Joanna Walden is a visionary transformation specialist, speaker and author of The Inside Hustle. A Mystical Misfit’s Travel Adventure into the Unknown. Joanna spent twenty years working in a high flying advertising career in New York, London & Melbourne while secretly exploring her passion for the unseen world of energy, spirit and consciousness. Inspired by a series of mystical experiences in her teenage years Joanna explored everything from Transcendental Meditation to quantum physics on a global quest to find her purpose and ultimately her true self, through a process of self-realisation.

Currently residing in her hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, Joanna quit her old corporate life to start a transformational consulting business, and begin sharing her knowledge and voice with the world. Joanna uses heart technology, travel to sacred sites, channeled wisdom, consciousness practices, ancient gong and sound healing to navigate her path and guide others back to their mastery. 

Joanna is sharing what the word “empower” means to her with The Corporate Escapists.

Thank you for joining us here at The Corporate Escapists. Please introduce yourself to our readers. They would love to know about you, your passion, and how you came to find and follow your passion.

I launched my transformational travel memoir in 2020 called The Inside Hustle. A Mystical Misfit’s Travel Adventure into the Unknown

Think Bridget Jones meets Eat Pray Love on steroids!!!

It’s unconventional, irreverent and the comedy of errors of my personal journey of evolution as I travel around the world to solve the problem of myself!

On my journey so much of the outdated beliefs in the spiritual community really held me back so I became determined not to let others fall into the same traps – and throw a lot of that old paradigm thinking, understanding and practise out the window to pave the way for us setting into our mastery and the divine human that we truly are.

As a successful entrepreneur please share your viewpoint if you believe that entrepreneurs are born or made?

I think it can be both! Some people have it gushing through their blood, others were brought into a lineage that is full of them and others simply pushed through adversity and zero experience and just had a dream!

Nelson Mandela once quoted – ‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’  What has been one fear you have overcome?

Tell us what the word “empower” means to you?

Empower is what we each have available within us – underneath the programming, conditioning, rules we have been born into. When we bust out of all that false structure and delve deep within our true selves we empower ourselves in the most profound way and stand in our sovereignty as a creator being on this planet.

What has been one of the biggest business ideas you have had and how did you have the courage to implement it?

I’d have to say my book. It’s really a business card – albeit a very expensive and challenging one!

It took a lot of courage to bare my soul about my personal challenges and put it all out there so to speak in such a raw and authentic way. But I’m so glad I did, as this is what connected with people and also what draws them in to work with me.

Running your own business can be scary.  Success requires moments of courage to push through to the next level, please tell us one of the moments you have had to push through to take your business to the next level?

Last year I thought perhaps I need to go back to corporate life, where I have an employer and get a paycheck and it’s so much easier. When times are tough you need to talk yourself off the ledge and remember why you are doing this in the first place. It’s bigger than me. And that’s why I pushed through.

Tell us what attributes you feel make a good leader in business today?

Authenticity, Integrity and Compassion

What is your favourite quote about empowerment?

“You were born an original, don’t die a copy” John Mason

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start their own business?

What would be one (1) question you would you ask the person who most inspires you?  Also, share with us about this person and why they inspire you?

I’m not sure I can say the person who MOST inspires me – as many people inspire me for different reasons.

I always like to know what are the 5 of the most vital things you know now that would have made the most difference/impact on your journey?

You can connect with Joanna here on Facebook

Read more inspiring stories on empower in our April issue here