Unlocking Your Potential: The Journey to Finding Your EDGE

KATHLEEN: Hello everyone and welcome to the Journey of an Awakening Spirit. This is Kathleen Flanagan, your host, and we're streaming on the Bold Brave TV network. The purpose of the show is to help you realize that you are not alone and that you are in control of your life. It doesn't matter where you came from or what the circumstances are.

KATHLEEN: We've all experienced pain, suffering, hurt, abandonment, loneliness, and hopelessness. This show is here to help you turn those dark moments around and create a whole new you. Despite your success, have you felt lonely, angry, frustrated, or even suicidal? Do you long to be supported, recognized, or respected for who you are, not just the words and accolades on your walls?

KATHLEEN: You don't want to be known, identified, or remembered in a way that feels fraudulent because you achieve things out of obligation and not passion. Do you find yourself sitting quietly at lunch listening to what lights you up, only to feel shame? Fear, frustration, and resentment. Your inner turmoil and limiting beliefs surface, making you feel not good enough and afraid of doing something different.

KATHLEEN: You've read the books, attended the seminars, and practiced new concepts and principles, yet you still find yourself in the same rut. The lies you tell yourself perpetuate a cycle of disappointment. You say you'll change, but your self-limiting beliefs keep running the show, creating... A self-fulfilling prophecy.

KATHLEEN: As a certified coach, I empower you to become your authentic self. My Soul Journey program aligns with your true self and guides you to find your soul vision, helping you discover your purpose in life. I provide tools to step into your true magnificence and remember who you are. And if you're interested in learning more, contact me at BRAVETV at KathleenMFlanagan. Com.

KATHLEEN: I start the show every week with sound and I bring in love, happiness, and balance, and this sets the tone for my guest and myself and for the show. So let's begin.

KATHLEEN: Jeremy is a dynamic and accomplished two-time best-selling author and entrepreneur that has carved a niche as a renowned digital marketing consultant and an inspiring keynote speaker. With a deep-seated passion for empowering individuals and organizations, Jeremy has dedicated his career to helping people maximize their talent and purpose.

KATHLEEN: His personal story of life transformation combined with his engaging speaking style makes him a sought-after expert in the industry. Jeremy's profound insights and strategies have inspired countless individuals to unlock their full potential and align their careers with their true purpose. Welcome, Jeremy.

JEREMY: Hey, I'm so happy to be here, Kathleen. Thanks for having me on your show today.

KATHLEEN: You're so welcome. It's been a journey to get you here, hasn't it?

JEREMY: I know. How many messages has it taken back and forth between us? But here we are.

KATHLEEN: I know we finally made it, right? So why don't you tell our audience a little bit about your journey of becoming an awakening spirit?

JEREMY: Yeah, I really started with having a dream in my teenagers. And I don't mean like I fell asleep and had a dream. But, we're a teenager and you're like, this is what I want to do with my life. And a lot of teenagers like either don't think about that or they have this really high ambition, which was me.

JEREMY: And I wanted to do music. So, like many people in teenage years, you're like, I want to join a band, make music and be a big superstar. So followed that passion and ended up I'm from Oklahoma originally and ended up moving into to Atlanta when I was 20 years old to pursue a music career with a friend of mine and went through.

JEREMY: You know, we perform pretty much everywhere in Atlanta, saved up some money, got a studio in the apartment. We're recording in our apartment. The entry closet was our vocal booth and, fast forward. And it was just really hard to break in the industry. And we got close enough to the industry where it kind of lost its appeal.

JEREMY: You saw the good, the bad, the ugly, and it just seemed more like a job that I, that kind of sucked all the passion out of me. So trying to figure out what to do with my life now, because I was almost 30 years old at that time. And like, I put the. The last 15 years of my life into this.

JEREMY: So, and this is what I thought my life was going to be. So what do I do now? And went through this period of just kind of being lost, I guess, trying to rediscover who I was, what made me tick and in a sense, trying to reawaken my spirit, because there was certainly this spirit that was alive with me, the creativity produced from writing and producing and performing music.

JEREMY: And I lost all that. So trying to rediscover myself and On the other side of that, which I'm sure we'll unpack more in this combo, is I've really tapped into who I am and wrote a book about it. And now I get a lot of joy in life helping other people really tap into their talents and purpose.

KATHLEEN: Okay. So we are going to unpack this.

JEREMY: Yeah.

KATHLEEN: Totally unpack it. So the question that I have, before you wrote the book, you obviously were on a journey and you had to do some deep soul searching. And here you are in Atlanta. You lost everything in your mind as far as where you wanted to go. You probably thought you were wandering aimlessly for a while. So what were the steps that you took to find where you are today?

JEREMY: Yeah, I think for one, it was like recognizing that whatever this journey that I thought it was going to be, realizing that that's not what it is. But at the same time, like. I'm still alive. I'm still breathing. So I'm still here for a purpose and a reason. And I wasn't really sure what that was. So in some respects, just having to take a beat, you know, and sit back, reevaluate.

JEREMY: I ended up going back to school. I graduated undergrad with marketing my early twenties, but went back to school, got my master's degree and actually through that whole process, met some new, cool, fun, interesting people. But I also did a lot of work on myself. There were a lot of assessments we had to take.

JEREMY: Fortunately, in this program, it was very unique in that every student in this cohort had a personal coach who really helped coach me up and bring things out of me. And part of it was reflecting on back to these talents and skills that I acquired over the last 15 years. You know what it was that really stirred me, what I enjoyed doing, what I was good at doing. But maybe recognizing that the way that I was using these skills.

JEREMY: With music were supposed to be used some other way and really tapping into why was music attractive to me what did I enjoy about it and it was the creative aspect of course but then also just creating something that connected with people and inspired people and digging into that a little bit more it's like well what do I have about my life that's inspiring I went after a dream and I failed like that's not inspiring you know it's I'm a failure you know I moved my whole life to another state left home and I have nothing to show for it.

JEREMY: But actually, I had a lot to show for it. I had this experience that I gained. And it also helped me realize that there's other people like me. Maybe their dream wasn't music, but maybe they had a dream that didn't quite go like they planned.

JEREMY: But at least they went after it. What I found, Kathleen, is like when you go after something, like that something was like placed on your heart, on your spirit for some reason, there's something there.

JEREMY: And you should answer that calling because even though you may not achieve what you think. Like the goal is when you look back, like you've grown in so many ways and it's a way that equips you to help other people who are going through different life circumstances.

KATHLEEN: I totally agree with that because I started when I got out of the legal profession, I went into aromatherapy. Ok, what did I know about it? Aromatherapy wasn't even a word yet in this country, but it was coming in. I mean, we had herbal medicines and things like that.

KATHLEEN: And, I look back on, people could say, well, you never really got the business off the ground. You never launched. I mean, you're a failure, whatever. And it's like, no, it's still sitting in my basement and it's hibernating because.

KATHLEEN: I had to do more work on me. I mean, this was a beautiful way. I mean, awakening spirit. Hello, I was walking into what it meant to awaken. Yeah.

JEREMY: Yes.

KATHLEEN: When you're doing, following a dream, like you did, we do that. And then sometimes the rose colored glasses come off because like you said, that you got too close to the business that you're like, wait a minute. This isn't what I thought this was supposed to be.

KATHLEEN: That doesn't align with how I feel on the inside. And so when I did The Awakening Spirit, I mean, yeah, it's still down there. I still love my company. But my messaging, what I've learned over these last several years because I've reinvented myself, it's the core of who I am still comes through.

KATHLEEN: My messaging has always been about self-empowerment. It's about... You know, remembering who are you go back to a simpler period of time. I mean, I don't even say that now. But I'm going, wait a minute, I need to bring that back. Because our life is getting more complex. And I thought it was complex, what 30-40 years ago?

KATHLEEN: No, you know what I mean? Well, 20 years ago. And now it's more complex. So it's like diving back further. So talk a little bit about more of like, what came out of And having a coach, oh, wow, what a gift that was at 30 years old, okay?

JEREMY: Yeah, yeah.

KATHLEEN: Because coaches weren't even a thing really back then.

JEREMY: Yeah. Well, I mean, that was one thing that attracted me to this particular program. And shout out to David Pellthorpe. That's who my coach was. But no, with him, it was a combination of just I had all this stuff in my mind, like all these things that I wanted to do. And even when I talk to people kind of a little bit about my journey, And I describe where I was like a lot of people. It resonates because like, oh, that's me.

JEREMY: I have so many ideas like I want to do this. I want to do this. I want to do this. And there and a lot of times this is that you want to do are in totally separate directions. So it's like, how can you accomplish A, B and C if they're the amount of time and energy and expertise that you need in all three of these? Like you just don't have the bandwidth to do it. So one thing that was helpful for me was.

JEREMY: Prioritizing these and this is kind of what I was coached through and even with the program we had we had to journal and do all this stuff and story that I have is I was writing a journal like listing all these things that I want to do and there was a professor who when he gave this assignment back had like all these red lines through it was like set an appointment to meet with me and I'm like oh man I'm in trouble now so I set an appointment and I go and I meet with this professor and he's like I want to talk about what you put in your journal about your goals And I'm like, OK.

JEREMY: And, he was honest with me and he said, there's no way that you're going to be able to accomplish all of these things. And I'm like, oh, taken aback. Like, what do you mean? Of course I can accomplish it. I have a positive mindset. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything.

JEREMY: And he's like, I probably have like 30 different things down there. He's like, number one, I don't think you're going to live long enough to accomplish all these. And number two, you have no plan at all. You're just listing all the things you want to do.

JEREMY: He said, what I would advise you to do, and now this is what I advise people to do because it was really helpful to me, is when you look at all the different things that you want to do, start prioritizing those and which ones are the most important. And that may be based off of which ones you can do the fastest.

JEREMY: So if you have like four goals and you're like, this one may take six years, this one may take three months, like try to knock out that short one, the one that takes three months. Go after that.

JEREMY: If you have a couple of competing goals that maybe have the same amount of time and duration, maybe they're both like two, three years, like which one of those is most important to you? Which one stirs you the most? And put all your energy into that one. Give yourself a timeline, which is super crucial.

JEREMY: Like if you don't give yourself a timeline, you're just going to keep going after it year after year after year. Meanwhile, your other goals that are waiting, none of those are even being touched. So give yourself a timeline. And when that time comes, either you've accomplished it or you haven't.

JEREMY: And if you have not accomplished it, evaluate it and say, how close am I? Like, if I think this is going to take another two years, maybe it's time to just sunset this goal and move on to the next one. And then you at least have some peace about it. And you've gone after it. You've given it your best.

JEREMY: And now let's take that one off the table and move to the next one. So that was one of the things that helped me awaken and really transform and help pivot my life to what I'm doing now is just. Getting a handle on what I wanted to do and prioritizing how I wanted to do that.

KATHLEEN: I think that's very sound advice because when I was doing mine, I mean, I had so many different things coming at me, like you were saying, and some things.

KATHLEEN: You know it was you kind of like deviate because it's like where's this idea coming from because you're thinking well the spirit giving this to me or am I creating it but I think what it was and having to understand like what you were saying was I didn't have that coach so I had to decide that for myself is this going to get me to my end goal yes or no sometimes you go down the rabbit hole for a little bit and then it's like well that's not working come back and switch gears but how I looked at it was It was leading me to where I am today.

KATHLEEN: And sometimes we don't notice that. And I think when we can acknowledge that we weren't lost or we took a sidetrack, it really was to enhance where we're going in the future. So we're going to go ahead and take a quick commercial break.

KATHLEEN: Welcome back, everyone, to the Journey of an Awakening Spirit. This is Kathleen Flanagan, your host. And we have Jeremy Haselwood in the room with us today. So, Jeremy, since you did music and you're now a marketing guy, how did you incorporate all of that part of you and that learning from music into marketing? Your coaching, because it's very diverse.

KATHLEEN: And I know that we have to marry ourselves, so to speak. So I want to know what you did to marry that into where you are. And then how did it look from the beginning? And how it's where it is today, like that journey of that self discovery?

JEREMY: Yeah, I mean, the marketing and music were always in me and from the time I started music I was marketing the music in fact when the reason well not the reason I went to college but going to college like my degree is in marketing because I wanted to learn business I wanted to learn how to market my music because part of my goal was become an artist have a record label or music production company and put out other artists but also knowing how to market because I mean I was in high school and I was recording I'd saved money and busing tables on the weekends and was in a recording studio and actually put out a cassette way back in the day kids don't know what cassettes are today but cassettes put that out when I was in in high school and i had to market it so I'm marketing and selling kind of interchangeable so as I began my academic journey in college like that's what it was I minored in music industry and when my company ample marketing I've had it for over 10 years and it's just really like the evolution of who I've always been.

JEREMY: Whether it's music or a good album or a good show that I've seen, I want to be the one to tell, put people onto new ideas and new concepts and new products and services without being salesy. Cause to me, marketing, yes, there's sales and marketing, but you're really. Introducing or you're further building a relationship with someone about a product or service.

JEREMY: And to me, it's exciting to turn somebody on to something that I know that they're going to like. So if it's even back, like, I don't know, all the time growing up, I was always putting my friends onto new music groups, like, hey, you're going to like this and I'd make mixtapes and people would love it. So what I'm doing now is just an evolution of Jeremy as a 15 year old.

JEREMY: My business, there was certainly. It wasn't always to have a marketing company, which is what I have now. But that kind of came through that period when the music ended and trying to figure out what to do next. I'm like, I enjoy marketing. I also do a lot of work with nonprofits and there's a lot of gratification there.

JEREMY: So it's like, OK, I enjoy marketing. I have this background in music, but really it's a background in marketing a product or services, creating content, building relationships, how to build out whole campaigns. And I enjoy doing that. Like I have a talent to do that. And now I can use it purposefully with nonprofits and small and medium sized businesses to help do more good in the world.

JEREMY: So, Ampli Marketing started 10 years ago as a result of a job loss from a marketing agency. It's like, I love that work so much. It's like, I want to keep doing this. So whether someone hires me or not, I want to make sure that this is part of what my life looks like.

KATHLEEN: Okay.

KATHLEEN: So how did that evolve into the transformational work that you're doing, getting on stages? Because again, here's another pivot that's coming along in your life. Was that part of losing that job part of that pivotal change or did that come afterwards?

JEREMY: Yeah, the piece now, and it's the line that I straddle now, was having the marketing company running a consultancy, but now also...

JEREMY: I don't even necessarily want to say pivot. It's almost like this has always been the plan from the beginning is to do life changing work and life transformational work. So yes, I run my company and there's good that I'm doing in the world through the company. I'm helping businesses and nonprofits do more good.

JEREMY: But on the flip side, me personally working with organizations or speaking or writing books that can personally transform individuals like When you've done it and you know this because this is the work that you do as well, like it only takes a couple of times to have these conversations and coach with someone and for them to get that aha moment and to see that spark that you can light in somebody and see their life turn around.

JEREMY: And whether or not they acknowledge it or not, you know, that somehow you had something to do with them transforming and doing better in their life and finding that joy and passion in their life. And like for me, it's like that. That is like currency for me.

JEREMY: That is fuel for me is having those conversations, whether it's a coaching session or whether it's just a friend or stranger and putting hope into people, putting, affirming and encouraging. And when people are beating themselves up, being that one voice, maybe that they can hear it, it says, you know what?

JEREMY: You can do this. Like you got this. And it's like, really? Because the self-talk is so prevalent in the head. It's like, sometimes you need that outside person to just come in and silence it. Give you that courage and that strength to move forward.

JEREMY: So yeah, so that journey doing it, it's been on my radar to do for a while, but now I'm at a point where I can't wait. When you have a gift in life, like you got to activate that. You can't keep waiting on the right time to do it. It's never the right time. You just have to take those steps and move forward with it.

KATHLEEN: I find that very true because I've just watched my own evolution over the years and I feel like I'm on a super accelerated path. Since this year, and it's only going to launch even further next year because of all the things that I'm doing and staying, keeping this under control, becoming in alignment with myself. And the more aligned I become, the stronger my message gets.

KATHLEEN: And the thing that I've noticed also is that, and it's what you said, is that this has always been a part of me. I have always said this my whole life. I've watched myself say the same thing. Yeah. Over and over again, but not knowing how to bring it out into the world to help people or to make money. And then I had to work through my own personal traumas.

KATHLEEN: And as I was on a call and it's like, I'm no longer Swiss cheese, you know, because now I'm whole and because I'm whole, I can bring it out. And if somebody's pointing back at me, it's not me. It's that they're full of holes. So the light is coming in to penetrate. And I love when she said that, I used to be Swiss cheese and now I'm whole.

JEREMY: Yeah.

KATHLEEN: And I think, as long as we try to

KATHLEEN: keep life light. I mean, cause life can be difficult, but I think it's about the joy and I know you've got to still be playing music. I'm sure you're still doing that. Well, I don't know if it's in business or if it's events you do, but I mean, I'm sure that inspires people to come and talk to you more. So tell us a little bit about more about how your music is incorporated in what you're doing.

JEREMY: Yeah, it's funny because when I walked away from music, I was like, I can make music when I'm 90 years old if I want to. And there's many other things that I have talents at. And let me try to pursue those. So I sold all my studio equipment except for this microphone that I'm talking to you on now.

JEREMY: And then if you can see in the background, these speakers like those were in my studio. Everything else was gone. And honestly, like I haven't. I haven't made a single song in gosh, yeah, 15 ish years, but I still have this creative spirit about me. And I recently actually launched a podcast a couple of weeks ago.

JEREMY: And the season one is about digital fundraising for nonprofits. But I had fun with it because I'm like, I want to create my theme song, I think about to like sitcoms or shows and you've got this theme song. So I was, I'm going to dust off the mic. I'm going to write just a little something.

JEREMY: Put some music together and I enjoyed that so I when I look back I don't miss the music industry like I do miss the creative aspects of it sometime but at the same time like I'm really happy with where my life is I'm so filled up with joy from the work that I'm doing to a sense where it has replaced and almost dimmed the light on what I did musically and I enjoyed music like obviously caused me to leave home when I was 20 years old.

JEREMY: So that's never going to leave me. And again, I can still make music when I'm 90. But now I'm like, how can I use my talents to something that is more purposeful that I still get fulfillment off of?

JEREMY: One thing that I think about is when you have this, it's like you said, what people don't really know what they're capable of, unless they really sit down and do the work.

JEREMY: And when you do the work on yourself, whether it's coaching or assessments, and you can identify these different aspects to yourself, when you're making goals and setting out on your journey, you don't really have the clarity of your life that you would if you did the work.

JEREMY: Because what I've found is when you know who you are and what your journey is, it helps you to say yes to a lot of things and no to a lot of things, which is why maybe those 30 things that I had on the list when I was in grad school of what I wanted to do, I could probably look at that list now and be like, I only want to do like four of these because the rest of these, they don't really align with who I am or what I want to be, you know.

JEREMY: And that's the clarity that you get. And it sounds like you might be similar to me in that you might see opportunities or you might have friends that come up to you and say, hey, I've got this idea here, this idea here. And they may be good ideas.

JEREMY: And earlier, Jeremy, who didn't really understand what my path was, may have said yes and devoted time to that, which would have taken me further from my purpose. But now I can say, hey, that's a good idea. It's just not for me. But I wish you all the best in that. And if you ever want to talk about it, about some ideas, I can help you with that. But for my journey, that's not where I am right now.

KATHLEEN: Well, I just want you to know, you're going to get a little reading here that you're going back into music one way or another.

JEREMY: Okay. Kathleen said it.

KATHLEEN: It's coming in. It's coming in. All right. I mean, if you could have seen how your eyes lit up.

KATHLEEN: When you talked about music that is still very much a passion inside of you and I'm getting goosebumps spirits really talking you're going to find a way to bring that in and have this whole new joy about you that you don't even know yet yeah like more of that little childlike kid coming back out to play you know a way to just incorporate all of you in it in such a beautiful orchestra is what I'm getting.

KATHLEEN: So I see it coming because there's too much of your music that lights you up and you're just, no, it's not bringing me joy. And it's like, but it does bring you joy and you need to stop denying that part.

JEREMY: Hey, you know.

KATHLEEN: Or your drum, whatever it is you play.

JEREMY: Yeah, no, I will receive that. I can tell you this, like looking back and the reason I light up so much about it is because, I mean, outside of like my wedding day. Like I've never been so happy and free in my whole life than just being in the studio with musicians working on like something that nobody in the world has ever heard before.

JEREMY: And we're creating it on the spot and the passion of the musicians that you're around. We just want to make art. And like I haven't found anything in my life like that ever, period. So that feeling is there.

JEREMY: What I've discovered, too, is that it was a passion, but not a purpose. And I talk a lot about that in my book, too. It's like. But what I do say is like, I followed my passion and found my purpose. So I think, again, if it wasn't for the music, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now.

JEREMY: I think I could end up in a recording studio again one day. I'm like, I will receive your reading.

JEREMY: And it's hard to, you know, there's also nostalgia with that because it was like a really fun, young time of my life. Just like it was amazing. And, I live that in different ways now. But, yeah, nothing can replicate that feeling for sure.

KATHLEEN: Well, and I just know that you're going to write your little theme song for your podcast. I think that's when the bug's going to come in and bite you. Bite you good, buddy. It's going to bite you good. And I think it's going to be beautiful because I think what I'm getting is there's going to be a trajectory that's going to catapult you to a place that you don't know, but it's going to bring more of you out into the world.

KATHLEEN: You're going to become more. In alignment with yourself, which then helps you to understand the grander purpose. And I think that's where a lot of people are going right now with the changes that are coming in on the planet. And we're talking a lot more than political here.

KATHLEEN: That this is a part time for each and every one of us to embrace every element of who we are, the good, the bad, the ugly. We just have to embrace it because it's who we are. And it's... There's nothing wrong or bad about it. It's just what it is. And we have to stop those judgments. And where does our creative forces come from? And sometimes it comes from that darkness.

KATHLEEN: Sometimes it comes from playing. I mean, I get a lot of joy out of dancing. Have I danced in a while? No, but I'm going to go back to it. I know I will. And because I miss it. And there's that childlike and the creativity that comes from. Play. And that's what I know you get from music. So there's more play joyful because I think our world needs to know how to play again.

JEREMY: Yeah. Well, it's funny you mentioned that because like in my phone I've got an album title. I've got the songs. They just haven't been created yet. So I've got concepts, concepts of an album as it goes.

KATHLEEN: I love that. I absolutely love that.

KATHLEEN: I'm going to say we're going to go ahead and take a quick commercial break because I know we're supposed to be at that point and I haven't seen anything. So we'll do that for now and we'll come back.

JEREMY: All right.

KATHLEEN: Welcome back everyone to the Journey of an Awakening Spirit. This is Kathleen Flanagan, your host, and we have Jeremy Haselwood in the room with us today.

KATHLEEN: If somebody hires you, what is the first thing you do? Because you say you work on the personal development, but you also do the marketing. So what does that look like if I came to you and said, I have this idea, what do I need to do?

JEREMY: Yeah, well, that's... That's actually the interesting question is really what do you need? Do you need the personal development or do you need the marketing with the product or service? Because those are two very different conversations. I think probably for the purposes of your of our podcast here, it'd be more like from the personal development.

JEREMY: Like so we would sit down and like I'll do an introductory call, but I do have a 12 week coaching program as well. That's based on the steps of my book. And it's also something where I would need to qualify you and make sure that.

JEREMY: You're a good fit for the program, you know, quite honestly, because you have to do the work and you'll be accountable to do the work. You do have to invest money in it and there's no money back. So it's like, you have to be in this for the long haul. Like don't waste your time. Don't waste my time. It's not going to be easy.

JEREMY: But I believe that the people who really want that change in life, they're going to do whatever it takes to, to get to that next level. There's a reason that you're reaching out to me or to a coach. To seek that change. So for me, it's understanding like where they are now, what brought them to this point. And then mapping out that path to get them to point B where they're trying to get at the end of all of this.

KATHLEEN: So talk about, your course a little bit.

JEREMY: Yeah. So the course is based on, the book, finding your edge, how to unlock your talent and purpose. And the course is, edge Academy is like my umbrella that I use for. My curriculum. So I have a self-paced online course, but that's not really the coaching piece. But with the online course, like each week we're going through different principles of the book and you'll have homework each week, which is another thing too.

JEREMY: It's like, it's not, this is not a counseling session. I'm not a counselor. So we're not just going to do counseling and then see you next week. Like you're going to have homework and there's a curriculum and you're going to be expected to come back next week and have.

JEREMY: The answers to everything because we're going to talk through the answers we're gonna like for example the first part of it is eliminating distractions because when you're doing life transformation work you need to take inventory of where your focus is right now and a lot of times and it's been the case for me and even now like I still have i'm not perfect I'm human being just like you I'm just maybe a little further down the path but there's people further down the path than I am so every now and then I'll have issues with distractions I think the main one is for me, it's my cell phone.

JEREMY: So for you, it's like, what is yours? And why is that distraction there? What is it taking you away from?

JEREMY: But it's not just technology. It could be food. It could be people in your life. You know, so naming those distractions, because a lot of times we're not even aware of them. Like we're just kind of in this sea of distraction that we never really agreed to jump in. We're just there floating around. So identifying what those distractions are. And then discovering yourself.

JEREMY: So there's a series of questions and assessments that I'll have people that I coach take and we'll go over those results and point out the insights. And again, that helps to build that emotional intelligence and really pinpointing some of the characteristics about ourselves that maybe we didn't realize. Like we knew we were this way, but we weren't aware of it. But we also didn't know what to call it.

JEREMY: Like when you know what to call it and what that label is, like that's actually a good thing. People don't like labels in general, like don't call me this, don't label me as that. Sometimes we need those labels because it helps us identify what the strengths are of that label and also what the liabilities are of that label. So walk through that.

JEREMY: Then we generate goals based on this new sense of self that we have, based on the clarity that we have and the focus that we have. And then we put a plan together to really enact discipline to go after those new goals and that new life that you're chasing after. So, I mean, those are kind of the four pillars. So edge, like finding your edge is eliminate distractions, discover yourself, generate goals.

JEREMY: And enact discipline. So it's an acronym, but it's also the model for the coaching. And it's the model I teach in the book.

KATHLEEN: Well, that's really good because how many people, I mean, they're not present. I mean, that's the main thing. They're not present. If you're not present, how do you know where you are? You need to know where point A is to get to point B.

JEREMY: Right.

KATHLEEN: Yeah.

JEREMY: A lot of times you don't know where point A, you're standing here, but you don't recognize, like, tell me what point A is. Because you're so consumed and distracted and there's chaos. Your mind is not, there's no intent there. So yeah, that's 100% true.

KATHLEEN: Right. And when I, and then as you went on, I'm looking at as far as being present and becoming conscious, we know that that's going to start doing a lot of head trash. That's going to come up because you're going to start, things are going to start shifting and changing and that becomes uncomfortable.

KATHLEEN: And then what I found also with people a lot of times is they don't know how they're feeling. They don't know how to identify it. So when you said emotional consciousness, I think it was.

JEREMY: Intelligence. Yeah, emotional intelligence.

KATHLEEN: Intelligence, that's the word. Because most people don't. And I remember when I was younger, what do you feel? I don't know. I don't know what this feeling is because when we're younger, we don't know what we're feeling.

KATHLEEN: And I really dived into that in my life of like, well, what is, I mean, I can understand anger, but I may not have understood depression. I may not have understood melancholy, things like that. So, these are words that didn't make sense, but now I can understand that.

KATHLEEN: So when I say, well, it's almost like a melancholy kind of feeling like I'm having a melancholy Monday yeah that you're just kind of like not there like everything is okay and it's okay but there's like something underneath it that it's like we'll just couldn't be here and.

JEREMY: Giving permission to be okay with where you are yeah i mean classic example of that something recently in my life my dog passed away about four weeks ago and my dog was 16. She was like, I don't know. It's weird to say this animal is my best friend because it's a dog. And I've lost dogs when I was a kid, but not as an adult. And like I work from home.

JEREMY: So she's with me from the time I open my eyes to the time I close them. And I struggled a lot more than I thought I would when she passed away. And I remember like week two of grieving over it. I would just have these moments in the day and I would, talk to my wife about it. I'm like, yeah, I'm like, I'm so mad at myself that I'm like.

JEREMY: Still grieving about this dog and she's like it's okay though like I know but in my mind I feel like I'm better than this you know I shouldn't still have this grief like I'm sad but it's time to move on it's time to okay she's gone can't bring her back it is what it is I'm sad but I'll move on but just these moments of like just this sharp grief that would hit me now it would throw me off and I would just be really mad at myself I'm like oh why am I oh I shouldn't feel this way I'm better than this but I had to just have grace for myself too and be like, man, you just lost your dog who really has been a companion that showed you unconditional love for 16 years.

JEREMY: Like, it's okay. Like, you're going to be sad about this. And I'm much better now than I was, but just giving myself permission. And I say that for me, just like to your listeners, like if you're feeling a certain way, man, just lean into it. You know, like I had to have a few good cries over my dog.

JEREMY: Like, let me just cleanse, you know. I'm really sad. And it's okay to be sad about it, you know? And the thing that what's not okay is to stay there. You know, you take as long as you need, take as long as you need. And I can't tell you what that looks like, but know in your mind, know that this is a time period and there is life beyond this grief.

JEREMY: And we got to pick ourselves up eventually and honor the loss in your life or honor whatever it was that didn't go the way you wanted it, but know that you're still here and know that. We've got to pick ourselves up and keep moving.

KATHLEEN: I agree with that. I know when my mother died, it hit me harder than I ever thought it would. And I knew I would get hit, but I didn't expect that I couldn't get out of bed hit.

KATHLEEN: And the grief and the depression was so intense of this loss. And I was estranged from my mother in the end, but it didn't matter. It was so incredible. Incredibly intense. And I was getting my nails done and this one woman that I came to know.

KATHLEEN: She, was there, I think I was like the next appointment or something. And she was there and I knew her and she was a psychologist. And she was like, how you doing?

KATHLEEN: I have my moments, you know, I have good days, I have bad days. And she said, and, but this was like right at the onset of the grief. And I think the nail tech told her what had happened. And she said, just get out of bed. That's all you have to do. Just get out of bed.

JEREMY: Yeah.

KATHLEEN: Can you do that? Yeah, I think I can do that. Good. And once you get out of bed, get dressed or take a shower, you can get dressed kind of thing. And can you do that? It's like, yeah. And so what she did is she taught me how that it was okay where I was at and baby steps. So it's like what you said. I had to give myself grace. I wasn't beating myself up because I was so incredibly depressed in pain.

KATHLEEN: And then I knew that if I had to go to work, I was like one day I'd go to work. The next day I was home. Then I go to work. And it was like I could be up for a day. And the next day I was down in the dumps. And I talked to my sister and she said. It was just as hard for her, but she had to go to work all the time.

KATHLEEN: I mean, it was like the way we went through our grieving processes were so different because I thought, well, maybe if I was at work all the time, it'd be easier. But it wasn't that gentleness. I had to develop that as we all do, because, I mean, I used to be a drill sergeant to myself. What's wrong with you? You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And does anybody work when you've got...

KATHLEEN: A drill sergeant after you no so I know what it's like to lose a pet I had my cat when she died I still cry to this day yeah yeah me because it was so there and what I always tell people sometimes be in it you got to be in it you got to because it's part of your heart's opening in grief to bring more love in and also when you're doing that If you're feeling like an angst or a fear or terror, just breathe into it, because in 90 seconds, it'll be gone in 90 seconds.

KATHLEEN: Grief is a different story. And that's an animal that most people don't want to touch on. But it's one that people you just need to just be there and allow them to be there. And I thought the way that woman handled me of can you just get out of bed?

KATHLEEN: That was one minor thing. But that was my way of coming back to the world.

JEREMY: Yeah. You know, that's where the hope is, it's like when you grieve, whether you find the resources or the resources find you, it's like you're going through it. And there is another side beyond that grief where you have kind of this appreciation for the loss for your mother, for my dog, for people that we've lost in our lives, but now your resilience and how you coped.

JEREMY: You know hopefully was not destructive how you cope in positive ways and I don't mean you personally but just when you cope with grief in positive ways that are not destructive ways you can now share that with somebody else because what I did find is when I told people about my dog that passed away Cali people that lost animals they understood it more and for them it was a time for them to share about their little furry friend that they lost so in a way you're being a part of the overcoming of grief can help other people, even if it's months or years later, because they get to kind of reflect and think back about this love that they had in their life that is no longer existing on this earth.

JEREMY: So, yeah, we don't talk about grief enough because it's such a sensitive subject, but we're all going to go through it. And I'd rather be equipped to go through it and have someone tell me, just get out of bed, you know, than to just sit in bed and you're just become a victim to it and you can't function.

KATHLEEN: Well, and so many people say, just get over it because they haven't lost a loved one or a parent. And they're so harsh because they're in security because they don't know how to deal with what happened. And then they lose their parent. Then they'll come back and say, I am so sorry for how I treated you kind of thing.

KATHLEEN: And I think that people just need to let that go because. I always would sit with people when they were in grief. I mean, I felt helpless. But when people sat with me, I would sit for people and then they sat with me.

KATHLEEN: And it was like, I understand the gift I gave people when I didn't even have a concept of what that meant, of just sitting and being with them and allowing them to just express. And so when it happened to me, it was like, oh, my God, thank you. God, that I had enough wherewithal to just allow somebody to be in that place. Because they all came back and said, just thank you so much for just...

KATHLEEN: Being there. Thank you for not saying anything. Thank you for letting me just express. And I said, well, what else could I do? You're hurting. And I wanted to help you. And that's the only way I knew how to help. You know, that's a rare person. I'll give you that. That's a rare person.

KATHLEEN: That's not what people do. Right. But the thing that I think the most was when people were showing compassion that understood that made a big. Difference. And I think that's part of where humanity needs to come back is that compassion. And I think with when you do that work on yourself, that's where the compassion comes back. I mean, you understand that there's an empathy about you because you know your journey.

JEREMY: Yeah. I mean, it's like living life, more experiencing different things in life. Because also when you're going through grief, you do feel very isolated and very alone. You feel like this freak of nature because you're in such a bad state and everybody else around you seems to be fine.

JEREMY: But what you don't know is that they're carrying around grief as well from their own losses that they've experienced in life. And they understand you and it's okay. You're not some strange, weird person. You're just a person that's grieving and it's going to be okay. So we beat up on ourselves so much. I did with the loss of mine.

JEREMY: So, you know, the crux of it at the end of the day, it's like you're going to be okay. You know, just I like the advice you were given, which is get out of bed.

JEREMY: Speaking of pets.

KATHLEEN: Yeah, this is Marco. He's my little orange cat that nobody likes. We're having problems integrating, but he's lonely. But, yeah, he's a good boy, though.

KATHLEEN: So, Jeremy, tell people how they can get a hold of you.

JEREMY: Yeah, sure. You can go to my website, which is Jeremy Haselwood dot com. Also, if you are business, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn. You can go to my website as well. But I think I'm the only Jeremy Haselwood on there. And it's H. A. S. E. L. W. O. O. D.

JEREMY: And also, like I post content really that's kind of purpose driven and uplifting, optimistic. If you're tired of seeing the toxic negative things in your feed, come follow me. I'll show you something good. It's going to lift you up. And that's Jeremy. Haselwood on Instagram.

KATHLEEN: Well, thank you so much for being on the show today, Jeremy. I really appreciate it. I know we ended up on a little bit of a downer moment, but it's not downer at all. It really is about the more work we do, the more light we shine, the greater our influence out in the world is, whatever that is. And just because he said marketing and I'm doing whatever I'm doing.

KATHLEEN: We all still go through things and the support we need to just get through us on the other side. And that's the beauty of it. So and you're a prime example of how you beat yourself up over a dog. And yeah, she was part of your life. You know, it's OK. We're human. We love our animals.

JEREMY: That's it. Yeah. And I thank you for the space to talk about it. It was a conversation that was meant to be for this podcast.

KATHLEEN: It was, and I really do appreciate your willingness to go down a road that I know we didn't talk about. Not that we did talk about it, I like the show to flow where it needs to go. And I appreciate your willingness to do that.

JEREMY: Sure.

KATHLEEN: All right. Well, I want to thank everyone for joining us today. And if you found any value here, I would love it if you would like or subscribe to the channel.

KATHLEEN: And also give the link to your friends and family. And that way you'll be notified of any updates and any new episodes. And if you're struggling with anything that we talked about today, feel free to reach out to me at Brave TV at Kathleen M. Flanagan. Or you can even reach out to Jeremy. I'll have all of his contact information up on the website so you will be able to get a hold of him there.

KATHLEEN: My books, Dancing Souls, The Call, The Dark. Night of the Soul and Awakened are available on amazon.com plus KathleenMFlanagan. Com. Feel free to visit KathleenMFlanagan. Com for a list of services and products that I offer. And you also have access to the three-minute de-stress meditation, which is absolutely free to you.

KATHLEEN: No email is required. You can go to awakeningspirit.com for a 40% discount and grandmasnaturalremedies.net for a 20% discount. By entering BRAVETV into the coupon code. And that concludes our show for the day, for today. And I will see you all next Tuesday at 4 p. m. Eastern. And from my heart to yours, I hope you have a fabulous week.