We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful JD Slajchert. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with JD below.
Hi JD, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
I guess I would say keeping fresh is my philosophy when it comes to the idea of avoiding burnout. What I mean by that is finding the uniqueness in each new day, new meeting, and new interview. You can easily lose yourself in what can sometimes feel like the never ending maelstrom of being bombarded with inbound media and press, but remembering to stay fresh and reminding yourself to constantly seek out new ways to broadcast your work and your voice is vital to avoiding burnout. And, lastly, reminding yourself that the opportunity to have a voice in todays world is an incredible blessing is equally as important. What you say matters. You must always be searching for ways to adapt.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
To begin simply, I’m a fiction author, but as of late, I’ve been happily wearing several different hats. Currently I’m in the midst of a massive fundraising effort for a non-profit that I work beside called The LucStrong Foundation. It’s been a life changing campaign with LucStrong as we’ve raised a lot of money in donations for families and greatly expanded our reach to now extend across the entire country. I’m super proud of what we’ve done and are still currently doing for that. I also was just recently asked to be the commencement speaker for a high school graduation ceremony a few weeks back. It was the high school that I went to when I was growing up in Southern California, so the opportunity to return and watch all of those kids graduate is something I’ll never forget. So, lately, I’ve been doing more promoting and speaking than writing, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the pen soon.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In terms of areas of knowledge that have been impactful in my journey, I can certainly think of several. First and foremost, I’d say that cultivating a healthy relationship with art and inspiration have been vital for me in my journey and mission thus far. Being able to turn towards books, movies, and music has always helped lift me up when I’ve needed it most. Second, I’d like to mention the idea of staying ever curious. Curiosity will introduce you to magnificent things, so work hard to stay open to new ways of doing almost anything. And lastly, I’d say movement. Physical movement, and having a good relationship with your body will help you in all arenas of life. I can’t recommend staying physically fit strongly enough. And my advice on all of these would be to allow yourself the proper amount of time to grow in each one. The journey is long, so you want to prepare yourself as best you can for that. Things take time. Have grace and patience, and I promise you it will pay off.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I truly believe I have the best support system in the world. My family, my friends, and my hometown community have all rallied around me in a way that makes me emotional to even write about in this very moment. It’s a wonderful thing, and I owe my support system a tremendous debt for how much they’ve allowed me to grow and thrive. My only hope is that I can somehow find a way to repay each and every one of them. Perhaps that’s what’s next for me, figuring that out. Maybe the next time we talk I’ll have something cool sorted for that mission. Until then, thanks again for having me and keep going! The best is ahead folks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jdwritesbooks.com
- Instagram: jd_slajchert
- Facebook: JD Slajchert
- Twitter: jd_slajchert
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS918ww0iZr7j6i6tO7p6xQ
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/JD-Slajchert/author/B07HB5XX39?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1718249234&sr=8-2&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Image Credits
Michael Ojo
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