The Secret of My Success

Manifest Your Dream Life - Joan Nordemann (E039)

• Erin • Episode 39

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Show Summary

What happens when a sporty car, a four-day course, and a clear vision collide? You get Joan Nordemann’s inspiring story.

In this episode, Joan shares how one invitation in her twenties changed the trajectory of her entire life. From visualizing her dream car to building a life aligned with purpose, integrity, and joy, Joan walks us through the real (and sometimes raw) journey of learning, unlearning, and becoming.

We explore:
✨ The moment that introduced her to the Law of Attraction
✨ Why clarity, not just vision boards, is the real secret sauce
✨ How “driving” her dream car—but not owning it—taught her a lesson in specificity
✨ The power of journaling, gratitude, and internal alignment
✨ Her transition from receptionist to radio sales rep (and meeting her husband!)
✨ Why mindset work isn’t optional if you want real change
✨ How she’s still navigating life with grace after the loss of her husband

Joan’s warmth, humor, and unwavering commitment to her growth will leave you asking, “What do I really want?” and “Am I clear enough to receive it?”

🔔 Watch now and get ready to reframe your own possibilities.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations that unlock the life you were meant to live.

Bio

The oldest daughter of 7 children in a family of Dutch immigrant parents, Joan grew up on a dairy farm. Though they didn’t have much financially, they always had fresh food, warm clothing, and a roof over our heads. Until she was older, she did not know how fortunate or wealthy she really was. 

Still close to her family, she talks with two of her siblings regularly. 

She truly had many interesting experiences in life.  Including having to basically start over financially a few times and with her husband.  They built a few businesses, including her own sales and marketing business that she still runs from home after 29 years.

She and her two sons own and operate a ferment on premise winery, as well. They even own some real estate and have done very well in financially over the years. 

She likes to tell everyone “I have a grade 12 education and a triple PHD in life.” Her greatest success is her family, especially after being told she couldn't have children.  

She is mother of two sons who are part of a blended family of four.  They all get along and enjoy getting together to do fun things, including travel.

Want to learn more about exploring what it means to live a fulfilling life?
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

Joan Nordemann:

The thing with the law of attraction is you have to be clear exactly what you want. So I took the course, I would say, in about August. So I'm driving 69 Chevron Cala, which I had bought for a few 100 bucks, and I'm working as a receptionist secretary, and this was early 80s, and I really wanted a 450 SL Mercedes convertible. It's just like, I don't know, but I really wanted so I did the tools. Fast forward, I met a gentleman in October, later that month, he went into the dealership, this gentleman that I was dating, who I ended up living with for four years. He actually bought a car. So my little detail is that I really wanted the car. I had the car, but I didn't own it. I

Erin Currin:

Erin, hello and welcome to the secret of my success, the Podcast where we explore what it means to live a fulfilling life. I am your host. Erin Currin, if you haven't already, please subscribe to our channel, and if you enjoyed today's episode, please give us a Like on today's episode, we have Joan nordeman. Joan grew up on a dairy farm in a family of seven to Dutch immigrant parents. It was a modest beginning, for sure, she likes to tell everybody that she has a grade 12 education, but she has a triple PhD in life now, over the years, she and her husband built a few businesses, including the sales and marketing business that she runs from her home today, after 29 years. But to Joan, her greatest success is her family. After being told she couldn't have children, she gave birth to two sons who are now a part of a blended family of four. They enjoy getting together to do fun things, including travel. Please welcome Joan, excellent. So today I am speaking with Joan nordeman, Joan, thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for having me. You're very welcome. So where we normally kick off the conversation is I ask my guests to share a point in their life where they might have had a massive paradigm shift or viewing the world in a different way that led to them having a life that they didn't exactly expect. So where would you like to start?

Joan Nordemann:

I will go back to my late 20s, mid 20s, I guess. And I was going along, okay, but I met this gal, and she told me about the master key program, which I had never heard anything before about, and she invited me to come. And it was very intense, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, four day course. And I think there was a very small handful of us, but it was really intense. And the master key was basically the first introduction that I had to the law of attraction, and it really was pivotal in my life, because I look back over the last at that point, probably 45 year, 40 plus 45 plus years, and I can see when I used the tools that I was taught how my life transformed, and also, when I didn't use them, how my life transformed, but it was all based on the energy that I was giving to whatever was going on in my life.

Erin Currin:

Really powerful. Yeah, I think that what you're pointing to is like you go to this course, you learn these ideas, and you have these tools. And the tools are fantastic when you use them, when you practice, right? I tell me at the beginning, when you were introduced to this idea of the law of attraction, it was brand new to you, right? And so when you were given these tools, what was it like learning how to use them? What were some of your experiences early on?

Joan Nordemann:

So I took the course, I would say, in about August, and I really wanted so I'm driving, and I'm a car person, so I'm driving a 69 Chevy Impala, which I had bought for a few 100 bucks. And this was sort of the early 80s, I'm guessing. So it's probably a 1010, year old car. And I really wanted 450 SL Mercedes convertible. And that at that point that time, it was like$40,000 which is like, now 120,000 or, you know, like it was really way, and I'm working as a receptionist, secretary, and it's just like, I don't know, but I really want it. So I did the tools. I put the picture up on my wall, or I head into my bedroom where I could see it, beautiful picture. Went to the dealership and asked to go. For test drive. And so, as I say, this was now August, September. And the thing with the law of attraction is you have to be clear exactly what you want, and there's little details will fall like you need to be really careful. Anyway, fast forward, I met a gentleman in October, and he asked me out, and then we started dating. And he had gone through a divorce, and he gave his wife, she had the choice of whatever car she wanted, and he said she gave he gave her a Corvette. And I said, Well, you got off really lightly, because if it had been me, you would have been doing 450 SL. Anyway, later that month, he went into the dealership, oh, and I gone to the dealership and gone for a test drive, and the salesperson was amazing, and he said, You know what, I don't question anybody. A lady had come in the day before or that week before, and she was in, like, farm clothes, and she literally paid cash for a car. Anyway, in November, this gentleman that I was dating, who I ended up living with for four years. He actually bought a car, and he went to the same sales person, and he said that he wanted to buy it through him, because he had been so kind to me way back when. So my little detail is that I really wanted the car. I had the car, but I didn't own it, but I got to drive it. So it was, it was kind of an intro, but it was like it manifested within, you know, a few months. And there would have been, had I not used the tools, there would have been no way that, like, how could I possibly have that kind of a car making, like, 100 or$200 a week in as a secretary. So anyway, that's

Erin Currin:

really wild, because that is a testament to like, you learn these tools, and then you do what they say to do, and you're completely innocent, like clean slate, no preconceived notions about how it's supposed to go or what's supposed to happen. And you then have the car. Now, you had the car for four years, even though, when you broke up, he didn't gift it to you, I guess, no, oh, I

Joan Nordemann:

have a funny caveat. So I'm working at an ad agency, and they there was a spot sort of beside the building, and I started parking my car there. Now the owners are driving Jags, and I'm driving the Mercedes anyway. It's a creative photo studio and design studio they made, and I still have it to this day. They made this little placard and they put it in front where I parked the car instead receptionist parking Mercedes only, which was anybody that's driving it sees his little side. And it was just like, you know, because again, I'm the secretary and I'm driving a fancier car than the owners in the anyway, or most of the people working there. So anyway, low man on the totem pole, best car, or a little girl in her totem pole. Well, I

Erin Currin:

think that's a beautiful thing, because it really is perfect, um, and it teaches you something very valuable. I had a similar experience. Um, I want to say it was 20 years ago. I had decided that I wanted to buy a condo like I just I was done renting. I wanted to buy my own place, and I set the intention. And the minute I set the intention, they made the announcement that they were going to be selling the company that I worked for. So here I am. I finally had been at a place for a year, which was an accomplishment for me at the time, and I was planning on staying there for a while. I had this plan. I was going to, you know, save over a couple of months and get my down payment and La, la, la. Well, shit, I I've got, you know, five months before they sell the company, and I either have to move to Denver or get a new job. And I'm thinking, what am I going to do now? Well, all right, fantastic. So I'm going to manifest whatever money I need for the down payment for this place, like you say, Be careful what you wish for. I was driving an accurate Integra at the time, and I was one payment away from having it paid in full. It was a the car was probably nine or 10 years old, and it still had a decent resale value as I was leaving the real realtor's office from putting an offer in on a house, I got side broadsided car got totaled, and I got my check for the down payment for the condo, but now I don't have my really awesome little sports car. Yeah. So it's, it's funny how it works When, when, like you're a babe, trying to figure out all of the switches and levers. It's, it's fun. But it's also, I think that one of the things that I've learned over the years, and I'd love to hear about your experiences, it tends to work a lot better for me if I am just playing

Joan Nordemann:

Yes, agree. So going back to the playing thing. So this, course, actually was pivotal in so many ways, because I was working at an advertising agency, and then the gentleman that I ended up living with for four years, he owned a motor bus company. So we had 52 of these great big motor coaches on the road. So I actually did all kinds of of like, I would get on board and I would be like, the host or hostess on the trip. So I did Kentucky Derby, Indy, 500 I did Atlantic City, Nashville, like all these different places. And I would be on the bus, and I would host it, right? So I got to know, meet a lot of people. I did a lot of travel, lot of fun. And I met, we did one of the Atlantic City trips. I met a guy from Sarnia. So I lived in London, Ontario at the time. I met in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada location. Now, Sarnia has all kinds of huge petrol companies and stuff like that. Anyway, I met this gentleman on the on the trip, and I told him about my ad agency, and he was really excited. Long story short is he really liked the company. He ended up bringing a fair amount of business to the company, and I basically gave that lead to one of the sales people, and he gave me nice little pause, but I know that he made a lot of money on that. And I started thinking, Hmm, you know what? I could do this? Because I actually sold the job. I sold the company. Then I, when I was still working with the company, they let me be that we have what's called Aden sales club, so they let me join, so I could promote the company, even though I still just the receptionist, you know, but I did. I mean, I was also doing accounting. I did a lot of work. I was basically the pivotal person. And this was through, like, the late 70s 80s, when things were really kind of tough. There weren't a lot of jobs. But anyway, so through the on sales, I met a gentleman, and he was a manager for an insurance company, and I ended up leaving the ad agency and getting into the world of sales, because the ad agency would not give me commission and they wouldn't train me. And I thought, Okay, this, to me, is sort of where I think that I can go Now, keep in mind, I have a grade 12 education, and I tell people now I have a grade 12 education, but I have a triple PhD in life. So I got into sales, doing life insurance, and I did that for a couple of years. There were some interesting things that happened. I did quite well in it, but I found I'm really about integrity, and I just found sort of the underbelly of many industries is, you know, like, if you do this, you can get really far, but you're compromising your integrity. And I wouldn't do that. So anyway, so I went from life insurance, and then it was interesting, because I heard through a friend of mine, one of the gentlemen that used to call it the ad agency. He was the manager of a radio station, The Top radio station in London, and they were looking for a sales rep, and my friend said that she was not going to go and apply. So I actually did apply, and I got the job. And then fast forward. Then I met my husband through that, he had an ad agency. Then I moved from London to Toronto. I worked with him in the ad agency, and then our main client left, and overnight, we went from a very healthy six figure income to a very unhealthy five figure income if, what if that? And then we started another business, which I still have. 29 years later, I'm still doing it's a sales product. Canada is my territory. So all of these different steps into going from being a receptionist, but just a desire to do better, and then, you know, even the people talking to the different people, and just planting the seeds with different people. And I used to fall asleep at night time, and I had this crystal, and I would fall asleep with it, and I would tell the crystal that was, I mean, you can do prayer or whatever is your personal thing, but I would fall asleep with that, and I would set the intention of what I wanted. And again, looking back over the years and the law of attraction and how it came to play in my life, and the people that would come into my life and the opportunities, and we get them all the time. I mean, in one of our peaks courses, they say there's a river flowing along, and it's like all these, you know, branches and things are constantly going along. And you pick one up and you say. Hmm, nope, that one's not good enough. You throw it back right behind it, there's another one. So it's just being open to and knowing that no matter what, it may not come from the way that I had wanted it to. But when I look over the path of my life and the in the currencies, you know, they were all there, I mean, even the husband, and he was, you know, my second husband, but I had two pages written of what I wanted in a person. We were together almost 28 years before he went. He passed away, but we created all kinds of business. We we have a blended family of four kids. I was told I couldn't have children, and I have two natural children. It's, again, law of attraction. I did not believe what they told me. I believed what I felt was right for me. And so it's applying those things and being clear enough. And I do, I write pages of at times when I want something, and the clearer it is, and the clearer the universe can hear what it is that you're asking for. So I've been very fortunate, you know what? And that's the other part. Is the gratitude, like, as these things happen, I make sure that people know I'm grateful for this, and at the same time, I don't know when I help somebody, how it changes their life, or how the course, you know, just a word of encouragement, or, you know, what about this, or what about that? And it gets them on a track to get what it is that they want, because so many people have helped me along the way. And, you know, just allowing me to be go to add in sales, I'm a secretary, but I'm going to add in sales and rubbing shoulders with all these people to the point where I actually ended up on the board there, and I I did a bit of speaking my favorite thing. But you know what? Again, it's, it's, it's the people that you make and the relationships that you create as well.

Erin Currin:

One thing that I'd like to point to is there have been a couple of times where you've said, but I'm just a secretary, but I'm just a receptionist. And the truth of the matter is that the the energy that you give off, I mean, we're talking about play, we're talking about integrity, we're talking about trust, we're talking about gratitude. These are heavy duty attractors. And you know, from from just the the brightness of your continents, like we met at one of the peak potential camps, I think it might have been enlightened warrior. There's so many people. It's so many of those camps. It's hard to remember exactly where you bump into people, but we've stayed connected through Facebook. And the one thing, the biggest reason why I wanted to invite you on the podcast is through the years, your posts are always positive, contributory, grateful. They are. They are making the world a better place, and so it's no mistake in my mind that you have been able to create this kind of a life for yourself from where you were. There's a friend of mine in Jacksonville who he does financial training for a lot of the underserved communities in the Jacksonville area, some of the the urban areas. And one of the things that he constantly talks with these people about is there are two people working at McDonald's. One of them is going to be working at McDonald's for the rest of his life, and another one is going to own 10 McDonald's by the time he's done. Which one do you want to be? Because it's pretty much you're dealing with the same deck of cards. So how are you going to play your hands? And what I hear is that, you know, integrity was something that was really important to you, and so when you bump into something where integrity feels like it's out, you're just going to find a new opportunity. You're not hating on the people and how they're doing it, because that creates bad vibes. You're you're really saying, okay, great, I'm in a place where this isn't exactly what I want. How can I get to where I want to be? Is that kind of how you've managed it? I

Joan Nordemann:

think it's not even as clear as that yes and no. So we can be like big picture, you know, I want to make a million dollars, but it's not the million dollars that we want. It's what that million dollars can do for you. So for me, I started to focus on, you know, like I want to have a nice home, and it's interesting the host that I live in now, I've been here 32 years, but we rented for 18 of that 32 my landlady lived next door to me when she passed away. Day the house, her daughter wanted to sell fairly quickly, so it was for sale by owner. And interestingly enough, about that same time, I had money that I had inherited from my mom and dad. They had passed away. They passed away 20 years ago, and I've been here for 13 and I had the money to pay pretty much 50% for this house. So I've lived here 32 years, but I rented for 18, and she, she didn't raise the rent that much because I had a really good relationship. I used to go and shovel the snow on her driveway because she was older and a lovely lady. And we'd sit on her front step and we just, you know, shoot the and I, I'm real estate owner now, and I also have tenants. And it's not necessarily about the money that I receive from I have good tenants. They're sloppy, but they're good tenants. And so it's, again, what is it that you want? So the more clarity that you give into what it what it wants. So again, the money. So the million dollars, what is that money going to do? Is it going to buy you? Travel? Is it going to buy you property? Is it going to buy you? You know, because what I've learned over the years, and I'm not a really materialistic thing, my husband loved jewelry and stuff. He gave me all kinds of jewelry, but for me, I think that was he had the ability to give it to me, and he thought that it pleased him to give it to me. And I think again, in a relationship, it's it's finding what does that other person there's a book called The five languages of love, and when you learn those languages, then your your communication with one another, is it somebody that needs to have the verbal encouragement. And so for me, if you're looking at you know, what is it that you want so and what do you want to create? The car that I drive now is a really nice car. I've had it since it's been since it was brand new, but it's 19 years old. But I look after it and it looks really good. People say like it looks brand new, but for me, it's just, I love it's a standard transmission. Here I am 71 years old, and I still drive a six, six speed transmission, and it's like, you know, but I love it because it's fast, it's sporty, and it just, it's, it's what makes me feel good, and it's, it's my interpretation of what makes me feel good. And we all have that. And when we find, when we start doing that inner work in, you know, forgiving ourselves for for mistakes that we've made in the past, and once you forgive yourself, let it go, because that's energy that you're carrying around. And I, and I started to do so going back to, you know, the law of attraction, and way back when, along with that, is starting to do that inner work. And then I was attracted to, you know, why did I go to Piqua town? Not only did I go to all the courses, pretty much all the courses over a four or five, but I volunteered. I lost track of how many mm eyes we volunteered. I took all the camps. So there were four camps. I took all the camps twice, but I also volunteered. So that's eight I also volunteered five camps. We even flew to Malaysia to do a warrior camp, right? And it was, it was remarkable, the people and the energy and everything again, that we did. So it's, you know, again, set out, what is it you want? What makes you happy?

Erin Currin:

That is actually a key point, because, you know, especially you, you've been in advertising and marketing through a large portion of the your career, sales, marketing, these kinds of things, it's really easy to fall prey to somebody else's vision of what we should want. I have a social media coach, and one of the things that she and I talk about is like, what are your real goals? She lives in Indiana, Illinois, someplace in the Midwest, and she's she and I were talking one day about how we're told that we should want seven figures, eight figures, nine figures. You know, have$100,000 month. And she's like, I just want to be able to go boating and camping every weekend with my family. I want to you know, know that I have the freedom and flexibility to go to Disney World with them if I want to. And for her, having that online business, having the ability to work from home gives her the opportunity to be a Trad wife, to support her family, and to be able to contribute to the world in a way that's meaningful for her. And what I hear you pointing to is a lot along those lines. Because if I say I want a million dollar. Dollars, there's a feeling or an experience behind that, something that I think that that's going to make possible for me. It's not the million dollars, because if I have a million dollars sitting on a table in front of me, it's like, Okay, now what? Well, I'm going to run to the store and buy something, or I'm going to call a realtor, or I, you know, I'm going to buy a sports team, or, you know, whatever it is, because there's some kind of a dream or a vision. Are you familiar with Gary Vaynerchuk? No, okay. He his story is, his family immigrated to the United States, I believe, from someplace in Russia, and his father has run liquor stores for ever. And I think Gary is in his 40s, probably now, when he was a teenager, he was helping his dad stocking the store, and he started getting his dad into marketing bottles of wine, and he became this social media guru, and one of the things that he constantly talks about is you need to figure out what it is that you want, like, what what's your monthly or your annual nut to be able to provide yourself a lifestyle that you want, not what somebody else thinks that you want. And then find something that you enjoy, if it's collecting baseball cards, or if it's collecting he man action figures, or, you know, Beanie Baby stuffed animals, whatever it is, you can actually build a business, doing something that you love, making an amount of money that supports you comfortably, and it doesn't have to be this giant hustle kind of a thing where you're selling your soul and doing something that really pulls it all out of you so that you can't enjoy the fruit of your labor, and I hear what you're saying is I have permission to want whatever it is that I want, regardless of whether anybody else understands it. And I need to understand what it is I want and why it is I wanted to keep myself honest, and also I think that that's key in in that dimension of gratitude. So what would you add to that, if somebody is trying to figure out they've been hearing that they should want certain things for their entire life. Now, all of a sudden, they hear that they've got this opportunity to create whatever it is they want. Where would you tell somebody to get started?

Joan Nordemann:

Well, the should word should, should, should go out the door. Okay? Because there's no shoulds, it's either you do or you do not do. And what makes your heart sing, and then if it feels right at the end of the day, then it is right, and it it's not, it's not answering to anybody else. And the other thing is, what I learned in sales, when someone else gets what they need, then you will get what you need, and always just be the best. You do the best that you can for it. And you know what, if you've made a mistake, then I made a mistake. Okay, how do we fix it? I remember in the early days with my my my business, I was working with a whole group of men, and everybody wanted to find out who was at fault. And I said, like, I don't care who's at fault, I'll take all the folder you want, but let's get our customer what it is that they need, and then we'll figure it out after that. But right now, we just need to do this, and I think again, for sales or marketing. And people say sales is a horrible job. All of us are always selling all the time, because if you want your child to do something. You gotta sell them on it. If you want your your partner, your husband, your friend, whatever, you have to present it in a way that they can understand it, accept it, work with it, and again, with the from energy. If it's if it flows, then it's supposed to be. If you and I found different times if I want something and I keep pushing up against it and it just isn't working, I need to step back and really figure out, Is this really the right thing, and if it's not, then, you know, maybe the the way that I'm going about it isn't the right thing. Or there, let's stand back and tweak it. Or maybe this isn't even something that I want, because, again, it's, it's what's inside your heart, and your heart knows, you always know what's going on inside. Going to go, you and I, we talk. We've done, I've done landmark I've done peak potentials. I've done like, as I say, master key. And then there's a lot of others like I did. I did a fun one. On the weekend with with a gal, and it was really great. But in landmark, and I did a whole bunch of landmarks, and the one that we went to, and I forget what the course was, but we had to create something at the end of it. And it was they, they challenged, and we all said we made this commitment that, yes, we're going to do that. And they really called us on our stuff, and I committed to doing it in my group. There's, it was a small group. I did it, and I think I'm the only one in my group that actually followed through. And I and I did the actual assigned project. But then the second part was, as we were closing down in landmark, they wanted you to bring all these people to their next landmark, because that's the way that they marketed. And I actually, in the class, had a head on with the the instructor, and I said no. And she said, But you made a commitment? And I said, No, I made a commitment to fill all of these. But this does not feel right for me. This is not what I'm going to do, and I'm not going to do it. And I was very clear, and my group was all looking at me, and it's, it's like, this is not I'm again, I went to my own gut feeling of what's right for me, and that did not feel right for me. And so therefore, you know, and they said, Wow, you stood up to her. And I said, but we all can do that if it's what's right for us. And I think again, even as a parent raising children. And the cool thing is, I work with my two adult sons. They're in their 30s. We own a ferment on premise winery, which means, basically, we get boxes of juice from all over the world. You come in, you order, you pay for it, we make it. You come in 30 to 60 days later, you bottle, and you go off. And we have really cool wines and things like that, but we've been working together now for seven years, and there are times where, as a family, again, going back to the five languages of love, we're not working with each other on like, I'm not with my sons or Mark and Matthew. Matthew's language of love is this, but I'm not resonating. What I'm doing is not resonating with him, or conversely, and we go and we have a friend of our, a really close friend of mine, and I've been taking the kids to her for since they were teenagers. And we will get and sit down and we actually have a session. Because one of the things that I learned in one of the courses, when emotions are high, intelligence is low. So we would yell at one another. And really, when you're even in any kind of relationship, you're yelling at one another, you can't even hear it. So we would go and sit with Marlene, and we would deal with things that came up in a way that we can actually hear one another, and it's like, oh, you know, even in and so the reason I share that because we had a session couple weeks ago. And my parents were immigrants. They came from Holland. I was born in Canada. I'm I'm one of seven children. I'm the second oldest. I have an older brother, and in their languaging, they never told us that they were proud of us. They never told us that they loved us. We knew it, but there was never and we as as children, we want to hear these these words, right? So as I'm raising my kids, I decided that I would say to them, you know, right now, I don't like you, but I will always love you no matter what. I love you. My youngest son literally stopped at the I don't like you when he was a little and I didn't know that this came out in this session two weeks ago, and he's 33 and so he heard, I don't like you, and that's something that he took so my intention of how I wanted to deal with something and how it translated with my son. And so we were able to in this session, I shared with him, this is why I did it, and what happened to me as a child. And then he's the youngest, and he went, Oh, because I had issues with my youngest sis. They were twins, and they were, oh, God, the twins killed. Oh yeah, yeah. It's like, okay, whatever. So it's like, I did this and and so, you know, it'll be interesting to see when he has kids, how will he framework this so that they know that they're loved and yet be able to discipline them when they're doing something they're not supposed to do. But I share that because we all have inner work to do, and it depends on whether you have a desire to it, because it also is hurtful. When I sat with my son as a mom, I thought, Oh, my goodness, you know, I love this child so much, or this young man so much, and yet I've hurt him, not intentionally, but I have now that I that I know about it, we can continue to heal. And there was a shift. There was total energy shift with with the three of us. Now, Mark had left earlier because he had to go open the store. But. So having that hour where he was able to, in a way, share things that I didn't know, and I don't think he even knew that they were there, that they were still holding him back. But to have that opportunity so for anyone listening to if you have a chance to work with a counselor, work with somebody, even sometimes just a good friend, and you, you have a conversation on, you know, like, right now I'm not feeling really good about and whatever it is, and being able to Erin a place where somebody is not judging, but somebody is accepting. You, my one friend and I, she just lives around the corner, and we're always we talk about all kinds of stuff all the time, and it's she can hear me, you know, and she'll just say, she'll just give me a couple of words and going, Oh yeah, that means I got to work on that too, okay? But I appreciate it, you know? I appreciate to have that kind of friendship. And I have a sister like that. She's the middle sister, and we'll, we won't talk for a couple of months, and then we'll talk for three hours, and it's because we grew up in the same family. We have different things. We not and we we've done a lot of self development courses as well, in in our own form. But then we'll say, Well, do you remember mom and dad, or mom saying this, or dad saying this, or do you remember, you know? And because there's the difference in age too, we'll come at it from a different perspective, and it's like, oh, I didn't hear that. Is that really okay? And then it'll give me another perspective that I can again, do my shadow work, because we all have shadow work. Do the shadow work and say, oh, and then forgive myself, because really it's it's us, our own selves. We have to forget it doesn't matter. You can say it to me, Erin, and it won't have the same impact that okay, Joan, and even listening to people, sometimes it's like, I'll hear it from this person, and I don't get it, but then I'll hear it. You'll say, like, you the other day when we were talking you, you would say something, and it was like, oh. And it just tweaks something to a format where I can now hear it, and now I can work with it. And also it's, it's sometimes we're not ready to hear it. We have to do it at the right time and again. We know inside when that right time is, yeah,

Erin Currin:

that's really powerful that you have walked down this aspect. Because this, I think, is another dimension of that idea of permission for self in in landmark. One of the core premises is is that as we grow up, we make decisions, the first one being between, you know, like three and seven years old. The next one between seven and 12, and the third one is between, you know, 12 and 18. And we don't even know that we make these decisions as to how we're going to deal with life based on how something occurred to us and we're not. I mean, it's just the way the human brain is designed. There's nothing wrong with it. This is just we had limited information coming in because we we can't possibly process everything that's going on in our environment. It's like, I think the statistics are like, we actively process 10 megabytes of, you know, 100,000 megabytes of data that's coming in from all over the place. And the brain focuses on danger first and foremost. And so whatever that shock to the system is based on an assumption on partial information will set us on a course for the rest of our lives if we aren't engaging in some form of self reflection. And so I think that it's vital that we have friends that we can trust, people that we can communicate with, to be able to talk about these things and reflect them back. Because very often, kind of like with your son, he thought he heard what you said, he heard part of what you said, and it stopped at a particular point, but then we don't even know that it's affecting us 20 years later, and it's it going to see a counselor doesn't mean that there's something wrong with you. It's not a tragedy. You're not a victim. Some people really do experience mental, emotional and physical kinds of trauma. But even then, it's our responsibility at some point in our life to acknowledge that I might have heard, that I might have experienced, that it might be how I saw life in. In that time, but at some point I have to understand that whoever it was that was saying that or demanding that or doing that is no longer around. I don't have somebody with a gun to my head. This is my show. I'm continuing to play the recording, and if my foot's nailed to the floor in a particular area, it's time for me to really get curious, which I think is what these programs, like landmark and like the Millionaire Mind intensive, and you know, many of these other weekend long courses are really all about, because in landmark they say that life is empty and meaningless, but that it's empty and meaningless, that it's empty and meaningless, which means that I get to bring the meaning to my life, and so if I choose to come from the context of being a victim and being downtrodden and having a hard and challenging life, then then I'm going to be suffering and struggling, and it's just not going to be very much fun. And the minute we recognize that we have the keys to our own prison that, after we do the work and see, well, why in the world do I think that that's the way the world is? It's like this is another aspect of, you know, it's an opportunity to bring curiosity and play and integrity to like, I say I believe this, or I think that I believe that, but I'm living life like that's really not the case. These aren't congruent. It's an opportunity for me to to really take a look and go, Okay. Either A, I don't actually believe that or be there's something else going on in the background that I need to really get curious about. I love that you've got this friend that you can actually sit down with to just reflect back. Hey, this is what I I heard you say. Is that really what you meant? And and like, what's behind that? Because to have that kind of a clear mirror in your life is invaluable.

Joan Nordemann:

My sisters like that as well. The other, the other really powerful teacher, as we can call this, Abraham Hicks. So Esther Hicks, Jerry and Esther Hicks, they do an awful lot of tour. I think there she's back to her Jerry pass, but they do a lot of touring. And when you're in the room, they will she's channeling, and you get to ask a question. They call it the hot seat. And I've actually been in the hot seat twice. Was really cool. And her law of attraction teachings as well have been very pivotal for me, because I used to walk. I'm going to get back to I just had hip replacement surgery a couple months ago, but I used to walk, and I listened to, I think the disc was 45 minutes long. So I did like, seven or 10k walks, which is in your country is miles so, but five or six miles anyway, two or three times a week. But I used to listen to it over and over, again and again. I'm in nature, and I'm really kind of by myself, but as I'm walking the trails, my objective was just the people that I meet that I would get a smile from them. That was every morning that I set out, and I had people that I would meet, and it would take me a month before I'd finally get a smile, and then usually get a little chat back and forth again. But as you're walking along, you're seeing birds, you're seeing, you know, all kinds of nature out there. And it's the connecting. It's that quiet time, it's it's a special time for me, and that was always a special time for me, and with the Abraham Hicks, it's so much about the law of attraction. And the other part is you create your own life. So I choose where I came. I choose my family. I choose this time. And we are the most fortunate people in the history of the planet to be here right now, because the world, the whole planet, is changing, and a lot of the dark and the energy, I'm also quite metaphysical, and the energy is coming out to be healed. What that looks like. That's a whole other conversation. I just believe that if I can just be the best me that I can be, and be as kind as I can be. Then, you know, I'm adding to the collective. And Abraham Hicks was a great teacher in all the different years I had the subscription, I'd get a new disc every and I look forward to it. And it kind of switched. It changed a little bit, I think. I had, it's not that I know anything everything better than everybody else, but I got to a place where I really am very, very happy with my life. I've created an amazing life. If I had to go tomorrow, I have no regrets. Now. I would like to see some grandchildren. That would be kind of cool. But my two step children. That's never going to happen. So my two kids, my two sons, first cut sons. My one son is getting married next year, so maybe that's in the offing. But again, it's their lives. You know? I mean, I think I would make a great grandma or OMA, which is a Dutch word for it. So again, the law of attraction. And what does that law of attraction do to me? And I have to, because I've taken my kids to the courses. I dragged them to the camps. I made them go, and then I retook the camps with them, which was kind of fun, and they'll turn and throw peak isms back at me, or they'll throw, you know, Abraham isms back at me. It's like, Mom, do you realize what you just said? So our words are so powerful. And the cool thing with Jackie, well, I'll say something, and it's something that probably I heard my parents say, or it's languaging that you know you use, or I've used over the years. And she'd say, Do you realize what you've just said? And then when I stop and think about that languaging and think, wow, that's what I'm telling the universe that I want. Because the universe doesn't hear what I don't want. It's what you put energy to. They hear it like I want to have a successful business. Well, okay, that's still ambiguous, but I want this particular business. I want to do X number of dollars in sales in the coming week. I want to have three brand new jobs. I want to have three brand new clients, or whatever that is manageable, that is specific, so in the law of attraction, in the world of what we want. And I think when I volunteered at the peak potential here in the in the Toronto area, I would see the same people coming because it was a free course, free course, because they're selling you the programs. But I would see the same people coming time after time after time, and it's like, okay, so how are you doing? Because you got to see them. You got to know them. You know, I saw you last time or two times ago, and they haven't taken the tools. They haven't applied it because they're waiting for me or somebody else to do it for them, instead of actually doing it. Versus, I know, with my husband, when we went, we took the tools. He took real estate courses. I took trading courses. We applied all of the knowledge we learned the basis of it, but then we found things that were of interest to each other. We were, it was really cool, because he was, he was legal and marketing, and I was sales and accounting. So between those were our strengths, and between those four strengths, we were pretty dynamic in, in what it is that we did. And so, you know, like, he had a bunch of real estate properties, again, he applied the tools that he learned. And until he got bored with it, he was kind of guy. He was always doing other things. But anyway, it was just, you know, it's, it's take the tools. So what interests you? And I'm going that, through that with my sons right now. We work together. We feel that there's something else out there, and what we're in, there's restrictions. So those are my words. Why are the restrictions? Because I think there are restrictions. But how can I lift those restrictions? So in what we're working in right now, the what is ing, the government has a lot of rules and regulations. Well, okay, then let's find something that we can all three do together. We know we feel it's just just just out of sight, but it's we know that it's coming, and we say that all the time. And so we toss around all these different ideas, and those ideas bring more energy, and those energies are going to bring more people. And then there's going to be that thing that clicks for us, that will take us to that next, next step. And we've all know that, but we've done enough courses, and we we've done enough so again, it's the languaging and and I, as I say, I did a course on the weekend, and she has walking meditations in the words that you use, and it's just like I'm waiting for that miracle to come, and I'm ready to receive it now. And I added with ease and grace. You know, you can add into it whatever you want, but that just resonates with me, and I know that the miracle is there. I haven't been able to articulate exactly what that miracle looked but I want to leave it to the universe, but it's in line with working with my kids for now, at some point, you know, I see them because they have such unique talents that I see we again because we we did what's. The COVID Kolbe system, where we learn what our strengths and weaknesses or strengths and challenges were. I don't like weakness, and Mark is really, really good at this, and Matthew is really, really good at that, and I'm really, really good at this. And again, the three different talents and interests that we have make us a really powerful group. And so, you know, the next thing that's coming out there will be a miracle for all of us, but it will be out, we'll be able to use our gifts and talents to make it fun, because it has to be fun, and that's what I think people miss. That like, if you look at my posts on Facebook, I always talk about fun, having fun. I probably telling that because I'm not having enough fun, you know, I the things that we need we see in other people. And I'm very comfortable here in my my home office, in my own environment, and I don't need a lot of other things. I love to read, and I'll read a couple of fiction books a week, but I'm also reading all kinds of other stuff that makes me happy. But am I going out? And, you know, like when I've done 30 cruises, took my kids on 13, that's another fun story. You know, my husband wants to travel, so we became cruise specialists, and three days after we three days no so 911, happened, and we took our cruise training three days later, and we're thinking, oh my goodness, what's happened to the world? Nobody's going to be traveling. Well, they weren't, but they had these ships that were sitting half empty, and you could get on the ship as a travel agent, which we were and it cost you $500 for a two week trip. You get your cabin, your food. We went all over the place. It was amazing. It was just again you create. It's like these cool things start happening when you just put it out there, and when you take away the need for it to come. In a specific way. Yes, it's just, here's my end result. This is what I want. Okay, universe, surprise me. You know, give me, let's work with this, and let's have fun.

Erin Currin:

I think that's really powerful. A couple of things that you had mentioned that I wanted to circle back to, I love that you continue to focus on what it is you want to create. It's okay. There appears to be some sort of a block or limitation, whether it's a government regulation or a situation, and instead of going, oh my gosh, it's not possible, how in the world, it's more like, Okay, fantastic. So this is what we have. This is what we want. And I'm allowing the miracle to show up. There is another way for me to accomplish this, and it will reveal itself to me. There's nothing that we need to resist. We don't have to, in Abraham's words, paddle upstream, because, like that dog, don't hunt like we feel. We're taught that this is how we're supposed to accomplish things we, as they like to say, build monuments to people who have struggled really hard, and life just doesn't have to be that difficult. So I think that it's a beautiful thing that you continue to frame things from that way. And another thing that that Abraham very often says is you can't get sick enough to make someone else healthier, and you can't get poor enough to make someone else richer. Every one of us is responsible for our own vibration, and the only thing we can do is vibrate at such a level that we be the example for others to see how beautiful life could be, and if they choose to continue down whatever path we get to trust that this is just it

Joan Nordemann:

It's their journey.

Erin Currin:

It's their journey, it's their karma, it's it's the experience that they are meant to have to deal with whatever is in their vibration or their past or their story that it is for them to resolve. It's not my job. It's not my problem. I strive to leave the world a better place than I found it. But it's also not my job. It's something that I do out of love and out of gratitude for all of the gifts that I receive.

Joan Nordemann:

Yeah, yeah, you know. And. It still comes back to you chose this life. This is your journey. So what is that you want? And if you're not happy, change it, you know. And if you are happy, then get into that gratitude attitude of gratitude. And because the universe hears what it is that you want, it's the energy that you're generating. And again, going back to, you know, when I first learned about it, back in my early, mid 20s, whatever, I really see that. And I, you know, there's days where it's just like, oh, you know, I'm human there. There's some days where it's just like, okay, but then I can turn it around really fast. And I used to have what I thought was sad and but I but I realized that, you know what? Again, it's energy. Yes, I feel crappy, and yes, it's winter, and yes, it's dark outside and everything. But then I'll stop sometimes, and I say, is that really my energy? And I'll think, you know what? No, it's not. Because collectively, other people are saying, and I'm and I don't really I know a little bit about astrology, and I know a little bit about like so when you have the new moon, the full moon, I know that I don't sleep as well on the new moons as I do the full moons. But there are times where I'll just stop and I'll just say, okay, is that mine? Say, No, it isn't. So it transmute, transmute. I'll send it back to where it came with love and light. I always clear and send it back. With love and light, I want to send good energy back no matter where it was, because what I give out, I get back. And so once I understood that, what I say, what I do, I'm very cognizant of. And if crap is in my life, like, okay, what are you teaching me? Or, okay, I created this, didn't I? Yeah, okay, so what do I want to go? Where do I want to go now? You know, even, even right now, in the way the whole world is, you know, in dealing with businesses, you have, you know, continuous, more taxes go up, your insurances go up, everything else goes up. And how do I want to feel about that? How do I want to address that so that at the end of it, when I put my hat on the pillow at night, I feel good, and it's just, you know, my saying is, no matter what, I will always be okay. I will be I always will be okay. And I know that intuitively, it's, it's and you throw it at me because you you've done, I mean, to get really personal. I was nine years old when I lost my virginity. This is the way in that time frame that came out. So there was a guy working on my mom and dad's dairy farm, and I thought we were playing, I don't want to call it all the other words, okay, I created this. I was only it was summer, and I was going to be 10 in September. So I was nine years old. That impacted, because there was a it not not just me, but my cousin had it happened to her. There was a group of girls and boys, and they were, shall we say, everybody was experimenting. And so everybody, kind of, if you go to the old adage, you lost your virginity or whatever. And then a few years later, my mom found out about it, and we sat on the stairs, and she asked me about it, and I could not be honest with her, because I thought that if I told her, and I was very cognizant of this, so I'm what, maybe 12. I thought if I really was honest with her, she wouldn't love me anymore. So I couldn't tell her. So I created a whole other thing in high school, all these boys wanted to date me, and I would go on a date, and they were all over me, and I just I didn't like the first person I actually slept with was my first husband. I was married at 19. I chose to get married at 19. It lasted almost four years. But in through those courses, the like, I go on a date before my husband, and it was like, octopus city, you know, like, I'm fending off these people. I'm thinking, like, what? What's going on? And I did have a conversation, and my mom says, well, you're really pretty, and they all and it's like, I never thought myself attractive at all because I had this other guilt, or this other stuff writing. I'm like, Why me? Why would I? You know, I was really self conscious. But through that time when I look back at it now, the different people that I met that helped me on my journey along the way, when So, I got married, then I met this guy that, you know, I had, like he, he was very wealthy growing up, we had next to nothing. So now I'm in, you know, Mercedes car in the driveway, and travel all over the place, and, you know, like money was no object, and all of this stuff, and I'm in this world, and but yet, there was, there was again, another so there was drugs involved, there was there was other things, and it just bothered me. And so I knew that I needed to get out. I knew, like, I don't care about all the money. And that's sort of the other awakening that I had. Had, yeah, we had all this money, but I was, I wasn't happy. There were, there were drugs around. There were there that was, this was in the 80s, early 80s, lots of cocaine. And we did all kinds of rock concerts. I was another part of that business. We did rock concerts. I saw great bands. Mind you. But you know, it's looking at all the different steps and the different things that happen, and when I look back over my life, it's just they were all the steps that I needed to take to where I am today, where I am today. I'm really a happy person. And I also got to a point where I if I don't give a f, I mean, I can say it, but if I don't care what other people think about me, and I don't anymore. And I used to, I used to, you know, I think I'd say something wrong to somebody, and I would lose two nights of sleep, like, oh, they don't love me anymore, you know, like, how can I make this they probably didn't even know that there was any kind of issue, but that was in my head and in my in my body and my heart, and it made me sick, like there were times where I remember I went through the bulimic stage because I thought I was fat. So you know what? I I did that for, for a few months, and until I realized, okay, that's not right. I'm really quite a health nut. But I learned all of the things through the experiences. And so when I look back now, I embrace those experiences, because that was part of my journey, because had I not gone through that back here, I wouldn't be the person I am today. My husband and I had a most amazing relationship on all levels. We were truly soul mates. We truly were kindred spirits, if you want to say that. And I know he's still here. Now I'm not lonely. I have him with me all the time, but we really, really worked at our relationship. And I'll share a really cool thing. I don't think you did ULC, but you ultimate leadership program. There would be, like, small groups, and we did the the zaniest things that you go through some sometimes you are the leader, sometimes you were second in command, and other times you were participant. And then at the end of that crazy thing, then you would have to assess what what went so it was what worked, what didn't work, and what can you do better? So my husband and I framework that in our relationship, and we would go to a coffee shop or a restaurant, but outside the house, where we would sit in front of each other, no phones or anything, and you're looking at each other, there's no food even. And we would do what's working, what's not working, and what can we do better? We started it individually, and then it was like, Okay, you you talk first this week and then next week, you would do it. And when we first started, I thought, if I really tell him what I don't like or what's not working again, he's not going to love me. But what I found the opposite happening, because, as we're sharing this, because there's no emotion. You're just, you know, here's what's working, here's what's not working, and I already have a solution for it. Or when it if he shared first, then a lot of times these were things to do with the kids, he would have a solution already, and then I could listen to his solution and go, Yeah, I like that. But can we tweak it just a little bit like that? Now we have a solution, so we're not fighting anymore, but then we say it segued in after we did this for a few months, or whatever we did this for a number of years, but as it would segue in now we're talking business things, because we both we were constantly creating stuff and or the business that we had, we were able to look at these things Like, again, in the business, is what's not working, and how can we tweak it? And we'd have ideas and we share. So it became a really valuable tool that we used in our relationship, and even to the point where, like he used to say to me, you know, if something's ever wrong or I get sick or something, he said, I'll just disappear. And I didn't believe him. Now, what happened in his case? He actually had, he wasn't feeling well, and I took him to the hospital, and he was supposed to go get an angiogram, and he actually had a full stroke in the hospital. He had said to me before, you know, if something's wrong, I'm out of here. I'll just leave, which he actually did. And there were, when I looked at some of the languaging that he had so going to, we choose when we come, we choose when we leave. He was telling me in words already that he was somehow, he was going and so I took him in the hospital. In the morning, there was, didn't seem to be any issues. At noon, he had a major heart attack, and he was gone for seven or eight minutes or something. I didn't get a phone call for another two or three hours, and then the doctor called me and said, By the way, did anybody call you? Your husband had had a heart attack, and we're going to send him up. We're going to do an angiogram. I knew. Two now I can look at it the time I was too emotional, but I look at it now I knew that he had gone, so we had him on life support for almost a week, and then on the Friday, so this happened on Sunday, and then on the Friday, we had a meeting with the doctors, and basically he was brain dead. And I said, That's it. We're going to, you know, we're going to take him off, and I miss him every day. I talk to him, every day I see him, I think about him every day he's he's on the other side. But what I focus on is the memories. I focus on the things you know, on the things that worked. We created this blended family of four. Chill. All four of our kids get along, you know, and they range in age from 33 to 45 and they all get along, and that was a lot of work, because you've got all the emotions and stuff like that. So again, what is it the world that you want in? You ask me, my life? My life is my kids. My life is my family. I'm really, really close to one brother and one sister, and yet, there's, you know, four others. But we get along. We love each other. It's just that I have more compatibility with the one sister and the one brother. And the three of us are extremely we. We think a lot alike. Um, my oldest son, i my i was invited with his his bride to be. They went to look at venues yesterday, and they asked me to come because they said, Well, her mom and dad, you know, tell her what to do. Well, I just want to go along and support, but to have them want me to be part of their life is one of the greatest tributes. And it's like I must be doing something right, because they like hanging out with me, like mom, you know, like when I had the hip surgery back in January, they decided to have a pizza party. My youngest son is a stone pizza. So they all came over. They said, We're going to come over look after you. You know, what a great tribute. So what do you want out of your life? Like, if you had to die tomorrow, what are the things that you would would think would be the greatest gifts or the greatest wealth that you have in mind, my kids are my greatest wealth hands down.

Erin Currin:

Fantastic. Wow. And I think that's a beautiful place for us to to land, yeah. What is it at the end of the day that you really, truly want, get crystal clear on that focus your energy and your intention on that and with gratitude and play. I have one more thing

Joan Nordemann:

to say, yeah, as your as yourself right now, what would you tell your 10 year old self. Think about that. I mean, I, I was listening to a guy the other day, and he was he was saying, and he was like a soccer player, and he was Canadian, but he went to England, and he was with one of the really big and was instrumental. And I said to him, as a 10 year old or 14 year old or whatever, going to England, now that you're in your 30s or 40s, what would you as an adult tell your younger, younger self to think about or work toward, or you know, now that you've gone through all of it and where you thought maybe This was really important, what would you say to your 10 year old, or what would you say to your 12 year old? Wow, what advice would you give them? That's

Erin Currin:

something to think about for sure.

Joan Nordemann:

I don't say just play. Just Play, play, play as much as you can, have as much fun as you can

Erin Currin:

going back to town for that. Well, thank you so much for sharing so generously, so much of your wisdom and your experiences, and it has just been a really juicy conversation, and I think our listeners are going to really enjoy what you've brought to the table today. Thank you. Thank you, and for you. Thank you and for you who have tuned in to this conversation, whether you are watching on YouTube or listening on the podcast platform of your choice. Thank you so much for joining us, and we'll see you next time. Thank you again for tuning into the secret of my success, where we explore what it means to live a fulfilling life. I am your host. Erin Currin, again. If you have not already, please subscribe to our channel. It really helps get the word out to more people so that they can appreciate some of the stories that we share. And if you enjoyed today's episode, please give it a like until next time.