Ep 80: Creative Power, Burnout Recovery, and Becoming the Main Character in Your Life

[00:00:00] 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.

[00:00:28] This podcast helps you overcome challenges and unlock your full creative potential.

[00:00:43] Jenny Leigh Hodgins: Welcome to Your Creative Chord, where we empower your creative flow and inspired living. If you're new here, I'm Jenny Leigh Hodgins. I created this space to support overwhelmed creative professionals, caregivers facing burnout, the creatively curious, and anyone seeking alignment through creative expression, especially those navigating exhaustion or creative block.

[00:01:11] I'm sharing more of my personal story today, not just to give context, but because it may reflect something you are experiencing. What I've learned about burnout, boundaries, and honoring my authentic voice may offer support for your own life. You'll also have space later in this episode with guided reflection, poetic insight, and music to consider how this connects to where you are right now.

[00:01:38] In today's episode, I'll share more about who I am, my creative background, and why burnout, recovery, and setting boundaries have become a key part of my work. These are one aspect of what I support through my Creative Empowerment Coaching Program and free resources like my Inspirational Bookmark Trio. And you'll find links to all of these in the show notes.

[00:02:02] The story I share today reflects both where I've come from and the personal and professional growth that informs all of my creative empowerment work now. Okay, so here's my story. I've decided to call my next chapter Creative Power and Inspired Living. I'm a creator. I'm a pianist, a composer, a vocalist, a poet, an author, podcaster, music educator,

[00:02:31] Creative Empowerment Coach. I've lived a creative life teaching and performing music, including piano and chorus for 30 years across both private facilities and public schools. I've composed orchestral music for about 12 indie films. I recorded a musical theater CD while living in Japan for five years, and as piano is my main and first gateway into self-expression.

[00:03:01] I have created countless contemporary classical piano works. In addition, I've written and directed original musicals for a wide range of performers, from elementary children in school settings, to community-based adult performances, to even residents at a Jewish retirement center in their eighties and nineties.

[00:03:22] And in most cases, I collaborated with those involved, taking their thoughts and ideas to develop lyrics, stories, and set to music. I've also collaborated with playwrights to create the music and lyrics for two musical theater productions based on their original scripts. I lived in Florida for about 25 years, and then I moved back to where I am now in my hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, to now be a live in caregiver for my 85-year-old mom.

[00:03:54] Uh, my father passed away in 2014 after a battle with cancer.

[00:04:02] Here's more about my personal life. I've long lived as a middle child enabler. In 2004, we experienced the tragic loss of my younger brother, John, in a car accident, adding to the many challenges I was already navigating. Currently, I'm the sole caregiver for my mother within a dysfunctional family marked by alcoholism, substance abuse, narcissism, and other very toxic behaviors.

[00:04:35] Because of the healthy boundaries I've set to protect both my mother and myself, we are now estranged from those family members. Though we continue sending prayers for their happiness and the hope that we may one day reunite in a mutually reciprocal and respectfully loving way. I've only recently awakened boldly, broadly, and proactively to my ingrained habit of overextending for others at the expense of myself.

[00:05:08] So let me give you a few examples to help paint that picture for you.

[00:05:20] I led an 18 month plus intervention for an alcoholic family member. Although the intent was to help facilitate the treatment process and improve family patterns, it ultimately continued a long pattern of enabling behaviors. And once I realized my part in this, I finally stepped away to get back in my lane solidly.

[00:05:45] Simultaneously, I took on the role of protecting and advocating for my senior mother, which began with her challenges related to her condo property, and that evolved into me becoming the condo owner, partly to protect my mother's ability to receive any future medical assistance since her owning the property would've disqualified her, and partly to protect mom's home, which led to me taking on leadership

[00:06:09] of the community for three years, eventually serving as HOA board president. And during that time, I led the transformation of our condo community from a neglected property from vanished board members, rebuilding from 9 cents to $200,000 in our reserves, collecting thousands in unpaid fees, replacing vendors to bring our property management back up to par,

[00:06:33] cutting ties with our crooked property manager and hiring a new one.

[00:06:37] Until I resigned last July when I realized I was in burnout.

[00:06:42] Meanwhile, I was also already launching Your Creative Chord Podcast on creative Flow and inspired living, nurturing two online Facebook communities, one for piano learning and one for creative flow, and publishing two books last year, one on piano learning, and another, a full collection of my poetry and lyrics at the age of 60.

[00:07:06] During a recent live story coaching event I attended locally, Ashlee Quinn, who works as CBS News Channel 40 WNKY Sunrise Anchor in Bowling Green, Kentucky while she's continuing to perform for regional theater, and as a vocalist. Ashlee reminded us we don't have to keep showing up as the supporting cast in our own lives.

[00:07:29] Instead, we should seize our role as the main character in our own life. That viewpoint hit home with me. I've lived much of my life dimming my light so others would not feel uncomfortable or threatened. And that dimming turned into doing, overextending myself for others far more than for myself. It came from a false narrative that I had internalized, that sacrificing my own needs was somehow the same as being valuable.

[00:08:05] Because I've honed skills as a speaker leader, musical performer, and director, you might not readily pick up on my tendency to overextend or the dysfunctional dynamics I've had to work through. Several people have described me as having a large life or a kind of natural charisma. But we know better than to read a book by its cover, right?

[00:08:29] We're always dealing with challenges or working on something, whether it's visible to others or not. So I may not have appeared to you as someone who dimmed her light. But often the most important inner work happens quietly until we're ready to fully step into that growth. So publishing my two books in 2024 was my way of honoring myself,

[00:08:55] a tribute to my authentic creative voice.

[00:09:00] I've become an expert now in burnout, recovery, and setting boundaries and in navigating the backlash of boundaries. I was reminded recently of a quote, I'm paraphrasing, but, "the only people who have a problem with your boundaries are the ones who were benefiting from you not having any."

[00:09:18] And that is so true.

[00:09:22] I'm an expert on navigating boundaries and burnout recovery because I am living it in real time. Sometimes setting boundaries is about clarifying to others where my line is, but often for me, with my middle child enabler background, setting boundaries means looking at where I am overextending and reeling myself back in,

[00:09:48] getting back inside my lane, staying within my capacity without overextending at the expense of my wellness.

[00:10:01] I live this experience proactively and I use it now to help you, especially if you're an overwhelmed creative professional, or the creatively curious. If you have the desire to authentically express yourself creatively, but you don't know where to start.

[00:10:16] I help you learn to navigate burnout or even better, avoid it all together, and I empower your creative flow through authentic alignment with your personal values and goals. My mission as a seasoned creative artist is to empower your inherent creative energy toward an inspired life. So I will leave you with this:

[00:10:44] Ask yourself. What you need right now.

[00:10:52] Ask yourself, what do I need right now?

[00:11:00] Because sometimes that pause, that stillness and asking yourself that question is all you need to get to the next step or to lead you to open your creative voice or flow.

[00:11:20] Next, I'll share a moment of reflection with a short poem I wrote from page 43 of my collection, Kaleidoscope Of The Heart, which reflects this theme of honoring your authentic voice with a return to your true self.

[00:11:38] If you look at yourself in the mirror of life,

[00:11:42] with an open mind, you will see exactly who you are inside.

[00:11:49] If you let go of doubt and fear, just listen from your heart,

[00:11:57] with a seeking spirit, you will find everything you need is right here.

[00:12:06] If you fight against the trend of thinking through it with your mind

[00:12:12] and trust in the mystery of life, the universe will become your best friend.

[00:12:23] The key to unlocking your happiness lies in your own courageous hands.

[00:12:31] When you finally believe in that, your life will rise up and dance. 

[00:12:41] Take a moment now to pause and breathe gently and consider these questions:

[00:12:51] Where in your life are you showing up as an extra? When your soul is asking you to be the lead,

[00:13:03] Where are you overextending in ways that drain you?

[00:13:14] Where might a small boundary protect your energy or truth?

[00:13:24] What simple boundary could you put in place for that today?

[00:13:34] What part of your creative voice or spirit is asking for attention? Or what part of you is asking for stillness or rest?

[00:13:49] What do you need right now to feel aligned with your true self?

[00:13:59] Give that to yourself or right now, even in a small way. Like simply acknowledging your need internally or breathing into that recognition.

[00:14:15] Let yourself have leisure with this moment as you listen to my music called Ocean Waves, and use it as a meditational moment to tune into and reflect on what you need at this moment. 

[00:14:28] / Thank you for being here for yourself today. If today's story or poem resonated with you, you are welcome to download my free poetry sampler at YourCreativeChord.com/poetry.It features selectedverses from my collection to support, reflection, clarity, and alignment with your authentic voice. And if you'd like the complete experience, my book, Kaleidoscope Of The Heart, is available at yourcreativechord.com/books.

[00:17:43] Until next time, take care of your energy, honor your creativity, and choose what you need right now. 

[00:17:53] 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.

[00:18:12] Visit YourCreativeChord.com for more resources. Remember, daily life is where your creative flow begins. Embrace the journey.