EP28 "No One Is Your Project" Tina Essmaker

My guest today is Tina Essmaker. She’s a dear friend, a writer, and she coaches creative professionals through career road blocks. Tina is quite honestly a breath of fresh air. I met her a handful of years ago as a very close family friend’s “new girlfriend”. What was meant to be a “does she pass the test?” scenario turned to be a bonding and long lasting conversation, one which I feel continues to this day.

Before this faithful encounter, and years before she came into the family, Tina was in a long term relationship which ended abruptly and without warning. This tailspin set her on a new self discovery path, a long journey in which she found herself, and discovered a passion and talent which would have otherwise remained hidden.

Tina equips the creative community to move beyond inspiration into action. She is cofounder and former Editor in Chief of The Great Discontent magazine for which she interviewed more than 250 creators. Her decade-long background in social work combined with her expertise in themes that dot the creative landscape are the foundation of her coaching practice working with individuals and teams across creative industries.

Listen in as we discuss how journaling is a wonderful tool for shutting out the noise and in getting stuff OUT of your head - and how this simple practice supports you in accepting and best handling your reality. Tina believes we’re all here, on this planet,  to add value to the world, and that we need people on our team to guide, encourage and support our endeavors.

For today’s Beating the Monday Blues homework, I encourage you to get inspired by this touching story and to stay open when times are shifting. We tend to subscribe to a lifestyle or a routine or a schedule - and when life throws us a curve ball at us we tend to drop it ALL.  What are the things you value most? What is important to you in YOUR  life? Are YOU part of the equation? What are your non-negotiable moments of care? Is your personal time blocked off in your calendar? Ask yourself these questions. List your needs out on a piece of paper, pick the most important ones, and add them to your calendar with a flexible structure. 

A simple technique I use and recommend in my practice is to treat your calendar as your BEST friend. I take half an hour on Sunday’s to look at it. I asses what’s coming up for the week, and call in feelings of gratitude for the times I’m BUSY -  as much as I feel grateful when times are slower. I make sure my movement routine, my meditation practice and at least one coffee with a friend are blocked times in there, and If I can treat myself to something special - like a massage on a Friday every few weeks - that gets blocked as well. I observe how work and family time will compliment each other, and I make sure they do not overlap - But when they do (because life is life) I keep an open mind and adjust accordingly, looking to maintain the awareness of being in the moment when interacting with my children, my husband and my clients.

Thank you for tuning in today, I look forward to your feedback, keep sending in your questions and…. Enjoy today’s ride! With Love and Gratitude

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