Divas That Care Network
The #DivasThatCare movement is a dynamic force of positivity and progress. It's a collective of empowered women united by a shared vision: to pave the way for future generations. These women are not only breaking barriers—they’re also committed to equipping the next generation with the tools, resources, and confidence to lead with purpose.
By discovering and defining your purpose, you unlock the power to uplift those around you and contribute to a better world—every single day.
The Divas That Care Change Makers lead by example. They’ve walked the path, and now they’re using their voices to inspire others—one intentional day at a time.
Divas That Care Network
Special Episode: When Fate Brings You Fur Kids
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
For more Divas That Care Network Episodes visit www.divasthatcare.com
Well hello everyone and welcome back to the Diva Set Care. My name is Candace Gis. Wow, I am so excited. I am going to be having, and I'm actually welcoming back an amazing woman, an amazing Diva, back to the Diva family. Her name is Jean Brennan, and I have not had the opportunity to chat with this amazing woman for quite a few years here. And I was just so excited when I found out I'd be interviewing her for this amazing series that we're doing about our newest anthology, Animal Prince on My Soul. So welcome to all of our listeners today. If this is your very first time tuning into the Divas at Care, we have been around now for 11 years. We are listening to in over 30 countries around the world. And it's because of all of our fantastic tribe, our listeners out there, that we've continued to do this. So a huge shout out to the the new ones and the ones that have been with us. So as I said, we're gonna have a great show for you today. And I'm so excited because Jean is back in the house. So welcome back, Jean. Thank you, Candace. It's so great to be here. Thank you. Oh my gosh. I was so excited when, as I said, we found out I'd be the one interviewing you for the for the story here. And before we kind of dive into that, would you mind introducing yourself to all of our listeners?
SPEAKER_01I would be honored to do that. Uh so I am an author, I'm an acupuncturist, I also run a nonprofit. And, you know, every aspect of my life I really believe revolves around a path of service. And so it doesn't matter if I'm writing or if I'm in the treatment room with somebody or if I'm rebuilding a foundation uh on a house, which is actually what I am doing right now. Not at this moment, but it is a current project. Um, all of those things, all of them have to do with uplifting, inspiring, and empowering people and animals. And and, you know, my goal every day with everything I do is to just try to help people to smile and remember it really is all good. So that's that's kind of it in a nutshell.
SPEAKER_02I love it. You know, that is it's so important. You know, we were talking about that before, you know, just smiling and getting people to do that. And that was actually my goal for this week is do just to breathe, to smile, and to laugh more. Um, I think we really need that today.
SPEAKER_01You know, I get the same feeling that is truly every day that I get up, that is truly what I'm practicing. I wake up and I spend a few quiet moments before I stir where I'm just intending on making it a happy day. And I'm also intending on spreading that just wherever I go and whatever is happening, you know, because nothing in this world is happening that's personal, nothing that feels hurtful is actually personally hurtful. There's just a lot of change going on, and and you know, chaos is part of change. So if a lot of us can remember, hey, let's just take that chaos and and smile and laugh, because if you think about it, joy and laughter, it's it's a form of chaos. You know, your rib cage is getting a good workout whenever you're really doing a belly lap, right? So, you know. Right.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, I am and I'm I was gonna say, and I think that's what my goal is, another goal for today is is that I'm going to try to get that word out to as many people as I can.
SPEAKER_01Because I think that I really agree with you. I think that just smiling, just making it a goal, if nothing else, just to smile throughout the day. It really helps. It helps everybody. You know, just a kind word for anybody that you run into. I I really have made a habit of doing that and I find it just lights people up. It really just lights people up.
SPEAKER_02Oh my goodness, I love that. And that kind of leads me into things. You know, you and I have had the opportunity to know each other for quite a few years here. We haven't had you on the program. You've been busy and I've been busy, and it's just amazing how the world works here. But you have submitted an amazing story to our newest anthology, Animal Prince on My Soul. Can you share why you decided to do that?
SPEAKER_01Well, uh, it's just part of how life is evolving for me. And, you know, it's all about flow. That is that's really like the guiding word that I'm embracing is flow. Um, you know, a couple of years ago, I, you know, felt like, what is it that I'm here to do? What can I do in a better way, in a more empowering way to help others and uplift others? And so I I started a nonprofit based upon, you know, the things that truly light me up in the world. Um I love, I've always I've always been a whole an old house nerd and I've always loved working on old houses. I love shelter animals, I love rescuing, I my whole family is is about that. And I just love uh empowering people. So I thought, let me add this to the equation of what I feel I'm being called to do in the world, in addition to writing and acupuncture. And so when Carolyn told me that this book was coming out, she I had already shared with her the story about these puppies that that found me and that I adopted. I might cry at some point because it truly is it's a story that it touches me on the deepest level of my heart. Um but the story when I shared it with her about how these puppies came to me out against all odds. There there's no logical reason why these puppies should be with me right now. Uh except that's how flow works. It's literally just allowing for magic and not saying no, just saying yes. If something flows to you, that's what I uh was sitting with. And it's kind of what I talk about through the course of this story. You know, I was faced with a lot of change at the time that these puppies came about. And, you know, I was in the middle, I'd already moved, I had uh set up a new business, I was running the nonprofit, I was writing, and and you know, my logical mind was like, I don't have time for that. I don't have time for that. How am I gonna do that? But the heart, the heart knows truth, and my inner truth button just kept going off, and my inner truth button was mirroring to me. You hear the call, you need to answer, you need to be in your integrity, and for me to be in my integrity, I have to have an open heart. That's just how it is with me. And so, so though when I had shared this story with Carolyn, and she said, Well, look, this book is coming out, and so it just it just wound up being a perfect merging of intention and you know what you're putting out in the world and and what I'm doing my best to live every day. So I I was beyond excited and so honored to be asked to be a part of this venture. So I'm I'm I am thrilled to be a part of this book. I truly am.
SPEAKER_02Oh well, I'm so excited that you were a part of it because it's it these are the stories that we love and why we wanted to do this anthology is to share stories like this. You know, we really wanted to uplift people. Uh I felt that this was the time for it. Um, you know, through this all this stuff that's been happening, I knew I started watching some you know, YouTube videos with my daughters, and they were always resonated with animal ones. And all these animal stories that were impacting people's lives, and I thought, oh my gosh, we need to know that. We have all these amazing women that come onto our program and other people that we know, and they have these stories, like let's share them. And when Carolyn said that, you know, you were interested in being a part of it, I'm like, I was beyond excited because I thought, oh my gosh, you're gonna have a great story, and I can't wait to hear it. So it is it's fantastic. So tell me, what is the story, you know, really about? Like tell us more about it.
SPEAKER_01So uh the story involves these two straggly puppies. Um, and it it's a to me it's a very unlikely journey because uh they're a bonded pair of puppies. They're a brother and sister. Um, and they wound up last spring, they wound up uh at around two months of age at a pound in Virginia, which is about two hours from where I live right now. And so these puppies went through this extraordinary series of events in order to actually meet me. Uh so it starts out with this incredible escape from the pound. And that was followed by this unlikely breakout of this adopt a thon's cage where they were brought to a park. Well, the sister was brought to a park to be adopted. Um the brother had actually he was out in the wild. He was just nobody knows what happened to him for three to four weeks. Um but then this this little girl puppy uh with one blue eye found by nephew in a crowd. And he has cat you know, he he felt the call. He knew he couldn't leave her, she stuck like velcro to him, and he wound up packing her up and taking her home. He went to the shelter people and you know, asked if anyone had known anything about her, and they had detailed the escape that she had gone through. And uh, but they were busy, you know, and it was it was pouring the rain down that day, and you know, shelters have their own issues, you know. Uh they're overcrowded, they're overworked, they're volunteers, and they're people that are trying to care. I mean, there were over 20 puppies looking to get adopted that day, and you know what? Every one of those puppies had gotten adopted except for this little girl. Oh, I'm gonna cry. And it's okay. Um yeah, and so look at that. And so he brought her back to his apartment, but his cats uh his cats were not really on board with that plan. No. So I got the phone call. And the interesting thing is, okay, I'm in the middle of uh just getting settled in this new place, new job, new nonprofit, pretty much, that I'm looking to uh get underway. And I already have two adult rescue dogs. And we're all fine and happy in our little house and our little, you know, our little tribe. And so I get the call and he's like, you know, can you take them? And my initial thing was like, oh my goodness, uh, are you really asking me that? But I knew I just I had a knowing. My heart immediately knew that the answer was yes. I didn't know how that was gonna happen, but I knew that flow, I knew that, you know, the divine orchestration of the universe had conspired to bring me this choice. And I knew I did not uh I did not have the ability to say no, and it was not about saying no. So I I said yes, and that's really the what the story kind of goes over, and you know, um bringing two truly starving puppies into my world. Um I've always had shelter kids for for a long time, for a number of years, different dogs, different cats, um, and and I've never truly seen the face of starvation until these two because they were unbelievably thin. I'd never seen anything quite like that, and their reaction to food was just heartbreaking. Um bringing out a tan of wet food made them cry very loudly. They they knew what that meant. And so anyway, that was that was kind of the the basis of this story.
SPEAKER_02It's it's you know what I don't want to say too much because I want our listeners to go and buy this book because I think it's so important to read stories like this. And I can tell by just listening to you and sharing this, it is so important to you and it's made such an impact on your life. You know, I can I can tell by by this. So I don't want to, you know, tell too much about the story to our listeners. Um is there anything else you want to share with us? Because I don't want to give too much information.
SPEAKER_01I it's totally fine, and I completely understand, and you know, this story really is it's very deep, it's very there are a lot of facets to the story. Bottom line is this for me was a huge lesson in flow. And, you know, I had spent a number of years, I mean, you know, f push had always worked for me. Uh you know, I used to be in the corporate world, I used to um get a lot of things done in this world by pushing. And I've had so many lessons in the last couple of years about, hmm, no, no, the time for push is over. This is a time to learn about flow. And so uh what I would want to share with the your listeners is I feel that's a global message. I feel all of us are being asked to just give it up, to just surrender, to just allow the water to take us and understand that we are fully and divinely supported in that. I I completely believe it. And as someone that has spent so many years pushing and has really, every day I get up and I surrender to flow. That is that is truly something that I consciously do every day. And I I can tell you, amazing, miraculous, fabulous things happen as a result of that every single day.
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh, I love that. Thank you so much. And Jean, I know that this is just a very short interview with about the animal prints on my soul. So I would love, love to have you back on the program and have a really in-depth conversation soon.
SPEAKER_01Oh my gosh. You let me know. I will mark that on my calendar. I enjoy everything about being on this show, connecting with you and your listeners. It is always a divine pleasure. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh, me too. I just love chatting with you, and I I don't even know why it's so long to do this again. All right. So, Jean, would you leave us with um your website? How can our listeners get a hold of you? I know that they are probably interested also in your other writing, because you have another book out there, which is absolutely fantastic. So, how can our listeners get a hold of you?
SPEAKER_01So uh my all of my social media connections and things like that are on my website, which is www.genbrann.com. And uh if anyone's interested in the nonprofit and the path of service and and what we're doing with that, that is that I could be reached on that website, gene at pendonmen.org.
SPEAKER_02Perfect. And we'll definitely would love to have you on our Giving Tuesday in regards to your nonprofits. So you and I will be talking about that too. Fabulous. Oh my goodness. Thank you, Candace. I so appreciate that. Oh, you're so welcome. And a huge shout out to all of our listeners. Thank you so much for tuning in to today's program. It's all about the Animal Prince on My Soul, our new anthology that is gonna be released right around right away here. Um, we're so excited because we have so many interviews that are taking place here in the next couple weeks. We want you to go check them out. You've got to check out these amazing authors. There is so many amazing stories. Um, we have some of our other hosts on the DivaZa Care Network that are going to be interviewing these amazing women. So make sure that you check them out. And you can listen to them at divitare.com or on iTunes Spotify. Um, thank you again, Jean. Thank you to all of our listeners, and I hope that you all have a fantastic day. Make sure that you do something kind today. So bye for now.
SPEAKER_00And of course, on Twitter.com, and then we're gonna go to the