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Hi there!

JoClub is nothing without our wonderful members, so we thought it would be time to share some more of their stories with you. We really hope you enjoy Kim’s story as much as we did. We swear we didn’t bribe her to say all of these beautiful things! Thank you for being here ❤️

The JoClub Team

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Last summer I went to Staples and bought this cheap soft cover grid notebook. I was in the midst of the worst bout of burnout I had in a while and I had a mighty need to rant about it on paper. This cycle happens almost yearly: I experience a mental spiral. I go to a store and find a fancy new notebook that will “change my life”. I fill a couple of pages of self-deprecating ramblings, then the notebook gets unceremoniously tossed into the forgotten journal graveyard. As a result, most of my adult life was sparsely documented with my own private unfiltered thoughts, and only on the darkest days at that. I didn’t want to remember my life from the perspective of a depressed stuffed donkey with a severe case of impostor syndrome.

Joining JoClub was my way of investing in that inner voice that was laying dormant inside me for a long time. I initially looked at it like hiring a personal trainer. I bought journals the same way I bought new workout gear with the intention of going back to the gym. I at least had the self-awareness now to admit that there was no way I was going to have the overnight discipline to actually show up every day without that external push. So JoClub became my accountability buddy.

Well, it worked. I’m only 5 months in, and I am already on my second large format journal. I even filled several traveler’s notebooks with many ramblings, doodles and collages from other journaling challenges, book reviews and travel adventures. I have been writing almost daily, and not just on the sad, self-deprecating days. I write about the mundane things and take deep healing dives into past trauma that even years of professional therapy couldn’t un-earth. I have even kept up with writing daily gratitudes, a very calming practice that I completely underestimated.

The daily journaling routine that I built with JoClub also cascaded into other aspects of my life too. My true north had always been creativity and exploration, but for someone working professionally in a creative field I was often feeling creatively stunted. Now that I can hear my own voice a little better, I am actually exploring more and building healthier habits to maintain my personal creativity. I still have a long way to go of course, but I am already noticing the many small shifts and it feels great.

And the coolest part? Getting to do it with other people from quite literally all over the world, all on a similar journey of figuring out their own voices. The live journaling sessions have felt so warm and cathartic! People cry with you. They share your joy and empathize with your anxieties. It’s basically like attending bonus global group therapy!

So do it! At the very least it will finally put all that fancy stationery you frivolously bought to good use. At most it may help you to finally get that notebook to ACTUALLY change your life.

Kim (@kimachuart)​
JoClub Member​
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​JoClub is an international group of people dedicated to self-awareness, growth, and cultivating a positive community through the tool of journaling. We journal as a collective on live journaling calls on a weekly basis, and stay in touch in an always-on community platform for daily conversation, monthly challenges, and more.

The doors to become a member are open until Wednesday the 22nd. See you at the next meeting?

P.S. Remember to add us to your ‘Safe Sender’ list or drag us to your ‘Primary’ inbox so you don’t miss out on any JoClub news.

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