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In this episode you’ll learn:
- About the fears and thoughts of a young and shy woman
- How Jo uses creativity to build confidence and self-esteem
- That getting your body moving can help your mindset
- How Jo fights her way out of depression holes
Joanna Moore believes you don’t have to suffer with shyness because you can do something about it. From years fed up, with the pain of suffering with shyness in social situations, Jo created Twisted Sleeve to help young, shy girls develop their personal confidence.
In this episode of Inspirational Creatives, Jo, a talented illustrator, writer, blogger and confidence coach, shares her personal experiences and ideas. You’ll hear how she has a fascination with German number plates (seriously), amongst other interests, and how she takes a playful approach towards new challenges: developing confidence with travel, close companions and small wins.
“I got fed up with always being so shy and having these painful social situations. So I decided I was going to sort it out. I decided that I was going to become confident…” – Jo Moore
Items mentioned in this episode (quick access):
[0:00:42] Rob introduces Joanna Moore.
[0:01:13] Jo introduces her website, Twisted Sleeve, for shy girls to become more confident.
[0:01:45] Rob asks Jo how someone can enjoy the process of building confidence.
[0:01:50] Jo talks about confidence challenges. She offers an example of when she was too shy to try to open a door at university. She wanted to avoid looking stupid in case it was locked.
[0:02:50] Using small tasks to develop confidence: Jo suggests being shy is to do with fear and what people might think of you. Confidence issues come down to not thinking much of yourself.
[0:03:45] Jo talks about action and confidence challenges to build self-esteem. Jo’s talks about a course she developed for young women.
[0:04:05] How Jo convinced herself to try the door at university.
[0:04:30] Attending Chris Guillebeau’s events. Not making progress with confidence.
Bucket lists and motivation
[0:04:50] Having a “why”. Gretchen Rubin and motivation. Committing yourself to others to build your own confidence.
[0:05:17] Jo’s motivation comes from other people. Twisted Sleeve motivates her.
[0:05:50] Jo mentions Gretchen Rubin’s World Domination Summit talk 2013 and how people are motivated.
[0:06:25] Rob asks Jo how her own creativity has helped her confidence. Jo gets a lot of confidence from achieving things. She talks about building her website.
[0:06:53] Writing rhyming poems for other people.
[0:07:11] Small Wins. Creating her own bucket lists. Paying attention to things that are ‘me’.
German number plates, happiness and the art of adventure
[0:07:55] Learning German number plates as a way to achieve happiness.
[0:09:08] Rob asks Jo about her adventures.
[0:09:13] Jana and Jo’s Alive in Berlin podcast interview.
[0:09:20] A lot of Jo’s confidence has come from travelling. Getting across Europe. Incorporating travel into Twisted Sleeve.
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Confidence through creativity
[0:10:09] Jo has never seen herself as an artist although recently she has had a stronger appreciation of her creativity.
[0:10:30] Jo’s friend struggled to write a blog post despite having an English degree (and the knowledge and ability.) She felt she was “not creative enough”.
Creative support networks
“I’m not massively into friends” – Jo Moore
[0:11:52] Rob asks Jo about how important relationships and a support network are to her. Jo mentions her mastermind group and how one of the members went through a big positive change.
[0:12:15] How Jo struggled with Danielle La Porte’s book, The Desire Map.
[0:13:00] Identifying differences between friends and being able to appreciate her own style. How Jo plays spot the difference with her friends as a good way to get to know herself.
[0:13:30] Jo says her parents have always been supportive. Jo struggles with regular friendships. Prefers deep conversations.
[0:14:45] Jo mentions Dr Carolyn Eddleston’s presentation at Alive in Berlin. Jo was introduced to the concept of being an ‘Intimate Extrovert.’
Mastermind groups and external motivation
“I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t been in the mastermind group.” – Jo Moore
[0:15:32] How the mastermind group has helped Jo with her confidence and creativity.
[0:16:08] Jo talks about other people being interested in your success and how she gets excited about other people’s progress. Being selfish. Having a mentor. External motivation.
[0:17:09] ] How Jo’s mastermind group is a good way for her to keep an eye on how she’s doing.
[0:17:48] Jo talks about keeping a compliments log and trying a variety of approaches: gratitude journals, eating healthily, exercise.
[0:19:20] Jo suggests that if you’ve tried one tactic to be more productive, and it didn’t work, it’s not you. Jo says not to believe, if one idea doesn’t work, that none of it works. Keep trying…
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Getting unstuck and out of deep depression
[0:19:50] Rob asks Jo if she has days when she gets stuck. She talks about being dependent on her girlfriend and overcoming feeling down.
[0:20:40] Journaling. Writing thoughts out. Coming to a conclusion or take-away point. Focusing on goals getting back up again.
[0:21:50] Rob asks Jo about a time when things came crashing down. Jo talks about a horrible dark winter, living in a basement. Feeling alone, Jo started to suffer from depression. Last six months at university.
[0:22:50] Jo isn’t happy if she’s not achieving something.
[0:23:30] You can’t decide not to be depressed. Moving forward is a conscious decision. More about creating Twisted Sleeve.
Feelings aren’t a choice… response is.
“Feelings aren’t a choice… your response to them can be.” – Jo Moore
[0:25:00] Jo suggests deep down we know what the solutions are. We don’t need to read blog posts.
[0:25:20] Getting in touch with our own desires. Rob asks Jo if she is more creative when she’s feeling rubbish. Doing exercise. Sometimes the first bit is the hardest bit. Rob talks about playing the guitar.
[0:26:45] Jo talks about running and a feeling of wanting to get out. Listening to the Unmistakable Creative podcast.
[0:27:36] Getting your body moving to help transition mental states. Jo never believed anyone who said exercise makes you happy. Doing exercise for the right reasons.
Driving, doodling and changing guitar strings
[0:28:33] Driving between Leicester and Nottingham. Long drives. Changing guitar strings and doodling. Playing cards.
[0:29:10] Occupying yourself with physical tasks to occupy your mind whilst focusing on creative solutions.
[0:29:33] Having good ideas in the shower.
[0:29:44] Rob asks Jo what has inspired her over the last week.
[0:30:12] …and the best advice she has ever received. What motivates Jo.
[0:31:15] How you can reach Jo.
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Links and Resources:
People mentioned in this episode:
- Danielle La Porte (The Desire Map)*
- Chris Guellibeau
- Dr Carolyn Eddleston
- Gretchen Rubin
- Jana Schuberth
If you enjoyed this podcast, you’ll also like:
- How To Reduce Overwhelm
- Pam Slim on Storytelling, Creative Writing and Childhood
- How To Deal With Tough Criticism
- The First Step To Finding Your Purpose
- Greg Hartle on Solving Problems with Curiosity, Resilience and Grit
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*affiliate links