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KP: Hi Janice, how are you doing this
morning?
JW: I'm doing great, Kathryn,
how are you?
KP: Very well, thank
you. Janice, the first thing I want to tell you is I
love your book. I truly enjoyed it and I feel it would,
without a doubt, be a blessing in any woman's life.
JW: Kathryn, thank you so much.
KP: You are welcome.
Now you begin your book writing about being a corporate
high achiever. In fact, you said, "you looked around
you at the other women in your position and you saw
an undeniable pattern in business. Women were moving
up but moving down in self-esteem." In your opinion,
how does this happen and why does this happen?
JW: When I was at IBM it was
structured that every year you had to produce 20-30%
more than the year before.
KP: Obviously you managed
to do just that.
JW: Yes and I did because I
got smarter. But how I did it was different than the
way other women did it. I started connecting into spiritual
laws. The other women became so competitive, working
so hard to achieve their goals they forget about everything
else around them. In doing that they became centered
only on self and on moving up in order to achieve the
recognition. It's not even the money they sought, it
was the status. But becoming so single focused wore
them out to the point that they had nothing left for
themselves. So who they were as a person was totally
lost.
KP: This is very interesting.
When I think about competition, this striving for status
and position, all of that is very masculine. When a
male achieves all that, he's happy. Yet, what I hear
you saying is that when a
woman achieves all that, she's ends up feeling empty.
JW: Yes, she's unfulfilled
because she's totally denied her feminine side.
KP: Then it seems as
though, as women, we can't win because we were taught
growing up that to be a good wife and mother meant you
had to deny and sacrifice yourself as well.
JW: Well, yes and I think we
weren't taught correctly because it didn't work for
our mothers and it didn't work for us. Because it just
doesn't work! Personally, I tried it that way and all
I did was get sick. I suffered with migraine headaches
and wound up having life threatening surgeries. Then
I decided to try it another way. I started to say 'yes'
to Janice.
KP: What brought about
this change in consciousness for you?
JW: I started seeking myself
again. I think it was after the children were born and
my husband lost his job. I had to move and change everything
in my life except where I worked, which was IBM at the
time. I found what use to work no longer worked and
so I had to seek new answers. I've always been spiritual,
and I started reading the works of Catherine Ponder
and Marianne Williamson. The old ways of doing things
and the traditional means no longer worked in the world
in which I found myself. Traditional religion didn't
work, either.
KP: When you say it
didn't work, what do you mean specifically?
JW: The rules no longer helped
me with my life. The structure didn't allow me to be
happy or find fulfillment in the woman I had become.
KP: Janice, what was your traditional
faith background?
JW: I was raised Catholic.
KP: So you had to look outside
traditional religion to find the peace you were seeking?
JW: Yes, and I found that all
the books I read had reinterpreted the structure of
religion more than the teachings. Consequently, I started
incorporating those teachings on love, in it's truest
sense, into the corporate world. I found that it worked
for customers and it worked for my circle of friends
but not within the corporation. Now this was so very
interesting to me and it was obvious it didn't work
there because that
structure was too inbred with competition. Which meant,
"I win and you lose."
KP: Instead of a win/win situation
JW: Exactly, and I realized
the burgeoning of a burning passion within to teach
what I was learning to everyone I encountered within
IBM and within my own immediate circle of influence.
That corporate office had not achieved 100% of its'
quota in four years and when I arrived there sharing
those kinds of principles, it was the first year they
achieved it.
KP: Were you giving formal
seminars then?
JW: No, all I was doing was
walking the talk. I was teaching by example. And sharing
these principles within a group setting during brown
bag lunches.
KP: One person can make a difference!
Janice, you also wrote in your book that the women who
are successful, happy and balanced are beginning to
make new choices and setting new priorities. How did
you reprioritize during this time of awakening?
JW: I started to become conscious
of what worked for me. And Kathryn, I went back to meditating.
I also began to walk and to exercise. In a nutshell,
I began to say yes to things that made Janice happy.
Whether that meant going to a concert, or lunching with
a girlfriend. By making my happiness and well-being
a priority once again, I found that my my husband and
family, even my work balanced out. Everything flowed
more effortlessly when I first thought of me and it
wasn't selfish. I was always taught that it was selfish
to think of yourself first once you had a family. In
reality, it is the healthiest thing a
woman can do for herself. When I'm healthier I'm happier
and when I'm happier the whole family
structure blossoms. Plus I can bring joy to everyone
else I touch.
KP: Because now you are giving from a full cup,
right?
JW: Right! And I'm stronger
and more self-assured. My intelligence is allowed to
shine rather than coming from this weakness where I
am always playing catch up.
KP: Along this same line, I
love this quote from the book, "when you do what
you love you will always draw towards you, like a magnet,
the people, situations and resources you need to express
your talents.
When you communicate your true self through the expressions
of your natural talents you become happy. It is your
language of love, your antidote to fear, it is your
gift for life." So, Janice, here is the big question:
can a woman truly have it all? Can she be a top executive
at IBM and also have a successful marriage, a happy
family and satisfying relationships?
JW: Yes, if that's where her
true love is. Absolutely loving what you are doing is
the key and the essence.
KP: Why it is that we end up
doing things we don't love?
JW: Because we're listening
to authorities other than ourselves.
KP: So, Janice, how do we reconnect
with that inner authority?
JW: You get quiet again. You
reconnect to yourself and you do that by journaling,
by walking, by asking questions of yourself and everyone
else until you get the answers that feel right. We have
an internal thermostat that is made to be set on our
happiness. And when you're doing something that doesn't
feel right or does not create that great sense of joy
within, you have to reset the thermostat.
KP: What are the symptoms?
How do you know when you are disconnected from your
magnificent self, Janice?
JW: You will experience it
as a sensation in your gut or your throat or your heart.
But when you're busy, busy, busy, doing, doing, doing
there is no way that you can feel what's not right because
you're too busy. You're too distracted with all the
trivia and details of life. You're distracted by the
thought of having to do all this 'stuff '.
KP: I remember reading that
overwork is a definite giveaway for low self-esteem.
JW: That's probably true or
maybe it's not even low self-esteem, but a lack of connection
to the true self. Remember, we're created magnificently
when we come into this life. So when you connect with
that magnificence, you feel great about who you are
because that's your essence. Then if you decide you
don't like some of the choices you've made up until
that moment, you can re-choose.
KP: That's the beautiful part
of life, you're always free to choose again.
JW: You can choose from this
moment to feel good about where you are or you can choose
to feel unhappy about it. In that moment of choice,
if you can just change your view 10 degrees, a whole
new world with a completely different perspective, instantaneously
becomes available to you. And no one has to give you
anything.
KP: You're saying that nothing
in your external world has to be altered.
JW: Exactly! Kathryn, nothing
needs to change aside from your understanding of that
concept.
KP: Why does that appear to
be so very difficult for most of us, Janice?
JW: Well, you know what, it's
because we are so busy.
KP: So, do you feel the answer
is just a matter of getting quiet within through prayer
and meditation?
JW: Yes, and I don't know if
people understand what it means to pray. It really is
a conversation. It's asking questions and listening.
Kathryn, sometimes I think language has lost its meaning
so, we have to reinvent what those words really mean.
For me, prayer is listening, asking and waiting. However,
the most important part of the process is trusting what
you hear in response.
KP: I think you are so right.
So many times we get an intuitive prompting but we don't
trust it, and therefore fail to act on it. Later, we
invariably kick ourselves for not listening.
JW: You know what happens when
you lose trust with someone. How does that make you
feel? It just absolutely devastates you. Now imagine
losing trust with yourself.
KP: Oh, that's a true spiritual
violation, isn't it?
JW: Yes, and how many people
really connect with that and begin again to trust themselves?
We must learn to listen to that voice within. We must
listen to what our desires are saying.
KP: I know that is hard for
a lot of women because they feel it's selfish and insensitive
to the needs of others if they give in to their own
desires.
JW: That's right and we have
to change that. Our family needs to see us strong, happy
and fulfilled
because we are their role models.
KP: Indeed! That reminds me
of Mahatma Gandhi's quote, "your life is your teaching."
JW: That's right and how can
our families be whole and functional if we're not? It's
our responsibility as women to heal ourselves first
and then the world can be healed. All this giving, giving,
giving is very depleting. You can't run your car on
empty. How can you expect to run a household, a business
and most especially a life on empty?
KP: Janice, what can women
do to fill up their tank, their joy tank, specifically?
JW: Specifically, I would suggest
understanding what makes them happy.
KP: You suggest doing this
by writing down what made us happy when we were children.
JW: When you were a child it
was easy. At that point in time you knew what made you
happy and you just did it naturally. For example, I
used to love to play house. So now, when I clean my
house I say I'm playing house.
KP: Janice, I love it. What
a delightful idea!
JW: And after I finish I appreciate
it because it's been play for me. As I create play it
refuels me instead of running around doing this, this,
and this with all my circuits burnt out. So you can
take the same list of things that you have to do but
with just a little change in how you approach it, you
can appreciate it and enjoy doing it in a way that fills
up your tank with joy and happiness.
KP: So, absolutely everything
gets done simply from a deliciously different mind-set.
JW: Right, and it gets done
from a set that energizes you rather than depletes you.
You know, sometimes you have to say yes to yourself,
and no to others.
KP: Now, in your book you write
that it is a necessity to regain our right to be Goddesses.
As you're out and about promoting the book, do you find
that women have resistance to calling themselves Goddesses?
JW: Well, actually the initial
resistance was with myself. I was trying to find a word
that really encompassed who we are as women and feminine
didn't really embrace all that. It didn't embrace the
spirituality as well as the fullness of who we are.
Now I find women intuitively identify with it and when
they hear it their heads go up and down. I do it really
light-heartedly so it's not like ego. It's coming from
a place of wholeness.
KP: Do you find men have any
resistance to referring to their women as Goddesses?
JW: Actually, no. They embrace
it, I think, even more quickly. I wear my Goddess sweatshirts
and guys will say, "yeah, you're right!" Men
sincerely want us to be whole and to be feminine and
to be happy.
KP: I believe that wholeheartedly
JW: They really want to see
that in us because when that happens for us, they get
to be who they're suppose to be. Because they take their
cues from us.
KP: I think many men have no
idea how wonderful their lives could be if only they
could encourage the women in their lives to discover
the Goddess within. For when we are not coming from
our power we can
become clingy and demanding, expecting to derive our
happiness from our partners. As a result of wanting
to please, our men often wind up not paying attention
to their own personal growth and both partners ultimately
suffer.
JW: Exactly! In fact, my husband
has said time and time again, "the whole mood and
health of the family is depended on you, Janice."
KP: OhI know that. I'm aware
of that fact as I begin each new day with my children.
As the day wears on, my mood will become theirs. And
if you've ever lived with five young women you understand
why it behooves me to remain as cheerful and calm as
possible! (Laughter...)
JW: Well, that responsibility
alone demands we be complete with who we are. I agree
with you, Kathryn, and I've seen it happen. If I'm cranky
or whiny, the whole household falls apart. And when
I'm centered in joy, the whole environment blossoms.
KP: Janice, in the book you
recommend that women "think magic and mystery."
Exactly what does that mean to you?
JW: I encourage women to think
beyond where they are right now. I want them to think
of extraordinary things happening. Think of "what
if." What if today I could do for myself something
I've always wanted to do, what would it be? Go beyond
your box, think of something miraculous happening. Just
think about it and that whole energy creates a magic
inside you that kind of makes your toes curl and makes
you smile and the next person you see catches it. Then,
who knows what's going to come in the mail or who
might ring your doorbell or call on the telephone who
knows?
KP: So life becomes that bumper
sticker "expect a miracle" and we just begin
to expect it?
JW: Right, let's expect it!
KP: Do you feel that opens
the door for it to truly happen?
JW: Yes, because you begin
to allow it. You're open to see it. You could be missing
it. I mean it could be happening and you just never
noticed it! So, think magic think mystery think miracles.
It us just one small step that gets everything flowing.
You'll look better. You'll even have a glow about you.
I call it the Goddess glow, and it comes from the inside
out.
KP: That is proof positive
of the reality of the ancient axiom, "as within,
so without." Everything we see in our external
environment is a direct reflection of what's going on
inside us. The awareness of this gives us the responsibility
for creating our own reality. In your book, Janice,
you write awareness is having the courage to act upon
our desires.
JW: And you know what, it requires
taking just one little step. You can only do baby steps
because if you start jumping you'll trip, fall and you'll
hurt yourself. So, everyday I take just one step in
the direction of my desires. When I get comfortable
with that step, I'll take one more. From each step,
I find courage and from that courage I acquire joy and
with that joy I learn to dance.
KP: So it's a matter of consciously
taking one step everyday that brings joy, and expresses
our natural creativity. Janice, you write that we are
all uniquely special. What do you mean by that?
JW: We each have our own imprint
of creativity, our own way of being and contributing.
How we express this is not only different, but extremely
valuable. There is no one that can add value to life
the way that you can add value no one. How you say something,
how you laugh, how you write, how you talk to your kids
no one can do it with your special signature.
KP: That precious combination
is unique unto each of us, right?
JW: That is right. We are each
one of a kind, and any one of a kind denotes genuine
value.
KP: As we come into the awareness
that we all possess something uniquely special, don't
we also need to realize that we have a responsibility
to God to express these natural and special gifts?
JW: Yes, and not only is it
our responsibility to God but also to all those around
us. When everyone else can experience who you are they
then evolve from your experience.
KP: Isn't that such a blessing?
JW: That's the blessing because
life is all about evolving and making it better so that
those around us can have more joy, fun, love and laughter
as learn to evolve, and move forward.
KP: So one of our responsibilities
in this process of evolvement is to become the Goddesses
that we have always been.
JW: Right, and as we accept
this responsibility we heal and become whole. You know,
I love the word responsibility because it means truly
to respond or to respond to your abilities.
KP: Janice, you feel that when
we are in alignment with our true selves, expressing
our unique creativity, that inner stress in life is
eliminated?
JW: Well, what is stress? It's
struggling against who you naturally are. For me personally,
I haven't had a migraine headache since I started this
spiritual path.
KP: And when did you start
all this?
JW: Four years ago. I started
studying and researching probably about 10-12 years
ago. But I started the seminars four years ago.
KP: Now, as we bring our interview
to a close today, I'd like to go back to the title of
your book, The Gift from the Goddess. Janice, what is
the gift the Goddess bestows?
JW: It is the enjoyment of
our lives.
KP: So the Goddess desires
us to see life as a gift and to fully enjoy it as such.
JW: The Goddess wants us to
share the gift of life with love and enthusiasm as we
celebrate the strength of being a woman.
KP: I think that's perfect.
Thank you so much for taking time to do this interview
today.
JW: Oh, thank you for this
opportunity. This was delightful. You have such a love
and concern to share this knowledge with your readers.
Thank you again.
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