Not long ago, I often told people how I desperately wanted to take a year off from my corporate job in television to learn new skills and work on passion projects. Whenever I shared this with others, I could feel an elevated energy, a fire, a spark fill my center and nearly propel me forward. But, of course, my brain would jump in and talk me down with boring lies of why I should not.
I had met a woman at work who already had a headstart and I admired her so much for going for it. When we met, we discovered that we were both highly intuitive, spiritual and immersing ourselves into various alternative health and healing modalities.
I was a trained Reiki Master, a Positive Psychology enthusiast and a messenger (both as a copywriter and as someone who seemed to get intuitive messages or info from spirit to pass along to others). She was trained in Donna Eden Energy Medicine and Martha Beck’s Wayfinder Coaching and someone who could spot an aura that needed to be fluffed a mile away. We had always dreamed of working together outside of television and in another way where we could both share our passion for growth and leading others to make changes where they could grow too.
At the beginning of 2020, that friend had asked me to guest star on her original podcast called “Your Practical Magic.” The podcast provided real talk about energy-based tools that anyone could try and apply to live their life with more ease, grace and joy. I loved being on the show and discussed some tools I learned to remove the gross feeling you have after being ghosted (professionally or personally).
Just as I was asked to join “Your Practical Magic” full time as a host, the pandemic hit New York (where we are both based). The world seemed to shut down and freeze around us but she and I agreed that now was the time to jump wholeheartedly into taking classes, trying new ideas and seeing how far we could push this passion project of ours.
I set up a google drive folder called COVID FREEBIES which I filled to the brim with class notes and materials in all areas of marketing, entrepreneurship and podcasting. I learned about recording equipment, editing, email marketing strategies, social media best practices and so much more from experts everywhere. It was a great distraction and I picked up a few new tips but really the greatest lesson was realizing how much I already knew and how much I was suffering from Imposter Syndrome.
Glinda the good witch tells Dorothy, “you’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” I was learning about and living out my own practical magic by discovering how silly it was to wait for something as life changing as a pandemic to move forward with my dreams.
My intuition guided me on where to direct my focus. I pulled oracle cards and kept track of the messages or warnings they offered. And I listened. I shared my fears and dreams with others and learned more about myself through their observations and answers. This, in itself, was an even higher education than the online programs I was committed to.
I felt so happy, free and alive by this adventure. I liken it to opening a brand new box of Crayola crayons. The possibilities are all there in front of me.
I had once heard the expression “painting the plane, while you are flying it.” It meant that you can’t always wait for things to be completed before beginning, you just have to start flying and the rest will catch up.
In this case, I was taking dozens of classes to learn how we could build upon our already established skills yet we were already making things happen!
“Your Practical Magic” started to attract people who wanted to be on our show, podcasters who want us to be on their show and new listeners including friends and family who I didn’t know shared a similar interest in this topic.
Together, my friend and I are building a community where we are normalizing conversations around healing old wounds, rising from the ashes and even finding normalcy when all we can do is lie down and be quiet. Through this event, our friendship and professional relationship have both grown as well.
This experience has shifted my passion project to be my life’s passion. I always knew this would come true but never like this. The permission I had been waiting for — to break away from the hamster wheel, to learn something new and to enjoy time working on a passion project — was finally here. And for that, I am grateful.