Euphoric Evolution

The Secret to Thriving in Business: Authenticity & Alignment with Joanna Murphy

• Makhosi Hefisah Nejeser

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In this episode of Euphoric Evolution, Makhosi and Joanna Murphy explore the deep connections between personal growth, entrepreneurship, and the importance of creative expression. Joanna shares her journey from being a competitive athlete to a successful entrepreneur, emphasizing the inner work required to achieve external success. They discuss the significance of embracing the process, setting boundaries, and the power of informing others in relationships. The conversation highlights the need for authenticity and connection in both personal and professional realms, especially in a rapidly changing world.

Takeaways

  • Joanna's journey from athletics to entrepreneurship highlights the importance of inner transformation.
  • Success is often an inside game, requiring self-discovery and growth.
  • Embracing the process rather than focusing solely on outcomes leads to fulfillment.
  • Creative expression enriches life and can positively impact business.
  • Setting clear boundaries is essential for healthy business relationships.
  • Informing others about your process fosters better communication and understanding.
  • Navigating change requires a focus on adding value and serving others.
  • Work can be a vehicle for personal evolution and growth.
  • Authenticity in business leads to deeper connections with clients.
  • Limitations can create freedom and enhance creativity.

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Makhosi (00:01.908)
Welcome back to another episode of Euphoric Evolution. And this is going to be such a juicy, fun conversation today. I'm here with Joanna Murphy, who I know on a more personal level, as she was a client of mine, but I'm so excited for us to reconnect and also for you all to get to know a little bit of her magic, of her essence, and really for her to share with you some of

internal transformation that she's undergone in order to create success on her own terms because also, you know, she is for sure an out of the box person, which I love. But welcome, Joanna. Would you start by just sharing a little bit about who you are and what you

Joanna Murphy (00:54.67)
Yeah, and thanks again for having me. It's definitely an honor to be here and it was an honor to learn from you as well. So I do a lot of different things. I guess in the professional world, I'm a co -founder of a recruiting agency called One 80 Collective.

outside of that world. I'm a writer. I publish my poetry on Instagram. I'm an athlete, have been previously a competitive athlete and now just like to put myself through suffer fast up mountains. And I live currently live in the mountains of

Makhosi (01:37.202)
So good. So good. So Joanna, what is the connection that you found between being an athlete and being an entrepreneur? How has that really supported you in building the resilience to be an entrepreneur?

Joanna Murphy (01:57.048)
There's so many parallels. I really feel like my foray into athletics was the first transformation, let's say, that I had to go through in terms of like a deep transformation.

And to be completely honest, I think in many ways, I really didn't rise to the challenge or the opportunity that was really in front of me. I think in so many ways I let as an athlete, let, let's just say some of the common pitfalls, right? Like comparing yourself to others, like low self -esteem, not feeling worthy enough, like things like that. I really struggled with as an athlete. but it was really the thing that prompted my growth. I think, and it really made me realize that.

the lack of success, in my opinion, the lack of success that I was experiencing, or maybe a better way to say that was the amount of success that I desired that I wasn't experiencing was really an inside game. And that, think that really prompted that journey of self discovery and

And therefore, I think when I went into entrepreneurship, I went into it with the perspective of this is an opportunity to go deeper with what I've already learned. And I didn't necessarily go into entrepreneurship because I was seeking that per se. I went into it because the things that I really wanted to do required it. So it's a little bit, I think of a different journey maybe.

but yeah, I think, I think the, the growth and the self development that I had to go through as an athlete, really carried into my work as an entrepreneur.

Makhosi (03:48.862)
I'm really curious because although I was not what most would consider like an athlete, my foray was like music, the arts, et cetera, where both of those have a lot of parallels and just the amount of devotion and discipline, commitment to excellence that you really need to have. However, one thing that I have noticed is that

in my journey, so much of my focus was on like the external things or the physical things that I was doing and putting like so much emphasis and effort on training harder, training longer, getting the best training and, and, and, and yet still not getting to the level that I wanted. What catalyzed the

the revelation for you that, actually, this might be an inner game, not just an outer

Joanna Murphy (04:50.674)
I guess for lack of a better term, like my intuition was very loud about that. I mean, I, I did all those same things too. Right. And I think, I think that is in some ways the challenge of being an athlete or being a musician or per se, let's say, pursuing anything at a high level. Right. It, does require training and it does require you showing up day in day out. And it does be require you to master the craft of whatever you're doing.

I think my big lesson in all of that was it's like you can't do that and still lose the heart of it. You can't do that, I guess you can't do that and still lose the spirit, right? And the things that, the reason that I was able to show up and run every day.

wasn't because I was good at suffering, which I also was, but it was because I really loved it, right? It's because it was the thing that brought me joy that made me feel like I was truly living out my purpose as a human on this planet. And that's why I went every day for a run. And that's why after years of running every single day, I started to run faster. And then years of running faster every single day, I started to run even faster. Like that's ultimately what got me to the success.

When, when I started attaching myself to the outcome and making myself worth and my identity, I guess, tangible based on whatever time I was running or whatever place I was placing in. That's when I think things really fell off the wheels. And I think that's really common too, you know?

Makhosi (06:29.12)
Yeah, I think probably 99 % of people have that experience where so much of the focus is on what we're going to get, on what the outcome is going to be.

Joanna Murphy (06:33.011)
Yeah.

Makhosi (06:42.27)
then we wrap our identity in a specific result. And that creates so many, so many problems. Number one, because we can just be miserable, because we feel like we're lacking that end result. Because until you have it, right, you're gonna feel like you don't have it. And then as soon as you get it, human beings are really funny because when we have something, we tend to not value it as much over time.

Joanna Murphy (06:52.537)
Thank

Joanna Murphy (07:00.824)
So,

Joanna Murphy (07:10.697)
Yeah.

Makhosi (07:12.328)
Like even the most incredible things, when they're normalized, right, we don't value it as much. And so in your business, have you ever had a time where you were just kind of doing to get a specific outcome or have you found a way to be consistently

you know, deepen your heart, deepen your purpose with what you're creating.

Joanna Murphy (07:47.454)
I mean, I feel like that's probably going to be a lifelong evolution of like really going, you know, like every time you think you get there, you realize how many more layers there are underneath that, you know? So I think for me, there's been, I think kind of like a few phases to that. has been learning, like when I first transitioned out of competitive running and into entrepreneurship.

that's, let's say the first layer of that was learning to really embrace the process. And that was something I feel like I had really fell away from with running and with competing. And when I moved into entrepreneurship, I was more of a solopreneur. So it was kind of just on my own.

And I really loved recruiting. sounds, I feel like it sounds weird because no one like is like, I want to be a recruiter when I grew up, you know, but, I do feel like I fell into recruiting and I was like, I wouldn't be willing to do this for free. Please don't tell that to my clients, but, but I truly would spend my free time doing

And I was, and I remember distinctly when I first started doing that, I was like, okay, Joanna, you can never forget this moment because this is the reason why you will be successful. Like you are willing to do this for free and you have fun and you love doing it. That's why you're going to be successful. Never lose this piece.

And I can't say that I did that perfectly, but I do think, I do think that was a core part of my success and my growth as I grew into my recruiting business. At some point, you know, around, I think around the time I started working with you.

Joanna Murphy (09:35.778)
there was definitely a yearning in me to go deeper, both with business, but also I'm going to just say with like the richness of life, with like what you're experiencing, whether it's in business or elsewhere. And I think that really brought me into the creative expression. So that's when I started writing again, I started singing, I started doing a lot of things outside of work.

And, know, interesting. mean, we had talked about this a lot within the group in the container that, that was, I was in is the more that you do that, the more you experience abundance in your business as well. Right. but ultimately what that was bringing was like a richer way of experiencing and engaging with life. and you end up carrying that into your business and you're more vibrant and more yourself when you show up in business as well. It was definitely.

sorry, I do. Go

Makhosi (10:30.974)
No, keep going. I'm just, I'm just agreeing. Cause for sure. I'm just reflecting on your journey. Also, also just seeing the state of the world and the number of leaders, visionaries, seekers as well, who are kind of feeling like this.

Makhosi (11:00.522)
just lack of fulfillment. And part of it that I've noticed is that we compartmentalize so much and we kind of castrate ourselves from our own soul, where we separate ourselves from the things that give us life, right? Because, if I'm writing, but I'm not getting paid to write, is writing valuable?

It is valuable. And actually, when you give yourself permission to express in that way, time and time again, I've seen it where that energy flows over into other areas, right? Like all of a sudden your dating life is taking off

It's like, the root was that I gave myself permission to write or like, my business starts to grow because I give myself permission to work through my emotions by singing. That's one of my outlets. And I think this happens because we've been taught from a young age that we need to be quote unquote productive.

and that productive means everything that we do has to either be for survival or to make money for survival. Right? It's like if it's not just about your survival, then it's not worth doing. But what that does is it keeps us in just like an animalistic state.

where we aren't really able to be fully human. And so we don't have fulfillment, essentially.

Joanna Murphy (12:49.41)
I think it's interesting to, especially for those of us in, a business that is human facing, you know, because I think the more fully you step into that, the more authentic you are, the more, comfortable really you are in your own skin.

the more you can create deeper connections with the people that you work with. And I do feel like I really saw that as I went through that evolution, I really saw an evolution in the clients that I worked with, both the companies that were hiring, as well as the candidates that I was supporting who were going through the interview process at those companies. And just having a deeper connection and a deeper relationship with those people that allows you

to be more than just the person that gets them the job or the person that helps them find the hire, you develop a deeper relationship. And I think that also adds to a depth of enjoyment and a depth of purpose, or should say a depth of connection to your purpose with what you're doing as well. And I think you're right. We're so focused on productivity instead of being focused really on the quality of what we're doing.

Makhosi (14:06.036)
Yeah, it's a curious thing that sometimes when we take our focus off of how can I just be more productive or do more that.

we end up doing more and being more productive, right? It's like the less you focus on it and you allow space for other things that you actually end up becoming more efficient and more productive. It's a very interesting paradox. I'm curious for you, someone asked me this last week inside of Synergy actually, they asked, how do you know when you're being authentic? So I'm to ask you that. Like, how do you know when you are

your authentic self.

Joanna Murphy (14:54.678)
I mean, there's so many different ways to answer that. think,

Joanna Murphy (15:00.876)
I think for me, there's just an ease that comes in. Like you're not, you're not trying to do anything. just are. I, you know, I think to, to create a metaphor or to liken it to something else. you know, I think when you go do anything physical, whether it's running or any other sport that you might do. When you.

When you try to force yourself into it, there's a tension that is present and, even a simple activity or a simple drill or simple exercise will feel hard and will feel like there's all this resistance and it's really hard to like get into the flow. But if it's something you truly love and it's something that you've developed a relationship with, when you go to do that, there's an ease and a flow in your body so that when you do it, you're fluid.

And I think being authentic is being like

Makhosi (15:58.558)
Yeah, the way that I explained it to her was

the separation of being able to recognize internal resistance versus like an external resistance. So because sometimes also it's difficult to tell like is something for me or is something aligned with me if I'm experiencing blockages or like challenges or doors seem to be closing, right? Does that mean that that thing is not for me? And one of the practices I think is so important is starting to

differentiate, tell the difference between like, is this my internal resistance to this experience, to this training, to this, you know, to this coaching that I'm doing and so on and so forth, or is it an external resistance? And what I find is that

So many things. So much of what keeps us out of alignment is the internal resistance, right? Because when we're aligned, you do tend to find that the external resistance either dissolves or you just don't care as much about things not coming through because you're in flow, right? If you're not in flow though,

then you really care a lot every time a client says no, right? Or every time a dumpster fire happens on your team, you take it personally, right? Because there's that internal resistance. You mentioned that you started to notice a change in just like the quality of the connection that you were having between the companies and the clients that you're working with.

Makhosi (17:52.702)
Was there an intentional like coming out that you had with certain characteristics or traits of yourself? Or did you just find that it was just this completely organic transition that happened?

Joanna Murphy (18:13.868)
I guess, I mean, I think there's a little bit of both. you know, I'm, I'm introverted. So I can't like being, sometimes takes me a while to like really be out there, you know, and be comfortable in that. can't say that it's necessarily like, I guess like something that comes naturally to me.

I would say that my tendency is to kind of open up slowly over time. So I do think that there was an element of, as I became more comfortable with myself, as I gave power, presence, attention to aspects of myself that were not productive, there, I think there naturally was this coming out that happened.

And really what it was, was I started inhabiting myself more fully and expressing from that place rather than kind of being more, let's say more one dimensional or something like that. And then doing that in all aspects of my life, including recruiting and what I was doing for work. So I think the way that I showed up was very different as well.

Makhosi (19:32.468)
What role did boundaries play in that as well? Like, I notice especially for female entrepreneurs, conversations around boundaries, around taking clients who might not be the best match or show up in certain ways that is problematic.

What's been your relationship with having boundaries? Has there ever been a challenge for you in your business?

Joanna Murphy (20:10.243)
I would say my tendency before was to maybe avoid or hide when there was something that I felt like was not aligned or I didn't want to do or maybe someone I didn't want to work with. And I do think one big shift was shifting into more informing. I'm also a manifesto in human design, learning that and learning

how to optimize my design was also something I was going through at that time. And so shifting into informing how I could help someone, what's the best way to work with me and what's the best way for me to impact them and their team and their business. I think that...

took care of a lot of things in terms of like things that might be unaligned. you know, I do think the, the second part of that, that, you have to become comfortable with is, is what you said earlier, which is just like accepting and being okay when, when someone is ops not to work with you or,

you know, maybe you don't win the business or something like that and trust that it wasn't the aligned opportunity. but I would say I maybe like the boundaries thing I think came more through informing and being really clear in my communication about the way that I was going to work and the way that I was going to help someone and the way that I expected them to work with me.

versus kind of like, think when we, sometimes when we think of boundaries, we kind of think of like cutting things out or like having this really firm stance on something. yeah, I found for me, it was, it was much more effective to just inform.

Makhosi (22:05.598)
Yeah, I mean, it's just like setting the expectations. think also as women, we have a lot of fear around being rejected if we set expectations or we set standards for how things are going to go. But one thing that I've seen and experienced just as a leader in general.

People in specific spaces actually desire to have expectations or standards set for them because it gives them a sense of safety of like, okay, these are the edges of this container, right? This is the line that I should not cross instead of, know, many of us as women, this is not a popular thing to say, but as women,

We don't always let people know that there's a line, right? So then they cross it, we get upset, but we never let them know that there was a line to begin with, right? And I just find that the more that we feel comfortable in having, this is how it's gonna go. This is how you can get the best of me. This is how I'm gonna show up. That people

respond really well to that in general and if they don't, anytime that someone did not respond well to it, I avoided an absolute shitshow. Right? Because then I got a little bit of a shitshow from from setting the expectations, right? But at least it didn't go on forever and like be dragged

and show up in lots and lots of different ways.

Makhosi (23:59.912)
You mentioned that, and for some reason I end up attracting a lot of manifestors in human design. And I personally love women who are manifestors. I love that work of coming back into your power because I personally feel like women who are manifestors are kind of like the most maligned.

type of woman because you are designed to go first, to inform. There's also sometimes a little bit of fiery energy or it can feel for some people repelling or closed off. I don't get that at all from manifestors, but a lot of people have that perception.

You mentioned that informing really made all the difference. People ask me all the time, like, what even is informing? So how do you... Yeah, how do you even inform people? Like, what is that?

Joanna Murphy (24:57.193)
Hahaha!

That's a good question. I don't know.

Joanna Murphy (25:12.014)
So my very best friend and is also my business partner, Andrea. She's a generator, which side note, I do feel like the generators are the golden retrievers of human sign. But she is someone who will just narrate every single thing. Whatever is happening in her head, you're going to hear it.

I feel like really honestly I've learned informing from listening to her inner dialogue being externalized.

Makhosi (25:45.276)
That's such a good, like, the absolute perfect way to put it, externalizing your inner dialogue. It's just like opening your mouth to tell people what is going on before it's going on, not after. Like, this is why I did XYZ.

Joanna Murphy (25:54.166)
Yes.

Joanna Murphy (26:08.806)
And I think, I do think there's, you know, that can be adapted for different audiences. Let's say, I think when it comes to client work, especially, you know, my work is in a more traditional business setting. So, I'm not going to go to my prospective clients and tell them I'm a manifestor and I'm going to inform everything. I'm just going to give them the framework that has worked and let them know.

the how it's how our working relationship is going to work. Right. And the first time I opened my mouth to talk about that, I did not do it with the client. I did it with Andrea. Right. And then I kind of refined what would make the most sense. What's going to be the best information that, that they, they will hear that that will make sense to them. That will be helpful for them. so I do think.

Sometimes you have to use some discernment with informing and know what's the right audience to truly just let your inner monologue be heard to versus when to take that inner monologue and distill it down into the helpful information and the concise directives that you might want to hand off, for example, to a client.

Makhosi (27:28.734)
Yeah, it's so, so there's two things automatically popping to my mind. Number one.

Even though we're talking about you being a manifestor, this is one of the reasons why I haven't come out as like a human design expert, even though I use human design and Gene Keys, I've taught programs specifically on it. I have certifications and a gazillion years under my belt in it. Part of the reason why I haven't done that is I feel like so much of it is just

Good self mastery for everybody.

Joanna Murphy (28:04.502)
I feel like there's common sense. Right.

Makhosi (28:09.392)
even if you're not a manifester. It's good sometimes to let people know what they can expect and what you're gonna be doing, right? Not necessarily because you're asking for permission, but just giving people a heads up. And even though I'm a manifesting generator, some people have had a school of thought

If you have certain channels, you are more manifest than generator, and I would fall into that category. What I found is that, well, number one, I'm just weird. So when you're just a weird person and things you do are out of the box or out of the ordinary, one of the things that I've

been really intentionally focused on shifting in how I lead and how I create content and specifically how I work with clients is recognizing that I have a unique perspective and that when I just do things and I don't let anybody know why I'm doing it or what I'm doing and then they just see me do it, they're like, there's just confusion,

It just creates confusion. So sometimes just letting people know where that's coming from, what your thinking process is. And again, this is not to say that with every single client, you need to give them the whole rundown of why you show up to meetings on time, for example.

Joanna Murphy (29:51.648)
I'm sorry.

Makhosi (29:55.218)
In certain instances, especially if you're a visionary, right? I feel like this, if you are a leader, if you're a visionary, if you have team or clients or anyone who is following your direction, I do think that there's just so much value in informing people, even if you're not a manifestor in human design. Like, I think it's just common sense.

Joanna Murphy (30:18.39)
And also, I would like to add that a manifestor's love language is everyone else informing for them.

Makhosi (30:26.484)
Like, yes, please, let me know. What are we doing here? Right? This is like, my gosh. Also, we have an environment of assumption sometimes too. Like, we just think that everyone is thinking the same things.

that's in our head. So we just assume that they understand or that they get it, right? And we're all having different experiences, guys. So no, that's not how it works. The other piece as well that pops up as you're talking about, about this concept of informing is...

Joanna Murphy (30:57.15)
you

Makhosi (31:16.2)
In the way that you said, you know, your love language is other people informing you. I think that there's so much value in understanding how to. Essentially, how to teach other people how to treat you or how to get the best out of you. And what specifically is coming to mind, because you mentioned your partner, business partner. My business has really evolved in bringing on a right hand and then teaching her.

how to give me material to respond to. Because in every other company that she worked in up until this point, she would just show up, they would give her direction, right? And then she would just run off and do it, where I need like brainstorming type energy. And so I'm like, I need you to bring questions.

And those questions will allow for me to give you answers that are what you need. Because I don't really know what you need. I'm like, we're going to launch this thing. This is what it's about. It's going to be this long. Cool, let's go. And then she's like, OK, who's this for?

Joanna Murphy (32:33.102)
You're like, good question!

Makhosi (32:42.688)
So I do think too, just in general in business, but also just in relationships in general, any relationships, being really mindful of how you go about helping people to understand you and to know how to treat you and to know like what really matters to you and.

what you see as valuable and also vice versa. So with your business partner, I'm super curious, like how have you used the information of human design to better understand your business partner and the two of you work together better?

Joanna Murphy (33:28.974)
Well, I highly recommend having a generator as a business partner. Um, not only are they unlimited battery powered golden receivers, but the Seagull is like such a nice tool. Like when I'm like, I have so many ideas. I, can let's just, well, you take 10 deep breaths and then I'm just going to say random things to you and you tell me what your gut response is.

This might be the most effective way to make a decision. Especially since we're both ideas people so sometimes we can get very much caught in the all the possibilities and all the new shiny new things. So definitely sometimes I will I will admit that I will use her single response for that.

Makhosi (34:17.896)
I it's so good. As someone with a sacral response, it is very cool. It is really cool. I'm really curious about change. This

Makhosi (34:37.994)
three to four years, specifically after the pandemonium, a lot has changed really fast and it's not over. It's still changing at an incredibly fast pace.

Joanna Murphy (34:43.915)
You

Joanna Murphy (34:52.775)
And it's still changing. We have not gone off the ride.

Makhosi (35:01.448)
Right? In every industry, in the way that everyone sees the world, like in the way that we care about, like everything is shifting. How have you been navigating the shifts that have been impacting your industry, your business, all of that? I'm curious.

Joanna Murphy (35:01.634)
Yes.

Joanna Murphy (35:27.922)
well at times it has definitely felt like we are floating on a raft in very deep rapids without an oar. So, I don't know navigating is the right word, but we are still afloat. it has been a really interesting time. And I think a lot of those shifts have, have really hit

Makhosi (35:41.3)
Railing about.

Joanna Murphy (35:55.556)
like the, you the talent, markets that we work in specifically with, with talent and the way that work is happening, the way that employers are thinking about work, the way that employees are thinking about work. There's so many, I feel like there's so many things in, that, in that arena. I think, you know, it's, it's definitely been a volatile time, especially the last two years, I would say especially have been very volatile.

And I think it's really easy to get caught up in the volatility and the chaos and the change and all the things. I think those are all distractions. If I'm going to be completely honest. and frankly, everyone is complaining about the exact same things before the pandemic. they were complaining about them when I first started recruiting. I have never been in a time when people weren't complaining about them. So, I think the,

Bottom line here is that it's just life. And I think for us, certainly on the business side, we've had to really navigate some unprecedented times, at least for us. What we keep coming back to again and again is how can we be of the highest service? And I think...

I think there's a business reason for that, but more importantly, you know, I think like what we've been talking about this whole time is really like the connection you have to what you're doing and the connection you have to your experience of what you're doing. And for me, I feel my best when I know that I'm making a positive impact in other people's lives. And that might look different now than it does five, 10 years from now.

It certainly looks different now than it did five years ago. But every time we're kind of at a turning point of what's happening, like things are different. We're not sure what's going on externally. I think the question is always, are we still adding the most value? Is there an opportunity to add more value? And is there an opportunity to serve in a bigger way?

Makhosi (38:14.912)
So speaking of that bigger way, as an ideas person, and I don't want you to put ideas in your business partner's mouth, but I'm sure that the two of you all have been having conversations around the future. And the future not just for you as an individual or as individuals, but...

Ultimately, like the impact that you are creating in your industry, the ripple effect that that has. What is the change that you want to see, that you want to contribute to? Like what

Makhosi (39:00.82)
What is the hill that you are willing to stand on going forward in the future?

Joanna Murphy (39:10.35)
So I feel like I don't feel like I'm going to change the way that work happens. know, companies are going to decide for themselves whether they're in office, whether they're remote, whatever. And employees are going to decide for themselves what types of jobs they want and if they even want a job. But what I can impact is the way that two parties connect and two parties relate to each other.

and that, that being employers who are hiring and people, the people that they are hiring. And I think from the very beginning, I've been really passionate about being a liaison, being a guide, being a consultant for helping both parties navigate that time in a way that is, respectful is empowering and feels positive for both people.

I think it's a really vulnerable time for anyone seeking a job. And I think we're also as a society kind of conditioned to think that the person going through the interview process is sort of in a position of less power, if you will, of like being interviewed and, you know, having to like prove themselves in order to get this thing. And I just think ultimately the,

The thing that matters most is that you have two humans, learning to have a relationship with each other. And you know, if everything goes really well and both people will have a positive experience, then they're going to end up working together. Right. So they're also going to need to at least be able to have a working relationship. so I think the thing that I'm really passionate about is creating tools and processes, that facilitate a positive relationship and help.

two people and sometimes it's more than two people be able to navigate, start that relationship and navigate that relationship in a way that's empowering, authentic and positive. There's a lot, I think there's a lot that goes into that. I also think that for many people work is the vehicle of their self growth and, and it is the thing that propels them into deeper relationship with themselves. So I think the more that we can create,

Joanna Murphy (41:36.274)
intention and reverence around this process. I think the more opportunity there is to help other people transfer that into other areas of their life.

Makhosi (41:49.77)
So true. You know, we for hundreds of years have thought of work as like the thing that you have to do to get by, right? It's like, even when we use the word work, there's automatically for most people, a negative connotation, attention that starts to rise up in your body.

of resistance to it because we have seen it as like I have to do this to get money to get by, right? Instead of seeing work as a creative process, as a vehicle for purpose and personal evolution and growth, part of why I've loved working with

entrepreneurs and high achievers is because you know once you've gotten to a certain level of success where like your basic needs are met that's when you really do start to have the awareness of this is not like this can't only be about the money because like I have money right and I know that I can get money

at any time really like I can find something to do so I need to have like a deeper experience a more meaningful experience and I love that you are really focused on supporting people in in just expanding some of their perceptions the other thing that I hear you saying that you didn't say but that I hear you saying is that you recognized your

limits and that out of recognizing certain limits, the limitless impact that you can make can come out of that. I've been playing with this concept of that limitation creates freedom, which seems very paradoxical. But I found the more perceived limitation that

Makhosi (44:06.618)
have either by putting on myself or that is just like real life but I'm able to accept it then I'm able to create more like create even beyond the limitation right so for example I am homeschooling now I've been homeschooling for the last year and I will be homeschooling for the foreseeable future which means I have even less time

to invest in the business, right? So then I have to be even more mindful of like, okay, I don't have 55 hours a week to invest in my calling. But what's interesting is so much of our limitations are just perception, because there are things that we can do. I think back to when I was like in my early 20s, and I swear I was so busy.

Makhosi (45:07.84)
I I thought that I was so busy and now I look back on that time I'm like, man, what was I doing with like all of that free time? I don't even know where it was going. That was even, this is how old I am. This was before you had cell phones with like social media on them. Right? So I wasn't scrolling TikTok back then, but still I found a way to fill the hole. So.

Joanna Murphy (45:15.131)
Yeah.

Makhosi (45:36.946)
Yeah, I think it's funny because we can get really gung -ho about wanting to change everything. And sometimes when we have too much freedom or too much spaciousness and don't recognize where we do have limitations, that actually ends up restricting us.

more than if we actually just accept like, hey, I'm not going to be able to control how these corporations hire. And I'm not going to be able to control what individual employees desire and value. I can't make somebody want more money when they want more time. But this is what I can have some power in. And let me put my focus on what I do have. Some say.

Joanna Murphy (46:34.828)
Definitely. I think a lot of the clients I work with are in the tech space. So I work with and talk to a lot of tech founders. can you hear

Makhosi (46:35.676)
inside. So I think that's fantastic. Before we hop off, is there anything

Makhosi (46:48.436)
Yeah, I can hear you. It froze for a second, but go ahead.

Joanna Murphy (46:51.263)
I was just saying, so a lot of my clients are in the tech space. So I work with a lot of tech startups and tech companies and therefore, you know, founders and executives within those companies. And I think every founder I've ever talked to is never like, I want to completely change.

the way that people communicate, right? Like they're like, I want to, I want to create a positive conversation in this way with this app or with this product. and I think, and I think the, you you asked like, what's the Hill you're willing to die on. I think you see that a lot as well, right? Like the Hill that they're willing to die

is the impact that that product has on their end customer. And they're very connected to the experience that end customer is having. mean, and I really think, I think no matter what industry you're in, no matter what product or service it is, it all comes back to what's the relationship that you're creating with whatever it is you're doing or offering and that person.

It's always going to come back to that person. that's like what you're seeing in my mind is like, it's the micro and macro at the same time.

Makhosi (48:12.714)
Well said. As we are wrapping up, is there any thread that you feel called to pull through or any last thing that you feel is really important to share from our conversation today?

Joanna Murphy (48:33.708)
covered a lot of topics today. Yeah, I feel like, guess I feel like the common thread is really this, this, this connection you have to, to yourself that is ultimately what spills out into the connection you have to what you're doing.

Makhosi (48:35.742)
I know, they were all over the place, but there was some juicy stuff in there.

Makhosi (48:56.128)
Yeah, yeah. The impact that we make, the reality that we experience, all comes from within, even if we're not aware of it. I saw someone who asked, please explain, you know, how do you match the frequency of blank? And how are people manifesting certain things or?

you know, creating certain realities without knowing anything about manifestation or about energetics. And ultimately it boils down to this. Like you can either just be creating unconsciously and who you're being, even if it's a hot mess, is filtering

into the reality that you're experiencing or you can gain greater levels of awareness and consciously take the reins and that can have a profound impact on what you are experiencing and ultimately the depth of which because it's not just about

the thing. It's also about your experience having the thing or the experience creating the thing. Really being full of yourself, full of life, right? Which is so good. I know that you're an introvert, but is there any place that people can follow you to get more insight about who you are and get connected to what you're creating in the world?

Joanna Murphy (50:42.796)
Yeah, I think probably the best way to find what I'm creating is on Instagram at JOD Murphy. That's where I share my poetry and a lot of the insight in my life. I live a very nature oriented life. So there's a lot of nature in there as well. And my poetry is very nature inspired. Business wise, I'm really only on LinkedIn.

Our agency is called 180 Collective, 180co .com, and we work primarily with small and medium -sized businesses in the tech and manufacturing space. And I think those are probably the two best ways to find me on the interwebs.

Makhosi (51:27.992)
Fabulous. Well, thank you again so much for taking some time to chat with me. I know that this conversation is going to be so inspirational for other leaders, other entrepreneurs to really come back to what really matters and allow themselves permission to let that

into all aspects of their life. Because ultimately we are here to become, we are here to evolve, we are here for growth and our relationships, whether it's with our business or with our partner or with clients, all of those relationships are the playgrounds on which that gets to happen.

Thank you for joining us and for everyone listening, I'll catch you next time.

Joanna Murphy (52:25.23)
Thanks, Mikosia, it was great.