Interview with Joleen Bridges, author of “Finding Home – Breaking Free From Limits”

Joleen is a life-long Missouri resident and currently resides in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Besides writing, Joleen’s favorite things to do are; hang out with family, travel, read, and pretty much anything related to nature. Joleen is passionate about the topics of consciousness, enlightenment, spirituality and personal empowerment. Her debut book,Finding Home, Breaking Free from Limits, available at Amazon.com and on the book’s website, represents over 10 years of research and a lifetime of inspiration to present readers with a comprehensive look at understanding and releasing our self imposed limits to discover your authentic potential and divine authority to live a life by design.

Joleen also has other inspiring articles on her book’s website, www.breakingfreefromlimits, that may interest those on a path of enlightened consciousness. You can contact Joleen for speaking engagements or for questions about her book via email @ jhallo03@hughes.netor through the book’s website. Joleen is currently working on her next spiritual empowerment book and is now accepting feedback and comments on her website towards topics of interest to the spiritual seeker.

The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

Finding Home – Breaking Free from Limits is a guide to deeper understanding of the human condition, meaning the way we build up boundaries and limitations around and about ourselves, and then, Finding Home offers readers tools and practices to release these limitations. These limitations prevent us from living life fully and within our highest potential, and many times these limitations cause great suffering. I like the think the book overall is about freedom and really discovering a part of yourself that amazes you.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?

Yes, you could say that. I have had many, “Dark nights of the soul”, as I know we all have. But for me, some of them were so severe that at times I was certain I could not go on. Nevertheless, I sensed a little spark inside of me during these times too, that allowed me to keep drudging forward. Frankly at one point I felt that if this is really all there is to life, this suffering and anxiety and stress, then life is really pretty pointless. But this bleak outlook kept driving me to find solutions for this suffering, not just in me but for others too, and I believe that I have. I want to share what I have learned AND what I have experienced because of it. If even 1 person get’s awakened to the potential in their life, to overcome some limits and open up a wider, deeper dimension to their life experience, then I would be happy.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

I have a tendency to be very passionate about causes towards animal rights and education to the public on ownership responsibility towards animals. Animals are one of the purest representatives of what we call “the soul.” You can just see the purity of them right through their eyes. I know that these soulful beings have a purpose and part in this universe too, and the cruelty towards anything or anyone is tough to accept, but somehow that story is there for a higher purpose. There is no better teacher to show the uselessness of suffering than a dog that has gone through hell, but when shown any love or compassion at all, let’s that suffering go to give back to you everything he has to give. That’s amazing.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

I have several modern spiritual teachers today that I feel have helped direct my paths for my writing. Some of these are Eckhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and I also love Mike Dooley for some light and powerful motivation and Joe Dispenza for some scientific/spiritually thought provoking books. These great sages and spiritual masters have also inspired my writing deeply – Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu (of course), but also, Plato, Rumi, Goethe, Paramahansa Yogananda, Einstein (one of my favorites), Joseph Campbell, Osho, Thomas Merton, Ram Dass, and Mary Baker Eddy. Really there are so many more. It’s not so much that these great teachers inspire me to write as they inspire me with so many amazing ideas and possibilities that I feel compelled to write about them.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

Since I have read many books in my genre, initially for my own self empowerment path, then later, to research the writing on my book, I took some of the things that I wished I could have seen in some of my favorite books and incorporated them into mine. For instance, I have read so many great books that shared ideas, insights and so on related to HOW we got into the problems we face, but they were not really that helpful on how to incorporate changes into our lives to overcome these issues. Their solutions were vague or too high level to create what I would call a “practice.” So, I wanted to provide readers with some new perspectives and insights into some old topics (ego conditioning, suffering, limited thinking) and then offer lots of tools and practices to try that will help the reader transcend these issues. The fact is that some practices and methods don’t work for everyone, so I wanted to include many different approaches to tackle these issues.

You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

It would have to be the Bible, and not because I’m a bible toten ideologist, but this book, more than any other that I have read has the most “food for thought.” There is paradox, intense symbolism, soaring inspiration, sweeping drama, as well as words of great peace, joy and hope. It would take many lifetimes perhaps to interpret and soak in the many lessons that the Bible has to teach us. And, I would wager that over time those lessons would transform into different lessons using the same text.

Is there anything you regret doing/not doing?

No regrets – ever.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Only that for those that might be reading this interview because you have an interest in this genre of book, or you are looking for inspiration on your path to personal and spiritual empowerment, to please keep your mind and your heart open and keep moving forward in your quest. Some days it may be one tiny baby step at a time because you feel like you are mired in life sludge, but keep on, grab on to one thing that lifts you and hold on tight. I see the world changing over the next several decades and it will not be done with huge government policies or joining some huge organization for a cause or charity, (although I am not judging the merits of those here), or some fatalistic Armageddon – but through one person at a time, awakening to their higher being and then touching someone else with that potential.