Jo Lee re-trained as a Nutritionist in later life and shares personal discoveries of reinventing and realigning with her new vocation. Jo discusses the importance of being open and honest about fears, interests, and passions without fear of being judged. The people we surround ourselves with influence us deeply.

Jo will be back for a much longer in-depth interview into how she activates her personal power to grow from strength to strength in her life.

You can find Jo Lee at:

Website: https://www.vitalifenutrition.co.uk

FB: https://www.facebook.com/vitalifenutrition1/

[Roksana] On today’s show, I have Jo Lee who is a Nutritional Therapist. Jo Lee’s message is really interesting. She is somebody who has reinvented and reignited her life with a new course later on in her life and I think that today’s message from her today will really inspire and uplift most of you. Welcome Jo!

[Jo] Thank you Roksana, thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

[Roksana] It’s lovely to have you. Now Jo, I have one big question that I ask all of my guests and I’m really fascinated to hear your answer. I’d love to know how would you define success and satisfaction in your work and personal life?

[Jo] Well yeah that is a really big question isn’t it? But perhaps if I start mainly with my personal life that might be an easier place for me to start. I think success for me on a personal basis is having positive relationships amongst my closest family and with my friends and acquaintances and colleagues and peers at college, and it’s just so important to have that sort of dialogue where you feel free to talk to people and be open and be honest about yourself, your fears, your interests, your passions and in a safe place where you’re not going to be judged or criticised in a way that’s negative.  I mean everybody needs positive criticism to develop and I find that among colleagues and friends I like to surround myself with people who stretch me, challenge me, give me maybe a different opinion and make me question my own stance on things, and it’s that way that we learn and stretch ourselves and I suppose I’m sort of sliding a bit into the work thing which is very similar… but going back to my family a little bit more, it’s about having the opportunity to care for the people around me, to spend time with them. I’m very lucky I have my parents actually living next door to me now they move in about 2 and three years ago, and they’re 82 now, hope they don’t mind my saying that, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and it’s just lovely to have them there. I know that they’re here, they’re safe, I can take care of them and especially now with all the COVID19 situation it’s great to have them there. We’re still social distancing but I know they’re there and I can get through to them and if they do fall ill then I am right next door. I have two children, Tasha who’s 28, and Ben who’s 23. Tasha lives in London, Ben in Singapore. I’m very close to them, very proud of them, it’s just great. We have an open relationship that we can talk to each other, sometimes obviously it can be little bit explosive, but we always work through any disagreements and this to me is the definition of success. I’m very lucky I married for a second time to a lovely man called Bill and I have two step children, Will and Ash, and it’s lovely we all live very close together, apart from my two children unfortunately, Tasha’s in London, Ben’s in Singapore, but we all get on really well and I feel very grateful for that. For me that’s real success and in work success for me is really down to empowering my clients. If I feel that I’ve given a spark to a client to help them change their mindset, achieve their goals, improve their health, maintain their health, then to me that is success. And creating that relationship where I’m not telling them what to do, but I’m empowering them with information that helps them achieve what they need to achieve to improve the health and their wellbeing. So I’m not sure if I completely answered your question.

[Roksana] You have completely answered my question, Jo.

[Jo] It’s a big one, it’s a really big one. I mean I think you could have a whole podcast just talking just about success, but I think definitely in the- in the last few years and things I’ve read, there’s a real shift away from defining success on how much money you’re earning, what car you have, how big your house is… success is far more than that and in fact, I don’t- personally don’t really feel that that’s success. Obviously we need certain income to have be able to pay our bills and put food on the table, but I think success is more about a feeling inside yourself, if you feel you’re doing some good. I can remember actually it’s just come back to me, Ben when he was about 8, he said to me well what is the point in living? And I said to him…

[Roksana] Wow.

[Jo] …It’s about, for me, leaving the world a little bit happier place for having been there, and it’s not an original thought I’m sure that’s something I heard or read, but I think it’s always good to remember that we can’t always be these iconic figures that do these amazing things that hit the headlines… but each of us in our own way can do small things. I think Mother Theresa said do small things with great love. I think if you have that sort of ethos in you, you can’t go far wrong. You’re going to be a successful human being. That’s very powerful for me, very powerful.

[Roksana] That’s beautiful. Your son is very lucky to have a mum who is so thoughtful and what a measured answer you gave him, because I think it my son asked me that I’d be quite flummoxed at such a profound question.

[Jo] Well I’m sure if Ben was able to respond, he’d say I’m not always measured and inspiring, we’re all human. And I’m sure there’s many times I’ve given really, really inappropriate answers or lost my temper, but it is one I remember coz he’s quite a sensitive soul. The situation at the moment is really helping us, forcing us to all slow down and take- to have that time and I think… you know my psychologist friend actually she’s always stressing the importance of being present and taking the time to really be in the moment… because we could always be looking back, which is lovely, memories and being nostalgic, but also we sometimes get too caught up in looking forward to our next holiday, our next working venture, our next meeting a friend, and we’re not actually engaged with what’s going on right now and I think that’s so important.

[Roksana] Absolutely, absolutely. Well thank you Jo, for your very beautiful answer.

[Jo] Talk to you soon.