June 25, 2025 • 55 mins
Apply for Elevate: https://reneebowen.com/elevate before June 27th!
What does it really mean to live an authentic life that defies traditional labels and expectations? In this episode, I sit down with author and podcaster Seline Shenoy to explore what she calls the "nomadic soul" — a framework for embracing change, creativity, and personal growth on your own terms.
We talk about how many of us feel pulled between freedom and stability, and what it takes to stay connected to your truth while navigating life’s many roles. From identity layers to global perspectives, this conversation is packed with powerful mindset shifts and deep reflections.
You’ll hear why self-awareness is key to confidence, how to make peace with reinvention, and why experimenting with small steps can lead to massive breakthroughs. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fit the mold, this episode will speak to your soul.
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Book she mentioned: Tiny Experiments
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where
we blend rock solid tips with alittle bit of magic.
I'm Renee Bowen, your host,life and business coach and
professional photographer atyour service.
We are all about gettingcreative, diving into your
business and playing withmanifestation over here.
So are you ready to getinspired and have some fun?
Let's dive in.
Hey friends, welcome back toTried and True with the Dash of
(00:26):
Woo.
I'm your host, renee Bowen, andI am so glad that you are here
with me again.
In today's episode, I'm going tobe speaking with Celine Chenoy,
and she is an author, a bloggerand a podcaster, and her work
focuses on personal development,self-esteem, productivity and
culture.
She has a really amazing onlinecommunity called the Dream
(00:48):
Catcher and that is aimed atencouraging thousands of readers
and listeners every month fromall over the world to live their
dream lives and to make adifference in the world.
Her mission is to help peoplelive up to their truest
potential, and you know that Ilove that, because I'm always
talking about how part of mymission is to help you be the
most you that you can be, and soour conversation today really
(01:11):
dives into all of that.
But first I want to justmention very quickly, before we
jump into this, chat that I hadwith her.
I want to just mention realquick that Elevate signups are
closing this week.
So you only have until thisFriday to apply to join us,
because we start in July.
Now Elevate's ongoing.
I've been doing Elevate now foryears, so if you're a female
(01:35):
photographer and you're notbrand new, you're not a brand
new photographer.
Listen up, because this couldbe the perfect community for you
.
I've run this group cohortvarious different ways over the
years and a lot of the peoplewho are in it were either
working one-on-one with me tobegin with and then went into
this small group, or they'vejust been in Elevate for years,
(01:57):
because I've run it now forabout five years and it's a six
month commitment.
So when you sign up, you aresigning up from July through
December of this year and youcan either pay in full or you
can do it monthly.
But it's kind of an incrediblevalue because you also get a
one-on-one coaching call with meduring that time, as well as
two group coaching calls a monthwhere I actually hot seat coach
(02:19):
you.
So it's not like a webinarwhere you just hop on with a lot
, a lot of people and you don'tget to ask any questions.
This is really built for you.
The female photographer who islooking for help with marketing.
Maybe you need clients, maybeyou need to raise your prices,
maybe you need to tweaksomething about your business
that's not working as well asyou want it to work, or you want
(02:42):
to reach a new audience.
Maybe you're doing a pivot.
All that to say, we talk a lotabout the business side of
things the marketing, theblogging, all of the different
things that you need to be doing.
Social media marketing but it'snot just social media.
If you're just relying onsocial media for your marketing,
just as a side note, that's nota really sustainable way to
(03:05):
continue bringing in the rightclients.
So we talk a lot aboutmarketing across the board okay,
but it's very individualizedbecause this group is small.
So it's under 20 people always.
I never take more than that andusually we hover somewhere
around between 10 and 15.
I like to keep it small.
I don't like to have a big group, because I want to be able to
hot seat coach you on thesecalls.
(03:28):
It's not just about me comingon and teaching you something.
There is a lot of that as well,but it's really about me
helping you troubleshoot whatyou need help with, whether
that's strategy or mindset.
So all the mindset stuff isreally built into it, because
it's me.
I can't not build it in there,because I can teach you all the
things and I can give you allthe blueprints, but unless you
(03:49):
actually clear some of that headtrash, you're not going to do
it.
So it's both of those thingsOkay.
It is literally me having acoach in your back pocket, cause
you get me on Voxer as wellinside of our group thread.
Um, you get to ask me questionsfor six months about anything
that you are having issues with.
It could be things like I'mhaving an issue with this one
(04:12):
particular client.
I can't get paid, or I'mchasing somebody down, or can
you help me rewrite this emailto a client, or I can't get
clients.
I am literally drowning here.
Whatever it is, I'm going tohelp you do it.
So it's very, very high touchand the price point is not
anywhere close to what it'sworth.
(04:33):
It's worth well over six grandand you're getting this for a
very low price.
So if you need coaching but youcan't really do the one-on-one
investment, this is definitely agreat option for you, but you
need to hurry up and apply now,because I am closing the signups
down and I don't take justeverybody.
I got to make sure that thevibe's right because, like I
(04:53):
said, most of the people who arein Elevate have been in there
for years.
They re-enroll every semesterand so I'm very protective of
our group and of our energy andI also don't want that to
intimidate you.
Okay, like, don't think that,oh, there's no place for me
there, because this is a tightknit group.
That's not true at all.
(05:13):
It's a very welcoming, verysupportive group.
You're not going to find anymean girl mentality in here, and
a big part of why that is isbecause I'm very selective about
who I allow into our universe,because we have created such a
really awesome vibe there andeveryone is so supportive, so
you get coaching from me, butyou also get really great
(05:35):
insights from the rest of thisgroup, because these
photographers are really awesomeas well.
So you learn from everyone andyou have support built in.
It's a place where you can comeand talk about something super
vulnerable and you're going tofeel safe doing that, and I'm
very, very proud of what we'vecreated.
(05:56):
So I'd love to invite you in ifthis feels in alignment to you.
If you feel like you needsomething, the link is below to
the page that talks a lot moreabout it and it tells you
exactly what's included, becauseyou also get a lot of my
courses included, so there's anonline portal where you can
access a lot of education and alot of resources, as well as the
(06:19):
calls per month, as well as theVoxer community.
So you get a lot for not a lotof money.
And yes, I have been asked whyI don't charge five times more
for this, and the reason ismainly because it's kind of a
passion project for me at thispoint.
I love the people in it so muchand I want to continue
(06:40):
fostering that for them, and soI kind of do it for them.
At the end of the day, it is alot of work and it does take a
lot of me to be a part of it,but I really, really love doing
it and I feel like we are makinga difference, not just in our
own businesses and our lives,but to each other, and when we
(07:02):
create something like this, whenwe create this type of high
frequency, energetic sequencethat this entire group carries,
that we're going to have aripple effect out into the world
and we are making the world abetter place.
And right now I don't know aboutyou, but that kind of keeps me
going, because the world canfeel really dark and crazy and
(07:24):
you can feel very alone.
You can feel very isolated inyour business.
Who cares about what I'm doingand why am I trying to do
something like this when theworld seems to be burning?
Well, being a part of thisgroup actually helps me, as well
as everyone else in the group,feel like we are doing something
bigger than ourselves and thatwe aren't alone.
We are in community.
(07:45):
We are there for each other,and that makes a huge difference
.
It just does.
So.
If that speaks to you, go aheadand apply and let's chat about
what that looks like for you.
And if you need more one-on-onesupport, I do have one spot
open for that as well.
So that link is below too.
We do need to hop on a call forthat to see if we vibe.
All right, let's go ahead anddive into this conversation I
(08:08):
had with Celine.
You're going to love her.
Hey, celine, thanks so much forbeing here today.
I want to dive right into thiscore concept of the nomadic soul
.
So we'll get into a little bitabout what you do, who you are,
but I'm fascinated by thisbecause I think that so many of
us, especially creativeentrepreneurs, which is most of
(08:28):
my listeners here a lot of usdon't follow the conventional
path.
We kind of feel like westruggle, maybe, to fit into a
certain mold or maybe feel likewe don't really belong in these
traditional structures, whetherit's career or life.
So I'd love to know what theidea, what your concept of the
(08:52):
nomadic soul really kind ofmeans and why it could be such a
powerful framework for those ofus who align with that.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
First of all I want to thank you, renee, for having
me on the show.
It is such a pleasure to behere and have the opportunity to
talk to you and your audience.
The nomadic soul I can say it'scome from the pains that I
suffered as a creative person,like everyone else in your
audience.
I mean, I myself have felt likea misfit for the longest time
(09:22):
in my life and in a lot of waysI felt like I was restricted in
the circumstances that I grew upin, not in terms of my personal
freedoms, but in terms of who Iwanted to become.
I wanted to break out of themold and not fall into that sort
(09:42):
of role that was laid out forme.
That's not something I wanted.
So I thought about what wouldmake it okay for a person like
me and other creatives to feellike we are unfettered and that
we can kind of color outside theline, so to speak.
So for that reason I came upwith a archetype, which I call
(10:07):
the nomadic soul, to kind ofdescribe that urge that we all
have to explore both the worldwithin us and the world around
us, and I thought that it reallyembodies the explorer spirit
that urges us to think outsidethe box and to move beyond the
(10:29):
limitations that are around us,and it gives us permission to
live beyond the labels that havebeen placed upon us.
This is valuable is because itcan really allow us to explore
life's biggest questions and toreally look at life at a deeper
(10:50):
level and not just live on thesurface of things.
So I think it really taps intothat part of us that really
wants to do more, be more andhave more and just evolve into
the person that we're meant tobe and go beyond the labels of
societal pressures that aretypically placed upon us.
(11:11):
So the nomadic soul is sort oflike my way of saying that, hey,
it's okay, it's okay to be you,it's okay to tap into your
authenticity and to blaze yourown trail.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
So yeah, I love that.
I mean, I've kind of alwaysfelt and I'm talking I talk
about this a lot just in general, like on platforms, you know,
my socials and things like thatabout how myself and a lot of
creatives that I know, you knowwe have like this push, pull of
wanting this freedom reallybecause, honestly, like yeah,
(11:47):
you might think that you want tomake a lot of money, but really
like it's the freedom you want,right?
Like it's the freedom that thisbusiness is going to give you,
right?
I feel like freedom and likethis untethered soul is like
speaks to so many of us, and Idon't think it's just
generational either.
(12:07):
I think this is like across theboard, like what I'm seeing
just in my communities and andjust in the world today.
I feel like so many people arecraving, like-minded you know,
peers who also are drawn to thatsort of lifestyle.
Not necessarily.
Maybe you may not want to goout and live out of your van and
(12:27):
work from anywhere, like maybeyou do, but I don't feel like
that's necessarily what we'retalking about.
I feel like this is more of ainternal nudge for this
searching, and I kind of feellike I've been on that path my
whole life.
So this push pull though,between, like, freedom and
stability I feel like a lot ofus have that like.
(12:50):
Well, I want this, but I alsofeel like I need to be you know,
quote unquote stable, whateverthat means to somebody have some
roots.
Yeah, exactly.
So how can we create in, in, inyour opinion, um, a good
foundation that allows for both?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
That's a really good question and that's something
that I've struggled with formost of my life, and I think it
really comes down to reallythinking about what your values
are.
What are your core values?
What matters most to you?
Because, you know, we have alot of options these days.
I mean, it's a blessing and acurse.
We have so many things we cando.
(13:29):
You know, now with the internetand AI, the sky is the limit,
like in terms of professionally,we can do anything Like.
If you want to start our ownyou know Etsy shop, if we want
to create our own onlinebusiness, if you want to start
our you know coaching services,whatever, we can do anything
Like if, if we, you know, if weget the right monetization model
(13:52):
and we're doing a good job,then we can start making money.
So I think what we have to do isreally hone in on what's
important to us, and you know,that's why the first chapter
that I have in the book is aboutdeveloping an authentic
identity, because we aremulti-dimensional beings and we
have to get acquainted with allparts of us.
(14:15):
It all starts with us, and oncewe understand what's important
to us and what we're willing tocompromise on, I think it'll be
pretty self-evident about whatwill give us that feeling of
rootedness, because that can bedifferent for so many people,
Like for some people, they need,like, the traditional ways they
(14:35):
want a home, they want kids,they want to be married, they
want the white picket fence, soto speak, and for others, that
would be too constraining.
For them it might be like hey,I can feel rooted anywhere I go.
Maybe they want a more nomadiclifestyle, right?
So it's about figuring out whatyour definition of rootedness
and home is, and once you dothat, then you need to figure
(14:57):
out okay, what is it that'sgoing to give me that sense of
novelty and allow me to feellike I'm living in an expansive
exploratory state?
Because we do need that.
I know Tony Robbins talks a lotabout I believe he calls them
the five needs.
So he says that human beingslike we need, we have a need for
(15:18):
certainty and uncertainty atthe same time.
But we all need them indifferent doses, because if
we're having too much certainty,we'll get bored out of our
minds.
If we're having too muchuncertainty, we'll feel like we
don't have those roots, we'llfeel like we're all over the
place.
So we need something thatanchors us, and we need
something that also allows us toplay, to explore and to be
(15:40):
curious about what's out there.
So I think it's about findingthe right balance for us and
what gives us that sense ofcertainty and uncertainty, that
sense of freedom and that senseof connectedness.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
No, it makes a lot of sense and I, yeah, I definitely
know what you're saying here.
The uncertainty and thecertainty, yeah, this dichotomy,
and I feel like a lot of thatis, you know, obviously tied to
our unconscious programming andall of that as well.
But I feel also like thisfoundation right, I want to kind
of like dive a little bit intothat identity piece because,
(16:16):
especially with, I feel I see alot of women, especially as
their lives change, right as our, maybe we get married, maybe we
have kids, maybe we don't butall of these little different
pieces add to this identitypiece.
And if you don't have a strongsort of foundation of of who you
(16:39):
are, outside of all of thatbefore those things happen right
, it can feel like you're justsort of like taking on all of
these new identities, if thatmakes sense.
And I think some people havemore of a propensity, let's say,
to tack on different thingsright Like take on these
(17:01):
identities as these thingshappen and like shape their
lives.
So a lot of times I see whathappen is women will eventually
they've been married for a while, maybe they have been running a
business, or maybe they start abusiness, while all these
things are changing and thenthey have kids and then, all of
a sudden, everything becomesabout that, and so I want to
(17:24):
kind of speak to thefoundational piece of identity
first, because I feel likeself-awareness and all of these
different self-awareness toolsthat we have resources around us
to use to build this.
What is something that you seeand in your work and in the
(17:44):
clients that you work with?
What helps creatives with spicybrains who are constantly being
inundated with all the things?
What's a good place for us tostart with that as far as like
okay, well, I want to reallyhone into what I'm about and my
true purpose and my corefoundation, my identity and and
(18:06):
what am I about?
Who am I really at my core?
Yes, I'll change over time, butwhat are some of those things
that you do and work with yourclients to help people really
develop that and stand in theconfidence saying it?
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Okay.
So I want to first address thepoint you made about women
taking on different roles andfeeling pressured to like live
up to a certain role at certainstage of their life, for
instance, being a parent.
You know when they have anewborn child that they can feel
like that's all their life isabout, and if something like
(18:42):
that happens to you, I just saygive yourself some grace and
remember that you are amulti-dimensional being Like.
Your identity is fluid, it'smalleable and it will keep
changing as time progresses.
You know, as you age, as youchange jobs, as you start new
businesses, as you havedifferent relationships, each
(19:02):
chapter of your life is going torequire different aspects of
you to become active and somewill become dormant.
So I have to point that out andbe open to reinventing yourself
as things change.
You know I made the mistakethat my sense of self has to be
set in stone.
I have to be this way.
(19:23):
This is who I am and I reallylike boxed myself in when I was
younger and then, you know, as Istarted getting into my mid to
late thirties and now I'm in myearly forties, I just said, no,
that's not how it works, like Igotta have space, like to just
move around, to experiment andtry different iterations of what
(19:45):
I'm doing and what I'm thinking.
So having that experimentalattitude about developing your
identity is really key, and itgives you that freedom to really
evolve as a person, because youcan only learn what makes you
tick when you experiment, whenyou try different things, tick
(20:08):
when you experiment when you trydifferent things.
Now, having said that, I dothink it's important to have a
core part of you that isunshakable, that's unmovable and
, as I've mentioned before, thatinvolves knowing your ethics,
your values, your personalstandards and really defining
that.
That becomes important you know, especially when you're
(20:28):
thinking about what to supportin your life and who to support,
because if you don't have that,you're easily swayed by
anything like dogma or someonewho's trying to take advantage
of you and they can easilybrainwash you.
Why do young people?
Why are they the ones who aremost susceptible to like cults
(20:49):
or these kinds of organizationsthat are kind of out there to
pray and get people involved intheir agenda?
It's because they don't knowwhat they're about.
So you don't want to be thatkind of person.
You don't want to be someonewho's easily swayed by the
latest fad in the zeitgeist.
You don't want that.
(21:10):
You have to be aware of whatyou are about and if you do want
to consider a new way of beingor new way of thinking, you
should use discernment and notjust be so porous to these ideas
.
So that's why I think gettingin touch with that core part of
you is essential.
And in my chapter about identityI introduce a framework called
(21:34):
the onion, the identity onion.
So it's like obviously you'veseen an onion, right, it has
different layers.
So the top layer is like that'syour most, you know,
superficial layer.
It's like the roles, everydayroles you play.
That's visible to the world,like, yeah, I'm a doctor, I'm a
mom or I'm a Democrat orconservative, whatever.
(21:54):
But what they can't see is whatyou're all about deep down
inside.
That is not visible and that issomething that you need to
express into the world.
And I think one of the bestways to do that is through
creative hobbies or even thework that you do to really bring
that authentic part of you likereally reveal that to the world
(22:14):
.
I think the people who do thebest work and who are most
appealing to the masses are theones who displayed that kind of
authenticity, because it seemslike they're real and it's
coming from a real place withinthem and that you know.
You can tell I'm sure, like you, rene, when you're dealing with
people and you've done thiswork for a long time, I think
(22:36):
your BS meter is pretty good,right you know, when you're
dealing with somebody who's justlike they're just saying stuff
and you know they don't mean itor they're just trying to, like,
impress you, there's nosubstance there and the
substance comes from being intouch with that core part of you
.
That's what it's all about.
That's when you know you'redealing with a real one, someone
who is speaking from theirheart, who is channeling
(23:00):
inspiration from their spirit,their soul, whatever you want to
call it.
And I think as you get olderyou become more attuned to it.
I know I have, and I'm sure youhave, and maybe a lot of your
audience has as well.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
I mean like I'm in my fiftiesnow and, yeah, you're right,
Like I feel like in my earlyforties is where I started
really kind of exploring a lotof that in a different way.
I mean, I've kind of been onthat journey for a long time, I
feel like, but you, really, Iwant to kind of go back to this
concept of authenticity, right,like that word gets thrown
(23:34):
around a lot, but this is whatpeople mean when they say that,
especially like your brandonline, you know, we're always
hearing about, oh, you know,show up authentically.
But we, I think we've used itso much now that it's gotten
like glossed over and people arelike it's not real, even like,
because obviously, with, with,with AI and everything now, it's
(23:57):
really hard to even discernsometimes what is real.
And so I feel like a big pieceof it and maybe we can speak to
that a little bit is, if you areeasily swayed, right, if you
are easily swayed and you aremaybe super distracted and
really having a hard time tryingto find that voice, a lot of it
(24:21):
has to do with the fact thatyou're not yourself super
connected to your soul's purpose, because I feel like when you
have a very deeper sense of whoyou are, let's say, and this
(24:41):
identity that we're talkingabout.
I kind of call it the goldenthread of everything that you do
, right, like I, I believe thatour purpose and our our why is
is not really about what we do.
It's that's how we express it,it's it's a piece of how we
express it, but like it's notwho we are, right, it's just
like something that we, we wear.
Let's say, but your, yourpurpose and your true purpose
(25:04):
and your true your why, like whyyou're here on this planet,
like why you do everything thatyou do.
I feel like that is somethingthat is a really hard thing for
people to get to, because I workwith people on this one-on-one
and when they think they'vegotten there, I'm like no, let's
go deeper, let's go deeper,let's go deeper, let's go deeper
(25:25):
.
And you know, when you sort oflike hit it, but I feel like
most people tend to stay on thesurface because we've kind of
been taught to and programmedthat we really shouldn't be, you
know talking about ourselvesand you know like that's so
self-indulgent, but like reallythis is the best and most
important work that you can do,not just for your business, but
(25:47):
for yourself, so that you canlive a more truly fulfilled life
.
I just really believe that and Ifeel like this sense of
entrepreneurs, creativeentrepreneurs, especially,
trying to show up authentically,that's where this, that might
be the gateway, right when theystart figuring out like, oh well
(26:09):
, I need to start showing everypiece of my life.
No, not necessarily.
What matters is who you are andhow well you know that, because
, like you said, people have aBS meter and you can tell when
people are just trying to fakeit because they want views or
they want whatever.
Like you can't really fake that, that true authenticity.
(26:30):
And so I don't know, do youagree, first of all, that in
order to really have thatdiscernment and you know, to see
it in our outside world thatyou need to, sort of like, have
it within as well?
Speaker 2 (26:44):
first, yeah, I like to say you have to date yourself
a lot and go on a date withyourself and, um, you know,
fortunately I'm I don't mindspending time by myself.
I love like solitary time, andthat's not the case for
everybody, but I think we needto schedule some of that time.
And I know like this has beendiscussed a lot, especially in
(27:05):
our own circles, of thispersonal growth circles.
But I have to emphasize thatunless you get to know who you
are and spend that quality timewith you, you wouldn't know what
you're all about.
Because we grew up with peopletelling us who we are and who we
should be and we can easilyfall in line with those
(27:28):
expectations or those socialmores that are out there.
And the stronger your culturelike if you come from a culture
like mine that's collectivistic,it's all laid out for you
already.
So I mean pushing back againstthat and be like, hey, you know,
wait a minute.
Like let me first figure outwhat I want and what I'm all
(27:48):
about.
And that comes from being likecreating those boundaries and,
you know, really prioritizing metime and engaging in activities
where you can delve into thatinner exploration, whether
that's journaling, whetherthat's talking to a coach or a
therapist, like really doing adeep dive into your internal
(28:11):
world.
And then I think it's importantto put that into action.
You know it shouldn't be alltalk and just reflection.
You need to, like, go out intothe world and, as I know, I use
this word a lot but experiment,put it into action, see what
makes you tick.
You know, if you're trying tofind out what your purpose is,
you got to try stuff out.
You got to see what's working,what's not working, what is
(28:34):
resonating with you, what's notresonating with you.
And I think the earlier westart this, the better, you know
, because you'll have a widertime horizon.
But even if you know you'llyou're later in your life, it's
fine.
It's never too late to doanything right.
The key is to have anopen-mindedness, be curious.
Don't be afraid to fail or toget things wrong.
(28:56):
I think a lot of us get miredin in those worries like if I do
this, I'm gonna look stupid, orif I do this, I don't know what
people are gonna say um, reallydon't, don't bother, like you
know.
Just, I never cared, I did.
I did whatever I wanted to doand if I failed, if I made a
blunder.
It's cool, I'm gonna use thatas a lesson and that's gonna
(29:17):
give me information about mynext step, you know.
So with purpose work, we can'tbe timid.
We have to be like, hey, thisis a spiritual big job, I have
got to give it my all and I'vegot to keep trying.
And I think it's important toalso have a supportive network
mentors, coaches who give usspace to do that, give us the
(29:42):
encouragement that we need,because it's not easy doing this
work right.
You have to get out of yourcomfort zone.
You have to, like you know, bewilling to look stupid sometimes
, you know.
So I think having a supportivenetwork, or even just one person
who says you know, go for it,just go for it, I'm here for you
, you know, if you mess up, yeah.
(30:04):
So I think that is the bestapproach to take If you're
trying to find your purpose andyou're trying to be authentic,
and it comes from trial anderror.
If you are one of the fortunateones who had parents who really
honed your sense of self, whoallowed you to do all those
things like do whatever youwanted, and just didn't kind of
(30:26):
project their dreams and theirexpectations on you, then great,
you're one of the lucky few.
But if you're not in thatcategory or those pool of people
, then you got to do it yourself.
You know, as soon as you can.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Yeah, that is a big piece of it, for sure.
You know, I think most of usmaybe not all of us, but
definitely there's a largepercentage of creatives, I feel
like who probably felt a littlemisunderstood as kids,
especially those you know, likearound my age group or older too
, like it just wasn't.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Gen Xers yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Yeah, gen Xers, you know we're kind of, you know we
were sort of and I have a like Iam definitely Gen X, but I
wasn't raised like a lot of GenXers were.
You know, my mom had me reallyyoung and she was one of like 10
kids, so I was born into a verylarge, loud family who, yes,
(31:18):
was conservative, you know, deepSouth, but they also like
filled with creativity.
You know like everyone playedmusic and it was just like a you
know, a different sort of adifferent time and I was
definitely raised in that waywhere it was like, okay, be
yourself, find out who, who, who.
That is like, try a lot ofdifferent things, experiment,
(31:40):
cause that experimentation, likeyou just mentioned, is a really
big piece of it.
People are really afraid toexperiment because they are
afraid to fail and I feel likethat is what's holding so many
people.
I know it's what's holding alot of people back, because I
see it in my coaching.
People are afraid to failbecause we feel like we've got
this level of perfection that wehave to attain.
A lot of that is thatprogramming, wherever it comes
(32:02):
from, that's a really big piece.
That, if you're running upagainst that and you're feeling
stifled, like I can't put myselfout there or I can't really
tune into who I truly am.
I feel like a lot of it probablyhas to do with the fact that
you got some programming aroundneeding to be perfect and we
(32:22):
hear it all the time.
But it's true, You're nevergoing to be perfect.
You're never going to beperfect.
You're not supposed to beperfect.
It's about who you're becomingalong the way.
That's literally like thisunfolding of who you are, and so
I'm very fortunate in that way.
I feel like, because I wasdefinitely raised with that
(32:44):
mentality of you can be creativeand successful, you can find
your own path, and I had somekind of freedom that I think a
lot of my peers probably didn't,and I also had involved parents
.
My mom was there.
I wasn't super feral, I wasn'traising myself like a lot of us
(33:07):
Gen Xers have.
A lot of people in mygeneration didn't have the
parental involvement I did, andso I feel like that definitely
colors who we are as adults, forsure, and definitely how we
raise our own kids.
But I feel like, yeah, andwherever it comes from, if this
(33:29):
is being presented.
If you're listening and you feellike, okay, I really don't know
how to even access this pieceof myself.
I feel like there is adisconnect.
I feel like I maybe have gottento this point in my life and
things have been fine, but Iwant them to be amazing right.
(33:50):
Like I want to actually live afull and vibrant life and not
just okay.
So for those people listeningwho might feel like that and
might feel disconnected fromtheir authentic self, what are
some practical steps that youwould suggest people take to
(34:10):
realign?
Obviously, we've kind ofmentioned getting back in touch
with yourself, going dateyourself.
I love that analogy becauseit's so true Like a lot of
people have that fear of beingalone with themselves.
I think that's definitely oneof them.
What else would you say wouldbe some good suggestions for
those people?
Speaker 2 (34:29):
So a suggestion for people who feel like they've
lost touch with their authenticself.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Okay, well, besides reconnecting with the truth of
who you are, well, what worksfor me is, you know, talking,
talking with somebody about it.
I have a brilliant therapistwho I speak with and she has a
trained ear so she's able togive some form to the amorphous
(34:56):
kind of thoughts and emotionsthat I'm having.
And she gives it some form andshe tells me look, look, this is
what's going on with you andyou know, we kind of brainstorm
and figure out okay, what can Ido to, um, to demystify whatever
I'm feeling or this urge thatI'm having to do something in my
life, because sometimes youneed another person to actually
(35:20):
reflect back to you what youcannot see.
So that works for me.
If you don't want to get atherapist, have a friend, you
know, get a friend or a familymember who you think would, who
obviously has your best interestat heart and who could actually
give you some constructiveadvice or feedback.
And I would also say, you know,engage in a sense of play, like
(35:43):
I think sometimes we takeourselves too seriously and all
of this can feel very heavy,very heavy.
Maybe just unplugging and doingsomething fun, like whenever
you find fun, whether that islike just playing a sport or
going on a weekend getaway.
(36:04):
Getting in that space of playand fun can kind of refresh you
and give you a blank slate tostart on.
I think you'll find new ideaskind of sprouting and new
breakthroughs that might justcome through because you're
putting yourself in a space thatdoes not feel constrained and I
think when you're in thatcontainer you'd be surprised
(36:27):
like what kind of things canbubble up in you.
So I think that's somethingthat could help?
Speaker 1 (36:36):
yeah, for sure.
I always tell people try andget curious, you know, instead
of judging because I think a lotof our go-to is to judge
ourselves again.
It's programming right.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Oh yeah, the inner critic.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
It's not really your voice and it's not your
intuition, it's programming.
Unfortunately, some people havea very loud inner critic and it
can be really hard to kind ofpush that aside or even just
deal with it in general.
So you know, if you can kind oflook at something, even if
you're in this place of like, ohmy gosh, I feel like completely
disconnected.
(37:12):
I, you know if you can kind oflook at something, even if
you're in this place of like, ohmy gosh, I feel like completely
disconnected.
I don't know what I'm doingwith myself.
Like it can feel really chaoticand can feel really heavy.
Try to not judge yourself, youknow, first of all, you know
just kind of let yourself offthe hook and just look at it
with neutrality.
At least you know kind ofgetting to that neutral place of
like, okay, so this is whereI'm at All right.
(37:34):
This, you know, that is likethe next step to the reframe,
because you, you have a decision, you have a choice to look at
it, as I'm going to be hereforever.
This is doom and gloom.
You know what I mean.
This is, this, is I feel stuck,or this could go in a whole
different direction and be likeI wonder what else is here for
me.
So I wonder, I wonder, whatthis is about.
(37:56):
Just even just getting curiouslike you don't have to have the
answers right away, but juststarting to ask yourself those
questions can be a reallypowerful gateway into getting to
that next step of reframing andcreating the life that you want
.
And I always think that ifyou're in that place, well,
first of all, I really believethat wherever you are is where
you're meant to be.
But if this is coming up foryou, I feel like it's a great
(38:18):
opportunity, because it meansyou're really about to crack
that open.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Yeah, you're on the verge of a breakthrough.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Yeah, and I think that it can be very exciting, if
you allow it to be, because weknow that anxiety and excitement
produce the same chemicals inour brain and so, instead of
feeling fear around it, you canswitch it and say no, I'm just
excited about this.
(38:45):
You have to sort of likegaslight yourself a little bit
and to think you know what Imean To sort of like kind of get
you through to that next pieceof okay.
Yes, this is triggering and itmight be scary, but it could
also be exciting, if I allow itto be and will I allow it to be.
But I know you also speak a lotabout and in your book and just
(39:07):
in everything that you do, youtalk a lot about the sense of
connection, like you brought upbefore, Like I really believe
that that's a huge piece of ittoo.
It's like not feeling isolated.
Yes, spending time withyourself, but not isolating, you
know, really kind of connectingwith other like-minded people
is super important.
And you also talk about theimpact of cultures and how
(39:29):
that's really shaped you andwhat you do, because you've
traveled a lot.
So talk to me a little bitabout that.
I'd love to know a little bitabout that piece of your
background and how that reallyhelped shape you and what you do
, and even for your book as well.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
So the role of culture in my life?
Wow, well, let me start fromthe beginning.
I grew up in the Indian cultureand it's what we call a
collectivistic culture, wherethe focus is on the group versus
the individual.
So you are expected to kind ofadhere to kind of those group
(40:09):
norms as opposed to trying tojust be a rugged individual
who's like kind of doing theirown thing and trying to just
create a life that they can calltheir own.
You know, and growing up in acollectivistic culture had its
own set of challenges.
Luckily, in the continuum ofcollectivism, my parents were
(40:29):
more on the liberal side.
They were more open-minded,which was great, and that's the
reason why we traveled a lot.
Growing up.
I was exposed to a lot ofcultures.
We traveled to Europe, the US,we traveled to the US a lot.
So having that exposure to allthese various ways of thinking
(40:53):
and being give me this sort ofkaleidoscopic view of human
behavior and it made me realizethat there's no one way of doing
things, there's no one way ofbeing, and to kind of put
yourself in like a box and justbe like, oh, this is my world,
(41:15):
this is the way I need to think,because that's the way my group
thinks and and have this sortof a la carte approach to life.
Like I do like some of thebeliefs that this group has.
I like some of the beliefs thatthis group has.
I like the the fun, carefreeattitude of the Latin people not
to say all of them are likethat, but the passionate ways of
(41:36):
the Latin people.
Or I like the attention todetail of the Germans or the
Scandinavians, to kind of borrowa little bit from every social
group and culture that you'reexposed to, and I thought that
was that worked for me.
And I developed what we call aglobal citizen identity and I
(42:00):
got a lot of shame for it by my,by the patriots that I knew,
the Indian patriots.
They're like oh, what do you,what do you think of yourself?
Like you know, yeah, and theywould like say things to me in
our own, you know our own nativelanguage.
And oh, you can't speak thelanguage Cause I I English is my
first language.
I'm a native English speaker.
(42:21):
I never learned any otherlanguage, so they would give me
crap for that and I really letit get to me growing up, and
especially when I was a teenagerand I was a bit lost for a
while, until I went to study inthe US and I lived in certain in
other countries and I foundthis more global, global minded
(42:43):
community and I realized thatthere was nothing wrong with me.
There was nothing wrong just I,just because I was not super
patriotic or just because I Iyou know didn't speak the
language, or because I, you know, I didn't celebrate
independence day or whatever.
There was nothing wrong with methat it was fine for me to take
(43:05):
on this sort of nomadic I sortof approach to life and to get
to allow myself to kind ofborrow pieces of, you know, of
culture and you know, behaviorsand habits or anything whatever
I wanted from other parts of theworld and that was so
(43:27):
liberating for me, renee, andthat became my superpower,
that's something I integratedinto my sense of self and it
makes it so easy for me tointeract with people from other
parts of the world, you know,and I started seeing it more as
a strength versus a weakness.
(43:48):
So, yeah, you're right inpointing out that culture is a
huge part of my journey andtrying to figure out my cultural
identity, because I have beenexposed to so many and I grew up
in a melting pot of Dubai.
It's a melting pot.
We have people from differentparts of the world here.
So going to an internationalschool, that was also kind of
(44:10):
confusing for me.
And, strangely enough, when Imoved to the United States, it's
very different living therethan visiting, you know.
So I had a little bit ofculture shock also when I was
having the typical Americancollege experience, certain
things that seemed a bit strangeto me.
But then I sort of, you know, Ifound my way there and I
(44:32):
started loving the Americancollege life and I made the best
of my experience and then, yeah, so it's been quite an
interesting journey.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Yeah, I can imagine.
That's like so completelydifferent than the way that I
grew up, right, for instance, Imean I came from a one traffic
light town in Louisiana, where Imean I came from a one traffic
light town in Louisiana where,like literally one traffic light
and very rural, in the middleof nowhere and very, very, very
(45:02):
different.
And so as a child I dreamedabout being in a big city and
traveling, and I never had theopportunity to really travel
Like I.
I didn't really travel.
Well, I didn't travel outsideof the United States until I was
in my forties and I traveled inthe United States pretty
extensively because, you know,you could kind of get in a car
and do that.
(45:23):
And I did move to Hawaii sortof on a whim during college for
like a little break of asemester and came back, but that
was kind of the extent of itand I always wanted to have that
sort of like life experience.
I always felt really compelledto go and see and do, even
(45:43):
though, like I was surrounded by, you know, everyone around me.
That's not what we did, right,like that's not something that a
lot of people could or wantedto even do, but I did.
And so I think that it's justso interesting because you don't
know what you don't know andyou know thinking about, like
the way that you grew up and theway that you were able to be
(46:04):
exposed at such a young age to alot of different cultures and
people and ideas and things likethat, it really does shape you.
And I feel like, even if youdon't have that opportunity,
like myself, to do that untillater, like you said before,
there's always time.
First of all, you know what Imean.
If you're here, you've got time, so make the most of that and
(46:28):
maybe, if you can't physicallygo do that right now, there are
other ways you can do it.
There are things that you can.
You know we have, we have somuch technology now that kind of
allow us to be exposed, but Ibut I feel like the biggest sort
of takeaway here is that you'reopen to it.
You know what I mean.
Just like being open to whatyou don't know is such a huge
(46:50):
doorway to open for yourself.
Because this idea of being anomadic soul coming back to the
title of the book and I knowthat you go into all of these
things a lot deeper in the bookand we'll definitely put the
link for that below in the shownotes but this idea of being a
nomadic soul, that's kind ofwhat I'm talking about here.
It's, like you said, physicallytraveling or being in
(47:13):
connection or in community withother people, just in general,
even if that's here in yourlocal area.
You are trying things on.
You're experimenting, you areseeing what aligns, what doesn't
align.
It's that contrast that reallyhelps move us to the next place
and propels us to take action,which is a really, really
(47:36):
important piece of this, because, like you said before, if
you're just thinking about allof this and you've got ideas
about it, but you don't takeaction on it, it's not, it's not
going to really go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
So I don't know, yeah , and I think our soul, our soul
is meant, it has a certaintrajectory of growth, right.
And if you're doing the samething, if you're stuck in the
same place, that's a specialkind of hell, you know, because
you will feel that, that thatsense of malaise, you'll feel
(48:08):
that sense of like what am Idoing with my life?
Do you know why?
Because your nomadic soul issaying come on, get out there,
do something.
You know you're, you're meantto grow, you're meant to go to
the next stage.
And it's up to you.
You have that, you, you havethat duty to to put yourself out
(48:32):
there and see what more you cando, what more is out there.
And you don't have to be thenext, the next president, you
don't have to be a ceo, youdon't have to, like, be a
massive philanthropist.
It's like, just find a placewhere you feel like you are
expanding and you are exposingyourself to a new facet of your
(48:56):
personhood.
You know, because that's whatis most natural to us.
What's not natural is feelingstifled and doing the same thing
over and over again.
And if it's something that yourcircumstance does not
accommodate, like if you areshort of any type of resources,
like time or finances.
Do something on the side, likeyou know, have a hobby or just
(49:21):
kind of tinker with stuff.
You don't have to like get ridof your day job and be like, hey
, you know what I'm going to do,an eat, pray, love sort of
journey.
And you know, don't do thatlike.
You can do it in a smallerscale, but every step counts
yeah, I'm trying to say no.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
100, these little small steps really build.
I talked about that a lot.
Um, yeah, most of us can't justlike drop everything and right,
you can't.
I mean we're living in.
Speaker 2 (49:50):
We're living in an in an economy, and it's the real
world.
Not everyone has that luxury,right, and that's definitely not
what I'm saying, but it'ssomething that you can do in
whatever situation you findyourself in.
The question is are you willingto prioritize it?
Are you willing to give thatthe time and energy and the
heart that it needs to grow andto become something tangible and
(50:16):
evident in your material world?
Speaker 1 (50:19):
100%.
Yeah, you've got to be willingto take a small step.
What is the next right step?
Don't even worry about thewhole journey.
Right now, just right now.
Speaker 2 (50:28):
It is about there's this brilliant book I'm reading
right now called TinyExperiments, and it speaks about
taking that tiny step andcommitting yourself to these
kind of tiny quests.
I love it.
It's called Tiny Experimentsand I don't remember her entire
name, but her last name is LeComfe.
It's a French name.
(50:49):
She was an ex-Google executive,so I recommend checking that
out.
She has some very interestingexercises and frameworks that
can help you in taking thosesmall steps and evaluating those
tiny experiments that you do asyou go along.
(51:09):
And, yeah, I think it's a greatresource for for your listeners
.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
Yeah, but yeah, no, I'll.
I'll link it so people can findit if they're interested, but I
I'm always down to getrecommendations for things like
that.
So thank you and thanks forthis conversation.
I love just opening thisdialogue for people because I
feel like just opening this upand asking yourself these
questions is a really greatplace to start.
(51:35):
It can be a really good firststep for people if they're sort
of like in that place of justI'm doing all the things and I
don't even know where to start,and your book is another one of
those resources.
So talk to people about wherethey can connect with you, find
out more about what you do andget their hands on your book.
Speaker 2 (51:54):
Yeah.
So I just want to close thisconversation by telling your
listeners just go easy onyourself.
I know this is serious work,but don't take it too seriously.
Remember to just have some funalong the way, because I think
that's a big part of being anomadic soul.
So where can you find moreabout me?
So you can go to my website,celinechinoycom.
(52:14):
You'll find links to my podcast, the Dreamcatcher podcast, and
my book, the Nomadic Soul.
If you want to know more aboutthe book itself and get more
acquainted with the concepts inthe book, you can go to
TheNomadicSoulBookcom.
If you want to read my blog,you can go to the nomadic soul
bookcom.
If you want to read my blog,you can go to the dream catchcom
(52:35):
.
If you want to follow me and mymusings and my adventures,
visit me on Instagram at CelineShannoy.
Speaker 1 (52:42):
Awesome.
Yeah, I'll put all of those forpeople down below to make it
easy for people to find you, andthank you so much for being
here.
Speaker 2 (52:49):
It's been a pleasure.
Thank you so much for having meon the show.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
Lots of good takeaways there.
I hope you guys walk away withsome awesome insights.
Of course, I'd love to hearwhat you have to say about
today's episode.
As always, you can hit me upover on Instagram at Renee Bowen
, or leave a review for the showat ratethispodcastcom slash
Renee Bowen.
I always love talking aboutthis kind of stuff, because you
(53:13):
really don't know what you don'tknow until you expose yourself
to it, and you don't have totravel to a different country to
do that.
You simply need to decidewhether you're going to get
curious or not, whether you'regoing to stay where you are,
feel stuck, feel crappy, keepdoing the same thing that you've
been doing over and over again,or if you're going to stay
where you are, feel stuck, feelcrappy, keep doing the same
(53:34):
thing that you've been doingover and over again.
Or if you're going to decide todo a little something different
today, and it could be reallysmall, something like I'm going
to go to a different place toget my coffee or I'm going to
take a different route to get towork, change something up about
your routine and watch whathappens.
The key is that you have to bepaying attention to what happens
(53:56):
.
Most people are sort of livinghypnotically, kind of going
throughout the motions, and Iget it.
The world is stressful, life isgoing to life, but it's up to
us to snap out of that tranceand decide I'm going to
prioritize something else today.
I'm going to maybe prioritizemyself a little bit more today.
I'm going to get curious aboutwhat if I change something up.
(54:21):
You don't need to know theentire answer right now, but
what is the next right step foryou?
And sometimes that starts witha question.
So ask yourself some betterquestions If you're feeling
stuck and you're feelingmisaligned.
There's a lot of different ways, and sometimes that starts with
a question.
So ask yourself some betterquestions If you're feeling
stuck and you're feelingmisaligned.
There's a lot of different waysto get back into alignment, and
the first thing I really, Ireally believe is to get curious
(54:43):
and let yourself off the hook.
Stop beating yourself up,because if that worked, it would
have by now.
So obviously it's not working.
If you need help with any ofthis, you know where to find me.
It's the kind of work that Ilove to do in one-on-one with my
clients, and we can get reallycustomized with everything,
because it's all about you inone-on-one and it can look how
(55:05):
you want it to look, right.
That's the beauty of workingone-on-one with me, or anyone
for that matter, is that it'scustomized to you so we get
results faster and we can godeeper, which is what I'm all
about.
I hate doing stuff that's justsurface level.
So I hope you guys have a greatrest of your week and your day,
and thanks again for joining mehere today on the podcast, and
I'll talk to you soon.
(55:26):
Love you, bye.
Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where
we blend rock solid tips with alittle bit of magic.
I'm Renee Bowen, your host,life and business coach and
professional photographer atyour service.
We are all about gettingcreative, diving into your
business and playing withmanifestation over here.
So are you ready to getinspired and have some fun?
Let's dive in.
Hey friends, welcome back toTried and True with the Dash of
(00:26):
Woo.
I'm your host, renee Bowen, andI am so glad that you are here
with me again.
In today's episode, I'm going tobe speaking with Celine Chenoy,
and she is an author, a bloggerand a podcaster, and her work
focuses on personal development,self-esteem, productivity and
culture.
She has a really amazing onlinecommunity called the Dream
(00:48):
Catcher and that is aimed atencouraging thousands of readers
and listeners every month fromall over the world to live their
dream lives and to make adifference in the world.
Her mission is to help peoplelive up to their truest
potential, and you know that Ilove that, because I'm always
talking about how part of mymission is to help you be the
most you that you can be, and soour conversation today really
(01:11):
dives into all of that.
But first I want to justmention very quickly, before we
jump into this, chat that I hadwith her.
I want to just mention realquick that Elevate signups are
closing this week.
So you only have until thisFriday to apply to join us,
because we start in July.
Now Elevate's ongoing.
I've been doing Elevate now foryears, so if you're a female
(01:35):
photographer and you're notbrand new, you're not a brand
new photographer.
Listen up, because this couldbe the perfect community for you
.
I've run this group cohortvarious different ways over the
years and a lot of the peoplewho are in it were either
working one-on-one with me tobegin with and then went into
this small group, or they'vejust been in Elevate for years,
(01:57):
because I've run it now forabout five years and it's a six
month commitment.
So when you sign up, you aresigning up from July through
December of this year and youcan either pay in full or you
can do it monthly.
But it's kind of an incrediblevalue because you also get a
one-on-one coaching call with meduring that time, as well as
two group coaching calls a monthwhere I actually hot seat coach
(02:19):
you.
So it's not like a webinarwhere you just hop on with a lot
, a lot of people and you don'tget to ask any questions.
This is really built for you.
The female photographer who islooking for help with marketing.
Maybe you need clients, maybeyou need to raise your prices,
maybe you need to tweaksomething about your business
that's not working as well asyou want it to work, or you want
(02:42):
to reach a new audience.
Maybe you're doing a pivot.
All that to say, we talk a lotabout the business side of
things the marketing, theblogging, all of the different
things that you need to be doing.
Social media marketing but it'snot just social media.
If you're just relying onsocial media for your marketing,
just as a side note, that's nota really sustainable way to
(03:05):
continue bringing in the rightclients.
So we talk a lot aboutmarketing across the board okay,
but it's very individualizedbecause this group is small.
So it's under 20 people always.
I never take more than that andusually we hover somewhere
around between 10 and 15.
I like to keep it small.
I don't like to have a big group, because I want to be able to
hot seat coach you on thesecalls.
(03:28):
It's not just about me comingon and teaching you something.
There is a lot of that as well,but it's really about me
helping you troubleshoot whatyou need help with, whether
that's strategy or mindset.
So all the mindset stuff isreally built into it, because
it's me.
I can't not build it in there,because I can teach you all the
things and I can give you allthe blueprints, but unless you
(03:49):
actually clear some of that headtrash, you're not going to do
it.
So it's both of those thingsOkay.
It is literally me having acoach in your back pocket, cause
you get me on Voxer as wellinside of our group thread.
Um, you get to ask me questionsfor six months about anything
that you are having issues with.
It could be things like I'mhaving an issue with this one
(04:12):
particular client.
I can't get paid, or I'mchasing somebody down, or can
you help me rewrite this emailto a client, or I can't get
clients.
I am literally drowning here.
Whatever it is, I'm going tohelp you do it.
So it's very, very high touchand the price point is not
anywhere close to what it'sworth.
(04:33):
It's worth well over six grandand you're getting this for a
very low price.
So if you need coaching but youcan't really do the one-on-one
investment, this is definitely agreat option for you, but you
need to hurry up and apply now,because I am closing the signups
down and I don't take justeverybody.
I got to make sure that thevibe's right because, like I
(04:53):
said, most of the people who arein Elevate have been in there
for years.
They re-enroll every semesterand so I'm very protective of
our group and of our energy andI also don't want that to
intimidate you.
Okay, like, don't think that,oh, there's no place for me
there, because this is a tightknit group.
That's not true at all.
(05:13):
It's a very welcoming, verysupportive group.
You're not going to find anymean girl mentality in here, and
a big part of why that is isbecause I'm very selective about
who I allow into our universe,because we have created such a
really awesome vibe there andeveryone is so supportive, so
you get coaching from me, butyou also get really great
(05:35):
insights from the rest of thisgroup, because these
photographers are really awesomeas well.
So you learn from everyone andyou have support built in.
It's a place where you can comeand talk about something super
vulnerable and you're going tofeel safe doing that, and I'm
very, very proud of what we'vecreated.
(05:56):
So I'd love to invite you in ifthis feels in alignment to you.
If you feel like you needsomething, the link is below to
the page that talks a lot moreabout it and it tells you
exactly what's included, becauseyou also get a lot of my
courses included, so there's anonline portal where you can
access a lot of education and alot of resources, as well as the
(06:19):
calls per month, as well as theVoxer community.
So you get a lot for not a lotof money.
And yes, I have been asked whyI don't charge five times more
for this, and the reason ismainly because it's kind of a
passion project for me at thispoint.
I love the people in it so muchand I want to continue
(06:40):
fostering that for them, and soI kind of do it for them.
At the end of the day, it is alot of work and it does take a
lot of me to be a part of it,but I really, really love doing
it and I feel like we are makinga difference, not just in our
own businesses and our lives,but to each other, and when we
(07:02):
create something like this, whenwe create this type of high
frequency, energetic sequencethat this entire group carries,
that we're going to have aripple effect out into the world
and we are making the world abetter place.
And right now I don't know aboutyou, but that kind of keeps me
going, because the world canfeel really dark and crazy and
(07:24):
you can feel very alone.
You can feel very isolated inyour business.
Who cares about what I'm doingand why am I trying to do
something like this when theworld seems to be burning?
Well, being a part of thisgroup actually helps me, as well
as everyone else in the group,feel like we are doing something
bigger than ourselves and thatwe aren't alone.
We are in community.
(07:45):
We are there for each other,and that makes a huge difference
.
It just does.
So.
If that speaks to you, go aheadand apply and let's chat about
what that looks like for you.
And if you need more one-on-onesupport, I do have one spot
open for that as well.
So that link is below too.
We do need to hop on a call forthat to see if we vibe.
All right, let's go ahead anddive into this conversation I
(08:08):
had with Celine.
You're going to love her.
Hey, celine, thanks so much forbeing here today.
I want to dive right into thiscore concept of the nomadic soul
.
So we'll get into a little bitabout what you do, who you are,
but I'm fascinated by thisbecause I think that so many of
us, especially creativeentrepreneurs, which is most of
(08:28):
my listeners here a lot of usdon't follow the conventional
path.
We kind of feel like westruggle, maybe, to fit into a
certain mold or maybe feel likewe don't really belong in these
traditional structures, whetherit's career or life.
So I'd love to know what theidea, what your concept of the
(08:52):
nomadic soul really kind ofmeans and why it could be such a
powerful framework for those ofus who align with that.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
First of all I want to thank you, renee, for having
me on the show.
It is such a pleasure to behere and have the opportunity to
talk to you and your audience.
The nomadic soul I can say it'scome from the pains that I
suffered as a creative person,like everyone else in your
audience.
I mean, I myself have felt likea misfit for the longest time
(09:22):
in my life and in a lot of waysI felt like I was restricted in
the circumstances that I grew upin, not in terms of my personal
freedoms, but in terms of who Iwanted to become.
I wanted to break out of themold and not fall into that sort
(09:42):
of role that was laid out forme.
That's not something I wanted.
So I thought about what wouldmake it okay for a person like
me and other creatives to feellike we are unfettered and that
we can kind of color outside theline, so to speak.
So for that reason I came upwith a archetype, which I call
(10:07):
the nomadic soul, to kind ofdescribe that urge that we all
have to explore both the worldwithin us and the world around
us, and I thought that it reallyembodies the explorer spirit
that urges us to think outsidethe box and to move beyond the
(10:29):
limitations that are around us,and it gives us permission to
live beyond the labels that havebeen placed upon us.
This is valuable is because itcan really allow us to explore
life's biggest questions and toreally look at life at a deeper
(10:50):
level and not just live on thesurface of things.
So I think it really taps intothat part of us that really
wants to do more, be more andhave more and just evolve into
the person that we're meant tobe and go beyond the labels of
societal pressures that aretypically placed upon us.
(11:11):
So the nomadic soul is sort oflike my way of saying that, hey,
it's okay, it's okay to be you,it's okay to tap into your
authenticity and to blaze yourown trail.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
So yeah, I love that.
I mean, I've kind of alwaysfelt and I'm talking I talk
about this a lot just in general, like on platforms, you know,
my socials and things like thatabout how myself and a lot of
creatives that I know, you knowwe have like this push, pull of
wanting this freedom reallybecause, honestly, like yeah,
(11:47):
you might think that you want tomake a lot of money, but really
like it's the freedom you want,right?
Like it's the freedom that thisbusiness is going to give you,
right?
I feel like freedom and likethis untethered soul is like
speaks to so many of us, and Idon't think it's just
generational either.
(12:07):
I think this is like across theboard, like what I'm seeing
just in my communities and andjust in the world today.
I feel like so many people arecraving, like-minded you know,
peers who also are drawn to thatsort of lifestyle.
Not necessarily.
Maybe you may not want to goout and live out of your van and
(12:27):
work from anywhere, like maybeyou do, but I don't feel like
that's necessarily what we'retalking about.
I feel like this is more of ainternal nudge for this
searching, and I kind of feellike I've been on that path my
whole life.
So this push pull though,between, like, freedom and
stability I feel like a lot ofus have that like.
(12:50):
Well, I want this, but I alsofeel like I need to be you know,
quote unquote stable, whateverthat means to somebody have some
roots.
Yeah, exactly.
So how can we create in, in, inyour opinion, um, a good
foundation that allows for both?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
That's a really good question and that's something
that I've struggled with formost of my life, and I think it
really comes down to reallythinking about what your values
are.
What are your core values?
What matters most to you?
Because, you know, we have alot of options these days.
I mean, it's a blessing and acurse.
We have so many things we cando.
(13:29):
You know, now with the internetand AI, the sky is the limit,
like in terms of professionally,we can do anything Like.
If you want to start our ownyou know Etsy shop, if we want
to create our own onlinebusiness, if you want to start
our you know coaching services,whatever, we can do anything
Like if, if we, you know, if weget the right monetization model
(13:52):
and we're doing a good job,then we can start making money.
So I think what we have to do isreally hone in on what's
important to us, and you know,that's why the first chapter
that I have in the book is aboutdeveloping an authentic
identity, because we aremulti-dimensional beings and we
have to get acquainted with allparts of us.
(14:15):
It all starts with us, and oncewe understand what's important
to us and what we're willing tocompromise on, I think it'll be
pretty self-evident about whatwill give us that feeling of
rootedness, because that can bedifferent for so many people,
Like for some people, they need,like, the traditional ways they
(14:35):
want a home, they want kids,they want to be married, they
want the white picket fence, soto speak, and for others, that
would be too constraining.
For them it might be like hey,I can feel rooted anywhere I go.
Maybe they want a more nomadiclifestyle, right?
So it's about figuring out whatyour definition of rootedness
and home is, and once you dothat, then you need to figure
(14:57):
out okay, what is it that'sgoing to give me that sense of
novelty and allow me to feellike I'm living in an expansive
exploratory state?
Because we do need that.
I know Tony Robbins talks a lotabout I believe he calls them
the five needs.
So he says that human beingslike we need, we have a need for
(15:18):
certainty and uncertainty atthe same time.
But we all need them indifferent doses, because if
we're having too much certainty,we'll get bored out of our
minds.
If we're having too muchuncertainty, we'll feel like we
don't have those roots, we'llfeel like we're all over the
place.
So we need something thatanchors us, and we need
something that also allows us toplay, to explore and to be
(15:40):
curious about what's out there.
So I think it's about findingthe right balance for us and
what gives us that sense ofcertainty and uncertainty, that
sense of freedom and that senseof connectedness.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
No, it makes a lot of sense and I, yeah, I definitely
know what you're saying here.
The uncertainty and thecertainty, yeah, this dichotomy,
and I feel like a lot of thatis, you know, obviously tied to
our unconscious programming andall of that as well.
But I feel also like thisfoundation right, I want to kind
of like dive a little bit intothat identity piece because,
(16:16):
especially with, I feel I see alot of women, especially as
their lives change, right as our, maybe we get married, maybe we
have kids, maybe we don't butall of these little different
pieces add to this identitypiece.
And if you don't have a strongsort of foundation of of who you
(16:39):
are, outside of all of thatbefore those things happen right
, it can feel like you're justsort of like taking on all of
these new identities, if thatmakes sense.
And I think some people havemore of a propensity, let's say,
to tack on different thingsright Like take on these
(17:01):
identities as these thingshappen and like shape their
lives.
So a lot of times I see whathappen is women will eventually
they've been married for a while, maybe they have been running a
business, or maybe they start abusiness, while all these
things are changing and thenthey have kids and then, all of
a sudden, everything becomesabout that, and so I want to
(17:24):
kind of speak to thefoundational piece of identity
first, because I feel likeself-awareness and all of these
different self-awareness toolsthat we have resources around us
to use to build this.
What is something that you seeand in your work and in the
(17:44):
clients that you work with?
What helps creatives with spicybrains who are constantly being
inundated with all the things?
What's a good place for us tostart with that as far as like
okay, well, I want to reallyhone into what I'm about and my
true purpose and my corefoundation, my identity and and
(18:06):
what am I about?
Who am I really at my core?
Yes, I'll change over time, butwhat are some of those things
that you do and work with yourclients to help people really
develop that and stand in theconfidence saying it?
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Okay.
So I want to first address thepoint you made about women
taking on different roles andfeeling pressured to like live
up to a certain role at certainstage of their life, for
instance, being a parent.
You know when they have anewborn child that they can feel
like that's all their life isabout, and if something like
(18:42):
that happens to you, I just saygive yourself some grace and
remember that you are amulti-dimensional being Like.
Your identity is fluid, it'smalleable and it will keep
changing as time progresses.
You know, as you age, as youchange jobs, as you start new
businesses, as you havedifferent relationships, each
(19:02):
chapter of your life is going torequire different aspects of
you to become active and somewill become dormant.
So I have to point that out andbe open to reinventing yourself
as things change.
You know I made the mistakethat my sense of self has to be
set in stone.
I have to be this way.
(19:23):
This is who I am and I reallylike boxed myself in when I was
younger and then, you know, as Istarted getting into my mid to
late thirties and now I'm in myearly forties, I just said, no,
that's not how it works, like Igotta have space, like to just
move around, to experiment andtry different iterations of what
(19:45):
I'm doing and what I'm thinking.
So having that experimentalattitude about developing your
identity is really key, and itgives you that freedom to really
evolve as a person, because youcan only learn what makes you
tick when you experiment, whenyou try different things, tick
(20:08):
when you experiment when you trydifferent things.
Now, having said that, I dothink it's important to have a
core part of you that isunshakable, that's unmovable and
, as I've mentioned before, thatinvolves knowing your ethics,
your values, your personalstandards and really defining
that.
That becomes important you know, especially when you're
(20:28):
thinking about what to supportin your life and who to support,
because if you don't have that,you're easily swayed by
anything like dogma or someonewho's trying to take advantage
of you and they can easilybrainwash you.
Why do young people?
Why are they the ones who aremost susceptible to like cults
(20:49):
or these kinds of organizationsthat are kind of out there to
pray and get people involved intheir agenda?
It's because they don't knowwhat they're about.
So you don't want to be thatkind of person.
You don't want to be someonewho's easily swayed by the
latest fad in the zeitgeist.
You don't want that.
(21:10):
You have to be aware of whatyou are about and if you do want
to consider a new way of beingor new way of thinking, you
should use discernment and notjust be so porous to these ideas
.
So that's why I think gettingin touch with that core part of
you is essential.
And in my chapter about identityI introduce a framework called
(21:34):
the onion, the identity onion.
So it's like obviously you'veseen an onion, right, it has
different layers.
So the top layer is like that'syour most, you know,
superficial layer.
It's like the roles, everydayroles you play.
That's visible to the world,like, yeah, I'm a doctor, I'm a
mom or I'm a Democrat orconservative, whatever.
(21:54):
But what they can't see is whatyou're all about deep down
inside.
That is not visible and that issomething that you need to
express into the world.
And I think one of the bestways to do that is through
creative hobbies or even thework that you do to really bring
that authentic part of you likereally reveal that to the world
(22:14):
.
I think the people who do thebest work and who are most
appealing to the masses are theones who displayed that kind of
authenticity, because it seemslike they're real and it's
coming from a real place withinthem and that you know.
You can tell I'm sure, like you, rene, when you're dealing with
people and you've done thiswork for a long time, I think
(22:36):
your BS meter is pretty good,right you know, when you're
dealing with somebody who's justlike they're just saying stuff
and you know they don't mean itor they're just trying to, like,
impress you, there's nosubstance there and the
substance comes from being intouch with that core part of you
.
That's what it's all about.
That's when you know you'redealing with a real one, someone
who is speaking from theirheart, who is channeling
(23:00):
inspiration from their spirit,their soul, whatever you want to
call it.
And I think as you get olderyou become more attuned to it.
I know I have, and I'm sure youhave, and maybe a lot of your
audience has as well.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
I mean like I'm in my fiftiesnow and, yeah, you're right,
Like I feel like in my earlyforties is where I started
really kind of exploring a lotof that in a different way.
I mean, I've kind of been onthat journey for a long time, I
feel like, but you, really, Iwant to kind of go back to this
concept of authenticity, right,like that word gets thrown
(23:34):
around a lot, but this is whatpeople mean when they say that,
especially like your brandonline, you know, we're always
hearing about, oh, you know,show up authentically.
But we, I think we've used itso much now that it's gotten
like glossed over and people arelike it's not real, even like,
because obviously, with, with,with AI and everything now, it's
(23:57):
really hard to even discernsometimes what is real.
And so I feel like a big pieceof it and maybe we can speak to
that a little bit is, if you areeasily swayed, right, if you
are easily swayed and you aremaybe super distracted and
really having a hard time tryingto find that voice, a lot of it
(24:21):
has to do with the fact thatyou're not yourself super
connected to your soul's purpose, because I feel like when you
have a very deeper sense of whoyou are, let's say, and this
(24:41):
identity that we're talkingabout.
I kind of call it the goldenthread of everything that you do
, right, like I, I believe thatour purpose and our our why is
is not really about what we do.
It's that's how we express it,it's it's a piece of how we
express it, but like it's notwho we are, right, it's just
like something that we, we wear.
Let's say, but your, yourpurpose and your true purpose
(25:04):
and your true your why, like whyyou're here on this planet,
like why you do everything thatyou do.
I feel like that is somethingthat is a really hard thing for
people to get to, because I workwith people on this one-on-one
and when they think they'vegotten there, I'm like no, let's
go deeper, let's go deeper,let's go deeper, let's go deeper
(25:25):
.
And you know, when you sort oflike hit it, but I feel like
most people tend to stay on thesurface because we've kind of
been taught to and programmedthat we really shouldn't be, you
know talking about ourselvesand you know like that's so
self-indulgent, but like reallythis is the best and most
important work that you can do,not just for your business, but
(25:47):
for yourself, so that you canlive a more truly fulfilled life
.
I just really believe that and Ifeel like this sense of
entrepreneurs, creativeentrepreneurs, especially,
trying to show up authentically,that's where this, that might
be the gateway, right when theystart figuring out like, oh well
(26:09):
, I need to start showing everypiece of my life.
No, not necessarily.
What matters is who you are andhow well you know that, because
, like you said, people have aBS meter and you can tell when
people are just trying to fakeit because they want views or
they want whatever.
Like you can't really fake that, that true authenticity.
(26:30):
And so I don't know, do youagree, first of all, that in
order to really have thatdiscernment and you know, to see
it in our outside world thatyou need to, sort of like, have
it within as well?
Speaker 2 (26:44):
first, yeah, I like to say you have to date yourself
a lot and go on a date withyourself and, um, you know,
fortunately I'm I don't mindspending time by myself.
I love like solitary time, andthat's not the case for
everybody, but I think we needto schedule some of that time.
And I know like this has beendiscussed a lot, especially in
(27:05):
our own circles, of thispersonal growth circles.
But I have to emphasize thatunless you get to know who you
are and spend that quality timewith you, you wouldn't know what
you're all about.
Because we grew up with peopletelling us who we are and who we
should be and we can easilyfall in line with those
(27:28):
expectations or those socialmores that are out there.
And the stronger your culturelike if you come from a culture
like mine that's collectivistic,it's all laid out for you
already.
So I mean pushing back againstthat and be like, hey, you know,
wait a minute.
Like let me first figure outwhat I want and what I'm all
(27:48):
about.
And that comes from being likecreating those boundaries and,
you know, really prioritizing metime and engaging in activities
where you can delve into thatinner exploration, whether
that's journaling, whetherthat's talking to a coach or a
therapist, like really doing adeep dive into your internal
(28:11):
world.
And then I think it's importantto put that into action.
You know it shouldn't be alltalk and just reflection.
You need to, like, go out intothe world and, as I know, I use
this word a lot but experiment,put it into action, see what
makes you tick.
You know, if you're trying tofind out what your purpose is,
you got to try stuff out.
You got to see what's working,what's not working, what is
(28:34):
resonating with you, what's notresonating with you.
And I think the earlier westart this, the better, you know
, because you'll have a widertime horizon.
But even if you know you'llyou're later in your life, it's
fine.
It's never too late to doanything right.
The key is to have anopen-mindedness, be curious.
Don't be afraid to fail or toget things wrong.
(28:56):
I think a lot of us get miredin in those worries like if I do
this, I'm gonna look stupid, orif I do this, I don't know what
people are gonna say um, reallydon't, don't bother, like you
know.
Just, I never cared, I did.
I did whatever I wanted to doand if I failed, if I made a
blunder.
It's cool, I'm gonna use thatas a lesson and that's gonna
(29:17):
give me information about mynext step, you know.
So with purpose work, we can'tbe timid.
We have to be like, hey, thisis a spiritual big job, I have
got to give it my all and I'vegot to keep trying.
And I think it's important toalso have a supportive network
mentors, coaches who give usspace to do that, give us the
(29:42):
encouragement that we need,because it's not easy doing this
work right.
You have to get out of yourcomfort zone.
You have to, like you know, bewilling to look stupid sometimes
, you know.
So I think having a supportivenetwork, or even just one person
who says you know, go for it,just go for it, I'm here for you
, you know, if you mess up, yeah.
(30:04):
So I think that is the bestapproach to take If you're
trying to find your purpose andyou're trying to be authentic,
and it comes from trial anderror.
If you are one of the fortunateones who had parents who really
honed your sense of self, whoallowed you to do all those
things like do whatever youwanted, and just didn't kind of
(30:26):
project their dreams and theirexpectations on you, then great,
you're one of the lucky few.
But if you're not in thatcategory or those pool of people
, then you got to do it yourself.
You know, as soon as you can.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Yeah, that is a big piece of it, for sure.
You know, I think most of usmaybe not all of us, but
definitely there's a largepercentage of creatives, I feel
like who probably felt a littlemisunderstood as kids,
especially those you know, likearound my age group or older too
, like it just wasn't.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Gen Xers yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Yeah, gen Xers, you know we're kind of, you know we
were sort of and I have a like Iam definitely Gen X, but I
wasn't raised like a lot of GenXers were.
You know, my mom had me reallyyoung and she was one of like 10
kids, so I was born into a verylarge, loud family who, yes,
(31:18):
was conservative, you know, deepSouth, but they also like
filled with creativity.
You know like everyone playedmusic and it was just like a you
know, a different sort of adifferent time and I was
definitely raised in that waywhere it was like, okay, be
yourself, find out who, who, who.
That is like, try a lot ofdifferent things, experiment,
(31:40):
cause that experimentation, likeyou just mentioned, is a really
big piece of it.
People are really afraid toexperiment because they are
afraid to fail and I feel likethat is what's holding so many
people.
I know it's what's holding alot of people back, because I
see it in my coaching.
People are afraid to failbecause we feel like we've got
this level of perfection that wehave to attain.
A lot of that is thatprogramming, wherever it comes
(32:02):
from, that's a really big piece.
That, if you're running upagainst that and you're feeling
stifled, like I can't put myselfout there or I can't really
tune into who I truly am.
I feel like a lot of it probablyhas to do with the fact that
you got some programming aroundneeding to be perfect and we
(32:22):
hear it all the time.
But it's true, You're nevergoing to be perfect.
You're never going to beperfect.
You're not supposed to beperfect.
It's about who you're becomingalong the way.
That's literally like thisunfolding of who you are, and so
I'm very fortunate in that way.
I feel like, because I wasdefinitely raised with that
(32:44):
mentality of you can be creativeand successful, you can find
your own path, and I had somekind of freedom that I think a
lot of my peers probably didn't,and I also had involved parents
.
My mom was there.
I wasn't super feral, I wasn'traising myself like a lot of us
(33:07):
Gen Xers have.
A lot of people in mygeneration didn't have the
parental involvement I did, andso I feel like that definitely
colors who we are as adults, forsure, and definitely how we
raise our own kids.
But I feel like, yeah, andwherever it comes from, if this
(33:29):
is being presented.
If you're listening and you feellike, okay, I really don't know
how to even access this pieceof myself.
I feel like there is adisconnect.
I feel like I maybe have gottento this point in my life and
things have been fine, but Iwant them to be amazing right.
(33:50):
Like I want to actually live afull and vibrant life and not
just okay.
So for those people listeningwho might feel like that and
might feel disconnected fromtheir authentic self, what are
some practical steps that youwould suggest people take to
(34:10):
realign?
Obviously, we've kind ofmentioned getting back in touch
with yourself, going dateyourself.
I love that analogy becauseit's so true Like a lot of
people have that fear of beingalone with themselves.
I think that's definitely oneof them.
What else would you say wouldbe some good suggestions for
those people?
Speaker 2 (34:29):
So a suggestion for people who feel like they've
lost touch with their authenticself.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
Okay, well, besides reconnecting with the truth of
who you are, well, what worksfor me is, you know, talking,
talking with somebody about it.
I have a brilliant therapistwho I speak with and she has a
trained ear so she's able togive some form to the amorphous
(34:56):
kind of thoughts and emotionsthat I'm having.
And she gives it some form andshe tells me look, look, this is
what's going on with you andyou know, we kind of brainstorm
and figure out okay, what can Ido to, um, to demystify whatever
I'm feeling or this urge thatI'm having to do something in my
life, because sometimes youneed another person to actually
(35:20):
reflect back to you what youcannot see.
So that works for me.
If you don't want to get atherapist, have a friend, you
know, get a friend or a familymember who you think would, who
obviously has your best interestat heart and who could actually
give you some constructiveadvice or feedback.
And I would also say, you know,engage in a sense of play, like
(35:43):
I think sometimes we takeourselves too seriously and all
of this can feel very heavy,very heavy.
Maybe just unplugging and doingsomething fun, like whenever
you find fun, whether that islike just playing a sport or
going on a weekend getaway.
(36:04):
Getting in that space of playand fun can kind of refresh you
and give you a blank slate tostart on.
I think you'll find new ideaskind of sprouting and new
breakthroughs that might justcome through because you're
putting yourself in a space thatdoes not feel constrained and I
think when you're in thatcontainer you'd be surprised
(36:27):
like what kind of things canbubble up in you.
So I think that's somethingthat could help?
Speaker 1 (36:36):
yeah, for sure.
I always tell people try andget curious, you know, instead
of judging because I think a lotof our go-to is to judge
ourselves again.
It's programming right.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
Oh yeah, the inner critic.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
It's not really your voice and it's not your
intuition, it's programming.
Unfortunately, some people havea very loud inner critic and it
can be really hard to kind ofpush that aside or even just
deal with it in general.
So you know, if you can kind oflook at something, even if
you're in this place of like, ohmy gosh, I feel like completely
disconnected.
(37:12):
I, you know if you can kind oflook at something, even if
you're in this place of like, ohmy gosh, I feel like completely
disconnected.
I don't know what I'm doingwith myself.
Like it can feel really chaoticand can feel really heavy.
Try to not judge yourself, youknow, first of all, you know
just kind of let yourself offthe hook and just look at it
with neutrality.
At least you know kind ofgetting to that neutral place of
like, okay, so this is whereI'm at All right.
(37:34):
This, you know, that is likethe next step to the reframe,
because you, you have a decision, you have a choice to look at
it, as I'm going to be hereforever.
This is doom and gloom.
You know what I mean.
This is, this, is I feel stuck,or this could go in a whole
different direction and be likeI wonder what else is here for
me.
So I wonder, I wonder, whatthis is about.
(37:56):
Just even just getting curiouslike you don't have to have the
answers right away, but juststarting to ask yourself those
questions can be a reallypowerful gateway into getting to
that next step of reframing andcreating the life that you want
.
And I always think that ifyou're in that place, well,
first of all, I really believethat wherever you are is where
you're meant to be.
But if this is coming up foryou, I feel like it's a great
(38:18):
opportunity, because it meansyou're really about to crack
that open.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Yeah, you're on the verge of a breakthrough.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Yeah, and I think that it can be very exciting, if
you allow it to be, because weknow that anxiety and excitement
produce the same chemicals inour brain and so, instead of
feeling fear around it, you canswitch it and say no, I'm just
excited about this.
(38:45):
You have to sort of likegaslight yourself a little bit
and to think you know what Imean To sort of like kind of get
you through to that next pieceof okay.
Yes, this is triggering and itmight be scary, but it could
also be exciting, if I allow itto be and will I allow it to be.
But I know you also speak a lotabout and in your book and just
(39:07):
in everything that you do, youtalk a lot about the sense of
connection, like you brought upbefore, Like I really believe
that that's a huge piece of ittoo.
It's like not feeling isolated.
Yes, spending time withyourself, but not isolating, you
know, really kind of connectingwith other like-minded people
is super important.
And you also talk about theimpact of cultures and how
(39:29):
that's really shaped you andwhat you do, because you've
traveled a lot.
So talk to me a little bitabout that.
I'd love to know a little bitabout that piece of your
background and how that reallyhelped shape you and what you do
, and even for your book as well.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
So the role of culture in my life?
Wow, well, let me start fromthe beginning.
I grew up in the Indian cultureand it's what we call a
collectivistic culture, wherethe focus is on the group versus
the individual.
So you are expected to kind ofadhere to kind of those group
(40:09):
norms as opposed to trying tojust be a rugged individual
who's like kind of doing theirown thing and trying to just
create a life that they can calltheir own.
You know, and growing up in acollectivistic culture had its
own set of challenges.
Luckily, in the continuum ofcollectivism, my parents were
(40:29):
more on the liberal side.
They were more open-minded,which was great, and that's the
reason why we traveled a lot.
Growing up.
I was exposed to a lot ofcultures.
We traveled to Europe, the US,we traveled to the US a lot.
So having that exposure to allthese various ways of thinking
(40:53):
and being give me this sort ofkaleidoscopic view of human
behavior and it made me realizethat there's no one way of doing
things, there's no one way ofbeing, and to kind of put
yourself in like a box and justbe like, oh, this is my world,
(41:15):
this is the way I need to think,because that's the way my group
thinks and and have this sortof a la carte approach to life.
Like I do like some of thebeliefs that this group has.
I like some of the beliefs thatthis group has.
I like the the fun, carefreeattitude of the Latin people not
to say all of them are likethat, but the passionate ways of
(41:36):
the Latin people.
Or I like the attention todetail of the Germans or the
Scandinavians, to kind of borrowa little bit from every social
group and culture that you'reexposed to, and I thought that
was that worked for me.
And I developed what we call aglobal citizen identity and I
(42:00):
got a lot of shame for it by my,by the patriots that I knew,
the Indian patriots.
They're like oh, what do you,what do you think of yourself?
Like you know, yeah, and theywould like say things to me in
our own, you know our own nativelanguage.
And oh, you can't speak thelanguage Cause I I English is my
first language.
I'm a native English speaker.
(42:21):
I never learned any otherlanguage, so they would give me
crap for that and I really letit get to me growing up, and
especially when I was a teenagerand I was a bit lost for a
while, until I went to study inthe US and I lived in certain in
other countries and I foundthis more global, global minded
(42:43):
community and I realized thatthere was nothing wrong with me.
There was nothing wrong just I,just because I was not super
patriotic or just because I Iyou know didn't speak the
language, or because I, you know, I didn't celebrate
independence day or whatever.
There was nothing wrong with methat it was fine for me to take
(43:05):
on this sort of nomadic I sortof approach to life and to get
to allow myself to kind ofborrow pieces of, you know, of
culture and you know, behaviorsand habits or anything whatever
I wanted from other parts of theworld and that was so
(43:27):
liberating for me, renee, andthat became my superpower,
that's something I integratedinto my sense of self and it
makes it so easy for me tointeract with people from other
parts of the world, you know,and I started seeing it more as
a strength versus a weakness.
(43:48):
So, yeah, you're right inpointing out that culture is a
huge part of my journey andtrying to figure out my cultural
identity, because I have beenexposed to so many and I grew up
in a melting pot of Dubai.
It's a melting pot.
We have people from differentparts of the world here.
So going to an internationalschool, that was also kind of
(44:10):
confusing for me.
And, strangely enough, when Imoved to the United States, it's
very different living therethan visiting, you know.
So I had a little bit ofculture shock also when I was
having the typical Americancollege experience, certain
things that seemed a bit strangeto me.
But then I sort of, you know, Ifound my way there and I
(44:32):
started loving the Americancollege life and I made the best
of my experience and then, yeah, so it's been quite an
interesting journey.
Speaker 1 (44:39):
Yeah, I can imagine.
That's like so completelydifferent than the way that I
grew up, right, for instance, Imean I came from a one traffic
light town in Louisiana, where Imean I came from a one traffic
light town in Louisiana where,like literally one traffic light
and very rural, in the middleof nowhere and very, very, very
(45:02):
different.
And so as a child I dreamedabout being in a big city and
traveling, and I never had theopportunity to really travel
Like I.
I didn't really travel.
Well, I didn't travel outsideof the United States until I was
in my forties and I traveled inthe United States pretty
extensively because, you know,you could kind of get in a car
and do that.
(45:23):
And I did move to Hawaii sortof on a whim during college for
like a little break of asemester and came back, but that
was kind of the extent of itand I always wanted to have that
sort of like life experience.
I always felt really compelledto go and see and do, even
(45:43):
though, like I was surrounded by, you know, everyone around me.
That's not what we did, right,like that's not something that a
lot of people could or wantedto even do, but I did.
And so I think that it's justso interesting because you don't
know what you don't know andyou know thinking about, like
the way that you grew up and theway that you were able to be
(46:04):
exposed at such a young age to alot of different cultures and
people and ideas and things likethat, it really does shape you.
And I feel like, even if youdon't have that opportunity,
like myself, to do that untillater, like you said before,
there's always time.
First of all, you know what Imean.
If you're here, you've got time, so make the most of that and
(46:28):
maybe, if you can't physicallygo do that right now, there are
other ways you can do it.
There are things that you can.
You know we have, we have somuch technology now that kind of
allow us to be exposed, but Ibut I feel like the biggest sort
of takeaway here is that you'reopen to it.
You know what I mean.
Just like being open to whatyou don't know is such a huge
(46:50):
doorway to open for yourself.
Because this idea of being anomadic soul coming back to the
title of the book and I knowthat you go into all of these
things a lot deeper in the bookand we'll definitely put the
link for that below in the shownotes but this idea of being a
nomadic soul, that's kind ofwhat I'm talking about here.
It's, like you said, physicallytraveling or being in
(47:13):
connection or in community withother people, just in general,
even if that's here in yourlocal area.
You are trying things on.
You're experimenting, you areseeing what aligns, what doesn't
align.
It's that contrast that reallyhelps move us to the next place
and propels us to take action,which is a really, really
(47:36):
important piece of this, because, like you said before, if
you're just thinking about allof this and you've got ideas
about it, but you don't takeaction on it, it's not, it's not
going to really go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
So I don't know, yeah , and I think our soul, our soul
is meant, it has a certaintrajectory of growth, right.
And if you're doing the samething, if you're stuck in the
same place, that's a specialkind of hell, you know, because
you will feel that, that thatsense of malaise, you'll feel
(48:08):
that sense of like what am Idoing with my life?
Do you know why?
Because your nomadic soul issaying come on, get out there,
do something.
You know you're, you're meantto grow, you're meant to go to
the next stage.
And it's up to you.
You have that, you, you havethat duty to to put yourself out
(48:32):
there and see what more you cando, what more is out there.
And you don't have to be thenext, the next president, you
don't have to be a ceo, youdon't have to, like, be a
massive philanthropist.
It's like, just find a placewhere you feel like you are
expanding and you are exposingyourself to a new facet of your
(48:56):
personhood.
You know, because that's whatis most natural to us.
What's not natural is feelingstifled and doing the same thing
over and over again.
And if it's something that yourcircumstance does not
accommodate, like if you areshort of any type of resources,
like time or finances.
Do something on the side, likeyou know, have a hobby or just
(49:21):
kind of tinker with stuff.
You don't have to like get ridof your day job and be like, hey
, you know what I'm going to do,an eat, pray, love sort of
journey.
And you know, don't do thatlike.
You can do it in a smallerscale, but every step counts
yeah, I'm trying to say no.
Speaker 1 (49:39):
100, these little small steps really build.
I talked about that a lot.
Um, yeah, most of us can't justlike drop everything and right,
you can't.
I mean we're living in.
Speaker 2 (49:50):
We're living in an in an economy, and it's the real
world.
Not everyone has that luxury,right, and that's definitely not
what I'm saying, but it'ssomething that you can do in
whatever situation you findyourself in.
The question is are you willingto prioritize it?
Are you willing to give thatthe time and energy and the
heart that it needs to grow andto become something tangible and
(50:16):
evident in your material world?
Speaker 1 (50:19):
100%.
Yeah, you've got to be willingto take a small step.
What is the next right step?
Don't even worry about thewhole journey.
Right now, just right now.
Speaker 2 (50:28):
It is about there's this brilliant book I'm reading
right now called TinyExperiments, and it speaks about
taking that tiny step andcommitting yourself to these
kind of tiny quests.
I love it.
It's called Tiny Experimentsand I don't remember her entire
name, but her last name is LeComfe.
It's a French name.
(50:49):
She was an ex-Google executive,so I recommend checking that
out.
She has some very interestingexercises and frameworks that
can help you in taking thosesmall steps and evaluating those
tiny experiments that you do asyou go along.
(51:09):
And, yeah, I think it's a greatresource for for your listeners
.
Speaker 1 (51:14):
Yeah, but yeah, no, I'll.
I'll link it so people can findit if they're interested, but I
I'm always down to getrecommendations for things like
that.
So thank you and thanks forthis conversation.
I love just opening thisdialogue for people because I
feel like just opening this upand asking yourself these
questions is a really greatplace to start.
(51:35):
It can be a really good firststep for people if they're sort
of like in that place of justI'm doing all the things and I
don't even know where to start,and your book is another one of
those resources.
So talk to people about wherethey can connect with you, find
out more about what you do andget their hands on your book.
Speaker 2 (51:54):
Yeah.
So I just want to close thisconversation by telling your
listeners just go easy onyourself.
I know this is serious work,but don't take it too seriously.
Remember to just have some funalong the way, because I think
that's a big part of being anomadic soul.
So where can you find moreabout me?
So you can go to my website,celinechinoycom.
(52:14):
You'll find links to my podcast, the Dreamcatcher podcast, and
my book, the Nomadic Soul.
If you want to know more aboutthe book itself and get more
acquainted with the concepts inthe book, you can go to
TheNomadicSoulBookcom.
If you want to read my blog,you can go to the nomadic soul
bookcom.
If you want to read my blog,you can go to the dream catchcom
(52:35):
.
If you want to follow me and mymusings and my adventures,
visit me on Instagram at CelineShannoy.
Speaker 1 (52:42):
Awesome.
Yeah, I'll put all of those forpeople down below to make it
easy for people to find you, andthank you so much for being
here.
Speaker 2 (52:49):
It's been a pleasure.
Thank you so much for having meon the show.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
Lots of good takeaways there.
I hope you guys walk away withsome awesome insights.
Of course, I'd love to hearwhat you have to say about
today's episode.
As always, you can hit me upover on Instagram at Renee Bowen
, or leave a review for the showat ratethispodcastcom slash
Renee Bowen.
I always love talking aboutthis kind of stuff, because you
(53:13):
really don't know what you don'tknow until you expose yourself
to it, and you don't have totravel to a different country to
do that.
You simply need to decidewhether you're going to get
curious or not, whether you'regoing to stay where you are,
feel stuck, feel crappy, keepdoing the same thing that you've
been doing over and over again,or if you're going to stay
where you are, feel stuck, feelcrappy, keep doing the same
(53:34):
thing that you've been doingover and over again.
Or if you're going to decide todo a little something different
today, and it could be reallysmall, something like I'm going
to go to a different place toget my coffee or I'm going to
take a different route to get towork, change something up about
your routine and watch whathappens.
The key is that you have to bepaying attention to what happens
(53:56):
.
Most people are sort of livinghypnotically, kind of going
throughout the motions, and Iget it.
The world is stressful, life isgoing to life, but it's up to
us to snap out of that tranceand decide I'm going to
prioritize something else today.
I'm going to maybe prioritizemyself a little bit more today.
I'm going to get curious aboutwhat if I change something up.
(54:21):
You don't need to know theentire answer right now, but
what is the next right step foryou?
And sometimes that starts witha question.
So ask yourself some betterquestions If you're feeling
stuck and you're feelingmisaligned.
There's a lot of different ways, and sometimes that starts with
a question.
So ask yourself some betterquestions If you're feeling
stuck and you're feelingmisaligned.
There's a lot of different waysto get back into alignment, and
the first thing I really, Ireally believe is to get curious
(54:43):
and let yourself off the hook.
Stop beating yourself up,because if that worked, it would
have by now.
So obviously it's not working.
If you need help with any ofthis, you know where to find me.
It's the kind of work that Ilove to do in one-on-one with my
clients, and we can get reallycustomized with everything,
because it's all about you inone-on-one and it can look how
(55:05):
you want it to look, right.
That's the beauty of workingone-on-one with me, or anyone
for that matter, is that it'scustomized to you so we get
results faster and we can godeeper, which is what I'm all
about.
I hate doing stuff that's justsurface level.
So I hope you guys have a greatrest of your week and your day,
and thanks again for joining mehere today on the podcast, and
I'll talk to you soon.
(55:26):
Love you, bye.
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