We recently connected with Janet Lyn Boswell and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Janet Lyn , thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

The most unexpected problem I have faced in my business is helping trauma survivors to understand that they have indeed experienced trauma because we don’t tend to describe it that way. For many of us, it is “just life.” But we don’t understand how the adverse experiences we have survived continue to affect us – spirit, soul (mind, emotions, and will), and body.

Early on, it became clear to me that I needed to explain two things: what trauma is and how it affects how we show up in the world and function. So, I began to share this simple, yet comprehensive definition of trauma: “a deeply distressing or disturbing experience” (Oxford). I stress the word “deeply” with clients, workshop attendees, and podcast viewers/listeners to help them understand the scope of how trauma affects our souls – mind: how we think about ourselves, God, and others; emotions: how we feel about ourselves, God, and others, and will: how we make decisions. So often, we are not aware of what is truly motivating our behaviors.

At the beginning of the year, when I asked a group of workshop attendees why they think people tend to pay more attention to their physical health than they do their mental and emotional health, which actually affects their physical health and wellness, they responded that it’s easier to “see” physical issues, but our emotional and mental health can be hidden, so they are easier to ignore. While I was not surprised by their answer, it confirmed my belief that part of my purpose is to help people gain a more expansive perspective on what it means to be well and healthy and authentically themselves.

To that end, I recently added to my education by becoming a Certified Life Purpose Coach. This training provides a formalized vehicle for me to help clients make the connection regarding how unresolved trauma affects our ability to live in our divine purpose. For example, if we learned to believe that we are not “good enough” or “worthy” to fulfill our unique purpose in the world, we will never find fulfillment nor be fully whole. My goal is to help others understand that “whole” does not mean “perfect.” It means being in alignment with the truest versions of ourselves as God created us. That means fully knowing ourselves and being honest with ourselves about our strengths and struggles, including how traumatic events have helped shape us.

I believe that knowledge is power! So, I love it when I see the light bulbs of realization and understanding come on!

Janet Lyn , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The JLB Soul-Survivor Method:
The “JLB Soul-Survivor Method” is a combination of my life experience, which includes religious trauma (church-hurt), childhood trauma (including sexual abuse), and generational trauma (dysfunctional family patterns), which made it hard for me to believe that God loves me and that it was okay for me to show-up in the world as myself because I thought the “real me” was unacceptable. My method also incorporates my certification as a Life Purpose Coach and my training in Trauma Recovery Coaching, DISC Personality Profile Facilitation, and Ministry.

My Purpose:
I help other survivors learn to live The Overflow Life, where what they DO flows out of who they genuinely ARE, by helping them understand how religious, childhood, and generational trauma affect us and our ability to live authentic, purpose-driven, lives of Overflow, not just survival! Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

My Perspective:
The JLB Soul-Survivor Method combines psychoeducation (evidence-based scientic information) with biblical application to help other survivors on their journeys to wholeness, i.e. living in alignment with their truest selves.

• Psychology: I believe that psychology is the study of the soul (mind/intellect, emotions, and will).

• God’s Design: Since God created our souls (Ps. 139:14, Jer. 1:5), it’s important to learn how trauma affects what God designed, making it difficult to live authentically as ourselves!

• God’s Love: The Bible says that “God is Love” and loves us sacrificially (1John 4:16, John 3:16, Eph. 3:19), but it can be hard for us to embrace that love, which affects our ability to truly love ourselves.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivor, filled with shame and suffering with clinical depression and social anxiety, my own healing journey has convinced me that the antidote to shame is exposure. But I wasn’t able to face my buried trauma until I found safe and supportive mental and spiritual health professionals who accepted and loved me unconditionally.

Once I began to deal with how the developmental trauma had affected my life, I started blogging about it, sharing with others about my struggle to believe that my “Heavenly Father” is different than my earthly father who abandoned me, and the father-figure who groomed, manipulated, and sexually abused me.

Eventually, I became a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach, and now I am a Certified Life Purpose Coach. And, like the professionals who helped me, I hope that my safe and supportive approach to coaching, along with my own truth and transparency, will encourage and empower other trauma survivors (including CSA, generational trauma, and religious trauma/church-hurt) to believe that God’s LOVE for them is truly pure and unconditional, so that they can feel free to love themselves and align themselves with God’s divine purpose for them.

This is how I use my pain to inform my purpose!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I spent about 20 years in nonprofit administration, primarily grants management. Toward the end of that time, I began to feel burned-out from the stress of keeping revenue flowing in so that the agencies I worked for could stay afloat, keep their doors open, and keep serving our community. So I began to focus some of my attention on what I felt called to do once I left grants management. I asked myself, “What do I do naturally that makes me feel like I am being the truest version of myself?”

That led me to become certified in Trauma Recovery Coaching. After that, I started my business, “Janet Lyn Boswell Coaching Services, LLC” (which combines all that I am and all the things I love to do) on a part time basis, while continuing to work in grants management.

At my core, I am a teacher, and I believe that the best teachers help us come to our own realizations. Coaching allows me to do that.

My newest certification as a Life Purpose Coach enables me to help other trauma survivors understand how trauma can negatively affect our ability to live authentically as ourselves and fulfill our divine purposes in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://janetlynboswell.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/janetlynboswell
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-lyn-boswell-637971159/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@janetlynboswellcoaching?si=QJjkijHU9q-vRYjB