Finding Your Direction with Reiki - The Reiki Business Book Launch with Karen Caig, LRMT

The Reiki Business Book Launch

This series of podcasts will bring us through "The Reiki Business Book" chapter by chapter.  The book I was inspired to write to help people share the gift of Reiki is almost ready!  

In this episode, along with my editor, LRMT Karen Caig, we explore chapter 1 - Finding Your Direction with Reiki and creating the Reiki Business that is right for you.  People think that a Reiki business must include sessions and classes. Chapter 1 helps you determine the best way to begin weaving Reiki into your own life, even if you are not ready to start a business yet.

Pam's Information
List of ICRT Classes: https://www.reiki.org/users/pamela-allen-leblanc#classes
Website: https://www.reikifromthefarm.com/
Register for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dFm-19
Book a Reiki session:   https://squareup.com/appointments/book/7dvtqlfp939e8g/LPSC51C92BN20/services
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/reikifromthefarm/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/hiddenbrookfarmReikiHorsesOils
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW5ScR7ObSiPIpgnDkWkiQA
email: pam@reikifromthefarm.com

Karen's Information
Karen Caig, Reiki Institute
Email: karen@arkansasreiki.com
Website:  www.Reiki-Institute.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArkansasReikiInstitute                         
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkansas.reiki/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karen_caig
TikTok: @karencaig0         
Clubhouse: Reiki Club      

thank you to Music from Pixabay for the intro music

Pam Allen-LeBlanc is a scientist, a businesswoman, and a Licensed Reiki Master Teacher with the International Center for Reiki Training.  She is an internationally renowned speaker and one of the co-authors of the ICRT Animal Reiki training manuals and courses.  Pam teaches Reiki, Animal Reiki, and Animal Communication online and in-person in Canada, the US, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

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pam@reikifromthefarm.com

Transcript

Pam: 0:57

On this week's podcast. I am talking to my good friend, Licensed Reiki Master Teacher, and my book editor, Karen Caig. Karen. Welcome.

Karen: 1:10

Thank you. I'm excited to be here. I think as excited to talk about your wonderful book, that's going to be forthcoming soon.

Pam: 1:18

Exactly. Thank you. And this is, this begins we're introducing with this podcast a series. I'm happy to announce that the Reiki business book, which is a book that I've been working on since for about a year now, hasn't

Karen: 1:34

it been Karen? Yeah.

Pam: 1:38

I'm happy to announce that it's coming together. It's I just have a couple more things to write and the first draft will be ready and we'll be ready to move into the next stages of publishing. And so for the next 10 weeks, we're going to be bringing you chapter by chapter through the Reiki business book, just to help you get more acquainted with it and more familiar with whether it was. If it would help you or if it would be up your alley. One of the things about this book though, is that it's not just for people who want to create a traditional style Reiki business, and that's what we want to talk with you about today. It's really for anyone who wants to incorporate or weave Reiki into their life, wouldn't you say Karen? Yeah,

Karen: 2:28

absolutely. And that's why I think it's going to be really helpful to people. Yeah, thank you.

Pam: 2:36

Before we begin, I just like to let people know that we have a series of classes coming up in an Australian friendly time zone, which means that they are evenings in north America and mornings in Australia. And each class has a day added because they're a little bit shorter days. And so in March, I'd love to have you join me for licensed classes of level one and two Reiki, masters, or animal Reiki, level one and two. And in may, I will be teaching my first ever hybrid classes. I know some of you have been missing coming here to the farm. And so I will be teaching a combination of online and in-person classes in may. And so if those speak to you, I'd love to have you join us. I also want to invite you to join our free monthly or it's by donation online Reiki share. And if you don't and I'll put a link to that in in the write-up of this podcast, and if you don't already get our newsletter, I've got a link to the newsletter there. I'd love to have you join us for that as well. Karen, what have you got coming up that you'd like people to know.

Karen: 4:02

I'm also in north America, but I'm in the central time zone. And I teach all of my classes live online and I have a Reiki one and two Reiki master, animal Reiki, one and two and animal Reiki master every month. Nice. We usually on the central time zone, I did teach some classes on Chinatown. So like like your Australia classes, because it's really needing to go farther. But and I have a Kareena

Pam: 4:30

class coming up in may, so wonderful. So we will also have links to Karen's information in the podcast. So go ahead and check her out. She's an absolutely fantastic teacher. I highly recommend you.

Karen: 4:45

I had a really good animal Reiki teacher. I thank

Pam: 4:50

you. And I expect you're teaching it really also.

Karen: 4:56

So

Pam: 4:58

we'll, before we go too much further, I'm just going to invite everyone to bring their hands together and Gassho, and just invite the Reiki energy to begin flowing. If you have Reiki, if you don't just invite the light and the love to flow through you, and if you have Reiki, symbols, invite them to join you today. And today we're really going to be talking about defining your own unique path. So I just invite you if there are any blocks or barriers that would get in the way of you finding your own path with Reiki, your unique way of weaving it into your life. We just release those now into the Reiki energy. And if you're not sure what your unique path with Reiki looks like, or what direction it leads in, if this is confusing to you, or we just invite the confusion to release and we invite your path to line up so that you might easily follow it. We imbue the path with Reiki energy, and we ask for Reiki to guide us and heal us so that we might be of greater service to ourselves and to others. And in doing so that leads us to our own unique path. And we are so grateful for the gift of Reiki and so grateful to be here together today. One family, one tribe listening, to Reiki and listening to your own inner voice, ready to step forward with your gifts and talents and to share the beauty and the love that is raking with the world just for today. Karen and I are thankful for you for your big heart and for the love and the light that you are in the world. Houma, top whale and Nama stand. Amen. Thank you. Karen, you've been with me through this process of this book and just to give people a little bit of an idea of the origin story of this book. This book really originated because of COVID. My mentor, I think you were there at that meeting. Karen, when Colleen Benelli said that her dream was that every family would have a Reiki practitioner in it. And I remember being a little bit cynical at a time and saying, oh, that's a bit far fetched. I don't think every family will. Be open to Reiki or I think that's a bit much, but then I revised my opinion. I was actually teaching Reiki in London, England when COVID happened or, the restrictions came into place and borders began closing and flights shut down. And I finished teaching my Reiki class in the end. I only taught my host because of course when I went over to England, people weren't as concerned, but then it escalated very quickly. And so most of the students who were coming for the class decided that, they shouldn't come and, it, and I agreed with them. And so I wound up just teaching the class to the person who was hosting it anyway. And and then. Instead of staying for a holiday with my husband designed intended my husband didn't join me in England and I had at home, but as I was in Heathrow airport and there was just chaos around me and people were very upset and worried. My students were sending me Reiki. I had sent a note to my private Reiki group of all my Reiki students and said, Hey guys, this is I'll be coming home tomorrow in the middle of all this. Do you mind sending Reiki? And I could feel the Reiki energy flowing through and around me my own. And there's an all of the wonderful wishes. But I was looking at the, and feeling also the fear and chaos in the world because people just didn't know what to think about. COVID and I really got a very strong spiritual nudge at that time. And the Reiki energy. Made me notice how I was in Oasis of calm and amidst dependent pandemonium and that everyone, every family did need a Reiki practitioner. I recognized that and I felt a little bit overwhelmed initially. I thought I can't teach that many peop all of those people, how am I ever going to reach all of those people? And the energy pointed out that I am uniquely qualified to teach the teachers because I am a licensed Reiki master teacher, like Karen, and we've done an additional thousand plus hours of training on top of being a Reiki master and a teacher. And we've both taught for several years. I've taught Reiki since 2011. When did you begin teaching Karen? Probably. I didn't

Karen: 10:50

start teaching until 2013. Okay

Pam: 10:53

Two years after we've been teaching for quite a while. And so the energy pointed out that with the experience and with a position of leadership that the additional training in the ICRC licensed teacher program gave me. And the fact that I have a master's in business administration and was a successful business woman before starting my Reiki career. Then I was uniquely positioned to teach people and I thought about it and realized that even though I did have an MBA and a lot of business background, it was still difficult for me to bring business into Reiki. How about you, Karen? What did you notice about.

Karen: 11:40

I didn't know anything about business. I had, I didn't know a thing and I Pam, as you were talking, I don't think it ever really entered my mind. I knew I had been teaching college English at that point in 2013 for 20, almost 25 years. And I knew I wanted to teach. So it was like, and I dunno what I thought oh I'll just teach. I don't know how I thought people were going to find me, but yeah, the business part didn't, that's why I know this is why Reiki brought me to you because no, I had no clue whatsoever about business at all. So people who start out don't do. No. I know most people who come to, to break it to my students, if they, come to Reiki that it's because they want to help people. They want to heal themselves. They want to overcome And released trauma that they've experienced and, then they want to help other people. Okay. So this is my story. That's what Reiki did for me. And I wanted to, help people. But the, business aspect though, is it completely alluded me. Yeah you don't learn much about businesses a college English professor that just wasn't like, I could tell you all about German romantic poetry, but we'll do like accounts receivable or you're like I didn't know words. I had no idea. Yeah. And, I think that is an obstacle that a lot of people encounter because in my mind too it was the antithesis of Reiki I didn't see how they would go together. Reiki is about love and healing and, businesses. Taking advantage of it and Lawson those two things just don't go together in most people's mind it didn't in mind. Did I know, even

Pam: 13:53

though I was a business person, it didn't go together either Karen and I mess with the energy pointed out and I went, you're completely. And anyway, how

Karen: 14:06

can you spread it? How can you get a Reiki practitioner in every home? If if it's not a business I had to heal a lot of that's. One thing I like about your book is it helps you heal those, limitations that you may be bringing with you to. To a Reiki practice or a Reiki business those, feelings of the other money issues lots of many issues. There's so much, there's just so much to work through. So one thing I like about your book is that it's not just practical business practices, best practices for business and that which is a big part of it, but it also addresses the things that hold people back from being successful business people, or to even be able to say, bye, see, I still, it, I am a successful business woman without feeling like there's something wrong with that. Like that I'm, I don't know that. Hello, I'm a representative of corporate greed. Nice to meet you. I'm still trying to work past that. So your, book is. It does most of both of those things. And I don't, I'm not aware of any other book. First of all, there's not a Reiki business book, but if there were there's, one that comes to mind, but it doesn't address the issues that you do. And it's got exercises and has got meditations. It's it's, the whole package. Thank you so much. That was more than what you ask. I'm sorry. You

Pam: 15:52

know what you said, Karen I'm going to go back to, because I, the reason I addressed those in the book is because I had them too. I really struggled with how can I do something so spiritual. And put it together with business practices. As a matter of fact I'll tell a little story here. There's something called shadow self work that we used to do. When we learned and taught Kaurna Reiki and the first Kaurna Reiki class that I had, my shadow self work you, bring a person that kind of irks you or irritates you or a situation. And at that point I had healed so many things and the only person or, individual that I could think of that irked me was one of my very talented horses who was wasting her talent. She refused to take riding lessons. She refused to work with anybody except an expert rider. She wasn't paying for her hay and she was my most beautiful and talented horse. And And, it irked me that she was wasting her talents and abilities. And in the shadow cell work, you look at what in, you resonates with that. And what resonated with me, actually, I, as an animal communicator, I had a conversation with her and she said, listen, you do Reiki. You do Reiki with horses. You do. Beautiful horse work and animal communicating and energy work. And it's important. And you playing small is not getting that work out into the world. And then she went on to point out that I have an MBA with a strong background in marketing. And my website had said under construction at that point, this was in 2013 for over two years. She pointed out that you pretty much had to be standing right next to me to find out when I was offering a class

Karen: 18:01

or a clinic that I was doing no

Pam: 18:05

marketing, I was doing no business and I knew how to do it. And so she basically showed me that I was wasting gifts and talents, and I was preventing people from learning Reiki. With my own insecurities. And so she was actually my first step to beginning to heal that. And one of the things. Showed up for me. As I worked through that, healing was an understanding that Reiki has always been shared as a business. If you go back to Usui sensei, the founder of Reiki, when he came down from Mount Karama, what did he do? He started a, Gakkai a school, a business. He allowed people to work with him and to compensate him. He began teaching classes, this sort of thing. How did Dr. Hashi share rate.

Karen: 19:04

He

Pam: 19:04

did it with a business. And also, so did Mrs. Takata, so really business principles and businesses have been the most effective and the traditional way of sharing Reiki. So isn't it funny that we all have that? That is so common. I think, I don't know if it's funny, but yeah. To have that discomfort and in in business energy, basically when I was still in England showed me that look at how long it took you to work through. And you already knew what you were doing. Imagine people who don't have your training, what an obstacle, it might be for them to start a business. And so I realized that I needed to come home and I came home and I created a course called the Reiki master mentor course. And it immediately feel like, I think I put the word out and within two days the course was full and we learned to teach online. So I taught the course online. I had people from what was it, five continents in those classes, which was just lovely. And in those classes, I began to teach and help break down the barriers for people. The core classes were very guided, but in the very first class I said and I was very clear that I was to do that for 18 months. So I did the Reiki master mentor sessions for 18 months. I did, I think, 20 sessions with people in six month increments. And and then it was done and it was time to focus on the book. And so during the course of teaching 70 or 80 people, how to release their barrier, finding out what w what was slowing people down, what did, what was difficult for people and just using the guidance of brachy to lead it. We it, formed the basis of the course, and then the basis of the book. I'm really excited because I'm hopeful that toward the end of these podcasts, as we go chapter by chapter, it is my hope that I will have a release state for you. I don't have it yet. It's still a little bit early in the process, but it is my hope that I'll have a release date for you. And it is my hope that we can release the book to all of you this spring so that it can help you now carry. In addition to being my dear friend is an English professor and has been for years, as she mentioned. And she graciously agreed to be my editor. Karen, I love working with you as my editor. You've got to be the best editor ever. You, do such a wonderful job and you don't mind that it's sporadic when I can get things to you. And when I have a deadline of sorts, You stay up and work on it for me, you're amazing.

Karen: 22:19

That's how the energy works. I know, I understand how writing works as well.

Pam: 22:25

I've really appreciated you and you've read through all of my poor writing and you've made it sound a lot better and

Karen: 22:34

you're a great writer. I wouldn't have agreed to do it for, somebody who wasn't a good writer already. Oh thank you. You

Pam: 22:42

know what, do you feel? What do you think about the book? And so far what you've read through all, but the last two chapters, which I'm still working on. How, what is your impression of it? So the overall, I know I'm supposed

Karen: 23:00

to talk

Pam: 23:00

about chapter one, but

Karen: 23:01

I really I like how it develops. And chapter one starts with the very, basics, which is what I was alluding to at the beginning is you have to, get very clear about why you want to do the business and what your business might look like. And so it starts with the very foundation. So it begins at the beginning as it should not just jumping in it goes deep. It starts deep within the practitioner who is thinking about. Yeah, should it even, should I do this? How, what would it look like? What are my special gifts? How, would my Reiki business look different from other people's Reiki business? It really goes into the all chapter. One goes into that depth and then you move into more of the practical things like how, like where to set it up. What kind of a business should it be? What

Pam: 24:01

how to, how

Karen: 24:01

to attract clients, how to attract students. How do you so there's a lot of how to in it, but I love that chapter one that I get to talk about chapter one, because it, really goes deep. And some things that your listeners might not to give too much of the book away, but I really like that it. It asks you to, contemplate, like what, why why do you want to do this? And and it gives you different ideas since I've been teaching Reiki.

Pam: 24:35

A lot of times people are like no, I just want to learn this for myself. I'm trying to heal, or I

video1972422948: 24:39

want

Karen: 24:39

to learn Reiki so I can help my autistic child calm down and go to sleep at night. I want to learn Reiki for personal reasons, but then people begin to teach you're saying you get that nudge. And and then after they're teaching, they realize, okay a smaller version perhaps of I can reach more people if I teach teachers. That's where it really begins to become a business therapist. For some people it's I have healed myself. I feel so much better. I would like to share this with other people. And so then they start thinking of a practitioner type of business, but that's not the only way you can have a Reiki business. You talk about how you have the attorney, the lawyer that incorporates the Reiki, her Reiki business is also part of her law practice. Yeah. And I have that's something that a lot of people don't think about. I, have students that incorporate their Reiki business in with the business that they already have. They don't have to necessarily quit. You know what they're doing I guess I was using Reiki even as a teacher as a a college English teacher. Because students would be in my office, they need guidance. They need help. They're usually it would start with I can't get this essay written. Oh my gosh. And then I would end up helping them with, Reiki, if they're open to it helping them get to the, why are you having a complete meltdown? It's not due for two weeks. So I started incorporating that really was the, Reiki business. It wasn't paying me yet. I was still depending on my teacher salary, but a lot of people begin to branch out that way and by incorporating it, and then I started. Honestly, then I just quit after my mom died and my son graduated from high school, I just quit. And my friend said, are you crazy? And I said, yeah, you just now noticing, but I took that leap, but I still had all of that, that, that baggage I really wasn't ready for that. I'm like, okay, now I'm going to have a business. What does that look like? So some people will start incorporating it or are they doing on the side? I guess mine was a side hustle. If you will. I was, I started seeing clients and started teaching classes. When I started, I knew I wanted to teach, but I started teaching my friends so that they could do their own sessions. I can remember one woman was when I was taking care of my mom, she had cancer and she wanted to learn Reiki. And I remember she told me, she said, you've got what I need. You've got to teach me a class because I really didn't want to teach at that point because it was overwhelmed with my mom's cancer stuff. But, she's you've got what I need. You've got to teach me. And I thought, okay. Yeah. So, many students start a business on the side and it's not a priority, but some people like I've taught a couple of months ago knew I had a doula in my class, and she's, yeah she's a birth doula. And she said, I am really drawn to the Reiki and I'm getting that the doula is part of it, but that's not all she said, I went to my Reiki business is going to be. Incorporating Reiki into caring for the pregnant mother, caring for the baby and for the entire process. And so I don't think a lot of people think of Reiki. They think it was like Reiki business. I'm going to be a Reiki practitioner, Reiki teacher, but maybe not. I have estheticians who they, came and they wanted to learn Reiki for themselves. And then they realized I could put this into my facials. I'm like, yeah, you could do Reiki facials. You can do, you can incorporate it into chiropractic. You can incorporate it into massage therapy. You can incorporate it into so many businesses. I love the attorney. That's the best. So she's not, it is part of her business. Does she offer it for. For her clients, let's do a session, let's do a Reiki session before we go to divorce court. Is that what she does

Pam: 29:08

with it? Exactly. He actually does. She initially and that's, what I love about Reiki is that when she and I worked together and, I have permission to tell her story, it's actually in chapter one of the book because when she and I first worked together she was actually very ill. And she was also burnt out from the law and that happens to a lot of lawyers and a lot of people that are in some of the medical

Karen: 29:37

profession.

Pam: 29:39

Doctors. Exactly. And, the, we suffer burnout. And many times when those students study Reiki with me, they're like, this is it. I need to quit what I'm doing and do what you do. And I guess my whole point in chapter one is the way I do things might not be the right way for you. You, I do sessions. I do a traditional style Reiki business. I but it wasn't always that way. Reiki started for me. I like you, Karen. I'm going to ask you your origin story for me. I had no intention of teaching ever. And now I've taught hundreds of students, but, and and I it's my greatest joy, but initially I did Reiki for myself for my own health issues. Then Mike through, with my first teacher, we began sharing Reiki with my horses through attunements. And so Reiki for me was just going to be a way to support my horse work. And it did that's I will Reiki into that. My horse business. And then I wove it into my essential oil business. And and that's what, and that's what it did. And I literally had a conversation. I, studied I did my Reiki masters in England with William Rand, and I literally had a discussion with him and told him I don't intend to ever teach, but I will teach children and I will teach animals. Can you talk to me about how to do that? And he did. And I came home intending to do that, but immediately so much in me healed when I did the master level, that I immediately began wanting to teach. So I have a traditional business, but some of my students, Karen, they say, okay, I need to quit my job and do what you do. And I often counsel them. Let's wait, because there's a reason you got into law in the first place or that you get into medicine in the first place, or that you got into horses in the first place or massage therapy or there's a reason you became. What you became you probably have already English teacher. You probably have a passion for it. So rather than encouraging my students to do that, I say, I invite them to look. You're probably stressed and burnt out. That's usually when people find us and for our classes, let's work on the stress and burnout. And that's what I did with Amanda. Let's work on the stress and burnout. And then, cause she was saying the trouble is how can I'm used to charging$300 an hour. How can I go to half of that? Or less than half to, do Reiki. I've got all this education. And I said, look, there's a reason you got into this. So let's, heal the burnout. Let's heal the exhaustion and let's see what it looks like. What they began doing was at first, she actually paid for. Her, the lawyers that work for her and the secretary and staff to take the Reiki classes with me. So they had an office full of Reiki, level one and two practitioners. And they would do things like Reiki, the files before, and then they would work out better. The, accountant began raking the receivables and people started paying them. But that they never thought they were going to

Karen: 33:08

receive

Pam: 33:10

We're in a rears and that they never ever thought they were going to. And my client is a divorce, lawyer. And so that worked, it just worked so well when they incorporated Reiki into what they did that. And, my client became a Reiki master some of her support staff and lawyers and became Reiki, masters, and And at one point, my client realized that if they could use Reiki to support the divorce process for their clients and even within mediation that they could initially, they were hoping that Reiki could support them so that things could be worked out in mediation without having to go to court. And they're just having phenomenal results. And so eventually my, my client. Hired a full-time Reiki practitioner. And so as a part of your service, when you book with them and they also have a criminal lawyer and environmental law, and when people book with them, they receive a complimentary Reiki session to assist them, getting the parameters set, to understand, and to just help it all flow smoothly. And they are just having absolutely phenomenal results. You wouldn't think of that. I have a Reiki artist. I have a woman that did the Reiki mentoring course and realized she wanted to be an artist. I had a woman who came through all the mat, Reiki, mentoring, all three sessions. Some people did one, some people do two, some people did all three and she really only wants to teach her family. But part of going through this, it's just learning okay, how do I talk to people about Reiki? What do I, and so I guess I made a section in it about how to weave Reiki into what you're already doing and because your practice does not have to look like my, it does not have to be sessions. And now later in the book, I do talk about how to do sessions and how to do classes, because that might be part of your practice. But if it's not the other sections of the books still can support you in bringing Reiki, maybe into what you're doing already. Karen, what's your origin story? Like you said I guess you started, you said you wanted to teach. And so it sounds how did you, get into it in the first place? You probably did not expect to be a licensed Reiki master teacher.

Karen: 35:55

Now, in fact, I remember I also took Williams' class in England and I remember. Because he talked about the licensed teacher program and but he didn't say at that point that they weren't accepting new applications because they didn't have enough mentors. I didn't know that, but I was so excited and I thought, oh, this is what I want to teach. This is what I want to do. And I remember going up to him after class and I said I, really want to apply for your licensed teacher program so I'm going to go back and I had to go back and take Reiki one and two again. Cause my first teacher wasn't licensed and he looked at me and he. He said, oh you know how he talks? He's oh, we're not taking new applications now. And I thought, oh, he hates me. No, I thought, because I, even though I had been through the Reiki master level that really had just started. I had only just begun to heal all of the stuff the insecurity and the self-esteem and blah, blah, blah. And imposter. So I thought, oh, maybe I won't maybe, that's not my path, but I knew that I wanted to, I love to teach and I only became an. Teacher because my, mother wanted me. I love to write honestly. And the thing is, when you start teaching other people to write, you don't have time to write yourself and you ended up, that's why I said, I love reading your, work because I knew you could write because I'd read your articles. She's good. God loves these little college freshmen. You, they're they, are not on the same level. And after 30 years of that what's wrong with you, all that's what's wrong. And they trying to struggle through that. So I love teaching. I love connecting with people, but that wasn't necessarily what I wanted to teach. And then when I found Reiki, I thought, oh, this is what I want to do. Because the most meaningful part of my, teaching career was that connecting with the students and helping them find their voice. So it would be because riding is very healing. Yes. That, that kind of writing of like digging down and finding, your voice, finding what do you really think? What do you feel? Not what are, what's your opinion about this? Not all those people who live in your head, your mother society, all of that. So I always enjoyed that part. And now of course, with the holy fire, that's what it's all about. It's about reconnecting to your authentic self before that culturally created self is, layered on top. Was it worth way more is where it says like, oh, the walls of the prison house began to close in on you as you grow up. So, I knew I wanted to teach, but as I said, I didn't have any clue about how to do the business, how to and it's funny that part of my. Business. It has turned into teaching people how to do social media, because that was where I ended up. I don't know how, because I didn't know. I didn't know how to do it, but it's probably because I taught college students and I'm like, what's this Facebook thing. And they're like, this guy, you should learn this. Or and, I love people, so it was a way to connect. And then now I'm, mainly around people. My I'm 50, 58. So I just last night taught a class on how to use Instagram to grow your Reiki business. Because most of the people, my age are like what's, up with these hashtags. What's the hashtag how could, so that I am not an influencer. I don't have that many followers. And I'm not going to teach you how to monetize your Instagram account, but I can teach other Reiki practitioners. How do you use Facebook? How do you use Instagram? How do you, I'm going to do some classes on tick tock, tick, tock need to take that and love to so that's not that wasn't part of my plan, but I think Reiki just leads you. And that's what I like about chapter one is it helps you one the, exercises and the meditations. You've got the vegetations and stuff in there. It helps you clear out and get clear. That was pretended clear out the junk and, have a more precise vision of, oh, these are my gifts. So you're talking about your gifts. These are, this is my niche. This is what I can do. This is how I can contribute. And because I guess that's all businesses. It's just finding like what it's serving. There is a service aspect to business because the bottom line of Creating a, successful business is saying, what do people need? And what do I have that can help them fulfill that need? Once I realized that I went, oh, okay, that's all businesses. It's not, I don't have to I don't have an MBA. Like I have a master's degree in English and a bachelor's degree in German. What does that have to do with an associate's degree in theater? I can act I know what I'm doing. That's what I did for the most part but I didn't know. But once I figured that out, I'm like, okay. And so I think that's, what's so important about chapter one is you really work. You take people at that point and say, okay, let's start with you. Like, how will this help, help people get clear on what they have to offer? Because that's what your business is. How are you different? What are your skills? What are your gifts like you were saying? Thank you. I love that part. That aspect of,

Pam: 41:50

that was clear from the beginning that everyone is going to have a unique take on it. We have friends who do Reiki together with past life regression and neuro-linguistic programming and all kinds of things. And, so it's just getting clear on what it's, what it is for you. And I did put a section about w weaving Reiki into what you're already

Karen: 42:14

doing. Yes. And you put the section also about using Reiki to guide You You give those that guidance on Because even though you're a Reiki practitioner, like I said, you have trouble putting that together. So how do I use Reiki to help me with business? And you spell it out in chapter one, send Reiki to it and not just like, you have a problem oh, send Reiki to it. You, really lay it out. This is how you, ads. This is what you asked for, and you, I think it's the questions that the questions you raise in chapter one are what are so beneficial because asking the right question is more important than having an answer. You've got to be asking the right questions. And that's what chapter one does, is it asks the right questions.

Pam: 43:05

Thank you, Karen. And I guess that's the purpose is to try to get into the questions so that you get the Reiki business that's right for you and not the one that's right for me. And they may look very different. And I think, like you said, so many of us fall in love with Reiki and then want to share it. There's so many ways to share it. As I mentioned, I have an artist who just waits Reiki into her art and there's just so many ways that, that it can be done.

Karen: 43:38

Wow. Not to compare. So I liked that you asked me for a quote for chapter one, and I said something about that. The don't compare yourself to others that don't be intimidated that you embrace your who you are, because I think. At least a lot of my students they'll say I'll say you what about teaching? Or or what about putting this into that? Oh I couldn't be a Reiki practitioner. I don't know. It almost sounds oh no, I couldn't be the Pope. It's it's not it's not that it's and I think I did this too with my teachers, but maybe they look at like at us and they go oh oh, you're a Reiki master teacher, yeah.

Pam: 44:28

I did that too to William and I didn't even think about it. There's a funny story. I tell in my classes, because in my previous career, I was 12 years with the government and then seven years in business. And in the, in my time with both government and business, I met a lot of big wigs. I met presidents and prime ministers and premiers and Kings and princes and dictators. And not one of those people intimidated me, but meeting William Rand, I T I mispronounced my own name three times. I told him my melanoma blank. And then I told him I was Pam Ella LeBlanc. And then finally I kept saying, it's not right. It's, I'm actually Pam Allen Loblaw. And I just I blurted out I'm sorry, Mr. Rand. I don't know why I did that. And he goes, it's William. I don't know why I did that, but I'm just so nervous to be here. And I was so nervous to be in my master class and he said, why are you nervous? And I didn't even think I just blurted out with what I call my pathological honesty that so many of us am paths. Have I just blurted out because Reiki, masters are wonderful and amazing people and I'm not. I'm just me. And. And I really I really meant that. And I really I wasn't a practitioner at that point. I, wasn't I, my horses did Reiki on people, but I didn't. I incorporated it into my life and, with my horses that I really wasn't confident enough to teach, but Reiki heals that. And so I really hoped to bring people into. The thought

Karen: 46:06

that your

Pam: 46:07

path might not look like classes and sessions and that's okay. Here's how you can still allow Reiki to lead the way and lead you into if it's meant to be a Reiki law practice or Reiki, art, or re whatever you're doing now, maybe Reiki is meant to be woven into it. Maybe you are meant to quit and do Reiki, but let Reiki lead. And I'll actually include a link to an article. I wrote about letting Reiki lead the way for anybody who's interested in. We're going to walk you through some exercises to just help you figure out in this podcast, what direction you might be going in. With Reiki and what your life purpose is with Reiki, because it may look very different. So with that in mind, I realized that this one of the things you said, Karen made me think because writing is cathartic writing heals the same way Reiki heals. Writing with Reiki heals a lot. And one of the things I needed to heal was that divisions that still showed up within me. As I started writing, I needed to heal the division between Reiki and business, because I knew that it wasn't serving anybody. And that if I was to serve the world and serve the Reiki practitioners out there in the way that my nudge showed, I had to heal the division within me. And so it became really interesting to to, write and to continue to heal that division. And I think that's where I want to help other people do that. One of the things they say, and when you're writing is they say, write the book you wanted to read, write the book you would have wanted to read. And so that's exactly how I tried to approach this was. W I wanted to write the book that I really would have appreciated having when I first started that would have saved me a lot of steps and maybe a little bit of heartache. So that's what I attempted to do. And so I actually think that although the book will be very useful for somebody who knows, yes, I want to start a Reiki business. That the book will just, they'll just go through chapter by chapter. I think it will really help. I hope it will really help set them up. And I've put in some of my own ideas, some of my mentors ideas, some of the ideas from the other licensed teachers who have been so generous to share but I also hope the book is for somebody who's just kicking the tires and. I'd like to do Reiki that I don't know what that looks like, and I really don't want to do classes or sessions. I'd like to think that it's helpful for them too. What do you think? Yes, it

Karen: 49:06

is. And that's, the whole purpose I think of, chapter one or not the whole purpose, but that's a big part of the purpose of chapter one. And I liked the way the book is written. Now jumped off on a tangent that it's you could pick the book up and you could just split to the chapter that you don't have to read it. It doesn't it's not like math where you have to understand algebra one before you can move on to algebra two. You can use the book the way you want to, but I really like that a big part of chapter one is working through those issues and helping to define what does a Reiki business look like for you or, what could it be? Because I know that there are people out there going guess it's oh, I wish I could be a Reiki practitioner. I wish I could have a Reiki business, but all probably, I can't. Yeah. I think I'll just get this book just in case and then, so chapter one would, take them through, I think from oh, from the wish to like, I could do this. So that's what I like

Pam: 50:14

about chapter one, especially. Thank you. That's my hope. And my hope is that so many of us say, oh I can't be a Reiki practitioner. I don't have a space. There's a lot of ways around that. Exactly. Try to bring those together. Or I'd like to be a Reiki practitioner or a teacher, but I'm really shy. Painfully shy.

Karen: 50:36

I know that it isn't apparent

Pam: 50:38

anymore, but very shy and, but Reiki really helped heal that because I felt so strongly about how important it was. Reiki did so much for me. I just really began when I healed the belief that I wouldn't teach, that I couldn't teach. I really wanted to just share it with others. Did you find that?

Karen: 51:04

Yes. And as you were just talking, I thought why would, if Reiki has helped you. Through heal through so much stuff. Why wouldn't it help you with the business? Because it's, your healing is an ongoing process and growing as an ongoing process. And so another thing that I think comes through in, chapter one is that let Reiki help you let Reiki guide here's some things to do. So you end up with the thought of it's helped me along this far. Why wouldn't it help me develop a business where I can share it some more with other people.

Pam: 51:42

So that's right. And even if you don't want to do a business, you maybe want to do my student who just wants to teach her family. There are aspects of the book that can help with that. I believe too. So you were guided to create a Reiki mentoring session at the same time as I was. We, you and I, and Joan motif all got the same. We all started a Reiki master mentor.

Karen: 52:11

And I think that we each focus on a little bit different stop because we're different people, our journey has been different and I think Reiki helps draw see what kind of people do I get? The ones who have self-esteem issues and the abundance issues. And because my story will teach them and your story has been a little bit different and, yeah. But we've, been, oh, wasn't it. My Angelou. When when, you learn something, teach my Angelo. I think it was when you learned something teach. And I think that's what we're doing. So I've my lessons have been different. So I'm teaching a little bit different lessons to my mentees. Is that a word mentee, I'm a mentor. You're teaching different lessons too, but that's and it's just, that's how it incrementally spreads teach what and one thing I love about the book is that it, helps give you that confidence. Like you do know something because the exercises and the meditations that you include in the book help, help you understand oh, it's a, really a fun realization. Oh, I do know something. Yeah. And there are people who want to know. Stuff. I know. So yeah, that, that's your niche, that's

Pam: 53:45

your business. I love that. Thank you, Karen. And I love, I didn't realize my Angelou said that, but I don't know why I have said from the beginning, and I don't even know where this comes from. It probably comes from somebody very clever, but I've always believed if you want to learn something, teach and sit. And that's why I have taught my horseback riding lessons was because I'm very passionate about horses. And when I find, when I found myself unemployed for the first time in 2009 I, decided to, to follow my own passions instead of somebody else's and become self-employed. And I was a business consultant for a while, very successful at that. And, I also Began my horse business, but I, the whole reason for starting my horse business was because I wanted to learn. There were new, there was new information about horses. I'd been a horse woman at that point 20 or 30 years, but there was a whole wave of new information and I always believe if you want to learn, teach. And then the same thing when I became very passionate about Reiki even though I resisted teaching and I was reluctant to teach I guess it, it led me down that pathway anyway, because, and in the course of teaching and becoming a licensed teacher, I've just learned so much. I, don't know.

Karen: 55:12

I know you probably feel the same way my students and my

Pam: 55:16

clients every week.

Karen: 55:19

Yeah. And so what's your one thing your book does? I think, is it because the business aspect is one of the things that we have to do the self analysis on every month is it, takes. A lot of that, training and that reflection and that, that journey is different for each license, Reiki, master teacher. But it's the stuff that you don't really get and, Reiki one and two, we talk a little bit about how to do a business and then Reiki master. We talk more about like, how to teach what that might look like for as a business, but all the other stuff, like I wrote an article on networking,

Pam: 56:03

can we include that in the podcast?

Karen: 56:05

Sure, absolutely. And that's one where it's like it wasn't learning. It was partly now I've learned something, let me teach you what I've learned. But another reason to do it was because like what you're saying the best way to learn it better is to try to teach it to somebody else. Because I had no idea. Timber. I was like totally out of my comfort zone, go to chamber of commerce, meet business people mingle, and I'm an extrovert, but yeah. And then what's an elevator speech. What I had no idea and that I learned and here's the other thing, and this is Reiki, I think, at work. But when you take that step, you take that first step. And I was that gear to now I'm trying to, I've lost all my, literary references, but he says like, when you take that first step that the entire universe conspires to help you. But when I went, I started going to networking events and people helped me. They'd say, here, come here. Let me introduce you to somebody that, let me introduce you to a therapist because I bet she might like to refer some clients to you, or let me introduce you to this chiropractor over here. And then they taught me how to listen for oh, my car is like making a funny noise and I'll be like, Hey, I know the person. Cora clinic. You know what I mean? I didn't know how to do that. So once you, there was a point in there somewhere learning to teach. Yeah. So I wrote that article because I thought I'll bet talking with my students. I didn't other Reiki practitioners don't know how to do this either, because this is not this is not what we're trying

Pam: 57:44

to do. You're absolutely right. As far as social media goes, I followed you

Karen: 57:50

on social media. Yeah.

Pam: 57:52

You have shown us how to

Karen: 57:56

I'm not a graphic designer and I'm not an influencer, but by goal after you, how to, get my face out there. Because I figured out that oh, I can't give Reiki to anybody if they don't know how to do it. So

Pam: 58:12

like my website

Karen: 58:13

that said under construction exactly. Under construction. And I thought, that's free marketing, attraction marketing. I've since learned, it's called attraction marketing and well,

Pam: 58:27

and it's just I think that when we can get over some of those hangups and stuff, and we'll be talking about that in chapter two when I'm in or in, I don't know if it's chapter two or three, when we talk, I think it's chapter three. Maybe when we talk about releasing obstacles, chapter two is more. Now you've figured out what direction you're going in. Let's define it and define your business and a little bit more. And so we'll be talking with you about that next week. If all things come together, the way that I'm hoping. And but in the meantime Karen, is there anything I was just thinking we might lead our listeners through a little bit of a meditation of how to figure out their direction. A great idea. Yeah. Is there anything else that you'd like to leave people with? Thank you so much for. Your own opinions and impressions, and also for just being the best editor in the world.

Karen: 59:24

Thanks for being a good writer. I thought my editing days are over like, no, but I thought I've learned so much from your book as well, so it's helped me and I, thank you for, birthing this into the world. It's a process. Thank you. It is a process. It's a labor of love at birth. It takes

Pam: 59:45

at least nine months, it's more of an elephant birth. Maybe

Karen: 59:48

was taken the book. You are a book to a lot part. I love that. I love that thing.

Pam: 59:59

Listen for anyone who is still with us at this point we'd love to lead you through just figuring out what your passions are and how Reiki will weave into your life. One of the ways of knowing what your life purpose is that it brings you joy. And so I'm going to lead you on this quick little exercise that will help you determine. Where you may want to point and where you may want to, go with Reiki next week. We'll look to define that a little bit more and there are more exercises in the book and so on that can that can take this a little further, but we'd love you to take the first step and just notice what your Reiki practice might look like, because it might not look like Karen's or like mine. It there'll be very unique to you. And so I don't know how I still am working on the title. It is the Reiki business book, but I'm working on the subtitle because it is meant to help people create a Reiki business and grow or grow an existing business for success and impact. But it's also meant to help you figure

Karen: 1:01:17

out what. The business

Pam: 1:01:20

would look like what gifts and talents you'll use William marry it with other things. And that's another thing you can bring Reiki together with so many other professions. So what will it look like to you? And that's what we'd like to lead you through today. So presents exercise, and you can hit pause if you need to, but I'm just going to invite you to get a pen and a piece of paper. And in this exercise, I'm just going to invite you to make a note of two. After the exercises done, your homework assignment is to make a list of things that bring you joy. That might be a long list. And if you can. Think of anything you can take your time with this one. Just thinking about anything that gives you joy. That brings you joy. You can go back. If you're really stuck, you can go back to what brought you joy when you were a child. And if you're still drawing a blank, just imagine what could bring you joy. That's a homework assignment that I'd like to give you to do after we are done today. And I'll lead you in the exercise right after this. But I will tell you when I went to teach this in my Reiki mentoring group some people realized that they were so divorced from joy, that they couldn't even think about what gave them joy. And it caused them to really sit down and think, and some people did have to go back to, okay, what gave me joy when I was a child? Now you might be. Like me, I had such a long list. It took two pages of things that give me joy. Karen brings me joy, the dogs, the horses, snowshoeing skiing, riding horses, camping in the woods, walking in nature. I had a really long list of things, getting a massage, getting my hair done, getting a facial, all of these things. And so you might have a really long list of things that bring you joy, or you might have a short one, but the purpose is, to start that list and just keep track of it because the things that bring you joy are part of your life path or your life purpose. And that's one of the ways to know that you are on your life path. And now the exercise that I would like us to do together. And you can revisit this exercise again, after you've written the things that give you joy, but I'd like you to even think about, you can write a few things that bring you joy. Now, maybe some things that come to the top of your mind, but there's a couple of lists that I'd like you to make. Now these next lists, I'd like you to make them quickly without giving them much thought. So if you decide to do this after our. Podcast today. I'm going to invite you to set a timer for three minutes and really put the pressure on yourself. You can take your time with the joy list that these lists are meant to be written quickly so that they really come from the core of your being. Okay. So the first thing I'd like you to do is take three minutes and I'm going to time us and list at least five things that you feel passionately about. If there's more than five that's okay. Actually, we may take a little less, we'll take a minute and a half today, and I'm just going to invite you to write down five things that you're passionate about.

Karen: 1:05:13

You might be done ahead of

Pam: 1:05:14

time. That's okay. And just go ahead and see if you can finish those up in the next little bit. And it's okay if they're not perfect. It's okay. If they're rushed a little bit if you just have a rough idea, next thing, the next list I'd like you to make is a list of five things that you've accomplished in your life that you're proud of. And once again, if there's more than five it's okay. We're going to take about 90 seconds and just think through, maybe we'll do them two minutes for this one. I, things that you've accomplished that you're proud of. We're about halfway through. So there's about another minute or another 30 seconds. You can think about just five or more things that you've accomplished in your life that you're proud of. And I'm just gonna ask you to wrap that up and the next few seconds. Okay. And now those two things that are there are most likely connected to your life purpose. Now guys in the next exercise, we're only gonna take 30 seconds for the next exercise it's really tapping into. What's really important to us. And so without giving it very much thought at all, I would like you to circle one thing in the cap top category, and one thing in the bottom that are the most important to you. And I'm just going to give you 30 seconds for that one. So don't give it too much thought. Just the first thing, the one thing that's the most important in each of those two categories. And time's up. So the reason that we do this quickly is that it really helps us get to the heart. And the core of what's important to you. If we take too much time at this will get very complex, very complicated. And we're really just working out our direction right now. And by going through quickly like this, we can get to it easier. The next part of this exercise is to see if you can put these two things together to form a sentence, and that sentence will create your direction.

Karen: 1:10:16

Also give you a few

Pam: 1:10:19

I could give a minute or two to do that. Just don't worry if it's not a great sentence, if it's a bit rough that's okay. We'll take about a minute to do that. And now the next thing that you would do with that sentence is I'd like you to think about someone in your life who knows you really well. Someone who might be interested in helping you with this exercise. And I'd like you to share this sentence with them and ask them if it sounds like you and ask them if they would have anything to add. And when I ask them

Karen: 1:11:53

what they think.

Pam: 1:11:55

And how they would describe your gifts and talents in regards to this direction. Now, again, we're still very loose on this. When I did this exercise, I was a little surprised because I love horses. I love Reiki. I love. And when it came right down to it, what I discovered and what my husband, he was, my person helped me figure out is that I love to help people. Step into their power and grow. I love to help them connect with source and learn and grow and become confident. And he really helped me see that was an aspect of my personality. That's my, the podcasts. That's why the teaching and all of that. It's my greatest joy to watch people connect with source and grow, whether they do that through the horses, through my essential oils, Reiki, through animal Reiki. Through becoming a Reiki practitioner themselves. That's what I really enjoy. I guess that's probably why I was in agricultural scientist. I love to, I love growth. I love to watch

Karen: 1:13:11

people

Pam: 1:13:13

learn and grow and the next and the final step after you get that input from someone who is close to you is to then activate your Reiki energy and see if you can incorporate what they have told you into your life, purpose and mission. You can also talk to more than one person, but the important thing is not to make it too complicated. This isn't a business plan. This is a direction and this should really help you begin to see what direction. You would like to go in as far as your life purpose and probably because you're listening to this podcast, what direction you'd like to go in with your Reiki? Some of you might've been surprised by what you've got. Karen, is there anything you want to share? Having done the

Karen: 1:14:08

exercise that I got, the race, my son, so I can travel. I was interesting. It's not what I expected, but yet it's funny because Karen and I both have been talking about traveling to teach and it's something that I really enjoy doing. Karen. I think it's something that you enjoy doing, and I think it's great. The more that we can travel and get this out there, especially as licensed teachers, there, aren't very many of us in the world the better. So it's going to be really interesting to get the input from someone close to you and start developing that. Yeah, my son will probably say, yeah, go mom.

Pam: 1:14:57

Of course. As I recall, he often travels with you. Doesn't he? It.

Karen: 1:15:02

And I started my business up here because I followed him to college. Yeah, I'm sure he's ready for me to move on along. I love it. Karen, this is our podcast for today. Thank you so much for being my editor. Thank you for coming on to share with people, my excitement that they get the book and that they get the help that people get the help you need to incorporate Reiki into your life. Whatever that looks like to you. I hope you'll join us next week as we further define the direction, but go ahead and spend this next week just meditating with Reiki and thinking about it and just allowing those ideas to gel. And do you have anything you'd like to leave people with Karen? Yes. I just wanted to thank you Pam for, writing this book and for helping people get clear about how, they can use Reiki to further develop their life, which may or may not include building a business, but I think it probably does. And so I'm grateful to you for helping get more Reiki out in the world. Lord knows we need it. So thank you. And thank you for having me today. Thank you, Karen. And to all of you who are listening. Thank you so much. Namaste. Bye.