Helene left a twenty-two year career as a lawyer to open a gluten and dairy-free bakery. After watching Helene for a few minutes I thought, I can't relate. She always wanted to be a lawyer, she loved all of her various positions in the field, she learned and continued to make herself a better lawyer and then she wanted to do something different. Her onscreen happiness tells me that her new venture is a success. I want to dismiss her as one of those right people in the right place who the universe loves and everything they do brings joy and success. Honest to God, Helene's giddiness makes me want to move on. Next!
But I can't. Helene's giddiness is sending me smoke signals. They hint of an intriguing spirit.
So I continue to watch. And then the most magical thing. Helene stops the giddiness on a dime, with the most unusual of grace and continues to do so on and off through the entire video. I've never seen anything like it. At the end of a whimsical moment she gets hardcore serious...subtly. It's so cool. It drew me into the interview and impacted her message. It was there, at the crossroads of giddiness and seriousness that I discovered the incredible effort that this young woman has put forth all of her life. The Universe didn't just bestow upon Helene, she worked her butt off.
The most impressive thing to me about Helene, aside from her spirit, is her ability to engage in a field that she knew nothing whatsoever about, and not only make it work, but to find meaning, purpose and enjoyment. It tells me of a deep, focused, self-directed dive into a field of interest. It gives hope and beams light on those of us floundering about in our indecision and lack of action. It can be done.
Read Jonathan's description of this interview below.
Learn About Helene:
- What led Helene into the practice of law and what kept her there for so long
- What led her to make such a radical and abrupt change in course
- How she used the local grocery store to do fast and free market research
- How she blended a love of taking of care of people with a rapidly-emerging trend
- What people around her thought about her leap and how she handled her fears and doubts
- How she rapidly self-educated herself in entrepreneurship and gluten-free baking
- How she built a network of baked good beta-testers all over town to help develop her products
- How a relentless commitment to creating something extraordinary drove action
- How face-to-face local businesses give you a connection you cannot get online
- What the first year was like and how she learned while she worked
- How her life and her focus has changed since making the jump
- What surprises came and awakenings came her way
- What the impact has been on her relationships
- What it means to Helene to live a Good Life
I am now officially addicted to Jonathan's Good Life Project. Check it out if you haven't already.
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