We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca Cohen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rebecca thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

ShareMyJourney was born from noticing the contrast between support I had with certain aspects of my life, and having other areas of my life where I was struggling personally and felt like no one in my life was going through something similar. There are always people going through similar situations, we just don’t know each other yet. When we are experiencing a new aspect of life and wanting to speak to someone about how they navigated that particular situation, how might we feel less alone and get farther faster speaking to someone who truly understands that lived experience?

Whether an issue of health, career, family, or another life transition, loved ones can mean well, but we may feel judged or receive unsolicited advice that we may not be looking for. When someone joins ShareMyJourney, they answer two simple questions: what life experiences have you navigated that you’d be willing to talk about and what are you going through right now that you’d value a conversation with someone else about?

I didn’t know ShareMyJourney would work; I just believed there needed to be and could be a way that didn’t exist yet for people to support each other just by sharing their stories. I started by asking the two simple questions to people in my network and inviting them to join The Help List. Soon, more people were finding ShareMyJourney through recommendations from friends and ShareMyJourney events. When I noticed members had similar situations, I asked if they’d like introductions by email to arrange a phone call at their convenience. In one conversation (agreed to in advance) about a similar experience, there is a level of authenticity and support right away that brings an understanding that is unlike anything I have experienced before. Intentional and meaningful connection can make a difference in our lives, and it is also a simple strategy to improve how we feel and contribute to the greater good.

ShareMyJourney not only connects individuals for conversations about specific life experiences, we connect through small groups online in service to our individual growth and self improvement. Our ShareMyJourney online circles each have a theme, and meet once a month: Accountability (working on our goals), Virtual Coffee (a connect to say hello), Caregiver (for those caring for an aging parent or ill family member), Manifesting (creating what we want), and R.A.I.N. (a 20-minute guided meditation for practicing self compassion). There are also special events, whether panels of individuals sharing their experiences or book clubs on a topic of shared interest. ShareMyJourney is a community of mutual support through life’s transitions. We’ve had members that have been with us since we started in 2019 and those that have joined us for six months to a year. There is never an obligation to join a circle – they are available to hop on when it resonates with you.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve always been drawn to simple solutions that improve our everyday lives. Ever since I received my MBA, I wanted to create businesses that helped people in easy and meaningful ways.

My first social impact venture was BeOutsideandGrow.com, including my first book, Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids (Sourcebooks). I wanted to inspire families to connect outside, not only improving their wellbeing, but also growing closer and having an endless number of practical and helpful strategies for busy parents. My subsequent book series, PJ’s Backyard Adventures, is an early reader series where children can interact with the book in multiple ways, born from having young children at the time who had different learning styles, but both needing ways to play with a book (and be excited about reading).

The idea for ShareMyJourney was whispering to me for years, but it took until 2019 for me to finally have the courage to start it. At the time of starting both of my businesses, I was working with a business and life coach, which has been invaluable to giving voice to my dreams and taking action on them. Some of the ShareMyJourney circles are inspired by the practice of coaching and giving a space for people to talk about their dreams (Manifesting) and working on their goals (Accountability). I do offer coaching for individuals who prefer to work one-on-one, but ShareMyJourney members are also there for one another in these practices. It’s been an honor to see the evolution of our members, from professionals to entrepreneurs to retirees to those working in the home and simultaneously pursuing a dream. Our members have improved their health, started businesses, pursued their passions, and simply connected with one another.

I’m most proud of the authentic connections that have formed through ShareMyJourney, and what our members say about their experiences. One of my favorite quotes is, “We all have wisdom to share, but also need help.” Another is, “It feels good to be connected to supportive people.”

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

One of my favorite things about ShareMyJourney is our weekly circles, and I used to facilitate them all. There is a magic that happens in a ShareMyJourney circle that is hard to describe, but each person who attends is meant to be in that space together; there is an interesting serendipity. A moment came in 2022 when I was offered an opportunity to become a teacher. While intrigued by the opportunity, becoming a teacher meant that I wouldn’t be able to facilitate most of our circles anymore. The pivot occurred when ShareMyJourney’s amazing members, who were active in the circles, offered to facilitate them so that they could continue while I taught. It was a moment when ShareMyJourney easily could have stopped, and thanks to the people in ShareMyJourney, they showed me that ShareMyJourney was meant to continue.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

My side-hustle that turned into a career might not be one that you would expect from an entrepreneur. I’ve always believed in multiple income streams, and during the pandemic, I started teaching English online for a little side income but mostly because I liked helping people. Similar to coaching, I started because people would ask me, and I would say “yes!”
When I moved to Colorado from Maryland, my husband saw in the local paper that the high school was looking for a French teacher. He said, “You’d be so good at that!” I laughed and did not take his suggestion seriously at all. Upon reflection, I thought it would be fun (French was always my passion that never intersected with my professional life). Three years ago, I added Colorado licensed French teacher to the many things I do to make a living. We don’t have to be one thing – following my passions has taught me that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sharemyjourney.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccapcohen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShareMyJourney.org
• Linkedin: https://LinkedIn.com/company/ShareMyJourney-org
• Other: https://www.beoutsideandgrow.com/

Image Credits

Headshot by Andrea Flanagan Photography