Meet Jo Anna Kloster

We recently connected with Jo Anna Kloster and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jo Anna, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

First of all I wish to thank you, Bold Journey, for this follow up opportunity to share with your readers how my journey has progressed.

Developing confidence and self-esteem has been a journey. Building slowly over time. Decades, actually. And self-reflection has been the key. Through spiritual readings as well as professional development teacher trainings.

In particular, one program had a reflection component that’s been invaluable. It was a multi-layered cooperative-learning strategy. At the end of each activity, participants were encouraged to reflect on the outcome of their efforts. It sounds simple, but when you combine it with group discussion it takes on another important dimension. Others frequently reveal success and growth that you might not see. Especially when you thought you didn’t do such a good job compared to the results of others. And to take this into my classroom, with children, hearing their amazing perspectives, was truly enlightening. Their honesty and logic is a gift to be respected.

Reflection allows me to gauge progress as well as what next steps might be. Also, reflecting allows me to be more open to unseen possibilities. This process brings a feeling of accomplishment and confidence. And this gets easier and more comfortable the closer to the finish line of life I get. I seem to have become bolder, no longer bothered by what others might think. Asking “What if …?” has become a guiding statement in my life, as well as, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Ultimately, I know I’ll make mistakes. The trick is…how to move on from them. It’s the moving forward that matters more.

The other important aspect in this equation (how to develop confidence and self-esteem) is learning to feel comfortable in your own skin. Feeling comfortable with who you are. And that, I believe for most people, takes time. Embracing my unique strengths and weakness has allowed me to be gentler with myself. To give myself grace. Especially when I think I’ve messed up or missed the mark on something I was shooting for. And again, for me, that comes with getting older. It pushes me into new realms as I recognize there’s truly nothing to lose. But much might be gained. As President Kennedy is often quoted: “If not now? When?”

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m thinking my “brand” is a bit different than others profiled in these pages. As an animal welfare advocate and volunteer with Humane World for Animals, my brand isn’t a thing. It’s “a cause.” My work, my brand, is about speaking up for voiceless animals. Especially dogs locked 24/7 in puppy mill cages. I believe it’s relatable to anyone invested in speaking up for something they believe in. My brand is my mission – and it focuses on 3 areas:
– education
– advocacy and
– lobbying elected officials to co-sponsor legislation that helps these dogs.

It has been an amazing journey since 2022 when I published my young adult novel LILY UNLEASHED. It’s an empowering age-appropriate novel that challenges young readers to fight for a cause. One Amazon reviewer felt it “captured the spirit of idealism that young adults bring to their activism.” Multiple plot complications heighten the tension as Lily learns about forgiveness, first love, and navigates the rocky terrain of a hostile neighbor bent on sabotage.

I share LILY UNLEASHED as a talking point at my “education table” at public events. I meet big-hearted animal lovers with amazing stories about their furry companions. It’s been uplifting to learn how many of the people who stop at my table found their loyal companions at shelters and rescues instead of pet stores or online puppy selling sites who source from puppy mills. Via my education table, I get to educate others on how to advocate for puppy mill dogs by contacting politicians who can co sponsor legislation raising living conditions at these mills. So this part of my brand is very heavy on clear communication.

Another valuable aspect of my advocacy has been connecting with community leaders and elected officials when presenting to their group or at community events. I live in a small town. Thanks to that notion of “six degrees of separation” valuable relationships are not hard to initiate.

Also, learning to use social media has been effective and rewarding in fulfilling my mission, as I’m sure it has helped many others profiled here. I’ve learned techniques and strategies to get the most mileage out of my informational posts.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would say the following three items fueled my journey:
• curiosity,
• networking, and
• effective messaging (writing).

Due to the nature of my “brand” I had to find out (curiosity) about my topic (existing laws governing breeders and why they aren’t meeting the needs of these puppy mill dogs.) Then I started networking with animal welfare groups who were making a difference for these dogs via advocacy in its many forms. Also, I needed to network with like-minded animal welfare folks in my town like our sheriff, local NC politicians, local shelters, as well as others influential to this cause, like veterinarians.

Finally, I worked to create an effective message via social media and my PowerPoint presentation thanks to eye-opening facts and visuals. Which took time and revision. With each of these three areas, I sought experts in the field. Sometimes it took a few phone calls, but thanks to the internet so much is available with a simple search.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

This one is easy. The most helpful person on my journey, who’s been with me every step of the way, has been my partner and husband, Patrick. We’re going on 33 years married I am thrilled to share. Though he’s not an animal advocate in the ways that I am, he has always been there to listen, provide suggestions, and ask hard questions that I might not have asked when developing social media posts, presentations, and and perspective on how to approach elected officials. Because of his extensive background working in many professional realms developing his own campaigns, his perspective has been invaluable. Patrick has been the first editor for every chapter of my book. His insight and critique, always with kindness and respect for my mission, has been invaluable. I am so happy to get to thank him officially in this profile!

I also have a cadre of very supportive friends who respect my mission and provide continuous encouragement. Especially Becky and Carol, who were very active in the world of dog rescue and finding homes for puppy mill dogs rescued from puppy mills. They provide invaluable insight into problems to be aware of that might hinder political support for bills to help these dogs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emptycagespress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannakloster.emptycagespress/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmptyCagesPress
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-anna-kloster-089b76200/
• Twitter: https://x.com/JoKloster1
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiwiskorner

Image Credits

Michael Coy Photography took the portrait of me in the purple dress with my little Miss Kiwi the Papillion.