14: Resilience and the Power of Female Friendship with Jen Dalton

Today’s show is full of insight and inspiration. We are taking a fresh, updated look at female friendships, gossip, bullying, and how we can have a part in making this world a better place. Join us to learn more!Jen Dalton is an author, facilitator, coach, healer, and polymath. Her work in the world flows from her passions: facilitating healthier local food systems, fundraising for an orphanage in Haiti, and talking about her recently published book, Of Butterflies and Bullies. The book is a Judy Blume-inspired story about her experience being bullied in fifth grade. Jen is also launching The Better Friends Club soon, which will be a virtual space for women to transform friendship with self and others and to heal from childhood bullying and other friendship challenges. Our conversation gets candid about female friendship and the places in which people often get stuck, along with how to get unstuck. We discuss Jen’s work in Haiti and how it lights her up, along with how to move from being a formerly bullied person to a strong and resilient adult. Our beautiful conversation covers female friendships that are limited in their capacity to hold all of our different storylines and why lifting each other up and letting go of judgment can help us in life, performance, and the ability to live in our purpose. Show Highlights:How Jen built her work around food in diverse and impactful waysHow Jen discovered her love of writing in second gradeHow Jen’s book allowed her to unveil the truth, and allow people to get in touch with real feelings about bullyingWhy we need to elevate the conversation about female friendship and focus on how we can support each otherThe hard fact about female friendship: Gossiping has to stopHow a bully is created from a sense of inferiority, and friendship springs from a loving presence that has the best intentions at heartThe need to share our story from a place of strength rather than as a victim of our pastJen’s work in Haiti and how the orphanage has been affected by the devastation from the recent earthquakeHow people can come together in times of disaster to make good things happen from the badHow Jen’s connection with the Haitian girls at the orphanage helps her engage with her life purpose in pure love and joyThe story of Jen’s book and what she went through to put it out there for peopleHear Jen’s answers to rapid-fire questions about the best advice she’s received, go-to habits for grounding herself, favorite hot beverage, ideal last meal, morning routine, her fascination with reality, what brings her joy, and the #1 most inspiring person in her life! Resources:Find Jen on Instagram: @JenDaltonAuthorVisit Jen’s website and learn more about the Better Friends Club: www.butterfliesbullies.com Find out about Jen’s work with food systems: www.kitchentableconsulting.com Find out about Jen’s work in Haiti: www.hearthstone-village.org Of Butterflies and Bullies by Jen Dalton A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit“Make Yourself Obsolete: Shifting Power from Non-Profit Leadership to Community...