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Rosemary Ravinal 00:00
In front of me, Achim, where 1000s of women. 1000s of women eagerly awaiting what I had to say. It was an extraordinary moment, I was absolutely speechless. But we had a PR agency and I remember being being prompted with the elbow, just say something, say something. And I started speaking, I don’t know what I said. I don’t know if I recited a corporate messaging about why you need to get out there and you know, and and be healthy. But I know that they cheered. And they clapped. And they said, It was such an immense wave of support and love that my voice was actually provoking that reaction in them. It was a moment when I said darn, this is this a pretty good gig. I like this.
Achim Nowak 00:54
Hey, this is Achim Nowak, executive coach and host of the my fourth act podcast. If life is a five act play, how will you spend your for that? I have conversations with exceptional humans, who have created bold and unexpected four facts, listen, and to be inspired. And please rate us and subscribe on whatever platform you’re listening on. Let’s get started. Welcome Rosemary Ravinal. Rosemary is a seasoned public relations Pro. She brings more than three decades of experience as a communications expert at the highest levels of the US mainstream Hispanic and Latin American markets. Rosemary was an on air talent with msnbc. And as the past president of the Hispanic public relations Association. She most recently served as the VP of public relations for tvzion before starting her own communications training firm, simply called Rosemary rabanal. Rosemary started this firm at a time in her life when many other people choose to retire. And that’s a conversation I very much want to have with you. Welcome, rosemary. Thank you, him. I’m honored to be here. I’m honored to have you. I like to start every conversation with a question where we go back to childhood because our our dreams and aspirations as children. Sometimes they’re like a flight of fancy and sometimes they come true. So when you go back to younger rosemary, did you have a role model? Did you know who you want it to be when you grew up?
Rosemary Ravinal 02:47
Oh, I wish I had a quick answer. Again, because I grew up as a very lonely little girl in a traumatic series of changes, which I’m sure we’ll talk a little bit about my being in exile from Cuba when I was eight years old, but the circumstances surrounding that really shaped me. So I really didn’t, because I didn’t grow up in my native culture long enough to establish those role models. I grew up in a mostly Anglo that is non Hispanic environment. And, and so I gravitated to those role models that were part of maybe the circle of small circle of young friends I had, and some of my teachers and I’ll tell you that I learned English from Nancy Drew books, the Nancy Drew. Yes. And if I were to say, looking back at my life, when I was 1012 years old, I really wanted to be a sleuth, a problem solver. A is a multi talented thinker who just found those clues and those hidden treasures that just helped make everybody’s lives better. And that was such a powerful example. And I wanted to be a Nancy Drew. And you know, much later in life, he and I found out in looking back at well, who actually was the author of of the national, and that in fact, there were all these ghost writers and they were paid a pittance. But that women as prominent as Hillary Clinton and Sonia Sotomayor have the same association with the nasty rogue character, so I feel that I wasn’t really on a bad track back then. And it’s it’s interesting because that was how I learned English. And at the same time, I became really identified with this character.
Achim Nowak 04:57
Word from your sponsor. That’s me. I invite you to go to the website associated with this podcast www.my fourth active.com, you will find other equally inspiring conversation with great humans. And you will also learn more about the my fourth act mastermind groups where cool people figure out how to chart their own for tax. Please check it out. And now back to the conversation. And as he described the qualities of Nancy Drew, and I have to confess to our listeners, I know you socially Rosemary’s, so you’re not a stranger. I immediately thought, well, that actually describes the rosemary Ravenel I now, not a literal sleuth, but the qualities of how you serve people, which is kind of cool. Since you alluded to two coming from Cuba as a as a young girl, you know, and I have a similar bicultural background as a German boy who left Germany when he was six years old, who grew up in Portugal and other countries. Because you’re in the business now of help helping your clients have, I’d say, the most amplified personal voice they can have. How did you, as a young girl, figure out how to have Rosemary’s voice? Was that possible? I heard about assimilating into Anglo culture. What do you remember from just that journey coming from one place to another and fitting in? Sure.
Rosemary Ravinal 06:42
It’s interesting, because public speaking has been with me all my life, although speaking was extraordinarily difficult for me when I was a child. I spent several years in Catholic boarding school. And the the nuns were very sure say, very disciplinary and and rather heavy handed. And so I grew up in fear of these authority figures. And I was the only child who did not speak English. And this lasted for quite some time. It was my first time away from home, I developed really tremendous emotional problems. I was never diagnosed until I was in my 20s that I developed release a severe trauma that led to depression, but the it manifested mostly in stuttering and stammering I developed a terrible stammer in Spanish. And then when I started to speak English, it was a struggle to speak it without stammering I didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of my friends. We’re talking elementary school. But I remember, clearly, I must have been 10 years old, and I was in the light at the boarding school, waiting in line to go into the cafeteria. And I told a joke, told a joke in English. And the girls around me laughed. It was such a moment of sunshine, it was as if the sky is it opened and and these these these these that you know that there was this heaven that just awaited Ah, they understood me. And they laughed. What a marvelous thing. And it was such a seminal moment that when I think back, I savor it, and I say, well, maybe that was really premonitions sort of a calling, I would become a public communicator and public speaker.
Achim Nowak 08:40
And you remind me of how how powerful the use of language is and can be and how they can accelerate our careers. And if we don’t use it, well, it can also be a blocker. You know, you’ve had this very illustrious career for over three decades with major companies and, and you’re much too modest to name drop someone to do it for you. So some of your clients are the HBO, Latin America, the Latin Grammys, Goya, Sony Ericsson, Revlon, Toyota, and this is just the beginning of the list. So the list is endless. And you’ve done very cool work in the public relations space for brands that we all now. I know that when we peel back and look what happens behind the scenes, there probably were moments when you go Gosh, I just love doing this. This is why I’m doing it or probably also moments of complete insanity where you went, why the heck Could you just give us a glimpse because I want to get us to what you’re doing today. But this is the framework that got you to where you are today. So what are some moments that stand out?
Rosemary Ravinal 10:01
I actually wanted to be a broadcast journalist. That’s what I studied. But public relations called because it was a great way to make money. While I’m talking early 1980s. In New York City, I wanted in the worst way to be independent, have my own department, you know, be be self sustaining and sort of get into a very sexy career track and journalism didn’t pay as much public relations did. So I was lowered over to the other side, as people in journalism would say, and you sold out, I sold out this Yes, shamelessly. And it was a it was good for a long time, I worked at an ad agency, that was my first job. And then I went to a publishing house. And then I went to Avon, the cosmetic company, that cosmetic giant, sure. And at the time, I mean, they were really the, you know, the top of the mountain in terms of a global company, extraordinarily successful. 100 years legacy. And I went to work on 57th Street and off of Fifth Avenue in New York, he was he was he was a dream come true was I had an office that had a view of Central Park imagine. And I couldn’t believe it, I was hired to be the manager of public relations for Latin America, I was their ambassador, playing off of the of my cultural and linguistic abilities. I never knew when I was in college, that my language, my fluency in Spanish would serve me so well. And I took the job. And when I realized that this was just an extraordinarily powerful job was when I was sent to Latin America to do a tour on behalf of something that was totally new, which was Avon women’s running at the time, Avon through kathrine Switzer, the first woman to actually compete in the Boston Marathon, they were looking to establish full fitness, wellness, beauty within and without external and internal beauty for women, obviously, that was a program that Avon was pioneering. And so I was sent as, as an ambassador to these countries to start the program and to just go creating buzz and to basically talk it up so that there would be great interest in participation in coming out to the running events. So I find myself in Sao Paulo, Brazil, I don’t speak Portuguese, but I speak for two in your little mix of both. And I’m brought onto a stage to actually deliver sort of the words of encouragement and also the corporate rationale for why you should go out there and compete and, and, and, and be this full expression of who you are, and, and do something that culturally at the time wasn’t really accepted. I mean, it was taboo for women to be out there sweating, you know, and running on the streets. And so they were really going against the grain. So I get up on the the, the the stage of sorts in a huge Park. And I was awestruck, because in front of me, a him were 1000s of women. 1000s of women eagerly awaiting what I had to say. It was an extraordinary moment, I was absolutely speechless. But we had a PR agency. And I remember being being prodded to sort of elbow, just say something, say something. And I started speaking, I don’t know what I said. I don’t know if I ever sided the corporate messaging about why you need to get out there, and you know, and be healthy. But I know that they cheered, and they clapped. And they said it was such an immense wave of support and love that my voice was actually provoking that reaction in them. It was a moment when I said darn this, is this a pretty good gig. I like this.
Achim Nowak 14:17
I would love to connect this experience, which is sounds extraordinary to me with what you just said a little earlier, which is that behind the scenes you were looking to overcome some inner trauma that we’re you’re perhaps prone to depression. Yes. So how do you reconcile that, you know, you’re in this public role, but there are there’s some stuff going on inside of you. Can you give us a glimpse of how you how you worked with that, how you danced with that, how you overcame it, and maybe you didn’t overcome it, just just where are you with that?
Rosemary Ravinal 14:58
Yes. I didn’t realize what depression was, until, really I was in my, in my 20s. I didn’t know that there was a word for it. No one had ever brought it up. But I grew up in a in a household where my grandmother, who had really severe psychological imbalance, extremely bipolar, but again, back then, and in my grandmother’s generation, the idea of mental illness was, was taboo, particularly in coming from Cuba, in Latin America, in many countries, still, the topic is taboo. And she was she was very abusive, she was, it really shaped this tremendously diminished sense of myself. That took me a long time to overcome. So I withdrew inside However, this other persona, this this, this extreme, introvert found, I found salvation in taking on a public role in being the conduit for someone else to play, I guess, not not that different from taking a part in a stage play. So I was a puppet I was a an actor, and actor in someone else’s play. And that gave me a lot of comfort, because it made me feel powerful, purposeful. I was getting really good, good feedback and compliments. I was being applauded for the way I was doing it. And I found that I was really comfortable playing that role, where I wasn’t comfortable was playing the role of me. And so it I became highly immersed in my career, so much so that I started to forget myself. But but the but the comfort, I remember, by working very hard, and traveling and doing all these public events, and pushing myself through stammering to deliver those words, and to hold the press conference and do and to prepare other executives for their public speaking and their messaging, that gave me tremendous satisfaction.
Achim Nowak 17:11
And you’re describing, since I used to be an acting coach, that the classic experience that actors have, which is you live this extravagant life on a movie set or on a stage, and when you go home after the performance or when the lights are off, you know, you have to deal with yourself on your own life, which often isn’t nearly as exciting. And, and if I may ask the follow up on it, because I really understand how empowering it can be to be in a, in a public role that we inhabit well, but feelings have made perhaps low self esteem or depression. That’s almost like a temporary band aid, but it doesn’t totally take care of it. Have you done any other exploration to to move away from moments of depression? Is that possible? How over decades, have you used the term danced with that?
Rosemary Ravinal 18:15
Oh, well, the dance is, is a long one. And it is really a, an easy one. And it depends on whether you want to go the route of clinical psychiatry, whether you want to go the route of medication, whether you need that, who do you listen to, in truth, I did years and years and years of therapy. But it always brought me back to the same starting point. It was just a band aid, it was just a way of dealing with the symptoms, not the underlying cause. And where I found that turning point, that that that door that opened was when I discovered my inner life, my spiritual center when I started to identify with the God within with with my innate powers that connect me with the universe. Maybe I’m getting a little woowoo on you. But I think you understand it was just taking a different it was a different paradigm. It was not that there was something wrong with me, just that I hadn’t connected to my source. And I had drifted away from myself. And it was when I started to see it from that perspective that I said, Hmm, I’ve been missing out on this all these years. I’ve been medicated. I’ve gone to weekly or bi weekly bi weekly therapy sessions. And it seemed like at least I was on that treadmill. But it really I don’t feel any better. I feel the same. It’s just making believe that this is really helping. At least I have some coping skills certainly, but it really didn’t. Take care of the underlying pain.
Achim Nowak 20:04
Well, you know, you can go woo woo with me. You use the phrase I sort of connected with a God within or I found the God within. I’m sure that many of our listeners have had that experience in their own way how we do that is very personal. Can you give me a glimpse of what what that actually looks and feels like for you? Rosemary?
Rosemary Ravinal 20:31
Yes. It’s, it’s, it’s there’s no one particular wisdom school. There are so many wisdom schools, there’s so many wisdom teachers, the the person who actually unlocked the door for me as someone who is no longer with us, Ramgiri Braun, who studied under neem karoli Baba in, in India Master Master Teacher. And he’s the one who said to me, in a in a lecture actually is where I first was exposed to his teachings is that depression comes from looking in the mirror. And, and, and having a different self concept from what you’re seeing in the mirror. So that you are actually dual personalities. And you’re saying, Who is that person? That’s not me. And that, that, that friction is what really brings on depression, at least in my case, that was the total total, sort of, of secret code to unlocking the pain that I was feeling that what the what were the external part of me didn’t match the internal? Yeah, that was such an extraordinarily important lesson for me to learn in that Ben just opened the cascading flow of learning and, and understanding how I could go deeper into that path.
Achim Nowak 21:59
And then the spirit of great fourth acts, I have a sense that if we have a relationship to our God within, we’re going to create a more expensive fourth act, you know, because we’re connected, use the word the source as well, we were connected to the source. And it comes from a different sort of place. I love to talk about how you launched your business. And it’s an audacious thing to do for anybody. But something else that struck me. That’s an extraordinary experience with you. You know, you your last big corporate role was you were a VP of public relations that would ease young. And you got hired into that role when you were already in your 60s. That is highly unusual. And any thoughts on that? Anything around that that you want to share with us? That might be enlightening to other fourth actors who are in their early 60s? And the thinking? Is there another big corporate role for me? Or should I just hang it up? Because they don’t hire somebody old like me?
Rosemary Ravinal 23:11
I don’t get me on that bandwagon. I I believe that it is it an immense disfavor not only to the individuals but to the whole vitality of business to take someone of a certain age and say okay, you go out to pasture you know, we don’t want you anymore your your skills, your your your your decades of knowledge are not no longer valued. That is in a society something we need to break break apart, because there is and you turned me on to chicon Lee’s book. And I very much love the term he uses wisdom. Workers, wisdom workers bring all of that savvy and, and emotional intelligence into the workplace. And the idea of mentoring younger people is to me fascinating. So at 62, I was hired to for a very important very complex role in it at the the world’s largest Spanish language media company. And at the time, I almost couldn’t believe it because they knew my agent, obviously, I knew my age, but they needed they needed my skills, they needed my wisdom to manage a complex set of issues, and a team that was not quite cohesive. They wanted someone to really bring order and to establish a sense of real productivity and purpose to that team to elevate the the public relations function for the entertainment division. And I was delighted with the with the challenge, I thought it was probably you know, having worked at a&e television Discovery Channel, at Telemundo early in my career, you forgot when you did my bio, there’s a whole alphabet of other companies. And it was a thrill. It was like, Okay, let’s let’s, let’s go into this with zest and with excitement, this is going to be a bumpy ride, there’s going to be working limitless hours and a lot of personal investment because it’s, it’s a very personality driven kind of business in terms of, there’s a great deal of bonding that has to take place. And you really need to immerse yourself in that culture. But I loved it. I did it for two years. And it came to the point where I knew it was time to step out, because after a while, it just really saved pay. So why am I doing this? And what am I getting back from this? And okay, so I had my moment. And it was wonderful. And for that I’m very grateful. But I meant to do something more.
Achim Nowak 25:54
It’s a beautiful segue to your new business. I do have a question that’s percolating. Because you and I are exactly the same age born the same year. And I think this is a tougher dance for women than for men. And you you said they hired me at 62. But the pressure often is, yeah, she’s 62. But she doesn’t look that old. You know, I’m saying that whole dance. God forbid you. You look old quotation marks, so that there’s age, the perception of age as all of that stuff. Any thoughts on that? I know you’re passionate about this topic. But any thoughts around you? I love the you, you put a chip Conley, who will be a guest on the podcast in a few weeks. But any perception around that that dance of Well, yes, we’re in our 60s. But we don’t come across that old.
Rosemary Ravinal 26:48
Most people who know me, and those with whom I had the confidence to actually state my age, would say, almost unanimously, but you don’t look your age. You have so much energy. Energy looks like you’re in your early 50s. And this fine, because I don’t feel 66 I don’t feel it. I think that there is to me No. And fortunately, thankfully, I’m very healthy. If your mind your little things, but nothing, nothing. I’ve never had any over whelming health issues. So I’ve got all this energy to give I love working hard. I love pushing the my limits. And it’s it’s more than you know, it’s more than the energy, I believe, again, that’s the Curiosity is engaged. It’s really having a deep interest in learning and exploring and trying this and trying that and not taking anything for granted. Now working with platitudes, not using old formulas to solving problems, really being open minded. And what I found particularly useful in this last role, staff role was inviting other opinions really having a collaborative building a collaborative team, where all opinions were welcomed.
Achim Nowak 28:16
So your business. And I applaud you for when when we look for you just as Rosemary Robin, now, it’s easy to hide behind a brand name. But you are the brand, right, you’re a history of experience, your wisdom is the brand. And it is what I would call an adjacent move in the sense that you are known as a public relations professional. But the service you’re pursuing, which I assume as the service that you want to give because you’re passionate about it is really helping people to pay attention to their presentation skills, the executive presence, how they show up on zoom, which is related to what you did before, but a little bit of a jump. And I have a hunch it took some courage to make that jump. Can you just just walk us through? What was your inner journey around like, do I do this? Am I ready to do this? Can I do this?
Rosemary Ravinal 29:19
Yes. For the for my entire career, I have loved the idea of of public speaking obviously, I spent so much time in speech therapy, that I developed a very, very strong appreciation for the importance of correct speech for not only for the proper use of language but for vocal quality and all the how to use our our vocal tools effectively. And I had the opportunity to do media. In fact, it was when I did media when I did local television early on cable TV radio when I was in college. When that microphone was in front of me, I suddenly found that I could control my stammer because he was, it’s on this is it, there’s no second chance, I have to do it correctly. And it was a wonderful way to, to to soothe my nerves and to help me enunciate better. But to get back to your question, so when I did the public speaking, similarly is when when I had the extraordinary opportunity to be an audio contributor for MSNBC, being alive, being doing live television, where there’s absolutely no second chance to do it, you have to do it perfectly the first time, it was so empowering, I said, Don’t do this. This is this is like I really arrived, it was a real moment of triumph for me. And then from there, I said, I can do anything I’ve done this year, this is probably that that the most high risk engagement I will have. And but all along in my career, I’ve enjoyed helping other people prepare for the stage. Yeah, and I had collected books and articles, all kinds of resources, where I found that there was so much satisfaction in seeing someone improve with my coaching with my guidance, and particularly people whose first language is not English, or vice versa with Spanish. And that always came, I always came back to that as Darren, looking at my bookshelf, I have so many resources, this is something that I think the world needs. And so when I decided to go off on my own, that was my business plan to be the public speaking coach to CEOs working actively in Latin America. Obviously, last year, 2020, the world changed. So I moved my curriculum to the virtual stage, in the sense that I found that people were lacking skills, not only in public speaking, but interacting with the technology. And with this new space that we occupy, in order to come across with authority, right with, with a strong impact and confidence.
Achim Nowak 32:13
I am putting myself in your shoes as somebody who’s started multiple businesses. And I was struck when we started this conversation, you said that, you know, I was a lonely little girl. And it can be pretty lonely to start a business. You know, you’re you’re not part of a collaborative team, necessarily, unless you hire consultants to help you. You know, there are moments when you’re alone in your home, which is usually where we start, we don’t go to an office. How did you handle that inner part of launching a business when you don’t have guaranteed clients? where there may be doubts Where you go? Can I do this? Perhaps? Who am I fooling? I’m too old to do this. Whatever stories can pop in, in the loneliness of launching a business, anything that you want to share with us about that?
Rosemary Ravinal 33:10
It I think about it every day. Go away. Yeah, there is a moment of tiredness when something doesn’t go as I intended. When a prospect says no. Yeah, that’s when I say die. Yes, maybe I should listen to those people who use the R word, which I despise retired. Maybe I should listen, maybe I should just go out to my my backyard and do gardening? No, because a few minutes after I start doing this rumination, the self talk, someone will send me an email or I’ll get a call and someone will want to talk to me about my work, how I can help them. And so it’s really a dance that you know that that happens every day with myself. And it’s the sense of belief that I know I have something special. Yeah. And at the end of the day, you know for well, that it’s there’s many people perhaps who do what I do, but when people hire you or me, they’re hiring you for the full package of attributes. And that trust is based on on that compatibility. And that’s where it starts. So I feel blessed that I have a strong core where I know where my particular unique qualities are and what I provide to clients. But to go back to your question, that voice of doubt, that negative Nelly shows up every day.
Achim Nowak 34:53
Because it takes confidence to launch a business it just does. And doubt is part of it. And my hunch is that your confidence has grown as you’ve been, you’ve been booking some really nice clients. Talk a little bit about, you talked about the phone call that comes that makes you feel good. And there’s a phone call by somebody says no, this is not the right time. How do you do the dance between external approval, external validation or external rejection? and building a portfolio of clients where you go, I must be doing something, right? They do keep hiring me, how, how is your confidence growing as you’re venturing for them this business,
Rosemary Ravinal 35:44
the confidence comes from waking up every day with a new idea. I create a weekly email as I do. And I create a bi weekly blog. And that commitment to myself and to the people who read them and to my clients and to prospects who I know are within that database who received my communications, that I owe them something interesting. I owe them information that will improve their lives, improve their work day, improve their team, building their interactions, will make them feel just a little better than next time they turn on their webcams. So that that keeps me going because I love to create content. I love to learn something every day like yesterday, I learned that holograms may be coming to a co working center near you. What a fabulous idea. And it’s something that is actually slated to happen by fall of 2021. What an interesting concept, how can I work around that? How can I create some learnings that will help people step up to that very strong possibility? And so there’s always something new and I love the exploration of new ideas, and then bringing into my work concepts from other fields and other disciplines. For example, color theory, color psychology, how does the color that you wear color that you use due to stage and style, your background? What does that say about you, and and all these things that I think are really important to this whole mosaic of, of communication, human communication. So that gives me going there’s always something interesting to learn. And I like drawing from those sources and crafting something. So I keep my motor going. And I think that that’s how that’s what’s working for me right now in terms of drawing people into my orbit is people who read my content and think that I have something unique to offer.
Achim Nowak 37:47
Part of this act that we’re in, as you already said earlier, is that we have had the courage to bring all of us to the table. And people hire us not just for the skills but for in your case what I just heard incredible curiosity. urge to drive urge to engage urge to communicate. Based on what you know, now Rosemary if you get a chance to, to whisper in young, Rosemary’s ears and give her some some wisdom, guidance or words of hope, what would you want to say to her.
Rosemary Ravinal 38:36
Just love yourself that nothing changes, nothing will change. Until you will learn to love yourself. And that is something that takes a lifetime to learn. And so many of us never really learn it. And look, I’ve been married three times. And maybe
Achim Nowak 39:03
I don’t know why I laughed, but it made me laugh.
Rosemary Ravinal 39:05
I keep my options open. But except for my first marriage, they gave me a beautiful, extraordinary daughter. Now a woman and a great mother and a great professional. She’s a clinical therapist. And that’s been the biggest gift in my life. However, I know that those relationships didn’t work for me because I wasn’t in touch with who I am. I wasn’t a mother myself. I was playing a role. And it It took a long time and a lot of suffering to get to that conclusion or to that understanding that that’s where everything emanates from. So the sense of self esteem, depression, the stammer all of that really comes from a ache despair for not knowing what what what Bridgestone yourself Standing on your your, your you’re floating and this this, this this this sort of moving terrain you don’t know where you stand. And when you finally find your rock, that’s where the word starts.
Achim Nowak 40:14
And what I heard from you, as you mentioned Ramgiri Braun, who was a teacher who said the things that you needed to hear at the time that opened the door. If you had to give some share some wisdom with with any listener who might be at a similar stage in life, you know, very successful Korea, like you. Curious, still wants to do stuff has an idea that, gosh, maybe I could start my own business. Maybe I don’t have to retire yet. I have a whole other fourth act in me, based on your experience of launching a business a couple years ago now. What words would you would you say to that listener?
Rosemary Ravinal 41:05
Did you never finished? You never finished? You talk about x? I think I came that I am actually, if we were to go numerically, I mean, my first act. This is really the time no forget about all of the achievements that I had as a public relations professional. I’m grateful for those. But that wasn’t me. Yeah, that was I was playing a role for someone else. So this in essence, if we want to start from Act One, this is my first act. This is where I’m doing things for my own delight. And for my own sense of purpose that I am giving of myself in I am being relevant to others in a way that will help them be better people. And that’s very simplistic, but it is simple. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t have to be complicated. But you have to have the courage to make that leap, you know, to be a little bit unmoored right to to go into the unknown, to have a little bit of courage financially, you know, to say, well, in just a fraction what I was making before, but it doesn’t matter what how much do I really need to be comfortable and to really make those those judgments of balance of what’s important. But I would say the most the most important things to know you’re never finished. And that no you’re you’re there’s there’s that as long as you have desire, you can you can start a new, you can rewire, you can reinvent. And it’s just a matter of having the the right attitude, and surrounding yourself with people who support you. I mean, don’t, I don’t I don’t like to honestly, in the end, you’re going to think that this is a little bit just a elitist of me, but I don’t like to hang out with people my age. I don’t like to hang out with, with people who think old, right? who think there are chronological years, I don’t I like to hang out with people who are much younger, you know, to who like to do wild and crazy things, and to like to do or to be adventurous and explore things and to, you know, to do things that are off the beaten path. Those are, that’s where I find my, my greatest inspiration. So surround yourself with people who energize you and who really value you for what you are. And, you know, be and be patient. You know, when you’re rewiring and reinventing. It doesn’t happen overnight. You may be competing with people who’ve been doing this for a very long time. And so you’re the newbie and it’s you know it after so many years of establishing yourself in one line of work to be a newbie is not comfortable, but it’s just accepted you are and sometimes fresh ideas have more of a fertile ground to grow, then people who’ve been doing it for a long time.
Achim Nowak 43:59
And the gift of rosemary Robin now is that you may be a newbie in one space. But that newbie brings 30 some years of expertise in a related field. And that’s the beauty of being if we’re going to quote chip Conley, again, a wisdom worker, even as we do something new, that wisdom is an underpinning that just oozes out of us and hopefully in helpful ways and not hurtful ways. Right. Final question, if you think of your own future, and this presumptuous of me to think that you do is maybe you don’t, or the future of your friendships, the future of the planet, when you hear the word future, what comes to mind for you?
Rosemary Ravinal 44:48
Every day is a treasure and we can’t waste time. Be very aware of how you spend your time and it can be very economical with it. Give certainly give your time to others and giving without remuneration is important volunteer work sir being of service, very important. When I think of the future, I think of my grandchildren, I think Vega and Morrison, you know, age four and seven. And they are the future. And my, my commitment to them is to leave them a better planet, and to be a wisdom teacher, for them to be a role model to be someone who is there with total, unconditional love and support for their, for their highest and best, and to leave the world better than than when they were born. And that’s my pledge to them. And that’s where I see the future. No, whatever I have left, I want to spend living in purpose and enjoy. And in the present moment, you know, with the sense of, of being grounded, and to try to continue to slay those those demons that that still, and maybe will always be present, but to be very aware of my responsibility to others, and I can’t think of a better place to have responsibility than with my family.
Achim Nowak 46:21
Beautiful words to end on. Since you are a treasure trove of both skills and wisdom, and our listeners may go, gosh, how do I find out more find out more about Rosemary revenue, where would you like to send them?
Rosemary Ravinal 46:38
My website is my name, www.rosemaryravinal.com. And that’s I’m going to be putting a lot more content in in the Indus pages, and to just start doing a lot more blogging. And maybe I’ll even venture off into some related areas of self development and exploration. But that’s my website. And of course, use the same handles for my social. And I will hopefully continue to generate great ideas and to be of service to other people. But that’s that’s where you can find me and connect with me there’s a place to, to follow me and to receive my weekly newsletter as well.
Achim Nowak 47:18
And I urge you all to sign up, I receive that that weekly message and rosemary, you’re especially focusing on on being compelling and in a virtual environment, which is important for all of us, and you’re so practical and instantly applied. And I urge you all to sign up and receive those messages. Thank you for this delicious conversation rosemary.
Rosemary Ravinal 47:47
Thank you for this beautiful opportunity. I mean, I love your podcast and I can’t wait for the next one.
Achim Nowak 47:54
Bye for now. Like what you heard, please go to my fourth act COMM And subscribe to receive my updates on upcoming episodes. Please also subscribe to us on the platform of your choice. Rate us give us a review and let us all create some magical fourth acts together. Ciao
Thank you My Fourth Act. This is the first time I came to this platform and feel very inspired by RoseMary interview. I can relate to her experience and made me realize that I am not Alone. “Self love realization is where we find authentic purpose in live. Thank you again-