How can letting go of perfectionism lead to more freedom, joy and alignment in our lives?

I am so excited for today’s guest, Dawn Maynor. She is a wife, a mama, yoga teacher, Reiki master and a Manifesting Life Coach. Her passion is to help others reignite the light within them and find internal peace. Dawn coaches women how to tune into their inner being, prioritize emotions and fill their hearts with praise.

We both come from similar backgrounds, where we spent years stuck in the corporate world. She worked for 10 years at Abercrombie until one day she felt this inner force inside of her, nudging her that she was meant for something bigger, something MORE. 

She thought that because her dad stayed with his job for 33 years, that there was a lot of pride in staying with something and staying committed. After giving birth to her son, and reading the book Awakening in the Now by Eckhart Tolle, Dawn had her own awakening, in a Chipotle bathroom. She went from feeling like she had to be in control of where she needed to be, to feeling at ease of knowing she was okay right where she was. 

Wow. To go from the energy of perfecting and planning things, then all the sudden everything loosens up at the moment she least expected it. I am just inspired by her courage and bravery. 

She talked about discovering the power of yoga shortly after her awakening and how it became such a pivotal tool for her in the years to come as she experienced something no mama could ever imagine…

At 36 weeks with her second child, Brooklyn, and just days before she was supposed to give birth to her, doctors told Dawn her daughter was stillborn. Though it was only for a short time, Dawn believes her daughter was given to her for a reason, as a spiritual teacher, and put her on a path she would’ve never explored imagined without her. 

During all of this, she was continuing to work, but knew something just wasn’t normal. She couldn’t sleep, she had anxiety and depression, on top of the stress of work. She spoke of how after seeing her doctor, she was told to just take medicine because what she was experiencing wasn’t normal and the medication would help. Dawn then said,

This idea of everything has to be perfect can prevent us from taking the action we need to take to create the life we want to live. Remember, anything you want in your life, you need two elements: energy and action. 

“My mouth fell to the floor when she said this is not normal. Because I was like, no, it is freakin’ normal.”

After making the courageous decision to leave the corporate world, Dawn found so much freedom towards healing. She says handing in the keys to her company car led to so much weight being lifted off of her. And she gives credit to her yoga journey for giving her the space and feeling to hear the truth of what needed to happen, what she needed to heal. 

Because mama let me ask you this: do you think that (whatever it is you find yourself passionate about; that brings you joy like yoga did for Dawn) is maybe what allows you to hear the truth bubble up inside that it is time to leave something behind? 

The busyness and the noise of that level of responsibility, a lot of times we don't hear the calls.

Dawn shared more of about her yoga journey, specifically how she finally was able to truly sit still and meditate because she found it so hard to do that. And I am sure a lot of us type a mamas can resonate with this. It’s like building a muscle. It is uncomfortable when we start, but once we do…wow at the freedom that is found. 

Often times when we find ourselves ready to let go of a dream that once was, that’s also when you’re truly able to make way for the new things, the new dreams. It wasn’t until Dawn let go of her daughter’s things (her room, her clothes, etc.) that she was able to fully take inspired action to welcome a new beginning. 

I know for us as women, it can be a challenge to listen to what our bodies are telling us, a lot of times through anxiety, because we’ve become so disconnected from the wisdom and guidance that is there. Our bodies tell the true signs of what’s happening in our life, mama. And remember, our healing journeys are at our own pace, don’t rush yourself or compare yourself to others. 

I just loved getting to chat with Dawn in this episode. Her story and her courage are just inspiring. She took what helped her in the worst days of her life and has turned it into something to offer as a workshop (and so many more opportunities!) for other women to help them in their journey. What she has found on the other side of perfection is freedom, and you can just tell that all of what she’s been through in her life happened to get her to the path she’s on today. 

Connect with Dawn:

Website: manifestmorewithdawnmaynor.com

Podcast: Manifest More with Dawn Maynor

Facebook: @Manifest More with Dawn Maynor

Instagram: @manifestmore_dawnmaynor

Introducing UNperfected: The Mastermind for Mama!

If you're ready to ditch these old ways of being that are perfectionistic and anxiety provoking, and you're ready to unlock and unleash that next level of potential, then join me for unPERFECTED: The Mastermind for Mama. This is the most potent and transformational container that I have ever offered women and mothers to date. I have compiled decades worth of tools, techniques, whether it's energy, leadership, nervous system regulation, boundary setting, all of it, and poured it into this six month mastermind for mamas. This is the deeper work that I'm talking about, that's what we're going to be doing in a group of like-minded sisterhood. It is going to be so powerful. More information is coming soon, the program launches March 5th - be sure you’re on my email list to get all the details!

Take care of yourselves and therefore each other!

XO, Brooke Jean