Exploring Life & Business with Joanna Horton McPherson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Horton McPherson

Hi Joanna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Despite spending most of my life as an actor and coach, when I was a kid, I was afraid to talk in front of people. My face would turn hot and beet red if someone so much as looked directly at me. This was debilitating at school, and my teachers constantly commented that I wasn’t “living up to my potential.”

Discovering theatre as a teen changed my life. I continued to feel shy but also, for the first time, connected to the world around me. I wasn’t particularly good at acting at first. I remember my first ever audition I was supposed to scream as part of the script. I did my monologue the best I could but, feeling embarrassed, didn’t fully “scream.” The directors seated directly across from me at their long table sat staring, then one looked at the other and turned back to me, saying, “run around the room screaming your head off.” For a 16 year old girl who had a lot invested in appearing cool, this was like a death sentence. But I did it, and was cast as Juliet in that production of “Romeo & Juliet.” The following year, I was touring another Shakespeare production in England, the rest is history.

The actors’ job was to own the stage, and since I didn’t know how, I decided to learn and that’s been my whole path in life: not knowing how, but figuring it out.

I became a professional actor and spent the next few decades on stage in a constant process of self-discovery. My years of acting training gave me confidence on stage, but it was the years of spiritual work that gave me clarity in myself. These both contributed greatly to my professional growth,

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
According to a recent study, four in 5 Americans (81%) believe there is “an ultimate purpose and plan” for every person’s life. I identify with this. I have struggled mostly with the my strong emotional response to things in my life – personal and professional. That made me really sensitive and pretty dramatic, quick to shift and change things up in order to improve things. I think that usually created more struggles for me.

So in the end, I actually believe lots of our struggles are self-created. The greater purpose was to really grow as a person through them. The best thing I did was realize I was always blaming others. And victims are the only ones who blame. Empowered people don’t. That really opened my eyes. Always looking for a savior to validate my anger was an immature approach to life and caused lots of suffering, mostly to myself.

Thankfully, I am blessed with self-awareness. I saw it for what it was, so invested a lot of time and energy in growing emotionally. I meditated, attended endless retreats, counseling, grew spiritually and came to value myself above all which is when things changed. I wanted to increase my capacity to live life happily and create my own future. and to do this I got good support around me from healthy people with good boundaries. They taught me. My mentors would talk directly with me and help me see clearly that my difficulties were challenges rather than life sentences. That’s the most we can ask – to live honestly and authentically instead of pretend we aren’t struggling. If we go through life with the same anger that got us here, we never really solve things.

As you know, we’re big fans of Joanna Horton McPherson. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I help high-performing professionals with their transformative message. What we have come through ends up down the road fueling our professional success. We can’t see it until we’ve reached a certain point in our careers where our accomplishments are really due to our personal growth. That’s when we start being asked to share our story – on panels, as speakers, in interviews, etc. The audience can tell from the moment we open our mouths if we did the work to get clear on our message and why it matters, or not. If you’re not feeling inspired by your own story, as you tell it, they won’t be either.

My job is to extract the inspiring talk from you so you’re radiant, confident and clear on stage. We don’t typically take time to do that work, but it makes all the difference. Even the process of working together can be truly transformational. We first identify what you transformed in yourself that, were your audience to make that transformation, would change their life. It’s not enough to say, “I used to think X and now I think Y.” That’s not inspiring. We miss an opportunity to move our audience if we skip those defining moments and the learnings you got in the past. Looking back helps us extract the meaning and purpose, really of everything that happened to get to present day. It’s like we’re taking account and justifying the data. We make meaning and find the story.

It matters that there’s a safe, closed container with my clients. I go 100% of the distance. We get messy together so you don’t do it on stage and get surprised about things you hadn’t realized. We do the work beforehand so you expand your limits and overcome the blocks that come up and would normally have stopped you from fully serving up what you have to deliver.

I am constantly inspired by my clients because they are really giving their best and don’t settle for less.

What matters most to you? Why?
Living an inspiring life matters most. First doing the work to unlock that in myself so I can help unlock that in others. I believe to whom those of us much is given, much is expected so bringing others with us as they rise matters. What if we all did that? What kind of shape would our world – and the people in it – be in then? That’s my real mission. To pay it forward.

Pricing:

• 10,000 a month

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joannahortonmcpherson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannahortonmcpherson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joannahortonmcpherson/

Image Credits
Veronika Richardson, Arabella Media of Sedona