Welcome to Life Journey: Empowered - Your Guide to Wholehearted Living

Explore the depths of human experience and create a life of purpose, joy, and authentic connection.

Ever feel like life is a whirlwind of experiences, emotions, and lessons?

It’s like you're navigating a complex maze with twists and turns you never anticipated.

You're not alone. We're all on this journey together, figuring things out as we go.

But what if I told you there's a way to find clarity amidst the chaos?

It's about embracing the whole human experience—the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and challenges. It's about recognizing that every step of the journey, no matter how messy or unexpected, is an opportunity for growth and transformation.

Welcome 👋

Welcome, sweet friend, to Life Journey: Empowered!

I'm Lavender, your companion on this adventure we call life.

Here, we'll delve into the messy, beautiful, and often unpredictable journey of being a human.

Here are some of my intentions for this lovely Substack space…

We’ll explore all the facets of our lives—the relationships, the heartbreaks, the career triumphs, the milestones, the spiritual awakenings, the celebrations, the personal growth, and everything in between. It's about recognizing that we are not just our careers or our relationships but instead a complex tapestry of experiences, emotions, and aspirations.

I'll share pages from my real-life journey with you, including the challenges I'm facing now, the lessons I've learned from my past, and the insights I've gained along the way.

We'll also explore the journeys of others, drawing inspiration and wisdom from their experiences.

Think of this Substack as a cozy campfire gathering⛺️🔥, where we share stories, offer support, and learn from each other. It's also a space where you can feel safe to be authentic, vulnerable, and open to exploring the depths of your own being.

And while I do have another Substack deeply dedicated to the career facet of our lives (you can check it out 👉 Career Clarity), here on Life Journey: Empowered, we'll be taking a more holistic approach. We'll explore how all aspects of our lives—our relationships, our homes, our communities, our spiritual practices, and even our careers—intertwine and contribute to our overall well-being.

From My Life Journey

My own Life Journey has been anything but linear.

I've experienced my fair share of challenges, heartbreaks, and unexpected twists and turns. To provide you a preview of the stories and unpackings to come, here’s the ‘short list’ of what I’ve navigated on my Life Journey so far:

• Navigating control and oppression in churches

• Learning the mystery and the magic of the world’s religions (hint: they are all fundamentally very similar)

• Depression

• Surviving Domestic Violence

• Healing after two reconstructive surgeries to repair the physical abuse I endured

• Divorce (parents / as a child)

• Divorce (as an adult)

• Being harassed online by my birth father’s 2nd wife

• Falling in love with fasting and correcting many ailments (including hormonal imbalances)

• Navigating deaths close to me without the proper closure of relationships prior to their deaths (the relationships were strained or estranged)

• Falling in love with the internet (it truly connects us to people and communities we may never have been able to meet before it)

• Walking my Life Journey with very few longtime friends

• Discovering my holistic life approach motto (of “Seek to understand before being understood”) from one of the most emotionally charged events of my professional life

• Finding love again (and marrying the love of my life)

• Earned my bachelor’s in Fashion Merchandising and navigating the evolution of my own fashion sense and preferences

• Raising doggies (I’m currently caring for 🐶🐶🐶 sweet pups!)

• Learning to go with the flow of life’s rhythm (instead of trying to force my own)

• Relocating to a new city (solo)

• Relocating to a new city (coupled)

• Falling in love with birds, especially hummingbirds!

• Being voted Ms. Congeniality of my High School graduating class

• Going through 3 (official) name changes

• Delivering newspapers door-to-door to put food on the table

• Living the thrills of being a YouTube Plus Size Fashion Influencer (2011-2015)

• Reconnecting with my own Spirituality and finding God again

• Learning I am a direct descendant of the Mayflower (she was the first woman to step foot on Plymouth Rock, and she was escaping a world of death and control in hopes of something better)

• Learning to fall in love with myself and all that I encompass

• Being estranged from my birth family

• Losing over 50 lbs and healing my relationship with food

• Setting healthy boundaries to excuse toxic family members from my life

• Losing (almost) everything with the economy crash of 2007/2008

• Becoming an Entrepreneur

• Becoming an Entrepreneur again!

• Learning that the love we seek is what we are first not giving ourselves (and learning I didn’t really need anyone else’s approval)

• Building my retirement home before the age of 40

• Investing 20+ years in global tech & corporate Talent Acquisition (hiring some of the brightest minds who are making anything from apps to electric bikes to video games)

• Owning one of the top automotive shops in the United States (and being the first woman to ever sit on the Napa Auto Parts National AutoCare Council)

• Learning to Channel my Angels and Guides

• Navigating key life relationships riddled with gaslighting, deceit, control, and manipulation

• Falling in love with traveling, which now includes cruises 🚢

• Becoming an avid reader (today marks my 397th consecutive day of reading; my commitment to myself prior to my 40th birthday)

• Discovering my passion for Self-Development (hence creating my Cozy Self-Development™ philosophy - can’t wait to share more there!)

• Falling in love with video games 🎮

• Learning to embrace my very sensitive side (including awareness that I am in fact, a HSP - Highly Sensitive Person)

• Learning to embrace my intuition and leverage it as my Life Journey guide (instead of my ego)

• Experiencing the magic of quantum leaping✨

• Learning to let go of the “(incorrect) record on replay” about finances, money, and the control “only a corporate job” can provide

• Earning my Napoleon Hill Teaching Certification

• Navigating the turmoil and trauma of the US Immigration system

• Being immersed in the polyamorous dating community

• Learning the absolute power of our thoughts, our beliefs, and our minds (they hold the key to unlocking anything in our current state)

• Starting a practice of waking up at 4 am every single day to do studying, ideation, and dreaming/manifesting

…and this is not even everything! My goodness, looking at this list has me feeling like 👀! LOL 😂

Then, in my 40th year on this lovely planet, I decided to leave my corporate job to follow my heart toward what I know I’m meant to do:

• First Career: Share all the incredible knowledge I gained through my first career (20+ years in tech & corporate talent acquisition, racking up 55,000+ interviewing hours and reviewing over 100,000+ resumes), including the secrets of ‘The Hiring Games™’ (as I call them) like interviewing, navigating corporate politics, identifying the best talent and achieving any career dream you hold as your truth! Plus, I show you how to choose a career that genuinely lights you from within and how to finally leave the overthinking and self-doubt behind.

  • Now, I share those secrets over on Career Clarity✨

• Second Career: And ignite my second career, which is aligned deeply within my heart and my soul, by sharing the pages of my own Live Journey, including my current learnings, past gained wisdom, plus build a community of beautiful souls who support one another and have a place they can ask questions and learn from one another’s Life Journeys.

  • Now, I share this all here on Life Journey: empowered💜

Through it all…

I've discovered that my greatest lessons and breakthroughs often come from my most challenging experiences.

I've learned the importance of self-compassion and resilience and the power of connecting with my intuition.

I've also realized that true fulfillment comes not from achieving external goals but from embracing the whole human experience—the messy, the beautiful, and everything in between.

And I can’t wait to share it all with you!

Are You Ready?

So, if you're ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery, embrace your authentic self, and create a life of purpose and fulfillment, I invite you to join me on Life Journey: Empowered.

Here are a few things you can do to get started:

• Subscribe to this Substack to receive weekly posts delivered straight to your inbox

• Leave a comment below and introduce yourself. I'd love to hear about your own life journey and what you hope to gain from this community!

• Share this post with your friends and family who might also benefit from this space.

Remember: You are stronger than anything that happens or transpires in your life (and I mean anything). Together, let's explore the depths of our being, uncover our unique gifts, and create a life that genuinely reflects who we are.

Namaste,
💜 Lavender

Hello, sweet friend! 👋 Yearning for connection and deeper meaning?
I'm Lavender, and I have a deep passion for unearthing the wisdom woven into life's tapestry. ✨ My own Life Journey, from navigating childhood complexities to a 20+ year corporate career with 55,000+ hours of interviewing (deeply studying humans), has honed my ability to discern human potential. Now, I share stories (past to present) that illuminate our paths, exploring resilience, transformation, purpose, and connecting with the magic within. Your deeper exploration begins here.✨

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💗✨ If the content here at Life Journey: empowered has resonated with you, if a story sparked a moment of self-discovery, or if the shared wisdom illuminated your path, I welcome your kind support. Creating this space is a heartfelt endeavor, fueled by a desire to connect and empower. Your contribution, be it the cost of a tea 🫖 or the joy of a new book 📖, directly nourishes this work and allows me to continue sharing these soulful explorations. 👇