On Extroversion, Introversion + Rebranding Your Life with Jacki Carr

Today's WANTcast guest is someone who's been on my list for a while now: goal coach Jacki Carr. Jacki’s become a highly sought-after pro in her arena who's helped hundreds of people across the globe not only reach their goals, but actually craft exactly what those goals look like, why they matter, and a path to them that is unique to every single person – personal goals, professional goals, whatever.

I've met a lot of fantastic people over the internet through the years (holy jeez, just realized I made my first virtual friend at 12. Almost two decades. How did that happen?! [ps. it was a 14 year old girl who loved RENT as much as I did, natch]). What's interesting about Jacki is that we actually should have met in person. We've got about a zillion mutual friends, from fitness instructors we've both worked with to former Lululemon employees (Jacki used to work for Lulu) to various personalities in the Venice/Santa Monica region (where we both called home for one point in time), even people I've met through work that I'd never expect to have a mutual connection with - Jacki is our mutual connection.And it's not hard to see why: Jacki is gregarious to the core and electricity personified. People who meet her are swept up by her enthusiastic and vivacious personality and get hooked on her attention connection. In other words, they come for the spark and stay for the soul. Jacki has the ability to bring out the best in whoever she meets, whether it's in person or virtually.

And yet, we'd never met. I was nervous to talk to her one-on-one for the very first time, as when you've connected with someone from afar you sometimes get nervous it won't be that great in person... Boy, was I wrong. We chatted like old friends, and it truly felt like I'd known her a lifetime ago. I know I'm not the only one who has felt this way, which is why I think Jacki is such a powerhouse: she makes everyone around her feel like family.

The way I structure my podcasts is very, very loosely - I do a bit of research, I gather a few points I'd like to discuss, and then we just go. I end up rarely needing my notes, as each conversation unfolds so beautifully and naturally, and the women on the WANTcast really have a knack for being a next-level open book. With Jacki, it was just like that. I'd read somewhere that she identified with being an extrovert while her best friend and business partner, Mary Beth LaRue, was an introvert, and as an introvert myself, I was curious to hear the other side of the story when it comes to relationships with different personality types. What unfolded was even better than what I could have imagined. Her husband, turns out, is an introvert as well, and Jacki and I got to dive into the nuances of what happens when we're with our opposites, both in love and in life. Having grown up in an entirely extroverted family and always been attracted to extroverted personalities, I was sucked in by this (in a good way!).

Other big things we talked about? Making friends later in life. As Jacki put it, "making new friends in your 30s is gnarly." She's just relocated to Denver after living in LA for quite some time, and we got down and dirty into the topic of navigating life transitions, from business rebranding to personal rebranding to pregnancy and even those little-big stages we all go through in life. Basically, the through-line of this episode comes down to one thing: rebranding your life.

What I love is that Jacki’s not a life coach, and she’s not a therapist, she’s got a passion for GOAL SETTING and ACHIEVING specifically that just exudes from every single thing she does. I found this episode not just uplifting... but I was sitting for a WHILE after this call reflecting on my own goals and visions, and how I can use what I’ve been given to make my own unique impact both personally and professionally. I thought about the stages I've been through, and what kinds of changes I might want to make in the future. Hopefully, it’ll do the same for you too.

*Little note: this is technically supposed to be the last episode of 2015, but I’m thinking that maybe we throw in an extra episode before the year is up! Not really sure what that looks like yet, but if you’d like that extra episode, shoot me a tweet, or leave me an Instagram comment and just say "YES!" I’ll know what you mean.