Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jed Sheldon. Jed was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Diana Min.
Jed, thank you so much for joining us today. We’d love for you to bring our readers up to speed – can you introduce yourself and share your story?
I grew up on a farm outside of Fargo, ND. I always felt a bit different in life. I grew up with a learning disability but tended to have an intuition and a knowing that others did not understand. I excelled artistically and athletically and was well-liked by my peers but being in special education for 8 years had me create stories about myself that I was stupid. After completing my Master’s Degree in the Midwest I moved to southern California to be a songwriter and a teacher. One marriage, three children, and twenty years later I found myself in a place in life that was unfulfilled on a personal and spiritual level. I wanted to write a book, I wanted to heal, I wanted to make sense of who I am in an ever-changing world.
Let’s talk about your work and career – what else should we know?
I have been a middle school science and art teacher for 15 years and I love my career. There is something so sacred about developing a young person’s heart and mind that is so very meaningful. My ability to tie science and art into the miraculous life we live as individuals and as a collective sets me apart from many teachers. Students leave my class with a heightened sense of curiosity and belonging.
So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Diana Min and The Urban Indigo and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with The Urban Indigo.
I was referred by a close friend to Diana after I had shared that my father had recently passed, my divorce was now final, and I had just sold the home my children had grown up in. I was lost, resentful, and resigned which is quite out of character for me as I had been positive, creative, and happy. Within moments of meeting Diana I felt at ease. There was a space for me to let my guard down and just express what I was dealing with. She truly is a master at her craft and I say this with confidence as I have been a teacher for 15 years and know what it takes to truly see what can be added or subtracted from any situation or conversation.
Diana provided me with exercises to practice during the week between our weekly calls. During the calls she would not only assess my current energy and mindset but she would push me to continually move forward from a loving and open context. I soon found myself grateful for my life, I found myself making big plans and attaining them (I created an LLC for my inventions), I found myself mending my relationship with my former wife (to this day we are dear friends).
My mother recently passed away and it was with the tools Diana provided me that I was able to plan her funeral, attend the memorial, and reconnect with family in a sincere and grateful way.
Diana shifted the way in which I approach life. It has been a complete paradigm shift for me in which I live from gratitude, connection, and love. I take on pain as an opportunity for growth, I create inventions and shop them to investors while teaching full-time and nurturing my three children. I have begun writing music again. I will use the tools Diana has provided me forever and I am truly unstoppable.
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Linkedin: Jed Sheldon
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Soundcloud: Jed Sheldon
