Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie D’ann

Hi Julie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I feel like I’ve lived several lives already because I’ve actually remade myself a few times. So I will say my real journey started when my childhood belief system crashed to the ground. I lead a mostly happy childhood, always having more than enough to meet my basic needs and many desires, yet never experiencing lavishness or the freedom that a truly abundant mindset unlocks. I worked hard, made time for fun, but usually in moderation, and married my first quote “true love.” I was always successful at whatever job I pursued, but mostly I had no idea what I really wanted, let alone what my purpose was. I spent most of my twenties in a quasi existential exploration. My so-called “perfect life” – the house, the job, the spouse, the car – all burst into flames when I discovered my now ex-husband was having an affair – and it wasn’t the first time. I searched my heart for ways to make sense of this, to salvage what I thought was the dream of a perfect life, but after nearly a year of working through things, including marriage counseling, I finally realized that if I stayed in that marriage, and at that job that didn’t light me up, my soul would just wither and die. This set me on a new journey, one that would take me far away from anyone and anywhere I had ever known, to a new state, a new job, and a new life.

I spent the next decade learning to love and forgive myself and others, and to realize that there is no such thing as a “perfect life, ” and in fact, the idea of “perfect” is paradoxical: perfect does not exist and yet, the idea of perfect is specific to each unique individual. I could say, “Ah, this moment is absolutely perfect.” For me, in that moment, this statement is absolutely true; and yet, anyone else could be in that same moment and have a completely different experience, and find that moment to be something far different. I did a lot of soul searching during those years and into my early forties.

When my daughter was born over a decade ago, my entire perspective on life shifted. I suddenly received the true gift of raising a child and what it means to be a parent with this little soul dependent on you to meet their needs. Learning to grow with this little soul has served to be an even greater gift as I realized and often remark that children are our greatest teachers.

Just as the relationship I had with my child’s father came to an end and he moved out, the COVID pandemic hit. Everyone was sent home, and I found myself, for the first time in my life, at peace. At home with my young daughter, I found the courage and comfort in meditating every day, at least twice and often more than that. Within less than two weeks, I had finally discovered the secret to quieting my mind: meditation. I wondered where this amazing tool had been my entire life, and why no one had ever taught me the value and power of practicing daily meditation. It became my mission to get meditation taught in schools. This mission fuels me today, and inspired me to write my first children’s book “Which Would YOU Choose?” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C128LZN5. With valuable feedback and assistance from my young daughter, this book is written as a guide to help children learn emotional intelligence and how choosing better thoughts leads to better results in your life! Through a series of scenarios representing common situations that any child might experience during their lifetime, my purpose with this book is to impart brave thinking principles to children so that they can learn the power of choosing better thoughts, and in the process, help them learn self-regulation, resilience, and to live better lives and thrive.

Additionally, I decided that parents and teachers, if they knew just a few simple yet powerful techniques, could empower their children with a quick, effective daily practice that could be done in as little as five minutes a day. I adapted my knowledge of brave thinking principles learned when I became a certified Life Transformation Coach in 2022 and my skills in the best health, meditation, and breathwork practices to apply to children. I worked with my daughter to create a daily practice to get meditation taught in schools through what I call a MY TIME Within™ to cultivate a daily mindfulness practice for both adults and children that boosts self-confidence and cultivates a can-do attitude. The MY TIME Within™ concept is specially developed for children in schools as is expressed in my TEDx Talk available on YouTube as the #1 Tool Every School Needs to Teach and Every Child Needs to Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFYTAKtbzh4. I continue to serve my mission today. Visit me at www.juliedannauthor.com for more on how to book me as a speaker, to do classroom visits, explore my coaching services and programs, and to order an author-signed copy of my book!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Divorce, a congenital heart defect that caused me to constantly focus on my health and maintaining healthy habit, lack of focus, not knowing or understanding “my purpose” or what life is really all about, ending a second long-term relationship and struggling with a cycle of debt-repayment-debt which up until now, was my constant worry have all played significant roles in my growth, development, learning and transcendence.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I am an Illumination Guide. People look at me with intrigue and surprise when I say this, and want to know what an Illumination Guide is. This term actually came to me one day during a meditation. I believe my role here on Earth is to guide others to discover the light that resides within each one of us, to connect to our soul’s purpose at our core within our heart, and to shine that light out into the world. Therefore, I am a Guide helping others to rediscover what each one of us innately possesses within, claim it, and choose to have the courage to embody that purpose and become who we are meant to be in this world with joy and freedom.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?

The ebbs are equally important to the flows of life, meaning our rest, relaxation, playtime and rejunevation periods are just as important as our action-taking, purposely driven, oftentimes hard-working periods. Life itself is a cycle, just as is everything in the universe. When we learn to accept everything as it is, and embrace the learning, growth, expansion, and healing of each experience, we can begin to live our lives with more ease, flow and fun because we now see every experience as an opportunity to become more towards the next best version of ourselves.

Pricing:

• $15 – Author signed copy of my book (plus shipping)
• $13 – Be Calm NOW!
• $33 – Unlock Your Path to Success
• $275/hr. Personal Power Coaching Call
• Coaching Packages available

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juliedannauthor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie_dann_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014005230828
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@illuminateyourlife6086
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFYTAKtbzh4

Image Credits

None