Creativity as a Pathway of Healing With Ashley Stahl
In this episode, I sit down with my good friend Ashley Stahl, a career coach, author, and former counterterrorism professional who’s worked for the Obama Administration. Together, we dive deep into the journey of self-discovery, exploring everything from the liberating freedom of aging, the importance of therapy, to the challenges of maintaining creative integrity when there’s so much pressure to perform.
Together, we explore the often overlooked aspects of our multi-faceted selves, and how society’s expectations and our own internal pressures can often stifle our true identities. We discuss the reality of burnout in today’s fast-paced world and the dangerous allure of perfectionism.
This conversation is a deep-dive into the struggle to feel and be who you are, acknowledging the ‘Great Resignation’ as a sign of people’s exhaustion and desire for authenticity. They also discuss the ‘struggling artist’ archetype prevalent in the creator economy and the mental health challenges that arise from it.
Ashley shares her personal experiences with anxiety, and depression, and the lessons she learned from having her book become famous in Asia.
Plus I share more of my insights on pivoting my podcast, following my bliss, and the value of personal branding.
We delve into the quantum field, entrepreneurial ideas, and the importance of trusting the timing of your life and business offers.
The episode wraps up with Ashley sharing her experiences at the Pentagon, her exploration of being a multipotentialite, and the power of feminine energy in your career.
Join us for this heartfelt conversation as we unmask the truths of personal branding, the importance of creating from your soul, and the magnetism that comes from following what you’re truly meant to do. This episode is a testament to the power of authenticity and a reminder that it’s never too late to follow your bliss.
Tune in for a joyful exploration of our multi-dimensional selves, and a reminder that it’s okay to be ‘good enough’ and to allow your day to unfold as your soul desires.
Here is what you can expect from this episode with Ashley and I:
- Letting go of trying to be significant in our 20’s when the focus was on being pretty, and famous
- The freedom of being 30-something and letting go of caring so much about what other people think.
- How most people have an addiction to cope with life instead of going to therapy
- How most people struggle to be ‘here’ and how to show up for them
- An exploration of the elements to move energy (fire, water, earth, wind)
- Exploring different archetypes and our multidimensional selves
- The downsides of Instagram when you have a personal brand
- How pedestaling your teachers or coaches sets you up for disappointment
- Exploring the ‘struggling artist’ archetype and the mental health challenges that come from growing up in the ‘creator economy’
- The benefits of creating without pressure, force, or expectation
- Permission to be in the ‘in-between’ and not knowing what to do next
- Comments on the ‘Great Resignation’ and how people are tired and struggling
- Reminders that you can’t do an A+ job all the time and give 100% all the time
- The reason for burnout and how to avoid it
- Ashley’s experienced growing up feeling unseen or heard
- What to do when perfectionism and pressure show up as distorted ‘high standards’
- Allowing things to be ‘good enough’ and remembering that ’good enough’ is usually off the charts
- The fulfillment that comes from really putting your true art out into the world
- Ashley’s experience with anxiety and depression
- Hacks and reminders for people with creative careers
- The value of not forcing creativity and letting go of the need for your art to make money.
- What to do if you don’t know what your zone of genius is
- Why it’s important to create from your soul
- The lessons Ashley learned from having her book become famous in Asia
- My lessons in pivoting my podcast and following my own bliss and intuitive hits
- The value of personal branding
- Chats about Joe Dispenza, the quantum field, and entrepreneurial ideas
- Permission to ‘be’ many things and identities in your career and personal brand
- Trusting the timing of life and the timing of your business offers
- Chats on how we’re different when it comes to holding containers for clients and being around groups of people
- What Ashley learned working for the Obama Administration and working at the Pentagon
- Where inner child work meets soul work
- My experience waking up and giving myself permission to allow my day to unfold in how my soul wants
- Ashley’s exploration of being a Multipotentialite or Omni-people.
- Learning how to make sense of all our inner “parts”
- Being able to adapt to the market while also staying true to yourself
- The magnetism of you following what you’re meant to do
- Ashley’s experience watching her 11-year-old nephew understand bullying and learn to question beliefs
- The lesson I learned from my therapist during my crunchy time during my engagement with Eric
- The dark side and the best side of personal branding (and how it relates to politics)
- How Ashley focus her creative energy when she makes content for her brand
- How you can put feminine energy into your career in a positive way
- How Ashely processed going viral on Ted
- The value in doing (and knowing!) the unique things that light you up and make you come alive
- And SO much more!
About Ashley Stahl
Ashley Stahl is a counterterrorism professional turned career coach, an international bestselling author, a Fortune 500 spokesperson, and expert on intuition, personal branding, and fulfillment. Daymond John (Shark Tank, Fubu, NYT bestselling author) says Ashley’s bestseller You Turn: Get Unstuck, Discover Your Direction, Design Your Dream Career, is “the ultimate guide to discover your path in the workforce.” With roughly 7 million views, her TEDx talk on intuition and fulfillment is ranked amongst the top 100 TED talks on the Internet. Between her online courses, subscribers, and show “The You Turn Podcast,” (with 2M downloads), she’s been able to support clients in 78 countries in self-discovery, upgrading their confidence, and finding career fulfillment. She maintains a monthly career column in Forbes, and her work has been also featured in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CBS, SELF, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and more. She’s also the founder of CAKE Publishing, a ghostwriting and publicity house for entrepreneurs and organizations.
What’s a You Turn, you ask? It’s that critical moment of transformation when you become radically honest with yourself about some core area of your life that isn’t working the way you want it to. It’s that moment where you realize the only thing harder than stepping into the unknown is staying stuck where you are. Ashley teaches us to discover our core skill set, understand our core values, clarify our core interests, and to become our own coach.
Links:
Website: https://www.ashleystahl.com/
