March 24, 2025 • 30 mins
About Julie Wignall:
Julie Wignall received international acclaim for her trailblazing accomplishments in environmental practices, animal care, and leadership working with Mirage Resorts, a Fortune 500 company. Her unconventional career path has given her first-hand experience working with innovators in national politics, conservation, international business, television, and the arts. As a coach, mentor, workshop leader, and speaker, she wants to help Fireflies everywhere shine brighter.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hire you one and welcome back to the Alexa Show.
My name is Alexa.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Servodidio and I'm your host. Thank you so much for
tuning in well. Tonight we have such an exciting guest
with us.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
We have Julie Wignall. She's the author of the Extraordinary
Power of Fireflies, How to Shine Your Light Brighter and
Transform the World. Julie, Welcome to the Alexa Show. I'm
so excited to have you on this evening.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Thank you, Alexi. It's great to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Just the title of your book alone, we can spend
hours on. But how did you come up with this?
Because I know right now and find in general finding
our light and shining or two different things but also
very difficult to do at different times.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
How did this all start for you?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Well, I think it's really important. I've had a very
very unconventional background. I did not follow the straight, narrow
path to get to wear I got and I found
that most people were successful or who've done incredible things
also did not follow this straight and narrow path. And
(01:11):
I began thinking, you know, in terms of with a
background in biology fireflies, anybody who's ever seen a firefly
as dusk is settling and you're you know, relaxing from
the end of the day, and you see those tiny
little beetles in your backyard and an open field, and
they're magical. It's difficult to see them and not feel delight,
(01:35):
not feel joy, not really feel the enchantment of the world.
And I realized, you know, every one of us has
a light inside of us, and I want people to
remember that we all have that magic. And you'll hear
from people, Oh, I'm just one person, and what can
(01:56):
I do? And I always say, think of that one
small firefly in a field and how it made you feel,
that changed your world. And we each have the capacity
within us to shine our light brighter and to transform
the world. So when we're happy, right when we're happy
and we're we're doing things, you know, in a nice
(02:19):
one we're making the world a better place on every
single level.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yes, And I really connect with what you said with fireflies.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Just by you mentioning fireflies, I went back to different
times in my life as a child with my daughter
now and just the innocence, and I think the excitement
when you see a firefly, when you see that light
it's dark, it comes on it goes on and off
and following it, and I think that's so such a
way for ourselves to find our light, but also to
(02:50):
follow it because sometimes we think, oh, where's.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
This light coming from? Is it shining? Who sees it?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
But it's important that we see it, because once we
see it and believe it, we start showing it.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
To others exactly, and then we start seeing it in others.
And absolutely those of us who've had the experience of
seeing the fireflies here and there, I want to tell you, Alexa,
there are two places in the world where fireflies glow
by the thousands. They're called synchronous fireflies. We're lucky to
(03:22):
have one such place in the area of the Smoky
Mountains around Tennessee, but there are areas around there too,
in Pennsylvania, South Carolina where the synchronous fireflies also show up,
and in Malaysia. But in the Smoky Mountains when the
fireflies come out in the summer, they come out later
at night and picture a forest that is so dark
(03:45):
you can barely see the tips of your fingers, and
all of a sudden, hundreds of fireflies will spark their
lights and begin communicating with another group that sparks their
light on another side, and the next you know, the
entire forest is lit up with the sparkle of fireflies
and it's absolutely enchanting. And in Malaysia it's in an
(04:10):
area where people will take boats down a river and
the trees they they are lit like Christmas trees, all
sparkling with fireflies. So the concept is when we start
connecting with our own light and we begin shining brighter,
and then we begin connecting with other people and we
all shine together. Now we are really as a group
(04:30):
becoming more powerful and transforming the world.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And I think also, you know, with the fireflies, sometimes
we don't have to.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
When you're saying all these fireflies light up together and
there's this thousands of them, it gives us also that
hope that we don't have to always have the exact technique,
the exact protocol. And I love what you said about
unconventional ways. I'm the same time sun type of person.
I've not gotten my success. It was unconventional. It wasn't
(04:56):
one path straightforward. And I think so many times pople believe.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
It has to be a B C D.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
And if it doesn't look that way, where they go.
But with the fireflies. It's saying we don't have to
have to know exactly why, how, and where. We have
to believe, lisp in that light and be inspired by it,
and also take that light and take that hope for ourselves,
but also find that hope in others, and that helps brighten.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Their light and shine their light for everyone.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Right. So I hate to find a firefly of the
human kind as really someone who sees beyond what is
to what can be, and they take action. They take
action to create a better reality for themselves for the
world around them. But it's not just one way to go.
(05:47):
You know how many people have written books, Oh, this
is my diet book, and this is the only way
to lose weight, and you've got to follow my principle,
or this is the way to make money. There are
so many paths up to the top of the mountains.
I not only in the book to share my experiences,
but I share the experiences of twenty plus amazing people
(06:08):
around the world who are truly doing things to transform
the world, and each one is on a different path.
I've got a strong backward and background in Youngian psychology,
and there's there's this saying that if the path before
you is clear, You're probably on somebody else's path. So
it's like, you know what, chart your own path and
(06:31):
you know, find your own way up up the mountain.
And a lot of the answers we already have inside
of us in terms of moving forward.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yes, it's being your own trailblazer, making your own legacy.
I have to come from this big explosion of ideas.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
It comes within, right, What are some tips or what
are some things you can share with us?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I always start with because it starts from within. And
one of the biggest things that I learned many years
ago what makes you happy? What brings happiness to your life?
Everybody talks about what is your life's purpose? And I
was not one of those people that at the ripe
(07:17):
old age of five said oh, I'm going to be
a dentist or a lawyer or this or that, and
I just know this is the path for my life.
I didn't know. So I explored and experimented with a
lot of different a lot of different paths, and that's okay.
And your purpose can change as time goes on, and
at different times of your life. You know, your purpose
may be professional. At one point you become a parent.
(07:40):
Your purpose may be nurturing child or being you know,
a child, of being a caretaker. That whole concept changes.
But the big thing is knowing what makes you happy.
Many years ago I worked with students, boys who were
fifteen sixteen years old in a wilderness area and these
(08:00):
were kids who were troubled, teenagers from all over the
United States and they were working with therapists and I
was working on an environmental science program with them. But
I turned to them after the second day and I said, okay,
what makes you happy? And they all looked at me
with these blank stairs and they stopped. And I, of course,
(08:21):
fifteen sixteen, I expected to hear oh if I were
a millionaire or if I were a rock star, But
I said, think about this. If I were your fairy godmother,
and I came and knocked on your door and said,
your wish is my command? What would you want? What
makes you happy? And I got these blank stairs and
they stopped, and one of the kids said, you know,
(08:42):
no one ever asked me that. I thought about that.
And I began even asking adults what makes you happy?
And most people stop and they I really don't know.
And what came out with the kids over the next
couple of days were things like, hmm, you know, I
was thinking about this, and what really makes me happy
(09:03):
is Sunday mornings waking up and my dad and I
will make pancakes for everyone in the house. Another kid
comes and said, you know, I realized just walking in
the woods and having that time to connect with nature
really makes me happy. And we always go Alex for
the big Oh, I've got to achieve this and this
and this and this is I believe what most what
(09:26):
makes most of us happy are those little moments of
connecting with each other, and those are the things we
remember along the way. We're always saying, oh, it's the journey,
not the destination. But I don't think that we spend
enough time thinking about what that really means. Because we
set these goals. It's constantly I will be happy when
(09:48):
I've achieved this. I will be happy to vision right.
And but what happens once we achieve these goals. We
sit around and we go, oh, yeah, good for us,
And then we're at the top of the mountain. We
don't sit there. We immediately go, oh, there's another mountain,
there's another goal. So we're always in that learning, growing
(10:09):
mode to do new things.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Those moments, those are the moments that we build on,
that we bring along to the next one. When things
are maybe quiet or chaotic, we have those moments, then
maybe we can that are that are I think good
that if they're simple and easy, because that means they're accessible,
so exactly we could find that time. Maybe with dad,
we can find that walk in the park, those flowers,
(10:32):
that cup of coffee, and we can make it part
of our.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Path, right and it makes all the difference in the world.
And when you're sitting there at the top of the
mountain going oh, great, I did it. What are you
sitting there talking about? You're sitting there with the people
who helped you get there, because nobody gets any place
on their own, and you start sharing that, Oh my gosh,
do you remember when when this was so hard, when
(10:56):
we didn't think we could do this? So they're the challenges,
and even those challenges all have that silver lining. They've
taught us a lot. I think one of the difficulties
we have too within our society is everyone's afraid to fail. Yes,
there are all the studies that the kids who are
the gifted and talented all the way through school and
(11:18):
they're the top ranking kids and then they graduate and
they just kind of flatline. And why Well, because they've
been so used to all the success, they're terrified of failing.
And I keep saying, let's pull the curtain back and
great to sit here and say, oh look, look, look
everything that you've done, or look what I've done. But
(11:40):
the truth is, how many failures do we all have?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh? Yes, that struggles that no one sees, But that
makes the accomplishment so much more because through those failures,
and are they failures, they're just steps that we've had
to learn to get us closer to what we do want.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Sometimes they say fighting.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
What we don't want brings us just as close to
what we do want exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
And I always tell people, if you're going to fail,
either fail forward or fail big, because you want to
keep moving on and to keep growing. And I'd like
to see that more normalized in our society. I mean,
we hide everything. Oh it's great to see you and
have you been or everything is terrific and da da da.
(12:23):
It would be nice, you know, if we could really
start creating a world where we can be more authentic
I'm struggling with this. I'm having this. You know, we
talk about a lot in terms of making mental health
issues that they're okay, But we talk the talk, we
don't really walk the walk. We still hide it. One
(12:47):
of the fireflies actually that I wrote about, Lisa Gershwin
is a world renowned jellyfish biologist and she's just a guru.
And she did not know until she was I think
in her forties that she actually has Aspergers and she
began speaking out on mental health and like I said,
(13:10):
we talked about that that's okay, but then we kind
of hide it and we say, nobody can know that
I'm dealing with these issues. And here's Lisa. She lives
in Tasmania right now, she really is on her stump
talking about mental health issues. And she calls herself an
aspy baby and says, here I am, and this is
(13:30):
who I am, and this is the best way to
deal with me, and this is my best way to
deal with you, and which it normalizes things and it
says it's okay. We keep saying that we want to
embrace diversity, and then we kind of forget to really
embrace diversity and all the differences between us, which is
(13:50):
why stigma.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
And I think there's also the stigma with mental health.
And you know people's doesday says okay, we will accept it.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
But I think that also people are frightened about it.
They don't have answers, they don't know about it. But
that's okay. We all don't have to have the answers.
If someone has an issue, you don't have to.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Figure it out.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
It's giving ourselves and other people the permission to hear
and say.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Wow, exactly. And that's another reason why when I have
people working on projects, my biggest suggestion is make it
multi generational again. We say, oh, we embrace diversity, but
we don't embrace ages diversity. And you know, I get
really tired. We've got the youth led movements, we've got
(14:34):
the senior led movements, and I believe we need more
people lead movements. When I'm working and I have multi generations,
people who are older have a lot to share and
a different perspective on life and enjoying those moments making
everybody else say stop. I might be a type A personality,
(14:55):
but I need to stop and enjoy and smell the
roses along the way and having that input. Everybody doesn't
have to come with the answers, but yes, having that
input to be able to look at things from different
perspectives and then having that ten year old in the
room to remind us, hey, guys, it's time to play.
(15:17):
We work with to play and as adults, if you notice,
we only play things that are well, that's good for business.
I'm playing golf or tennis or pick a ball, and
who's winning? And who am I doing this? With? Kids
play just for the sake of play. There's no end,
end goal. It's just that there's no.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Beginning and end.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
They just go in there saying, let's do it. We
don't have a goal. We just run around the backyard.
We're going to go down the slide. We're going to
watch fireflies and can sit there for hours. Yeah, just
look and be amazed and notice things because they don't
have that blockage. Yes, as we get older, we have
different things to that go on, But it's being able
(16:01):
to switch and kind of go back and forth and
allow ourselves to say, I don't have to be up
here stress level.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I can bring it down here and just be and
not have.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
To worry, right, and to remember to play that's where
we tap into our greatest creativity, which gives us answers
we're looking for to help make the stress levels and
to solve the problems that we're looking to solve. It
makes it a lot easier. And that's sorry.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
How did you pick each firefly for your book?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
But all right, pulling the curtains back the story behind
the story. When I worked on this book, I it
was the pandemic, and like I said, I have a
very very checkered past that's been all over the place,
and I wanted to tell people it's okay to be
(16:55):
on all these different paths. And I thought, you know,
people would look if it were me reading the book,
I'd go, yeah, but she's just one person. Said I
want to have the concept of these are people all
over the world just like you and me. They can
do it. I can do it, you can do it. Well,
I came up with twenty people who if I told
(17:16):
you their's stories or named you'd probably would be saying
I think I remember reading something about this or this person,
or there wasn't there a story in here. And I
have a wonderful, wonderful publisher who said, Julie, your whole
thing is about being authentic, walk the walk. Let's go
go and reach out to all these people, let them
(17:38):
know that you'd like to include them in the book
and double check their stories so it's not a cut
and paste of research and what you found or other
books on them. And I went, you know, you're right,
great idea. And I started reaching out to these people
and I learned they were all fakes. A lot of
them had gotten headlines, but they would go, yeah, but
(18:01):
i'd really rather you didn't write about me because they
said it was really successful and it really wasn't. And okay,
well then i'd love to write about this is your
failure because people need to know about No. No, no, no,
that's really bad for my reputation. I can't. I can't
do that. Or I would get close and say, I'm
trying to reach this person to find out more. I'd
(18:22):
like to include them in my book, and I would
hear you want to include this person. They are such
a jerk. Everybody hates someone and was like, well, that's
not good. I don't want to deal with that. And
I was so depressed. Here it is the middle of
the pandemic, and I was like, there's nobody out there
is there're nobody good. And my publisher said to me,
you know what, you keep talking about the importance of
(18:43):
play go, play go, and get away from this and
take a couple of weeks off and then start from
the beginning and dig deeper. And that's exactly what I did,
and I found the people that I've written about continue
to inspire me every day, and like true fireflies, you know,
I get the snapshot in time of something that they've done,
(19:05):
but they're all doing new things and growing in new areas.
One of the women I wrote about is eighty four
years old in Australia and she just had her first
one woman art show. I have another guy that I
wrote about, that planet walker, that has walked different parts
of the planet just to listen to people. And as
(19:27):
the book came out, I get this email from him
going to thee I don't think you're going to be
able to reach me for a while because I'm on
my way to South Africa and I'm getting ready to
walk from South Africa to Kenya. This is a man
who's seventy eight years old. They're incredible and they keep
doing amazing things. And I keep saying if they can
(19:49):
do this.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Well, it's almost like where do they go? Where do
the fireflies go in the winter? Where do they go
in the snowstorm? And then they shine just as bright? Right,
it's spring, summer start coming.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Along, right, And you know if you go through seasons
with this too, you go there are seasons for us
of hanging low and self care, and then there are
other times to shine. I love the concept though, that fireflies.
The light that they use is a cold light. It's
not like a hot fiery light that burns really hot
(20:24):
and then burns out. It's got staying power. It's not overwhelming.
It's a very nice cold light and fireflies. The more
that I dou't in fireflies, the more yes, we need
to learn from this. I mean, there are over two
thousand different species of fireflies, and they actually glow in
(20:45):
all different colors. We have them in blue and in green,
and in yellow and in orange. Two thousand different species
of fireflies. That's a family that embraces a whole lot
of diversity. What a miracle, Yes, well, and that's the
whole point. You know, we grow up and we forget
(21:06):
the magic and we go, oh, miracles don't really happen,
but they do. They're all around us. A firefly is
a miracle and the fact that we're here is a miracle.
And I think, you've got this light, what do you
want to do with it? Because the world needs you
to shine it.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Writer, Yes, And it's realizing that no matter who you are,
where you are, no one is their light isn't dim.
Everyone has a light for a reason, and it's it's
finding that and going And that's the journey. Because as
doing that journey, you learn about yourself and then when
you see others. So many times when I do my shows,
(21:44):
you meet incredible guests like you, I'm like, wow, this
is right, something that I align with, this is something.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
It's just incredible. It's a miracle. I would say.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
It's part of that journey that you meet people on
the path and it's so rewarding also to be giving
back to the community, having them see your light and
then also be inspired by your life. Now you also
have very very deep roots and expertise in the environment,
in oceanography and animals, so you really know when you're
(22:17):
speaking about the universe, the world fireflies, you know the
background of it.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
You've really been behind the scenes with it. Tell us
a little bit about that.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Well. I have a background in marine biology, was actually
an up and coming marine biologist that was working with
the National Querium in Washington, d C. What I found,
which took me on a different path, was we were
spending all of our time when we need money. I
(22:48):
had an education staff that would say, what's our budget
for next month? And I would say, you know that
there's a wishing well in the front, and there's pennies
in there. Whatever pennies are in there, that's for you
to your budget for next month. I was working with
major environmental organizations and there was one fundraising campaign after
(23:08):
the next after the next, and I said, this is exhausting.
I didn't study to become just a fundraiser. Yes, we're
trying to get things done. And within the environmental community
there is this feeling and belief, another misguided belief, that
corporations and big businesses are greedy and they're terrible big
(23:33):
business and we should have what they have. And I thought, well,
business isn't greedy, corporations aren't greedy. People people are greedy.
I'll make it, yes, right, and people are greedy in
all different fields. So if there are people who are
greedy within corporate America. Let me find people who have
a different take on this. And I got the opportunity
(23:57):
to work with a multimillionaire within the hotel casino resorts,
which initially Alexa went no, I can't, I can't, I
can't do this. This is this is crazy, and I said, nope,
you embrace it. It's something different and see what you learn.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Big spotlight, just a light, it's a big spotlight.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
And I was like, this is this is crazy, But
I brought it because I kept saying, what would happen
if you have environmental conservation working hand in hand with
a fortune five hundred company. And I got the opportunity
to do that, and the changes that I was able
to make are just phenomenal in terms of setting new
(24:43):
standards for animal care within zoos and aquariums around the world,
being able to do new initiatives. And then all of
a sudden, I was working within a hotel a resort
that had retail, where I got the input in terms
of what we were caring in terms of retail. Well,
you can't say that you're pro animals and then be
(25:05):
carrying fur coats. Oh yeah, you're right, So none of that,
and even within our restaurants to say okay, let's go
for sustainable seafood where we can. But it's not screaming
and it's not hitting this against the want saying yes,
did this. It would be I would present no, and
(25:28):
I would say, you know, here's a different alternative, and
I found for you you could do this for the
same price point or pennies above and it's sustainable. And
what I found is you start working with chefs. Yes,
they want to support the environment. Well, Julie, that's a
great idea. Let's let's do this. And I found that
(25:50):
in all different areas. One of the people that I
highlight in my book is Ellen MacArthur, who has the
Ellen MacArthur Foundation based out of the UK, and it's
very focused on a circular economy. Let's look at where
things begin and where things end. But the concept is
(26:10):
we're not perfect and you're not going to have all
the answers, but if we're aware of it and we're trying,
then we can find out where we've got those leverage
points to make changes. And instead, you know, we spend
too much time shaming everyone and oh you did this
and you did that, and we need to think differently
instead of saying, oh, you need to stop buying fruits
(26:33):
and vegetables that were not in your refrigerator, maybe we
need to look at designing refrigerators better and stop saying
it's your fault, we blame the consumer and saying we
need to maybe designed better. This needs to come from
all different aspects.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
People shut down. People can't hear.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
They shut down, They go into their own mind. We're
giving them options, giving them opportunities. Right then they can
make it their own and I'll say, wow, this is
what I can do. This I can There's not I
want wrong in my thinking, but there's sometimes there's always
room for improvement for everyone.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Well we all are it works in progress exactly.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
And within the environmental community, we have to stop the bullying.
You know, you drive a car or you took a plane.
It's like, stop this. We need to find new ways
to do things.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
It's so much wasted energy.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
And when you get into that space of blaming shaming
you that it's such negativity that it doesn't you don't
have that space where you're you're innocent looking at the firefly,
you're not just shining your light.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Your light is dim and dark, and you're in that
mode of.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
A kind of chaos and feeling where you want to
come more from that open mode.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Right, And that's where I talk and I talk about
the importance of rising in the spaces between, because fireflies
transcend politics, they transcend the bullying. They they see something special,
magical and unique, and they arise in the spaces between
without paying attention to all the chatter.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
And they don't have to identify as anything except a
firefly and show.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Up exactly exactly which we all happy to be happy.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
And that's it, right. Where can my viewers find more
about you?
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Follow you?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I have a website that's really easy. It's www dot
extraordinary fireflies dot com and on their Alexa there's a
free download with five exercises that anybody can start to
start shining brighter right away. I offer free discovery calls
with no sales, no anything, just to get the idea
(28:47):
of what does it look like to work with a
coach when you have that support. I believe everybody, whether
it's therapy or a coach, or you need somebody in
your life more than somebody that's going to support your
journey and to be there for you. So it's to
give people an idea and to feel for that. And
once you download my Flying Lessons for Fireflies exercise, it
(29:11):
puts you on a mailing list where once a week
I send out a short blurb of something that is
encouraging and inspiring, just because I believe everybody needs to
get a little bit of encouragement and inspiration here and there.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Absolutely, and I think we all need it. We all
go through different.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Things and having that team and having that support is
just so important.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
But also it feeds.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Us in different ways, so then we can grow and
we could also give back to others. Before the end
of the show, if there's one tip you would give
my viewers that you've learned, what would it be.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
Not to let fear stop you? Fear stops everyone. I'm
not good enough, I'm not worthy, I'm not deserving. Everybody
is good enough, worthy and deserving, and everybody deserves the
chance to be happy. That's why we're here.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Absolutely absolutely, I agree with you so much. Well again,
thank you so much for coming on my show. I'm
so excited to have you back on and learn more
because I have so many questions.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
The show went by so quickly.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Again everyone, thank you so much for tuning in. Everybody,
have a good night and God
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Bless Thanks so much
Hire you one and welcome back to the Alexa Show.
My name is Alexa.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Servodidio and I'm your host. Thank you so much for
tuning in well. Tonight we have such an exciting guest
with us.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
We have Julie Wignall. She's the author of the Extraordinary
Power of Fireflies, How to Shine Your Light Brighter and
Transform the World. Julie, Welcome to the Alexa Show. I'm
so excited to have you on this evening.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Thank you, Alexi. It's great to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Just the title of your book alone, we can spend
hours on. But how did you come up with this?
Because I know right now and find in general finding
our light and shining or two different things but also
very difficult to do at different times.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
How did this all start for you?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Well, I think it's really important. I've had a very
very unconventional background. I did not follow the straight, narrow
path to get to wear I got and I found
that most people were successful or who've done incredible things
also did not follow this straight and narrow path. And
(01:11):
I began thinking, you know, in terms of with a
background in biology fireflies, anybody who's ever seen a firefly
as dusk is settling and you're you know, relaxing from
the end of the day, and you see those tiny
little beetles in your backyard and an open field, and
they're magical. It's difficult to see them and not feel delight,
(01:35):
not feel joy, not really feel the enchantment of the world.
And I realized, you know, every one of us has
a light inside of us, and I want people to
remember that we all have that magic. And you'll hear
from people, Oh, I'm just one person, and what can
(01:56):
I do? And I always say, think of that one
small firefly in a field and how it made you feel,
that changed your world. And we each have the capacity
within us to shine our light brighter and to transform
the world. So when we're happy, right when we're happy
and we're we're doing things, you know, in a nice
(02:19):
one we're making the world a better place on every
single level.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Yes, And I really connect with what you said with fireflies.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Just by you mentioning fireflies, I went back to different
times in my life as a child with my daughter
now and just the innocence, and I think the excitement
when you see a firefly, when you see that light
it's dark, it comes on it goes on and off
and following it, and I think that's so such a
way for ourselves to find our light, but also to
(02:50):
follow it because sometimes we think, oh, where's.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
This light coming from? Is it shining? Who sees it?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
But it's important that we see it, because once we
see it and believe it, we start showing it.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
To others exactly, and then we start seeing it in others.
And absolutely those of us who've had the experience of
seeing the fireflies here and there, I want to tell you, Alexa,
there are two places in the world where fireflies glow
by the thousands. They're called synchronous fireflies. We're lucky to
(03:22):
have one such place in the area of the Smoky
Mountains around Tennessee, but there are areas around there too,
in Pennsylvania, South Carolina where the synchronous fireflies also show up,
and in Malaysia. But in the Smoky Mountains when the
fireflies come out in the summer, they come out later
at night and picture a forest that is so dark
(03:45):
you can barely see the tips of your fingers, and
all of a sudden, hundreds of fireflies will spark their
lights and begin communicating with another group that sparks their
light on another side, and the next you know, the
entire forest is lit up with the sparkle of fireflies
and it's absolutely enchanting. And in Malaysia it's in an
(04:10):
area where people will take boats down a river and
the trees they they are lit like Christmas trees, all
sparkling with fireflies. So the concept is when we start
connecting with our own light and we begin shining brighter,
and then we begin connecting with other people and we
all shine together. Now we are really as a group
(04:30):
becoming more powerful and transforming the world.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
And I think also, you know, with the fireflies, sometimes
we don't have to.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
When you're saying all these fireflies light up together and
there's this thousands of them, it gives us also that
hope that we don't have to always have the exact technique,
the exact protocol. And I love what you said about
unconventional ways. I'm the same time sun type of person.
I've not gotten my success. It was unconventional. It wasn't
(04:56):
one path straightforward. And I think so many times pople believe.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
It has to be a B C D.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
And if it doesn't look that way, where they go.
But with the fireflies. It's saying we don't have to
have to know exactly why, how, and where. We have
to believe, lisp in that light and be inspired by it,
and also take that light and take that hope for ourselves,
but also find that hope in others, and that helps brighten.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Their light and shine their light for everyone.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Right. So I hate to find a firefly of the
human kind as really someone who sees beyond what is
to what can be, and they take action. They take
action to create a better reality for themselves for the
world around them. But it's not just one way to go.
(05:47):
You know how many people have written books, Oh, this
is my diet book, and this is the only way
to lose weight, and you've got to follow my principle,
or this is the way to make money. There are
so many paths up to the top of the mountains.
I not only in the book to share my experiences,
but I share the experiences of twenty plus amazing people
(06:08):
around the world who are truly doing things to transform
the world, and each one is on a different path.
I've got a strong backward and background in Youngian psychology,
and there's there's this saying that if the path before
you is clear, You're probably on somebody else's path. So
it's like, you know what, chart your own path and
(06:31):
you know, find your own way up up the mountain.
And a lot of the answers we already have inside
of us in terms of moving forward.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yes, it's being your own trailblazer, making your own legacy.
I have to come from this big explosion of ideas.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
It comes within, right, What are some tips or what
are some things you can share with us?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I always start with because it starts from within. And
one of the biggest things that I learned many years
ago what makes you happy? What brings happiness to your life?
Everybody talks about what is your life's purpose? And I
was not one of those people that at the ripe
(07:17):
old age of five said oh, I'm going to be
a dentist or a lawyer or this or that, and
I just know this is the path for my life.
I didn't know. So I explored and experimented with a
lot of different a lot of different paths, and that's okay.
And your purpose can change as time goes on, and
at different times of your life. You know, your purpose
may be professional. At one point you become a parent.
(07:40):
Your purpose may be nurturing child or being you know,
a child, of being a caretaker. That whole concept changes.
But the big thing is knowing what makes you happy.
Many years ago I worked with students, boys who were
fifteen sixteen years old in a wilderness area and these
(08:00):
were kids who were troubled, teenagers from all over the
United States and they were working with therapists and I
was working on an environmental science program with them. But
I turned to them after the second day and I said, okay,
what makes you happy? And they all looked at me
with these blank stairs and they stopped. And I, of course,
(08:21):
fifteen sixteen, I expected to hear oh if I were
a millionaire or if I were a rock star, But
I said, think about this. If I were your fairy godmother,
and I came and knocked on your door and said,
your wish is my command? What would you want? What
makes you happy? And I got these blank stairs and
they stopped, and one of the kids said, you know,
(08:42):
no one ever asked me that. I thought about that.
And I began even asking adults what makes you happy?
And most people stop and they I really don't know.
And what came out with the kids over the next
couple of days were things like, hmm, you know, I
was thinking about this, and what really makes me happy
(09:03):
is Sunday mornings waking up and my dad and I
will make pancakes for everyone in the house. Another kid
comes and said, you know, I realized just walking in
the woods and having that time to connect with nature
really makes me happy. And we always go Alex for
the big Oh, I've got to achieve this and this
and this and this is I believe what most what
(09:26):
makes most of us happy are those little moments of
connecting with each other, and those are the things we
remember along the way. We're always saying, oh, it's the journey,
not the destination. But I don't think that we spend
enough time thinking about what that really means. Because we
set these goals. It's constantly I will be happy when
(09:48):
I've achieved this. I will be happy to vision right.
And but what happens once we achieve these goals. We
sit around and we go, oh, yeah, good for us,
And then we're at the top of the mountain. We
don't sit there. We immediately go, oh, there's another mountain,
there's another goal. So we're always in that learning, growing
(10:09):
mode to do new things.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Those moments, those are the moments that we build on,
that we bring along to the next one. When things
are maybe quiet or chaotic, we have those moments, then
maybe we can that are that are I think good
that if they're simple and easy, because that means they're accessible,
so exactly we could find that time. Maybe with dad,
we can find that walk in the park, those flowers,
(10:32):
that cup of coffee, and we can make it part
of our.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Path, right and it makes all the difference in the world.
And when you're sitting there at the top of the
mountain going oh, great, I did it. What are you
sitting there talking about? You're sitting there with the people
who helped you get there, because nobody gets any place
on their own, and you start sharing that, Oh my gosh,
do you remember when when this was so hard, when
(10:56):
we didn't think we could do this? So they're the challenges,
and even those challenges all have that silver lining. They've
taught us a lot. I think one of the difficulties
we have too within our society is everyone's afraid to fail. Yes,
there are all the studies that the kids who are
the gifted and talented all the way through school and
(11:18):
they're the top ranking kids and then they graduate and
they just kind of flatline. And why Well, because they've
been so used to all the success, they're terrified of failing.
And I keep saying, let's pull the curtain back and
great to sit here and say, oh look, look, look
everything that you've done, or look what I've done. But
(11:40):
the truth is, how many failures do we all have?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh? Yes, that struggles that no one sees, But that
makes the accomplishment so much more because through those failures,
and are they failures, they're just steps that we've had
to learn to get us closer to what we do want.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Sometimes they say fighting.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
What we don't want brings us just as close to
what we do want exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
And I always tell people, if you're going to fail,
either fail forward or fail big, because you want to
keep moving on and to keep growing. And I'd like
to see that more normalized in our society. I mean,
we hide everything. Oh it's great to see you and
have you been or everything is terrific and da da da.
(12:23):
It would be nice, you know, if we could really
start creating a world where we can be more authentic
I'm struggling with this. I'm having this. You know, we
talk about a lot in terms of making mental health
issues that they're okay, But we talk the talk, we
don't really walk the walk. We still hide it. One
(12:47):
of the fireflies actually that I wrote about, Lisa Gershwin
is a world renowned jellyfish biologist and she's just a guru.
And she did not know until she was I think
in her forties that she actually has Aspergers and she
began speaking out on mental health and like I said,
(13:10):
we talked about that that's okay, but then we kind
of hide it and we say, nobody can know that
I'm dealing with these issues. And here's Lisa. She lives
in Tasmania right now, she really is on her stump
talking about mental health issues. And she calls herself an
aspy baby and says, here I am, and this is
(13:30):
who I am, and this is the best way to
deal with me, and this is my best way to
deal with you, and which it normalizes things and it
says it's okay. We keep saying that we want to
embrace diversity, and then we kind of forget to really
embrace diversity and all the differences between us, which is
(13:50):
why stigma.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
And I think there's also the stigma with mental health.
And you know people's doesday says okay, we will accept it.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
But I think that also people are frightened about it.
They don't have answers, they don't know about it. But
that's okay. We all don't have to have the answers.
If someone has an issue, you don't have to.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Figure it out.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
It's giving ourselves and other people the permission to hear
and say.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Wow, exactly. And that's another reason why when I have
people working on projects, my biggest suggestion is make it
multi generational again. We say, oh, we embrace diversity, but
we don't embrace ages diversity. And you know, I get
really tired. We've got the youth led movements, we've got
(14:34):
the senior led movements, and I believe we need more
people lead movements. When I'm working and I have multi generations,
people who are older have a lot to share and
a different perspective on life and enjoying those moments making
everybody else say stop. I might be a type A personality,
(14:55):
but I need to stop and enjoy and smell the
roses along the way and having that input. Everybody doesn't
have to come with the answers, but yes, having that
input to be able to look at things from different
perspectives and then having that ten year old in the
room to remind us, hey, guys, it's time to play.
(15:17):
We work with to play and as adults, if you notice,
we only play things that are well, that's good for business.
I'm playing golf or tennis or pick a ball, and
who's winning? And who am I doing this? With? Kids
play just for the sake of play. There's no end,
end goal. It's just that there's no.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Beginning and end.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
They just go in there saying, let's do it. We
don't have a goal. We just run around the backyard.
We're going to go down the slide. We're going to
watch fireflies and can sit there for hours. Yeah, just
look and be amazed and notice things because they don't
have that blockage. Yes, as we get older, we have
different things to that go on, But it's being able
(16:01):
to switch and kind of go back and forth and
allow ourselves to say, I don't have to be up
here stress level.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I can bring it down here and just be and
not have.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
To worry, right, and to remember to play that's where
we tap into our greatest creativity, which gives us answers
we're looking for to help make the stress levels and
to solve the problems that we're looking to solve. It
makes it a lot easier. And that's sorry.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
How did you pick each firefly for your book?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
But all right, pulling the curtains back the story behind
the story. When I worked on this book, I it
was the pandemic, and like I said, I have a
very very checkered past that's been all over the place,
and I wanted to tell people it's okay to be
(16:55):
on all these different paths. And I thought, you know,
people would look if it were me reading the book,
I'd go, yeah, but she's just one person. Said I
want to have the concept of these are people all
over the world just like you and me. They can
do it. I can do it, you can do it. Well,
I came up with twenty people who if I told
(17:16):
you their's stories or named you'd probably would be saying
I think I remember reading something about this or this person,
or there wasn't there a story in here. And I
have a wonderful, wonderful publisher who said, Julie, your whole
thing is about being authentic, walk the walk. Let's go
go and reach out to all these people, let them
(17:38):
know that you'd like to include them in the book
and double check their stories so it's not a cut
and paste of research and what you found or other
books on them. And I went, you know, you're right,
great idea. And I started reaching out to these people
and I learned they were all fakes. A lot of
them had gotten headlines, but they would go, yeah, but
(18:01):
i'd really rather you didn't write about me because they
said it was really successful and it really wasn't. And okay,
well then i'd love to write about this is your
failure because people need to know about No. No, no, no,
that's really bad for my reputation. I can't. I can't
do that. Or I would get close and say, I'm
trying to reach this person to find out more. I'd
(18:22):
like to include them in my book, and I would
hear you want to include this person. They are such
a jerk. Everybody hates someone and was like, well, that's
not good. I don't want to deal with that. And
I was so depressed. Here it is the middle of
the pandemic, and I was like, there's nobody out there
is there're nobody good. And my publisher said to me,
you know what, you keep talking about the importance of
(18:43):
play go, play go, and get away from this and
take a couple of weeks off and then start from
the beginning and dig deeper. And that's exactly what I did,
and I found the people that I've written about continue
to inspire me every day, and like true fireflies, you know,
I get the snapshot in time of something that they've done,
(19:05):
but they're all doing new things and growing in new areas.
One of the women I wrote about is eighty four
years old in Australia and she just had her first
one woman art show. I have another guy that I
wrote about, that planet walker, that has walked different parts
of the planet just to listen to people. And as
(19:27):
the book came out, I get this email from him
going to thee I don't think you're going to be
able to reach me for a while because I'm on
my way to South Africa and I'm getting ready to
walk from South Africa to Kenya. This is a man
who's seventy eight years old. They're incredible and they keep
doing amazing things. And I keep saying if they can
(19:49):
do this.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Well, it's almost like where do they go? Where do
the fireflies go in the winter? Where do they go
in the snowstorm? And then they shine just as bright? Right,
it's spring, summer start coming.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Along, right, And you know if you go through seasons
with this too, you go there are seasons for us
of hanging low and self care, and then there are
other times to shine. I love the concept though, that fireflies.
The light that they use is a cold light. It's
not like a hot fiery light that burns really hot
(20:24):
and then burns out. It's got staying power. It's not overwhelming.
It's a very nice cold light and fireflies. The more
that I dou't in fireflies, the more yes, we need
to learn from this. I mean, there are over two
thousand different species of fireflies, and they actually glow in
(20:45):
all different colors. We have them in blue and in green,
and in yellow and in orange. Two thousand different species
of fireflies. That's a family that embraces a whole lot
of diversity. What a miracle, Yes, well, and that's the
whole point. You know, we grow up and we forget
(21:06):
the magic and we go, oh, miracles don't really happen,
but they do. They're all around us. A firefly is
a miracle and the fact that we're here is a miracle.
And I think, you've got this light, what do you
want to do with it? Because the world needs you
to shine it.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Writer, Yes, And it's realizing that no matter who you are,
where you are, no one is their light isn't dim.
Everyone has a light for a reason, and it's it's
finding that and going And that's the journey. Because as
doing that journey, you learn about yourself and then when
you see others. So many times when I do my shows,
(21:44):
you meet incredible guests like you, I'm like, wow, this
is right, something that I align with, this is something.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
It's just incredible. It's a miracle. I would say.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
It's part of that journey that you meet people on
the path and it's so rewarding also to be giving
back to the community, having them see your light and
then also be inspired by your life. Now you also
have very very deep roots and expertise in the environment,
in oceanography and animals, so you really know when you're
(22:17):
speaking about the universe, the world fireflies, you know the
background of it.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
You've really been behind the scenes with it. Tell us
a little bit about that.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Well. I have a background in marine biology, was actually
an up and coming marine biologist that was working with
the National Querium in Washington, d C. What I found,
which took me on a different path, was we were
spending all of our time when we need money. I
(22:48):
had an education staff that would say, what's our budget
for next month? And I would say, you know that
there's a wishing well in the front, and there's pennies
in there. Whatever pennies are in there, that's for you
to your budget for next month. I was working with
major environmental organizations and there was one fundraising campaign after
(23:08):
the next after the next, and I said, this is exhausting.
I didn't study to become just a fundraiser. Yes, we're
trying to get things done. And within the environmental community
there is this feeling and belief, another misguided belief, that
corporations and big businesses are greedy and they're terrible big
(23:33):
business and we should have what they have. And I thought, well,
business isn't greedy, corporations aren't greedy. People people are greedy.
I'll make it, yes, right, and people are greedy in
all different fields. So if there are people who are
greedy within corporate America. Let me find people who have
a different take on this. And I got the opportunity
(23:57):
to work with a multimillionaire within the hotel casino resorts,
which initially Alexa went no, I can't, I can't, I
can't do this. This is this is crazy, and I said, nope,
you embrace it. It's something different and see what you learn.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Big spotlight, just a light, it's a big spotlight.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
And I was like, this is this is crazy, But
I brought it because I kept saying, what would happen
if you have environmental conservation working hand in hand with
a fortune five hundred company. And I got the opportunity
to do that, and the changes that I was able
to make are just phenomenal in terms of setting new
(24:43):
standards for animal care within zoos and aquariums around the world,
being able to do new initiatives. And then all of
a sudden, I was working within a hotel a resort
that had retail, where I got the input in terms
of what we were caring in terms of retail. Well,
you can't say that you're pro animals and then be
(25:05):
carrying fur coats. Oh yeah, you're right, So none of that,
and even within our restaurants to say okay, let's go
for sustainable seafood where we can. But it's not screaming
and it's not hitting this against the want saying yes,
did this. It would be I would present no, and
(25:28):
I would say, you know, here's a different alternative, and
I found for you you could do this for the
same price point or pennies above and it's sustainable. And
what I found is you start working with chefs. Yes,
they want to support the environment. Well, Julie, that's a
great idea. Let's let's do this. And I found that
(25:50):
in all different areas. One of the people that I
highlight in my book is Ellen MacArthur, who has the
Ellen MacArthur Foundation based out of the UK, and it's
very focused on a circular economy. Let's look at where
things begin and where things end. But the concept is
(26:10):
we're not perfect and you're not going to have all
the answers, but if we're aware of it and we're trying,
then we can find out where we've got those leverage
points to make changes. And instead, you know, we spend
too much time shaming everyone and oh you did this
and you did that, and we need to think differently
instead of saying, oh, you need to stop buying fruits
(26:33):
and vegetables that were not in your refrigerator, maybe we
need to look at designing refrigerators better and stop saying
it's your fault, we blame the consumer and saying we
need to maybe designed better. This needs to come from
all different aspects.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
People shut down. People can't hear.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
They shut down, They go into their own mind. We're
giving them options, giving them opportunities. Right then they can
make it their own and I'll say, wow, this is
what I can do. This I can There's not I
want wrong in my thinking, but there's sometimes there's always
room for improvement for everyone.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Well we all are it works in progress exactly.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
And within the environmental community, we have to stop the bullying.
You know, you drive a car or you took a plane.
It's like, stop this. We need to find new ways
to do things.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
It's so much wasted energy.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
And when you get into that space of blaming shaming
you that it's such negativity that it doesn't you don't
have that space where you're you're innocent looking at the firefly,
you're not just shining your light.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Your light is dim and dark, and you're in that
mode of.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
A kind of chaos and feeling where you want to
come more from that open mode.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Right, And that's where I talk and I talk about
the importance of rising in the spaces between, because fireflies
transcend politics, they transcend the bullying. They they see something special,
magical and unique, and they arise in the spaces between
without paying attention to all the chatter.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
And they don't have to identify as anything except a
firefly and show.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Up exactly exactly which we all happy to be happy.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
And that's it, right. Where can my viewers find more
about you?
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Follow you?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I have a website that's really easy. It's www dot
extraordinary fireflies dot com and on their Alexa there's a
free download with five exercises that anybody can start to
start shining brighter right away. I offer free discovery calls
with no sales, no anything, just to get the idea
(28:47):
of what does it look like to work with a
coach when you have that support. I believe everybody, whether
it's therapy or a coach, or you need somebody in
your life more than somebody that's going to support your
journey and to be there for you. So it's to
give people an idea and to feel for that. And
once you download my Flying Lessons for Fireflies exercise, it
(29:11):
puts you on a mailing list where once a week
I send out a short blurb of something that is
encouraging and inspiring, just because I believe everybody needs to
get a little bit of encouragement and inspiration here and there.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Absolutely, and I think we all need it. We all
go through different.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Things and having that team and having that support is
just so important.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
But also it feeds.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Us in different ways, so then we can grow and
we could also give back to others. Before the end
of the show, if there's one tip you would give
my viewers that you've learned, what would it be.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
Not to let fear stop you? Fear stops everyone. I'm
not good enough, I'm not worthy, I'm not deserving. Everybody
is good enough, worthy and deserving, and everybody deserves the
chance to be happy. That's why we're here.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Absolutely absolutely, I agree with you so much. Well again,
thank you so much for coming on my show. I'm
so excited to have you back on and learn more
because I have so many questions.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
The show went by so quickly.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Again everyone, thank you so much for tuning in. Everybody,
have a good night and God
Speaker 3 (30:32):
Bless Thanks so much
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