. I'm so I'm so grateful. You know, on those days where I come home and it's like a breath of fresh air.

Speaker 1

Can you tell me a little bit about your current weekly routine? I know when we started this chat, you had mentioned that your kids were in a day camp. But so now that summer is here. Can you share a little bit about your kind of rhythm for your week to accomplish? Work house life, family time, all.

Speaker 2

And it's so funny because had you asked this maybe like a month and a half ago, it would have been a very different answer. You know, during the school year. But generally something that's really important to me is to try to exercise in the morning. Always pan out that way. But that was one of the reasons I signed my kids up to go to the buy. Was here for camp is because I was able to kind of structure our day where I could drop them off and then maybe go to the gym. After that and so. Our current routine is we usually wake up between 6:00 and 7:00. Then and then it's like this mad dash because my kids are on the swim team, so it's like kind of like packing for vacation every day because there's multiple swimsuits, multiple snacks, lunches, towels, you know, all the things. And so that's actually kind of my least favorite part of it is trying to make sure we have everything they need every day. And then we go to swim team. They go off to camp and then. UM, you know, my work day is usually by that point. It's during the summer. It's really only between 10:00 and 4:00. If that, you know, because they have to be picked up from. Camp at 4:00, o'clock and I, really. Struggled with that last year because I kind of felt like my work day was being cut in half and so this year was a little bit more prepared for that. But during the working hours I might be doing anything from, you know, coaching sessions with clients to I also lead a networking group locally and so I might be, you know, doing lunch and learn for the next networking group or going to networking events. I'm usually in some form of launching, whether that might be for a class or an event, or a retreat or something. So a lot of my time is spent marketing and networking trying to get the word out about different things and doing. And then I still do have a few writing and editing clients. So it's interesting because before I think my work was like 80% writing and editing, 20% coaching and teaching, and now that it's flipped so. Now it's like. 80 to 90% coaching and teaching, but I do still have some. Writing work, you know, so I might be on deadline for a story like for instance, right now I'm writing about a fashion entrepreneur, you know? So like I have to interview her today and I have to write the story. So, and that's one of the things I do love as a freelancer, as an entrepreneur is every single day is different. You know my To Do List looks different every day, but. Clients I'm meeting with are different each day. So I really love that part of my work because it keeps it kind of invigorating and exciting. And then so summertime, so just about the day. So yeah, so like, once the kids get home from camp and their day, we actually live near Lake Erie. And so a lot of nights we'll go like to the park and like. You know, just hang out at the beach or, like, go to the park and our old neighborhood really had no other families or kids. And our new neighborhood is full of families and kids. And so it's just been fun kind of marinating in that energy of being around a lot of people being part of a neighborhood again. So we're just kind of enjoying. And like getting out and about and exploring together. So it's been like a busy time, but I'm really enjoying it and. Yeah, that that's kind of how. Our day goes these days, but I feel like the summer's going to fly by, and then we'll be back. Back at it right when school starts again.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it flies by. It's so crazy you. So you had said that each day is different. And I know that. Do you use any specific methods as far as? Scheduling your To Do List like do you do time blocking? I know that's a big one. Do you have some sort of a task manager that keeps you on track? Because I'm looking for tips so.

Speaker 2

Oh my gosh, so my tips are definitely not revolutionary, but honestly the biggest thing for me is having a paper planner. So there's something about making that list and being able the satisfaction of being able to check it off I know for those of us with ADHD, that's probably considered a dopamine head or something like that. But if I don't write it down in some way, shape or form, whether that's on my calendar or in the planner, it will be like off into the. This you know and I do use Calendly to schedule my coaching sessions and meetings that I might have. With people and on the rare occasions that. It has a glitch, it's. Like a big problem, because I really do. Rely so much on my calendar. So I would say for me, just documenting it immediately in some way. If there's like not just letting it sit in my e-mail. Inbox but it's like. OK, if there's an e-mail I have to download the calendar invite right away so that goes in because. My brain is just immediately on to the next thing and so I really rely on kind of those pieces of documentation to keep it all.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I know. There's a phrase out there, photo or it didn't happen. And for me it's write it down or it doesn't happen. I have to have it immediately written down.

Speaker 2

I could not agree more and 11 platform that I'm looking at since it seems like you're looking for kind of concrete suggestions. So one platform I'm looking at right now is called marvelous. And I'm really excited about it because it has a lot of different capabilities like you can do courses. You can have one-on-one, coaching portals inside of it. You can have live streams, you know you can have all different kinds of things, but up until now I've used something called circle to host a lot of my classes and so. I'm just throwing that out there in case there's anyone else there who has kind of diverse different things that they do. Some of those platforms that are really kind of all-inclusive have been helpful to me. Me because it's like I don't have to be logging in to 10 different things to get my work done. I can kind of keep it all in one central place and that's, I guess that would be another tip that I have is to find a platform that kind of meets a lot of your needs. I know a lot of the business gurus say don't necessarily doing that have everything, including your mailing list, because then if for some reason. It goes under. Or, you know, there's a problem then. Your business is kind of immobilized, you know, but for me, I really like having that kind of centralized spot where I can kind of keep tabs on everything all at once.

Speaker 1 Yeah, I could see where they're coming from. But yeah, for me too, I would want it just one, one specific system. It's so hard that I could throw out so many examples, but having to go to an app on my phone versus a website on this specific computer or a shortcut I created somewhere else to get me to that. It's just I just need it all in one spot.

Speaker 2

So I guess simplification as much as possible and I do kind of like keeping things just like lean and clean like as simple and streamlined as it can be. I know a lot of people have a lot of bells and whistles around tech, and I admire that so much for me I just try to keep it really. Manageable so that. Again, it's like having to wear all those different hats that way. I'm not having to spend too much my time troubleshooting tech or, you know, trying to figure out. How it all works but just like. Get up and go, you know.

Speaker 1 Yeah, for sure. Well, I know you already touched on exercise being really important to you. Would you consider that your form of self-care or are there other ways you like to recharge?

Speaker 2

Honestly, I've noticed a major difference with my mental health when I don't exercise regularly like it's uncanny the difference between how I feel when I'm getting to the gym multiple times a week and when it's been a few weeks since I worked out. So I would say it is my primary form of self-care. I do journaling a lot in my workshops and it's part of what I teach, so I also have seen the benefits of journaling, both for myself and for others. So I would say journaling is. Something I try to do regularly because I feel like that's a great way to start your day as well. And like Julia Cameron talks in the artist way about how kind of having that clearing in the morning, you know, kind of just like, releases all the mental clutter and creates more space mentality for you to have more creativity and clarity throughout the day. So yeah, I would say journaling exercise and also this is going to sound silly just being around people. Like I've noticed the days I go to my Co working space. I feel so much more energized and I'm usually more productive too. So although I do love working from home, you know there is a fair amount of isolation when you're a solo printer and so. I learned during COVID that I'm. Kind of an extrovert to the, to the, you know degree. And so I need that kind of recharging my battery and being around people. And so whether that's like going for a walk around the neighborhood with friends or going to the coworking space, that's really important, important to kind of staying in a good headspace.

Speaker 1

And if you had a free hour for TV time at night, do you have any guilty pleasure TV shows?

Speaker 2

So, weirdly enough, both of my husband and I really don't watch that much TV anymore. But when we do, I really love. Love is blind. Yeah, like I. Can't get enough of it? In fact, I just saw that the new season's coming out soon and I was like, Oh my gosh, here we go again. And I'm also excited about the fact that. And just like that, this is that what it's called the sex. And the city reboot.

Speaker 1

I think I think so.

Speaker 2

I that's what. It's called OK. Yeah, so that's starting again this week. And so I'm all about. So, yeah, I love like. Kind of like a ROM COM or like reality TV. When I do watch TV, but honestly the most satisfying thing for me these days is to like get a really good night's sleep. So like I kind of rather like. You know, hit the. Pillow around 10:00 PM and like turn on. The TV show, if that makes sense.

Speaker 1

That's probably a smarter way to invest your free hour. My husband's always telling me you're always complaining. You're tired. You don't get enough sleep. Go to bed early and I just can't. I need to work on that. But yeah, I could see how it's more important for sure.

Speaker 2

Because it sounds like we've had it kind of a similar journey in terms. Of like our ADHD. And things really shifting after we became moms. And I'll tell you like I was a night owl for the longest. Time like the long, I mean, I and especially when I before I had kids like. That was one of the things I loved is that I could stay up working till two or three in the morning, sleep in. Go to the. Gym, you know? And then like I had different ways of working, but now I'm a little bit more regimented because I'm mad and like Howell anymore and it makes me so. Sad to say. That, but yeah, you never know. Like you might find yourself. Some of your rhythms changing, you know, as you get older, so you never. Know you may. You may be someone that craves a good night's sleep. As time goes on.

Speaker 1

I think I'm slowly on my way. I was a night owl for a long time and I pulled many late nights like with editing marathons and whatnot, but that's when I didn't have a kiddo keeping me up the rest of the. Night and then. Eventually I took on a, you know, a full time day job that started at 8:00 AM. Not that I was always on time, which is terrible to say, but it was flexible. And I just I had to slowly become more of a morning person and I'm still not fully there yet. But it's definitely an evolution.

Speaker 2

You know there's. Something different about getting no sleep on your own terms versus getting no sleep on someone else.

Speaker 1

'S terms oh for sure.

Speaker 2

I actually went to see Taylor Swift the other night and just because of all the big production of it, like we didn't get to our hotel room until 2:00 AM. And all of us are like moms in our 40s, and we were laughing because, you know, a few of us were like, we can't remember the last time we were up till 2:00 AM. But it's like the times have changed.

Speaker 1

Well, on that note, if you could go back and tell yourself as or something as a tired fresh first time parent, what would it be?

Speaker 2

Well, one thing I really wish I would have done differently, and this is kind of specific, but it also kind of was overarching to what I wish I would have done differently. When my kids were in the NICU and this was for like a few months, I basically lived at the hospital and worked at the hospital, so I would like wake up, like, immediately go to the hospital, be there as late as they would let me. So that would that was usually till like 8:00 or 9:00 PM. And I really wish I would have kind of like, I don't want to say trusted the nurses. More in doctors because I definitely trusted them, but I felt like I had to. Like, be there, you know, and now looking back, I really wish I would have, like, rested and replenished a little bit. Because when they came home from the hospital, it was just like go time you. Know and like my. Husband and I both went through pretty serious exhaustion, you know, for years, and I really wish that I would have kind of just. Leaned into more like rest because it honestly had kind of a. What's the right word? Like it reverberated in the years beyond that, you know. And so just overall. Allowing yourself to pause, take a rest, take a breath, and that that goes for my work too. I mean, like I said, I was holding. Myself to those standards. Of like, grinding, hustling, like getting million things done and taking it all on. And then kind of being hurting. Myself when I wasn't. Really able to. Pull it off, you know. And so I guess I would just say, like, give yourself grace. You know, allow yourself to kind of reinvent your life and work in a way that serves you as opposed to just kind of keeping going with the status quo. Because it, you know, it's OK to kind of, like, find a 2.0 way of being that serves you more. And I think I've kind of found that through trial and error over time, but I think I wish I. Could have like. Embrace that a little more in the. Beginning instead of. Like trying to, you know, keep all the things going and all cylinders. The way I have been.

Speaker 1

I might steal that in the future, you said 2.0 I love. It it's for me 2.0.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, yeah, this is this is. The 2.0. Yeah. And then beyond, right 3.04 point. Oh, so maybe for some of my retirement clients, you know, they're in the 5.06.0 version. But yeah, I think. It's always OK to reinvent and revisit and realign to what's working. For you now. Instead of like holding yourself to.

Speaker 1

Well, thank you for sharing all of that because it's great advice, great, great.

Speaker 2

Thank you so much.

Speaker 1

Well, as we wrap up, if you'd like to allow listeners to follow or connect with you or look into the services that you offer, could you tell us where to find you?

Speaker 2

Sure. So I love connecting with people on Instagram, so my handle there is your creative groove. And if you'd like to check out my website it's just creativegroove.com and I always love to hear from people too. So if you'd like to e-mail me, you can e-mail me at jen@creativegroove.com.

Speaker 1

Well, we'll make sure to link it all in the show notes too, for people to quickly connect. So thank you so much for your time today for sharing your heart and. Chatting with us.

Speaker 2

You're so welcome. I love that you're doing this podcast. It's extremely relatable and. You know, I can't wait to keep listening to all the episodes so great. Work with what you're doing.

Speaker 1 It's awesome to hear. Well, I hope you have a great day.