We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Janice Burt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Janice below.

Hi Janice, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

In 2011, my world was seemingly falling apart. My 14-year marriage was ending. I had two young children to love, support, and show up for, even though my heart was completely shattered, and it felt almost impossible to get out of bed each morning. I had been a stay-at-home mom for almost 8 years and hadn’t worked outside of the home for even longer. How was I going to find work? What was I going to do to support my kids? I allowed myself to wallow in self-pity for a little while, but when I discovered that it did me no good, I decided to take control of my life and step out of the prison of fear and people pleasing that I had been living in for so long. I started to take risks. I began to step outside of my zone of comfortable discomfort. I started going to an interpreting school to become a court certified Spanish interpreter. I trained to run a marathon. I joined Toastmasters (a public speaking group) and began to share my store and express my truth. I competed in a bodybuilding competition. I learned how to meditate and teach yoga. I self-published a memoir. I did a stand-up comedy routine. I presented a TEDx talk. I forgave myself and others. I basically did everything that scared me to death to do. I needed to prove to myself that I was more powerful than my fears. It turns out that we are ALL more powerful than our fears. When you dig deep, trust, and take risks despite the fear, you end up feeling proud of yourself, and your confidence grows and grows. Stepping out of the prison of fear, taking risks, and showing up authentically are the best ways to live a fulfilling, joyful, and authentic life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Janice Burt, aka Spanish Janice and The Inspirational Chatterbox! I am a court certified Spanish interpreter, voiceover artist, yoga instructor, author, actor, and professional speaker. My mission in life is to encourage, uplift, and unite people’s hearts through the power of words and courageous action. Both my TEDx talk and my book have to do with kicking the people-pleasing habit so that you can live the amazing, authentic life meant just for you! I am a professional, heart-centered speaker who loves to do hard things, take risks, and even fail at times so that others can realize that life is meant to be messy, but meaningful. I love to encourage others to walk outside of their prison of fear and perfectionism to step into a purposeful and powerful life.

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

I’ve done a TEDx talk and given corporate keynotes, but I haven’t always been a polished speaker. As a matter of fact, I was so nervous when I joined Toastmasters and first began speaking, that I would noticeably shake during my speeches. I would shake so much that it would interrupt my train of thought and I’d forget what I was talking about. This happened several times in front of large audiences. However, I knew that part of my purpose in life is to share life-giving, encouraging words with others, so I kept getting back on the stage. It allowed me to banish this need for perfectionism in my life and simply show up as I am. Resilience is just getting back in the ring, back on the stage, back on the horse time and time again. It is that Never Give Up mentality. We will definitely get knocked down in life, the question is, do we have the grit to get back up?

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Since I was a young child, I had this belief that I needed to look at everything with the “glass half empty” lenses. This way, I wouldn’t be disappointed if things didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. I’ve had to unlearn this way of thinking. Now, I visualize what I want to happen. I show up with a “glass half full” mentality, and it’s made such a difference in my life. Negative thinking, be gone! I now speak words of encouragement, love, and appreciation to myself and to others. We attract what we put out into the world. Let’s attract all the goodness, the positivity, and the abundance to ourselves!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.janiceburt.com
• Instagram: spanish_janice
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Spanishjanice1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-burt-93553619/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPzWl4D3nSE8TyGr_pLAXEQ

Image Credits
Nafsheen Luhar Sheri Rayray