[quote style=”boxed”]”The fountain of youth is inside all of us. It’s in equal parts genes, attitude and work.” – Joan Frances Moran[/quote]
Joan Moran is a miraculous 70 year old who has made looking, feeling and thinking young her life’s work. An author, speaker and expert on achieving life balance; Joan inspires audiences to lead a healthy life and positive mindset.
Boasting over 10 years of experience as a yoga and meditation instructor, Joan begins speaking engagements with her trademark headstand to showcase her focus and strength. She offers listeners an opportunity to achieve optimal wellness, create stabilizing mental and physical habits and foster resilience as a approach for change. Past audiences include: the Young Presidents’ Organization, Texas Women in Business, AAUA, Loyola Marymount Alumni Association, the Community Association Institute and UCLA.
In addition to her keynote speeches, Joan’s humorous memoir 60, Sex & Tango: Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer and regular blogs for the Huffington Post offer wisdom and keen insights on conscious aging and sustaining dynamic relationships. She has changed the lives of thousands of people who have heard her and read her. Check out her YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/BoomerMoran) and visit joanfrancesmoran.com.
Where did the idea to become a wellness expert come from?
Over the last 30 years, I have honed my health and wellness toolkits and through speaking engagements around the country I am able to share my secrets to longevity and vitality with those who would most benefit from them.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Every day begins with a green drink that I created that is protein-rich and filled with organic fruits and vegetables. Then I have 10 minutes of mindful meditation. I teach 4 yoga classes a day on Tuesday and Thursday and offer private lessons on Monday and Wednesday. Between my teaching hours I research content and meditate, write for my blog www.joanfrancesmoran.com/blog and prepare speeches or workshops.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I do a lot of research and draw from my own experiences. I’m a creative person – I have been an actress, a screenwriter and a playwright, so bringing ideas to life and to the stage is the easy part!
What’s one trend that really excites you?
I am very excited that mindfulness has come into the mainstream. Lately, there is a large demand for mindfulness as a management skill and I am happy to be bringing a new take on corporate wellness to CEO’s, business leaders, entrepreneurs and their companies. I get asked to speak at company retreats and team-building exercises. I LOVE IT.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Mindful awareness is the key to success. I focus and set my intentions throughout the day. I am aware of my schedule and what has to get done for that day, leaving me stress-free and more open to creativity.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
Marketing for a financial company. That experience taught me to never take a job that I didn’t feel passionate about.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
The past is who we were; the present is where we are. It is important to spend our time in this world visualizing and becoming our future.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Don’t push, pull or otherwise panic about your journey. Take time to reflect on your values, needs and desires. Proceed with joy and passion. Everything will come in time, just not necessarily in the format you may have hoped or desired it would. Foster resilience, build healthy mental habits and embrace change.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Spend 10 minutes every day being mindful. Mindfulness inspires new skill-sets that quiet the mind, raise our level of consciousness and increase awareness. The practice of mindfulness has been proven to alter the molecular structure of the brain making us healthier and happier.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I don’t believe in failure, there is an opportunity around every corner.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Take health and wellness into the corporate world. Provide a service that benefits everyone. Help CEO’s, managers and employees gain a firm grasp on mental help and the benefits of mindfulness. Wellness will never go out of style.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
Very few people know that I still require 8 hours of sleep a night. That is a crucial element to my success.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
I’m simple: I use Microsoft Word when I write, PowerPoint when I speak, GoDaddy for hosting my website and LinkedIn to connect. I love them all for their functionality.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
My absolute favorite books are Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose and Michael A. Singer’s The Untethered Soul.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff)
Gloria Steinem (@GloriaSteinem)
Andy Puddicombe (@andy_headspace)
Connect:
Joan Moran on Twitter: @joanfmoran
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.