The Power Transformation Podcast
Some people survive their hardest seasons. Others use them to thrive and become someone entirely new.
This show is for the ones who choose the second option.
The Power Transformation Podcast is a Top 3% globally ranked show where entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and everyday people are vulnerable and transparent about what transformation actually costs and what it produces. They share the stories behind their stories, the moments that are rarely spoken of yet changed everything and the crucial decisions that rebuilt them.
Host Alethea Felton is not a bystander to hard things. Born with Crohn's Disease and a rare liver condition that once left her critically ill, she overcame a severe stutter and navigated the grief of losing her two closest friends to cancer before they reached 40.
Instead of remaining in her pain, Alethea not only had a 20 year award winning career as a public school educator as well as doing entrepreneurial ventures on the side, a few years ago she became a professional speaker and certified transformation specialist because she refused to let adversity be her final word.
Every episode of The Power Transformation Podcast delivers practical tools for leveling up and becoming stronger mentally, emotionally, personally, and professionally.
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The Power Transformation Podcast
82. From GED to Uncovering Creative Brilliance with Daisy O'Bryan
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What if your greatest failures could become your stepping stones to success? Well, that very thing happened for Daisy O'Bryan, an American creative consultant living in Turkey, who turned her challenging high school experience into a powerful story of inspiration. In this episode we explore how Daisy's journey from struggle to achievement can inspire you to pursue your passions unapologetically.
Join Us As Daisy:
- Explains how she went from earning her GED to graduating college despite the obstacles which previously stood in her way;
- Opens up about grappling with imposter syndrome and finding a sense of wholeness beyond her achievements;
- Shares how international experiences have shaped her mission to help others tap into their authenticity and uncover their creative brilliance; and
- Describes the significance of stepping outside of one's comfort zone and the lasting effect it has on creativity.
Connect with Daisy
Episode 82's Affirmation:
I am worthy of every amazing opportunity that comes my way.
I invite you to leave a positive message with your insights, feedback, or uplifting message.
Thank you for listening to The Power Transformation Podcast with Alethea Felton. One to two episodes are released weekly, so follow/subscribe and share. Your feedback is welcomed and valued!
Transformative Journey to Creative Consultant
Alethea FeltonBe honest with yourself . Did you like school Seriously ? Were you an ideal student , or were you the type of student who just wanted to graduate or wanted to drop out altogether ? Story about how she turned around her entire life and grew to not only love learning after not having the best school experience , but she teaches others how to live out their passions and their creativity wholeheartedly and unapologetically . But a lot more happened along the way , so stay tuned for this episode of the Power Transformation podcast . You never know , you may be a guest one of these days sharing your turnaround story too .
Alethea FeltonHey y'all , welcome back to another episode of the Power Transformation Podcast . I am your host , alethea Felton , and I welcome you with open arms , especially to those of you who are new to this Power Transformation movement . Yes , we are a global movement sharing stories of everyday people who have overcome extreme obstacles , challenges , adversity , whatever you want to call it , things that were intended to have stopped them and blocked them , but instead they chose to keep going . And guess what ? They can show you how to do the same . And , for those of you who have been a part of this community since the beginning , thank you for your continued support . We are still ranking in the top 5% of all podcasts globally , and it is because of you , and we want to keep this movement going . And in order to do that , go ahead and download these episodes , subscribe , follow rate and share . This is on all podcast platforms and , while we are audio only for right now , the intention is to also shift over into the video podcast realm as well in the future . And also , you know what else I could always use feedback , so I welcome you to email me with any show ideas or feedback , and you may email me at coach at aletheafeltoncom , that's C-O-A-C-H , at A-L-E-T-H-E-A-F-E-L-T-O-Ncom . I read my emails and I am happy to connect with you for constructive and valuable feedback .
Alethea FeltonOh , we need to get into this episode because the guest today is absolutely wonderful and you will learn so much from her , and she has a journey oh my , oh my a journey that you will definitely get inspiration from . We always begin this podcast with an affirmation . We do that so that we can speak those things into existence and so that we can shift our mindset and begin to change our lives even more . I will say the affirmation once and then you repeat it I am worthy of every amazing opportunity that comes my way . I am so excited to have Daisy O'Brien here with me today on the Power Transformation Podcast . She is a creative consultant and I'll have her explain that more . But first of all , welcome , daisy . Thank you so much for having me here . I'm so excited . Oh , you're so welcome . The honor is all mine to have you here with me and we're going to get started and y'all .
Alethea FeltonAlthough this is an audio only podcast , I've got to say Daisy has the most fabulous haircut . It's different . It is different from when we first met . So I see that fabulous haircut . I love it . I really do . Thank you so much .
Daisy O'BryanYeah , it's a new . It's a new thing . I love it . I really do . Thank you so much . Yeah , it's a new thing , but it's growing on me . Yeah , I like it .
Alethea FeltonSo we'll just start from there . But what I like to do , daisy , before I get into the heart of the actual interview , is I just like to have a nice icebreaker question , just so that we can get to know you more . It's totally random , and so this is the question that I have for you , Daisy what is one of your I'll say one of your , because it might be many , but , daisy , what's one of your favorite movies ?
Daisy O'BryanOh , that's a good question . One of my favorite movies . It's always changing , I'd say recently . I love a movie that has a purpose , like a hidden purpose to it . Recently I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once . Have you heard of that ?
Alethea FeltonOkay , so that could be an offline conversation . I'll put it like this I tried watching it , got through maybe the first 40 to 45 minutes and then my mind felt like it was spinning . But I'm gonna give it another try because my mom wants to see it and I told , told her . I said , mom , I'll watch it with you , so yeah .
Daisy O'BryanPay attention to to what they're saying , because I feel like it's a great example of a movie that has a deeper purpose and when you have that deeper purpose , it relates . That message relates to everyone , regardless of what's happening . So there's so many crazy things happening and it's unrelatable . It feels like I've I what is going on ? I've never time traveled , I've never universe hopped , I've never . But the , the underlying message is universally relatable and I love a movie that do that . So , yeah , pay attention to like the , what they're saying and and the deeper hidden message behind it . It's , it's moving , I think , but it takes . You got to concentrate . I had to watch it a few times to really get it and when I got it then I fell in love with it .
Alethea FeltonDaisy , I thank you for that and you have my word . When I do watch it again , I'm going to definitely contact you and tell you . B , because I think that was part of the issue with me is that I was paying more attention to the actions and so , as they're speaking , my mind is thinking like what in the world ? And , of course , it won so many awards at the .
Daisy O'BryanOscars and .
Alethea FeltonI'm a movie person . I used to act all of that , so I know theater and drama and all of that . So I'm going to give it another go because I want to but Give it another go .
Daisy O'BryanYeah , please let me know , because I could talk about it all day .
Alethea FeltonYes , so okay . Anyway , that was I'm glad I asked that . That was really really fun , okay . So now Daisy , getting into this heart of the interview . This question is also standard that I ask all of my guests , but it's just interesting to hear what everyone says . And this is the question who is Daisy O'Brien ?
Daisy O'BryanSo I think if you asked me that question even a year ago well , no , a few years ago I would have answered with what I do . I'm a creative consultant . I'm , you know , I love doing sports . I'm a you know a partner , a wife , a sister , a daughter . You know a partner , a wife , a sister , a daughter . But I think the journey that I've been on is finding my worth , despite what I do .
Daisy O'BryanAnd so I'd say I'm somebody that's on a healing journey healing journey just like the rest of us and I'll humbly say that's what I'm meant to do . That's what I'm here to do is to heal , and through that healing , to open my heart up to helping other people heal . My focus is on creative people artists and creative entrepreneurs , but I think at our heart , we're all creators . So whoever I can help with my own healing journey , that's what I'm here for .
Alethea FeltonI absolutely love that response and it gets me then to now beg the question of this , when you say that you're a creative consultant in terms of title , but I like how you described yourself even far deeper than that , because I do think sometimes we are used to especially in Western society , used to leading by title and something that , of course , you know I will actually share and I'll get Daisy to elaborate on it . But , listeners , daisy is from the US , but she lives abroad , and so it's really interesting how , even with my travels in different parts of the world and I haven't even reached , oh my gosh , a portion yet of where I really want to go but I've noticed that oftentimes in Western society , we will lead by our titles or what we do , and in other places , people will lead by more than that the heart and the character of who they are . So when you say that you're a creative consultant as a job title , it's deeper than that . So explain to us , daisy , what is a creative consultant ?
Daisy O'BryanSo a creative consultant is somebody , I mean . It can take a lot of different shapes , but what I do is I help people tap into their creative brilliance , then I consult them on their projects to make sure that their projects , their platforms , their businesses are an expression of that creative brilliance . Up especially artists today we get caught up in I'm not worthy as an artist unless I'm famous , unless I have a million followers , unless I'm the most well-known , the most renowned , the richest , and I think that when that becomes our focus , we actually miss out on what makes us genius as a creative , as an artist . And yeah , so that's what I do . I'm sure there's other people that are creative consultants that might take a different route . They consult people on their creative projects , but that's how I operate .
Alethea FeltonOkay , I like that response because I'm going to put a pin on it , because now I want you to kind of take us back a little bit , because there are certain things that I know that I'm going to have you expound upon . But , daisy , this road to being a creative consultant did not simply happen just overnight and quickly , or as a small child . You said I want to be a creative consultant . There's a journey with that . So take us back from that and talk to us about in what ways did your education , history , your upbringing , your life , the experiences you had , how did that help you discover your purpose in life ? And this is a broad question , but I want the floor to be yours right now . Take us on that journey of what led you here and you can take that in any direction that you want .
Daisy O'BryanOkay , yeah , so where do I start it's ? A long journey , I mean even from you . Know , I just wrote a book and after I wrote it I rewrote the opening , because I realized that this journey for everyone starts very young . That for me , as a small child , even I always wanted to would become and I fantasized about that .
Daisy O'BryanAnd in school . I was never good at school , and in middle school high school I almost flunked out of middle school and my the principal there was kind enough to let me move forward In high school . I dropped out of high school and so I think I already had a low sense of self-worth because I was like I'm not good at the only thing I'm supposed to be doing , which is going to school . But I just didn't really have anything driving me forward other than I want to become something . I didn't have a purpose or a sense of worth that told me that what I'm doing right now , in the present moment , is the most important thing . No matter what I'm doing , whether it's school , whether it's working , whether it's reading or sitting with my grandma that present moment is the most important thing .
Daisy O'BryanUm , and so I failed out of high school and I was working at a coffee shop I had , you know , I was in a relationship that was not working out and I just felt unfulfilled . Um , and yeah , I didn't really have a sense of purpose . And then I was partying a lot . That was really the thing . That kind of like got me , made me feel a sense of worth . Is that , like I'm partying , I'm meeting people all the time .
Alethea FeltonBut it was unfulfilling , it was empty . So let me pause you really quickly because you've given us a lot here and I will have you to continue . But let's backtrack a little bit about this school journey and I shared with you offline
Overcoming High School Failure
Alethea Felton. I'm a former educator and I wish I had had a student like you . I really do . I wish I had had a student like you .
Alethea FeltonI wish I had a teacher oh , thank you , daisy , but I do . I mean that sincerely . I started my career at 21, . Ended at 41 on a high note . But my question to you is OK for a student to fail or flunk out of high school , even if they have love and support at home , sometimes that's not enough . Poor at home , sometimes that's not enough . Are you telling me , or are you implying , that in high school there wasn't anybody to say hold up , daisy's about to stumble here . Let me try to catch her . Let me try to support her . Let me find out what's going on . Not to bash anybody in your school or anything like that , but what happened ? Who missed the mark there ?
Daisy O'BryanYeah , and you're so right . Like my parents were amazing . My parents are amazing and so supportive and they always did their best to make sure they knew that . I knew that I had a sense of worth . Besides how I was doing in school , they always encouraged me it's okay , you know , we hope you do better , but like you can still do great things , you don't . School's not important . Neither of my parents graduated from college Okay , and my mom dropped out of high school as well and they're both doing okay . So I think that they were like it's okay .
Daisy O'BryanBut I was discouraged by the teachers . No one really seemed to care that I wasn't doing well in school and I think that most of them thought I was a lost cause . And a lot of the parents thought that I was a lost cause and at the time I didn't realize how much it affected me . But I do remember moments where I felt down and I felt shame for kind of being no one really appreciating my sense of worth . I remember one time in school I never put an effort into school and I copied somebody's test . I don't know why that was . My way of putting an effort was I'm and I copied somebody's test . I don't know why that was my way of putting an effort was I'm going to copy somebody's test . And I copied their test and I turned it in and the teacher the next day called me down and I was like , oh no , she knows , I copied the test and she pulled me aside and this teacher was always encouraging .
Daisy O'BryanThis was the one teacher always telling me that she knew I could do better . And I went down there and she said I just want to tell you I'm so proud of you and that I knew that you could do it . She was so and I remember feeling this sense of I've never felt this before , Like it's not even my real work , but she , this woman , believes in me and I still remember it to that day , Cause it has such an impact on me that I started trying harder in that class because that woman believed in me and she , she saw my worth . She saw my worth before I did well on the test , before I copied the test . Um , and I feel like if more teachers had done that , instead of just like oh , Daisy failed again , I would have tried harder .
Daisy O'BryanAnd I don't think it's the fault of the teachers , I think it's the fault of the system . There's no training for teachers to deal with students like me , and there should be training and they should , you know , and teachers should be . Teachers are also not appreciated for their worth . So I think it's on a broader picture . It's no individual's fault .
Alethea FeltonWow , daisy , you have said a mouthful because , girl , that's the truth . It's so much on the job training once you get there . But you are right , teacher preparation programs do not prepare you on how to deal with the challenging child . You are taught your content or taught the skills that you need . And then hey , and and I'm not sure if for me it was more of a natural gift , but also I got more training and went into the admin route and leadership roles and things of that nature , so I could see a broader spectrum .
Alethea FeltonBut you are correct is that it is a thankless job in a lot of ways . But I also have worked in the education setting and while I have worked with some fabulous educators over the years , there are some I've worked with where you wonder why are they even working with kids ? So I'm glad that you have come to this point in your life where , although high school didn't work out well for you , something remarkable happened after high school that your father also had some direct influence with . But when you were partying , as you said , you felt this sense of worth and belonging . But tell us , daisy , what happened after high school and how in the world , because I know now that you technically do have a high school diploma at least . But how did all of that come about ?
Daisy O'BryanWell , both of my parents I dropped , I think at that point they were both kind of like okay , we can't fight with you , you can leave high school , but you got to get your GED . And so I got my GED and I'm really grateful that I did Cause again . That gave me a sense of like , oh , I can do this . I can . But I was still latching onto . My worth is hinged on what I'm doing , and so I did a lot of things after high school that made me feel a sense of self-worth and I was probably I think I was 21 . And I had gotten a call from an ashram in upstate New York , like a meditation center , and they had asked me to come live there . And they said you can go to the local college at the same time and the community college .
Daisy O'BryanAnd I thought I don't want to go to the local college at the same time and the community college and I thought I don't want to go to school . I'm not a school person , but I also felt that what's happening right now is not fulfilling and maybe this will give me the kick that I need . I also felt like I got to do something . I want to be something . I got to do something with my life , and so it was still . My worth was still hinged on what I will do or what I will become , and so I felt that this next step would get me there . So I said yes , and just before I was about to take off on the plane to go there , I got a call from this ashram and they said to go there . I got a call from this ashram and they said we've changed our mind . We don't want you to go to school and come here . We want you to focus on school full time and I was like full time .
Daisy O'BryanI don't have a plan to go to school full time , but I already have a plane ticket there , like what ? At this point I had already been committed to going . So I called the school and asked if I could live on campus and they said , only if you're going to school full time . And I was like , oh great , but I didn't have an option . So I signed up for school full time and I ended up falling in love with school . Wow , I loved my teachers , I loved learning , I loved my classes , I loved living at school . I ended up graduating with honors . I got the chancellor's award . If you know what that is in SUNY , uh , the the New York districts get . There's two people that it's awarded to , and it's a prestigious award . And I just didn't believe it . I had never accomplished anything like that in my life . I'm also the first person in my immediate family to have gone to college and graduated .
Alethea FeltonWow , daisy , take us to that moment really , really quickly .
Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing
Alethea FeltonDaisy , describe how you felt when you got that award , the Chancellor's Award . What did that mean ?
Daisy O'Bryanto you . I was shocked , I thought it was a mistake . When they told me I got it Really , yeah , I thought , because I had never won an award in school . I thought that they got my name wrong or mixed me up with somebody , I for sure , and I had major imposter syndrome . I thought for sure they were going to come and tell me it was a mix-up and that it actually belonged to someone else , and um , but then we went to the award ceremony and it all . You know it was for me . I felt really accomplished . But then again , know , because my self-worth was attached to something I was doing , I still felt like something was missing , like it wasn't really me . And that's a long journey that I've , that I'm still going on today is that my self hinges on who I am and my healing journey , rather than what I've done and the accolades I've achieved .
Alethea FeltonAnd so that was the beginning of that journey you know what you just said , something that was so powerful to me where you admit the fact it's still a journey for you . It's still a journey of walking into it , and I think that is so important to say , because sometimes people can sit in these roles of seeming like an expert in something but still have their own internal challenges . And , it's true , even the best of us still have those areas in us that we are working through , and I think that we'll continue doing that until the day that we transition out of this planet or realm . But also , you had some self-discovery and healing happen all the way in India . That's something that you told me , so let's go there . How did your experience in India shift or change your perspective on your self-discovery and healing ? Self-discovery and healing , and also prior to this podcast you shared with me about how you went through such a roller coaster of emotions . Tell us about those and how you navigated them .
Daisy O'BryanYeah , so I was living in New York and my dad called me and asked if I wanted to go to India to an Ayurvedic hospital . So that's where you live , there for like a month and you do these Ayurvedic treatments , but you can't use your phone and you're , there's no distractions , no phone , no , you can use your phone , like once a day and in your room , but you're , you know , the rest of the day you're walking , silently , walking , or meditating or doing yoga , and I think to most people that sounded like a dream , but to me that sounded horrifying , and so I kind of fought against it . And then me and my therapist decided that it was an amazing opportunity that I should take and I went , and then , about four days into being there , my dad got this amazing opportunity and he had to leave , and so I was like , wait , I was already scared of doing this and now I don't even have my dad to crack jokes and , to you know , to hang out with and distract me . So that was scary . And the next , for the next few weeks that I was there , I went through a roller coaster of emotions , of trying to grasp onto something , some identity or some distraction , and I could feel the layers of my defense mechanisms melting away as I had tried to hold on to something .
Daisy O'BryanThere was a lot of crying , a lot of emotions , and at the end , I had felt this sense of wholeness that I had never experienced before , and I don't think that everyone needs to go to India to have this experience .
Discovering Authentic Self and Helping Others
Daisy O'BryanI think that when you pull away the layers of your identity and your distractions and your defense mechanisms , you're left with a sense of wholeness and a sense of what makes you a creator , whether you're an artist or not . It's your truest , most authentic , most vulnerable self that lives under the layers that we've built around us to protect us . And when I experienced that , I realized that I am worthy . That piece of me is the most worthy part of me , not all of the identities that I had built . I'm a this , I'm a that , I'm a consultant , I'm an artist , I'm a student , I'm a daughter , I'm a sister . What exists beyond that and despite that is what makes me worthy , and so that set me on the journey that I'm on today .
Alethea FeltonThat's my healing journey and I think that that can also help somebody when it comes to them sharing their story .
Alethea FeltonIs that and you're helping me also is that you know , as I said earlier , sometimes we can put so much emphasis on what a person does , but we are so far deeper than that and I think that you've even given me some ahas when it comes to crafting more of my story , or even as we continue to evolve . Parts of our story change and changes and with that evolution of sorts , we have to kind of switch up how we even think about ourselves so that it fits the place that we are in currently , and I think that that's really powerful . And so , in terms of that , once you started working through these emotions and went through this self-discovery and healing , where did the creative consultant piece come into play ? When was that aha moment in knowing that this is what you wanted to do and how you wanted to help people ? And then , on top of that , you say that you help individuals with their creative brilliance . Well , how do you extend that in your own life , but also in the lives of maybe others that you just come around with in general ?
Daisy O'BryanYeah , and I think it goes back to what you were saying earlier about how we're still on this journey , and some of my favorite teachers and mentors in my life have always been the ones that are humbly admit that they are also still learning and growing , and so I decided a long time ago that I want to be one of those people . I don't want to be an expert or somebody that has all of the answers . I'm on this journey with everybody else , and my commitment is to my own healing so that I can help other people do the same thing . And that's what really motivates me to do my own healing is that I have a duty . I have a sense of duty and a responsibility to work on myself and to do my own healing so I can help other people go on that same journey , and I'd say that most people that I'm helping are really just one step behind me . It's not like I've got all the answers . Sometimes somebody will come to me and I'm like you know what ? I don't really know what that is there and I'll have to look at myself and I'll have to journal and I'll talk to my teachers and I'll read the books and I'll try to get that answer with you so I can learn also . So it's really a give and take with my clients is that we're learning this together .
Uncovering Creative Brilliance
Daisy O'BryanBut at the core , the purpose is to uncover that creative brilliance . So , yeah , a lot of the people that I work with um , there's a a lot of the people I work with have seen some success already and they feel like they have to attach to that success . So you know , you do something as an artist or an entrepreneur and everyone says that's amazing , we want more of that . So then you leave yourself and you go into what everyone else wants , because that's that's safe . Now I know that this works . I know that everybody likes it , so I'm going to keep doing that thing .
Daisy O'BryanBut a lot of the time you find that that fall falls flat because it's not authentic to who you are anymore . We're growing and we're changing and it worked at that time because it was an authentic expression to who you were in that moment . And so a lot of my work is helping people get back in touch with that creative brilliance that helped them be successful in the first place . That means detaching from I'm a successful artist . It means having something bigger to live for , something bigger to create for them followers , money , success , perfection . So I help people get in touch with that part of themselves , and it's a long process .
Alethea FeltonYeah , um , yeah , yeah , because I wanted to kind of ask you , without giving away your trade secrets , because you still want to have paying clients . But , uh , but . But how ? How do you even start to deprogram that myth with your clients that success is synonymous to fame ? How do you deprogram that to really get them to focus on their authentic goals ?
Daisy O'BryanYeah , it's , and I don't mind sharing any tricks of the trade . Okay , yeah , because really my mission is to help . I think that the world will be a better place if we all operate from this place and yeah , so I want everybody to know these things . It's deprogramming from society , what society has told us . We need a little bit of motivation us , we need a little bit of motivation .
Daisy O'BryanJust saying detached from fame , success or perfection can be really scary for people , because then they think what else do I have left ? Am I going to lose everything ? People aren't willing to go that far , and neither am I . You need to motivate the ego in some way . It won't work . And so what I what I think motivates people is that and this is the most true thing I've ever experienced is that when you detach from all of these things , you are more creative , you're more brilliant than when you're not , and I think that's exciting for people is that their biggest potential hasn't even been experienced yet and it's definitely not being experienced . If you're catering to what everybody else wants and what society tells you , you need to do so . I think that helps people do that work .
Alethea FeltonMm-hmm . What is say , one strategy or a technique that you use to help guide individuals in creating work that aligns with their values and passions .
Daisy O'BryanYeah . So we always set kind of like a mission statement . So once we do that work of kind of understanding who they are at their core , we define a mission statement for their project or for their work , for the business their work , their platform , and then we do an audit and make sure that everything they're doing is an expression of that mission statement . Because it's hard to get to stay on track .
Daisy O'BryanIt's very easy to get off track , especially when you know you've got so many things tugging at you . You have an opportunity , that's , you know , paying really well , but is it in alignment with your truest self , is it in alignment with your mission statement ? And if you don't have a north star or a reference point , then it's going to be easy for you just to go follow the money or the opportunity , and then you're going to find yourself back at square one , feeling unfulfilled , hitting a plateau in your progress , and so the first thing we do is set that reference point so we can always ask ourselves is this an alignment , is this an expression of that ? So we don't get lost .
Alethea FeltonAnd so , just out of curiosity , is a part of that . Also , when you take clients through this journey , so as to speak , for some clients , do you even possibly encourage them to switch up their environment or their surroundings ? And this is what I mean by that . I'm a writer , and oftentimes a lot of authors , and you've written too , but sometimes writers will switch up where they live in order to create their next book or their project , or they'll go so . A plain example the late author , maya Angelou . Her process was she would go to a specific hotel room and she would have her little cup of brandy and she would literally just isolate herself in this hotel room until her book was finished . And of course , of course , she would draft elsewhere . But when it got to the point of really trying to get the book done , she would go into this room . Blah , blah , blah . The late Toni Morrison often wrote by the Hudson River because that's where her house was close to . So does environment play a factor in some of your clients' creative process ?
Daisy O'BryanI'd say yes , but more than environment , I think the magic does , and what I mean by magic is that kind of divine connection , universe that is beyond the material , and I think that changing your environment does that and and you see it so evident especially in tony morrison's writing , like she's such a magical person , she's somebody that really has a connection to that magic and I'd say that's a huge . To really get creative you need a connection to that magic . That's beyond what the material is , which is the material is what we already know to be true .
Daisy O'BryanIt's what everyone tells you . You know to be successful , you need to stay home , don't take a vacation , you need to work 12 hours a day . That's the programming that everyone's taught us , and the magic is I'm going to go somewhere new and I'm going to wait for a sign or a hit of inspiration and I'm just going to trust that this story or this work of art will take the shape that it's meant to be and I'm not going to have any preconceived notion of it that other people have told me , that society has told me it needs to be . For me , changing up my location helps me invite that magic and that inspiration into my life , and for so many writers and artists I think that's been the case . But a lot of the time we don't allow ourselves to do that because it's scary and it's uncertain and creativity and our truest selves are uncertain and it is scary , and that's why so many of us don't take that route . We take the same programmed route that everyone else has taken , because that's safe and that's known . Ooh , yes .
Alethea FeltonYes , indeed , girl . Oh my gosh , that is , I don't know . I felt that I really did , I felt that . Elaborate on that . What are your thoughts on the rationale behind the why of ? Why do so many people choose to take that safe route ?
Daisy O'BryanIt's known and even if it's not what you want and it makes you unhappy , subconsciously or unconsciously , the ego or our defense mechanisms the ego or our defense mechanisms , our , you know constellation of our personality , whatever you want to call it it will latch on to what's safe and what's known , and there's a reason that we have all of these defense mechanisms is because what's underneath that is vulnerable and volatile and uncertain and we don't trust that we'll be safe if we break apart our personality and our defense mechanisms and the known , prescribed route .
Daisy O'BryanSo I think one of the things that I do with my clients and something I do with myself a lot is to to remind us that we need to take the scary route sometimes , sometimes when I have two choices should I do this or should I do this ? What's the scarier thing ? Why am I afraid of it ? Why don't I go there and why don't I ? I have the courage to go there and explore what's uncertain there and I find that that always has the biggest reward in terms of my my growth and self-development and healing .
Stepping Outside Comfort Zones
Daisy O'BryanBut it's scary and it's scary for a reason . I'm not going to say that . You know , of course you hit roadblocks and of course there's a good reason to be scary , but if it's not life-threatening , then we can go there and we can experience that .
Alethea FeltonAnd even before you got into this place and space , of where you are now in life , daisy , I'm not certain , but just in hearing you and observing you , you've taken the scary route in a lot of aspects of your life , even as a child , even in your childhood , and , something that I failed to mention at the beginning of the podcast , you're originally from the West Coast , california , right , los Angeles , yeah , california , yes , so you're originally from California . So keep in mind , listeners , that Daisy went from California to New York , then to India , and your environment is different because your place of residency is where .
Daisy O'BryanDaisy Turkey , Istanbul .
Alethea FeltonTurkey . She's in Istanbul , you all in Turkey , but yet Daisy has clients that are international , many of them right here in the US . So Daisy is still stepping outside of her comfort zone and traveling abroad and everything else to work with clients . Her clientele has no limits , and that's what I love about it , and it's so courageous . So , with that being said , as we have a few minutes left on the podcast , I'm going to come back to where we have been talking about this creative consulting , but let's take a brief diversion here to Turkey . Out of all of the countries in the world , what led you to Turkey and how has your life transformed since living there ?
Daisy O'BryanYeah , so I'd say it goes back to what you said , what we're talking about , which is taking that scary step , and I'm a very fearful person . I got a lot of fears , but what I've learned is that that fear is really such a gift , because every time that you're afraid , it's an opportunity to be courageous , and if you're not afraid , then you don't get that opportunity to be courageous . And so , although I am very afraid , I'm also a very courageous and brave person , and every time that I've been deathly afraid of something , I've also taken it upon myself to make sure that I do that thing and to explore what it is that I'm so afraid of . And that's what led me to Turkey . After India , which was another decision that I was afraid of , that I didn't want to do I went to Istanbul to visit my two friends who I had met in Morocco years ago , 10 years ago , which was another trip that I had been afraid to take on my own , and I met these people , one of those people I ended up marrying .
Daisy O'BryanSo all of these things in my life that have led me to where I am have been a series of taking decisions that I was afraid to take , and so that's what ended up leading me to Istanbul as I went to visit my two friends , and I had really cracked these layers , that I had piled on my true self and I was vulnerable and my heart was open .
Daisy O'BryanAnd when I arrived there , I realized how in love with my friend I was . I had never allowed myself to be vulnerable in that way . I had such a wall up and he had always been somebody that was safe and somebody that really loved me , and I didn't allow myself to be loved by him . So when I experienced that , I realized what am I doing ? Why am I not with this person ? Why am I ? You know , this is somebody that cares about me so much and I was , you know , kind of an asshole about it . Yeah , closed myself off to it so much , yeah , so it's really the power of tapping into your most true and vulnerable self and having the courage to take the steps that your truest self is beckoning you to take , and that's how I've ended up where I am today .
Alethea FeltonGirl . That is so awesome , because you never know where life will take you . So if there's anybody out there who wants a husband or wife or maybe you don't even want to get married , but just want to have that person in your life , you know what . They might not be next door to you . You might have to step outside of your comfort zone .
Alethea FeltonThat's true , maybe you don't have to travel , but you have to go out of your comfort zone you may be , because even the way that my boyfriend and I met , um , that's a story for another day . But it's so amazing how you might be searching this place or that place or thinking it's going to be this person and it turns out to be somebody else . But but when you know , you know and that is so beautiful , daisy , oh my gosh , I love that . I love that story because you've taken so many risks . You walk in , you walk in , walked courageously .
Alethea FeltonA former English teacher here , what is that ? I've never said that before . You walked courageously in everything you've done , despite the fear . See , that's the thing is that people may be listening and say I'm scared , I don't know how to Heck , I'm scared a lot too . But you're right . When you jump out there and just do it , you know what's the worst that can happen . Somebody tells you no , or you don't get this or that opportunity , but something else is going to open up for you . And so , daisy , tell us about , maybe a client or person that comes to mind who , through your coaching , was able to redefine success in their life and create meaningful work .
Daisy O'BryanYeah , I would say you know , I'm not a coach , so I'm the journey . That I'm true . I'm sorry , yes .
Alethea FeltonNo , no , I don't think you , I'm going through , I'm sorry .
Daisy O'BryanYes , no , no , I said coach , but yeah , I don't think you said coach , actually , but I think a coach's job is to really coach them through the journey that I'm going on . So I I've I don't get to you know , all I can do is share my experience with my clients , but I will I um that I've . In sharing my journey with clients , I think that I've inspired them to also take their own healing journey . And um , I've worked with people , um one in particular , um an artist , uh , who was very defined by the medium that she was using .
Daisy O'BryanSo she was an actress , and she was saying I'm an actress , I'm an actress , I'm an actress . And through working together , she realized she's so much more than just an actress . Acting is just the medium that she uses , but she is a lover , she is an authentic being on this healing journey and she uses acting as a vessel for that healing , to express that healing journey . And through that she realized that it wasn't just about acting , it was about filmmaking and it was about other mediums of art . It was she started writing more , she started and she started finding success and being the whole artist that she was . And not just I am an actress , I am a human on this healing journey , and acting is just one of the mediums , one of the many mediums that I choose to work with .
Alethea FeltonI like that because it does get you to just reassess everything that you kind of crafted yourself to be Like I'm an entrepreneur , I'm a this or I'm a that , but no , who are you ? At the core of who you are , it's the essence of the person .
Daisy O'BryanExactly , and I think you know , in life , failure is always around the corner and we , when we attach to what we do , when , when we fail , we completely lose ourselves . In that , and in my experience , failure has always been the greatest gift because it reminds me that I'm more than what I'm doing .
Daisy O'BryanI'm beyond that , and I think a lot of artists today . They want to be successful , they want to be famous , they want to be this , they want to be that . And they want to be famous , they want to be this , they want to be that . And when you fail , what's beneath that ? What else do you have to grab onto ? And all you ?
Alethea Feltonhave is your most vulnerable and true self that may be listening and they're kind of in a struggle period right now . Of course , they've been creating and doing their niche and all of that , but they're ready to seek a more fulfilling life . What would you tell them is a starting point for that ?
Daisy O'BryanYeah , yeah , a starting point . That's a good question . I'd say start to notice what's yours and what's what's society , what's your parents , what's . Start to notice , like that real , what's real inspiration and what's you know , what's the intention that you're creating from . Are you following your real , true inspiration ? Because if you are , it's like there's inspiration just waiting to get your attention in every corner if you're open to it . But if you're following the same prescribed route that society and your parents and the programming has told you to do , you're missing out on your most authentic expression and the how it's going to turn out , unattached from the outcome , because that's scary , but that's your truest , authentic expression , yeah to get to know you more or have a consultation with you or say I need Daisy to really help me in this area .
Alethea FeltonHow can they contact you with your contact info and also share any projects , anything that you're going to be doing next that you're willing to share and talk about , and how we can get involved even with that ?
Daisy O'BryanYeah , so you can find me on Instagram , daisy O'Brie D-A-I-S-Y-O-B-R-Y , and my website is libertasyou L-I-B-E-R-T-A-S-Y-O-Ucom . I just wrote a book that I'm editing right now . I'm working with a client on writing another book right now that we're almost finished with all about tapping into your most authentic creative essence , and I'm also currently working on a journey Maybe it's a step-by-step book , maybe it's a program , maybe it's a class . I want to say it's kind of like a modern artist way you know , about how to deprogram and tap into your most creative genius , creative brilliance . So that's something I'm working on . It's not available yet , but that's that's right now .
Alethea FeltonWow , and as a closing question , daisy , this is what I'd like to answer . Have you to answer , if you were talking to your teenage self , that 15 , 16 year old who just said enough is enough . School isn't for me , I'm tired , I'm done . I don't know what's next , but I know I want to be something and do something because I am someone . What would you tell that girl , Daisy ? What advice or tips or just words of affirmation would you give her ?
Daisy O'BryanYeah , I would tell her you're doing great and none of this matters . All that matters is that you enjoy yourself in the present moment and that you learn and you grow , whether that's learning from school or learning from life . I would tell her that she's not wrong . She's not wrong for where she's at . She doesn't . Her her worth doesn't hinge on her being a good student or well-liked by her peers . Um , I would encourage her to just keep going on the journey that she's going on and to not second guess her gut . Um , yeah , to trust herself . That's what I'd say .
Alethea FeltonOh , that's beautiful and that's a perfect way to close this out . Daisy , you are a gift , you are a jewel , you are a gem . I am so grateful that Candice Snyder I'm going to give her a shout out Candice connected us and Candice has been on my show . She's also a podcaster , but just a genuine spirit . And when she said to me you know , I want to introduce you to Daisy , as you and I talked about , I had no idea why until we met and I understood it all and I am so grateful to have met you . I'd love for us to just keep in touch and you are amazing and thank you for being a guest on the Power Transformation podcast . Thanks for having me . This is awesome .
Gratitude and Closing Thoughts
Alethea FeltonI am so grateful yet again for Daisy and for her taking time today with us on the Power Transformation podcast , on the Power Transformation Podcast . Connect with Daisy if you are led to do so , and share this episode with at least five people that you know . And again , it is because of you that this podcast continues growing by leaps and bounds and I am grateful to you . We're going to go ahead and close out this episode with our affirmation I will say it once and you repeat it . I am worthy of every amazing opportunity that comes my way . If you enjoyed today's show , then you don't want to miss an episode , so follow the Power Transformation Podcast on Apple Podcasts , spotify or wherever you usually listen , and remember to rate and review . I also invite you to connect with me on social media at Alethea Felton . That's at A-L-E-T-H-E-A-F-E-L-T-O-N . Until next time , remember to be good to yourself and to others .