Forty years ago, Joan Barnes founded Gymboree, which began as a small “kindergym” for parents to gather while their children played. Eventually, what began as a simple moment of inspiration grew into a multi-billion dollar international brand. However, as her company gained momentum and phenomenal success, the ever-increasing demands took a toll on Joan’s emotional and physical well-being.
As a seasoned businesswoman, Joan not only learned to seek out the help she needed… she now offers her inspirational story to others in her new book, Play It Forward. She now spends her time as a Gymboree spokesperson, bestselling author, speaker, and advisory entrepreneur. Joan shows us how to align our inner lives with outer success. In this candid interview, she offers her hard-won lessons of learning to step away when you need to and having the courage fight for balance even when it sometimes means disappointing others.
Joan’s core message is timeless—that we aren’t meant to go it alone. And when we learn to respect our own needs in the face of life’s demands and challenges, we find ourselves regenerated and stronger than when we started. We hope you’ll join us to hear how Joan’s story shows us that:
- Our external successes and failures do not have to define who we are.
- If our success is not in alignment with who we are it won’t matter as much.
- Our power resides in our vulnerability and being seen by others for who we are, rather than trying to maintain some perfectionistic, untouchable persona.
- The most important thing in life is to get to a place where we can be emotionally, spiritually and physically healthy.
Show Notes
- Play It Forward: From Gymboree to the Yoga Mat and Beyond: Buy the book on Amazon
- Joanbarnesspeaks.com: Learn more about Joan’s work