Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Townsend

Hi Joanna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

I’m a day away from my 35th orbit around the sun. It’s pretty wild to reflect on where I’ve been, where I am, and what’s ahead. In some ways, I feel like my life has just started and in a lot of other ways, I feel like I’ve already lived so many lives. I think both can be true.

I am of the belief that we never arrive at figuring it all out. Life is a journey. It takes us through joys, aches, depths, pains, triumphs, defeats, and everything in between. While I have so much hope and eagerness for what’s to come, I also find it important to take moments to pause and look back. There’s learning in doing so, but also appreciation that we can garner.

If I had to sum it up, I’d say I got to where I am by being curious and open. I never knew where my life would go—we never do. But I didn’t feel bound to expectations or fall in line with what was lucrative. I have a big heart. I require solitude and relish in slow moments. I’m driven and take pride in my work, my creativity, and what I want to offer the world. And I’m also not willing to let fears or limiting beliefs hijack the one life I’m so fortunate to live.

I’m a forever learner and I’m okay with being wrong sometimes, changing my mind, learning hard lessons, and staying true to myself along the way.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Smooth? Absolutely not! I doubt anyone would say they’ve been dealt a smooth deck of cards. Obstacles and challenges are inevitable parts of all of our paths. How we respond and integrate struggles into our experiences helps us be resilient, compassionate, and recognize our common humanity.

I’ve had personal struggles with my mental health and parts of me that have deeply felt not good enough. I’ve navigated loss, grief, and heartache. And I’ve had to really hone in on my values and check myself when I’ve gotten away from myself. It’s okay to want things to be easy. But they won’t be. So we might as well see obstacles as opportunities.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I’m a therapist and creative. I work with folks wanting to understand their emotional worlds better and become their truest selves. This can be anything from helping people pleasers focus inward, guiding perfectionists in being more compassionate, teaching people how to feel their feelings, or supporting someone in realizing they can get more from life without their eating disorder. It’s emotional, it’s deep, it’s meaningful and fulfilling work. And so I couple it with writing and fun creative outlets to help balance the energy I give out.

I think I’m most proud of all the risks I take in my businesses! Risks like launching a course in 2022 and starting groups in 2023 without knowing how they would go or be received. That’s something I standby: doing things scared, learning, and carrying on.

How do you define success?

To me, success is about feeling connected to your values, seeing what’s possible, and feeling inspired enough to never give up. It doesn’t have to be an objective milestone or some grand metric. In fact, assuming success is an end goal often sets us up to never feel satisfied and constantly chasing external validation. If along the journey, we’ve gotten places and learned things we never thought were possible, and we still feel excited by what’s in store, that’s success. Outcomes come and go. They’re variable. Internal positive beliefs, gratitude, and having a growth-mindset on the other hand can serve as our anchors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joannatownsend.com
• Instagram: @joannatalksfeelings