What about your friends?

Do you find yourself getting so busy with work + life + all. the. things, that you don't feel you have the time and space to spend time with your friends?

My recommendation would be to carve out that time ASAP.

Having people in your corner who are not your partner or your kids, is life giving.

There's something about having people who don't need or want anything from you. They don't need you to wash their clothes or make them dinner or make big financial decisions. You can just BE.

I’m so thankful for the depth in friendships I’ve cultivated intentionally over the past several years.

I graduated high school a year early, and I didn’t have an on campus college experience (I have 60+ college units, but no degree). It wasn’t until my early 30’s when I became an entrepreneur that I dove deep into female friendships.

Here’s how I make sure to stay connected with my girls:

1) I schedule it on my calendar:

Once a month, I mastermind in person with Amy Ahlers, Nisha Moodley, Julie Santiago and Michelle Long to talk honestly about business, family, marriage, health, money.

Once a quarter, I meet my S(QUAD) Jennifer Kem, Nicole Walters, and Nikki Elledge Brown in fun places around the world. We adventure, spa it up, and get real about what’s really going on in our lives.

2) I have all of my close friends just a text or voice message away.

My favorite app to use is Voxer, which is a walkie talkie app. It’s like on demand conversations with people you love. We have a rule that if you’ve got a lot on your plate, or you're away, you can say RESET, and that means you don’t have to catch up on the past audio messages. You can just jump right back into the conversation right where you are, so you never feel behind.

3) I make low pressure invitations to whatever I’m up to.

I’ll send super casual invitations via text message when I go dancing, get massages, have tickets to a concert, plan vacations, watch a movie, etc.

What’s worked best for me is consistent invitations and not taking things personally when someone says they can’t make it. I lean into the discomfort of rejection.

You don’t need to cut people off your friend list just because their schedule doesn’t line up with your invite. It takes time to build trust, so you’ll need to put a lot of invites out to create that compound effect of time and trust (this is true in business too!).

If you feel really connected to someone, lean into the awkward beginnings of getting to know them. It will take multiple hangouts, several months, and persistence to deepen those friendships.

That's why I'm excited to talk with a close friend who has been a catalyst to this depth in cultivating deeper connections with women.

In this episode, I get cozy with my friend and women’s leadership coach, Nisha Moodley where we talk about open hearted leadership, boundaries, motherhood and business, and channeling our anger for the greater good.

Finding the Courage to Lead with an Open Heart

To me leading with love is having an open heart and having the courage to both give and receive.

– NISHA MOODLEY

Nisha is a women’s leadership coach and the founder of Global Sisterhood Day. Her work is driven by a belief in the immense power of sisterhood to help us expand our individual and collective freedom.

Her work blends years of interest and study in spirituality, holistic health, coaching, and Family Systems. She’s been a coach for 10 years, leading mastermind groups, online courses, and over 30 retreats around the world.

What you'll hear (and don't want to miss!):

• Why courage is one of Nisha’s favorite words and how it relates to leading with love
• Her approach to sharing personal stories online and the boundaries she’s put in place around doing this
• Why Nisha uses her voice and online presence for justice and advocacy, and what’s she’s learned about channeling her anger for the greater good
• Her favorite embodiment practice and the way she now celebrates her choices
• What she brings to her retreats to add to the overall experience for the guests, and herself
• The birth of Nisha’s course, Soul of Leadership and what it’s become since starting

FIND full show notes here: jadahsellner.com/160

Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music (or wherever you listen to podcasts). As you’re listening, take a screenshot, share your favorite takeaway and tag me on Instagram and Facebook with #leadwithlovepodcast.

Warm hugs,