In this episode of Books to Better Your Life, Anne Brinkman sits down with author and career coach Sandy Johnson to discuss her inspiring new book Experience Not Required. Part memoir, part self-help, and part adventure story, Sandy’s book encourages readers to embrace the freedom of being a “rookie” and step into new experiences—even when they don’t know how to begin.
Sandy shares the sparks that led her to writing, from childhood inspiration with Harriet the Spy to publishing her first articles, and ultimately to embarking on adventures like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and running a race in the Sahara Desert. She opens up about the discomfort of learning something new, the power of recommitting when doubt sets in, and how confidence grows not before action, but because of it.
Together, Anne and Sandy explore themes of adventure, belonging, confidence, and possibility—reminding us that trying something new doesn’t require expertise, only a willingness to begin.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why embracing the role of “rookie” can be freeing rather than embarrassing
The connection between discomfort, persistence, and growing confidence
How sharing your dreams out loud invites support, resources, and new opportunities
Noteworthy quotes from this episode:
“Confidence isn't something that you just decide you're going to feel. I need to feel more confident. It's a result of actually doing.”
“When we're little kids, we just say out loud, oh, “I want to be an astronaut,” “I want to be the president.” We say things because we have no idea about what's required to get there. And as adults we know what's required. So we just shut things down as that's not possible. That's the problem.”
“Everybody that ever tried something new or invented something didn't know anything, we are figuring it out as we go along.”
“I find that a lot of us, when we get to a certain stage of life we are afraid to admit that we haven't done something before. We want to appear capable and experienced and even experts. And it can be embarrassing to say “I don't know how” or “I haven't done this before” “
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Experience Not Required by Sandy Johnson — Available on Amazon (Kindle & paperback)
Visit Sandy’s website: experiencenotrequired.ca
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey
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In this episode of Books to Better Your Life, Anne Brinkman sits down with author and career coach Sandy Johnson to discuss her inspiring new book Experience Not Required. Part memoir, part self-help, and part adventure story, Sandy’s book encourages readers to embrace the freedom of being a “rookie” and step into new experiences—even when they don’t know how to begin.
Sandy shares the sparks that led her to writing, from childhood inspiration with Harriet the Spy to publishing her first articles, and ultimately to embarking on adventures like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and running a race in the Sahara Desert. She opens up about the discomfort of learning something new, the power of recommitting when doubt sets in, and how confidence grows not before action, but because of it.
Together, Anne and Sandy explore themes of adventure, belonging, confidence, and possibility—reminding us that trying something new doesn’t require expertise, only a willingness to begin.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why embracing the role of “rookie” can be freeing rather than embarrassing
The connection between discomfort, persistence, and growing confidence
How sharing your dreams out loud invites support, resources, and new opportunities
Noteworthy quotes from this episode:
“Confidence isn't something that you just decide you're going to feel. I need to feel more confident. It's a result of actually doing.”
“When we're little kids, we just say out loud, oh, “I want to be an astronaut,” “I want to be the president.” We say things because we have no idea about what's required to get there. And as adults we know what's required. So we just shut things down as that's not possible. That's the problem.”
“Everybody that ever tried something new or invented something didn't know anything, we are figuring it out as we go along.”
“I find that a lot of us, when we get to a certain stage of life we are afraid to admit that we haven't done something before. We want to appear capable and experienced and even experts. And it can be embarrassing to say “I don't know how” or “I haven't done this before” “
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Experience Not Required by Sandy Johnson — Available on Amazon (Kindle & paperback)
Visit Sandy’s website: experiencenotrequired.ca
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
What brought Heather to write this book
What Living By Heart really means
Some simple starting steps to try out living by heart yourself
The challenges and discoveries Heather had along the way
How to make sure this book is not shelf-help but enables your self-coaching
Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“I think when we believe that our emotions are information, and we stop assigning good, bad, right, wrong, those sort of black and white labels to it, we will recognize how much wisdom and insights come from our body."
“ Accepting emotions and acknowledging emotions is not permission for bad behavior.”
“ But sometimes, when we work so hard to try and manage our emotions, we get caught in them, and we can't actually move forward from them.”
“Leaders are being told that they need to come to the table with more empathy. Leaders are being told they need to come with with more active listening, with more awareness and concern for well being of their employees, like there's so much that's really heart centered in the underlying of those skills”
“Especially in the corporate world of North America, we've been very programmed to listen mostly to our heads. What's the logic, what's the facts, where's the evidence, right? So so much of what we're doing is operating in that above the neck, in the head space, for validation and confirmation and expertise, right?”
Resources and links mentioned in this episode:
Buy Living By Heart on amazon.com or livingbyheart.ca
Visit Heather Haigh’s business website.
Follow Heather at https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathermhaigh/
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts https://better-your-life-coaching.ck.page/
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey
http://www.betteryour.life/schedule
Books to Better Your Life
In this episode of Books to Better Your Life, Anne Brinkman sits down with author and career coach Sandy Johnson to discuss her inspiring new book Experience Not Required. Part memoir, part self-help, and part adventure story, Sandy’s book encourages readers to embrace the freedom of being a “rookie” and step into new experiences—even when they don’t know how to begin.
Sandy shares the sparks that led her to writing, from childhood inspiration with Harriet the Spy to publishing her first articles, and ultimately to embarking on adventures like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and running a race in the Sahara Desert. She opens up about the discomfort of learning something new, the power of recommitting when doubt sets in, and how confidence grows not before action, but because of it.
Together, Anne and Sandy explore themes of adventure, belonging, confidence, and possibility—reminding us that trying something new doesn’t require expertise, only a willingness to begin.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why embracing the role of “rookie” can be freeing rather than embarrassing
The connection between discomfort, persistence, and growing confidence
How sharing your dreams out loud invites support, resources, and new opportunities
Noteworthy quotes from this episode:
“Confidence isn't something that you just decide you're going to feel. I need to feel more confident. It's a result of actually doing.”
“When we're little kids, we just say out loud, oh, “I want to be an astronaut,” “I want to be the president.” We say things because we have no idea about what's required to get there. And as adults we know what's required. So we just shut things down as that's not possible. That's the problem.”
“Everybody that ever tried something new or invented something didn't know anything, we are figuring it out as we go along.”
“I find that a lot of us, when we get to a certain stage of life we are afraid to admit that we haven't done something before. We want to appear capable and experienced and even experts. And it can be embarrassing to say “I don't know how” or “I haven't done this before” “
Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Experience Not Required by Sandy Johnson — Available on Amazon (Kindle & paperback)
Visit Sandy’s website: experiencenotrequired.ca
Connect with Anne Brinkman
Website: www.betteryour.life
LinkedIn: @coachannebrinkman
Free confidence recordings: www.betteryour.life/audio
Newsletter: get notified of new podcast episodes or blog posts
Free discovery session: get support on your own personal growth journey
