Meet Julia Kepler

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julia Kepler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Julia, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

Leading into the spring of 2023 I was feeling a bit off but I did what I always do I pushed forward. Then I added a large project where 100’s of decisions needed to made(probably into the 1,000’s to be honest). I was working in one of my weakest skillsets in this project. Because of that I was working to mental exhaustion day after day for months. By the time August arrived there were some days I could not even get out of bed. I had yet to take a vacation that summer, not even a 3 day weekend.
I remember one evening saying to my husband David I need and vacation and then proceeded to sit at my computer for 2 hours I stared at the screen because I couldn’t even think through the steps of planning a vacation. Mind you I had been planning vacations since I was 16 when you went to AAA and got the books and maps to plan trips sp this was a huge strength of mine and I simple couldn’t do it. My mind was gone and I started to cry. I knew right then I was in trouble mentally.
The next day I looked up burnout and realized I had it for sure. I was not really aware of what burnout exactly was and here I was sitting there teetering in the stage 4 to stage 5 of burnout. I drug myself down the stairs to David who was a witness to my breakdown the night before so he said I have decided on what to do for vacation I have it covered. He started explaining the plan. It was a good plan but not a good one for my current mental state and I think it was enough of a jolt for me to plan a vacation. I sat at my screen again and my brain was frozen. I finally said to myself “You don’t have to plan the whole thing. You need to pick a location, dates, and get an airbnb-that is it-3 things”.
That was the beginning of me overcoming it. It was a long road. I read so much about burnout. I am certified in Positive Psychology and Well-Being and so I leaned into so many tools from that certification. I talked with other business friends so they knew what was going on. The more I knew and put voice to what I was experiencing the better I became.
Now I know the warning signs of burnout, what triggers my burnout and to be mindful of what I am feeling and experiencing. It doesn’t’ mean I am free from heading down the burnout road of life by any means. I just know what the beginning of that road looks like and what is at the end of it so when I recognize I have started heading down that road I know to turnaround and take the necessary steps to prevent going further down the road of burnout.

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

I own and operate 3 retail locations. Serendipity Road (a small business that supports small business in the form of a gift boutique), Joyful Tantrum (a toy store unplugged so you can plug in with those you love) and Shop with Moxie (which is a combination of both stores). I just shared my story about burnout and how I am certified in Positive Psychology and Well-Being.

Over the years we have added numerous selections in our stores of tools to apply mindfulness, wellbeing, and self care to our offerings. From yoga books, weighted stuffed animals, and fidget toys for the children(plus more) and on the adult side of things gratitude journals, mindfulness paint kits, therapy dough and so much more to our offerings.

Our mission is to Make Life Joy-filled. We are aware that is a choice every individual needs to make for themselves but if we can be a little part of they’re journey in finding joy in their life, connecting with their people and creating gifts for others or themselves that add care to our world-this is what makes our Lives Joy-Filled.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My mindset around failure is a huge quality and skill. I am not a fan of the phrase “Failure is not an option”. Of course it is an option and I promise as an entrepreneur you are going to fail at something everyday so count on it. It’s what you do after the failure that is so important. I love the phrase “Fail Fast Fail Often and Fail Forward”. As you quickly pick yourself up after a fail, analyze it and make a change quickly over and over again-you can accomplish anything, you just have to be okay with failing.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Right now I feel like my business is out growing my leadership skills and is getting to a point that it can’t grow anymore unless I personally grow. I am reading a lot, taking classes and have hired a business coach. Due to my burnout episode I am taking this all slowly and when the time is right we push through a growth period again. For now I am okay with minimal growth in the business and am looking forward to what is next on our Serendipitous Road we call life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www..shopwithmoxie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyfultantrum https://www.instagram.com/SerendipityRoadMI https://www.instagram.com/shop_with_moxie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyfultantrum/ https://www.facebook.com/SerendipityRoadMI/ https://www.facebook.com/JOYFULTANTRUMSRECESS/

Image Credits

Evie & Jr Photography(personal picture)