22 Comments
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Thank you so much for such a great conversation, Kim!

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Thank-you Emily!

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Apr 18Liked by Kim Van Bruggen, Emily McDowell

I love the unlearning of happiness myths here, Kim and Emily. It's never what's outside of us that's going to fulfill us (at least not long-term). xo

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founding

Agree 100% with this... it's the intrinsic or internal. xo

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And yet, Madison Avenue... xo

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Apr 19Liked by Kim Van Bruggen

Loved, loved, loved this interview. Especially what Emily said about “feeling complete” with what she used to do and the identity of that life. It aligns completely with what I teach about purpose. Purpose isn’t one thing. Our purpose evolves as we evolve. Because we’re not stagnant and static, what we learn and who we grow into is something we’ll be called to share and/or teach.

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Thanks Uma. The whole idea of "completion" for the task/job/career really hit home for me as well. Instead of feeling like I was abandoning something, I see it now as I had completed my tasks and time at that specific career. It helped shift my thinking towards a more positive mindset.

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Really enjoyed this interview. Thank you! It made me consider how I manage and tend to my creativity—-and to not assume there’s an infinite supply. Perhaps it’s a resource like anything else, so how do I view its sustainability… I appreciate the insights.

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Great takeaway Linzi. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

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This episode deeply resonated with me. I'm in a similar transition of life and it was refreshing seeing someone at the height of their career (a status many artists strive for) have the realization that this is not it! It helped me confirm that the reshifting and refocusing I'm experiencing right now after having one of the best years of my artist career is something I need to focus on rather than dimming my intuition. Thank you Emily and Kim for such a great interview!! 🙏🏾

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Nkem, you're absolutely right! Don't allow your intuition to be dimmed! Let it lead you as you shift and refocus. I'm so glad this interview found you when you needed it. xo

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Apr 23Liked by Kim Van Bruggen

Loved listening to this conversation and found it very validating as I'm also in a very transitory phase of life. Thank you, Kim & Emily!

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Hi Anne. You're in the right place to be hanging out when it comes to major life transitions. I'm so glad you found the conversation helpful. (And nice to see you this morning!)

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I was overloaded hormonally, emotionally & logistically the other day and texted my husband from the gas station parking lot to say I would be sitting there "eating trash and reading my newsletters for a while" before returning home. LOL. When I opened my list, this fabulous interview was at the top of my feed and WOW was I glad!! THANK YOU so much for sharing this conversation. I have been following Emily's work and career for years and years & have found her candor about burnout to be so helpful, so refreshing. Her commercial success was something I studied to emulate during another season of my life. Now...I study how the powerful creative badass women I see are taking care of themselves, their energy, their spark. This conversation was awesome-- thank you both. xo

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I'm sorry to hear about your overwhelm Lisette, but I'm so happy this interview found you exactly when you could watch it and absorb the messages. Emily is a gem. I only just found her last year when she joined Substack and I love her! I'm drawn to all you creatives. Love it. Hang in there and hope you have a better week! xo

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What can I say.. just about everything resonates so much right now. In my own recovery as company founder and unlearning my deep belief that action alone validates my existence.

My new definition of success = being able to bring my authentic self into whatever I'm working on and managing my energy, not my time. Result = some days I barely do anything hah

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First let me say I'm sorry to hear you are going through this yourself. It is not fun or easy. But, good for you for taking action towards your own recovery. I love your new definition of success. And, I hear you sister on everything else! My energy came back in very small increments. And, when I jumped too far, too fast when I started to feel a teeny bit of energy coming back, it didn't end well. So, the unlearning and learning is ongoing.

Here's to those days when we barely do anything. But, as Emily said in the interview, those times when it appears we're doing nothing, SOMETHING is actually happening! Thanks for being here. Take care.

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Apr 21Liked by Kim Van Bruggen

How is this a more perfect article/discussion in my season right now? “Trusting that when nothing’s happening, something is happening.” Thank you for your words of honesty, Emily. It is a real story that is getting me viscerally. And helping me in decision-making. Planting seeds for me. Thank you for this interview, Kim.

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Apr 22·edited Apr 22Author

Hello Jaclyn. I'm so happy you found it helpful. I knew Emily's story really resonated deeply with me and I was comforted to know there was someone else out there going through something very similar to me. It sounds like there are a few of us out here. All the best with your own situation and decision making.

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Apr 21Liked by Kim Van Bruggen

Also, it’s not like I never heard of this advice but it’s just the time in my life hearing it the way you strung the words together. (Emily)

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Wonderful interview skills, Kim and thank you for sharing your extraordinary journey, Emily. 🙏🥰

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Thanks Carissa. xo

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