We recently connected with Jovanna Vidal and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jovanna, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
I can wholeheartedly say that one of THE most INCREDIBLE things I did for myself about nine years ago was learning to meditate! Meditation has single handily been the GREATEST addition to my self-care routine. I meditate twice a day for 20-30mins each. It starts my day with a calm and inner resolve to handle life however it presents itself. To me, meditation is like a reset button!! When I feel that afternoon slump, I know it is time to close my eyes and go within;)
I belive meditation has provided me with the ninja tool of self-relection and self-awareness! I am an infinitely better human because of my meditation practice!! I started with one of Oprah and Deepak Chopra’s 21 Day Challenges and then was invited to a free talk hosted by the INCREDIBLE Emily Fletcher who I continued to work with. Over a long weekend, Emily taught a room full of actors the beautiful whispers of embarking on our very own meditation journey!! It was and has been glorious, tho, of course, not easy!!
Unbeknownst to me at the time, the first few days of learning to meditate, you are unraveling the toxic old muck preventing you from enjoying the simple things in life. And it gets ugly at times!! But like I say in my book, Teen Anxiety No More, “You have to go through it to get TO it!!” And I am BEYOND grateful I ventured down that ugly path for the short while I did to get to THE MOST amazing moments and opportunities I have had!! Soon thereafter I was able to bask and enjoy the little things in my life that had eluded me for so long. I attribute it ALL to going within and escavating through the parts that need not remain in our hearts and spirits. The very ones that create ALL the angst and challenges we suffer through UNTIL we actually do the work and release ourselves from that dark, heavy weight that can taint and overshadow SO much of our human experience!
Everything I do now – every opportunity, every consideration, every decision – most often subconsciously goes with me INTO my meditations. It is there that I check in with ME and my true underlying wishes and feelings and I get my directions and answers on what to do or not do!! When we approach our lives in this way, with true heart-centered awareness and faith, EVERYTHING shows up gentler and more gracefully. AND that to me is what has made ALL the difference in my life!!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an actor, speaker, host who became a bestselling author with my first book, Teen Anxiety No More! Writing and publishing my book has been THE MOST meaningful experience for me to date. Achieving the #1 Bestseller ranking on Amazon has truly been the cherry on top;)
The seed for my book sprouted when my young following kept asking me what I did when I was bullied or was made fun of in school. How I worked through my fears and anxieties and how I handled peer pressure. I was asked so frequently, I decided to write this book in answer to their pressing questions. I feel our youth can benefit from seeing more of our REAL feelings and that they are NOT alone when they experience theirs! That it is natural and typical as humans to feel fear and anxiety! I strive to showcase and highlight that it is HOW you manage and “GO THROUGH IT” that will make the difference in how you show up in the World. It is my mission to utilize my acting platform to teach teens struggling with fear and anxiety – how they, too, can live with more ease and joy! It is just INCREDIBLE to me, and I feel VERY blessed, that I am able to marry what I am so passionate about and love to do with making a positive contribution!
To me, receiving SO many beautiful comments sharing how my “Younglings,” as I refer to them, are doing better in school, and feeling braver, happier and more hopeful is what I ALWAYS dreamed of my book doing for these young readers! When I hear that my book, my channel, my Lives and my videos have helped them along the way, that they are spreading kindness and positivity in their own different little ways, I feel on top of the world!! It is INCREDIBLY rewarding to hear from parents who decided to read this book TOGETHER with their teens!! That MY book is opening the lines of communication with their kids and helping the parents to actually have a discussion about the very serious and difficult challenges that so many teens face or will likely face on their journey. To help be that connecting point for parents who may feel that growing gap from their children as they tend to become more distant or removed during their teen years is gloriously gratifying;)
You might be asking, “well what makes your so book unique”?”
What makes my book, Teen Anxiety No More, truly different is that I take the stance of a big-sister! It is essentially my love letter to younglings everywhere!! It was and IS my intention to address the excruciatingly difficult issues so many of us experienced in our lives when we were their age. Except now, there are infinitely more realities that plague them that so many of us, now adults, didn’t have to contend with when we were in middle and high school. We see it everyday with the trolls who hide behind their keyboards who suppress so many with their hateful comments making cyber-bullying one of the top issues for so many teens these days. We see it every time there is another story in the news about candy colored drugs being offered at school or YET another mass shooting happening in unexpectedly quiet towns all over America…
Oh, I go there!! I felt I had to!! I touch on most all the raw and real topics and I do it in a way that the reader feels that I am on THEIR side!! That I SEE them and that I am here to help!! I realized I could help more teens as I witnessed first-hand how my Younglings were showing up differently for themselves and with others since having created my YouTube Channel where we were first introduced back in 2020 during arguably one of the MOST challenging times we experienced simultaneously worldwide!!
So, yes, it is on my channel, called The Scenic Route with Jovanna Vidal, that I wanted to create a place where we are reminded EVERY WEEK that life is not an easy, predicatable straight line. That we MUST stop to smell the roses along the way REGARDLESS of what is happening around us!! My channel has become a safe place where we discuss issues we are facing and concerns coming up for ALL of US. It is where I offer alternatives in perspective and perceptions, how they can see or respond in different situations and also help them process their feelings and emotions!! I use this space to be very transparent about my own anxieties and insecurities. I permit them to see ME walking THROUGH what may be weighing heavy on my heart or as I experience any of my own fears that surface for me! This was definitely the case as I was writing, publishing, and putting this first book of mine out into the world. The whole process was daunting and terrifying for me and they ALL had a front-row seat!! Our Fridays together when we celebrate OUR “Fri-Yay Lives,” as we’ve coined them, have become SUCH a sanctuary of support and optimism for us ALL!!
I TRULY have a burning wish and desire to empower and inspire our Younglings while also cheering them on as any BIG-sister would!! I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being there for them in this way!! Going to schools, colleges and teen events to share with them easy, fun, different ways to counteract the anxiety-provoking realities they are experiencing during these trying times is my focus these days!! Will you join me in ensuring we gift our teens a different, more positive and hopeful experience than so many are having today!! So to all the teachers, mom groups, school orientation coordinators and planners…I am BEYOND excited to connect to come speak at your events!! There is POWER in numbers;)
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?
There have been SO many things that have come into play that have GREATLY impacted my journey and my results!! If I needed to choose only three, then for me, I would say it was taking risks, curiosity & perseverance, and learning about emotions!! Wait is that four? …lol;)
SO many things in life is about seeing an opportunity and STRETCHING to take the risk to experience it!! Whether good or bad, positive or negative! We don’t often know in advance how things will turn out…that is called life!! However, I believe, that when we are presented with the opportunity to experience something new, that we WANT to experience, whether it is a “HECK YEAH let’s do it” or an underlying wish that is quiet and unassuming, we MUST go for ittt!! Regardless of how scary it may feel…internally, not talking about real potential danger or harm here;) Because THAT wish or desire was implanted in YOU and perhaps ONLY YOUUU and thereby available to YOUUU!!! We must push past ALL seemingly justifiable obstructions or obstacles to experience that in THIS lifetime, in my opinion. We ONLY get this ONE opportunity, that we know of, to try, do, and be ALLLL things that we are even the least bit curious about!! We CANNOT not at the very least try ittt!! It is often said, that we regret the things that we do not do and I, for one, do NOT want to push a walker dwelling on any of those regrets!! I want to push into my 80’s going…”yeahhh I did thattt and that and that toooo…lol;)
And that is where curiosity and perseverance interlace! Sometimes the things we want are SOOO big that we MUST keep that wish and desire front and center and work towards it with ALLL the might we can muster!! Until, of course, it is no longer a desire in your heart to pursue;) I believe we are guided to some things in life where we then reach a certain point that we are sufficiently satisfied with having gone and tried it. And we feel called to do or try something else!! It’s happened to me many times! I started out pursuing my corporate career, then moved into my professional dancing years and later transitioned into my acting journey. And now, I am loving the process of writing books and who knows how many more renditions I will have;)
Although, admittingly, coming to a new crossroad where you must consider stepping into a new self to support a future vision is daunting!! However there is such richness in having that realization and learning to accept the new challenge in direction. But gosh darn ittt keep goinggg because you neverrr know where these curiosities or nudges will lead you!! And that is an exciting way to live, in my opinion. I am an actor after all, where pushing into the unknown is thrilling and necessary. But whatever it is that calls you, tune into what it is that you see for yourself and know that all the doors and windows you open along the way are intended to get you closer to that vision you have for yourself!! The ONLY requirement is that you keep trying, going and pushing through;)
Lastly, and surprisingly, learning about emotions utterly changed my life!! I remember that defining moment in my life when I embarked on a path that would entirely alter not only the way I would see and experience life but also in how I showed up in the world!! Of course I did it to aid me in my acting pursuits, however it is one of those skills and understandings that continue to help me in my day to day experiences…EVERY SINGLE DAY!! I cannot talk highly enough about the Center for the Language of the Face. It’s the acting studio where I began my journey to understanding what moves me, Jovanna, and what will move whatever character I am tasked to create. It is where science meets art and it is also where I developed the insights and awareness that was never taught to me in school, or in life, however should most certainly be requirements in BOTH!! It is fascinating work and whenever we can open pandora’s box into a deeper exploration of ourselves, our OWN impulses and motivations, we are able to walk INTO things with more confidence and assurance for where and who we are!! And THAT is priceless;)
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am looking forward to partnering with different platforms, groups, influencers who are making great strides to impact teens in our world. I am thrilled to meet mom and parent groups spearheading event calendars for speakers and workshops. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE going on podcasts and just having real talk that can help viewers or listeners at home who may be struggling with the overwhelming fears that so many of us have!! Whether you are a teen, have a teen or just know a teen, I really just want to share what has helped me and my growing number of Younglings overcome some VERY dark moments and difficult times. And again, there is power in coming together in numbers and hearts!! So please do reach out;)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thisisjovanna.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thisisjovanna/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisisjovanna/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/thisisjovanna/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/thisisjovanna
- Other: My book, Teen Anxiety No More – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBYBMJ5C
Image Credits
Oscar Guzman; CoreMedia Photography
