June 25, 2025 • 29 mins
Can introverted women over 50 reinvent their lives—and thrive without changing who they are?
Absolutely—and Kimberly Jergen is living proof.
In this inspiring episode of Aging With Purpose and Passion, Kimberly—an actor, speaker, and proud “Radiant Introvert”—shares how she transformed quiet self-doubt into authentic power using mindset, movement, and her signature ELEGANT coaching framework.
We explore:
- How introverts can succeed without pretending to be extroverts.
- Why reinvention after 50 starts with emotional and physical self-awareness
- How to turn perceived “limitations” into superpowers
- The one metaphor that will shift how you view stagnation vs. growth
- Practical strategies to help you thrive in business, relationships, and life—on your terms
From a seventh-grade failure due to undiagnosed dyslexia to booking acting roles in LA with no connections, Kimberly's story is a testament to bold reinvention—without selling out your nature.
If you’ve ever felt too quiet, too old, or too unsure to start over—this episode is your permission slip.
💡 Ready to discover your reinvention potential?
Download the free Checklist From Stuck to Unstoppable and join our community of purpose-driven women rewriting midlife after 50.
Because thriving as an introvert isn’t about being louder—it’s about being more you.
Resources:
For similar episodes on turning your weakness into strength, check out episodes 121 and 128 of Aging with Purpose and Passion and, if you love podcasts for older women, the Late Bloomer Living podcast will give you a fresh perspective on midlife and aging. From embracing health and wellness to navigating empty nesting and chasing new dreams, this podcast offers practical advice, uplifting stories, and a reminder that it’s never too late to bloom.
Kimberly Jurgen
https://www.instagram.com/kimberly_jurgen/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-jurgen
Beverley Glazer
https://reinventimpossible.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer/
https://www.facebook.com/beverley.glazer
https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/
https://calendly.com/reinventimpossible/15min
🎁 BONUS: Take your first step to clarity, courage and momentum. Your free checklist: → From Stuck to Unstoppable – is here.
https://reinvent-impossible.aweb.page/from-stuck-to-unstoppable
Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at info@Reinventimpossible.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to Aging with Purpose and Passion, the
podcast designed to inspire yourgreatness and thrive through
life.
Get ready to conquer your fears.
Here's your hostpsychotherapist, coach and
empowerment expert, BeverlyGlazer.
Beverley Glazer (00:33):
Are you an introvert struggling to survive
in an extroverted world?
Well, welcome to Aging withPurpose and Passion.
I'm Beverley Glazer and, ifyou're new to my world, I
provide tools for women toovercome challenges and connect
the missing links in both theirpersonal and professional lives,
and I want you to know that youhave more power than you can
ever imagine.
(00:53):
And sometimes life kicks in,and when that happens, it gives
us a little bit of a shot, so wetend to forget that.
Consider these episodes yourweekly reminders.
Today, I want you to meetKimberly Jergen.
Kimberly is an introvertempowerment coach with a passion
(01:16):
for helping women break freefrom their limiting behaviors.
Welcome, kim.
Limiting behaviors.
Welcome, kim Kimberly.
Were you always considered anintrovert?
Because as soon as anyone talksto you or sees you, you don't
look like an introvert at all.
Kimberly Jergen (01:35):
Thank you very much.
Yes, my introversion, I guess,is a way to say it.
I consider myself neuro spicy.
I like that, thank you, and Ihave been an introvert for as
(01:56):
long as I can remember.
It's the way that I process theworld and the way that I
interact.
Just sometimes it takes me alittle bit of time to recharge
my batteries If I just get alittle overstimulated,
especially if it's anenvironment that's unfamiliar to
me.
Beverley Glazer (02:17):
Right, but you also found out that you had
dyslexia.
Kimberly Jergen (02:22):
I did.
Beverley Glazer (02:23):
And that can also make you introverted, can
it not Like you start feeling alittle bit different?
Kimberly Jergen (02:29):
Well, at the time that I discovered I was
different, I didn't know what itwas, I didn't know.
I never had even heard ofdyslexia, and it was in seventh
grade and I failed a historytest and that was something that
just never happened for me.
So I was afraid that therewould be I don't know.
(02:53):
I guess negative consequences,like something bad would happen
to me if adults found out thatthere was something wrong.
So I created my own strategiesso that no one would ever find
out what it was.
And it wasn't until I got tocollege and was reading in a
biology textbook that there wasa word for what I experience
(03:16):
every day, and it's dyslexia.
And suddenly it all made sense.
Beverley Glazer (03:22):
How did that fit you, though?
Did you say okay, now I havesomething, I've been diagnosed,
or I diagnosed myself?
Like what did you do there?
Kimberly Jergen (03:33):
It was just.
There was a huge relief thathappened because suddenly
everything made sense.
I didn't feel like there wassomething wrong with me, because
it wasn't unique to me, like Iwasn't outside of everybody else
.
Yes, I was different than a lotof people, but we are all
(03:56):
different in a million differentways, and so this just gave a
new difference to me.
But by putting a name to it,suddenly everything made sense.
And where it was frustratingbefore and I was constantly
having to create strategies sothat when I was giving
directions I wouldn't say left,when I meant right, I got so
(04:21):
many people lost.
Or being an actor on stage withstage left and stage right I
was constantly having to havethese reminders for myself so
that I could say the right thingand I could interpret it
correctly when somebody told meto go left or go right, to make
(04:42):
sure that I actually went thedirection they said rather than
the opposite, which isoftentimes what my brain would
tell me to do.
Beverley Glazer (04:51):
Sure, but I'm stopping you right now, because
you just said actor, yes, andyou also said in the same breath
, introvert.
Okay, yes, when we think ofactors, we do not think of
introverts.
When we think of actors, we donot think of introverts.
Kimberly Jergen (05:10):
So when did you decide that this is going to be
a field that I'm going to gointo.
Well, I had loved actingthroughout high school and had
worked, had taken a course atthe Tennessee Performing Arts
Center one summer for highschool students and it was
amazing.
And during that time I actuallyhad a teacher who told me not
(05:31):
to go to conservatory.
She said that I should go to aliberal arts college and major
in life.
Now, as a 16 year old, I'm likenod and smile, yeah, whatever.
I don't even know what thatmeans, but okay, sure.
Nod and smile, yeah, whatever.
I don't even know what thatmeans, but okay, sure.
But what ended up happening wasI went to a liberal arts college
(05:52):
.
I floated around through somany different majors because I
fell in love with learning whenI was in college, and then I
ended up majoring in lifebecause I experienced so many
things while I was there, got mydegree in theater studies and
film, because I had never seenacting as a viable career path,
(06:13):
because it didn't seem like youcould make a living at it, and
my mom was very stressed whenshe discovered that's what I
have decided to do.
But I booked my firstprofessional gig while I was
still in college continuedbooking after graduation, so I
was able to be a professionalactor Pretty much out of the
(06:38):
gate once I had made thedecision.
This is what I'm going to do.
Beverley Glazer (06:42):
Which is exceptional, because most actors
that you think of it arewaiters.
They're starving before theystart getting those parts and
you started getting those partsright out of the gate.
Kimberly Jergen (06:57):
Yes, I am probably one of the few actors
that has not ever waited tableshow about that?
Okay, but I also know I wouldbe horrible at it.
So it's not that I turned mynose up at it at all.
I just I don't think and maybeit's partly because I'm an
introvert and so going up to allof those tables just sounds
exhausting to me, and becauseI'm dyslexic.
(07:20):
Having to remember all theorders and put them down at the
right tables in front of theright people also is a little
overwhelming.
I have known myself well enoughto know I would fail at that
job, and you never had to do it.
Beverley Glazer (07:37):
Did not no, but you also took a great big risk,
too great big risk too.
You moved from your town andyou chose the Big Apple of all
places, of course, new York,which is, as everyone involved
in the theater would say, yes, Iwant to go there, and you did
(07:57):
it.
How did someone who wasintroverted start out and say
I'm going to go was introverted,start out and say I'm going to
go, I'm going to do it alone,I'm going to go to NYC, new York
City?
Here I come and actually dothat?
How did you get to land jobs inNew York City?
Kimberly Jergen (08:16):
Well, actually I felt like I had gone as far as
I could go in Atlanta Now,atlanta is a huge hub of so much
production going on.
But I had felt like I had kindof reached the ceiling.
Casting directors knew me, butthere just wasn't a lot of work
yet, so I left right asproduction started flowing into
(08:39):
the city.
So if I had waited maybeanother couple of years, things
might have turned out completelydifferently.
But I've always lived in theSouth and so I was thinking
where do I want to go?
Looking at New York and LA.
And I'd been to New York a lot.
I had studied in New York, Ihad even been on stages in New
(09:02):
York and I loved the idea ofgoing to New York.
My family loved New York, so Ithought they're going to visit
all the time.
This will be great.
And then I thought of LosAngeles.
I had never been to Los Angeles, did not know a single person
in Los Angeles, had never evenbeen to LAX in a layover.
So like I had zero knowledge ofLos Angeles.
(09:23):
But because I had always livedin the South, I knew that going
through three feet of snow to anaudition was probably not
something I was going to do sothat the weather actually was
the reason why I chose LosAngeles over New York City, and
(09:45):
so it's the most ridiculousreason on the planet.
But I have to say some of thebiggest decisions I have made in
my life have been for reallyoff center reasons.
The reason that first got meinto Atlanta was a little
unusual, and then the reasonthat got me to Los Angeles also
(10:05):
was a little bit of a headscratcher too.
Beverley Glazer (10:09):
How did you do that?
Think about it.
You're supposed to be anintrovert.
How do you just set up, as youknow, in this extroverted world?
Now we're talking LA.
New York is one scene, but theEast Coast is totally different
than the West Coast and you wentfrom east to west.
(10:31):
Did you know anybody?
Kimberly Jergen (10:34):
Were there any connections?
I had zero connections.
I even had to find roommates onCraigslist Like I didn't even
know them, like I didn't evenknow them.
Beverley Glazer (10:45):
And so here you are in LA, where everybody
comes to be an actor.
Yes, and everyone comes to bediscovered.
Kimberly Jergen (10:57):
What did you do ?
How did you make friends?
How did you connect?
Well, because I had done somuch theater, I knew that that
could be my way to feel at homehere.
So I started doing theater,because there is a sizable
theater community here.
It's not predominant, obviously, because there's so much film
(11:18):
and TV production here in LosAngeles, but I loved getting to
know people and it started tofeel like home to me and also,
coming from the South, I justhave a genuinely friendly
demeanor when it comes to seeingpeople on the street, and that
(11:40):
was very unusual, I think, forpeople here.
So I would just start talkingto people and they would be so
surprised and they would engagein conversation with me and I
started making connections justbecause I was allowing myself to
be me, but me without fears orfrustrations or the feeling that
(12:09):
I'm going to fail.
I knew from the minute I gothere I was going to succeed that
is amazing because that'smindset.
Exactly.
Beverley Glazer (12:23):
For someone who is introverted, just the mere
fact of going out to totalstrangers can be horrifying.
Did you have to overcome that?
It's just no, I'm a Southerngirl.
This is just what I do.
Kimberly Jergen (12:39):
No, I definitely had to overcome it.
What I did?
No, I definitely had toovercome it.
I started doing a lot of improvback when I was in Atlanta, and
, as a professional improviser,part of what it taught me to do
was to comfortably go up tostrangers and have conversations
, because I was required to dothat, and so it gave me that
(13:04):
sense of confidence, and thatsometimes is what can make the
difference between taking thatstep, even knowing I don't know
what's going to happen, butgoing forward anyway, and that
made a huge difference for me.
But going forward anyway, yeah,and that made a huge difference
(13:25):
for me.
Beverley Glazer (13:26):
Do you use those strategies in your
coaching?
Kim?
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Mm-hmm.
Beverley Glazer (13:32):
And what do your clients say?
Oh, I cannot do that, how can Ido that?
What do you say to them?
Kimberly Jergen (13:40):
Well, I tell them that that is a choice.
I am a huge fan of relabeling.
So if you have a label thatsays this is going to be hard,
well, that's a choice.
And if it's up to you to choosewhat that label is going to be,
(14:04):
why not choose the opposite?
Okay, so, instead of this isgoing to be hard, this is going
to be an exciting challenge.
Not that it's going to be easyand it's going to be a piece of
cake, but the mindset that yougo into it with can make all the
difference.
Because if you say this isgoing to be hard, there is a
part of your brain that hasalready decided it may not work
(14:27):
out.
But if you say this is going tobe an exciting challenge, now
it's an adventure, and you don'tknow what's going to happen
next.
And sure, the outcome might beless awesome than what it could
have been, but you have givenyourself the opportunity to have
(14:49):
a new experience and to learnfrom that and to grow with that.
Beverley Glazer (14:55):
So once again, it's mindset yes, I want to do
it more than I am afraid to doit.
Kimberly Jergen (15:05):
Yes, and to step out of yourself, exactly.
But sometimes it doesn't meanthat you don't acknowledge that
fear.
Because, yes, there are timeswhere I'm doing something and I
know that on the other side ofit it's going to be exhausting.
Going onto a film set where Idon't know anybody and I've
(15:27):
never been on the set before,and suddenly I have to interact
with another actor that I'venever even met, as though I am
her parent, that I am her momand I have known her all of her
life, and so suddenly we have tohave that bond on camera and I
don't know her from Adam's houseyet.
So, knowing that, yes,sometimes it's going to be
(15:54):
challenging and sometimes itwill be absolutely draining
times, it will be absolutelydraining.
But being so excited at thepossibilities of the experience
that's going to happen for me,that is what keeps me going.
(16:16):
It makes it worth going to thatcompletely foreign environment
and doing I don't know what'sgoing to happen.
Beverley Glazer (16:24):
Right.
So it's not thinking ofyourself, it's stepping out of
yourself and just discoveringsomething new.
Yes, is that why you went fromacting to coaching?
Kimberly Jergen (16:37):
introverts.
Yes, now of course, I'm stillan actor, so I still love doing
that because it feeds adifferent part of me.
But coaching and working withintroverts, I love being able to
help others have an experiencethat is unique to them and gives
(17:01):
them the opportunity to live alife that is fuller and richer
than they may have experiencedbefore.
I started calling myself theradiant introvert.
We were talking about labelsand just by saying that and
introducing myself to potentialclients or at networking events
(17:26):
as hi, I'm Kimberly Jergen, theRadiant Introvert.
Yes, it may have felt a littleclunky in the beginning, but
eventually I grew into thatbecause every time I said it I
was reminding myself that thereare two sides to the coin.
Being an introvert is asuperpower, and embracing that
(17:51):
and recognizing what are theassets that you have because you
are an introvert, that folkswho are extroverts or omniverts
don't have, that folks who areextroverts or omniverts don't
have, and embracing those andletting those become strengths
(18:18):
rather than seeing this assomething that diminishes my
experience of life.
Beverley Glazer (18:20):
Yes, so what role does risk-taking play?
Because you've been takingrisks with being an introvert,
taking risks with moving, takingrisks with going into places
like LA or New York, gettingjobs, having no connections,
constantly taking risks.
What role does that play foryou?
Kimberly Jergen (18:47):
and your personal growth.
I know that if I don't takerisks, everything stays exactly
the same, and a body of waterthat doesn't move gets foul
right.
So you constantly have to havethat movement.
(19:09):
That's just part of nature, isstaying in movement so that
things stay fresh.
And so in life, recognizingthat for myself, that, yes, I
could just let my life stay thesame as it has always been, but
(19:37):
then I won't have any newexperiences, then I will always
be caught up in the cycle ofmaking the same choices, which,
when you're making a choice thatis one that hurts you.
That's certainly not a placethat I want to be.
(19:57):
I don't want to feed that partof myself that is in pain or
that part of myself that isafraid to step forward, even if
I don't know what's going tohappen.
Beverley Glazer (20:24):
So that's what risk does.
It doesn't matter.
What you're doing is you'retaking a leap of faith, really,
and then seeing what comes outof it, and it doesn't matter if
you're introverted, it doesn'tmatter if you have dyslexia.
What you're doing is justtaking that leap of faith and,
regardless of what all thelabels have said, let's just see
.
Being curious, exactly what youhave now is elegant curiosity.
(20:49):
That is your coaching system.
Yes, talk about that.
What is that?
Kimberly Jergen (20:54):
Sure, it is a.
Well, it spells out the wordelegant and that's where it
comes from.
It's what first inspired it wasbecause I'm a bit of a math and
science geek and so I loveequations that are elegant, and
an elegant equation is justsomething that is a very complex
(21:19):
idea that is expressed in sucha simple way like E equals MC
squared.
For me, that's like one of themost beautifully elegant
expressions of an incrediblycomplicated and powerful result.
And so, with that idea, Idecided let's call my system
(21:42):
elegant, because it becomes thatthere are so many ripples, like
you throw a rock into water andyou get the ripples, and that's
what this is, and each one, asyou embrace it, it creates so
(22:03):
many results that you couldn'thave envisioned coming.
It starts by engaging yourcuriosity, because with that
sense of curiosity, you arebringing a feeling of adventure.
That's where you are okay withwhatever the outcome may be.
Then you are listening actively, so that you are present in
(22:27):
every single moment when you arehaving a conversation with
yourself, with others, that youare fully present.
And then you embracevulnerability, and this is where
you also become courageousenough to step forward, because
(22:48):
being vulnerable is part of that.
It's the other side of the coinand if you are okay with being
vulnerable, that will give youthe courage to take risks and
step outside your comfort zone.
Then you're generatingopportunities.
This is where you are creatingmore than you could have
(23:09):
imagined.
Then you assess and you adapt,because if we are not changing
then we are becoming thatstagnant water and stagnant.
If you've ever been to a pondthat is stagnant water, it is
like icky.
There is that pond scum and allkinds of unpleasant things
(23:30):
happening and then you have tobe in motion and keep moving and
growing.
Exactly and by assessing what'shappening and then adapting it,
makes sure that you are aware ofwhat the choices are that
you're making and then shiftingif you need to, then nurturing
(23:52):
your relationships.
That's your relationships withothers, but also your
relationship with yourself.
I find that so much of the timeintroverts are unaware of
themselves, even that we getdisconnected from ourselves,
that we start to take so muchabout ourselves for granted, and
(24:16):
that also leads to that cycleof repetitive stagnation.
And then the final step in theelegant system is to transform
assumptions, because assumptionsare the things that I find
prevent us from moving forwardagain and again, and again.
Beverley Glazer (24:39):
Very, very true .
What advice would you give toother introverted women, kim,
who are stuck in their comfortzones?
What can you tell them to givethem that boost?
And they say I can't.
Kimberly Jergen (24:58):
I would say to start with checking in with
yourself.
If you've got one of thosewatches that, like, reminds you
to get up and move every sooften, or if you don't, then
just set an alarm for yourself.
And whenever that goes off, thefirst thing I would love for
you to do is to check in withyourself.
(25:20):
What am I feeling right now?
And this can be your physicalsensations Am I hot, am I cold,
am I hungry, am I tired?
Am I energized?
What are you physically feelingemotionally?
And then, what are youphysically feeling physically,
(25:42):
so that you are tuning in toyour own thermostat, your own
barometer, your own internalclock, your own self.
And if you start withunderstanding you and how you
feel from moment to moment, thenyou'll start to become aware of
(26:04):
tension.
And I find that tension is theenemy of creativity, it is the
enemy of change of creativity,it is the enemy of change.
And tension within yourself isanytime you are not in alignment
with your natural flow.
You are being something thatsomebody else has said you
(26:25):
should be, rather than being inflow with your authentic self.
And so the first way that youcan start to recognize that is
just by checking in withyourself and noticing how you
feel, again the sensory feelings, but also the emotional
feelings, and the more you dothat, the more you're aware of
(26:49):
yourself and you're going tostart to feel that tension and
that's going to help you takethose risks as you feel I feel
powerful.
Today I'm going to step out.
What can I do today that thisfeeling can fuel?
Beverley Glazer (27:10):
Yes, that really says it.
What are you feeling?
Go with it.
Yes, go with your gut.
Be who you are.
Stop thinking so much, justkeep on going.
Kimberly Jergen is an introvertempowerment coach with a
(27:33):
passion for helping introvertsto break their limiting
behaviors.
And where can people reach you,kim?
Kimberly Jergen (27:40):
You can reach me through my website,
KimberlyYergincom, or I'm onLinkedIn as well.
Beverley Glazer (27:46):
Wonderful, and those links are going to be in
the show notes and they're alsogoing to be on my site too.
That's Reinventedpossiblecom.
So what's next for you, myfriends?
Are you just going through themotions or are you prepared to
transform your own life?
Download From Suck toUnstoppable and find out, and
(28:08):
that's also going to be in theshow notes below.
You can connect with me,Beverley Glazer, on all social
media platforms and in mypositive group of women on
Facebook that's Women Over 50Rock, and you can also schedule
a quick Zoom with me personally,should you want to.
All those links, once again,are going to be in the show
(28:30):
notes below.
Have you enjoyed thisconversation?
Please join me next week.
Subscribe to get all theseepisodes in your inbox and drop
us a review and send it also toa friend.
And remember you only have onelife, so live it with purpose
(28:50):
and passion.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Thank you for joining us.
You can connect with Bev on herwebsite, reinventimpossible.
com and, while you're there,join our newsletter subscribe so
you don't miss an episode.
Until next time, keep agingwith purpose and passion and
celebrate life.
Welcome to Aging with Purpose and Passion, the
podcast designed to inspire yourgreatness and thrive through
life.
Get ready to conquer your fears.
Here's your hostpsychotherapist, coach and
empowerment expert, BeverlyGlazer.
Beverley Glazer (00:33):
Are you an introvert struggling to survive
in an extroverted world?
Well, welcome to Aging withPurpose and Passion.
I'm Beverley Glazer and, ifyou're new to my world, I
provide tools for women toovercome challenges and connect
the missing links in both theirpersonal and professional lives,
and I want you to know that youhave more power than you can
ever imagine.
(00:53):
And sometimes life kicks in,and when that happens, it gives
us a little bit of a shot, so wetend to forget that.
Consider these episodes yourweekly reminders.
Today, I want you to meetKimberly Jergen.
Kimberly is an introvertempowerment coach with a passion
(01:16):
for helping women break freefrom their limiting behaviors.
Welcome, kim.
Limiting behaviors.
Welcome, kim Kimberly.
Were you always considered anintrovert?
Because as soon as anyone talksto you or sees you, you don't
look like an introvert at all.
Kimberly Jergen (01:35):
Thank you very much.
Yes, my introversion, I guess,is a way to say it.
I consider myself neuro spicy.
I like that, thank you, and Ihave been an introvert for as
(01:56):
long as I can remember.
It's the way that I process theworld and the way that I
interact.
Just sometimes it takes me alittle bit of time to recharge
my batteries If I just get alittle overstimulated,
especially if it's anenvironment that's unfamiliar to
me.
Beverley Glazer (02:17):
Right, but you also found out that you had
dyslexia.
Kimberly Jergen (02:22):
I did.
Beverley Glazer (02:23):
And that can also make you introverted, can
it not Like you start feeling alittle bit different?
Kimberly Jergen (02:29):
Well, at the time that I discovered I was
different, I didn't know what itwas, I didn't know.
I never had even heard ofdyslexia, and it was in seventh
grade and I failed a historytest and that was something that
just never happened for me.
So I was afraid that therewould be I don't know.
(02:53):
I guess negative consequences,like something bad would happen
to me if adults found out thatthere was something wrong.
So I created my own strategiesso that no one would ever find
out what it was.
And it wasn't until I got tocollege and was reading in a
biology textbook that there wasa word for what I experience
(03:16):
every day, and it's dyslexia.
And suddenly it all made sense.
Beverley Glazer (03:22):
How did that fit you, though?
Did you say okay, now I havesomething, I've been diagnosed,
or I diagnosed myself?
Like what did you do there?
Kimberly Jergen (03:33):
It was just.
There was a huge relief thathappened because suddenly
everything made sense.
I didn't feel like there wassomething wrong with me, because
it wasn't unique to me, like Iwasn't outside of everybody else
.
Yes, I was different than a lotof people, but we are all
(03:56):
different in a million differentways, and so this just gave a
new difference to me.
But by putting a name to it,suddenly everything made sense.
And where it was frustratingbefore and I was constantly
having to create strategies sothat when I was giving
directions I wouldn't say left,when I meant right, I got so
(04:21):
many people lost.
Or being an actor on stage withstage left and stage right I
was constantly having to havethese reminders for myself so
that I could say the right thingand I could interpret it
correctly when somebody told meto go left or go right, to make
(04:42):
sure that I actually went thedirection they said rather than
the opposite, which isoftentimes what my brain would
tell me to do.
Beverley Glazer (04:51):
Sure, but I'm stopping you right now, because
you just said actor, yes, andyou also said in the same breath
, introvert.
Okay, yes, when we think ofactors, we do not think of
introverts.
When we think of actors, we donot think of introverts.
Kimberly Jergen (05:10):
So when did you decide that this is going to be
a field that I'm going to gointo.
Well, I had loved actingthroughout high school and had
worked, had taken a course atthe Tennessee Performing Arts
Center one summer for highschool students and it was
amazing.
And during that time I actuallyhad a teacher who told me not
(05:31):
to go to conservatory.
She said that I should go to aliberal arts college and major
in life.
Now, as a 16 year old, I'm likenod and smile, yeah, whatever.
I don't even know what thatmeans, but okay, sure.
Nod and smile, yeah, whatever.
I don't even know what thatmeans, but okay, sure.
But what ended up happening wasI went to a liberal arts college
(05:52):
.
I floated around through somany different majors because I
fell in love with learning whenI was in college, and then I
ended up majoring in lifebecause I experienced so many
things while I was there, got mydegree in theater studies and
film, because I had never seenacting as a viable career path,
(06:13):
because it didn't seem like youcould make a living at it, and
my mom was very stressed whenshe discovered that's what I
have decided to do.
But I booked my firstprofessional gig while I was
still in college continuedbooking after graduation, so I
was able to be a professionalactor Pretty much out of the
(06:38):
gate once I had made thedecision.
This is what I'm going to do.
Beverley Glazer (06:42):
Which is exceptional, because most actors
that you think of it arewaiters.
They're starving before theystart getting those parts and
you started getting those partsright out of the gate.
Kimberly Jergen (06:57):
Yes, I am probably one of the few actors
that has not ever waited tableshow about that?
Okay, but I also know I wouldbe horrible at it.
So it's not that I turned mynose up at it at all.
I just I don't think and maybeit's partly because I'm an
introvert and so going up to allof those tables just sounds
exhausting to me, and becauseI'm dyslexic.
(07:20):
Having to remember all theorders and put them down at the
right tables in front of theright people also is a little
overwhelming.
I have known myself well enoughto know I would fail at that
job, and you never had to do it.
Beverley Glazer (07:37):
Did not no, but you also took a great big risk,
too great big risk too.
You moved from your town andyou chose the Big Apple of all
places, of course, new York,which is, as everyone involved
in the theater would say, yes, Iwant to go there, and you did
(07:57):
it.
How did someone who wasintroverted start out and say
I'm going to go was introverted,start out and say I'm going to
go, I'm going to do it alone,I'm going to go to NYC, new York
City?
Here I come and actually dothat?
How did you get to land jobs inNew York City?
Kimberly Jergen (08:16):
Well, actually I felt like I had gone as far as
I could go in Atlanta Now,atlanta is a huge hub of so much
production going on.
But I had felt like I had kindof reached the ceiling.
Casting directors knew me, butthere just wasn't a lot of work
yet, so I left right asproduction started flowing into
(08:39):
the city.
So if I had waited maybeanother couple of years, things
might have turned out completelydifferently.
But I've always lived in theSouth and so I was thinking
where do I want to go?
Looking at New York and LA.
And I'd been to New York a lot.
I had studied in New York, Ihad even been on stages in New
(09:02):
York and I loved the idea ofgoing to New York.
My family loved New York, so Ithought they're going to visit
all the time.
This will be great.
And then I thought of LosAngeles.
I had never been to Los Angeles, did not know a single person
in Los Angeles, had never evenbeen to LAX in a layover.
So like I had zero knowledge ofLos Angeles.
(09:23):
But because I had always livedin the South, I knew that going
through three feet of snow to anaudition was probably not
something I was going to do sothat the weather actually was
the reason why I chose LosAngeles over New York City, and
(09:45):
so it's the most ridiculousreason on the planet.
But I have to say some of thebiggest decisions I have made in
my life have been for reallyoff center reasons.
The reason that first got meinto Atlanta was a little
unusual, and then the reasonthat got me to Los Angeles also
(10:05):
was a little bit of a headscratcher too.
Beverley Glazer (10:09):
How did you do that?
Think about it.
You're supposed to be anintrovert.
How do you just set up, as youknow, in this extroverted world?
Now we're talking LA.
New York is one scene, but theEast Coast is totally different
than the West Coast and you wentfrom east to west.
(10:31):
Did you know anybody?
Kimberly Jergen (10:34):
Were there any connections?
I had zero connections.
I even had to find roommates onCraigslist Like I didn't even
know them, like I didn't evenknow them.
Beverley Glazer (10:45):
And so here you are in LA, where everybody
comes to be an actor.
Yes, and everyone comes to bediscovered.
Kimberly Jergen (10:57):
What did you do ?
How did you make friends?
How did you connect?
Well, because I had done somuch theater, I knew that that
could be my way to feel at homehere.
So I started doing theater,because there is a sizable
theater community here.
It's not predominant, obviously, because there's so much film
(11:18):
and TV production here in LosAngeles, but I loved getting to
know people and it started tofeel like home to me and also,
coming from the South, I justhave a genuinely friendly
demeanor when it comes to seeingpeople on the street, and that
(11:40):
was very unusual, I think, forpeople here.
So I would just start talkingto people and they would be so
surprised and they would engagein conversation with me and I
started making connections justbecause I was allowing myself to
be me, but me without fears orfrustrations or the feeling that
(12:09):
I'm going to fail.
I knew from the minute I gothere I was going to succeed that
is amazing because that'smindset.
Exactly.
Beverley Glazer (12:23):
For someone who is introverted, just the mere
fact of going out to totalstrangers can be horrifying.
Did you have to overcome that?
It's just no, I'm a Southerngirl.
This is just what I do.
Kimberly Jergen (12:39):
No, I definitely had to overcome it.
What I did?
No, I definitely had toovercome it.
I started doing a lot of improvback when I was in Atlanta, and
, as a professional improviser,part of what it taught me to do
was to comfortably go up tostrangers and have conversations
, because I was required to dothat, and so it gave me that
(13:04):
sense of confidence, and thatsometimes is what can make the
difference between taking thatstep, even knowing I don't know
what's going to happen, butgoing forward anyway, and that
made a huge difference for me.
But going forward anyway, yeah,and that made a huge difference
(13:25):
for me.
Beverley Glazer (13:26):
Do you use those strategies in your
coaching?
Kim?
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Mm-hmm.
Beverley Glazer (13:32):
And what do your clients say?
Oh, I cannot do that, how can Ido that?
What do you say to them?
Kimberly Jergen (13:40):
Well, I tell them that that is a choice.
I am a huge fan of relabeling.
So if you have a label thatsays this is going to be hard,
well, that's a choice.
And if it's up to you to choosewhat that label is going to be,
(14:04):
why not choose the opposite?
Okay, so, instead of this isgoing to be hard, this is going
to be an exciting challenge.
Not that it's going to be easyand it's going to be a piece of
cake, but the mindset that yougo into it with can make all the
difference.
Because if you say this isgoing to be hard, there is a
part of your brain that hasalready decided it may not work
(14:27):
out.
But if you say this is going tobe an exciting challenge, now
it's an adventure, and you don'tknow what's going to happen
next.
And sure, the outcome might beless awesome than what it could
have been, but you have givenyourself the opportunity to have
(14:49):
a new experience and to learnfrom that and to grow with that.
Beverley Glazer (14:55):
So once again, it's mindset yes, I want to do
it more than I am afraid to doit.
Kimberly Jergen (15:05):
Yes, and to step out of yourself, exactly.
But sometimes it doesn't meanthat you don't acknowledge that
fear.
Because, yes, there are timeswhere I'm doing something and I
know that on the other side ofit it's going to be exhausting.
Going onto a film set where Idon't know anybody and I've
(15:27):
never been on the set before,and suddenly I have to interact
with another actor that I'venever even met, as though I am
her parent, that I am her momand I have known her all of her
life, and so suddenly we have tohave that bond on camera and I
don't know her from Adam's houseyet.
So, knowing that, yes,sometimes it's going to be
(15:54):
challenging and sometimes itwill be absolutely draining
times, it will be absolutelydraining.
But being so excited at thepossibilities of the experience
that's going to happen for me,that is what keeps me going.
(16:16):
It makes it worth going to thatcompletely foreign environment
and doing I don't know what'sgoing to happen.
Beverley Glazer (16:24):
Right.
So it's not thinking ofyourself, it's stepping out of
yourself and just discoveringsomething new.
Yes, is that why you went fromacting to coaching?
Kimberly Jergen (16:37):
introverts.
Yes, now of course, I'm stillan actor, so I still love doing
that because it feeds adifferent part of me.
But coaching and working withintroverts, I love being able to
help others have an experiencethat is unique to them and gives
(17:01):
them the opportunity to live alife that is fuller and richer
than they may have experiencedbefore.
I started calling myself theradiant introvert.
We were talking about labelsand just by saying that and
introducing myself to potentialclients or at networking events
(17:26):
as hi, I'm Kimberly Jergen, theRadiant Introvert.
Yes, it may have felt a littleclunky in the beginning, but
eventually I grew into thatbecause every time I said it I
was reminding myself that thereare two sides to the coin.
Being an introvert is asuperpower, and embracing that
(17:51):
and recognizing what are theassets that you have because you
are an introvert, that folkswho are extroverts or omniverts
don't have, that folks who areextroverts or omniverts don't
have, and embracing those andletting those become strengths
(18:18):
rather than seeing this assomething that diminishes my
experience of life.
Beverley Glazer (18:20):
Yes, so what role does risk-taking play?
Because you've been takingrisks with being an introvert,
taking risks with moving, takingrisks with going into places
like LA or New York, gettingjobs, having no connections,
constantly taking risks.
What role does that play foryou?
Kimberly Jergen (18:47):
and your personal growth.
I know that if I don't takerisks, everything stays exactly
the same, and a body of waterthat doesn't move gets foul
right.
So you constantly have to havethat movement.
(19:09):
That's just part of nature, isstaying in movement so that
things stay fresh.
And so in life, recognizingthat for myself, that, yes, I
could just let my life stay thesame as it has always been, but
(19:37):
then I won't have any newexperiences, then I will always
be caught up in the cycle ofmaking the same choices, which,
when you're making a choice thatis one that hurts you.
That's certainly not a placethat I want to be.
(19:57):
I don't want to feed that partof myself that is in pain or
that part of myself that isafraid to step forward, even if
I don't know what's going tohappen.
Beverley Glazer (20:24):
So that's what risk does.
It doesn't matter.
What you're doing is you'retaking a leap of faith, really,
and then seeing what comes outof it, and it doesn't matter if
you're introverted, it doesn'tmatter if you have dyslexia.
What you're doing is justtaking that leap of faith and,
regardless of what all thelabels have said, let's just see
.
Being curious, exactly what youhave now is elegant curiosity.
(20:49):
That is your coaching system.
Yes, talk about that.
What is that?
Kimberly Jergen (20:54):
Sure, it is a.
Well, it spells out the wordelegant and that's where it
comes from.
It's what first inspired it wasbecause I'm a bit of a math and
science geek and so I loveequations that are elegant, and
an elegant equation is justsomething that is a very complex
(21:19):
idea that is expressed in sucha simple way like E equals MC
squared.
For me, that's like one of themost beautifully elegant
expressions of an incrediblycomplicated and powerful result.
And so, with that idea, Idecided let's call my system
(21:42):
elegant, because it becomes thatthere are so many ripples, like
you throw a rock into water andyou get the ripples, and that's
what this is, and each one, asyou embrace it, it creates so
(22:03):
many results that you couldn'thave envisioned coming.
It starts by engaging yourcuriosity, because with that
sense of curiosity, you arebringing a feeling of adventure.
That's where you are okay withwhatever the outcome may be.
Then you are listening actively, so that you are present in
(22:27):
every single moment when you arehaving a conversation with
yourself, with others, that youare fully present.
And then you embracevulnerability, and this is where
you also become courageousenough to step forward, because
(22:48):
being vulnerable is part of that.
It's the other side of the coinand if you are okay with being
vulnerable, that will give youthe courage to take risks and
step outside your comfort zone.
Then you're generatingopportunities.
This is where you are creatingmore than you could have
(23:09):
imagined.
Then you assess and you adapt,because if we are not changing
then we are becoming thatstagnant water and stagnant.
If you've ever been to a pondthat is stagnant water, it is
like icky.
There is that pond scum and allkinds of unpleasant things
(23:30):
happening and then you have tobe in motion and keep moving and
growing.
Exactly and by assessing what'shappening and then adapting it,
makes sure that you are aware ofwhat the choices are that
you're making and then shiftingif you need to, then nurturing
(23:52):
your relationships.
That's your relationships withothers, but also your
relationship with yourself.
I find that so much of the timeintroverts are unaware of
themselves, even that we getdisconnected from ourselves,
that we start to take so muchabout ourselves for granted, and
(24:16):
that also leads to that cycleof repetitive stagnation.
And then the final step in theelegant system is to transform
assumptions, because assumptionsare the things that I find
prevent us from moving forwardagain and again, and again.
Beverley Glazer (24:39):
Very, very true .
What advice would you give toother introverted women, kim,
who are stuck in their comfortzones?
What can you tell them to givethem that boost?
And they say I can't.
Kimberly Jergen (24:58):
I would say to start with checking in with
yourself.
If you've got one of thosewatches that, like, reminds you
to get up and move every sooften, or if you don't, then
just set an alarm for yourself.
And whenever that goes off, thefirst thing I would love for
you to do is to check in withyourself.
(25:20):
What am I feeling right now?
And this can be your physicalsensations Am I hot, am I cold,
am I hungry, am I tired?
Am I energized?
What are you physically feelingemotionally?
And then, what are youphysically feeling physically,
(25:42):
so that you are tuning in toyour own thermostat, your own
barometer, your own internalclock, your own self.
And if you start withunderstanding you and how you
feel from moment to moment, thenyou'll start to become aware of
(26:04):
tension.
And I find that tension is theenemy of creativity, it is the
enemy of change of creativity,it is the enemy of change.
And tension within yourself isanytime you are not in alignment
with your natural flow.
You are being something thatsomebody else has said you
(26:25):
should be, rather than being inflow with your authentic self.
And so the first way that youcan start to recognize that is
just by checking in withyourself and noticing how you
feel, again the sensory feelings, but also the emotional
feelings, and the more you dothat, the more you're aware of
(26:49):
yourself and you're going tostart to feel that tension and
that's going to help you takethose risks as you feel I feel
powerful.
Today I'm going to step out.
What can I do today that thisfeeling can fuel?
Beverley Glazer (27:10):
Yes, that really says it.
What are you feeling?
Go with it.
Yes, go with your gut.
Be who you are.
Stop thinking so much, justkeep on going.
Kimberly Jergen is an introvertempowerment coach with a
(27:33):
passion for helping introvertsto break their limiting
behaviors.
And where can people reach you,kim?
Kimberly Jergen (27:40):
You can reach me through my website,
KimberlyYergincom, or I'm onLinkedIn as well.
Beverley Glazer (27:46):
Wonderful, and those links are going to be in
the show notes and they're alsogoing to be on my site too.
That's Reinventedpossiblecom.
So what's next for you, myfriends?
Are you just going through themotions or are you prepared to
transform your own life?
Download From Suck toUnstoppable and find out, and
(28:08):
that's also going to be in theshow notes below.
You can connect with me,Beverley Glazer, on all social
media platforms and in mypositive group of women on
Facebook that's Women Over 50Rock, and you can also schedule
a quick Zoom with me personally,should you want to.
All those links, once again,are going to be in the show
(28:30):
notes below.
Have you enjoyed thisconversation?
Please join me next week.
Subscribe to get all theseepisodes in your inbox and drop
us a review and send it also toa friend.
And remember you only have onelife, so live it with purpose
(28:50):
and passion.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Thank you for joining us.
You can connect with Bev on herwebsite, reinventimpossible.
com and, while you're there,join our newsletter subscribe so
you don't miss an episode.
Until next time, keep agingwith purpose and passion and
celebrate life.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.