Following my heart. A love letter to you.

I want to thank you for your patience. 

I recently fell off the writing-a-blog cliff.  In fact, I disappeared for quite a few months.  You may have noticed.

But (I’m hand tinglingly excited to say!) I’m back and with the deepest of heart-centred changes.  

Do you recall my desert coaching conversation with an exceedingly wise horse (in case you missed it, the full Arizona experience is here)? This four-legged, buckskin Yoda led me to understand that:

Follow my heart I must. 

(Boom).  

Not part time.  

Not here and there.  

But completely.  

Imperatively. 

Midst the unforgettable pink of the Arizona desert sky with the misty blue mountain backdrop this adept buckskin showed me that my heart has to lead. It was a full-on sensory felt experience and was seared into my fullest, most visceral of memories. My heart swelled, my body relaxed, my centre of gravity shifted downwards. I felt deep, still, steady peace and certainty. I felt connected to all things. Time slowed. And all so much so that even my tired and often addled, over-pressurised mind recognised something had shifted forever. 

I knew in every cell of my being that this was non-negotiable. 

So I stopped.

• I stopped working on my business (I continued with existing clients of course). 

• I stopped writing. 
• I stopped marketing. 
• I stopped seeking new clients.  
• I stopped endlessly thinking about my work and the what—I-was-going-to-do-next-on-the-merry-go-round-of-biz-big-ideas.

Instead, I fell. 

I hurtled downwards in the freefall of not knowing what was next. The ground no longer anchored me to my past or my present, everything just fell away. 

Creative work stopped. My future income plummeted. My accountant’s blood pressure rocketed. And my heart LOVED it.  

In short, I was happy. I found peace, joy, ease and patience. I withstood teen dramas without becoming, well, dramatic. I fell back in love with my twice daily slide through muddy fields with my dog. Amazing syncronicities happened. I took up hobbies I'd yearned for for decades (riding, yoga, pilates, pottery to name a few). 

And I enjoyed my coaching and teaching more than ever.

And it seemed writing a newsletter didn’t make the list. It wasn’t part of my heart’s desire. 

My heart is not interested in creating newsletters.  Nor writing a sporadic newsletter for marketing purposes.

But, as I leaned over my 5th wobbly coiled clay pot it dawned on me - what if I go back to what I used to do - to write to you personally from my heart and regularly, just as I did with friends?!

Well, that’s a full yyyess-pleeease! 

So here’s an actual letter that I am writing regularly.  There.  I've said it.  Out loud.  (eeek).

A letter to you, my reader.  (For more, sign up to my newsletter).

A letter from my heart to yours. 

A regular letter from my heart to yours to share ideas, thoughts, information and to hear your perspectives, problems and issues in turn.

No content plan. No schedule. No targets or clever synchronising. No word limits (sorry, that makes this one longer!). No hooks. 

Just me, standing at my desk, writing for myself daily and sometimes scooping nuggets that inspire me into a letter to share with you, and asking YOU to share what's happening (or not!) with you.  

To celebrate being partners on this journey for a more heart-led, heart-centred life, work and world. 

And here's my pledge to you.

• I don’t know all the answers, but I will share how it is to live from my heart in a human, occasionally fluffing it up sort of a way.
• I will share how it is to enter into a way of life with no set path, no signposts, no ladder to climb and how to navigate just using the heart.
• I will share how, once we have found the path of the heart, to stay on it most of the time.
• I will share tips and tricks, hacks and hints that have really helped me and how you can use them too.
• I will be honest about the screw ups and the falling off the wagons and share the highs and the lows (I have bruises, it’s happened quite a bit).   
• And I will share what I've gleaned from my over two decades of working with people to help them to find a more heart centred solution to their problems.

So if you’re up for joining me on this experiment of unconditional heart-led living in the real world I’d love to have you with me. I hope we’ll have fun. Laugh a lot. Find out new things. Learn ways to allow the heart to become centre-stage.  

And I’d love to hear about your heart-led life experiments too*.  Message me. Whether it’s following your heart at work, in your business or your home life; whether it’s part time or full time; whether you’re a black belt in heart based living or have just purchased an uncomfortably starchy white robe and belt and are busy googling how to tie the knot.  What works?  What doesn't? What ties you in knots?  Where are you stuck? 

Let's adventure together!

With love 

Joanna xx 

P.S. *Please email me at connect 'at' joannashipley.com or via my contact form on my website - I’d love to hear about your own heart-led life experiements too. 

P.P.S. Here’s a cute little animation about kindness for your heart this Sunday. Just…well…because. 

 P.P.S. My pottery classes are here at the Wildling Studio with the amazing Sarah Glazier-Hart.  Not only is she incredibly talented, endlessly patient and has excellent artistic style and taste, but her workshops are set in acres of meadows and she bakes home made gluten free cakes every time.  Genius.  Highly recommended.

[Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash]