Being an author was never on my bucket list. But a bad accident and three months of
disability leave where I was stuck on my couch gave me the time to write my
first book, This Trip Will Change Your
Life. The accident also gave me a lot of time to really assess how I had
been living my life, which became the starting point for my second book, Where To?.
I realized that I had been “playing it safe” with my life
and my career and that I had been holding myself back from truly living the
life that I wanted to live. I vowed that
I would honor my life and start living courageously and authentically…as soon
as I could walk again!
It ended up taking over 14 months before I could walk
without a cast, crutch or brace, but that time allowed me to really think about
what it was that I wanted to create with my life. At face value, if you had
looked at my life prior to the accident, you would have said that I was living
a rich, interesting life and to some extent I was. But what I wasn’t doing was following my
heart, taking some risks and just enjoying being alive.
I took my first big risk when I published my first
book. In it I opened up and shared
aspects of myself that I hadn’t really shared before. But I knew that I needed to do more – I
needed to shed the limiting beliefs and personas that I had been carrying with
me for most of my life that were preventing me from being “me.” And so I
decided to jump right into the deep end and walk away from all of the things
that had been giving me a false sense of security about my life – my job and my
home – and try living the way I wanted to live.
I had a number of people tell me that I was crazy, but even
more people cheered me on and begged me to tell them what – and how – I was
doing. I had people call and email me,
asking me how I was able to do what I was doing and looking for advice on how
to start living their own authentic lives. It became a no-brainer to write down
my experiences. Where To? tells the
story of what happened to me, the lessons I learned, and the amazing adventures
I had as I learned to live in a way that felt authentic and true to me.
Where To? takes
place primarily in the Guatemalan jungle, but also in Japan,
Cambodia and Thailand. It tells how I lived in a thatched-roof hut
in a tiny village, connected with local shamans and participated in their
ancient rituals, became fully integrated into the daily life of local families,
and ultimately faced down some of the greatest losses and long-buried pain I
had experienced. In the book I share the
six steps I took to heal and create the life of my dreams and include a
workbook for readers to do the same.
About the Author
Jennifer B. Monahan is a
business strategy consultant, shaman and coach who helps people all over the
world live courageous lives. Her first book, This Trip Will Change Your Life: A Shaman’s Story of Spirit Evolution
(She Writes Press, 2016), has won six literary awards, including two
first-place Body, Mind, Spirit Book Awards and a 2017 National Indie Excellence
Award. Her second book, Where
To? How I Shed My Baggage and Learned to Live Free, was published in
April 2019, and describes her personal journey through Guatemala, Japan, Cambodia and Thailand as she faces down some of the greatest losses in her
life.
She is a regular contributor to Medium.com, Sivana East, and has had articles published on MindBodyGreen.com and Inc.com. Her podcast, Living A Courageously Authentic Life, can be found on BlogTalkRadio.com, and focuses on a variety of topics to help others be true to themselves.
She holds a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Bridgeport (CT), an MBA in Marketing from the University of Connecticut, a Masters in Natural Health from Clayton College, and completed an accredited coaching program through Coach U. Her shamanic training began with a Mayan shaman in Mexico and then expanded to include shamans in Guatemala and her own personal guides.
She currently splits her time between the United States and Guatemala when not traveling and is in the process of writing her third book, a handbook for people looking to define, create and live their courageously authentic life. You can find her online at www.SpiritEvolution.co.
She is a regular contributor to Medium.com, Sivana East, and has had articles published on MindBodyGreen.com and Inc.com. Her podcast, Living A Courageously Authentic Life, can be found on BlogTalkRadio.com, and focuses on a variety of topics to help others be true to themselves.
She holds a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Bridgeport (CT), an MBA in Marketing from the University of Connecticut, a Masters in Natural Health from Clayton College, and completed an accredited coaching program through Coach U. Her shamanic training began with a Mayan shaman in Mexico and then expanded to include shamans in Guatemala and her own personal guides.
She currently splits her time between the United States and Guatemala when not traveling and is in the process of writing her third book, a handbook for people looking to define, create and live their courageously authentic life. You can find her online at www.SpiritEvolution.co.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: www.SpiritEvolution.co
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SpiritEvol
Thank you for interviewing me on your blog!
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