
Your Creative Chord Podcast
Your Creative Chord Podcast
Empowering Your Creative Flow & Inspired Living
Welcome to Your Creative Chord, the podcast for creatives, artists, musicians, caregivers, and anyone seeking to nurture their creative spark, build creative confidence, and live with more intention, resilience, and joy. I’m Jenny Leigh Hodgins—creative empowerment coach, author, poet, pianist, composer, and longtime creativity mentor.
This podcast helps you rebuild trust in your unique creative process with practical mindset tools, self-care strategies, and curiosity-driven creative exploration. Whether you’re navigating creative blocks, managing burnout, or simply deepening your connection to creativity and inspired living, each episode offers clear, actionable guidance to move forward with confidence and clarity.
Drawing from 30+ years of teaching, composing, caregiving, and my SGI Buddhist practice, I share insights that support nurturing creativity, exploring new ideas, and living a more inspired, authentic life.
Explore free resources to support your creative journey:
- Inspirational Bookmark Trio: Self-care tips, creativity boosters, and the Creative Exploration Formula
YourCreativeChord.com/getinspiredhere - Poetry Sampler: A free preview of Kaleidoscope of the Heart, my collection of poetry and lyrics
YourCreativeChord.com/poetrysampler - Piano Strategies Bundle: Practical tools from Start Piano for building confident, steady progress
YourCreativeChord.com/pianostrategies
Discover my books:
- Kaleidoscope of the Heart: A Collection of Poetry and Lyrics
- Start Piano: What You Need for Successful Learning
YourCreativeChord.com/books
For deeper creative growth:
Explore how my Creative Empowerment Coaching Program helps you overcome obstacles, build creative confidence, and live inspired on your own terms.
YourCreativeChord.com/workwithme
Join our supportive communities:
- Creative Flow & Inspired Living Facebook Group
facebook.com/groups/creativeflowinspiredliving - New and Returning Piano Learners Facebook Group
facebook.com/groups/newreturningpianolearners
Subscribe & Support:
Subscribe to Your Creative Chord on Apple Podcasts and other platforms for new episodes:
If you find value in the podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts—it helps others discover the show and strengthens our creative community.
Thank you for being part of Your Creative Chord. Let’s continue empowering creative flow and inspired living together.
Your Creative Chord Podcast
Created, produced, and hosted by Jenny Leigh Hodgins © 2025
Sun and Bloom Piano Music © 2016 Jenny Leigh Hodgins
All content © 2025 Jenny Leigh Hodgins
Your Creative Chord Podcast
Turning Struggles into Stepping Stones for Happiness Ep 72
Note: Episode 72, Turning Struggles into Stepping Stones, was originally scheduled for April 1. It has now been rescheduled to air on April 15, 2025.
In Ep. 72, I share how struggles can actually become stepping stones for happiness. It’s all about shifting your mindset and seeing challenges as opportunities for personal growth. I discuss how embracing obstacles with the right attitude can lead to a stronger, more fulfilled life.
I also share my poem How to Feel the Sun from Kaleidoscope of the Heart: A Poetry and Lyrics Collection—a piece that encourages us to find strength within, even in the darkest times. This poem, like many in the book, is a reminder that we have the power to transform adversity into a source of light.
If you’re facing a challenge, this episode will remind you that your struggles have the power to push you toward a greater version of yourself. You’ve got the potential to turn every obstacle into a stepping stone for growth and happiness.
Reflective Questions for You:
- What challenges are you reframing as an opportunity for growth right now?
- How do you shift your mindset when life feels overwhelming?
- What small shift can you make today to look at your struggles in a new light and move forward?
Links & Resources:
💡 Join our Creative Flow & Inspired Living Facebook group for more insights, updates, and support at facebook.com/groups/creativeflowinspiredliving.
✨ Ready to Explore or Reconnect with Your Creativity?✨
Whether you’re creatively curious, facing blocks, or ready to build lasting momentum, my 3-month Creative Empowerment Coaching Program offers focused, personalized support to help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
Apply now at YourCreativeChord.com/workwithme to take the next committed step toward empowered, inspir
Got thoughts or feedback? Tap here to send me a quick note—I’d love to hear from you!
Connect with Jenny Leigh:
- 💫 Beat blocks. Find flow. Start creating: Inspirational Bookmark Trio
- Get inspired with a book: 🌻 Kaleidoscope Of The Heart: A Poetry and Lyrics Collection or 🎹 Start Piano: What You Need For Successful Learning!
- ✨Nurture YOUR creative life: Creative Empowerment Coaching
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Your Creative Chord Podcast show music, Sun & Bloom © 2016 Jenny Leigh Hodgins | All Content, music, poetry © 2025 Jenny Leigh Hodgins All Rights Reserved
Turning Struggles into Stepping Stones for Happiness Ep 72
VO Artist: Welcome to Your Creative Chord Podcast, where host Jenny Leigh Hodgins, author and educator, shares unique insights dedicated to empowering your creative flow and inspired living. Through solo reflections and dialogues with creators and wellness experts, Jenny Leigh shares holistic wisdom influenced by her Buddhist practice, alongside poetic insights and practical strategies for living authentically.
[00:02:25] This podcast helps you overcome challenges and unlock your full creative potential.
Jenny Leigh: Welcome back to Your Creative Chord Podcast. I'm Jenny Leigh, your host in today's episode, Turning Struggles Into Stepping Stones For Happiness. I'm excited to share a segment from an earlier podcast where I explored how life's struggles can actually become stepping stones for our happiness and fulfillment.
It's all about shifting our mindset to turn challenges into powerful opportunities for personal growth. Let's jump right into it.
Let's listen to that clip where I explore how struggles can be reframed as stepping stones to happiness. I hope this perspective helps you see your own challenges in a new light and helps you see how to turn them into pathways for personal growth.
It's easy for any of us to be defeated by our problems, whether they're big or small doesn't matter.
They're our problems. And because of that, they can seem tailor designed to knock us down. Someone recently asked me how to overcome their problems. And regardless of specifics, when faced with difficulty, having the attitude to work toward a solution or win victory is the first step to creating forward momentum.
I praised this person for having the desire to find a way through the challenges. The Buddhist philosophy that I practice has taught me that struggles are actually precious treasures to appreciate. We can actually use them as stepping stones to deeper happiness, solid inner strength, and an awakening to our inherent wisdom.
All this personal expansion leads to experiencing a rich, more fulfilled life. The conversation with the person who asked for my help reminded me that I need to repeatedly polish my attitude and actions toward the challenges in my life. I've learned that developing a determined spirit to win over difficulties is powerful.
No matter what the problem is, having that spirit to keep fighting is itself the key to victory. It's when we lose hope or stop believing in our vast potential to achieve or transform anything that problems get the better of us. There are many things we can do to deal with our problems, but without the mindset toward winning ultimate victory, the results may prove less than satisfactory.
In other words, we can take plenty of action, but if we still hold doubt in our hearts about ourselves or our desired positive outcome, we diminish our results.
You get stronger through challenging a problem. So if we first work on strengthening the attitude behind our actions, we stand a greater chance of overcoming the problem or reaching a goal.
Actions we take are only part of the solution or winning strategy. Equally as valuable is the inner strength we forge by enduring the problem state. As long as we resolve never to give up on ourselves, every problem actually can serve as a springboard toward improving ourselves and our quality of life.
Building a strong inner intent ultimately manifests in taking wise action. This is the basis for creating a happier environment and advancing our personal growth. Plus, the added perk of solving our problem.
Be like Einstein. Stay longer. So there's an Einstein quote I really love and it goes, "It's not that I'm so smart. It's just that I stay with problems longer." Problems can function as beneficial to our lives because they push us into the proverbial corner until we learn to strengthen our belief in the unlimited potential within ourselves and humanity. Problems can force us to work harder to mine that golden potential.
Perhaps if we didn't experience our difficulties, we'd never make the kind of effort necessary to uncover our full abilities. The fact is that we all have problems. Our capacity to overcome these is infinite. And by winning over them, we give others incredible hope to do the same. Let's continue seeking ways to overcome our problems.
In that sense, we are already winning.
Next, I'd like to share my poem, How To Feel The Sun.
What is there to gain from your pessimistic state? There's nothing in that to help you overcome your fate. You must look inside yourself to find strength and to build faith. Turn away from doubt and darkness. Do it now. It's not too late. All your dreams are only waiting for you to push open the door. If you leave them in the shadows, you will only suffer more.
The only way to find the value of the storms you have endured is through believing in yourself and in the hope of moving forward. Don't give in to the heartache or the burden of the day. Keep your eyes ever toward getting through in your own way. Don't allow anyone else to pull you down into despair.
It is just this kind of feeling that you must always beware. Standing firmly on the basis of your own inner power, you must shine like the sun lights the petals of a flower. Always warm, always strong, always there behind the clouds. Ever bright, ever wise, ever ready to come out. Never dark, never gloomy, never willing to give in.
You must be like the sun if you ever hope to win. In your heart you have everything you need to break through. You must awaken to the fact that it all depends on you. There, inside, a battle wages between your darkness and light. You must focus all your energy on keeping victory in sight. If you have no hope, You must create it there.
If you have no joy, you must make your joy appear. Through yourself, through your heart, this is how to overcome. Through your efforts to believe, this is How To Feel The Sun.
I'd love for you to join my Creative Flow & Inspired Living with Your Creative Chord Facebook group and connect with others who are on a journey to explore their creatively inspired lives. If you're ready to work together one on one to nurture your creative potential, I invite you to visit YourCreativeChord.comWorkWithMe for more details about my Creative Empowerment Coaching Program.
If you're looking for a bit of inspiration, I invite you to download a free poetry sampler from my Kaleidoscope Of The Heart book.
These poems explore themes of love, resilience, and personal growth, perfect for reflecting on how your struggles can turn into stepping stones for happiness. Head over to YourCreativeChord.com/Poetry to grab your free poetry sampler.
Here are some ideas for you to ponder or even journal about. What challenges in your life are you currently reframing as an opportunity for growth?
I'd love to hear how you're turning obstacles into stepping stones for your personal development.
How do you currently reframe your mindset when life feels overwhelming? Please share your best tips for bouncing back after a rough time.
And also here's another thing to ponder. What's one small shift you can make today that will help you look at your current struggles in a new light? And how can you use that mindset to move yourself forward?
I would love to hear your thoughts on these questions and the topics we discussed today. Please share with me by leaving a review on Apple podcast or Spotify, or if you're watching the YouTube version, leave a comment below and hit that subscribe button. You can also join us in the Creative Flow & Inspired Living with Your Creative Chord Facebook group and share your thoughts and you'll find all the links in the show notes.
Have a great day.
VO Artist: Thank you for listening to Your Creative Chord Podcast. If you found inspiration in today's episode, please leave a review and subscribe to the show. Your support helps spread the message of creativity and inspired living. Stay connected with Jenny Leigh and a vibrant community of creatives and curious minds.
Visit YourCreativeChord.com for more resources. Remember daily life is where your creative flow begins. Embrace the journey.