I absolutely love the Soulful Shout Out series here on Soul Speak! I get to highlight and introduce you to beautiful people and their wonderful offerings!
Today, I am happy to introduce you to my friend, Jerri Eddington!
Jerri joined my Soul Shakers’ mastermind community early this year and the Soulful Life Sanctuary soon after, and so we’ve gotten to know each other quite well! I am inspired by her huge heart, her honesty, and her ability to bring her dreams to life.
Jerri has been on quite a journey, which she shares more about in our interview below. She went from being a middle school principal to retiring to then following her heart and becoming an energy healer and soul coach who specializes in helping others transform their limiting beliefs and unlock their true potential.
She has put together an amazing free gift package for you plus is part of a wonderful new book that is just coming out! We’ll talk more about these offerings soon, but first – let me introduce her!
Welcome to Soul Speak, Jerri! I know that your life now looks completely different than it did just a few years ago. You’ve had such a soul-seeking journey of going from a school principal to retiring and then moving into the energy work that you currently do. I would love for you to share how this journey took place.
I have been setting intentions all my life, even before I knew what it was called. The first time was when I was eight and “knew” I was going to be a teacher. Another time was my first trip to Sedona, Arizona, in 1988. This trip occurred after a year of heartache. My sister died, my mom died six months later, my husband lost his job, and I was dealing with depression. Being in the healing energy of the red rocks in Sedona, I “knew” I would help others heal someday. I set an intention to retire in Arizona. I didn’t want to live in Sedona, but I wanted to live close. I told my husband, Bob, about my plan. We started our annual trips to Arizona the next year, and I retired 20 years later.
Two years into retirement I started taking energy-healing classes. My original intent was to just take it for my own use. In my first LifeLine training I met my friend Gretchen, who asked if I wanted to go through the certification process with her. At the end of the training I opened my Energy Connections practice.
At first, I was very content having a small practice. I live in an active adult community, and I enjoyed being retired! Gretchen and I continued to take more trainings together. I started getting messages to expand my practice and to quit playing small. I ignored those messages! I thought I had fulfilled my Soul’s purpose after working in an inner-city environment for 30 years.
Last summer it all shifted for me. I became a certified Soul Coach® with Denise Linn. During this training I realized if I was going to help others connect with their inner wisdom, I needed to listen to my own inner guidance! I came home and redid my vision board with a focus on expanding my practice using the power of social networking. I had only been on Facebook for two years. I joined LinkedIn because one of the Soul Coaches from my class invited me. I have added several networking sites since. Today I am writing about being empowered through social networking.
Helping others in transition is something that you’re amazing at! I know that many people reading this are currently going through a life transition, and I would love for you to offer one helpful piece of advice for how they can honor where they are and move through it as gracefully as possible.
I learned that transition is a process. William Bridges’ book Managing Transitions really helped me to understand the process. He talks about three stages: 1. Endings, Letting Go 2. The Neutral Zone and 3. New Beginnings. The process is an individual one, which varies from person to person. I also learned that one can be in The Neutral Zone for a long time. I also believe it is important to have support in a safe and loving environment like the Soul Shakers’ Community.
So many of us (myself included) have gotten into the habit of pushing ourselves harder and harder and exhausting ourselves in the process. I know that you’ve been through this yourself, and I wanted to see if you could share three things that you do to honor and take care of yourself .
Thank you for asking this question. I have implemented many forms of self-care over the years.
- I take a 20- to 30-minute spa bath every day. I add essential oils and Dead Sea salt. My spa has light therapy that goes through the chakra colors or I can stop on a color if some area needs more attention. It also has an extra heater. I play relaxing music and light candles. This was my retirement gift to myself, and it helps me to stay grounded and focused.
- I plan one day each week to spend with my friend. We go to lunch, movies, massages, or some type of event. This is critical when I am working on multiple projects because it gives me something to look forward to.
- I plan a date night with my hubby once a week and twice whenever possible. It gets us both away from our businesses and gives us time to connect without all the distractions. We plan vacations together and separately. It has worked well. Next year we will celebrate our 30th anniversary.
I’m so happy that you’re offering your How to Thrive in the Midst of Change audio series as a free gift! Thank you! Please tell us all about the goodness that it includes!
I am so excited to be offering this 6-part audio series! It goes along with our “Transitions and Transformation” home-study program that we are putting the finishing touches on. Each audio is around 10 minutes long. My friend and business partner, Gretchen Hogg, is the narrator for the audio series.
This is a content-packed series that can be downloaded for easy access. Here are the topics:
- Audio 1: Change: What’s it Really All About
- Audio 2: What’s Your Style When it Comes to Change?
- Audio 3: Position for a Transition During Change
- Audio 4: Bouncing Back from Change
- Audio 5: Becoming the Best You
- Audio 6: Helping Others Navigate the Course of Change
In these audios you will discover:
- Three phases of the change process
- How different personality types deal with change differently
- How to navigate through the challenging transitional phase of change
- How to be resilient in the face of change over and over again
- 5 tips that will help you become your best self and thrive during change
- How to help others cope with the difficulties of change
Click here to receive Jerri’s How to Thrive in the Midst of Change audio series for free!
Congratulations on being part of the upcoming eBook Empowered Women of Social Media: 44 Women found their Voices using the Power of Social Networking! I would love for you to share more about it with all of us!
Thank you so much! It has been an amazing journey. In 2010 Carla Wynn Hall created the Women’s Empowerment Network (WEN) – a Facebook group to help her deal with her divorce. Today her group has around 26,000 members. Carla decided she wanted to create a book for women to tell their stories and share how social media helped them. Our group has cancer survivors, domestic violence survivors, and many who have overcome difficult situations. We have over 40 endorsers supporting us. We have women from six countries and 23 states. We are going to have an International Kindle Book launch on October 5th, and our book can be downloaded for $.99 that day only. My chapter is called “Positive Energy Connections Allowed Me to Let My Soul Shine!” It is about the change process I went through after I retired and relocated to Arizona. You can check out our website to learn more about the authors.
Click here to learn more about this special book!
What’s next on the horizon for you?
I am preparing to write an educational book. My dissertation, “A Model For A Comprehensive Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation Program In An Urban Middle School” was written in 2002. A few months ago, I received a very clear intuitive message to turn my dissertation into a book. Honestly, this was not even on my radar – I thought I had put the educational part of me away! The next thing I did was to connect with my social media groups. I explained that I wanted to write a book to help staff members train students to become peer mediators. I asked for title suggestions. Later I had people vote on the top three titles. My new book will be called: “Work It Out Together! A Step-by-Step Guide to Implement a Peer Mediation Program.”
What does your soul want you to know?
The biggest message I have received from my soul recently is that I must embrace all parts of who I am! When I was in the education world, my focus was on education. After I retired, I shifted my focus to energy/healing work and put my educational self away. A few months ago I realized my purpose is to blend both worlds!
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thank you so much, Jodi, for allowing me to share a little of my story with your community. I am so grateful.
I would love to connect with others from your community in these places:
Thank you, Jerri, for sharing your heart with us!
Please spread the love and share this post on Facebook and Twitter!
You know what I love reading about more than words that have been called forth from a beautiful soul? Someone who admits that they’re never done learning and that the world has so much more to offer if you just keep yourself open. I love this blog, I love the things that get introduced and it’s kept me inspired and feeling great about life, and making me more aware of the world around me. I’ve learned more about compassion, kindness, and respect while here, and though I have never said anything before… being content to be a casual observer, I had to say something this time. Maybe this is MY growth!