Letting Go and Learning To Smile With All Four Cheeks - Interview With June Burgess
Release Date: 06/21/2021
Rise With Reb
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Jo and J.J. welcome the inspirational Reb, Transformational Life Coach who is the driving force behind the Rise With Reb programs and community. Reb shares how she went from a wheelchair to walking, despite what the doctors said. She, Jo, and J.J. discuss why it’s so hard to let go of old habits, the responsibility we have of sharing our story on social media, the importance of advocating for yourself and doing your own research, and how not to live in a pity fest.
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Carrying Ourselves and Others Through Grief
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Today Jo and J.J. focus on grief, both from the perspective of the griever and from the person trying to comfort others through their grief. They explore the right approach to carrying ourselves and others through grief. Jo also shares an experience about willfulness and effectiveness in DBT and why people really need to learn to let go of the need to be right and just accept what is. They talk about defining values, setting boundaries, and, on a lighter note, why #begrannymolly is Jo’s new life goal.
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Emotional Intelligence: When Is It Real, and When is It Self Serving?
Jo & JJ Go Mental
They’re baaack! Jo and J.J. kick off Season 2 the only way they know how - by spelling out that sometimes we can get this emotional intelligence piece wrong. Many well intentioned leaders approach emotional intelligence as a tick box exercise, merely going through the motions, rather than really understanding the objective. That faux emotional intelligence in corporate societies will likely try to cover up a more self serving agenda.
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Season 1 Recap and Looking Ahead To Season 2
Jo & JJ Go Mental
What a season! As Jo and J.J. wrap up Season 1, they identify a few of the themes that came up with the fantastic array of guests. Between fear, shame, embracing your weirdness and much more, Season 1 was chock full of learning from each other and calling in new perspectives. This week, they highlight a few stand-out moments and give us a sneak peek of what we can look forward to in Season 2.
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We Can Be Different Together: Faith Clarke
Jo & JJ Go Mental
This week, Jo and J.J. welcome Faith Clarke, Organizational Health and Inclusion Specialist who works with value-driven and diverse teams so they can deliver on business and social impact promises at the highest level. Faith is extremely passionate about inclusion for BIPOC and neuro-distinct individuals and advocating for those who “don’t belong”. She discusses the importance of mental health and how her children taught her to focus more on wisdom than having control.
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One foot on the gas, one foot on the brake with Reverend Erika Allison
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Jo and J.J. welcome Reverend Erika Allison, Queer interfaith minister, speaker, author, and spiritual counselor. Rev. Erika talks about her own experience with conversion therapy, and how harmful it can be, causing long-term effects and even high cases of suicide.
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Tax consultants don’t wear pink with Marie Louise Ashworth
Jo & JJ Go Mental
This week, Jo and J.J. are joined by Marie Louise Ashworth, President of The Network, a network of female entrepreneurs and professionals in Luxembourg. The Network is devoted to developing a supportive community of women and helping them build resilience, avoid burnout, and thrive as they meet their personal and professional goals.
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Changing Perceptions of Burnout Through The Generations
Jo & JJ Go Mental
Jo is on her own this week and shares her reflections on how the attitude around burnout has shifted throughout the generations, especially since the pandemic. Jo discusses three perceptions of burnout that she has seen a shift: that if you burnout that means you are broken or weak; that burnout and exhaustion is just a side effect of being busy which is a good thing, and that life is just tough and you should just get on with it and not complain.
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Honoring The Anger
Jo & JJ Go Mental
They discuss why doing the deep work of anger is like wading through that infamous tunnel scene in The Shawshank Redemption, how anger signals that our boundaries are being crossed, and how letting go of anger needs to be a conscious choice. They also talk about how to process anger if you can’t really act on it right then and there, and why women have such a tougher time showing anger in public.
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Letting Go and Learning To Smile With All Four Cheeks - Interview With June Burgess
Jo & JJ Go Mental
This week, Jo and J.J. are joined by June Burgess, Equine Coach, Business Director, and Entrepreneur. She talks about how she began her Equine Assistance Workshops and why working with horses can be so powerful for our mental health. Jo shares her own experience in learning to relax around the horses and how that mirrored so much about business and the need for perfectionism.
info_outlineWe may see horses as just cute animals grazing across the farm, but they are really incredible teachers, full of wisdom and life lessons about living in the moment and letting go of the past. This week, Jo and J.J. are joined by June Burgess, Equine Coach, Business Director, and Entrepreneur. She talks about how she began her Equine Assistance Workshops and why working with horses can be so powerful for our mental health. Jo shares her own experience in learning to relax around the horses and how that mirrored so much about business and the need for perfectionism. June shares some amazing stories of working with veterans suffering from PTSD and CEO’s of large companies, and how they both had transformations after working with horses.
Takeaway:
[3:48] In her work, June can tell a lot from someone by how they interact with horses. Horses are masters in responding to dangerous situations, galloping away, and then going back to grazing once the danger has passed. Horses also conserve their energy instead of letting the past or anxiety about the future consume them.
[7:24] Horses are simple in their responses and they don’t care about politeness. A horse will tell you quickly if they need space or if you are not respecting their boundaries. This feedback is priceless for people to learn interpersonal dynamics without having to interact with other humans.
[9:39] June has a fascinating background, from competing internationally to building a 132 room five star hotel in Belfast, and acting as the director in numerous successful companies. This corporate background helped her fully understand the need of leaders and managers to get the proper training to deal with the stress that comes from financial burdens and work pressures. It taught her that you can not work with horses and have your head somewhere else, but rather fully be immersed in the present moment.
[16:34] June discusses her work with veterans and helping them manage the very painful symptoms of PTSD. They began to trust the process and the horses, and found that building rapport with these animals could help them take baby steps to trusting the outside world. Even if it took dozens of times to try again, the horses were always there waiting to help.
[25:21] Jo talks about the pressure she put on herself to work with horses the right way, and how the horse responded by leaning away from her in the pen. By letting go of the pressure and the attachment to a certain outcome, she could physically relax a little and the horse picked up on this and reflected back a calmer and more trusting energy.
[29:42] As humans, we often argue for behavior we know doesn’t work because we are too afraid of letting go of control. J.J. talks about seeing clients cling on to something they know won’t work just to not feel scared or threatened. This ties into horses because the more we can drop the need for control, the more we can connect with a horse’s heart and mind the more they choose to follow instead of back away or resist.
[39:34] We spend so much of our days clenched and tightened. June helps people learn to relax their body and smile with “all four cheeks”. Jo shares how post burnout, she saw how disconnected she was from the neck down. Reiki helped her unblock some of the stuck energy and tune in to where she felt most tense.
[45:42] Instead of validating the fear and letting it go, no one wants to admit they are scared. Horses can completely pick up on this and when we are being inauthentic. J.J. says how teenagers are also an example of pure and natural energy that isn’t afraid to call it like they see it.
Connect With Us:
Joanna Denton | Dr. J.J. Kelly