Today, I have the great pleasure of interviewing Jodi Chapman of Soul Speak.
Welcome Jodi. Thank you for sharing this healing information with us.
1. Jodi, tell us something about yourself and your blog, “Soul Speak.”
First, I would like to thank you for sharing your space with me, Angela! It’s such an honor to be here.
I began blogging just over a year ago after I experienced a spiritual awakening. In that moment, my entire world opened up, and I was forever changed. I used to be a skeptic and purposefully shut out anything that couldn’t be proven through the scientific method. And then in this moment of awakening (which I write about in detail in my upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How An Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit), I remembered that I had a soul.
I remembered that I was so much more than my mind and body. I remembered that I was a part of something so much bigger than myself. And I remembered why I was here: to inspire others and share my message of love through my writing. To remind each of us that it’s never too late to open up to all that we are – all that we always have been. So often (as was the case with me), life has a way of piling its pain and hardness on top of us, and we forget that we’re all here for a reason. We forget that we chose to be here. And so when I write, I do my best to be a clear channel and let this universal energy – divine love – flow through me and spread this love throughout the world.
I absolutely love my blog, Soul Speak! In just over a year, it’s grown into a beautiful community where we support each other in getting in touch with our spirit and spreading our wings to fly. I love that even though our external circumstances may not be exactly the same, our internal struggles are universal. And because of that, we’re able to help each other along this journey. I love that. We are able to get to the heart of it all and provide a space for authentic sharing and growing and supporting.
2.You are the creator of a best-selling series of journals titled, “Soulful Journals.” How did you come to create the “Soulful Journals?”
My husband, Dan Teck, and I started a gift business in 2005. Our very first products that we made were journals, but they were blank inside. Our customers used to tell us that the blank page was a bit too intimidating – they didn’t know what to write or where to start. We are both writers, and so we had the idea to come up with prompts and get them started. And so, Soulful Journals were born! The first book in the series, Journaling Within, flowed out of me almost faster than I could write it down. It contains 50 prompts to help you get to know your deeper self – your soul.
We have since created 10 other journals in this series – some focusing on gratitude and others on manifesting your ideal life. We have one for anyone who is currently facing a life transition – such as divorce or a move. We have two journals to help couples get to know each other better and share their love and gratitude for each other. We have two journals for teens who may just be starting to journal and would like a place to start. And we have one that helps you keep your commitment – it’s a 4-step program that really works! I followed the program when I started my blog, and I’m still writing over a year later.
The one thing that they all have in common is our belief that all of life’s answers have always been inside of each of us. And when we take the time to slow down and breathe, the answers will come. Our journals are a way to help get to those answers. They are soulful, fun, and great tools for self exploration.
3. Do you journal and when/why did you start?
I’ve been journaling all of my life. I recently found a journal that I wrote in when I was nine or ten. It’s so fun to go back and read what my heart cared so much about way back then.
I can’t even remember how I first started, but I do remember that I felt a strong urge to write my feelings down from a very young age. I have so many memories of sitting in my bedroom as a child pouring my heart out into my journal. It was the one place where I could share anything and everything. It was a place where I could truly be me. Oftentimes, I would write when I was too upset to even think – journaling allowed me to process it all in my own time. And it seemed like even when I didn’t figure it all out through writing, I always felt a release and could handle everything better.
5. Why is journaling important?
Journaling is such a wonderful way to get in touch with our feelings. Sometimes I have no idea what I’m feeling inside, and after I spend a few minutes writing in my journal or typing on the computer, the answer will come. Journaling is also a great way to get in touch with our soul – it’s our direct line. We can bypass our mind and go straight to our source. It’s a great way to get to the heart of what’s really going on. It’s also a place where we can be completely ourselves – it’s a safe place to go to.
6. How has journaling changed you and/or affected your life?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without journaling. Not only has the practice of journaling helped me get in touch with myself and who I really am at my core, journals have become a large part of my professional life as well. It’s such a great tool to help us get straight to the soul level – I truly recommend it to everyone.
8. What advice do you have for “would be” journalers?
Just start writing. Don’t think about what you’re writing – don’t ever censor yourself. Write in the “stream of consciousness” style – keep your pen flowing or fingers typing.
Sometimes journals can turn into vent books – we tend to go to them when we are angry or sad, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It’s a great way to get to the bottom of how you’re feeling about something and sort it all out.
However, when I went back through many of my journals, it seemed as though my entire life was horrible. Each journal page recounted another terrible event that had taken place. I always seemed to be hurt or angry or sad. And because I knew that my life wasn’t always this bad, I wanted my journals to be more representative of my actuality. This is where a gratitude journal and what I call, Soulful Journaling, came in. It’s where we look at the good in our life and write about that. It’s the practice of allowing our higher self to take the wheel when we’re writing rather than our ego. It’s a matter of letting the divine flow through us when we journal rather than staying in our human self and writing from there.
So if you, too, find that your journals are more like vent books, I would try Soulful Journaling. When you sit down to write, ask your soul what it needs you to know. Close your eyes, and start writing or typing. The truth will always come out. And listing 10 things each day that you’re grateful for is an amazing habit that will transform your life – guaranteed!
9. What’s next for you? Last words?
I would love for everyone to join me for A Month of Meditation on Soul Speak! Each day for the rest of the month, many of us are joining together to meditate. No time limits. No set way to meditate. We’re just promising that at some point in the day, we will take a few moments out to be still and go within.
There are so many paths that lead us back to our soul – journaling and meditation are two that work well for me. I truly believe that when we take the time to go within, we open up to the magic that is all around us and allow our souls to truly shine.
Thank you Jodi for this marvelous interview – Angela
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P.S. To learn to hear what your soul wants check out these books here.
Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her amazing husband, Dan Teck. She would love to connect on Facebook and Twitter. Click here to receive her free ebook: As If: 50 Prompts to Help Manifest Your Ideal Life.
Jodi created a special offer exclusively for PbI readers. Check it out here!
Comments
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Jodi, I have really been enjoying you as a FB friend. I love dream journaling and having room in a journal to enter color sketches along with my jottings. I find that my truest messages from deep within my soul rise more completely to the surface through graphics journaling.
Hi Rose,
Journaling is an amazing way to get insights about our lives. Doodling or sketching works for me too.
Thank you for the interview! I follow Jodi’s post and i love them all. It is so nice to know more about her!
Hi Nikky,
You’re so welcome.
I’m delighted that you enjoyed the interview.
Oh wow! I just “met” Jodi recently and this interview was like having a nice, intimate talk with her. 😉 I didn’t know all that about how the blog started, and your book, etc. Very interesting!
I’ve journaled since I was in about 5th grade; still do; and have all my journals, still. Journaling has served me well in so many ways. I realize I’d run across your journals a long time ago, Jodi, before knowing who you were (I think before you started your blog). Fun to make the connection!
Thanks to both of you.
Hi Jodi and Angela,
Loved the interview and it was great to learn more about Jodi. Journaling has changed my life as well. I only started about 2 years ago and once I got going, have kept up the practice. I truly enjoy it and feel that it open up a window to my inner feelings. Jodi, your Soulful Journal series sounds great!
Hi Jodi,
I can totally relate to your love of journaling. I too started journaling when I was very young. I went through some traumatic events in my early childhood. By the time I hit my teen years I felt a lot of turmoil within. I believe journaling was what kept me alive during those tumultuous years.
About a year ago I decided to start blogging. I felt extremely volnerable about this. However despite my fear I went ahead and have since discovered a beautiful healing path. I’m grateful for the power of the written word and the gift of expressing myself through words. Journaling has been an outlet that has saved my life.
So glad to meet you and I look forward to visiting with you on your blog and learning more. Wishing you many blessings and peace,
Neseret
Jodi, I love the concept of your journals. How useful! So many times people quit journaling because the blank page, or their cluttered minds, intimidate them. Your journals offer guidance, which is exactly what many people need to get going.
I journal on my laptop. I think it’s more like venting. LOL! Most of my blogs are born through this process. I never know what’s going to bubble to the surface!
I enjoyed hearing more about you and your amazing creativity.
Sending big hugs!
Thanks for doing the interview, Angela. It’s great to know more about Jodi and her work.
Journaling is a revealing and authentic process that helps us to get in touch with our hearts. I find it great therapy too. It may seem difficult to get started but the more we engage in the process, the greater benefits we get to experience.
Evelyn,
I’m so glad you enjoyed this interview!
Journaling is a great way to open the flood gates on your creativity.
Thank you so much for interviewing me, Angela! I am honored to share your space today! 🙂
Hi Vidya
Journaling is wonderful therapy! I know what you mean about how it inspires ideas too~!
Thanks for introducing me to Jodi, Angela. I love that tip: “Just start writing…” As a writer and journaler I can attest to that! I’ve found that journaling is great way to get it all out there and overcome the “NO” that may have me procrastinating or hesitating. I too say, start writing, and don’t stop until that thought-voice stops. To understand the folly of our excuses is to understand all we need to know to withdraw our cooperation from NO. The more confidently we separate excuse from fact, the quicker the NO’s collapse.
Rob,
All true! Write until you run out of steam and you’ve probably run out of “the nos” too.
Hi Rob,
I completely agree with you! We’ll find a time when we are writing when our mind switches off and our higher self kicks in. Some days this happens for me much quicker than others – but if we stick with it, that switch will always take place. So glad to meet you here! 🙂
I am happy to read about journal-ling. I maintain one. 😀 It is very therapeutic and is one of the reasons why I never run out of ideas. I know what Jodi is saying about thoughts flowing faster than she could write. I can identify with that.
Lovely interview, Jodi. I enjoy your blog and it was delightful to read this.
Thank you, Angela!
Hi Vidya!
I’m so glad that you journal, too! It’s is so healing. Thank you for your kind words about Soul Speak! I love reading your posts, too! 🙂
Jodi,
It’s so good to get to know you better through this interview! I used to keep journals but stopped when my family started. Now would be the perfect time to begin as my oldest children are staying at college for the summer and might have more time! Plus I’m looking forward to doing more meditation this summer as well when I’m not teaching.
Great interview Jodi and Angela!
Hi Betsy,
Yes, this does sound like a perfect time to begin journaling again!
Hi Betsy!
I agree that this is the perfect time for you to give yourself the gift of going within. I know that you’re in the last couple of weeks before life calms down, and I am excited for you to have the space to be able to do this! I can’t wait for you to join our Meditation group, too! 🙂