Franzie: I have a deep sense that I was made to do this. Yes, and I will do other things, I love writing, being a published author is fabulous to me, I love singing. But it has to have a sense of purpose and that purpose is to engage with others. It's not to sing for myself in my shower. It's to sing, so that souls are rejoicing and uplifted. It sounds maybe cheesy, but that's what it is. When you're teaching, you’re uplifting souls and when you're coaching, you’re uplifting souls. And for me, my soul is my sole purpose.
[Reinvention Rebels theme]
Wendy: Welcome to Reinvention Rebels, stories of brave and unapologetic women, 50 to 90 years young, who have boldly reimagined life on their own terms to find new purpose and possibilities. I'm your host, Wendy Battles. Ready for a dose of inspiration? Let's get to it.
Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Reinvention Rebels Podcast. I'm so psyched you're here. I'm your host, Wendy. And I am inviting you to sit back, relax, and get ready for an extraordinary episode with my friend, Franzie, who you will soon see is pretty amazing. We'll get to that in just a moment. But first, I want to talk a little bit about what you know is my favorite topic, reinvention. Re-in-vention. Reinvention at any age or any stage. What are you doing to reinvent and reimagine your life? Doesn't it have to even be in huge ways? But even little baby steps, are you taking steps in the direction of your dreams? Do you feel you're making forward progress? One thing I know for sure is that we have to just get started. We have to go for it. Take that first step.
If you've been thinking about some part of your life you'd like to reinvent or reimagine, freshen up. Try something new, especially as we age, where we might think we have less time or less opportunity. It's time to get moving. We know life is short. We know that time waits for none of us and we don't want to live with regrets. So, what are you doing to get on the path of your reinvention dreams? What are you doing to take that first step to get started? Even if you don't know all of the house, just taking one small step is a great way to begin to get some momentum going.
By the way, speaking of momentum that leads me to fun. Did you listen to the last episode with my guest, Ellen Feldman Ornato? It was so much fun. And it was so much fun, because Ellen at 61 has reinvented and transformed her life in really bold ways. Just bold person, anyway. But what she's done using of all things, comedy improv to create a business to really open things up her life, even more broadly is so encouraging, and interesting, and inspiring. Some of the wisdom she shares is just so good. I know you're really going to enjoy this episode. If you haven't listened yet, there's a link in the show notes, so you can find it really easily. So, let's get on with our main event. Let me introduce you to the amazing, Franzie.
How does a captivating opera singer who takes up residence in France end up a mental fitness and self-care coach helping women get out of their own way? It's all part of being a Reinvention Rebel, where we can evolve and create the life of our dreams one experience at a time. Meet 50-year-young Franzie Jean-Louis. Hers is a nonlinear unfolding journey. A doubtful but ambitious young woman who becomes a multilingual, multicultural teacher, coach, mom, and singer. Through her journey of self-discovery, she's learned meaningful lessons about how to live on purpose unapologetically tuning into more joy and new, sometimes, unexpected possibilities.
What makes Franzie’s reinvention journey unique is how she draws from her experience as a stage performer and educator to enrich her coaching practice. She helps her clients awaken to the possibilities to live an intentional, juicy life through the development of personal leadership and self-mastery skills. Franzie is what I call a joy spreader. She exudes joy, love, and possibilities to find our own inner greatness. I love this amazing woman and I can't wait for you to soak up her abundant wisdom. Franzie Jean-Louis, welcome to the Reinvention Rebels guest chair.
Franzie: I thank you so much Wendy for inviting me. I feel honored to be considered a reinventing rebel. It's amazing. Thank you so much.
Wendy: I am so thrilled you are here. And I have to tell the audience how we actually met. It sounds like we're dating or something but really-
[laughter]
Franzie: -but it’s such a great story.
Wendy: And we met on LinkedIn. I know that many people connect via social media these days. But it was through another reinvention rebel that I interviewed Kim Boudreau Smith, back in Season 2 of the podcast. And you are someone that you know each other, you were connected. I think I saw you on one of her LinkedIn Lives and I said, “Who is this woman? I need to start following her.” [laughs]
Franzie: Well, that's exactly what I said. “Who is this woman? I need to follow her.” That's what I found extraordinary is that you had a glow and when you talked about Reinvention Rebels, I was like, “What's that? Who are they? Who are like that? I want to be one.”
[laughter]
Franzie: Those were my thoughts.
Wendy: I love it. I guess, we're just kindred spirits across the Atlantic. And it just goes to show you that we can connect with people in so many different and interesting ways and this is just a great example of this, especially as we evolve. So, thank you again for joining me. I've got a ton of questions for you.
Franzie: I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready.
Wendy: That I know our audience is going to be leaning in and soaking up a lot of the wisdom that you're going to share. But I have to begin, Franzie, by asking you about your career as an opera singer, because I'm fascinated about that. I'm fascinated about how you moved to France, became an opera singer. Can you tell us a little bit about how that evolved and what you love about it?
Franzie: Yeah, my pleasure. I discovered opera--I was 13 years old. There was an opera troupe that came to my junior high school and I was just blown away by the singer. She was a tiny woman and she had such power in her voice. That performance changed everything for me. I was like, “I want to do that.” I was 13 and my parents were not opera buffs or anything at all. My parents both come from Haiti. We had a love for music in our household and we listened to classical music. But opera wasn't one of them that we did listen to. So, that discovery, to me, I think was the first reinvention if you will, because there's being the immigrant’s daughter, and then there's being you're raised in America, and you're discovering something completely different, and it's opera, opera, which is Italian, but you're an American, you're learning this in your household, you speak French, and English, and Creole, but then there's Italian and [laughs] all of these languages. That was the beginning of just something very sensational.
I studied at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, so, NWSA. Woo-woo, yeah. [laughs] And then I went to University of Miami and I moved to France. I had that opportunity to actually discover France when I was about 16. This is a little short story. I asked my mom to enroll me in a Spanish class. Because we lived in Miami. And so, you need to have Spanish. She comes back, she’s just like, “Oh, the Spanish classes were filled up. So, I put you in French.” I was like, “Eww, yuck, why French? I don't need French.”
Wendy: [laughs]
Franzie: She's like, “Well, if I were to go into our history, we’re Haitian, former French colony, and Haiti’s the first black republic to get their liberty” and I was like, “Wow, this is going to be too much.”
[laughter]
Franzie: I just wanted to take Spanish classes, but that was just amazing to me. It was doing that, learning French, learning Italian, all of these things and combining them with the music that led me to live in France today. I studied classical music for about 17 years, I was a, what do you call that? A voice coach, voice teacher for years. My career came to a halt very quickly, because I was a perfectionist. I have to say, when you are an opera singer, you do need to be aware of perfectionism. I have to say that because you were looking to be the best singer. You're looking for the best, perfect vocal line, but you can take it too far and I took it too far to the point of just making myself ill wanting to be perfect. My goal was to be the new Leontyne Price. I wanted to be Leontyne Price, number two. But I didn't go through the stage of just being Franzie. Missed that step, very important step.
Wendy: It's really fascinating. This journey that you've talked about and we're going to talk in more detail about this whole notion of perfectionism and how it impacts women. But I have to just say, first of all, it's such an interesting story. I like this idea of this reinvention that started really early. That just possibility of something new of-- Even that moment if your mom sending you for a French class, it can help change the trajectory of things.
Franzie: Oh, yeah.
Wendy: [crosstalk] So, you just never know sometimes. When we're just doing life, and we're navigating things, we often don't know the impact something can have. But I also have to say Franzie, growing up in a family, where my parents loved classical music and opera, and certainly, go to the opera you don't see a lot of black people.
Franzie: No, you do not. Well, you do now more, but not that-- [crosstalk]
Wendy: You do now more, but still a small relative.
Franzie: Yes.
Wendy: And my friends’ parents were listening to like Jazz and R&B. My parents listen to jazz, but R&B and that kind of thing. I always thought, “Oh, God, they listen to classical music and opera.” And I really couldn't appreciate it.
Franzie: [laughs]
Wendy: And sometimes, my mom knew they had a subscription to the Met and sometimes, my dad was away, so, I would go with my mom and-- I couldn't appreciate it than the way I can now. I just think of what an experience you had to have that introduction, to have this opportunity is really fascinating. I just love that when we're open to things, even though we don't even know what it might be or could be, that possibility can live there.
Franzie: Yeah, I was very lucky to have parents that were open minded and intelligent. And that they wanted the best for their children and they knew that education and being open to cultural experiences was one of the ways to get there. So, I'm very lucky with that. I wish that [laughs] I remember sometimes more and more what it is to go with the flow, because I used to do it a lot when I was younger.
Wendy: Yeah.
Franzie: When you get trapped in perfectionism and not enoughness, you forget to go with the flow. I think that's one of the greatest lessons that I'm getting back to. The one I just did naturally as a young person. And now, with my new 50s, I'm getting back to that. Just go with the flow, be open to what life brings to you, like the opportunity that we have now. I never thought a year ago that I would be having this interview with you. What? Reinvention, who, what?
Wendy: [laughs] Right.
Franzie: It’s fabulous and we're just going with the flow, just as you did when you created this fabulous podcast.
Wendy: Right. When I didn't know what I was doing, but I just had this feeling, like, there was something there. I think that's really interesting. You're talking about this notion of we are-- often, it's easy to be perfectionist that you certainly in the work you were doing as an opera singer was very focused on doing it right, and getting just the right notes, and the right pitch, and all those things that only we I understand as a singer, but are so important. I can understand why you could be in that mindset.
Franzie: Oh, yeah.
Wendy: I think for so many women that is so typical anyway. Well, no matter what it is we're doing that we get really tuned into this whole perfectionism thing and I have to do it right. I don't want to be seen as a failure-
Franzie: Right.
Wendy: -of not knowing what I'm doing. I'm really curious about how you shifted. How did you shift? You said, now, you were so much more open as you're younger, which I think is so true. We just go with the flow, but then you got into this space. So, how did you or how are you getting back to just being more you?
Franzie: I think I'm going to have to just go back a step, so that it can be clear. When I got to France, I was about 21, 22 years old. As I mentioned, my goal was to be Leontyne Price 2, the best of the best. I was working hard, rehearsing all the time, learning all the time. In that rehearsing and learning, there was a lot of, “You're not good enough. Oh, that’s terrible. Do it again.” When you are classically trained, some people are lucky. I had a teacher who was just a tyrant and was never good enough. Already, I was putting myself under enough pressure to explode. [laughs] She just attitude-- but she was doing her job. I'm not saying that she was a horrible person. I'm simply saying that when you're already under pressure, and somebody adds more, and tells you that you are not good enough, and you already believe that? It is not a recipe for success. No, it's not.
Wendy: Yeah.
Franzie: And so, I just took it on, took it on, took it on. Instead of taking a step back and say, “Okay, well, maybe I could do it this way, maybe I could do it that way.” I only thought that I had to work harder. Not smarter, but work harder, right?
Wendy: Yeah.
Franzie: I pushed myself to a breaking point. I ended up being very, very ill. So, I had my first burnout. I was 22 years old.
Wendy: Wow.
Franzie: Yeah, and that's really young [laughs] to be burned out.
Wendy: That is.
Franzie: Yeah. I started singing classically, I was 13 and by 22, I was burned out, because I just didn't know how to take a step back and be myself like, “It's okay not to be perfect. I had to be perfect. There was no other way.” When finally, I had to stop and take a look at my health and get myself back on track, what helped me was the fact that I was still teaching voice. And being able to get out of my [unintelligible [00:17:30], my state and help someone get better. But with kindness and compassion and in my lessons, I was saying, “It's okay. Let's just do it again. Let's stop for a second. Let's breathe. Look at what we did well.” I didn't know at the time that I was practicing compassion. I didn't know at the time that I was putting coaching skills into work. I had no idea what I was doing. I just wanted them not to break like I was broken. That's all I was doing.
And that little by little brought me to where I am today. This capacity, and this passion, and love for helping others along the way. Because I'm still the, “I want to win person,” okay? But I want to win the right way. Not at all costs, our health, our mindset, our body, our ability to have a balance is very, very important. I'm still going for the gold. I'm not against going for gold, but there's a way to do it that you don't have to lose yourself along the way.
Wendy: I love that so much, Franzie. I think it's so instructive about how those early experiences, even though you didn't have the consciousness about it that, “Oh, I'm applying these things in a different way.” I think it is really amazing how you took those experiences and you then started to teach people but in a different way that you said that other way really wasn't okay. And that's not empowering. I went through that and that was not good for me. I don't want to be modeling that for other people.
Franzie: Right.
Wendy: I like the wisdom that you applied at a relatively young age, mind you, where some people might have had that example and said, “Well, I guess, that's just how I should do it, because that's what I saw” as opposed to “I'm going to feel into a different way to go about helping people.”
Franzie: Yeah. And I think that goes back again to being in the flow. I forget the author's name. I will look for it and I'll give it to you. You can put it in your notes. But to be in the flow, when I'm teaching and when I'm coaching, I am 100% present. I'm in it, I'm listening, I'm tuned into the person. My students sometimes laugh, because I'll make jokes, I'll make faces, whatever it takes to get them to have their aha moment there. “Oh, [foreign language]. Yes, madam, I understand.” That is that going with the flow that I used to do as a kid, you see.
In that moment, I am not looking at myself. There's no judgment. I am 100% engaged with that person. I'm in the present moment, you see. And that is something that, again, I didn't know I was doing it. I learned things by doing and then I go back and then I learn the technique and I'm like, Oh, okay. Oh, there's a technique for this? I didn’t know it existed. What is the name for it?”
Wendy: Oh, yay.
[laughter]
Franzie: Mindfulness is what it is, I guess.
Wendy: I love it.
Franzie: But we do have that inner wisdom, I'm going over my Spanish these days, sabiduria, being able to have this inner wisdom and tapping into it that is so incredible. We all have that skill. We all have it. It's wonderful.
Wendy: We really do and that’s what led me to the Reinvention Rebels Podcast from that inner wisdom, that deep listening, that getting quiet. I completely agree with you that it's within all of us. I think that is so important in the reinvention process to learn how to listen to ourselves and trust what is bubbling up that we really do know best. No one else knows us the way we know us and we can really tune into that, which is a really great segue, because I think that so many of us grapple with our journey in whatever form it might take. You just beautifully elucidated how you had this unfolding that you've had this journey that these different experiences were a part of your path as you reinvented yourself in different ways.
One of the things, it's hard is that so many of us want certainty. We want to know, I should do this, and I wanted this to happen now, and I want the answers to unfold, and I want the answers to unfold. As you said, you have to lean into it, let go of those expectations and listen. How did you know that you had uncovered your purpose? What told you that?
Franzie: When I was no longer self-absorbed, I know it sounds wrong, but yeah. When I was more focused on helping other people, then I was worrying about how I wasn't good enough. Having that focus on someone else as opposed to me, focusing on solutions as opposed to problems, that is when I realized, “Ooh, hold on a second. I'm onto something.” I had my students. They would like, “Ah, I love coming to your English classes because we forget the time. This is great. We're talking and we're moving on, and we're learning and having fun at the same time.” I was like, “Oh, ooh, okay. Ooh, they were in the flow, but still focused on progressing, on learning.” I discovered that, “Ooh, I have a knack for that.” I have a knack for making people feel comfortable with their communication, with their learning process. It was a discovery, in fact, of what I did well and it was people giving me feedback saying, “Oh my gosh, you're the best teacher I've ever had.” I'm like, “I am? Oh, okay. Wow. Oh, okay.”
There's a moment in your life when every year your students are saying, “Oh, my gosh, you are the best teacher I ever had.” You're like, “Hmm, maybe. Maybe I'm a good teacher.” [laughs]
Wendy: Yeah.
Franzie: Yeah, and now, I own it. I am a very good teacher. I am an awesome coach. I own that. Why? Because that's what I was meant to do. That's what I was meant to do. How do I know it? It unfolded. The opportunities came. I did not want to be a teacher. Never in a million years. No, no, no, no, no. I want it to be a superstar. That's what I want. [laughs]
Wendy: Yeah.
Franzie: That's what I wanted to be. But now, yes, my stage is my classroom and I am a superstar in my classroom. Oh, yes. Okay. That is how-- For me, life, you can see as the stage of life. I just finished working on a workshop, the fourth module of eight and we were talking about that. This is one of the programs that I have is opera singers’ wisdom. What I do is, I take the pillars of what do you have to do as an opera singer to be able to manage your life on stage, your life before you get on stage, your life after you've gotten on stage? I found that there were parallels that I could bring to the real world and how people manage themselves, their personal leadership with these pillars.
One of them is listening. You have to be able to listen, not only to others, not only to yourself, but to life. What is life telling you? I was given the opportunity to teach. I didn't want to. Somebody says, “Oh, I'm looking for a teacher. Do you teach singing?” I was like, “Oh, I need money.” Okay. Yes. “Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes, I do.” [laughs] Then somebody says, “Oh, they're looking for English teachers. Do you teach English?” I'm like, “Oh, yeah. I don’t want to teach English.” Look, the money. “Oh, yes, yes. I teach English. Yes, I do. Yeah.” Then a student was like, “Oh, this is years after I was been teaching. Already for maybe four or five years.” And like, “Oh, I'm so terrible. I can't do this. I'm not capable.” I'm like, “Of course, you're capable. You got this. Let's breathe through it, okay? We got this.” I was like, “Hold on a second.” This person, they're not worried about the grammar. They're worried, are they good enough? Hold on a second. “Ooh, this is coaching. Ooh, it's time to go and get a coach.” I got to learn how to be a coach because I could take them further. I can go further if I know more. So, life just kept pushing and giving me the opportunities to take the next step. If you listen, you can hear it, “Go this way. Go that way. This way, stop. Go this way, that way.” [laughs]
Wendy: Yeah, I think that that is so profound and I think you're so right about the listening that we can make our journey easier, less stressful, if we can lean in and listen to that inner wisdom. You beautifully described how by doing that and picking up on the cues that were laid in your path, you were able to figure out, this is what I meant to do. To really claim it, not to just say, “Oh, this is what I meant to do.” “All right, moving on.”
Franzie: [laughs].
Wendy: That like, [crosstalk] “Okay, I guess, this is what I meant to do but it wasn't like that. Oh, that's the boring.” Like, “Okay.” But I saw I loved how you claimed it was joy and passion that you leaned in and you said, “Yes, this is it.” So, reinvention is not just, I guess, I'll do this.
Franzie: Right.
Wendy: I could do that. But it's this empowerment, this passion, this excitement, this joy to me, that is when you get in that zone of being a reinvention rebel, when you will awaken to these possibilities. And it all starts to come together when you let loose, let go, and ease into it.
Franzie: Yeah. There is, I think, I love the word when you ease into it. Bizarrely, I chose to be an opera singer. Yes, I was impressed by the woman who came to the school. But I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I was doing it because I wanted approval from my parents, “Wow, you're worth something or whatever.” It was so wrong. I didn't know it at the time. A 13-year-old, I don't think I had those words. It was much later that I understood that. But then when I got into teaching and coaching, it was the perfect fit. It was just easy. I'm not saying easy as in, “Ah, boom, I can do it.” But the ease with which I got into it, the ease with which I became who I am today. And I am an educator, this is my thing. I am a coach. Helping someone get to the next level, as you said, it fills me with joy and a sense of purpose.
I have a deep sense that I was made to do this. Yes, and I will do other things, like, I love writing. Being a published author is fabulous to me. I love singing, but it has to have a sense of purpose and that purpose is to engage with others. It's not to sing for myself in my shower. It's to sing so that souls are rejoicing and uplifted. It sounds maybe cheesy, but that's what it is. When you're teaching, you are uplifting souls. When you're coaching, you are uplifting souls. And for me, my soul is my sole purpose.
Wendy: Oh, my gosh, that completely resonates with me as someone who's also now living on purpose. After years, we're trying to figure out, what is my purpose, what am I meant to do? And then I realized, I'm meant to be a joy spreader and inspire about possibility. Yes, there's something amazing that happens when we give ourselves permission to lean in, listen, and then live with more ease, which is frankly, so freeing, so freeing. I really appreciate this journey you've been in to become this amazing person. You're already amazing before. I'm sure, I didn't know you then, but I know you were. But just awaken. You know, it’s just awakening.
If you've ever considered how you want to feel as you age, have you ever looked ahead to your 70s, your 80s, your 90s with anticipation, possibility, and curiosity? Well, we all know we're living longer. There are more opportunities to grow into who we are meant to be, even later in life. Did you have a chance to listen to my recent episode with my really cool mom, Elaine? Well, she's 89 years young. Coming up to 90 in just a few months and she had so much to say. It was such a sweet and deeply connected conversation that we had. I loved it and it's called How I Thrive at 89 – Curiosity, Community & Connection. Full of so many nuggets of wisdom. I want to invite you to take a listen to this episode, because you can't help, but be inspired by what she has to say. You will find the details in the show notes.
I am really interested in this idea of your coaching because I know so many different types of coaches, so many different types of coaches and I've had coaches over my lifetime in many different ways. I know tons of coaches, but I have to say, I'm not familiar with this idea of a mental fitness coach.
Franzie: Yes, now.
Wendy: Right? Tell us more about what that is.
Franzie: For many years, I was a communication teacher. I teach specialized English and I help people in the French industries like Airbus to be able to negotiate lots of money in English. But it all comes down to, if you're going to do something well or not, your mindset is very important. As the years went by and I was first teaching, singing, and then I was teaching specialized English, and then I was asked because the opportunity presented itself, I was asked to coach my students in English in the schools I was working in. We didn't even have to look for it. It opened itself up to me. And then, I realized, as I was doing that there was a question that kept coming up and coming up is, “Am I good enough? Am I good enough? Is this okay, madam? Am I going to be okay? Is this okay?” It was rarely about, “Is my English good enough? Am I using the right word?” It came in that form, but that's not what it really meant. As the years went by and I realize, this is about mindset. If I can help somebody improve their mindset, they will improve their performance. And so, that's just like an athlete. Athletes have amazing mindsets, right?
Wendy: Yeah, they do.
Franzie: There's mental illness, there's mental health, and there's mental fitness. Where do you think the best place to be? [laughs] Mental fitness, right? Mental health means that there's a pathology-- I'm sorry, mental illness means there's a pathology. Mental health, that's baseline. That's where we should be. Mental fitness? Oh, hold on. Okay.
Wendy: Yeah.
Franzie: That means I am doing meditation. Meditation is like, I'm doing pushups from a brain. [laughs]
Wendy: Oh, I love that.
Franzie: Yeah.
Wendy: I want to be mentally fit.
Franzie: Exactly.
Wendy: Yes. [laughs]
Franzie: That’s why [crosstalk] I was like, “Let's go to the gym. Right for the brain. Let me learn a new language, let me learn how to meditate, let me learn to be in the present moment.” That is mental fitness. Because I choose to do these activities just like I would choose to go to the gym and do my quads or do my biceps. These are, I'm taking particular actions or activities or movements that are going to help me be as mentally fit as possible. So, this is the crème de la crème when it comes to mindset. That's how I see it. There's pathology, there's baseline, and then there's excellence. That's what it's about. And of course, as an opera person-
[laughter]
Franzie: -I want the best of the best. I have to admit snobby about that to me being opera singer, being able to master your voice in that way is the ultimate way to master voice. I am not saying that other ways of singing are not important, because I can do pop, I can do jazz, I can do other forms? No, I'm simply saying that there is to me a hierarchy in terms of health, mental health. Mental fitness, that's where we're supposed to aim. Not mental health. Mental health is baseline. Mental fitness. Okay? It means I deliberately, intentionally work my mind, so that I have resiliency. It's already there for me.
Wendy: I think this concept is revolutionary. We don't typically think of mental fitness.
Franzie: Yeah.
Wendy: I think, especially these days, some of us are just trying to get by. Life is so complicated, so chaotic, so stressful. Just getting through and navigating the struggles is hard.
Franzie: Exactly, exactly. The first thing I do in the morning is I meditate before I do a physical workout. What does that mean? I work my mind out before I work my body out. Because if my mind is in the right place, then please my body's going to follow. You, see? For me. it's a given. It's in my morning routine, I do it every day, and I don't think about it. Because yes, it has become a habit. Can everybody do this? Yes. I'm not saying we have to meditate, but I am saying that mental fitness has to be on the docket. This is for everyone, every day, especially in these times, especially in these times.
Wendy: Absolutely. And I'm with you, because I have a similar practice that I do as soon as I get up. I go and I meditate. It doesn't even have to be a long time.
Franzie: No.
Wendy: But that is my elixir. It is what sets the tone for the day as you said, and then I have many other things I do after that. But I also think that speaks to self-love. When we make our mental fitness taking care of ourselves a priority, to me, it makes us much more available for everybody else in our life. Whether it's our kids, our spouse, our colleagues, it could be anybody. But I think that it’s saying that I am important enough, I matter. Other things matter too, but I matter. When I take care of myself, I can help create all kinds of other possibilities.
Franzie: Yes. I have two programs that I work with. The first one is the healthcare program. That one is honor, elevate, and liberate potential. How is this done? With courage, action, responsibility, and engagement. If one is courageous, if one chooses the right actions. When I say right actions, those that are productive, those that are constructive, those that are empowering. You need to have a certain level of personal responsibility to do that. And yes, you're doing it first for yourself, but it does not end there. You're making yourself, your best self, so that you can then share it with others. It is exactly what you're saying, Wendy. That engagement first with yourself making sure that you are fit is so that you can engage with people from a healthy place. This is very, very important. The word important [laughs] is not good enough.
Wendy: [laughs]
Franzie: The second program links to that because it's the seat of wellness. Little things help with mental fitness. Little things, S, seat. You need to sleep. People, hello? We need to sleep.
Wendy: Yeah.
Franzie: I'm the first one. I'm not a big sleeper. I've never been a big sleeper. But when I sleep, I sleep, I sleep. I'm out. [laughs]
Wendy: [laughs]
Franzie: But then as a reinvention rebel, who's menopausing, my sleep took a hit. It was really hard. It was very hard. That's when I did the first glow up challenge last year, where I realized, I'm not sleeping well. If I don't sleep well, I'm not in the best mental state. I'm not fit. S, seat of wellness. Then E. How are we eating? I'm not saying like diet and all this. I'm just saying, “Is it balanced? Is what I'm putting into my body making me feel good or is it making me feel sluggish?” That's part of mental fitness, what you put into your body, what you're consuming, be it foods and then thoughts and actions. So, the other one, A, seat, S-E-A, your actions. What actions am I taking? Are these actions going to make me fit mentally, physically, spiritually? And the thoughts. Thoughts. What am I thinking is? Are my thoughts supporting my health or not? So, the seat of wellness.
For us to always remain in the driver's seat of our wellness, who else can do that? You don't want to be a passenger? No, no, no, I know, sometimes, you're tired. You're like, “Oh, no, honey, take the wheel. Nah, nah, nah. Uh-huh.” When it comes around wellness, no, this is my car. Nobody's driving my car [laughs] except me. Yeah, to be in the driver's seat of your wellness, so that you can honor, elevate, and liberate your potential.
Wendy: That is so powerful. Being in the driver's seat as opposed to your passenger or in the backseat or-- [crosstalk]
Franzie: Right. Or, in the trunk, you know what I mean as trunk-- [crosstalk]
Wendy: I was about to say that. [laughs]
Franzie: You do not want to be in the trunk-
[laughter]
Wendy: You don’t want to be there-
Franzie: -or the roof of the car. Yeah, you don’t want to be there.
Wendy: -or stuck on the side of the road, because it broke down.
Franzie: Right.
Wendy: You haven't been in the driver's seat, or you haven't been doing the maintenance. The maintenance is all you need to give.
Franzie: Right. That's it.
Wendy: That is a beautiful metaphor for being that person that is driving forward in a mindful productive way. We're driving our life forward.
Franzie: Exactly.
Wendy: Yeah. And so, I think that that is deeply enlightening to have this conversation that we do have the power to reinvent ourselves, to be our best selves. It doesn't mean it's not work, it doesn't mean it's not hard, it doesn't mean there's not tons of crying and boo-hooing over the journey because I think many of us have been through that and been through the dark times, and it's not all sunshine and roses.
Franzie: No, it's not.
Wendy: Which is-- [crosstalk]
Franzie: That’s the thing. When you're mentally fit, though, when those dark days come, you remember that there's sunshine.
Wendy: Yes.
Franzie: You remember it. You bounce back quicker when you have mental fitness. When you go through the separation and you're sad about it. You're not sad about it all day long. Personally, when I have something, I allot myself time to feel the feelings. Then I'm like, “Oh, no. is nine to five, girls got stuff to do. I don't have time to be crying right now. I will cry later on tonight from I don't know, 10:00 to 10:30. But no, got to--" [laughs] So, I do have that compassion to, what do you say? I'm compassionate enough to feel the feeling, but I'm also disciplined enough to know when to do it. That takes fitness, that takes mental fitness. It may seem strange to some, but I'm a bit of a stoic and there are moments. There's a time for everything. There is a time for everything. We can select, we can choose.
We were talking about this in the greenroom, where I was talking to a friend and I was going on, I was going to get really emotional about something. I was like, “Oh, oh, me, oh, my.” Then the waitress came, she's like, “Oh, the check.” I turned to her and I said, “Thank you” and I smiled. What about that whole emotion where I was going to go get dramatic? It just disappeared because the woman came and I didn't want to burden her with my-- I just smiled, and it was gone, and I was like, “Wow, that is amazing.” [chuckles] I just went from 'm about to cry to smiling. “Oh, it was wonderful, thank you for this wonderful meal?” What is that? That's mental fitness.
Wendy: That is mental fitness. That is mental fitness. To be able to shift, to be in the moment, to understand your emotions. I like how you talked about really this idea of time boxing.
Franzie: Mm-hmm.
Wendy: I need to talk about and I need to feel what I'm feeling. But I need to do it at certain times that I can't let that overwhelm me. We let this totally overwhelm us, that's when we're not mentally fit. When we're just so deep into it, we can't get out or we don't have perspective, because I think sometimes too, we don't want to feel what we're feeling. It's so easy to avoid those feelings that don't feel good. There's so much value in feeling that. But I like what you said about, “I can't do from nine to five, because I got to go make some money and do my job, and be focused on that, and be present for the people that I am supporting.”
Franzie: Exactly, exactly. Mental fitness doesn't mean that you're a tyrant with yourself. No. A good coach is there to push you and a good coach is like, “Okay, great. All right, let's take five. Get some water. Okay, all right. We're going to sit that out and then we're going to get back to it, and they're going to push you, but they're going to know when to pull back.” You need to be able to do that for yourself. It is not about avoiding feelings. No. It's about being selective with your time and being selective with, how you say it? The way you're going to manage things. That gives people more power over what's happening in their lives. They don't have to have the feeling, “Oh, I can’t handle--” Yes, you can. [Spanish language] [laughs] To go back to my Spanish. Yes, you can. You have the power over what's happening to you. In fact, there's really only one thing that you have control of. It's how you're going to react to whatever's happening to you and you don't want to give that power away. That is yours and no one else's.
Wendy: Absolutely. There are really so many different ways that we can tap into that, right?
Franzie: Oh, yes.
Wendy: And to be on point about our life, and develop our mental fitness, and be our best, and it might take time. It's not like it happens overnight.
Franzie: No. [crosstalk] I'm 50 and I'm still working at it.
Wendy: Me too. [crosstalk]
Franzie: It's a life process. What I'm saying is, yes, I might be mentally fitter than someone else, but there're still things that I need to work on. Do you stop going to the gym just because you are slim? No, people keep going, it's about maintenance. It's a daily, daily activity.
Wendy: Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. That is so right on. As we segue and begin to wrap up this amazing conversation, I do want to ask you a last question, which is as you step back and you think about this reinvention journey that you've been on in the many different ways you've evolved over the years, what would you say is the most impactful lesson that you take from your reinvention journey?
Franzie: [sighs] I would say trusting, to have faith. And I admit that my Achilles tendon is a lack of faith. And so, it is a daily practice for me to trust life, trust myself, trust others. But without a doubt, when I do do it, when I do give into it, it's the best way to go. Trust that life will open up its doors and it was not a door it's going to open up a window. If you listen, if you can be in a state of calm, breathing, another one of these pillars from singing is, if you can breathe and be in silence, so that you can listen, you will find the right direction for your life. So, it's trusting, and it's faith, and how's it found? By being calm and listening. That's what I take away and that's what I take away by when I look at my past, when I'm in my present, and what I'm going to continue to practice into my future.
Wendy: I love that so much. Faith, trust, leaning into that. So, perfectly said, Franzie. I am so excited about this conversation. This is one of those like, “Ooh, wow, mental fitness.”
Franzie: Yeah.
Wendy: Franzie, I've never heard someone talk about in that way and it really is enlightening-
Franzie: I'm glad-- [crosstalk]
Wendy: -and empowering.
Franzie: It's fabulous, too. It's weird. When we're in it, we don't see it. Having this opportunity, so, I thank you again. To step back from the doing of it, and to observe it, and look at it, and I'm like, “Yeah, I'm so lucky that I have been given this opportunity to share it with others.” So, again, a big thank you.
Wendy: It's just amazing. No, of course, Franzie.
Franzie: Yes.
Wendy: People listening are going to be soaking up this wisdom of yours, leaning in and listening like, “Wow, this is so cool.” They're going to want to know, how can I find this amazing woman? I want to know more about Franzie. Where can people find you online?
Franzie: You can find me on LinkedIn. Definitely come on to LinkedIn. I'm there. You can find me also on Amazon because I've got my book, Potential is Boundless on Amazon. I've got bonus for y'all people. Go onto SoundCloud, Franzie Jean-Louis SoundCloud. And I've got music for you, uplifting music. Yes. Okay. You want to talk to me, contact me, find me on LinkedIn. You want to read more about healthcare on Amazon. If you just want to just soak in some nice music, I'm on SoundCloud.
Wendy: I love it and I'll just say that you have an incredible voice. So beautiful.
Franzie: Thank you.
Wendy: You should all listen. All of this is in the show notes. If you're driving and you're like, “Oh, what? I need to pull over.”
Franzie: [laughs]
Wendy: “Right now, go listen to her.”
Franzie: Yeah. Go listen.
Wendy: [unintelligible [00:52:40] on Amazon. Not to worry. Keep driving safely, because you're in the driver's seat. And you'll see all the details in the show notes to lean into all of the great things that Franzie does. And I will tell you that on LinkedIn, she shares so much beautiful wisdom, so much joy. I was on the periphery of her glow up challenge.
Franzie: Oh, yes.
Wendy: [unintelligible [00:53:03] time to like totally be there but I love this idea that we can glow up in our life.
Franzie: Yeah.
Wendy: Again, it goes back to that empowerment that you're talking about, the mental fitness, the deep self-care and self-love that all of us can manifest. Any of us. It doesn't matter who we are, how old we are, where we are in our life.
Franzie: And a little bit every day, people get scared about like, “Who would have time to meditate?” You've got two seconds to breathe, because you're breathing anyway. So, you might as well just do it intentionally. [laughs]
Wendy: Exactly, exactly. And I think that's really the idea, we can start small. It doesn't have to be like, “I'm going to spend an hour a day.”
Franzie: No, no. You are breathing. Yeah, you have to breathe to survive, but what if you just thought about it like, “Ooh. Ooh, I'm inhaling and exhaling.” You're walking outside and you just notice, you're like, “Well, this is a beautiful day.” That self-care, that self-care, that's mental fitness. You are consciously being aware of what's good for you and you're putting into action. Tiny steps.
Wendy: Tiny steps, tiny steps. Thank you so much.
Franzie: Thank you.
Wendy: Thank you for gracing me with your presence, sharing this joy, inspiration, wisdom, and helping others who are on the reinvention path, no matter their age or stage.
Franzie: My sole mission, my sole mission.
Wendy: It is your sole mission, girl, and you are doing an amazing job. I'm just saying.
Franzie: Oh, it's just fabulous. Thank you. Hey, I am a Reinvention Rebel.
Wendy: You are. You are truly a reinvention rebel and have reinvented yourself in this beautiful way that is being of service to so many people and that's joy right there.
Franzie: Yes, it is. Thank you so much Wendy. [ummah]
Wendy: Thank you, Franzie. You're amazing.
That was pretty awesome, wasn't it? Franzie is amazing, isn't she? So cool, so interesting, so inspiring and full of light. We need more of that light, right? If you loved this episode, as much as I loved creating it with her, and talking to her, asking her all kinds of interesting questions, and listening to her fabulous answers, do me a teeny tiny favor. If you wouldn't mind taking just a couple of minutes of your precious time and sharing a review on Podchaser, or Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, just your thoughts, you can rate, you can review, you can share your thoughts about it, because you know what, I want to make it easier for other people to get inspired where you are in these conversations and the reviews just help out with that. So, thanks in advance.
And you got to stay tuned for an upcoming episode with another extraordinary reinvention rebel, Jill Carlyle, who recently published her memoir which is so interesting, so empowering. It will fill you with inspiration. I can't wait for you to tune in. See you soon and keep shining your light. The world needs you and everything you have to offer.
[Transcript provided by SpeechDocs Podcast Transcription]