Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jill Reed. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jill, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is alive and well in the world of academia. I struggled with it for years as a graduate student and it wasn’t until I started working on my dissertation data and drilling down my committee that I had a moment with my chair. She said something along the lines of: “Every single person you see here, faculty, administration, other students – they are all just people. They have bills and kids and dogs and and their most pressing issue today isn’t an article acceptance, it’s what they’re making for dinner. Stop worrying about what people think. They are not thinking about you.” It was such a freeing notion. I’d been so tangled up in others’ opinions that I’d put these people on a different plane. I needed to see that we’re all on the same planet, walking through life together, ensconced in our own priorities. It really helped me get out of my head and build my confidence to keep moving forward.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I live in Costa Rica and am a licensed full time realtor with expertise in marketing, social media, and international properties. I love helping clients buy and sell in paradise. With a background in research and education, I seek to provide value above and beyond by guiding my clients through the Costa Rica real estate process, arming them with the tools and intelligence required to make smart decisions and get to the finish line. Locally, my focus is on developing relationships throughout my network in order to provide my sphere with the most comprehensive coverage that doesn’t end at close. As a certified personal trainer and coach, my side hustle employs my passion for wellness and education. I recently co-authored a children’s book on breathwork and created a mindfulness course that will open for enrollment on The Family Enrichment Hub in the coming months. I’m very excited about helping busy families learn how to incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives.
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?
Use your resources and ask for help. Identify fear points and work through them, religiously. Find a mentor who values your strengths and can help you grow. When you’re just starting out, you don’t always recognize the inherent value in cultivating a network. It’s never too soon to start looking around, paying attention to who is making change, finding people and systems that are associated with the path or direction you’re moving toward and making connections. Something I wish I’d started doing earlier in my life is taking time for self-care and exploration. When we’re young, we often look outward for validation and confirmation, but often, looking inward can help us see how we’re holding ourselves back.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
When I talked earlier about strengths, I purposefully left weaknesses out of the equation, because I believe we cannot go all in on our strengths and ignore our weaknesses without missing out on growth, potential, change, experiences, relationships and so much more. First, when we do work in this space, when we challenge our old beliefs and break through our fears, we are not only growing spiritually, but our brains are working, creating new neural pathways, and the more we repeat the action the stronger those pathways grow. We can literally change our brains. How amazing is that? Fact: I am terrible at learning languages. I took Latin in high school, so I’d never have to speak it. This is a weakness for me, but can you imagine if I didn’t take the time to teach my brain Spanish now that I live in Costa Rica? Is it hard? Yes, 100%. But, I’m learning and I actually realize when my brain stops hurting, it’s time for the next level. Keep improving, keep growing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jillreedgroup.com/copy-of-writing-samples
- Instagram: @puravidawithkids & @beachcombinghomes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-urquhart-reed-phd-nar-cips-9062096/
