The Power Transformation Podcast
The Power Transformation Podcast with Alethea Felton is where unstoppable resilience meets life-changing success. This Top 5% ranked show dives deep into the extraordinary journeys of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and visionaries who have shattered obstacles, conquered adversity, and redefined success on their own terms.
Hosted by resilience expert Alethea Felton who has thrived with autoimmune disease since birth, overcome severe stuttering, and turned setbacks into stepping stones, this podcast delivers raw, inspiring conversations packed with actionable strategies for personal and professional growth.
Whether you're an ambitious leader, a high-achiever seeking motivation, or someone ready to transform challenges into breakthroughs, this podcast is your blueprint for success.
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The Power Transformation Podcast
120. Overcoming Fear and Reclaiming Your Power with Donna Tashjian
Imagine if the greatest struggles that once made you feel unworthy were the keys to unlocking your greatest purpose. Well, Life Mastery Coach Donna Tashjian knows this journey clearly. From a childhood marked by insecurity and abandonment to finding unshakable faith and resilience, she turned pain into purpose, helping others do the same through her founding of Vibrant Living International. In this heart-centered conversation, Donna shares how she rewrote her story, proving that no matter where you start, you have the power to create a life filled with confidence, joy, and deep fulfillment. If you’ve ever doubted your worth or wondered how to rise above life’s toughest moments, this episode will speak straight to your soul.
Connect with Donna:
Episode 120's Affirmation:
I confidently attract opportunities that align with my purpose and values.
I invite you to leave a positive message with your insights, feedback, or uplifting message.
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audacious abundance yes, audacious abundance, and our guest today Tashjian donna , is definitely doing that. She is living in abundance and doing so audaciously. But more important, donna, who is a life mastery coach, helps you to unlock joy, productivity, peace and so much more with spiritual intelligence, and she's hosting the Audacious Abundance Women's Virtual Summit this coming Saturday, february 15th 2025, from 10 am until 3 o'clock pm Eastern Standard Time. I am one of the speakers and I am so honored to be a part of this amazing summit slash conference with other incredible women. The Audacious Abundance Women's Virtual Summit. Get your tickets. I will have a link in the show notes for you to get your tickets and, if you are a man listening to this, get some tickets for the women in your life. So, just because this is for women, you too can share in this audacious abundance in getting tickets, and Donna has such a transformative story to tell.
Alethea Felton:I want to jump right into her interview, but first, welcome to the Power Transformation Podcast. I am your host, alethea Felton. Thank you for joining me today and, if you are new to this podcast, I am so excited to have you here. We are doing some incredible things here at the Power Transformation Podcast, and it is because of guests and listeners like you and viewers who are helping this podcast remain in the top 5% of podcasts globally and continuing to grow and reach far and wide. Donna is truly a remarkable person and she is a breath of fresh air when it comes to just lovely human beings, and thank you to those of you who have been with me from the beginning. Continue to spread the word about what we are doing here on this show.
Alethea Felton:Let's jump right into Donna's interview Again. Donna Tashjian, do not forget that name. She is doing some remarkable, extraordinary things and helping to shift and transform the lives of many. Let's open with our affirmation. I will say the affirmation once and you repeat it with confidence I confidently attract opportunities that align with my purpose and values. I am super excited today to have Donna Tashjian as my guest today. She is such a bright light, she is such a vibrant soul and she lives vibrantly and she's thriving. So welcome to the Power Transformation Podcast, donna.
Donna Tashjian:Thank you very much. It is a pleasure to be here.
Alethea Felton:Thank you. It is such an honor to have you here and you all. Just off of the start, I will tell you I met Donna a couple of months ago through a networking group we are a part of, and she is certainly a fabulous individual with a transformative story to share, and we're going to jump right into that. But let's just go ahead and start with a getting to know you question, so that we get to know who you are more than anything else. Donna, if you could pick one board game that you absolutely like or love, what would that board game be and why?
Donna Tashjian:You didn't prepare me for this.
Alethea Felton:It's an icebreaker.
Donna Tashjian:Something fun. I really have fun with Boulder Dash, believe it or not.
Alethea Felton:Really Tell us about that. I've never played.
Donna Tashjian:It is very out of character for me because I am such one of integrity. But the game is picking some obscure word and coming up with a fake definition of it and deciding which, and people have to guess if you're lying or telling the truth.
Alethea Felton:Oh, I like that.
Donna Tashjian:And it is the things people come up with that you know some obscure word. They give you a card and it has the real definition and some fake ones and you get to read them all and they get to decide whether you're telling the truth or not. I'm trying to remember it's been a little while and so it is hilarious though the stuff people can come up with to try to pretend like they know what this word means and it doesn't. So we've had so many laughs with that one.
Alethea Felton:I'm sure, and that's something I've never played that so I would love to. And I like the icebreaker game two truths and a lie. So it sounds kind of similar to that where a personal state two things that are true about them, then a lie, and then the people have to guess. So that is really cool and that's fun. So I'm going to check out that game for myself because that will be really exciting to do. Thank you for that. And no, I didn't prep you, because for all of my icebreakers it's just a random fun question so that we can get to know who you are more. And so, with that being said, I want to ask you directly say if you were just chatting along with somebody and it's not even necessarily a networking event, but just say that you knew this person, this fantastic person, and the person that you're talking to knew that, you knew her. And if they said well, tell me more. How would you describe Donna Tashgen? Who is she? How would you respond?
Donna Tashjian:She is warm and caring, a great listener and super intuitive. And it's a little creepy it's like she reads your mail reads your mail. Whoa, she can look into your soul.
Alethea Felton:She has one of those, yeah, those people that can look into your soul, who is a seer, who can really view beyond what ordinary eyes can see. And people like that are so needed and so powerful and so gifted. And so let's take a trip down memory lane, so to speak, and tell us about the early origins of Donna Tashgen. Who was she? Where was she born? So let's start talking about you, donna. Tell us about your upbringing and what was, or one or two key, pivotal moments that really helped to set the path for where your life is now.
Donna Tashjian:Well, believe it or not at the very beginning has a lot to do with shaped how I saw myself early on. Lot to do with shaped how I saw myself early on. I was born into an unhappy family, unhappy marriage, I'll put it that way. I never really knew my biological father, but apparently I was supposed to be a boy and wasn't, and so they ended up in divorce shortly, well, a few several years later. But that feeling of abandonment from your biological father, without even realizing as you trace your, has a lot to do. So that's a beginning for me. So, and my mother was always wanting to be perfect and she was coming from her own insecurity, so I wasn't allowed to be dirty or make mistakes. And so I mean, if literally a baby or a toddler, I got dirty, my clothes got changed, and imagine how many times a day that could happen.
Donna Tashjian:Exactly so that feeling of performing and being perfect and never making mistakes. Those things shaped a lot of the way I looked at the world, the way I looked at myself, and it wasn't really a good foundation and it wasn't really a good foundation.
Alethea Felton:So when you say it shaped the way that you looked at yourself and you looked at the world, elaborate more on that. What did that look like for you?
Donna Tashjian:Well, when you're in a constant state of never having to make a mistake, you are stressed, you're never relaxed and never feeling good enough. And when you face new we moved a lot growing up. I was a new child, a new kid in school and when you're already coming from the insecurities, if anyone says anything which they did you know any type of bullying then you it reinforces what you're already feeling. So I believe now that if I walk into the room and I'm confident that people are going to like me and I'm going to have a great time, my interaction with you and the way you respond is differently. Time, my interaction with you and the way you respond is differently. And if I'm walking into the room with my head down, looking at the floor and kind of leaning against the wall and not interacting, your response to me is also going to be differently. And so people respond a lot according to the way we see ourselves and learning that where things started and why it felt so bad, wouldn't want to repeat my childhood.
Alethea Felton:Yeah, wow, that's quite powerful, and so I want to fast forward and then we'll backtrack again. So, although in the intro the audience learned a little about you kind of you know boilerplate intro what I'd like you to do is hearing the early origins of your upbringing. It's vastly different from who you are now and what you do. So while we've learned a bit about who you were from, that you know. Second question explain to us what exactly it is that you do professionally, spiritually, etc.
Donna Tashjian:Well, I am the founder of Vibrant Living International and I am a life mastery coach, a spiritual intelligence coach, helping people to overcome adversity and to discover their true identity and step into that with vibrancy. And another key point is, with ease, letting go of the struggle, letting go of the hard, letting go of the I'm not good enough. And one of the ways I worded is I help people stop identity theft, those things that happen to us, that steal who we really are. For most of my adult life, I was in the background. I still wanted to hide. I'm center stage. Now, here I am and the transformation that's occurred to allow me to be who I was really created to be and to step into that, and it's what I'd love to share, and other people do it too. Let's all shine brightly.
Alethea Felton:Indeed, indeed. There's enough light for everybody, absolutely, and if people could just see that, oh, what a difference this world would be. And you helped to actually bring that forth. But even despite the challenges, you found the light, and you have been often known to describe a journey from fear and self-doubt to empowerment. For you, donna, in your teen years, when you decided to take control of your story. And how did that pivotal moment set you on the trajectory and path for where you are today?
Donna Tashjian:One of the early things that made a big difference in my life was I had a. I had an encounter with God, um, and that is the source, the foundation that where I am today, I I don't know. Well, I definitely know I wouldn't be in this place if not even alive, um. So that happened right before I became a teenager. And but then something that occurred that I it needs to be mentioned, I suppose I will put it that way At the age of 14, someone close to me hurt me and I became pregnant. Now we're talking about the girl who doesn't feel like she's good enough and is never allowed to make mistakes, remember. And so here I am, growing up in a religious family, in an era where it's not okay to be pregnant, it doesn't matter why, outside of marriage. And so the shame, the anger, the absolute terror of what my life is going to look like, because all of a sudden it's really changed and what everybody's saying about me me whispering would be a better word is not good. And I remember in that moment because God was all I had. I was hid away, I was alone all the time and learning that all I had was God, and he began to reshape the way I was seeing myself and all I knew at that point. What do you think? What are you thinking at 15? When you become a mom, you know it's and learning to see it from a different place and looking at it. So one of the things I remember saying to myself is I'm going to prove them wrong. I didn't know how. I have a clue how this was going to work out.
Donna Tashjian:I raised my, I had a little girl and I raised her, and I graduated high school before I was 17. I was full-time employed by the time I was 18, and I had my own apartment shortly thereafter. So you know, you're 18 with a three-year-old, so just learning to be able to take it one step at a time. God's word was the center yes, but I made decisions on. I mean, I literally said almost every day God, you promised your seed wouldn't beg for bread. I worked full time and I went to get some assistance because I was struggling and I made $1 too much to get any food stamps $1 to $1 too much.
Donna Tashjian:Oh my goodness. They literally told me if you quit your job and stay home and do nothing, we'll we'll give you money. And that just wasn't me. And so I had. I had my first business when I was 19, um, so just continuing to um, put, pursue and make God the source. Not that I did everything right at all, not that there were mistakes along the way, but I'm coming up on my 40th wedding anniversary. Oh, congratulations. So I'm a mom, a grandmother. Someone said to me Donna, I, I am after another decision. When you don't feel like it, when you don't believe in yourself, when you're crying and you have no clue how this is going to work out, if anybody will ever believe in you, will anybody really love me All of those emotions were things I brought into my marriage. And waiting for him to reject me. And waiting for him to reject me Because everybody, you know, that's what I felt I was worth and going through and learning my value comes from a person who created me, not other people's opinions, and beginning to believe it and walk in.
Alethea Felton:It is a huge transformation, donna. I wasn't going to go in this direction, but I'm led to you emphasize the importance of faith and your relationship with God and how those two in combination have been such a strong foundation for you. So, in your own words, how did your understanding of God's love shape your healing and your personal growth journey, and how do you guide others your clients or people that you share your story with how do you guide them to also finding that similar sense of peace and purpose through God's unwavering love?
Donna Tashjian:I grew up, I mentioned, I grew up in a religious home.
Donna Tashjian:And even though I and to me there's a difference between religion and a relationship, and so I want to make that, and so I I, being childlike, was developing a relationship. I was surrounded with religion. I was surrounded with religion. Religion is you always have to work for it. You have to work to prove you're worthy, that you're worth it, and beginning to learn the difference between that. When my mom has made comments, I'm like, well, that's not my God, Not who he is, and learning. I mean you heard some of the desperation that I shared, of the way that I felt and reaching out to him and one of the things I told my husband, or my future husband, when I met him I said God has never failed me.
Alethea Felton:That's right.
Donna Tashjian:Things didn't always go like I wanted, but he always took care of me, even in my unbelief and fear and all of the things. He never failed me, and so I've got a history and a foundation that nobody could take from me. But it came, it was forged in the difficult times and we all get them. There are things that disappoint us, that don't go the way we think they should. People hurt us. There's injustice in this world, all kinds of things. So learning how I help people traverse those difficult moments and how to heal from them One of my programs is called Turn your Baggage Into Luggage so you can have a life you've dreamed of. And helping people and that's one of the gifts that God is giving me is helping people to do that. One of my other programs is called Find your Significance. One of my other programs is called Find your Significance. There are four major lies that we believe that break up how we build our self-esteem and the two basics.
Donna Tashjian:If I just basically is what other people think of me and how well I perform, equal my self-esteem. And if I do that, my self-esteem could be pretty finicky, depending upon who I'm surrounded with and who I'm talking to. My performance is not always going to be perfect. I do that in air quotes and other people's opinions of me is not always going to be favorable, and so we go up and down and up and down until and to switch that with what God says about us is what that program is about is to get rid of the shame, the blame, the people performance. I need to prefer and have other people approve of me to replace those with actually what God says about us. And since we're going here, what Jesus did for us yes, us and since we're going here, what Jesus did for us, which is the core of our foundation, is what Jesus did for us and what that actually means.
Donna Tashjian:And how do I apply that to my life? I'm big on the application. Don't just tell me to live by faith and just to pray and all. How do you do that? That's right. What does it mean? How do I apply this, this, how does it fit when I can't feed my kids? You know, how do you apply it when things are not going the way you think you lost your job, all the stuff that happens, and how do we do that? So that's what I get into, which we don't have time to do all today, but yeah, but I get into the how-to. This is not philosophical conversation. How do you walk? And I hold your hand and teach you.
Alethea Felton:And you've also, and I like all of that which leads me to also ask this is that we often in our society talk about imposter syndrome. We're not thinking that we're good enough. But you actually speak on identity theft. You mentioned the idea of identity theft beyond credit. So what exactly do you mean by identity theft in terms of personal growth, and how can we unknowingly allow those external forces to steal our sense of self and worthiness?
Donna Tashjian:That's a big question. So learning that if I use myself for let's just use myself for example, our brain tries to make meaning out of things that happens to us. It's there to try to prevent pain and to keep us safe, if we just talk about the basic core. So my biological father didn't really wanna have much to do with me, and so my little girl brain, my little child, made that mean something to do with me. And so my little girl brain, my little child, made that mean something's wrong with me.
Donna Tashjian:And then I go to school and I am rejected again because of my external features. They made fun of my color of my hair and made nerd, made rhymes about it and would tease me all kinds of stuff, stuff. And so something's wrong with the outside of me too Not only with the inside of me, but something's wrong with the outside of me. So it's better just to be hidden and not be seen, because that's where safety is right. So we create our identities without meaning to. It isn't like we do this on purpose without meaning to. It isn't like we do this on purpose. Donna's safer if she's not seen and then mad my mom and not heard, which is polar opposite of what I'm doing today. Exactly yes, but and it's so funny the thing that I got criticized so much as a child my hair color and my coloring is one of the things I get complimented most is about exactly your hair.
Donna Tashjian:And so it's just hilarious that what makes us different is often criticized. Whatever that is, that can be a. That's a loaded statement. What makes us different is criticized when it's actually what causes us to shine. Yes, it is yes, and when we can realize that and begin to shift that focus, then we can be who. So that's just one example of identity theft and believing that I'm not good enough and all of those kind of feelings that are attached to that.
Alethea Felton:And Donna, I know that you do a lot, but I'm also saying, maybe Donna wants to look into helping people to craft and share their stories, because you put things so well in terms of just the process and the layers, and I am inspired just listening to you. And again, you have taken your pain, transformed it into purpose and you have actually been in this realm. Of course, you founded Vibrant Living later, but you've been in this public speaking, coaching, mentoring realm since the early 1990s, if I'm not mistaken. I think it was 1990. So when that happens now, all of these years later, literally over 30 some odd years later, what is one piece of wisdom from those early years of you coaching, speaking and mentoring that still holds true for you today when you're working with your clients?
Donna Tashjian:Beginning to believe that you're more than what people have said, because in those early years, you're more than what people have said, because in those early years, when I first started speaking, there was a lot of rejection, but I continue to hold on to the vision that God has placed in my heart and did it anyway. It doesn't happen anymore. But getting sick to your stomach before I would speak, and you know all of those kinds of things that go on when we're doubting, when we're in fear, if we're basically it. So learning how one of Okay, I'll share this, this is one it just came to me is fear.
Donna Tashjian:Fear is huge in in, in stepping into your purpose and being who you really are, when you've been told or felt all of this other stuff. So one of the things that I learned is treating fear as if it's a person, and fear is always behind you. It's like the kind of stuff at the back of your neck. It's like sitting on your shoulder, going who do you think you are? Why do you think you can do this? Well, don't you remember here when you messed up or whatever?
Donna Tashjian:And so I learned to turn around, which I'm going to move and turn, or act like I'm turning around and I grabbed fear by the collar and pull it in front of me and said this is what God says, this is who I am, so you need to shut up, and then I would let it go and it would leave. But when we try to ignore it and I'm not talking about just that inner critic, I'm talking about that really oppressive fear that grabs us and wants to hang on from our identity and speak to it. But use God's word, use the promises that he said, use affirmations and declarations that are in line with God's word and the words that I spoke about myself from an early age when I didn't feel like it is one of the keys to transform your life and, as far as the story goes, that's part of my program is rewriting your story.
Alethea Felton:Yes, okay, well, hey, there we have it. And for people who are listening to the audio only, as opposed to the video, you all should have seen the way Donna grabbed fear. You don't want to mess with Donna, because she will. Donna grabbed that fear. I said I would leave too. I love it. I love it, though. You are really the first person I've ever heard to say personify fear. That makes so much sense, and I'm a visual person. Comes to that fear. You better let it go and see. That's how, also, you have helped countless others reach their full potential. So let's talk about Vibrant Living International. How did that vision come to be Then? How did it come to exist in reality, and what exactly is Vibrant Living International all about?
Alethea Felton:Okay, there was multiple questions in there, yeah, so basically, I'm just trying to ask you how in the world did it start, and what is it that you all do for people? How is it transforming lives?
Donna Tashjian:Yeah, I got it. I had been mentoring and discipling people for decades without really ever recognize it as a gift Busy, raising kids and running businesses, all of the things. But there was that component that it didn't matter what organization I was in, I would find myself meeting regularly, predominantly with women I'll see you next Tuesday, kind of appointments thing. But it was always a volunteer and so I didn't recognize it. I don't know why, whatever beliefs, but it didn't really say oh, that's what Donna does, and I had always been put in the box of administration making things happen. It is a gift. I can do it without even looking. It's just like breathing is organizing and things. Looking, it's just like breathing is is organizing and things. So I had been working in an administrative position at a nonprofit organization and there was a potential for expansion and growing, all the while I'm running two other businesses, by the way.
Donna Tashjian:So you're a glutton and I was, and I really, really love this organization and so I'm like we could. We could, there could be advancement and I could see, but it was administrative roles. It wasn't what I'm doing today in the administration. The some of the leadership changed. It became a horrific, toxic environment. But I had put all my eggs in this basket, thinking this is where God was leading me, and so I was holding on. You ever hold on to something you're supposed to let go of?
Alethea Felton:girl. Yes, thank god I don't anymore, but I've been there yeah, it got worse and worse and worse.
Donna Tashjian:I started getting had physical symptoms in my body from the stress that was going on and in it was literally making myself sick. And it came to a day one day where I'm not a yeller it takes me a long time to get me mad. Anyway, I yelled and told him what I thought. And told this person it was one individual what I thought and we parted ways. I'm like I can't work here anymore and we don't want you here anymore, kind of a thing. But all of in that moment, all of those back fears you've been fired, you're not good enough, nobody wants you and all of the things that had been happening and said about me while I was working there, all of it came back. I literally cried all the way home.
Donna Tashjian:I remember the date. It was March 31st, it was raining outside and it was raining on my face and I went back to God like what is going on? What is it that I'm supposed to do? I wrote in my journal that day I feel like trash. Somebody's left at the curb. That's hard to say out loud. Still it's like, because it's so far from the truth, but the emotions and all of those fears were rearing its head again. So I did. I said, god, you've got to show me what's next. And I saw over a period of time. It didn't happen like immediately, but what I saw was this. Another visual is this red thread over a timeline of my life and it was weaving in and out. This red thread going through my life and it was when I was in my sweet spot is what I call it.
Donna Tashjian:When I was sitting and talking with other people, helping them overcome their problems, and God said that's what you're to do. And I'm like well, how do I do that? I didn't even know. I'm like how do you make a living at it? How do you do that? And someone said you need to become a coach and I'm thinking football coach, screaming at people, run laps and all the things. And I'm like, well, that's not who I am.
Donna Tashjian:I didn't understand coaching as an, as a profession, is what I'm doing today. I'd never heard of it per se, and so I'm like so how do I do that? And so I kept following what I call breadcrumbs. God says this I check this out, I check this out, I check this out, which brought me today. And so I went back to school to learn how to run a coaching business and to upgrade what I was naturally gifted at and now I have a wall of certifications of all of that and since ordained as well and learning how to turn it into a business and learning how to do it even better and helping and transform more people than I ever thought was possible. I named it Vibrant Living International when I didn't know how anybody in my own town would know about me, but it was the vision.
Alethea Felton:Vision. Yes, oh, that's powerful.
Donna Tashjian:It was the vision I had, and even how Vibrant Living the name of it came about was through a prophetic word. And so there's just. It's just following and seeking God one step at a time and helping other people to what I call follow the breadcrumbs. How do we follow the next step? It's taking a step when you don't even see the whole staircase. Martin Luther King said that that's what faith is is taking the step on the stairs when I don't see the staircase yet. It's following one step at a lot at a time, and at that time, when Vibrant Living was founded, I was sick and you heard how I felt about myself and and going. I didn't feel vibrant at all. And so learning to take again another transformation, another stepping into my purpose and destiny and helping other people to do the same.
Alethea Felton:Wow, and something that struck me was when you said, when you were driving home, well, walked out to drive home that day, on March 31st, the tears were flowing and then rain was also coming on you and I automatically saw water, and I saw so clearly about how water is symbolic of life, rebirth, rejuvenation. So, although in that moment you had pain, what I saw is, wow, god was birthing something, he was bringing something into life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that is so powerful is that you kept moving forward.
Alethea Felton:And I will say not everybody that listens to my podcast are being believers, but people know that I'm a follower of Christ. However, even if a person's listening right now who is not a person of faith, necessarily we all believe in something and it is whatever we put our energy and our focus into. And I'm trying to just tell people be open-minded, to just take a look around every day at the signs and symbols and wonders that are in everyday life that can really change the entire course of your life. And sometimes things happen. I don't just think things happen accidentally or by coincidence. I think they have a divine purpose behind it and so, even with you, the way that you are gifted, donna, to be intuitive, to use wisdom in what you do to help people. Let's kind of talk about how you actually move a person from a place of fear to one of empowerment and excitement for the future, without giving away all of your trade secrets and of course we want you to have clients but what can even be a step in turning a person's fear into excitement?
Donna Tashjian:one of the keys is is this is one of I should probably should trademark it, but it's one of the things I say all the time is whatever you focus on, you empower. So, when we're in fear, what are we focusing on? Just to think about it for a minute, what are we focusing on? Everything we're afraid of everything we don't want. Focusing on everything. We're afraid of everything we don't want and everything we don't want because I continue to go, man, I hope that doesn't happen. Man, I hope that doesn't happen. I'm still focused in on it and therefore I am empowering, because my faith is attached to whatever I focus on.
Donna Tashjian:I am empowering. That more likely to happen than not even the things we don't want. So what do you want instead? As my favorite question what do you want instead? What would you like your life to begin to be like? So I do it in some of my presentations and workshops.
Donna Tashjian:If we talk about how I felt in that teenage moment hopeless, not wanted, unloved, angry and so much fear and not good enough Well, what do I want instead? I want to be admired. I want to make a difference. That was the main thing. I want to help people. That was always the core of who I was is to help people and to make a difference. That was the main thing. I want to help people. That was always the core of who I was is to help people and to make a difference. I want to be known for loving, not bitterness. I want to be known for courage, not fear. I want to be known for wealth, not poverty. I want to be known for having a great family, not wondering if somebody's going to reject me. All of those.
Donna Tashjian:What do you want instead? And begin to and the best way to do it is do either two pages or two columns and list everything you're afraid of. And then the second column what do you want instead? Do for every word, every statement, what do you want instead? And then begin to focus on it and surround yourself with people that'll help you get there. Don't DYI it. Yes, if we can try hard enough, if I can just get enough fortitude, if I can grit and merit I don, you know, I don't know, I'll figure out a way. You know, there's a YouTube video probably about it, right?
Alethea Felton:No people Googling YouTube, everything.
Donna Tashjian:And we try to DIY it, but surround yourself with people or books or both, because who you, what you read and who you surround yourself with will equal where you will be in five years. So what are you taking in? Are we feeding on all of the naysayers? Are we feeding on where we want to go? That's what a coach does. They help you create the vision. And the hardest question I get sometimes is I don't even know what I want. So if it was the total opposite of that, what would that be? And that's an easy way to describe it. So where you put your focus is the first step to transforming your life.
Alethea Felton:Yes, and in terms of transformation, of course, you've helped thousands of people over the years, over these decades, but could you share briefly an example of one transformative experience of a client that really sticks out to you, and what was the key to unlocking that person's potential?
Donna Tashjian:What was the key to unlocking that person's potential. The child becomes the parent a lot of times and the unsteadiness and unstableness and the stress that this little girl endured begin to create health problems as well in her body and growing up always feeling like again something's wrong with me and having to keep secrets and all of that kind of stuff. So she came to me from all of this, all of this past, and the biggest thing to help her transform was to change her beliefs, as first recognize the lies and uncovering them that they are lies. She even had a belief that she was supposed to suffer, that God wanted her to suffer, and someone in church had taught her that, oh my, and someone in church had taught her that, oh my, and it was, you know. And so it came out in the time we were working together and shifting, so that she's gone from expecting the worst, experiencing it, to begin to trust in God, even when she doesn't understand how to begin to trust in God, even when she doesn't understand how.
Donna Tashjian:And one case in particular, she was short on money. She's like okay, god, you said you'd take care of me. Donna told me you didn't care of me, so I'm going to believe that you are. And the state that she lives in, surprisingly, had made an error on a three-year-old disability claim and all of a sudden awarded her the money. Wow, that doesn't happen.
Alethea Felton:No, that's not normal. No, it's not.
Donna Tashjian:And so she got to notice that there's just one thing after another where God started to come through, if you will, because she changed what she was believing for and so changing faith or fear into faith, because fear is really faith in what you don't want, in the core of it, and one of the ways I do that is faith is really equal to whatever you're imagining.
Donna Tashjian:That's the simplest way to describe faith is what are you imagining, what are you picturing, what are you fixing your eye on on the inside? And whatever that is is where your faith is. That's wherever your focus is. If you're fixing it on God's promises, that's where your faith is. If you're fixering on the bill that's there to be paid and you don't know how, and you're looking at your shortcomings, that's where your faith is. So, learning to shift your focus and change it. And she went on to in her profession, she made in one quarter what she had made in three quarters the previous year, just watching God come through, not only in her health, improving, and one thing after another. So it is amazing to see what God can do other.
Alethea Felton:So it is amazing to see what God can do and she, her healing, really started to come, because when you're holding on to all of that, it can keep you in a state of lack. And once you come to terms and accept it and just commit your all to just not the process but to God's transformation, that's what ends up happening. And so, even with the coaching, you've done a lot speaking, writing, you have all types of services. So if someone wanted to really learn more about you, contact you, connect with you, how could they go about doing that, donna?
Donna Tashjian:The best way is my website, and it is the letter I vibrantlivingcom. My name is unusual. I'm on social media, so I welcome you to follow me and learn more about me. I also have a YouTube channel called Vibrant Living International and every week I do a video of inspiration, encouragement and a bit of challenge.
Alethea Felton:Yes, yes, and I'll be sure to have all of that in the show notes as well as we come to a close. I'm just so in awe and um, what is the word? I'm grateful for you that you have been married for 40 years. You have these beautiful children and grandchildren, and I shared with you offline. My parents have been married quite a long time as well, and so that's so commendable. But in thinking about Donna, who you are now, how has your family, your husband, your children and your grandchildren children? How have they?
Donna Tashjian:shaped you into who you are today and how do you teach them how to live vibrantly? Well, my husband is the biggest key to where one of the outside of God, my husband, would be the next key for loving me and being faithful. And just one of the little side things is he would say I love you, or you look pretty today. You look nice today. And we had this thing where I would say what? Not because I didn't hear him, but because I wanted to hear it again, and he'd say it.
Donna Tashjian:How many ever times I said what? And beginning to just, and so going from that, I need to hear it to believe it. And he did it over and over again. We'd go to some type of social engagement and I would cling to his arm Don't leave my side, which is hilarious because nobody can believe it when they meet me today. But he is one. And, as far as the rest of my family is setting an example yes, Setting an example of what it's feel like when life doesn't throw you what you think, and God's faithfulness and my well. I have an eight-year-old and a five-year-old grandson, and my eight-year-old grandson said my nanny's a YouTuber.
Donna Tashjian:Oh, I love it and so that was a big deal. Oh look Nanny's on YouTube. So just setting the example of being a light everywhere I go is my goal.
Alethea Felton:Oh, I love that. I absolutely do. And, donna, what are you most proud of about yourself today?
Donna Tashjian:Believing and then taking action. To me, that resilience, loving people, all of those things.
Alethea Felton:Indeed and, of course, loving yourself, and I love you and I am so grateful that you took time to share your story and to help inspire others today on how they have potential in them and to walk into their worthiness. It was such an honor, donna, having you as a guest today, and I encourage you to keep doing the service that you're doing, because you are bringing out so many bright lights in this world and it is exactly what we need. So thank you again for being on the Power Transformation Podcast.
Donna Tashjian:Thank you very much, it's my pleasure.
Alethea Felton:Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Power Transformation Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe, leave a five-star rating and write a review. It helps us inspire even more listeners. And don't keep it to yourself. Share it with someone who could use a little power in their transformation. Until next time, keep bouncing back, keep rising and be good to yourself and to others.
