February 18, 2025 • 38 mins
Do you constantly push your needs or ideas aside? In this episode, I talk with Tara Jackson about caring for yourself as a form of sensitive leadership and:
• How prioritizing self-care and your own sensitive rhythm is helpful for everyone
• Trusting your intuition to rest or to follow a creative idea in your work
• Why HSPs make excellent leaders and the various ways you can take a leadership role in your personal or professional life
• Allowing spiritual and somatic practices to guide you in creative ideas
Tara is an embodied leadership and creativity coach. She supports her clients to create in alignment with the seasons and rhythms of nature. She supports them to step into and embody their true authentic power so they show up from a place of wholeness and alignment. She invites her clients into deeper connection with their bodies, trusting themselves, as a basis for everything they do. She is also the author of four books, and creator of an oracle card deck.
Keep in touch with Tara:
• Website: https://empathpreneurs.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empathpreneurs
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisatarajackson
Resources Mentioned:
• Tara’s Books and Oracle Cards: https://empathpreneurs.org/books
• 1:1 Consulting with Tara: https://empathpreneurs.org/offerings/embodied-power
Thank you to Cozy Earth for sponsoring this episode.
Cozy Earth offers super soft and sustainably sourced bedding and loungewear. Use discount code SENSITIVE at checkout for up to 40% off. https://cozyearth.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tara Jackson (00:00):
leaning into your gifts and what you are here to
share and do.
That is leadership, but itdoesn't have to be this grand
big thing, just being more youand showing up.
April Snow (00:16):
Welcome to Sensitive Stories, the podcast for the
people who live with hearts andeyes wide open.
I'm your host, psychotherapistand author, april Snow.
I invite you to join me as Ideep dive into rich
conversations with fellow highlysensitive people that will
inspire you to live a morefulfilling life as an HSP
(00:39):
without all the overwhelm.
In this episode, I talk withTara Jackson about why HSPs are
suitable for leadership rolesand the many ways that can take
place, starting with modeling ofself-care for others, trusting
your intuition and the ideasthat come from it, and making
space for rest and recovery.
Leadership and creativity coach, she supports her clients to
(01:06):
create an alignment with theseasons and rhythms of nature.
She supports them to step intoand embody their true, authentic
power so they can show up froma place of wholeness and
alignment.
She invites her clients intodeeper connection with their
bodies, trusting themselves asthe basis for everything they do
.
She is also the author of fourbooks and creator of an oracle
(01:27):
card deck.
For more HSP resources and tosee behind the scenes video from
the podcast, join me onInstagram, tiktok or YouTube at
Sensitive Strengths or sign upfor my email list.
Links are in the show notes andat sensitivestoriescom.
And just a reminder that thisepisode is for educational
purposes only and is notintended as a substitute for
(01:50):
treatment with a mental healthor medical professional.
Let's dive in.
So, tara, could you start offby telling us your HSP discovery
(02:17):
story, how and when yourealized that you're a highly
sensitive person?
Tara Jackson (02:21):
So I think I've probably always known.
You know, as a child I wasquite different from my siblings
in particular.
I was definitely more sensitive, like clothes were
uncomfortable, itchy fabrics gotto me.
I loved being alone a lot morethan them and often would stay
back and read when they went tofriends' houses and hung out
with the other kids, whereas Ilike to be alone and reflect and
(02:44):
create, paint, read, that sortof thing.
But back when I was growing upwe didn't really have a label
for it as such.
So, yeah, it definitely took mea while to realize that it was
highly sensitive and I think itwas during a sort of a women's
spiritual circle when I wasliving in London and someone
(03:05):
recommended Elaine Aaron's book,the Highly Sensitive Person.
So, of course, that kind ofsnowballed from then and I
realized it had a name.
I wasn't so weird feeling allthe things I felt and I wasn't
this, you know, the things thatI had felt were too much or made
me fussy, all those labels thatwere given when you're so
sensitive to things you knowwere actually a thing and it was
(03:27):
because, yeah, I was highlysensitive.
So it was a bit of a journey,but definitely something I think
I've always known inside.
April Snow (03:35):
Yeah, yeah, it is quite a journey, isn't it?
Just those early signs that,okay, something's different
about me.
I'm a lot.
I like to reflect more and goinward more and do things that
are different, and then tofinally have the language for it
.
So helpful to know okay, notalone, there's nothing wrong
with me.
I am still different, butthere's a reason for it.
(03:57):
Yeah, it can be quite a momentto realize that.
Tara Jackson (04:02):
Absolutely yeah, and that that there's a gift in
that.
April Snow (04:05):
That's the bit that really got us to shift things,
yeah yes, that's the gift iswhen you realize that this was a
trait, is that when you startedto kind of connect with those
gifts or realize that there aresome positives in it?
Tara Jackson (04:20):
absolutely.
I mean, interestingly, mybusiness kind of.
First the iteration of it wasactually self-care for empaths.
You know know all highlysensitive.
So it was definitely throughthat realization that this is a
thing and I need to look aftermyself a bit differently.
April Snow (04:34):
So it was, yeah, I started leaning into that take a
different approach to how wecare for ourselves and
considering those deep parts.
And I know in your work youwork a lot with HSPs and
leadership roles and I think forsome folks that might seem
(04:55):
counterintuitive.
Oh, I don't think of sensitivepeople as leaders.
I don't know if we're capableof that.
In what ways are HSPs actuallysuited for leadership roles,
would you say?
Tara Jackson (05:01):
Yeah, and this is a thing I think.
The world we live in today isso chaotic, so crazy.
I think HSPs are needed asleaders.
I really really do.
The way we perceive the world,we're sensitive to all the
different nuances, the feelings,all the things going on, and so
we can come at it from such anempathic, compassionate approach
, which is so needed.
(05:22):
Just that in itself is what Ifeel the world needs more of,
and so, number one that on itsown is a reason for it just
needs to be needed, I think,personally, yeah absolutely
Right.
April Snow (05:35):
We are compassionate , we can see people what they
need, not just in the world, butthe people that we're leading
or working with and we do noticethose nuances, what problems
need to be solved, getting aheadof issues before they happen,
coming up with creativesolutions and ideas and
innovations.
Yeah, there's so many parts ofus that actually make great
(05:57):
leaders, bringing that empathy,that emotion, that depth of
processing.
It's pretty phenomenal when youthink about it.
Tara Jackson (06:05):
It is yes um ideas as well, because we can see
what's needed and what's notready.
So we create these new ways,new programs, new offers, even
tiny little things in yourcommunity, whatever it is new
writing things that can help theworld in different ways,
because we can feel that andsense that much more, so we can
do that.
April Snow (06:26):
Absolutely, and you just mentioned writing.
So it makes me think about whatare the different ways that we
could step into a leadershiprole that we may not think of,
because when we think ofleadership I often think we
think of like a manager, apolitician, something like that,
where you're in this very kindof typical leadership role.
But are there ways that hspscould step into leadership roles
(06:47):
that are more subtle?
Tara Jackson (06:49):
I think it's just really leaning into your gifts
and what you are here to shareand do and show up with in the
world, because that isleadership and inspiring others
to them to be themselves in theworld, or whatever it might be.
But when we say yes to our soulcallings, what we feel we are
here to share and do and be inthe world, that to me is
leadership ultimately.
So it doesn't have to be thisgrand big thing.
(07:11):
It can be 100% yes, but justbeing more you and showing up,
taking that action is sopowerful in becoming a leader.
April Snow (07:20):
I feel that's true Right just living in our own
rhythms, taking care ofourselves, modeling that for
others.
That's leadership too.
Tara Jackson (07:28):
Absolutely.
April Snow (07:29):
Yeah, Leaning into our gifts, our creativity,
whether it be writing orteaching or activism inside of
work or outside of work, you'rejust kind of really opening my
mind up to all the possibilitiesof sensitive leadership.
It's pretty amazing.
And as we're going into thoseroles, what does it mean to be
an embodied leader?
Because I've heard you talkabout that some and that sounds
(07:51):
pretty dreamy.
So I'd love to hear more aboutthat.
Tara Jackson (07:56):
Well, I think that's it.
It is like a dream, but it'snot, because it's the holistic
encompassment of everything youknow, of our whole selves in
leadership or as we show up inthe working world.
We're so used to doing it froma headspace only, neglecting our
health, and that's why there isso many health issues in that
space, in particular mental,physical, emotional, spiritual.
(08:16):
So to me, embodied leadershipis really considering the whole
of ourselves and definitely thebody as well.
Number one, first and foremost,is our vessels for how we show
up in the world and leaning intothe gifts of our full selves.
So I know in my work Idefinitely get people to really
tune into their bodies, thewisdom of their bodies, to let
(08:36):
that lead, lead from that space.
And more often than not, becauseso many of us are coming from
exhausting careers and ways ofdoing and being, often it's
actually slowing down andresting and allowing the body to
really recover and regenerate,sort of reset, all the things to
come back to itself and thenshowing up from that place.
(08:57):
You know this grounded,embodied, old place, and showing
up in the world from there isso different and so powerful
compared to just doingeverything up here.
It's slower, but to me that'swhat deep embodied leadership is
, I mean, and it goes beyondthat, but beyond just the self,
I think it's really aboutconsidering the whole as well
(09:18):
the earth, the planet, thecycles, the seasons, if we are
off the earth as well, ourconnection with the earth.
We can't keep ignoring that.
You know and so many of usdon't, but so many do so.
To be embodied is about thatconsideration as well as others.
You know, the people you workwith, your communities, the
world as a whole, the microcosmand the microcosm.
April Snow (09:38):
Ultimately, is what I feel it is yeah.
Yeah Right, being a a part ofthe cycles, the communities that
you're in, and not ignoringthat or denying that, because
those pieces are impacting you.
And you talked a lot aboutrecovery, which is so important
for us as HSPs.
We have to have space forrecovery and for reflection and
going inward.
What does body recovery looklike for you personally?
Tara Jackson (10:01):
me okay so and it's evolved and I think it
evolves all the time.
You know it does.
The phases we're at in ourlives and I'm I've got quite a
few hormonal things going onright now.
I'm kind of paramenopausal, sodefinitely having to make some
shifts and changes and how Irecover in my body, you know,
requiring a lot more than evenin the last five years it's
(10:21):
changed dramatically for me.
So I mean, I have to get intonature daily.
That's part of my well-being,but also inspiration for work
too.
But daily walks in nature, alot of yin yoga, is another one
for me.
That one is a few, yeah, just,I mean any somatic kind of
practices as well, but yin yogaand walking in the forest are my
(10:42):
two current kind ofnon-negotiables at the moment to
really recover.
Honestly, food is another onetoo.
Um, you know, the older I get,the more sensitive to foods I
become.
I've had to cut out quite a lotof things over the years and it
sort of just seems to get moreand more that affect me so much,
more.
So before I could have a cup ofcoffee, now it's like half a
(11:04):
cup, yes, and it's like, oh,unless I know, if I have too
much, I'll be wired and, yes, itwon't be as much in my body.
So, yeah, just those are thekind of things I keep up for
myself regularly.
April Snow (11:17):
Yeah, yeah, really attuning into what your body's
needing, adjusting that as yougo, yeah, yeah, that makes a lot
of sense.
Just slowing down and usingnature, using somatic practices
to reconnect to ground yeah, soimportant exactly and it seems
counterintuitive.
Tara Jackson (11:34):
The restful stuff, but it is energizes me the most
.
Honestly.
It really, ah, yes, it gives methe most energy, actually not
the kind of high intensity, andbut that's me personally.
We're all different.
April Snow (11:46):
It's about you know, like awareness of your own body
and what your needs are that'ssuch a good reminder that for
you, that's getting into nature,that's doing yoga, that's
paying attention to what you'reeating, but for someone else it
could be something totallydifferent, completely.
Yeah, and I'm curious howspirituality comes into this as
well.
If you would like to shareabout that yeah, no, of course.
Tara Jackson (12:07):
So I think I that my connection to my spirituality
definitely comes from movementand being in nature.
And yes, so when it comes tospirituality, I connect with
like things like the soul of mybusiness, the soul energies of
each individual offer within it.
The books I write have energies.
So I use spirituality veryintertwined with my kind of
(12:28):
myself but also my work.
So it's a flowing movement withme and what I do and how I show
up, and I don't do one withoutthe other.
So I use it to support me andmy well-being, but then I use it
to bring into my work as well.
So that's the kind of aholistic piece as well.
April Snow (12:43):
I think that yeah, I've never heard that phrase,
soul of my business, and itfeels so good.
Just speaking of your books,would you mind showing folks the
books that you have to offer?
Tara Jackson (12:56):
I know you have quite a few yeah, okay, so we
have the first one here, whichis embodied yeah you can't use
the self-care guide forsensitive souls just kind of at
the beginning of my journey andreally learning to take care of
myself in that way, and includesa number of spiritual and
(13:16):
physical, mental, emotionalpractices in there that support
me.
Then I kind of switched gears abit.
This one's in body business andthis is all about like looking
at the chakras actually in thebody.
So comes in, but in terms ofthe business, so what blocks you
might be holding that could bestopping you from showing up in
(13:37):
the ways that you want to.
So maybe, and I kind of tiedthem and linked them to chakras.
Of course you might feel it ina different chakra.
Nothing is prescriptive, it'sjust an idea.
So things like taking action,feeling worthy boundaries, some
of the things that can come upon the entrepreneurial or
business, journey.
I've kind of linked them to achakra and given them tools,
(13:58):
tips, prompts, meditations, etc.
To support you to move throughthem, that you can, yeah, help
yourself to show up as you'rebeing forced well yeah, I love
that just going deeper into thisinternal blockages the
spiritual, yes.
April Snow (14:14):
The energetic, energetic, yes.
Tara Jackson (14:18):
We need that so much, yeah I think so, yeah, I
spend a lot of time.
Definitely I've done.
Yeah, absolutely this.
This next one is actually.
This one is actually more on.
This is the third one.
So this is actually.
It's called embodied creationbeautiful and it is about
creating with the soul of anoffer, the soul of something as
(14:40):
seeing it as an energy toco-create with ultimately, but
it also really invites you totune into the earth and what
she's calling for any guidancein terms of what creations are
needed in the on the planetultimately as well.
So kind of it's trying to bringin this more holistic body,
wider approach to it that canthe whole as well.
April Snow (15:00):
Oh, that's so beautiful so it feels like
you're giving us a roadmap forconnecting to self, but then
bringing that full embodied selfinto business and then deciding
what to put out into the worldthat's yeah, I love that.
Tara Jackson (15:13):
That's a great way of saying it.
Definitely, I found that justamazing, so it's lovely to see
that, just seeing this,unfolding this journey that's
going through to self and thenoutward to others.
April Snow (15:23):
Yeah, that's really helpful.
Yeah, and then you have onemore book as well, right, yeah,
so Embodied Wealth.
Tara Jackson (15:29):
Embodied, wealth, beautiful.
What is this one about?
It's actually about creatingwealth on your terms.
So, wealth being, what doeswealth mean to you?
Is it time, freedom?
Is it nutrition, nourishment,energy?
What does wealth mean to you?
Is it time freedom?
Is it nutrition, nourishment,energy?
You know what does wealth meanto you, so it's creating a life
on those terms for yourself.
Also, I've trained in sort ofcolor psychology, a system
(15:51):
called color mirrors, which is aspiritual color system, and it
also so it includes someguidance.
When you look at certain colorsyou're drawn to what certain
ones you might be repelled by.
It can actually say thingsabout what needs to be healed
within, as well as give youguidance if you're open to it.
So this one includes some morestuff on that to help you align
(16:11):
with yeah, maybe your, your soulformings and what you're here
to do or want to do next, evenoh, I love that.
April Snow (16:17):
So just having these kind of systems or tools to
help you uncover what you'reneeding, what you want to
elevate or guide you, exactlybecause we react to color in our
bodies, like we have such aresponse to it yes that you can
get tap past that, you know, theconscious brain into the
subconscious.
Tara Jackson (16:36):
So when we are like drawn to certain colors, it
I mean color is like a systemof bottles, colored bottles with
um oils in, so you look at themand you can look at them online
as well, you can draw on torepel by because the body is
telling you ultimately, and somaybe there's so, for example,
let's say purple, like I lovedpurple for a long, long time, I
was addicted.
I'd literally not purple, youknow, and it can be about being
(17:00):
school, but I mean there's a,there's a thing, isn't it?
But also about grief, deepgrief, and actually I fell in
love with purple when my mompassed away as a child and I
literally almost went fromloving red to the next overnight
loving purple.
I mean, it was like a blanketof covering, like a purple
blanket.
I just wanted purple and it wasquite interesting to tie that
together.
Yes, quite a significant moment, you know, and quite a
(17:22):
significant change.
So, yeah, you can just bypassthe conscious and it can give
you an understanding of whyyou've done certain things or
maybe what right, maybe whatyou're doing as well yeah, right
, what's happening internallyfor you that you may not be
putting those pieces together orwhere you're wanting to go?
April Snow (17:37):
okay, I'm really drawn to this particular color
and I've had that too happen inmy own life, where very quickly,
I'll be drawn to one color andthen the next, moving right on.
Tara Jackson (17:46):
And now I'm curious to see I'm curious is
there a color you're drawn to?
Yeah, is there a color you'redrawn to now?
April Snow (17:52):
For years it was blue, and then it's moved more
to purple, which is interesting.
But I don't know.
I'm starting to kind of pullaway from purple.
I feel like there's somethingthat might come next.
Tara Jackson (18:03):
I don't know what it is yet, though, but you can
also relate it to the sharpcurves as well.
So blue is your throat, youknow.
Communication speaking.
Yes, that makes sense yeah, andthen the purple is up here.
You've got your third eyemiddle purple on the crown, of
course.
So, yeah, the deep purposeconnected for all spirituality.
I mean it can be there's sortof positives and negatives for
all colors, but it's whatresonates and it's just a
(18:26):
different tool, as you said, tonavigate and help share deeply
understanding.
It's always fun for me too.
April Snow (18:33):
I love to have those kind of ways inward to support
that deep kind of introspectionthat I always want to do as an
HSP, exactly.
Tara Jackson (18:42):
Oh, I love it so much.
Definitely, it's like wantingto understand and yeah, all this
.
April Snow (18:48):
Definitely, definitely, yeah.
So that book could be a greatway for folks to kind of get an
idea of that practice and, yeah,see what comes through.
So, once we're doing this work,we're going inward, we're
taking care of our bodies, we'rerecovering, we're connecting
with those deeper parts of ourexperience and we have this
little intuitive hit to thisdream, this idea.
(19:10):
How can we start to bring itinto the world, into action?
What does that process looklike?
Tara Jackson (19:16):
So and I so.
I think for me personally, it'swhen you get that intuitive hit
.
It's nurturing in that to beginwith, absolutely so.
I mean I do it throughconnecting with the soul of it,
the essence of it, so seeing itas an energy.
And, for example, I've broughtin, let's say, an offering in my
business by connecting to theenergy.
I saw this vision of and I'mquite a visual person, so you
(19:38):
might just feel it, you mightknow it, you might even hear it.
I sort of saw this, yeah, thislike actually it was a spaceship
coming over the mountain and Iconnected to this vision every
day and basically the spaceshiplanded and it then turned into
it sort of grew roots andstarted to grow into a tree, and
then the tree developed theselike colored pods which were
chakra colors.
Eventually, I mean thishappened about over the space of
(19:59):
about 15, 20 days, and then Irealized it was actually an
offering and it's a course Ioffer, basically helping people
look at blocks with the Ganeetchakra.
But it was really nurturing andconnecting to that energy
ultimately for me, until it wasready to share with me or I
could intuitively feel what wasneeded, what was coming from it.
But so that's how I work withit.
(20:20):
And so then I was literallygiven the program outline, the
dates, et cetera, the times,what it was going to be, the
structure, ultimately thepractical parts, and that's how
I did it.
So that's one way of doing it.
April Snow (20:33):
I love that.
And how are thesevisualizations coming to you?
Is it in meditation?
When you're on a nature walk,when you're doing your yoga?
When do you connect to these?
I mean, mean it can be any andall of those, all of the times,
yeah, so being receptive, itchanges, yeah, and you can
figure out what works for you.
Tara Jackson (20:50):
So with that one particularly, I was sitting and
just taking myself in andconnecting back to what I'd seen
the day before.
No, took some notes so I couldremember if I needed.
But for now, like I'm writingmy next book and it is coming to
me only through walking in theforest and I say my chakras as I
walk in a moving meditation andthen I ask the book energy to
join me and someday I don't feelit and I can feel the energy of
(21:13):
it and I talk to it a bit.
I kind of feel it moving in mybody.
It's very embodied.
My books are all embodied, ofcourse.
Yes, then it's, I can.
Just it's taking a lot longerthis one it's already been a
year as of time recording thisso yeah, it's slowly working its
way through and I'm hearing itwriting notes, recording things
as I go, and I.
It will eventually turn into abook, but that's how it's kind
(21:35):
of coming to me.
So there's no right or wrongway to do this.
It's how you connect and youknow and experiment.
April Snow (21:41):
There's ways to experiment and play with it,
definitely yeah and it soundslike you start with inviting
something in inviting themessages for the book or just
maybe being receptive.
I would like to connect with anidea.
Is that true?
Tara Jackson (21:57):
yes, absolutely.
I mean, I have free meditationsas well, which?
you know, even guide people into start with, just to begin,
because meditation doesn't workfor everyone.
So, yeah, maybe walk with ityoga and yeah, invite it in and
just trust what comes for you.
Maybe in the beginning you feela bit of cold energy and then
it's like, okay, that was a bitdifferent, let's try again today
(22:18):
.
And you, it's just like whenyou're connected to intuition,
it's like trust or a muscle.
You have to keep doing it andthen the stronger it gets, and
so I've been doing this forquite a few years now, so it
definitely has shifted andchanged, you know, and so it's
gotten easier for me in someways, but not always.
I've had times, even the last10 years, where I've had nothing
, and that's intuition in itself, you know to do nothing right,
(22:43):
do not be alarmed if there'snothing.
April Snow (22:45):
That could just be a time to say it's time to pause,
to recover and that's what ithas been.
Tara Jackson (22:50):
Yeah, and I push through often, and then nothing
comes through it.
April Snow (22:53):
So right it's to learn that the hard way too yes,
not to force it, but just to bein that stillness.
And it sounds like after we'reinviting, we're kind of trusting
the idea, but also trustingwhen there's pause.
Yeah, I love that like reallyletting yourself be in the
process, whatever the process is, even when it's not what you
(23:14):
wanted.
Tara Jackson (23:15):
Yeah, yeah, exactly letting go of that.
April Snow (23:18):
That's a big one for me and have learned yes, so
let's say we are getting thoseideas are coming through and
sometimes it can be quite a lotto sit with.
It can be overwhelming, notonly processing the information
or the intuitive gifts that comethrough, but also taking the
action.
So how do you find that balancebetween recovery and putting
(23:41):
something into the world?
How do we deal with thatbalance as they just I'm still
letting this one, I mean I don'tknow.
Tara Jackson (23:48):
We I think we all are yeah, so like, yeah, totally
, if someone knows, please,please, share with me as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean it's a combination ofthings and it's, isn't it?
It's that constant awareness,self-awareness and, I think,
really slowing down more thananything to check in with
yourself, and it's easier saidthan done and, trust me, I'm
(24:12):
quite a fast person that can'tget stuff done, so it's not the
easiest for me, though, but thenI tend to plan out.
So, yeah, but I know it's likeI'm learning.
It's still really slow down,checking in, and I think taking
more time than you thinksometimes is needed to really
feel what the idea is.
And, as I said you know,nurture it.
Hold it to yourself for a while, because it's so easy to want
(24:37):
to get it out in the world andshare it for some people not for
them, but holding it and beingwith it will help it to mature,
to grow, to root, etc.
Absolutely one.
You'll be looking afteryourself as well, because you
can check in, and then you'llknow when to take action.
I mean, actually, one thing Ido do with the checking in, with
the soul of it.
When you connect to it could beconnecting to your intuition as
(24:57):
well as asking what do I needto nurture myself, to support
myself as a co-creator?
and sometimes even the guidancemight just be which I've had for
some other offers is just lookafter yourself, like I've
actually been guided to do fastsor cleanses, for example,
sometimes for maybe two weeks.
Or if I did a 30-day juicecleanse at one point and that
was the guidance not to doanything on the offer, but I
(25:20):
needed to support me, to be abetter, stronger vessel, to
bring it through when it wastime.
So there's a mix of things youcan do.
Does that kind of make sense?
April Snow (25:33):
Absolutely does, because you're right, there can
be this rush I have to get thisout right away but is it
supporting you or is itdepleting you?
Right in that process?
And it just reminds me thatthis is what we need to do in
every aspect of life, not justwhen we're putting something out
or stepping into a leadershiprole, but taking care of ourself
first, right Nurturingourselves, before we're then
(25:53):
giving to others.
Such a good reminder Absolutelyyes.
Tara Jackson (25:58):
From that place?
April Snow (25:59):
Yes, you said something which was I'm a
co-creator, and I'm wondering ifyou could say more about that.
Tara Jackson (26:08):
So I see it as, when you are connecting to the
energy, the soul, the spirit ofwhatever it is, it's in
co-creation with you, so you areworking with it.
It's not, yes, you're thephysical part, bringing it
through and doing that, but ifyou really see it, it's that
part, part, whatever you want tocall it as your.
You know it's like having abusiness partner, ultimately, or
(26:29):
, you know, a teammate, a ceo orsomething.
See, really see it as that.
April Snow (26:34):
There's something about that kind of acceptance
that also makes it more powerfulas well, in that you know being
working together, co-creatingyeah, right, I love that because
you're not in this alone andyou can lean on the energy
that's coming through yourintuition, your spiritual
practice, your connection toearth, to whatever it is that is
(26:56):
guiding you.
Yeah, that feels, I know,comforting it is.
Tara Jackson (27:02):
It's so comforting , especially when you work alone
and for now so many of us are,especially in the days and so
having that such a sort of alife-changing moment for me in
my business?
Definitely yeah, because Icould point to something or
someone when I had no one elseright exactly right.
April Snow (27:20):
Was there a point in your business before this where
you felt like you were aloneand you were kind of floating
without that anchor?
Tara Jackson (27:29):
absolutely.
I've always kind of used myintuition in business from quite
an early stage, but it wasdifferent.
That was when I did more of theyou know, when my intuition
said nothing, pushing ahead,still trying to put things out
there, going back to how I'dbeen taught.
Business doesn't matter, youknow, and there's nothing wrong
with some of these things, butthey didn't work for me, this
who I am.
It didn't work for me to keeppushing trying things just for
(27:50):
the sake of doing, etc.
It didn't work for me, yeahyeah, that's.
April Snow (27:53):
It sounds like a straight road to burnout.
Honestly, completely yeah, whatI think you shared about that
potentially that you've beenthrough a burnout phase- I've
definitely had periods where,yeah, I've had to take some
because it was too much and toointense definitely.
Tara Jackson (28:10):
I mean working.
The working world did that tome a bit definitely as well.
April Snow (28:12):
So yes, it does then the thing is is not carrying
those bad habits and bad ways ofdoing into your own business,
which is easy to do it really is, especially when we're looking
and seeing how everyone else isdoing it or we feel like we have
to take to keep up with acertain pace exactly.
We can slow down, we can havepauses in between.
(28:34):
You can take time to reflectand connect inward, connect to
something beyond ourselveshonestly, I think this is the
greatest challenge on it.
Tara Jackson (28:42):
Honestly, especially as an hsb2, we all
need to relearn how to do thisbecause we're not conditioned to
.
I mean, still now I strugglewith this in all honesty, not
feeling like I should be doingmore and letting myself slow
down, and but I know the powerin that, yet I still have
conditioning that's telling methat you're not doing something
(29:04):
today.
What's going on?
You know?
April Snow (29:06):
oh my goodness, those stories run deep, that
conditioning runs deep they runso deep, don't they all the way
back to when?
Tara Jackson (29:15):
well, I'm gonna just guess when you were a child
and seeing your siblings go outand socialize when you just
wanted to read but it's societalancestral condition, you know
it's so deep right I see iteverywhere, even in your
day-to-day life, being differentto those going out with job,
with jobs you know, who have towork five-hour days, whatever
they're doing and you're notdoing, that it's even that.
(29:37):
It's in itself can still betriggering sometimes to make me
think I'm not doing enoughbecause of we've grown up?
April Snow (29:45):
I think, Absolutely.
You know, working for myself,and my wife goes out to work
every day and I think am I doingenough?
Tara Jackson (29:51):
Exactly, Exactly, totally get that.
April Snow (29:54):
Yeah, but we're still doing a lot, and a lot is
subjective.
Enough is subjective.
Tara Jackson (30:02):
Yeah, well, this is it Exactly, and it's this is
why I think it's the hardestthing.
It's learning to trust what youare doing, how you show up what
you do, who you are, even, yes,we also, you know, we could get
into so many other topics, butit's like we're placing our
value in what we do as well,which is a whole other piece
that's so integrative, I thinkyou know, and so, yeah, a lot of
(30:23):
unlearning, a lot of unlearningand trust seems like a theme
today trusting yourself,trusting your process, trusting
that you're doing enough, youdon't have to push, you don't
have to do what everyone else isdoing.
Yeah, and trust your way,because I really do believe
we're here to lead a differentway, as highly sensitive as part
of our gifts as well.
(30:43):
We are here to lead a differentway that is slower it's part of
our gifts as well.
We are here to lead a differentway that is slower, more
cyclical, with rhythmic, whetherit's our inner cycles or the
cycles around us of the earth,the sun, et cetera.
Yeah, we're here to do it adifferent way and we have to
lead that.
It starts here, trusting that,yes absolutely.
April Snow (31:06):
And just thinking about what you said at the
beginning of our conversation,which is that self-care, that
modeling leadership yes,absolutely.
And just how important that isfor everybody, not just fellow
HSPs Exactly exactly Right,especially in the world that we
live in.
Tara Jackson (31:19):
Totally is.
And so I mean one of my nextsort of intuitive guidance
pieces or you know where I'mbeing guided to go is, as well
as the work I'm currently doingis to start bringing what I'm
doing into the corporate worldand so going back there, which
is scary but it's time.
It's been nudging at meintuitively for a few years now
and I've pushed it down, butit's time, but I think that's it
(31:40):
.
You know, we need to first feelgood, embodied in ourselves and
strong in a belief in doing itfor ourselves, and then take it
if we're being called to.
Some people will, some won't,but I do believe that some of us
are here to go back into thatsystem because we've come from
it as with what we've embodiedand become and who we are today,
to start to shift things.
April Snow (32:00):
I feel that intuitively yeah, yes, right,
take a different model back inthere and shake things up a bit.
Exactly.
Oh, I love that.
When you say go back into thecorporate world, do you think
that you'll consult or you'll goback in the system as a?
Tara Jackson (32:17):
yeah, no, I think that's 100%.
Let's say yeah, 100%, no, I, Ican't go back and consult.
April Snow (32:27):
Yeah, yes, right right, bring things in, but at
your own pace, on your owntimeline yeah, yeah, yeah okay
that makes sense, but we can beagain that's another way to lead
right and to take in adifferent point of view and,
yeah, work with leaders, that'spart of it.
I think when you work with theleaders, that's it right it's
(32:50):
that advisor role that we aredestined to be.
Tara Jackson (32:53):
Yes, I love this.
April Snow (32:55):
I love that.
Well, tara, is there anythingwe didn't touch on that you feel
is important to share before westart to wrap up?
I think that we didn't get tono, I just.
Tara Jackson (33:03):
I mean just to reiterate I think sensitivity is
a gift.
I really do Our unique way ofexperiencing the world through
our sensitivities, even thoughit can be so hard at times and
so challenging.
It is so needed.
I really truly believe that,and so, if you're feeling called
in in some way to lead withyour sensitivity, to bring how
you experience the world out insome way, your sensitivity to
(33:27):
bring how you experience theworld out in some way.
April Snow (33:28):
Please do.
That's all.
Yes, please do.
We need your voices, we needyour leadership and folks can
start stepping into that role invery small ways in their own
lives I thank you so much forsharing this guidepost, this
vision for how we can step intoour calling, our purpose.
(33:52):
We can reconnect with ourselves,and I'll definitely share all
of your.
You have a lot of wonderfulresources.
I'll share all those in theshow notes, your website, your
books, your Oracle deck.
You also work with folksone-to-one.
Could you say a little bit moreabout that?
Yeah, yeah, and I love theone-to-one.
Could you say a little bit moreabout that?
Tara Jackson (34:06):
yeah, yeah, I know , and I love the one-to-one work
, you know, because you get togo deep.
So, yeah, absolutely if you arefeeling cold and would like
support to go deeper in yourwork or your next level or bring
more of yourself into work,trust yourself more.
You know you're sensitive.
I love working one-to-one soI'd be super open to, obviously,
exploration conversations, allthat kind of thing.
April Snow (34:28):
Yeah, I love that and who should reach out to you
one-to-one.
So who?
Who do you love to work bestwith?
Tara Jackson (34:36):
yeah, I mean sensitive leaders.
It's a mix of entrepreneurs,but also leaders and businesses
as well, who are sensitive andare pushing against the system
that does not cater to theirneeds.
It's a mix of the two.
I just sensitive leaders is.
You know who you are.
April Snow (34:51):
You know who you are .
Tara Jackson (34:52):
You just know who you are you resonate with this
sort of different, intuitive wayof incorporating these you know
, the spiritual parts,embodiment parts into your work
and knowing that that will giveyou such a rich way of doing
business that feels good as well.
It's a different way that's ityeah that resonates.
April Snow (35:10):
Just check in with your intuition.
If you're being called to workwith tara, it's right.
Yeah, exactly, it's sobeautiful, and will you share?
Hold up your book one more timeso we can take a look at that
body business yeah yeah, somebody business.
Look at that beautiful cover.
So this is a great place forfolks to touch in with working
(35:31):
with you as well and get a senseand then also deep dive into
working with you directly, and Iassume folks can work with you
from all over the world.
Tara Jackson (35:39):
Yeah, absolutely wonderful.
April Snow (35:49):
Thanks so much for joining me and Tara for today's
conversation.
What I hope you'll remember isthat it's okay to listen to that
call from within, whether it'sguiding you to rest and go
inward or to pursue a creativeidea out in the world.
If you're seeking more supportfor your business or stepping
into a leadership role of anykind, reach out to Tara for a
(36:10):
one-to-one consultation or pickup her book Embodied Business.
Links for both are in the shownotes.
If you enjoyed this episode,subscribe to the Sensitive
Stories podcast so you don'tmiss our upcoming conversations.
Reviews and ratings are alsohelpful and appreciated For
behind-the-scenes content andmore HSP resources.
(36:31):
You can sign up for my emaillist or follow Sensitive
Strengths on Instagram, tiktokand YouTube.
Check out the show notes orsensitivestoriescom for all the
resources from today's episode.
Thanks for listening.
leaning into your gifts and what you are here to
share and do.
That is leadership, but itdoesn't have to be this grand
big thing, just being more youand showing up.
April Snow (00:16):
Welcome to Sensitive Stories, the podcast for the
people who live with hearts andeyes wide open.
I'm your host, psychotherapistand author, april Snow.
I invite you to join me as Ideep dive into rich
conversations with fellow highlysensitive people that will
inspire you to live a morefulfilling life as an HSP
(00:39):
without all the overwhelm.
In this episode, I talk withTara Jackson about why HSPs are
suitable for leadership rolesand the many ways that can take
place, starting with modeling ofself-care for others, trusting
your intuition and the ideasthat come from it, and making
space for rest and recovery.
Leadership and creativity coach, she supports her clients to
(01:06):
create an alignment with theseasons and rhythms of nature.
She supports them to step intoand embody their true, authentic
power so they can show up froma place of wholeness and
alignment.
She invites her clients intodeeper connection with their
bodies, trusting themselves asthe basis for everything they do
.
She is also the author of fourbooks and creator of an oracle
(01:27):
card deck.
For more HSP resources and tosee behind the scenes video from
the podcast, join me onInstagram, tiktok or YouTube at
Sensitive Strengths or sign upfor my email list.
Links are in the show notes andat sensitivestoriescom.
And just a reminder that thisepisode is for educational
purposes only and is notintended as a substitute for
(01:50):
treatment with a mental healthor medical professional.
Let's dive in.
So, tara, could you start offby telling us your HSP discovery
(02:17):
story, how and when yourealized that you're a highly
sensitive person?
Tara Jackson (02:21):
So I think I've probably always known.
You know, as a child I wasquite different from my siblings
in particular.
I was definitely more sensitive, like clothes were
uncomfortable, itchy fabrics gotto me.
I loved being alone a lot morethan them and often would stay
back and read when they went tofriends' houses and hung out
with the other kids, whereas Ilike to be alone and reflect and
(02:44):
create, paint, read, that sortof thing.
But back when I was growing upwe didn't really have a label
for it as such.
So, yeah, it definitely took mea while to realize that it was
highly sensitive and I think itwas during a sort of a women's
spiritual circle when I wasliving in London and someone
(03:05):
recommended Elaine Aaron's book,the Highly Sensitive Person.
So, of course, that kind ofsnowballed from then and I
realized it had a name.
I wasn't so weird feeling allthe things I felt and I wasn't
this, you know, the things thatI had felt were too much or made
me fussy, all those labels thatwere given when you're so
sensitive to things you knowwere actually a thing and it was
(03:27):
because, yeah, I was highlysensitive.
So it was a bit of a journey,but definitely something I think
I've always known inside.
April Snow (03:35):
Yeah, yeah, it is quite a journey, isn't it?
Just those early signs that,okay, something's different
about me.
I'm a lot.
I like to reflect more and goinward more and do things that
are different, and then tofinally have the language for it
.
So helpful to know okay, notalone, there's nothing wrong
with me.
I am still different, butthere's a reason for it.
(03:57):
Yeah, it can be quite a momentto realize that.
Tara Jackson (04:02):
Absolutely yeah, and that that there's a gift in
that.
April Snow (04:05):
That's the bit that really got us to shift things,
yeah yes, that's the gift iswhen you realize that this was a
trait, is that when you startedto kind of connect with those
gifts or realize that there aresome positives in it?
Tara Jackson (04:20):
absolutely.
I mean, interestingly, mybusiness kind of.
First the iteration of it wasactually self-care for empaths.
You know know all highlysensitive.
So it was definitely throughthat realization that this is a
thing and I need to look aftermyself a bit differently.
April Snow (04:34):
So it was, yeah, I started leaning into that take a
different approach to how wecare for ourselves and
considering those deep parts.
And I know in your work youwork a lot with HSPs and
leadership roles and I think forsome folks that might seem
(04:55):
counterintuitive.
Oh, I don't think of sensitivepeople as leaders.
I don't know if we're capableof that.
In what ways are HSPs actuallysuited for leadership roles,
would you say?
Tara Jackson (05:01):
Yeah, and this is a thing I think.
The world we live in today isso chaotic, so crazy.
I think HSPs are needed asleaders.
I really really do.
The way we perceive the world,we're sensitive to all the
different nuances, the feelings,all the things going on, and so
we can come at it from such anempathic, compassionate approach
, which is so needed.
(05:22):
Just that in itself is what Ifeel the world needs more of,
and so, number one that on itsown is a reason for it just
needs to be needed, I think,personally, yeah absolutely
Right.
April Snow (05:35):
We are compassionate , we can see people what they
need, not just in the world, butthe people that we're leading
or working with and we do noticethose nuances, what problems
need to be solved, getting aheadof issues before they happen,
coming up with creativesolutions and ideas and
innovations.
Yeah, there's so many parts ofus that actually make great
(05:57):
leaders, bringing that empathy,that emotion, that depth of
processing.
It's pretty phenomenal when youthink about it.
Tara Jackson (06:05):
It is yes um ideas as well, because we can see
what's needed and what's notready.
So we create these new ways,new programs, new offers, even
tiny little things in yourcommunity, whatever it is new
writing things that can help theworld in different ways,
because we can feel that andsense that much more, so we can
do that.
April Snow (06:26):
Absolutely, and you just mentioned writing.
So it makes me think about whatare the different ways that we
could step into a leadershiprole that we may not think of,
because when we think ofleadership I often think we
think of like a manager, apolitician, something like that,
where you're in this very kindof typical leadership role.
But are there ways that hspscould step into leadership roles
(06:47):
that are more subtle?
Tara Jackson (06:49):
I think it's just really leaning into your gifts
and what you are here to shareand do and show up with in the
world, because that isleadership and inspiring others
to them to be themselves in theworld, or whatever it might be.
But when we say yes to our soulcallings, what we feel we are
here to share and do and be inthe world, that to me is
leadership ultimately.
So it doesn't have to be thisgrand big thing.
(07:11):
It can be 100% yes, but justbeing more you and showing up,
taking that action is sopowerful in becoming a leader.
April Snow (07:20):
I feel that's true Right just living in our own
rhythms, taking care ofourselves, modeling that for
others.
That's leadership too.
Tara Jackson (07:28):
Absolutely.
April Snow (07:29):
Yeah, Leaning into our gifts, our creativity,
whether it be writing orteaching or activism inside of
work or outside of work, you'rejust kind of really opening my
mind up to all the possibilitiesof sensitive leadership.
It's pretty amazing.
And as we're going into thoseroles, what does it mean to be
an embodied leader?
Because I've heard you talkabout that some and that sounds
(07:51):
pretty dreamy.
So I'd love to hear more aboutthat.
Tara Jackson (07:56):
Well, I think that's it.
It is like a dream, but it'snot, because it's the holistic
encompassment of everything youknow, of our whole selves in
leadership or as we show up inthe working world.
We're so used to doing it froma headspace only, neglecting our
health, and that's why there isso many health issues in that
space, in particular mental,physical, emotional, spiritual.
(08:16):
So to me, embodied leadershipis really considering the whole
of ourselves and definitely thebody as well.
Number one, first and foremost,is our vessels for how we show
up in the world and leaning intothe gifts of our full selves.
So I know in my work Idefinitely get people to really
tune into their bodies, thewisdom of their bodies, to let
(08:36):
that lead, lead from that space.
And more often than not, becauseso many of us are coming from
exhausting careers and ways ofdoing and being, often it's
actually slowing down andresting and allowing the body to
really recover and regenerate,sort of reset, all the things to
come back to itself and thenshowing up from that place.
(08:57):
You know this grounded,embodied, old place, and showing
up in the world from there isso different and so powerful
compared to just doingeverything up here.
It's slower, but to me that'swhat deep embodied leadership is
, I mean, and it goes beyondthat, but beyond just the self,
I think it's really aboutconsidering the whole as well
(09:18):
the earth, the planet, thecycles, the seasons, if we are
off the earth as well, ourconnection with the earth.
We can't keep ignoring that.
You know and so many of usdon't, but so many do so.
To be embodied is about thatconsideration as well as others.
You know, the people you workwith, your communities, the
world as a whole, the microcosmand the microcosm.
April Snow (09:38):
Ultimately, is what I feel it is yeah.
Yeah Right, being a a part ofthe cycles, the communities that
you're in, and not ignoringthat or denying that, because
those pieces are impacting you.
And you talked a lot aboutrecovery, which is so important
for us as HSPs.
We have to have space forrecovery and for reflection and
going inward.
What does body recovery looklike for you personally?
Tara Jackson (10:01):
me okay so and it's evolved and I think it
evolves all the time.
You know it does.
The phases we're at in ourlives and I'm I've got quite a
few hormonal things going onright now.
I'm kind of paramenopausal, sodefinitely having to make some
shifts and changes and how Irecover in my body, you know,
requiring a lot more than evenin the last five years it's
(10:21):
changed dramatically for me.
So I mean, I have to get intonature daily.
That's part of my well-being,but also inspiration for work
too.
But daily walks in nature, alot of yin yoga, is another one
for me.
That one is a few, yeah, just,I mean any somatic kind of
practices as well, but yin yogaand walking in the forest are my
(10:42):
two current kind ofnon-negotiables at the moment to
really recover.
Honestly, food is another onetoo.
Um, you know, the older I get,the more sensitive to foods I
become.
I've had to cut out quite a lotof things over the years and it
sort of just seems to get moreand more that affect me so much,
more.
So before I could have a cup ofcoffee, now it's like half a
(11:04):
cup, yes, and it's like, oh,unless I know, if I have too
much, I'll be wired and, yes, itwon't be as much in my body.
So, yeah, just those are thekind of things I keep up for
myself regularly.
April Snow (11:17):
Yeah, yeah, really attuning into what your body's
needing, adjusting that as yougo, yeah, yeah, that makes a lot
of sense.
Just slowing down and usingnature, using somatic practices
to reconnect to ground yeah, soimportant exactly and it seems
counterintuitive.
Tara Jackson (11:34):
The restful stuff, but it is energizes me the most
.
Honestly.
It really, ah, yes, it gives methe most energy, actually not
the kind of high intensity, andbut that's me personally.
We're all different.
April Snow (11:46):
It's about you know, like awareness of your own body
and what your needs are that'ssuch a good reminder that for
you, that's getting into nature,that's doing yoga, that's
paying attention to what you'reeating, but for someone else it
could be something totallydifferent, completely.
Yeah, and I'm curious howspirituality comes into this as
well.
If you would like to shareabout that yeah, no, of course.
Tara Jackson (12:07):
So I think I that my connection to my spirituality
definitely comes from movementand being in nature.
And yes, so when it comes tospirituality, I connect with
like things like the soul of mybusiness, the soul energies of
each individual offer within it.
The books I write have energies.
So I use spirituality veryintertwined with my kind of
(12:28):
myself but also my work.
So it's a flowing movement withme and what I do and how I show
up, and I don't do one withoutthe other.
So I use it to support me andmy well-being, but then I use it
to bring into my work as well.
So that's the kind of aholistic piece as well.
April Snow (12:43):
I think that yeah, I've never heard that phrase,
soul of my business, and itfeels so good.
Just speaking of your books,would you mind showing folks the
books that you have to offer?
Tara Jackson (12:56):
I know you have quite a few yeah, okay, so we
have the first one here, whichis embodied yeah you can't use
the self-care guide forsensitive souls just kind of at
the beginning of my journey andreally learning to take care of
myself in that way, and includesa number of spiritual and
(13:16):
physical, mental, emotionalpractices in there that support
me.
Then I kind of switched gears abit.
This one's in body business andthis is all about like looking
at the chakras actually in thebody.
So comes in, but in terms ofthe business, so what blocks you
might be holding that could bestopping you from showing up in
(13:37):
the ways that you want to.
So maybe, and I kind of tiedthem and linked them to chakras.
Of course you might feel it ina different chakra.
Nothing is prescriptive, it'sjust an idea.
So things like taking action,feeling worthy boundaries, some
of the things that can come upon the entrepreneurial or
business, journey.
I've kind of linked them to achakra and given them tools,
(13:58):
tips, prompts, meditations, etc.
To support you to move throughthem, that you can, yeah, help
yourself to show up as you'rebeing forced well yeah, I love
that just going deeper into thisinternal blockages the
spiritual, yes.
April Snow (14:14):
The energetic, energetic, yes.
Tara Jackson (14:18):
We need that so much, yeah I think so, yeah, I
spend a lot of time.
Definitely I've done.
Yeah, absolutely this.
This next one is actually.
This one is actually more on.
This is the third one.
So this is actually.
It's called embodied creationbeautiful and it is about
creating with the soul of anoffer, the soul of something as
(14:40):
seeing it as an energy toco-create with ultimately, but
it also really invites you totune into the earth and what
she's calling for any guidancein terms of what creations are
needed in the on the planetultimately as well.
So kind of it's trying to bringin this more holistic body,
wider approach to it that canthe whole as well.
April Snow (15:00):
Oh, that's so beautiful so it feels like
you're giving us a roadmap forconnecting to self, but then
bringing that full embodied selfinto business and then deciding
what to put out into the worldthat's yeah, I love that.
Tara Jackson (15:13):
That's a great way of saying it.
Definitely, I found that justamazing, so it's lovely to see
that, just seeing this,unfolding this journey that's
going through to self and thenoutward to others.
April Snow (15:23):
Yeah, that's really helpful.
Yeah, and then you have onemore book as well, right, yeah,
so Embodied Wealth.
Tara Jackson (15:29):
Embodied, wealth, beautiful.
What is this one about?
It's actually about creatingwealth on your terms.
So, wealth being, what doeswealth mean to you?
Is it time, freedom?
Is it nutrition, nourishment,energy?
What does wealth mean to you?
Is it time freedom?
Is it nutrition, nourishment,energy?
You know what does wealth meanto you, so it's creating a life
on those terms for yourself.
Also, I've trained in sort ofcolor psychology, a system
(15:51):
called color mirrors, which is aspiritual color system, and it
also so it includes someguidance.
When you look at certain colorsyou're drawn to what certain
ones you might be repelled by.
It can actually say thingsabout what needs to be healed
within, as well as give youguidance if you're open to it.
So this one includes some morestuff on that to help you align
(16:11):
with yeah, maybe your, your soulformings and what you're here
to do or want to do next, evenoh, I love that.
April Snow (16:17):
So just having these kind of systems or tools to
help you uncover what you'reneeding, what you want to
elevate or guide you, exactlybecause we react to color in our
bodies, like we have such aresponse to it yes that you can
get tap past that, you know, theconscious brain into the
subconscious.
Tara Jackson (16:36):
So when we are like drawn to certain colors, it
I mean color is like a systemof bottles, colored bottles with
um oils in, so you look at themand you can look at them online
as well, you can draw on torepel by because the body is
telling you ultimately, and somaybe there's so, for example,
let's say purple, like I lovedpurple for a long, long time, I
was addicted.
I'd literally not purple, youknow, and it can be about being
(17:00):
school, but I mean there's a,there's a thing, isn't it?
But also about grief, deepgrief, and actually I fell in
love with purple when my mompassed away as a child and I
literally almost went fromloving red to the next overnight
loving purple.
I mean, it was like a blanketof covering, like a purple
blanket.
I just wanted purple and it wasquite interesting to tie that
together.
Yes, quite a significant moment, you know, and quite a
(17:22):
significant change.
So, yeah, you can just bypassthe conscious and it can give
you an understanding of whyyou've done certain things or
maybe what right, maybe whatyou're doing as well yeah, right
, what's happening internallyfor you that you may not be
putting those pieces together orwhere you're wanting to go?
April Snow (17:37):
okay, I'm really drawn to this particular color
and I've had that too happen inmy own life, where very quickly,
I'll be drawn to one color andthen the next, moving right on.
Tara Jackson (17:46):
And now I'm curious to see I'm curious is
there a color you're drawn to?
Yeah, is there a color you'redrawn to now?
April Snow (17:52):
For years it was blue, and then it's moved more
to purple, which is interesting.
But I don't know.
I'm starting to kind of pullaway from purple.
I feel like there's somethingthat might come next.
Tara Jackson (18:03):
I don't know what it is yet, though, but you can
also relate it to the sharpcurves as well.
So blue is your throat, youknow.
Communication speaking.
Yes, that makes sense yeah, andthen the purple is up here.
You've got your third eyemiddle purple on the crown, of
course.
So, yeah, the deep purposeconnected for all spirituality.
I mean it can be there's sortof positives and negatives for
all colors, but it's whatresonates and it's just a
(18:26):
different tool, as you said, tonavigate and help share deeply
understanding.
It's always fun for me too.
April Snow (18:33):
I love to have those kind of ways inward to support
that deep kind of introspectionthat I always want to do as an
HSP, exactly.
Tara Jackson (18:42):
Oh, I love it so much.
Definitely, it's like wantingto understand and yeah, all this
.
April Snow (18:48):
Definitely, definitely, yeah.
So that book could be a greatway for folks to kind of get an
idea of that practice and, yeah,see what comes through.
So, once we're doing this work,we're going inward, we're
taking care of our bodies, we'rerecovering, we're connecting
with those deeper parts of ourexperience and we have this
little intuitive hit to thisdream, this idea.
(19:10):
How can we start to bring itinto the world, into action?
What does that process looklike?
Tara Jackson (19:16):
So and I so.
I think for me personally, it'swhen you get that intuitive hit
.
It's nurturing in that to beginwith, absolutely so.
I mean I do it throughconnecting with the soul of it,
the essence of it, so seeing itas an energy.
And, for example, I've broughtin, let's say, an offering in my
business by connecting to theenergy.
I saw this vision of and I'mquite a visual person, so you
(19:38):
might just feel it, you mightknow it, you might even hear it.
I sort of saw this, yeah, thislike actually it was a spaceship
coming over the mountain and Iconnected to this vision every
day and basically the spaceshiplanded and it then turned into
it sort of grew roots andstarted to grow into a tree, and
then the tree developed theselike colored pods which were
chakra colors.
Eventually, I mean thishappened about over the space of
(19:59):
about 15, 20 days, and then Irealized it was actually an
offering and it's a course Ioffer, basically helping people
look at blocks with the Ganeetchakra.
But it was really nurturing andconnecting to that energy
ultimately for me, until it wasready to share with me or I
could intuitively feel what wasneeded, what was coming from it.
But so that's how I work withit.
(20:20):
And so then I was literallygiven the program outline, the
dates, et cetera, the times,what it was going to be, the
structure, ultimately thepractical parts, and that's how
I did it.
So that's one way of doing it.
April Snow (20:33):
I love that.
And how are thesevisualizations coming to you?
Is it in meditation?
When you're on a nature walk,when you're doing your yoga?
When do you connect to these?
I mean, mean it can be any andall of those, all of the times,
yeah, so being receptive, itchanges, yeah, and you can
figure out what works for you.
Tara Jackson (20:50):
So with that one particularly, I was sitting and
just taking myself in andconnecting back to what I'd seen
the day before.
No, took some notes so I couldremember if I needed.
But for now, like I'm writingmy next book and it is coming to
me only through walking in theforest and I say my chakras as I
walk in a moving meditation andthen I ask the book energy to
join me and someday I don't feelit and I can feel the energy of
(21:13):
it and I talk to it a bit.
I kind of feel it moving in mybody.
It's very embodied.
My books are all embodied, ofcourse.
Yes, then it's, I can.
Just it's taking a lot longerthis one it's already been a
year as of time recording thisso yeah, it's slowly working its
way through and I'm hearing itwriting notes, recording things
as I go, and I.
It will eventually turn into abook, but that's how it's kind
(21:35):
of coming to me.
So there's no right or wrongway to do this.
It's how you connect and youknow and experiment.
April Snow (21:41):
There's ways to experiment and play with it,
definitely yeah and it soundslike you start with inviting
something in inviting themessages for the book or just
maybe being receptive.
I would like to connect with anidea.
Is that true?
Tara Jackson (21:57):
yes, absolutely.
I mean, I have free meditationsas well, which?
you know, even guide people into start with, just to begin,
because meditation doesn't workfor everyone.
So, yeah, maybe walk with ityoga and yeah, invite it in and
just trust what comes for you.
Maybe in the beginning you feela bit of cold energy and then
it's like, okay, that was a bitdifferent, let's try again today
(22:18):
.
And you, it's just like whenyou're connected to intuition,
it's like trust or a muscle.
You have to keep doing it andthen the stronger it gets, and
so I've been doing this forquite a few years now, so it
definitely has shifted andchanged, you know, and so it's
gotten easier for me in someways, but not always.
I've had times, even the last10 years, where I've had nothing
, and that's intuition in itself, you know to do nothing right,
(22:43):
do not be alarmed if there'snothing.
April Snow (22:45):
That could just be a time to say it's time to pause,
to recover and that's what ithas been.
Tara Jackson (22:50):
Yeah, and I push through often, and then nothing
comes through it.
April Snow (22:53):
So right it's to learn that the hard way too yes,
not to force it, but just to bein that stillness.
And it sounds like after we'reinviting, we're kind of trusting
the idea, but also trustingwhen there's pause.
Yeah, I love that like reallyletting yourself be in the
process, whatever the process is, even when it's not what you
(23:14):
wanted.
Tara Jackson (23:15):
Yeah, yeah, exactly letting go of that.
April Snow (23:18):
That's a big one for me and have learned yes, so
let's say we are getting thoseideas are coming through and
sometimes it can be quite a lotto sit with.
It can be overwhelming, notonly processing the information
or the intuitive gifts that comethrough, but also taking the
action.
So how do you find that balancebetween recovery and putting
(23:41):
something into the world?
How do we deal with thatbalance as they just I'm still
letting this one, I mean I don'tknow.
Tara Jackson (23:48):
We I think we all are yeah, so like, yeah, totally
, if someone knows, please,please, share with me as well.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean it's a combination ofthings and it's, isn't it?
It's that constant awareness,self-awareness and, I think,
really slowing down more thananything to check in with
yourself, and it's easier saidthan done and, trust me, I'm
(24:12):
quite a fast person that can'tget stuff done, so it's not the
easiest for me, though, but thenI tend to plan out.
So, yeah, but I know it's likeI'm learning.
It's still really slow down,checking in, and I think taking
more time than you thinksometimes is needed to really
feel what the idea is.
And, as I said you know,nurture it.
Hold it to yourself for a while, because it's so easy to want
(24:37):
to get it out in the world andshare it for some people not for
them, but holding it and beingwith it will help it to mature,
to grow, to root, etc.
Absolutely one.
You'll be looking afteryourself as well, because you
can check in, and then you'llknow when to take action.
I mean, actually, one thing Ido do with the checking in, with
the soul of it.
When you connect to it could beconnecting to your intuition as
(24:57):
well as asking what do I needto nurture myself, to support
myself as a co-creator?
and sometimes even the guidancemight just be which I've had for
some other offers is just lookafter yourself, like I've
actually been guided to do fastsor cleanses, for example,
sometimes for maybe two weeks.
Or if I did a 30-day juicecleanse at one point and that
was the guidance not to doanything on the offer, but I
(25:20):
needed to support me, to be abetter, stronger vessel, to
bring it through when it wastime.
So there's a mix of things youcan do.
Does that kind of make sense?
April Snow (25:33):
Absolutely does, because you're right, there can
be this rush I have to get thisout right away but is it
supporting you or is itdepleting you?
Right in that process?
And it just reminds me thatthis is what we need to do in
every aspect of life, not justwhen we're putting something out
or stepping into a leadershiprole, but taking care of ourself
first, right Nurturingourselves, before we're then
(25:53):
giving to others.
Such a good reminder Absolutelyyes.
Tara Jackson (25:58):
From that place?
April Snow (25:59):
Yes, you said something which was I'm a
co-creator, and I'm wondering ifyou could say more about that.
Tara Jackson (26:08):
So I see it as, when you are connecting to the
energy, the soul, the spirit ofwhatever it is, it's in
co-creation with you, so you areworking with it.
It's not, yes, you're thephysical part, bringing it
through and doing that, but ifyou really see it, it's that
part, part, whatever you want tocall it as your.
You know it's like having abusiness partner, ultimately, or
(26:29):
, you know, a teammate, a ceo orsomething.
See, really see it as that.
April Snow (26:34):
There's something about that kind of acceptance
that also makes it more powerfulas well, in that you know being
working together, co-creatingyeah, right, I love that because
you're not in this alone andyou can lean on the energy
that's coming through yourintuition, your spiritual
practice, your connection toearth, to whatever it is that is
(26:56):
guiding you.
Yeah, that feels, I know,comforting it is.
Tara Jackson (27:02):
It's so comforting , especially when you work alone
and for now so many of us are,especially in the days and so
having that such a sort of alife-changing moment for me in
my business?
Definitely yeah, because Icould point to something or
someone when I had no one elseright exactly right.
April Snow (27:20):
Was there a point in your business before this where
you felt like you were aloneand you were kind of floating
without that anchor?
Tara Jackson (27:29):
absolutely.
I've always kind of used myintuition in business from quite
an early stage, but it wasdifferent.
That was when I did more of theyou know, when my intuition
said nothing, pushing ahead,still trying to put things out
there, going back to how I'dbeen taught.
Business doesn't matter, youknow, and there's nothing wrong
with some of these things, butthey didn't work for me, this
who I am.
It didn't work for me to keeppushing trying things just for
(27:50):
the sake of doing, etc.
It didn't work for me, yeahyeah, that's.
April Snow (27:53):
It sounds like a straight road to burnout.
Honestly, completely yeah, whatI think you shared about that
potentially that you've beenthrough a burnout phase- I've
definitely had periods where,yeah, I've had to take some
because it was too much and toointense definitely.
Tara Jackson (28:10):
I mean working.
The working world did that tome a bit definitely as well.
April Snow (28:12):
So yes, it does then the thing is is not carrying
those bad habits and bad ways ofdoing into your own business,
which is easy to do it really is, especially when we're looking
and seeing how everyone else isdoing it or we feel like we have
to take to keep up with acertain pace exactly.
We can slow down, we can havepauses in between.
(28:34):
You can take time to reflectand connect inward, connect to
something beyond ourselveshonestly, I think this is the
greatest challenge on it.
Tara Jackson (28:42):
Honestly, especially as an hsb2, we all
need to relearn how to do thisbecause we're not conditioned to
.
I mean, still now I strugglewith this in all honesty, not
feeling like I should be doingmore and letting myself slow
down, and but I know the powerin that, yet I still have
conditioning that's telling methat you're not doing something
(29:04):
today.
What's going on?
You know?
April Snow (29:06):
oh my goodness, those stories run deep, that
conditioning runs deep they runso deep, don't they all the way
back to when?
Tara Jackson (29:15):
well, I'm gonna just guess when you were a child
and seeing your siblings go outand socialize when you just
wanted to read but it's societalancestral condition, you know
it's so deep right I see iteverywhere, even in your
day-to-day life, being differentto those going out with job,
with jobs you know, who have towork five-hour days, whatever
they're doing and you're notdoing, that it's even that.
(29:37):
It's in itself can still betriggering sometimes to make me
think I'm not doing enoughbecause of we've grown up?
April Snow (29:45):
I think, Absolutely.
You know, working for myself,and my wife goes out to work
every day and I think am I doingenough?
Tara Jackson (29:51):
Exactly, Exactly, totally get that.
April Snow (29:54):
Yeah, but we're still doing a lot, and a lot is
subjective.
Enough is subjective.
Tara Jackson (30:02):
Yeah, well, this is it Exactly, and it's this is
why I think it's the hardestthing.
It's learning to trust what youare doing, how you show up what
you do, who you are, even, yes,we also, you know, we could get
into so many other topics, butit's like we're placing our
value in what we do as well,which is a whole other piece
that's so integrative, I thinkyou know, and so, yeah, a lot of
(30:23):
unlearning, a lot of unlearningand trust seems like a theme
today trusting yourself,trusting your process, trusting
that you're doing enough, youdon't have to push, you don't
have to do what everyone else isdoing.
Yeah, and trust your way,because I really do believe
we're here to lead a differentway, as highly sensitive as part
of our gifts as well.
(30:43):
We are here to lead a differentway that is slower it's part of
our gifts as well.
We are here to lead a differentway that is slower, more
cyclical, with rhythmic, whetherit's our inner cycles or the
cycles around us of the earth,the sun, et cetera.
Yeah, we're here to do it adifferent way and we have to
lead that.
It starts here, trusting that,yes absolutely.
April Snow (31:06):
And just thinking about what you said at the
beginning of our conversation,which is that self-care, that
modeling leadership yes,absolutely.
And just how important that isfor everybody, not just fellow
HSPs Exactly exactly Right,especially in the world that we
live in.
Tara Jackson (31:19):
Totally is.
And so I mean one of my nextsort of intuitive guidance
pieces or you know where I'mbeing guided to go is, as well
as the work I'm currently doingis to start bringing what I'm
doing into the corporate worldand so going back there, which
is scary but it's time.
It's been nudging at meintuitively for a few years now
and I've pushed it down, butit's time, but I think that's it
(31:40):
.
You know, we need to first feelgood, embodied in ourselves and
strong in a belief in doing itfor ourselves, and then take it
if we're being called to.
Some people will, some won't,but I do believe that some of us
are here to go back into thatsystem because we've come from
it as with what we've embodiedand become and who we are today,
to start to shift things.
April Snow (32:00):
I feel that intuitively yeah, yes, right,
take a different model back inthere and shake things up a bit.
Exactly.
Oh, I love that.
When you say go back into thecorporate world, do you think
that you'll consult or you'll goback in the system as a?
Tara Jackson (32:17):
yeah, no, I think that's 100%.
Let's say yeah, 100%, no, I, Ican't go back and consult.
April Snow (32:27):
Yeah, yes, right right, bring things in, but at
your own pace, on your owntimeline yeah, yeah, yeah okay
that makes sense, but we can beagain that's another way to lead
right and to take in adifferent point of view and,
yeah, work with leaders, that'spart of it.
I think when you work with theleaders, that's it right it's
(32:50):
that advisor role that we aredestined to be.
Tara Jackson (32:53):
Yes, I love this.
April Snow (32:55):
I love that.
Well, tara, is there anythingwe didn't touch on that you feel
is important to share before westart to wrap up?
I think that we didn't get tono, I just.
Tara Jackson (33:03):
I mean just to reiterate I think sensitivity is
a gift.
I really do Our unique way ofexperiencing the world through
our sensitivities, even thoughit can be so hard at times and
so challenging.
It is so needed.
I really truly believe that,and so, if you're feeling called
in in some way to lead withyour sensitivity, to bring how
you experience the world out insome way, your sensitivity to
(33:27):
bring how you experience theworld out in some way.
April Snow (33:28):
Please do.
That's all.
Yes, please do.
We need your voices, we needyour leadership and folks can
start stepping into that role invery small ways in their own
lives I thank you so much forsharing this guidepost, this
vision for how we can step intoour calling, our purpose.
(33:52):
We can reconnect with ourselves,and I'll definitely share all
of your.
You have a lot of wonderfulresources.
I'll share all those in theshow notes, your website, your
books, your Oracle deck.
You also work with folksone-to-one.
Could you say a little bit moreabout that?
Yeah, yeah, and I love theone-to-one.
Could you say a little bit moreabout that?
Tara Jackson (34:06):
yeah, yeah, I know , and I love the one-to-one work
, you know, because you get togo deep.
So, yeah, absolutely if you arefeeling cold and would like
support to go deeper in yourwork or your next level or bring
more of yourself into work,trust yourself more.
You know you're sensitive.
I love working one-to-one soI'd be super open to, obviously,
exploration conversations, allthat kind of thing.
April Snow (34:28):
Yeah, I love that and who should reach out to you
one-to-one.
So who?
Who do you love to work bestwith?
Tara Jackson (34:36):
yeah, I mean sensitive leaders.
It's a mix of entrepreneurs,but also leaders and businesses
as well, who are sensitive andare pushing against the system
that does not cater to theirneeds.
It's a mix of the two.
I just sensitive leaders is.
You know who you are.
April Snow (34:51):
You know who you are .
Tara Jackson (34:52):
You just know who you are you resonate with this
sort of different, intuitive wayof incorporating these you know
, the spiritual parts,embodiment parts into your work
and knowing that that will giveyou such a rich way of doing
business that feels good as well.
It's a different way that's ityeah that resonates.
April Snow (35:10):
Just check in with your intuition.
If you're being called to workwith tara, it's right.
Yeah, exactly, it's sobeautiful, and will you share?
Hold up your book one more timeso we can take a look at that
body business yeah yeah, somebody business.
Look at that beautiful cover.
So this is a great place forfolks to touch in with working
(35:31):
with you as well and get a senseand then also deep dive into
working with you directly, and Iassume folks can work with you
from all over the world.
Tara Jackson (35:39):
Yeah, absolutely wonderful.
April Snow (35:49):
Thanks so much for joining me and Tara for today's
conversation.
What I hope you'll remember isthat it's okay to listen to that
call from within, whether it'sguiding you to rest and go
inward or to pursue a creativeidea out in the world.
If you're seeking more supportfor your business or stepping
into a leadership role of anykind, reach out to Tara for a
(36:10):
one-to-one consultation or pickup her book Embodied Business.
Links for both are in the shownotes.
If you enjoyed this episode,subscribe to the Sensitive
Stories podcast so you don'tmiss our upcoming conversations.
Reviews and ratings are alsohelpful and appreciated For
behind-the-scenes content andmore HSP resources.
(36:31):
You can sign up for my emaillist or follow Sensitive
Strengths on Instagram, tiktokand YouTube.
Check out the show notes orsensitivestoriescom for all the
resources from today's episode.
Thanks for listening.
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