Sharon Jamison, a speaker and corporate leader, integrated a Missouri school at age five and learned that belonging comes from within. She advises following your conscience over others' paths, mixing intellect with intuition in business decisions, and living by "you are enough" to build resilience and find what she calls soul satisfaction.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with the support you need to finish your book. Best part is, after you finish your book, they take care of the entire publishing and marketing process 100% for you. So if you want to become a successful author, make sure to check out authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Sharon Jamison. She is a speaker, author, minister, corporate leader, and founder of the Jamison Group. She helps people develop strategies for them to soar higher in their personal and professional lives. So welcome to the show.
Welcome to the show. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here. So thank you.
Of course. And we're very excited to have you on. The first one I have for you, Sharron, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Yes. The best story from my life is when, as a 5-year-old little Black girl, I integrated a school in Missouri. And it taught me that— Making sure that you belong is an inside job. Because when you know that you belong to yourself and you learn how to be your best friend and you know that you are valuable even if you're different, it allows you to interact with other people from a place of power but from a place of grace. And that was a— it was a hard lesson, a painful lesson. But I learned to be my best friend. And being my best friend allowed me to exist in a very tough situation. But it made me stronger. So that's the best lesson I've ever had in my life.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
The best valuable piece of information is to follow your own conscious and not the crowd. I think sometimes in this me too culture, we look at other people and we follow them. And it's okay to look to other people for inspiration, But however, you never want to look for them for imitation because I think we're so unique and we have a very valuable, unique message to share with the world. So look at them for inspiration, but never for imitation.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
The best business advice is to allow your intellect and your intuition to work together. I think sometimes we focus so much on the facts that we don't focus on the feelings, but sometimes we focus on the feelings and not the facts. I think when you combine those two, your facts and your feelings, your intellect and your instinct, you allow yourself to go into the new territories and to really be a pioneer. So don't get so top-heavy that you don't listen to your heart. It don't listen to your heart sometimes. So much that you neglect the data. So I think the best business advice is combine your intellect with your instinct and use them collaboratively to make decisions in the world.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would tell my younger self that you are enough. I think in this culture, we see examples of what good looks like that we stop really celebrating the good that's us and the good that's in us. So I will tell myself that you have what it takes, that you are enough, and to celebrate yourself. And even if you feel yucky now, you will grow into your greatness in a way that's magical and something that's beyond your expectations.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
The key to happiness is living your purpose. I believe when we know why we were made and how we are wired for greatness, we are able to be fulfilled. And that fulfillment is a deep sense of satisfaction, what I call soul satisfaction. And when you are living in your purpose, you can work forever and never feel tired. You never feel weary because you feel in total alignment. You feel total alignment with your vocation, with your avocation, and that is when your career and your calling reach together and help each other. So I think purpose is what makes you feel fulfilled in a very emotional, spiritual, divinely way.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Yeah, my best book I've ever read that I keep reading is the Bible, and not because the for theological purposes. But I think that even though the Bible reads the same, as you grow, you see new things. As you have new experiences, you experience the Bible in different ways. So even though God is not changing, your understanding of God changes, and it gets broader and deeper. So that was the best book because it always says something different based on what else is going on in my life. I always— gleam a new nugget that I'd never seen before. And that's why I think it's the best book that I've ever read. And I continue to engage because it keeps speaking to me as I go through this journey called life.
And then what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is, "To thy own self be true." And that's so important because I think in this in this world, we are tempted to be a copycat. And we are tempted to follow the crowd. But when you know who you are, and you love who you are, and you know that there's no one like you, it allows you to stand up and use your voice and not be a puppet, not be a pawn, and not be a parrot of someone else. And I think that's important. To that own self, be true. Be true to who you are. Because when you're true to who you are, you have clarity and you have fulfillment.
I love that. Well, listen, thank you so much for coming on. The last one I have for you before we let you go is where can our audience best find you online?
Yes, everything is my name, Sharon Jamison. They can go Sharon Jamison and find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Sharon Jamison is the name of my website. So I would love for people to find me, connect with me, and I would definitely connect with them back. Because more people who connect with me, the better I become as a coach and a minister and as a person. I look forward to people connecting with me.
Awesome. Thank you again for coming on.
Thank you so much for your time and you have a great day. And thanks so much for sharing your platform with me.
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