Meet Janelle Britton

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Janelle Britton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Janelle, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

They’re definitely not things that ever came naturally to me. I was always a high achiever as a student in high school, college and into grad school. I leaned into achievement as what gave me value and worth–and I hid behind that success for my confidence and self-esteem. It was the same when I graduated and started a good career. Then, in my 20s, I went through some pretty brutal relationships where I was co-dependent. I tied the way I felt about myself to the other person and that person’s approval (or disapproval) of me, which is not healthy, but I feel like a lot of women (and men) have had that experience.

I’m almost 34 now, and a few years ago, I found myself on my own for really the first time in my adult life. I had always been in relationships. I promised myself I would take a year on my own to figure me out and meet me for the first time. I lived on my own and really leaned into it. I got back to journaling and reading Scripture daily, went back to Church, traveled to new places (visited Disneyland for the first time!), started regularly attending dance classes again (if you’re in the Orlando area, check out Bombshell Dance Productions!), and was truly living my best life after essentially starting over. I learned how to love me for me, not because of anything I was “doing” or “achieving” but because of the person I am already, the woman God created me to be. I am one of one. There is nobody else like me out there. I learned to embrace that and let it shine through while hopefully inspiring others around me to do the same.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My big girl job is working as a Program Manager for Disney. It’s a really cool space to work in because I get to partner with people from all over the world to help bring Hulu and Disney+ to people within their homes. Disney has always been special to me and my family, so being part of this brand that is beloved by so many people isn’t something I take lightly. It’s a blessing to get up and be part of making the magic.

When I’m not working, I’m content creating and even do a little bit of modeling! I work with a lot of brands to showcase their products and services on social media platforms. I’ve worked on some print and TV campaigns as well which has been a lot of fun. Being on a set is one of my favorite things because I get to pretend to be someone else and bring her story to life. When we’re kids, we play pretend and we dream but tend to lose that as adults, taking everything too seriously; I’m fortunate to have opportunities where I can lean back into that element of “play.” I’m also very passionate about my health and wellness journey and share a lot of that so I can hopefully inspire others to do the same. I try to be as authentic as possible so that whether I’m creating content for a brand or my own socials, it resonates with my audiences in a way that moves them to be unapologetically themselves as well.

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?

Discipline, resilience and patience are 100% what have gotten me to where I am and what will continue to drive me forward in the future. Motivation comes and goes; it takes discipline to get up every single day and go after the vision you have for your life. I am a big person of faith, and while I believe God can help move mountains, we still have a part to play in our own stories. God will never do what you can do but He will always do what you cannot do. I have learned to take an active role in creating the life I want; that doesn’t mean I always wake up motivated. It’s on those days where discipline has to take over.

As for resilience, it’s no secret that life is rarely smooth sailing. It’s not a linear journey. It certainly hasn’t been for me. I thought I would be in a different place than I am right now, and it’s okay. I’ve had to pivot, start over, pivot again and start over again after that. Now, some of that has been due to choices I wish I could have back, and some has been due to circumstances beyond my control. Regardless, I’ve gotten back up again and kept on going and in all cases, I thank God I did not get what I thought I wanted or deserved because where I am and where I’m going is so much better than I could’ve imagined for myself.

To go along with the other two, patience is key. Timing is everything. We tend to want everything, right now but a lot of times, we don’t get it and it’s a good thing, because we aren’t ready to receive everything, right now. I try to have a clear vision of where I want to go long term but focus on what I need to be doing today. Otherwise, I get overwhelmed and frustrated. Focusing on the now and the task at hand helps me stay grounded and in the moment. I don’t want to wish away time. I also don’t ever want to be so attached to an idea of what I want the future to look like that I miss out on other opportunities.

I think my advice for developing and improving these would be to understand that they get fine-tuned with experience. I’ve learned how to be resilient because I had to be; the other option was staying down and stuck which wasn’t something I wanted to do. I developed discipline because it’s necessary in order to get to where I want to go; but it’s practiced and developed. You have to choose it every day. And as for patience, it’s not just about waiting, it’s how you wait. You can spend time waiting and be miserable while doing it with a complaining spirit, or you can spend time waiting and be productive, learning and developing skills that will set you up for success once you get to where you’re trying to go.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I’ve learned that “no” is a complete sentence. I also try to remember that “if it’s not a heck yes, it’s a no.” I used to fill my calendar up so much because I was afraid to say no to anyone for fear of disappointing people. The problem with that is it leads to burnout and was cutting into time I needed for the things I’m really passionate about: spending time with family, content creating, traveling as often as I can.

It’s not that I always say no to things now, but I don’t always say yes to things either. Sure, people may be disappointed when I say no, but I know I’m not disappointing myself when I say “yes” when I don’t want to now. When I don’t take time for myself, I get run down and tired and I’m no good to anyone then. When I feel myself heading in that direction, I take a step back, assess how I’m spending my time and lean into self-care and things that feed my soul. It’s like the saying says, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

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Image Credits

Photo Asset Studio, Edwin Soto Photography, Magenta Vision Photography

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