Let The Ocean Be Your Calm, Clarity and Freedom Says Jen Gilchrist

Mindfulness Mode 121. The ocean is extremely clearing. It’s grounding and it’s healing for me too. Reach new heights of calm, focus, and happiness on mindfulness mode with me, your host, Bruce Langford. On mindfulness mode, we talk about how people from all walks of life have discovered mindfulness. And how it’s impacted their lives to help them become more calm, focused, and happy.

Okay, mindful tribe, let’s get started. I’m totally thrilled to have Jen Gilchrist on the line today. Hey, Jen, are you in mindfulness mode? Yes, I am. That’s great. Jennifer Gilchrist is a speaker Soul Success mentor, and for 17 years has been an entrepreneur. Six years of that time working as a spiritual mentor.

Jen has gone from being a struggling single mom. To a six figure business owner making money doing exactly what she loves and empowering others to do the same. Jen is the creator of the Blissful Bride Program and Enlightened Entrepreneur Program. She supports coaches, authors, messengers, and speakers so they can make a bigger impact in the world.

Jen is deeply inspired and passionate about empowering others to be leaders in their life. Business. So Jen, great to have you on the line today. Can you tell us what mindfulness means to you in your life? For me, it’s just a lot about being present in the moment. You know, I was raising my daughter as a single parent and the first half of my life I knew nothing about mindfulness or meditation, and I’ve spent a lot of my time being way out in the future worrying about a pile of to-do lists that I could never keep up with or feeling bad about what I didn’t get done yesterday or something like that.

And, and ultimately. I just was miserable. Right. I was overwhelmed. And so for me, mindfulness is about being able to be present with where I’m at, and it allows me to have so much more focus and clarity and enjoyment to move through the day in a much more inspired action way instead of this struggle.

Yeah, right. And where did you discover mindfulness? Well, for me, I, I, as I was saying, I hit rock bottom with just being completely burnt out and overwhelmed. And I kind of hit that point where I was like, man, life has to be better than this. I was pretty much using food or alcohol or chocolate as my way to release stress.

And so when I hit that point, I. It was kind of a spiritual awakening for me really. I prayed about it. I was like, man, I just wanna be happy and at peace. And my grandfather came to me in a dream who had passed over quite a few 30 years prior, and he just really reminded something within me about that mind, body, spirit connection and that I wasn’t, I had forgotten that.

And that I wasn’t actually alone. And so when I woke up, I had this amazing sense of peace that I’d never felt before, and I didn’t have all the answers, but from that moment on synchronistically, things just came into my life. And I think I pretty much read every self-help book on the market that year, and it was just.

From there forward, I became an avid learner of all of these different types of techniques. Wow. That is really interesting that a dream is what triggered your launch into this whole new direction for you in your life. It really did. It was amazing. It is amazing. And so now you work in, in spiritualism. Do you know anything about gemstones and crystals and that aspect of spiritualism?

Is that something you work in? I love crystals. I have them all over my house. Um, I don’t necessarily work with them. As deeply as some people do in terms of with my work with clients, uh, specifically, but for myself, I definitely feel like it sets the tone of being really grounded. I in particular have, for instance, a selenite stone.

It’s like a slab, and I have it at my feet. It’s literally, I can set my feet right on it, right at the end of my meditation chair, and I. Literally feel, it’s like a magnet just pulling my energy into my body. I can feel, oh, how big is that? That sounds really, really fascinating. This one’s actually about, probably.

A foot and a half to two feet long and maybe about six inches wide. And so it’s, it’s just perfect and it’s a great stone that if you are into crystals, you can set your other crystals on top of it and they magnify the ability and keep them clear. So that is another use for that stone. But I love it for myself because it just helps me to kind of get present in my body really quickly so I can use my grounding tools from that point in a much easier way.

So that’s a crystal. Now, tell us about gemstones. Do you have those as well? I don’t work with as much with gemstones. I definitely have different necklaces, um, like labradorite and things like that, that I do like to wear that pull forth different, um, uh, qualities like, for instance, courage or feeling, uh, a sense of energetic protection or things like that.

But it’s definitely not something I, I. Use all the time, so I’m not the expert on that one. Right. Well, it is very interesting to know how you use crystals. So you mentioned that the crystals help you connect with yourself. Do crystals help you connect with other people, with your clients, for example? Yeah, so some crystals are very, uh, opening on a spiritual level as well.

So some of them can be very grounding and then others help you open up to those higher realms of your higher being, your higher ability to connect to your spirit. And when you’re up in that environment and you’re able to be really open in your upper chakras, that way you definitely have the ability to connect with your clients and offer support and have communication from a broader.

Perspective, if that makes sense. And uh, so in that sense, I, I definitely think that they are helpful for that as well. Right. So when you get together with a client, and I know sometimes you’re probably virtual with your client, what are some of your first steps that you do to start building that relationship and become connected?

I start, before the call, I always get myself a few minutes of grounding myself. I call in, I will, working with the angels. I help my clients. I like to call it enlist your angelic advisors and create your own spiritual support team. So I do that ahead of time for us to set the, the tone and the intention for the call.

And I often even ask them to help with the technology just so that it’s, it’s a very grounded scenario. And then I set the intention for the highest good of all, to just allow myself to be that clear, open channel of divine wisdom and truth to help facilitate the transformation that’s, uh, wanting to happen.

And then when I get on the phone with my client, we usually do a roll, a shorter version, a five minute, um, intention shedding together, uh, so that they can, to become present, let go of the to-do list that they may have had for the day so that they can give themselves permission to really fully be present for our session together.

And that tends to make a really big difference. Just five minutes. Just five minutes. That is really interesting to hear how you, you do that and the preparation and everything. Let’s go back to your childhood. Did you grow up with crystals? Did you grow up with this knowledge of spirituality? You know, I think if I look back in hindsight when I was young, I definitely had this limitless feeling.

I swore that I could fly my friend and I would just go running through the neighborhood and we would jump really high. And we both have this remembrance of like, oh my gosh, we’re, we’re going for days in the air. You know? So I think I definitely had that magical sense of, uh, limitlessness, uh. Of beingness, you know, and I was definitely an outdoor person, not crystals as much, but I definitely played with the rocks.

Um, my grandmother definitely, she started that one actually now that you reminded me. Uh, we would go to Oregon every summer and she just picked up agates. And so every summer we would just come home with buckets of AOTs. Wow. I’m sure they were all different. And did you have special ones that you set aside and you spent time feeling it and, and just having it in your hands, that kind of thing?

Yeah, I played with them. We, we’d call it petting our AOTs and we would share, share our favorites, and we’d pat ’em in water. So they looked really pretty. And then my grandmother had a polishing machine when we got home that she would get them all shiny and, and I kept them in a jar in my room. And I still have them to my, to this day.

I actually have a, a plate of some of my grandmother’s AOTs, um, on my, on my table so that I can remember her and just have that, uh, vibration, that memories of the ocean. The ocean calls to me big time for sure. Hmm, great memories. And can you tell us more about your grandmother? Sounds like this started way back then, or who knows, may, maybe even before that.

Did she exhibit a sense of spiritualism to you? Well, my family, I was raised in a pretty f. Uh, conservative Christian upbringing. So we went to Sunday school, so this was more my, uh, awareness of that. There’s definitely a lot of sense of, of faith in a higher power in God. And so that was, uh, I think something that I had present within me from the time I was a little girl.

And so I, I learned from a very young age to, you know, hand over worry, to open up and ask for that spiritual support, but it was from a different perspective than what I think I’ve grown into and become on my own now. Right. You talked about the ocean. Can you expand on that and what your connection is to the ocean?

Oh man, I had no idea until, I mean, I’ve always loved the ocean. We definitely did our, uh, family trips often, and I just felt, to me there’s just a sense of calm, of clarity, um, of freedom. And I just connected with that, uh, how that felt in my body. I, I found out since as an adult, this is kind of when I had my burnout mode, that I’m a highly sensitive person and I had never heard that term before, but it in a sense, it means that I’m.

More energetically sensitive to noticing energy and the effects of other people’s emotions and such around me. And so I would kind of be a sponge to these things. And what I’ve noticed is that the ocean is extremely clearing. It’s grounding and it’s healing for me to let go of everybody. All the other stuff around me that can make me, um, kind of feel tired or drained.

And I tell you the first thing that I knew when I went to Hawaii. I went to six years in a row, a spiritual retreat, um, in Hawaii for myself, where we would swim with the wild Po Dolphin pods, which is like the most amazing thing ever. And I think when I went in the ocean in Hawaii is when I really, really, really got that, I had this sense of being home in a way that I couldn’t explain.

I’d never been there before, but the amount of clarity of what I wanted to create, what my desires were, were just so evident where. I think in the day to day of being at home, I don’t live near the ocean currently. Uh, it’s really easy to get confused with what are other people’s dreams for you, what is it that through society standards and family beliefs or whatever that you think you should do.

And um, the ocean for me just really. I find immediate clarity with what is it that I wanna do? I’ve always wondered whether other bodies of water could do similar things like large lakes, you know, or even rivers. Do you find you receive something powerful from lakes and rivers as well? I feel nature in general is definitely so healing.

I mean, even if you’re living in the city and you go outside with your feet on the grass and take a walk, for sure. But I think waters in general are definitely clearing and I feel that. I’ve noticed that some people have more of a connection to lakes and rivers and mountains and other people like myself.

I love the salt water, you know? So I think that nature is wonderful for everyone. And then everyone has their own personal, uh, favorite connection. That, uh, feels home, like home to them. I agree with you, Jen. Nature can be a great way to connect. And I just wanna mention mindful Tribe. I have five free videos, which kind of take you back to nature, help you with meditation.

This is. Guided meditation that I’ve done myself, created for you. Five free different video meditations or close your eyes and just listen. available@mindfulnessmode.com slash focus. That’s mindfulness mode.com/focus. Jen, I know that you’re a speaker. I know that you do presentations. I know that you’ve just returned from filming as well, which is related to that whole thing.

How do you use mindfulness when you appear in front of a group or in front of a camera for a video? I definitely do my prep work. I set my, I sit with my body. I like to, uh, ahead of time, always give myself the space to close my eyes. Imagine my feet just like really being present to feeling my feet on the ground.

I like to imagine a grounding cord from the base of my spine all the way into the planet. And then I like to also allow that connection between myself and the universe and God. And then from that space I can open up and be present in my body. And I notice when I’m speaking, when I start to lose that I just kinda, uh, shake it off and become, I can connect back to that more quickly if I’ve.

That ahead of time. Does that make sense? Yes, it does. Yes, it does. And as you talk, I think, wow, I think you could be inspiring to me with a meditation or something like that right here as we talk virtually. Is there something that you would be willing to share with Mindful Tribe, like maybe a TLC body meditation or something, just an abbreviated, uh, something that we could really connect with you?

Yeah, so I’d love to share that with you. Uh, the TLC body meditation is an acronym, so it’s easy to remember. And I really love the TLC acronym ’cause it’s about giving to yourself and finding that balance. Mm-hmm. And of course, mindful tribe don’t do this if you’re driving or operating heavy machinery. So the first thing I would do is you could just close your eyes and put your feet flat on the ground.

I find. Lots of different styles of meditation, but what I like to do is bring that communication between your spirit and your body because that your body is your vehicle and that communication is vital. So you just start to, from that space, begin to breathe. Hmm. And I like to place my hand eye and my heart or my belly.

You can maybe even just feel your legs or your arms or just place them gently on your body, on your heart, right? Yeah, that feels good. And then breathe into that. And the, the T stands for talk. So talk to your body, right? So you wanna start to notice when you slow down. And become present of your body that maybe there’s some tension somewhere you didn’t even realize was there because you were so busy.

So if you find someplace that has some tension, I tend to carry in my shoulders. Me too. I like to place my awareness, my breath, and my attention on that part of my body. I might even place my hand there. Our hand is natural. We’re natural healers, right? When you hurt yourself, you grab your, your part of your body.

That hurts because we know that naturally our hands heal. So you can place your hand on that part if it’s comfortable, and just give it some attention. And talk to it. Ask it. What does it need to feel more in balance right now? That’s a simple way to start and you just breathe into that. And then the L stands for listen.

So often when you’re praying or you’re, you’re creating intentions, we’re talking, but we need to quiet and now this is the mindful part to be listen, where you get to open up. And allow the information to just drop in

and again, just breathe. And you might get a feeling or an idea, like maybe if you asked your body, what can I do to be in bound right now? Maybe it’s just simply get up and stretch. Maybe you’ve been on the computer, or maybe it’s take a walk outside. You know, just become aware of what ideas, thoughts, feelings, or visions may come to you.

And if they don’t come in that moment, it’s okay. Just be aware and present through your day to recognize what signals your body’s giving you what ideas you have. And the C stands for commit. It’s important to commit to taking care of your body’s needs. And, and so often we can know what to do, but we decide to push through.

Or I’ll maybe if I could just, you know, numb through, well, if I have another glass of wine, then I can get some more work done, or whatever it is. And. And really that just kind of creates a dis uh, a misalignment with our body being communication. And so what this meditation does is it slows you down to be aware of what is your body trying to tell you so that you can be in balance as quickly as possible, which is gonna allow you more focus, clarity, and enjoyment really in your, in your life.

So there you go. You can open your eyes. That’s great. Just kind of talked through it, but that gonna give you a little awareness as to what it, what it means. Jen, that is really, really great. Thank you so much for sharing that with Mindful Tribe. That’s fantastic. Wow. I feel way more relaxed, that’s for sure.

Awesome. Yay. Yeah. Jen, you probably know I’ve worked in the field of bullying prevention for some time, and I’ve seen how the practice of mindfulness can really make a difference in the lives of children or adults who have been bullied. Sometimes it’s in the workplace as adults sometimes, you know, it’s when we’re children.

Do you have a story that that tells us about a bullying incident where mindfulness might have made a difference? Wow. That’s a good question. I definitely, uh, I would think that as a child, especially for me in, I would say middle school and high school times, there was so much, um, pressure on, you know, wanting to please others and taking in all these, you know, opinions and judgments that are coming away from other people.

And I feel like if I had the tools of mindfulness, just knowing how to be more. With myself and not seeking the outward, um, validation or not taking everything personally. To me, mindfulness would just help with not taking things personally, which I think, um, is a helpful thing to do. And another thing that comes up to me now is.

When I was a child, my parents argued a lot, right? And that was scary. And it was, it was really overwhelming as a sensitive, or as any child really, to be in a place where you kind of felt like you had to walk on eggshells or felt nervous about, you know, what happened. And I feel like meditation is such a beautiful tool to help you release that fear that gets triggered, uh, when you’re in a situation that feels, uh, scary or threatening.

Well, thank. For sharing that, Jen. That is, that is great. Jen, my next questions are part of the multi-mode round, just short. 32nd answers are perfect. Here’s the first one. Who is one person who has influenced your mindfulness practice? The first person, my first spiritual mentor, Carmen Figueres, has been an amazing, uh, support in really opening my consciousness to mindfulness.

How has mindfulness affected your emotions, Jen? Oh my gosh. I feel so much more energy, so much more happy and have released, uh, so much worry and stress that, uh, my whole life has just shifted 180 degrees. Tell us how breathing is part of your mindfulness practice. It’s the quickest way to bring yourself back into the present moment and out of a worry cycle or, uh, a, a negative pattern of thinking.

If you could recommend a book on mindfulness, what would that be? The power of now was very effective for me. It really explained that and Power of Intention with By Wayne Dyer. The Power of Now is by Eckhart Toley. Can you share an app which helps you to be more mindful? Yes. It’s called Stop Breathe, think.

Stop, breathe, think. Amazing. There’s so much information in there. What advice would you give a person who is new to the idea of mindfulness and they’d like to start using it in their life? Just keep at it. It’s like a muscle that you build. I, I, myself, and hear people say, I could never do that. My mind’s going a mile a minute and trust me, mine was, but you can.

So just even one or two minutes a day outdoors is, is a really easy way because nature is always very present. So if you just put your feet on the grass, set a timer even for a few minutes and just allow yourself to breathe, you will be amazed, uh, how easy it begins to become for you and how much it’ll change your life.

Mm. Great. Jen, do you have something for Mindful Tribe? You mentioned earlier that you might have something to offer Mindful Tribe, our listeners. I do. I would love to share a free gift. It’s called the Blissful Living. It’s a packet I put together and there’s the five Essential Steps to Blissful Living.

And within that I do include, uh, that TLC meditation is part of that, and there’s a 20 minute guided version to help you listen along so that you can really learn how to, uh, I can, it’s kind of like I’m holding space for you while you learn to do it for yourself. And the other favorite topic I do is teaching around how to communicate and open your intuition to working with the angels in the universe as a way to, um, create the life you deserve and desire.

And so there’s a training in there as well that will teach you how to recognize the signs of the angels and the universe. Excellent. And how can Mindful Tribe get their copy of this? I will give you the link to put below, but it’s Empowered Womans W-O-M-A-N-S leadership.com. Forward slash free dash gift.

I know it’s a mouthful. Empowered woman’s leadership.com/free-gift and that will definitely be in the show notes Mindful Tribe, so you can go there and click on it right away. Jen, this has really been a pleasure talking with you and hearing about how you’re connected, hearing about the ocean and what it means to you and your crystals.

It’s really. Really interesting to hear how mindfulness works in your life. How can we learn more about you and possibly connect with you? Well, you can go over to my website at empowered women’s leadership.com and you’ll see, you know, a little bit more about me, about some of my offerings that I have, my clients.

I’m, uh, I would love to share that with you and on Facebook. I would love to connect. We have a wonderful group called. Enlightened entrepreneurs with Jennifer Gilchrist and we are self-employed entrepreneurs, coaches, messengers who have a calling in their heart and we support one another in mindful, uh, living and alignment with their business.

And we just are each other’s cheerleaders and support, and I believe in living a balanced life so that you can enjoy it as well. Great, and that will be in the show notes as well, Jen. That’s going to be right there, so you can all, all click on that. So Jen, thanks again. It’s been a wonderful chat and I wish you the very, very best.

Thank you so much. I appreciate you reaching out and inviting me to be a guest. You guys, um, are all wonderful. I love what you’re all about and keep making that big difference that you are. The world needs it. Okay, thanks Jen. Bye now. Bye. Thank you so much for joining us here in mindfulness mode. Don’t forget your five free mindfulness meditations that you can download@mindfulnessmode.com.

Slash focus. That’s mindfulness mode.com/focus. Stay in the mode.