teacher

The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure

Original Air Date: June 14, 2021

Failure.

A complete sentence. 

Is it a teacher 

Or a jailer? 

Is it a beginning 

Or does it end there? 

Where do you place your next step 

When the ground beneath you begins to erupt? 

Maybe if there was something to grasp, 

If it wasn’t so abrupt.

Perhaps if no one was watching, 

Not even me seeing me.

 Then this…

Failure

Would be easier to swallow. 

If self-criticism were a competition, 

I’d be a tough act to follow. 

Perfection.

Maybe it can serve as my protection. 

From any and all

Ridicule  

And rejection

And failure. 

There is fog on the glass of my reflection. 

I find the courage to wipe it, 

I shine back clearer. 

I need to reexamine my definition. 

A life without failure 

Actually sounds 

Kind of boring. 

Where would be the discovery? 

The intrigue? 

The lessons learned from walking through the fire 

And getting just a bit burnt. 

Realizing the nightmare scenes 

Are actually just branches of trees 

Scratching at my window.

Scary shadows revealed to be nothing. 

But it’s the confronting. 

The facing. 

The tasting the fear on your tongue 

And rather than deciding to run...

Moving forward. 

Moving toward that which I find to be frightening. 

Failure. 

It can be a beautiful teacher. 

Not gentle. 

But honest.  

Failure. 

Unexpected gifts found within if I’m willing to persist. 

To insist:

I know. I know. 

There is danger waiting. 

But I’d rather lose it all

Than die knowing 

I never even tried. 

I had all of these ideas

And just kept them shut inside. 

We get to decide when failure is an ending. 

A complete sentence. 

A teacher or 

A jailer. 

And when failure 

Is actually the greatest of all treasures. 

P.S. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode: ‘The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure.’

tomearl.me/giftsof

Copywriting, Mindfulness, and Courage With Jo Mckee

Original Air Date: October 12, 2020

Communication is a top-shelf skill that every entrepreneur must master. 

If you have an important mission, movement, product, or business, the ability to connect with your audience is vital. 

Verbal and nonverbal communication is absolutely essential. 

But what is often overlooked is copywriting.  

Copywriting, and the ability to move people with your words, is so crucial.  

Are you with me? 

Because if so, we’re in luck. 

This week’s guest, Jo McKee, is both a phenomenal teacher of copy and a master copywriter herself. 

Jo Mckee is the founder of McKee Creative, a marketing agency with a mission to connect clients with their customers. Jo has also just released Copywriting for Profit – the hands-on system to train agency team members as in-house copywriters.

Throughout the interview, Jo shares with us templates, tools, and strategies you can use to write with persuasion and authenticity. 

Most importantly, Jo shares with us how to write in a way that centers your audience as the heroes of the story rather than yourself.

This episode is about more than just the written word. 

We also go all in on the importance of mindset, courage, and emotional intelligence. 

I am always eager to learn how accomplished entrepreneurs move through challenges, cope with stress, and continue to perform at the highest level. 

Jo offers advice on all of this and more. 

I’m telling you, this episode is packed with holistic insights and action steps you can take right now. 

tomearl.me/jm

Moving Beyond Fear and Embracing your Experience with Nurjahan Boulden

Original Air Date: May 13, 2019

What fear have you been carrying that you are ready to set down? 

 What would it look like to move beyond fear and embrace your experiences?  

This week’s episode provides a bold and courageous reflection on these questions. 

My guest, Nurjahan Boulden, was 21 years old when she was shot with an assault rifle in an attack that killed the man next to her.

That one night changed the trajectory of her life. 

Even as she moved on to become a teacher and mother of three, PTSD and complications from the bullet wound continually threatened her future. 

13 years later, she is now recognized as America’s leading coach for survivors of gun violence who are ready to Feel Safe Again™. 

Fear has been a companion of mine during 2020. I have a feeling I am not alone in this. 

Rather than numbing myself or hiding from it, I have made it a goal to confront, get to know, and investigate my fears. 

A significant part of that journey is listening to the stories, wisdom and reflections from others who are on that same path. 

This episode with Nurjahan is one that I listen to often when I need a reminder of the inner-power that I, and all of us, possess.

For the astute listener keeping track at home, you’ll note that this episode originally aired May 13, 2019. 

As I was re-listening to it this week, I knew that the messages and insights Nurjahan shares could really serve a lot of us at this very moment. 

Even if you distinctly remember listening to this episode when it first aired, I passionately urge you to give it a re-listen. 

The experiences you have gained over the past 1.5 years will allow you to gain new gifts as you re-listen. 

Trust me. 

Do yourself this favor of hitting play. 

Thank you, Nurjahan, for sharing such a vulnerable, authentic, and empowering interview.

tomearl.me/nb

Compassionate Survival & Dancing Through Healing With Jayson James and Lydiana Garcia

When was the last time you danced out all your feelings?

We’re all doing a bit of “surviving” after the last few years… and we could all use a little extra love.

You MUST listen to our special episode that can only be described as POWERFUL as we went really deep with Jayson James and Lydiana Garcia about being strong and vulnerable and what it takes to keep going.

Lydiana is a therapist and healer, using her passion for dancing to support trauma survivors. She describes herself as a mom, healer, dancer, spirit, teacher, and student. 

Jayson describes themself as compassionate, warm, bright, survivor, loving, and balanced.

This is one amazing discussion you won’t want to miss.

🎧 Ready to listen?

Go to: www.tomearl.me/jl

After the episode, hang out with our guests on Instagram!

Jayson.

Lydiana.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure

Failure.

A complete sentence. 

Is it a teacher 

Or a jailer? 

Is it a beginning 

Or does it end there? 

Where do you place your next step 

When the ground beneath you begins to erupt? 

Maybe if there was something to grasp, 

If it wasn’t so abrupt.

Perhaps if no one was watching, 

Not even me seeing me.

 Then this…

Failure

Would be easier to swallow. 

If self-criticism were a competition, 

I’d be a tough act to follow. 

Perfection.

Maybe it can serve as my protection. 

From any and all

Ridicule  

And rejection

And failure. 

There is fog on the glass of my reflection. 

I find the courage to wipe it, 

I shine back clearer. 

I need to reexamine my definition. 

A life without failure 

Actually sounds 

Kind of boring. 

Where would be the discovery? 

The intrigue? 

The lessons learned from walking through the fire 

And getting just a bit burnt. 

Realizing the nightmare scenes 

Are actually just branches of trees 

Scratching at my window.

Scary shadows revealed to be nothing. 

But it’s the confronting. 

The facing. 

The tasting the fear on your tongue 

And rather than deciding to run...

Moving forward. 

Moving toward that which I find to be frightening. 

Failure. 

It can be a beautiful teacher. 

Not gentle. 

But honest.  

Failure. 

Unexpected gifts found within if I’m willing to persist. 

To insist:

I know. I know. 

There is danger waiting. 

But I’d rather lose it all

Than die knowing 

I never even tried. 

I had all of these ideas

And just kept them shut inside. 

We get to decide when failure is an ending. 

A complete sentence. 

A teacher or 

A jailer. 

And when failure 

Is actually the greatest of all treasures. 

P.S. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode: ‘The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure.’

FLYER 4.jpg

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Copywriting, Mindfulness, and Courage With Jo Mckee

Communication is one of the top skills every entrepreneur must master. 

If you have an important mission, movement, product or business—the ability to connect with your audience is vital. 

Verbal and nonverbal communication are absolutely essential. 

But what is often overlooked is copywriting.  

Copywriting, the ability to move people with your written words, is so crucial.  

Are you with me? 

Because we’re in luck. 

This week’s guest, Jo McKee, is both a master copywriter herself and a phenomenal teacher of copy. 

Jo Mckee is the founder of McKee Creative, a marketing agency with a mission to connect clients with their customers. Jo has also just released Copywriting for Profit—the hands-on system to train agency team members as in-house copywriters.

Throughout the interview, Jo shares with us templates, tools, and strategies you can use to write with persuasion and authenticity. 

Most importantly, Jo shares with us how to write in a way that centers your audience as the heroes of the story rather than on ourselves.

This episode is about more than just the written word. 

We also go all-in on the importance of mindset, courage, and emotional intelligence. 

I am always eager to learn from accomplished entrepreneurs how they move through challenges, cope with stress, and continue to perform at the highest level. 

Jo offers advice on all of this, and more. 

I’m telling you, this episode is packed with holistic insights and actions, steps you can take right now. 

You can connect with Jo on:

McKee Creative.

Copywriting for Profit.

Your Ads on Demand.

Jo Mckee podcast .png

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Moving Beyond Fear and Embracing your Experience

This week’s episode, with special guest Nurjahan Boulden, is so important and powerful.  Nurjahan was 21 years old when she was shot with an assault rifle in an attack that killed the man next to her. That one night changed the trajectory of her life. Even as she moved on to become a teacher and mother of three, PTSD and complications from the bullet wound continually threatened her future. 13 years later, she is now recognized as America’s leading coach for survivors of gun violence who are ready to Feel Safe Again™.

Nurjahan and I talked about perseverance (especially through fear), facing reality, navigating trauma, and reclaiming your voice. I was moved by Nurjahan’s honesty and openness as she shared her truth in this interview. Plus, we also talked about her love of dancing.

Nurjahan’s story has been featured in a number of publications, including Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health. In addition to paving the way to recovery for survivors around the world, she hosts online support groups and community resilience workshops, and is partnering with mental health professionals to bring gun violence prevention and recovery programs to schools and organizations across America.

Nurjahan podcast.jpg

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.