1 of your most precious resources is your time. Sure. And your energy too.

So where you put all of that is extremely important. To decide how you want that to manifest out. Alrighty, folks. Welcome back to transacting you where we're encouraging dialogue from different perspectives to unite over shared values.

Now our theme for 20 22 is the character of your character. So who you see when you look your values in the mirror.

Now today, we're talking our December core values of faith, hope, and joy, with multi book author and current host of women at halftime podcast, miss Deborah Johnson. Before we get to her though and bring her into the podcast.

If you're a new listener, I'd like to say welcome. And if you're a continuing listener, welcome back. Without further ado, folks on Porter, I'm your host, and this is transacting value.

Alright, Deborah. How are you? How you doing? I'm doing great. Thanks. So much for having me here. It's wonderful to be together here on this wonderful podcast. Thank you. Yeah. No problem. I appreciate you saying that.

There's all sorts of things that I wanna pick your brain about, and I wanna hear about your podcast, and I wanna hear this creative process and how you bring everything together, it's almost necessary for me to take a couple minutes to figure out where to start that I'd like you to start with maybe a little relatability.

Who are you? How did you build your perspective? What makes you you? Think what makes me me in it, and I know you're gonna cover this a little bit with background and where we've come from. But a solid base and solid core values.

And I think that has driven my life pretty much all the way through because you can change what you're doing, you can change your focus, such as values, and this is why I love your messaging, is your values need to be consistent through all of that.

And that's much of what I'm about, is what I do has change. I'm a very hard worker.

Work ethic is very important to me. I grew up with a very hard work ethic family, and I'm very grateful for that. And strong faith, and just extremely grateful for that because that has been a bedrock through the years.

I bet. Yeah. There's a lot of things that happen. I mean, obviously, in anybody's life, depending on where they grow up, their perspective, their friends, their family, their geographic location.

Right? But you mentioned something because a consistency in your values. Now are you saying A consistency in what those values are or a consistency in understanding that they're applicable regardless of what's happening.

What do you mean? Well, I think that it applies in both areas. In what they are, your values I mean, if you change from having a strong work ethic to all of a sudden, no work. There's a big conflict there. So -- Yeah.

-- the application of that may be just applied a little bit differently with, if I'm going to take that sort of value of a strong work ethic, will it might be toward this area at this point, you know, when we were raising 3 sons, my work was quite a bit different than it is now that they're launched.

So but the value stays the same of that work ethic.

I've just been able to focus it in some different areas. Does that make sense? And does that answer your question? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Now in saying that though, the application of your values I mean, that's a intuitive process.

It's a creative process. What does that process actually entail though? Or for you? Well, the process is, first of all, it's a really good practice to identify them and to take the time to do that.

I think a lot of people kinda go along their life, and they feel a certain way but they've never stopped to really evaluate what those values are. And a really good way to do that is just a journal.

You don't have to spent pages and pages of journals. I come from being a professional artist and recording artist. And there's a book called The ArtEST Way, which everyone loves. But they have you journal pages and pages and pages too.

Like, who has time for that? I mean, some people do, and they actually need that. I'm not discounting that. But that's not what you absolutely need to do to get to the point of identifying your values.

If you can write a couple lines and then go back and just keep doing that, go back and evaluate those when you're really thinking through your values, what's most important in your life?

What's most important to now I'm at a different point of my life now than I was when I was doing graduate work.

It's a different different at each stage of how you apply that, but the values can be very consistent. Sure. Sure. Even having conversations with people. Maybe it's the same group of friends you've had for the last few decades.

Maybe not. But as you grow and mature and, you know, have conversations like this with strangers even. I'm sure becomes easier to identify what it is you want to stand behind and and how you want yourself to be perceived.

Right? It does, and and I think as I've gracefully grown older, as I say, I'm starting to be a little more vocal on those as well, because I think there's a certain amount of fear of especially with fear in business.

It's like, okay, I don't wanna I don't want to be too vocal about all this, and I don't want to turn people away.

But as we see, especially I think I've noticed you know, with grandparents, with all of all of a sudden, they're pretty vocal. And I'm thinking, I'm turning into that a little bit. I'm just being pretty full.

You know, because at this point, I don't have a lot to lose, and I really want our kids, and I want those around me, you know where, you know, I do take a stand in certain things and that I will, certain types of work that I will do, and certain sort of organizations that I want to be a part of.

So I think there is a part of that that I'm even a little bit firmer now, and as I realized how important, I mean, 1 of your most precious resources is your time.

Sure. And your energy too. So where you put all of that is extremely important to decide how you want that to manifest out.

Yeah. And a lot of that time well, like you said, especially as you get older, it tends to align more with faith based decisions or I guess more self actualizing foundational type considerations.

But Well, I agree, because, yeah, the train's gone. That's what I say. You know? Yeah. Yep.

There's there's no real I guess, there wasn't really a need before, but there's no real need to be afraid And I think that level of courage or bravery is innate in most people, but the willingness to accept it or even identify with it is difficult.

I mean, you mentioned businesses earlier. That's a perfect example where most businesses, if they wanna remain successful and we're talking corporations, not sole member proprietorships here.

But if they wanna maintain any level of success, they have to stay profit motivated. Right. Definitely. I mean, it's about making a living. Yes, definitely.

Yeah. But you've got Well, 2 aspects here. 1, you've got to balance that against the individuals that are human beings on the board. Are they having any values in alignment with the direction and profit motivation of that corporation?

And then the employees and their individual personal values. And then the consumers and their personal values, do they align with that corporation? But then, ultimately, as a organization.

Do their corporate values align with whatever respective fiduciary responsibilities apply? And still be able to maintain making profit margins that are acceptable by the board or by whoever else, shareholders, whatever.

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Do their corporate values align with whatever respective fiduciary responsibilities apply and stay be able to maintain making profit margins that are acceptable by the board and by whoever else, shareholders, whatever.

What's your opinion on balancing even as an individual, if not as a business? Profit, more superficial considerations, stability against values based decisions and cultures and authenticity.

How do you recommend doing that? Well, I I'm gonna kinda go back to what you said on profitability and the board and your leadership there.

And and I think I'm coming back to leadership. At this point, of self leadership and then leadership of your team, and what's happening in so many places, organizations, and even, we're not going to get into politics.

But we see this in, you know, are our governments through history, not just today, through history.

Yeah. And the lack of that self leadership that there are agendas pursued because of self interest or politics instead of the really the values of what should hold the people together and why those people are even in office.

So there's a certain amount of this but especially in business as to where there's this self leadership first, and then you can end up helping lead other people.

And as you have that sort of leadership umbrella, that filters down into all different areas. Now I've not worked in corporate. I've been a lifetime entrepreneur, but I've seen this over and over. I've been in the educational system.

And seeing a lot of the stuff is kind of the same that happens there. I mean, you know, it depends on department heads and chairmans and everywhere they go, how everything, you know, decisions are made and all of that.

So it's very similar in many, many ways of, you know, your teach in a graduate course in those, you know, you're finding out who's in control and how they were actually leading and helping those grow around them.

So, yeah, I think that I don't know if that totally explained that question that you have on how those are relating together.

But I think the a leadership of a self leadership in the core is primarily important for any other to happen in our goals and in our plans and in our businesses.

The point that you just made in a corporate environment about a company's, let's say, founder for the sake of a label here.

Needing to implement their own individual values into whatever they're cultivating to create is I think ultimately going to establish a corporate culture then as long as they're around to enforce it, obviously, and develop it and nurture it.

But then that culture values based culture. As long as it continues to encourage that company's strategy, I think more often than not, it remains intact for the longer term.

But interestingly, even that corporate environment started from somebody's ability to self lead because that individual or that team of people had to figure out how to do it and identify with their own values.

It's it's such a powerful concept that's so easy to overlook.

It's almost ludicrous to think that I don't even know how to describe it. Something that powerful that everybody can walk by if it were on the sidewalk and you'd never notice.

But if you find it, you've unlocked the rest of your life. You know? Right. Yeah. Right. It's such a strange thing. I I I'm not even sure how to qualify it any differently than that, but that concept of self leadership, it's boring.

You know what I mean? It's not like it's taught in schools. No. It's really not taught in schools at all. You can see it when you read and I'm such a big advocate of reading of lifelong learning.

But you can see it in some of the founders of the place And as we were speaking right before we started this, you know, I just I've been working with the Disney corporation for a lot of years.

But reading through those biographies of Walt Disney and his commitments and wanting to be the very best animator own his own brand and create what he did, and how many changes have occurred through the years.

And kind of interesting as you look at that and you wonder, okay, was this really his vision?

Bless some of the things that it's really Some of it, you know it's not. But it's just interesting how even backstage though, you see imagination and how important all of those creative.

It's all about the guests. You know, so those sort of principles have led down through the years, and that's what people really experience when they come to the park.

The workers are trained to treat everybody as a wonderful guest. And you feel that. Well, it's a happy place for many.

Yeah. Yeah. Sure. But learning to create value based on values isn't a new concept either. No. Right? I mean -- Yeah. -- like, well, you talked about Disney as a corporation, but, I mean, Apple did the same thing.

You know, when Steve Jobs at a reliance on quality, took pride in their work, not that it's changed much now, but, you know, as a point of reference, there was a difference though.

After he died from before. Yes. I agree. I agree. And you you can tell. I'm not saying the quality is worse now.

But it's definitely not led the same way. And I don't even work for them. Right. You know what I mean? So if consumers can pick up on that or guests at a theme park, can identify that and notice that.

How does that translate to life? You know, you hear it all the time as people get older. For example, over however many decades you've been alive. I'm sure you've seen things change.

This isn't the way it used to be. Things were a lot different when I was younger type moments, if not even you said them out loud. I don't know. Right? But I've only been alive 30 plus years and I can say that. Right. So you feel it.

Right? Right. I think in my life, I've noticed, of course, I've noticed values really a huge shift in values. When I it's going through. I'm definitely at a different stage of life than you are. I mean, this will really date me.

But when I was in elementary school, we did not wear dresses. No. We did not wear pants. We wore dresses. Mhmm. And and these were in public schools where you had the, you know, your you're directed to be a certain length.

Yes. In the public school, they had to be a certain length. And some of those sort of values throughout, and we can argue whether that was good or whether that, you know, whatever. We were all happy that we could pay before and -- Yeah.

-- you know, there's really wrong. It does great. You know? So but, again, there's been such a shift, and we noticed that some of those shifts have impacted behavior, and there's studies on that around.

So some of those that were put in place were put in there for some sort of purpose, and I think we have to go back and go, hey, why was this put into place?

Was this just a rule or just a silly rule? So, you know, I'm not coming from as much history of just saying, oh, you know, we had horse and buggies, although my my sons would probably be like, okay.

You know, you're back but there's been a lot of changes. And a lot of changes when I finished graduate school, I was doing a lot of my graduate and my thesis with all my music charts, those were all done by hand.

It was not done by computer. That sort of music typewriter was 20000 dollars at that point. And now, you know, I can get the program and I program everything on the computer.

But there's such a shift in some of the technology, but then the technology has brought us challenges as well with hacking and with the ability, you know, all of that sort of, but your core values, those are going to change core values will be similar, but the application of those will be changing throughout the years as when you brought up the point of how your world has changed through the decades and through the years.

And in my book called Bad Code, I talk about the decades decades of code, the decades of our years of life, and how some sounds our mindset change through those decades.

Because now, if I value time with my husband, traveling a little bit more now, because we have more freedom to do that and we feel the clock ticking a bit more after losing parents, then you feel like, okay, how many more years will we be able to do this?

Certainly many more years. Yeah. But still, that has an impact on my schedule and the way I'm running my business right now.

As we look and see where we are in our lives, I want to be flying out every weekend for engagements. I do a lot of virtual work as well. So that's how I structured my business because of where I am at this point in my life.

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I do a lot of virtual work as well. So that's how I structured my business. Because of where I am at this point in my life if I was at a different stage, which I was at that different stage doing headline entertainment.

I was behind everywhere. Yeah. So yeah. You mentioned the dresses and pants in public schools point. And then obviously -- Yeah. -- you just mentioned bad code. And so I'm curious to get your opinion on something.

For clarity here, if ethics guide our personal actions. Right? And our values sort of help to solidify our character and who we become, then morals are more what society expects or establishes for sort of a common good.

Right? That's the delineation there for anybody listen that I'm gonna use as a baseline here for this point.

And so Deborah, if societal morals used to focus more so, deliberately on call it civility than they do now? Is that change just something that we have to have faith that'll work out because people are innately good?

Or was it a zeitgeist in a trend and it's something we have to actively take a role into Horse correct. What do you think? Well, I think there's always gonna be people pushing a certain segment pushing morality in different areas.

That's always been the case, always. So it seems like it's been pushed a little farther, can you clarify what question you have as far as those values being pushed and where that takes us.

And as far as where we are in our society or how that would change through the years? Yeah. Definitely. So segregation used to be a thing in the states. It's not anymore, especially not in the sense that it was.

That's more fair to say, I guess. But societal morals at the time dictated, you treat people a certain way that now you treat people more positively equally on the same sort of threshold in in terms of change.

That happened to be a change for the better. Wait. But do you help people that are homeless.

Do you let them stay in a vacant room in your house? Probably not now. 200 years ago, why not? So are these changes, these societal moral changes something that we have to actively take a role in enforcing a positive change?

Or is it just sort of this Sygeist and trend of the times that it's naturally gonna degrade, and we just have to have faith it'll work out.

That's a very loaded question. Yeah. Extremely loaded question. And I think I understand it a little bit better where you're going now from.

But I'm hoping that I really strongly believe in is that you cannot legislate morality. That has to be a personal choice. So that if you try to legislate it, you're gonna have some rebellion and, you know, this whole thing.

But it kinda brings me back to the point where there used to be a time when someone could stand by the road and feel perfectly safe putting their thumb out and hitchhiking as well. Yep. And even women, you know, young women.

And as I say, now they are you know, really vulnerable if they ever do that. But that was very common. It was fine. But as society has than lenient toward different areas. Some of that has been political.

Some of that has been just pushing that limit. We've also had a bigger population. More congested areas. You have different influences now with the drugs and with and a lot of that has been behind the scenes anyway -- Yeah.

-- but it just comes out more. But, again, we get to the point of this has to be that personal decision on whether we're going to take care of the homeless in a certain way.

And in my opinion, I try to go back to the actual studies and the research on this, and where the homeless, a lot of them have mental issues. Mhmm. And what had happened in many places, they closed down those mental hospitals.

And I think, you know, there's certain things that we can put into place that they've become political. And now it's just this push of taking care of the homeless and doing all that.

There's other root issues. And so I think getting down to some of those root issues again, this becomes a little bit more of that political issue of what's gonna be pushed forward.

But if you believe in your heart, and that's 1 of your core values of just taking care of people around us. And That's 1 way we can do that is to provide some of that help and not just giving them a free handout.

As we know what happens, is they'll just keep taking free handouts. They're not gonna get any better. Right. And that's been proven over and over and over again.

So but finding out how we can truly help if that's what's driving us, and there's so many people in than half time of life at their mid career wanting to do something more and adding significance than, you know, whether it be in a nonprofit or you know, community event, and figuring out how to really help and what the best use of time and resources are, I think it's important in going back to all of that, not discounting any of that, because I think we have 1 of the most generous nations that there is.

People give a lot -- Yeah. -- and that's wonderful. So just deciding where to put those resources and how to use the time.

Yeah. Yeah. And that's difficult. That is difficult. You mentioned Half time of life, which obviously you cover more in-depth in your book since that's the premise and your podcast as well.

But as a term. Right? Semantics aside, obviously, it's the middle. But do you mean, I guess, more stereotypically in your fifties?

Or do you mean at any relative point, you know, 35 to 65 somewhere after some life experience and before you don't have anymore, you start to realize maybe I need to reprioritize.

Is that more of the phase you focus on? That really is more of the phase I do focus on. According to the Internet, which we all know has so much wonderful information.

Yeah. Whether you believe anything or not. According to the internet, the halftime is officially over the age of 40. And I really believe most people come through that about 45 ish to 55 ish.

And especially if they're at mid career, a lot of women are getting married older. They're having their families older, and because they wanted to get into their career, or they just took a lot of time So, a manner the same way.

We have a couple of sons that have waited for Because they really wanted to get more into their career and build their life a little bit more at that stage. So some of those people will hit mid career a little bit later.

But really, those are the times where your if you had kids, depends when you've had them and how old they are, you realize, well, I have a little more freedom, I have a little more time.

I've worked at this job for a while. I'm successful. It's not taking me quite as much time unless you're a business owner, it's always gonna take time. Yep. But I can devote some of my time to some other areas.

Or if there's something I want to do, I really promote big time starting a side business. There's been something on your heart and talked to so many people that have said, oh, I've always wanted to do my music.

We'll do that on the side. Don't quit everything. I've known people that quit everything and going into speaking as well, because I was president of a nonprofit of our speaking association in LA.

And I still remember the 1 gal that stood up and said, I put my job, and I'm doing this full time. I'm thinking, oh my god. Here's another 1. You know, people get all hyped up about this.

This is a business. It is not. Yeah. It's interview. It's kind of on the side, and if someone stood up and said, okay, I'm gonna put my job and start a podcast, and we'd all laughed and go, really?

Yeah. You sure about that? Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. I mean, this is not a self sustaining just business. It can be at some point, but there are very, very few. Have that as a main emphasis.

So, in that, I think that was a long answer to that. But if you're wondering, am I in that in that area. I mean, you could be. You could be. And it's kind of a shock to most people when they say that age 40.

But that's what's been you know, when I was starting to look that up even online of that, wow. You know, that may have come really fast. And and if future does. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

It really does. But a lot of times, it's why even people like you say, wanna start something new. So Yeah. Yeah. Now before we get into some more of these halftime considerations and some general generational growth considerations.

Let's take a break real quick, and we'll be back talking more with Deborah and back here on transacting value in just a minute. Right then, Jimmy Mullen hosts the discussions from Dublin.

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Alrighty folks. Welcome back to transacting value. Again, I'm Porter. I'm your host. And I'm talking with Deborah Johnson.

She's the multi author of books all about the halftime of your life, reevaluating your perspective, and ultimately relying on your values to do it. But also, currently, the host of women at halftime podcast.

So before we get into more of these topics, first of all, yeah, we're welcome back. Thank you. The pleasure to be here and this has been a lot of fun. Yeah. No, I agree. I appreciate it. Thank you very much.

And all the listeners welcome back to you. So where we left off to get everybody back in the mood, we were talking about the halftime phase, the halftime point in your life, which is all basically pretty relative to each individual.

But specifically, Deborah, a point you brought up, you were talking about kids.

And I don't mean young kids. I just mean not parents like that generation's offspring. Right? Right. As children maybe decide to join the workforce later in life.

Maybe it's not 16 anymore, maybe it's 20, maybe it's 25. Right? But they gotta find their own routine and get more work life experience where they move out on their own. Maybe it's money.

Who knows? Right. But in in doing that, There's a a generational growth journey that you've discussed a little bit here on this podcast, but also on your podcast. In fact, I heard it you talked to a guy who's named Cal Newport.

You guys talked a little bit about this as well. But in saying that, There's 2 points about this generational growth journey I'd like to bring up, and then I wanna hear everything you gotta say about it that you're willing to discuss.

So 1, Generational growth journey as it applies to you, to your offspring, to your grandkids, whatever impact and influence you can have cross generationally.

But then also self leading. Right? You move to different generations of your own life and how then you have to reevaluate your priorities or again reframe your values or focus on the old ones.

And so what is your perspective on either of those points or in total a generational growth journey? Well, I'll I'll hit number 1 first because our kids are at a stage where we are more we're watching the journey.

And I bring my husband on my podcast with me once a month because we've been married for for a number of years, very fortunate for that.

But we talk about we're not just raising them. We don't have a lot of impact directly on their life right now.

Although we do in many ways, we don't tell them what to do. We watch the journey. We pray for them. And we try to give little, bits of input. Because they're adult children now. They're not, you know, underfoot.

But what I can do in more talking multigenerational, something that I did this morning and I've committed the last 6 months to do is our oldest granddaughter is old enough to take private So, I have gone through, and she'll never find a better teacher, and especially in my area.

I've taught for so many years. I started teaching when I was 13. Oh, wow. I don't teach anymore. I don't teach beginners, especially, but I will teach my grandchildren. Sure. Something I can give to them.

They may never be able to afford what I can give them personally, and sitting with them But having that sort of impact and just being together, being able to tell her that you can't go another, you know, every week and expect to get any better if you don't practice.

We don't put into the work. And those sort of little values, I can slip in And also, it's a little different when you have all sons.

All of a sudden, you've got daughters in law. Well, it's a little bit different relationship there. I watch these moms with their daughters. They're always hanging out, they're going shopping, and not everyone, but a lot of them are.

And it's a little bit different. I have gone shopping with my son, but they're usually pretty cut and dry. Yeah. And also This is another fact that women, you know, we have a lot more words.

So, you know, I'm super jealous especially after I'm at cappuccinos. But at this point, you know, there's different generations and stages. And I realized this when the kids were young, there was a lot of guidance there.

And I homeschooled for 3 years. I quit because it's kind of a joke in our family now because of my little son who ended up being an attorney and but he had those tendencies anyway too. So I was like, okay. Driving me crazy.

Yeah. But I felt like we gave them we really watched and guided them through their educational years, and this is where, you know, you have a lot of parents today looking at the schools and thinking, they're not learning the basics.

This other stuff in here.

I am so convinced how important those basics are. They've got to learn to read, they've got to learn to write, they've got to learn to use math. Period, it doesn't matter what you do in life. I use that every day in my business.

So that's very, very important. And so that's kind of the generational. And then you brought up the point of where I am in my life. And these stages of what I am doing, and I make sure that I have enough input.

And because I write a lot, I do a lot, and running a business. I've got multiple arms of my business. And just a whole lot of product, huge amount of product.

So for me to have the input, that's why I read a lot, listen a lot between those times, and be a part of groups, Around me, I have a 4 small group that I've had together probably for about 15 years.

And we just got together, I planned a halfway retreat overnight And just spending that time together with those trusted, close circle.

I talk about the close circle in my women at halftime Boat, and how important that it So in the input in my life, I need fed too at this point, and I need to find those places that are specific it's not just going to be from me networking with people showing it to organizations.

You know, I'm an intentional extrovert. I'm an introvert. Definitely an introvert. So can get on a stage, you know, think nobody believes I'm not an extrovert.

But I don't show up to these network events and then just get to know and shake hands with every single person in the room. I usually find people, you know, but then are those lasting relationships?

So this is where it at the point in my life, I look for those significant. Mhmm. So they can against relationships and the part where I can keep my lifetime learning growing and going in my life.

I think those are the 2 areas and how both of those will change. Because they do change, your emphasis does change from You know, I look at our sons now, but they're all over 60, and I'm thinking, those are big?

Oh, my gosh. How did that happen? Yeah. You know? And it does. Through those years, and now it's just in a different stage.

Sure. Hopefully, that answered some of your questions though. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Definitely. But in certain circumstances, unfortunately, for you, you gave me more questions. So Oh, well, that's, you know, that's why.

I think there's a a really easy rut to fall into. Lifetime learning is a point you mentioned. So I'll use that as an example. Right. There's plenty of kids that are learning through the first decade of their life.

They're like, oh my god. This decades never gonna end. You mean I've gotta do this next year again too? I did it all 8 of these months. I've gotta do it again. What do you mean? You know, and you're talking learning over a lifetime.

I think that perception obviously changes as you get older in sure and whatever relevance it has on your life or whatever appreciation you have for it throughout your life, all the obviously is gonna change as well.

But Well, like with all 3 of your sons, for example. Daughter and law grandkids. However, this applies. How do you recommend fostering a joy in that process?

A joy in that growth, a desire to learn. You gotta overcome that at some point. How do you recommend doing it? Well, she's been a teacher for very long and I can really talk on this stuff.

So I've taught every single level. It's not been my main emphasis of my life. Just always fallen into it. Mhmm. I've been asked that I just didn't do so many things, but learning is more cot than taught.

And I am a strong believer in that, because as I worked even at this stage with my granddaughter, She tells me, oh, I wanna play like you. Then I said, well, this is what you have to do.

If you wanna play like I do, and not even look at my fingers, being able to hold a full conversation with you at the same time, and play for hours, think this is what you have to do, but have fun with it.

Always in that spot. You know, you wanna build that joy into learning.

And I think I had never even heard that term lifelong learner until I was way into my career. That was not a popular word. But there was a thirst for learning because I found something I loved to do.

Now I didn't always love every subject. Because I am into historical fiction right now. I'm fascinated with some of these HermanWALT and all of those books that I'm reading, Windivore, and and I'm fascinated with some of those.

But in junior high, my history class, I was mainly interested in a guy in front of me that I had a criminal.

That was it. And so I wasn't thinking about life long learning in any other area. Yeah. But I was very committed with music because I had goals. And I wanted to be able to be at the star at the talent show, which I was.

Because those sort of things came out at different points, and this is why I'm a big advocate of arts in schools as well, because sometimes those kids, the only thing that keeps them in school is band or choir or drama or some of those areas that they find this love for, and that can be spread into the other areas they find, you know, to study my lines or to be able to understand this theater piece, I need to know the background of what's happening here.

Yeah. So they do the history study on that. So as an example, I wrote this musical called Zarina, and it's based on the imperialistic Russia, the last czar and Tsarina of Russia.

And I wrote a historical course, brief historical course to go along with that musical for people that licensed the musical.

The music's wonderful. It's a great story. But I felt like the actors could understand the characters, the depth of the characters even more if they really knew the history.

Mhmm. So anyone in maybe even the theater arts or in in music or in other areas, sometimes they notice in music they think, how can I figure out this rhythm?

You gotta go back to do math. Okay? So there are basics here that you can apply across the board and even some of those other subjects.

If you find 1 thing that people really love to do. And they find that sort of little area, even going through school and having some of those offerings.

And which I mean, there there are a lot of different areas like that that you may not love all the areas of school. I didn't. You know, I -- Sure. -- I did well enough to pass.

Basically and show those areas and focus on the areas that I just love, you know, that's usually the case. It's gotten a lot differ now with all of the colleges and they're wanting all these AP courses and all of that.

But, yeah, when I was going through, I did what I love and it did enough in the other areas that I could just really grow. Alrighty. Folks sit tight and we'll be right back on transacting value. Alrighty, folks.

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1 more value for your values? Bussprout can do that too. But yeah. In fact, when I was going through, I did what I loved and it did enough in the other areas that I could just really grow.

Yeah. And it makes a huge difference. Right? To the college piece, a lot of them I think now are more profit motivated. But -- Yes. -- you know, even still, I think the scapegoated defense is, well, you can't help everybody.

So it's okay. You know? Yeah. And it short changes a lot of things and a lot of people, but To your point -- Right. -- my son doesn't like to read.

He doesn't wanna learn how to he's 8. He doesn't wanna learn how to read. He doesn't see the point learning how to read. When we play video games, He'll be the first 1 to read the text that comes across the screen though.

He's slow and he's getting it and he's learning, but he'll read it. I said, see man, that's it. Like, you just that's why reading is important because you need to know what to do next, the next level and, you know, whatever.

Dynosaurs, that's another 1. He'll move through a book about dinosaurs. He will sound out dinosaur names. But, man, you ask him to work his way through microwave and it's tough.

You know? That's a great, great point. That's a great point. Plain what interests them, definitely. Yeah. That's ultimately what I think what it comes down to. You know, it's -- Right.

-- you may not be able like in your case. I think you're pretty lucky. Not only did you find early enough on in your life what you're passionate about, but you've been able to excel at it in spite of whatever else came up in your life.

And a lot of people, like to your earlier point, may not figure that out till later if ever.

Right. There were choices though I had to make because of the studio I was taking from, especially in high school, You know, I couldn't be on the drill team. I couldn't be on anything else because I had these performances.

These competitions was very strict I had a very strict teacher at that point. So, there were choices I had to make. And I did get to do some fun things, so I showed up football games and got to sing the national anthem that was fun.

But I really wanted to be on the drill team. Although, it would have got the Providence, because, you know, I could've never done those high kicks or those it can't even touch my toes.

My goodness. So I would've not done well. So I guess it was good that I I went to the area. I did.

We just all have to make some of those choices and decide and my parents were a big part especially my mother was a big part of that because there you know, we didn't have a whole lot of money growing up, and it's always been a sacrifice to do all these separate things for kids.

And so there was that. You know, I was taking lessons. So I was gonna have to work, you know, to to deliver it, yeah, definitely. Yeah. And that's the balance. I mean, that's the reason also to learn balance and -- Right.

-- and the value of your decisions or opportunity cost or whatever. But -- Right. -- all things considered for the sake of time, I want to jump into the last segment of our show real quick.

And It's called developing character, developing character. Ready to play? Sure. Alright. So here's how it works. I'm gonna ask you 3 questions, and they're all entirely from your perspective.

So to whatever depth and level of vulnerability you're comfortable with, there's not a right answer to this. But question 1, what were some of your values when you were a teenager? I didn't really think about work ethic.

At that point, I was thinking, I was, you know, as much, and I didn't really realize, you know, that was such a part. But part of my life at that point was being a part of a group that I identified with.

Face was a big part of our family. And so that was 1 of those values that I had. The values of an education, getting a good education My dad had always told me, you know, no 1 can take that degree away.

And so that, you know, I just always figured that I would get an education and to keep going in that area. And that was part of that worst ethic.

Mhmm. And family, our family, if we just had a very strong family, very fortunate in that, a lot of people do not have that. And my parents were still together and all of that And I didn't realize how fortunate I was on that period.

I just did not at that point. But through that, those were those values of you know, having a personal faith that was not just drilled into me, it was kind of something that I took on And a leadership that I took on as well.

I became, you know, not only the self leader, but helping others through stages.

And that kind of just carried all the way through. It's still part of my life. And so with those as a teen and in the friends that you know, you tend to attract those friends as good friends, you kinda gel with them.

Yeah. So I'd never felt like I was part of the super popular, popular crowd, but I had good friends and I could associate with them.

They were just not my close friends. But I know that now looking back, those people probably didn't have a lot of close friends.

They Yeah. Excuse me. You look at the reality of it, you know, now a different perspective, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. It's a lot easier to to see at least an assumed sort of totality how different things actually are.

Once you get some experience or were, I guess, once you get experience. But that brings me to question 2. You've already mentioned a few values, but For the sake of the game, what are some of your current values now?

Still faced. Still good friends of a close group that and keeping up with relationships. It's work to keep up with relationships different relationships.

I have different groups in my life, whether they are my lifetime small group, whether they're a music group that I get together with, there's a group of us galloping together, celebrate birthdays, but they're close friends.

And with other colleagues, and I keep up with them, that is a value that I hold very, a strong value.

And I communicate often in different ways. It could not and not always 1 to pick up the phone, but I am 1 to write a note. So I keep up with those consistently.

I started writing notes when I was in junior high school, but with friends. And I called my business DJ Works back then, and because it was Deborah Jean. So now it's Deborah Johnson. But that sort of value has been there.

My personal faith, my personal journaling, at this point in my life, I'm looking to And in my business, just making those choices, evaluating, I'm trying to evaluate it more to be more strategic So all of that in that sort of value because time is so valuable, how can I give my time to that?

And so making those decisions. And I just hired another assistant yesterday, because there are certain parts of my business. That I knew if a coach was looking at my business, they would say, you don't need to be doing that.

So, I thought, you know, I need to change that. So, you know, coaching here. And be able to farm some of this out, but you have to be prepared for that.

So again, that hard work still comes in. That will probably never quit, kind of keeping some of my skills up. Doing some live streams even with music now because it keeps my skills up.

So, all of that currently enjoy my time. You know? I joined the time currently with my husband as we are traveling, and we have a place where we have a lot of fruit trees. So I, you know, I do a lot of things around our home too.

I just really love it. And I think that kind of creating the space that you can be real and that you can have impact. And unfortunately, I think that's getting more regularly few and far between.

Identifying those opportunities. Yeah. Right. But first off, yeah, congratulations on that sort of level of success in your life because it is more and more a rarity. Or at least it seems like it from my perspective.

But all things considered though question 3. How do you see some of your values changing? Let's say over the next 20 years. Well, I know I will keep working as long as I'm able -- Mhmm. -- because I love my work. I love my job.

I love, it's not a job really. It's kind of a calling that I do, and I love everything that I'm doing. So I would see keeping that on until our boys say, you know, mom, you need to cut it down. We need to put you in a home so bad.

Sure thing. I'm like, who knows? Who knows? There's circumstances that can kind of change whether the health of a spouse, the health we've gone through some changes when both sets of our parents became very ill and kept passing.

So there was a lot of shifts there in our focus. So some of those things I see at that point, I'm trying to and I'm not being very successful yet. Getting rid of things, so our kids don't have to get rid of so much stuff.

So but I'm not real good at doing that. And neither is my husband, I say, oh my goodness. But what I know is that what's gonna really be of value after I'm no longer here.

Yeah. None of us know how many days we have. We just don't that's a fact of life. But understanding what can I give now and what can I continue to do in the next 20 years?

I feel a lot of that I can still do a lot of my music. I could keep doing a lot of that because that's always going to be with me until I get arthritis or whatever I think that, you know.

Keep going, going, going, going, and singing. I do it a little bit of writing, but especially I can write whether it's books articles, I can produce podcasts.

But all of that is something that's definitely, you know, within the grasp of most everyone. I'm very inspired by many of these writers who are writing all the way into their eighties.

You know? Mike Rose Mother, Peggywell has had bestsellers when she turned 80. I mean, and she's delightful. You love listening to anything that, you know, she's American grandma.

That's how they've titled her now, but how inspiring that is. Julie a child, she didn't start her business, so like 50. And, you know, many of them started at that point of life.

And they've had huge success, and so it's very rewarding. And I'm here for my kids, but my life is not based on them. And I think they like it that I have our they like it that we have our life.

So we're not pestering them all the time. But we keep in contact. Part of the travel that we're doing right now is visiting kids because they're kind of spread out.

So it's very that sort of shifts at different points. And I know a lot of women at my stage of life, they're at that same situation, now part of their travel.

You know, there are even, you know, someone who's having to go overseas all different places. So it takes time, it takes a little extra different focus.

Yes. Sure. Well, I really appreciate the opportunity and the time that you made to sit down and talk for a little bit and just be vulnerable and be willing to open up and have a conversation. So first off, thank you.

You're very welcome, 0. A delightful host and very intuitive and coming up with those questions. Some of them I had to ask you a couple times to make sure I understood where you were going, but they were very well thought out.

So thank you for doing your preparation too. Very good. Yeah. No, I appreciate you saying that, especially when there's interviews that's just me, I don't hear that often.

So I I appreciate that nonetheless. But before we cut out of here, If anybody wants to reach out to you for your book or your podcast or just you, anything, all things considered.

How do people do that? Well, I think 1 of the best ways to stay in contact, people get so many emails these days. But you can get on my newsletter.

I have an article. This has been going over 20 years. My, and I don't send spam, I send 1 article a week and then an update on the podcast. That's it. And it's gold for your life dot com forward slash newsletter.

Now this, as you can sign up there, gold for your life dot com forward slash newsletter. I've got a lot of free downloads on my sites, whether it's my speaker site, Deborah Johnson speaker. Goldsburylife dot com.

In DJWorks music, I have a lot of music. So there are products pages on those. You can always link to those. I've got women at halftime as the podcast, and I've had these articles coming out about getting out of your roundabout.

I'll have a new book out of that by the first of next year. That's coming out. Yeah, I have a number of books. You can find all of those on my website, and my Hero Mountain Summit, I open up only twice a year.

So if you get on to some of my information, you'll figure out when that comes, when that's available. So I've got plenty of products and plenty of stuff to look at to be distracted by.

Yeah. And absolutely 0 free time. Yeah. Pay. Everybody's busy. Believe me. Yeah. No. That's that's impressive. For everybody listening, we'll have all those Links to each of the things that Debra just listed in the show notes for this.

So for anybody unfamiliar, find this podcast, find this episode, but click show more, click see more, click something to that effect, and you'll be able to see all of these URLs, all of these links that you can click to get all that material as well.

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And also to inspirations like the artist's Way, People like Walt Disney, Peggy Row, Julia Childs, for your inspiration as well into the content within this podcast.

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