Ep. 79: From Passion to Global Impact: The Story of Guest Genevieve Piturro

What if you found your life's purpose from a young girl who had never heard of pajamas? That's the compelling journey of Genevieve Piturro, the founder of The Pajama Program. Discover how a simple garment ignited a global nonprofit distributing over 7 million pairs of pajamas to children worldwide, and even inspired the establishment of two reading centers! Prepare to be moved by Genevieve's story of finding joy amid the challenges and how her purpose-driven leadership has created a harmonious and inclusive workspace.

"One woman came up with her own idea to honor her calling, and her name is Genevieve Piturro." -Oprah Winfrey

Best Selling & 5X Award-winning Author, Inspirational Speaker & Founder of Pajama Program Genevieve Piturro left her job as a successful TV marketing executive, picked up a pair of pajamas, and built a nationally known 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and named it Pajama Program. Two decades later, Gen educates audiences on how to
change their own course.

Genevieve Piturro is all about Purpose and The Human Connection. She was a successful television marketing executive until a sudden inner voice challenged her direction and she dramatically altered the path of her life. She found her true purpose when a simple question from a six-year-old girl in an emergency shelter changed everything. In 2001, she jumped off the corporate ladder and founded the hugely successful national non-profit, Pajama Program. This year, the Program celebrates its 21st anniversary, having delivered more than 7 MILLION magical gifts of new pajamas and new books to children through its 42 chapters across the U.S.

Genevieve is now an inspirational speaker and purpose consultant inspiring individuals, groups, and companies to find their purpose & embrace the human connection for success. She created the Purpose ACER business training program to help leaders create a shared culture by aligning the goals of the company and management with the goals of its employees.

Her first book, sharing life and leadership lessons she learned through her Pajama Program journey, is an Amazon best seller and the winner of five (5) awards. The book, Purpose, Passion and Pajamas: How to Transform Your Life, Embrace the Human Connection and Lead with Meaning, debuted during the Covid shutdown to rave reviews. The book’s message and Heart of the Matter life and leadership lessons after every chapter, dovetail perfectly with our Nation’s growing interest in finding purpose and rekindling our human connection. Her TEDx talk: “1 Idea + The Human Connection = 7 Million Pajamas” debuted with her book.

Genevieve has been interviewed on and in many local and national media including OPRAH, Hallmark’s Home & Family, The Huckabee Show, TODAY, GMA, The Early Show, CNN, Fox & Friends, O Magazine, Forbes,

Transcript

Kyla Cofer: 0:06

Welcome to the Leadership School podcast. I'm your host leadership and self-care coach, Kyla Cofer. Here at the Leadership School, you'll hear leaders from around the world sharing their stories and expertise on how to lead with balance and integrity. Our goal Teach you how to be an extraordinary leader. Welcome back, leaders. I'm really excited to introduce to you today Genevieve Piturro.

Kyla Cofer: 0:37

26 years ago, Genevieve founded The Pajama Program. She tells us today about how she was inspired to start this nonprofit and what it looked like for her to be on the journey of being a founder of a nonprofit. In the pajama program, they have given out in the last 26 years over 7 million pairs of pajamas to children all around the world. They now have 42 chapters of their program and two reading centers. She is a very inspiring person who really wants to inspire you to live on purpose. What does it look like to really step fully into your purpose in your career and in your life? How can you, as a leader, work with other people to be purposeful in their careers, even if you might have what you think is a boring job? So thanks so much, Genevieve, for joining me.

Kyla Cofer: 1:26

I'm really excited about our conversation today. Please welcome Genevieve Piturro. Well, seriously, thank you for joining me. I'm really excited to get to know you better and to hear more of your story. I'm just really, really fascinated by it. I admire anybody who started anything, but especially nonprofits, because there's so much purpose that goes into nonprofits and so much of your life passion that goes into it. There's meaning attached to it, so I'm really excited to hear all about that. Thanks so much for joining me.

Kyla Cofer: 1:54

Of course, Kyla, I'm looking forward to it. So maybe you can start off by just telling us your story and telling us how you got here.

Genevieve Piturro: 2:00

Sure, I always wanted to be a corporate woman in the corner office in a man's world, like Mary Tyler Moore. She was my idol in her Mary Richard role growing up and she had everything I wanted She was in the city, she was independent, she had a great job. That was challenging at times but she really made a difference in the office atmosphere and I wanted to do all those things and I wanted all the fun stuff to her friends and her fun life and her fun clothes and pretty apartment. And I was doing that for 12 years. I was being as close to Mary as I could until a voice, an inner voice, asked me if this is the next 30 years of your life, is this enough? And Kyla, that stopped me. It stopped me. I thought I loved my job and I did. I had a great, exciting job in TV in Manhattan.

Genevieve Piturro: 2:48

But the words my parents would use when I was growing up and my dad came from Italy My mom was also Italian What about family, what about having children? And I never thought that was for me. You know, I was the oldest of four, my sister, my brother, they did that. But I wanted Mary. And until that voice came to me, I didn't give it a second thought. But when it came to me I thought there is a hole in here and I think that might be it, because I loved kids. I had nephews and nieces God children and I loved them and I wanted to find a way to bring them into my life in a way that I thought could be part-time or, you know, fit into my busy schedule.

Genevieve Piturro: 3:29

But I went to emergency shelters and I read to children at night and it changed me totally And I wanted more of them and I wanted to help more because I saw the condition they were in when they were supposed to be with loving people to care of them. It was the opposite. And when I saw them sleeping in their clothes at night, bedtime, afraid, alone, waiting for a caregiver to tell them what the next step would be for them, it was just all wrong. And I felt and saw memories of my mom at my bedside, my sister, my brother's bedside, and how different that was what that love meant. And I started to bring them pajamas, not just read to them at night, and a little girl was so afraid to take the pajamas. She just looked at me and she asked me what are pajamas? And that was it. That was it And she just took my heart 100% and everything changed.

Genevieve Piturro: 4:22

And I had to grow and you know a lot of ups and downs into how the organization started and what I did, but it changed me as a woman. It changed me as a leader. I had to learn that I could trust my heart and my instincts when I was trying to spread the word and attract people to help, and I loved the leader I was compared to the bosses I had. So I feel strongly that that's a big part of what we're doing now. We're looking for leaders who can lead with their heart, who want to lead with their heart, and so that's what I'm doing now at Brand Pajama Program, day to day for 20-some years, and now I speak to others who want to find their purpose and change leadership as we've known it for so long.

Kyla Cofer: 5:10

Wow. So this girl just really inspired you and you started bringing pajamas and created this whole pajama program and started giving pajamas to children, And now you have reading centers and you have a full-time nonprofit that you've been running for 26 years.

Genevieve Piturro: 5:27

you said Well, I ran it for the first 20. And then, over those 20 years, growing pajama program and running it as well. Founder and executive director. So many people wanted to explore doing their own, following their own heart, not necessarily nonprofit. Finding your purpose can be anything. It does not mean exactly you have to have an nonprofit. It just means you have to follow your heart and believe that you were given a talent that you need to express and share, and so I thought I'd like to inspire more adults to do that, because there's a hole in our world and I think it's some of its heart missing.

Kyla Cofer: 5:59

Yeah, you've mentioned purpose several times, so tell me what that means to you, like finding your purpose, and then how you've seen and helped other people find theirs.

Genevieve Piturro: 6:07

Sure.

Kyla Cofer: 6:08

And why that matters.

Genevieve Piturro: 6:09

I never thought I had a purpose. It was never part of my upbringing, Home, or teachers or counselors or friends or mentors. Nobody ever said big part of your success is gonna be are you on purpose? So do you know what your purpose is? And so that was never part. It was always get a good job, Make good money, like what you do, be really good at it and then work really hard. And there was no mention of that word.

Genevieve Piturro: 6:38

So if you had asked me, I would have thought it was for special people you know, like Einstein and Deepak Chopra and Oprah and Alexander Graham Bell, all kinds of people that did magnificent the Wright brothers, crazy, world changing things And the rest of us were lucky if we had a job we liked. So it turns out we all have a purpose. I know that because I was the last person to ever think I had a purpose. So I know that and I've met enough people now in these 26 years, as you say, to know that most people are afraid because they've discovered it late or they never thought that they could make money at it and they thought it was silly, and that people in their world thought they were crazy. For a million reasons they have put it on the back burner And I am saying you're never gonna be happy, You've gotta slide it into the front. Even if I teach a slide or a jump, even if you slide it into your life, it's gonna make a world of difference.

Kyla Cofer: 7:31

Well, it doesn't just change your life, it changes the other lives too, right? So when you're more fully stepping into who you're supposed to be, you're making a bigger contribution. You really are, because you are more passionate, you want to be there, there's more joy, you're fulfilled and just like this love kind of just overflows and goes to everywhere. Yeah it's energy. People feel it.

Kyla Cofer: 7:50

Yeah, so tell me about when you were leading at and I mean, you're still the founder, but you have an executive director now, but in the 20 years 26 years of leading this organization, what does it look like to bring in staff and lead them and finding their purpose cause you I mean non-profits are really good at purpose being purpose driven because they're focused on something very specific. Yeah, so it's kind of that natural thing. But how did you bring other people into your purpose to help lead for that but allow them to still have their own individual purpose for what they were doing? Right, right?

Genevieve Piturro: 8:28

it's simple Whenever I interviewed someone or met someone, I wanted to know what lit them up, and it doesn't have to be the exact same thing. They just have to have something that lights them up and find a way to incorporate it and let them bring it to the organization So it can be for us. It could be reading, it could be children, but children with certain disabilities, and we could incorporate and I wanted to incorporate everyone's love, even animals. It didn't even have to be in our space, but they could talk about it. They could bring what they love to the table. It wasn't something that they left at home and they couldn't bring whatever golf or swimming or whatever they wanted to do. They could bring it in and talk about it and we would always have open discussions about everyone's passion and what they love to do and also contribute and participate. When the invitations came to join them and see them in action when they weren't working at Pajama Program And I think that that's missing in the corporate world.

Genevieve Piturro: 9:30

So I think that made a difference. I didn't know it then. It was just natural to me because I wanted a very harmonious atmosphere. I wanted everyone to be seen and know that, because most people want to bring their heart to work, but they're afraid that's not welcome.

Kyla Cofer: 9:48

Well, you really understood that. We're not people who break up who we are. I mean, we're not just like little pieces of us that we bring to work, we're all of us. So we bring all of our passions, interests, desires, things that make us happy, things that make us sad. That shows up to everything that we do. We don't just work in this little tiny corner of our lives. It all comes. So having that interest in the people who worked for you and allowing them to be whole people at work allowed you to really grow and thrive and to do some really great, amazing things with the pajama program.

Genevieve Piturro: 10:20

Yes, I think, because I was emotional about it and for other jobs it really wasn't emotional. It was exciting to have a great campaign work well or something that was great for the company was exciting, but it wasn't the same. It didn't go as deep as the effect that little girl had on me. So I think it just came out of me and attracted others who have that emotional side of them that's been dormant or that they've been afraid to express. I cried when certain things happened with the kids. The team cried. We rallied together to find ways to make something work that wasn't working. It was more heartfelt than any other collaboration and any other office that I had ever been part of.

Kyla Cofer: 11:08

Well, it also shows the power of story, too, right? You started and you let off with the story of this young girl that you met, and it's her story that inspired you and it's your story of being present that day that inspired all of these people and all of this movement. So you've taken all of this experience the story of Pajama Program and now you're doing more coaching. Tell me more about the coaching that you're doing.

Genevieve Piturro: 11:32

Yes, the pandemic brought all of us to a new place in the evaluation of our lives to this point right. So a lot of people realized either they were working too hard and weren't loving it, or they were getting nudged by whatever they put on the back burner to maybe bring it up a little sooner than they expected, rather than waiting for the kids to go to college, waiting for retirement, waiting for the money, waiting, waiting. So people wanted to explore that and I wanted to make sure that the younger generations learned about purpose before they got stuck in a job for 12 years or more And nobody ever taught me about purpose. And I wanted to tell them this is your North Star, your guiding star. You've got to respect it and you've got to find it or let it find you and be open to it and believe that you do have a purpose.

Genevieve Piturro: 12:21

And I think that a lot of people just don't think that they have a purpose. And then when they hear my story or I look at them and I ask them why do they want to talk to me? And it'll come out that they've always. They might be a CPA and they've always wanted to dance, or they've always wanted to cook. They love to cook, but now, at 40, it's too late for me to be a chef. Well, why It's not too late? And I think that they feel a little hope, and I think that that's important. And then, when I do get to work with them, they make changes that are real and that change how they feel about themselves. And that's the start.

Kyla Cofer: 12:57

Wow, so leading with purpose, so really thinking about purpose. You did that through the nonprofit and it can be really easy to think that it's easier to have purpose when you're doing something meaningful like nonprofit work. How does this apply in the corporate world? Because I think it still does, I know it still does And I know that you did too, but I'd love to hear, like, how does that play out also in a corporate environment?

Genevieve Piturro: 13:22

Well, it starts with an inspiring leader. So you sort of can't teach how to be an inspiring leader, but you can bring it out in most people, because in the past leaders I've had haven't shared personal lives. And I'm not saying bring your children to work every day, I'm just saying why are you here? What excites you about this position being a leader? What do you wanna see? Who's it touching? Okay, make boxes, but okay, what can the box do for somebody who's gonna buy your product? Share stories. Share that with the people that you're hiring and let that out.

Genevieve Piturro: 14:00

Don't just be about numbers and the being, about what everybody has to do and everybody's part and being the only one who speaks in the meetings, talk about it from the part of you that wants why you wanna do this job, why you're loving being the president or the CEO, and then encourage everyone to talk about why they picked this job. What do they want? What do they see that's missing in their position day to day? What can they do to bring themselves a little more to the table? What do they love to do? What can we do together to share what you love to do? And then maybe this person will say, oh, i love to play basketball. I love if anybody wants to play basketball with me.

Genevieve Piturro: 14:42

It just brings a camaraderie that is missing in the go to work at nine, leave at five, go on Zoom, get to this meeting, get to that meeting, maybe work overtime because you have to reach a deadline or a money goal. It's all about goals that have nothing to do with the human connection, and the human connection is something I talk about a lot. Because and I know, because people used to always say, and they still say, oh, the power of one, look at an idea, one person? No, it's not. You know, I've learned and we have to learn more. It's not the power of one that changes things, it's the power of one another that moves mountains and moves people, and that's what a business wants to do, wants to move a mountain. That's that would be amazing if they could do something major, and they can. And the secret is the power of one another.

Kyla Cofer: 15:27

Wow And you're really pointing into, like, how integral role a leader plays in it, in really helping people find their passions, because a lot of us do just get jobs because we need a job. I mean, especially there have been so many layoffs now in the last few months And we are all often, if you've been laid off and you're needing work, you just need a job, right, so you just need something to pay your bills and you'll take whatever is offered to you. And I have been in that spot so many times and I've taken jobs that I was miserable in because I just needed a paycheck. But what I'm hearing and what I really do believe and agree with you in, that is no matter the place, if you are leading well or if you are working with a good leader, that you can find purpose and you can find passion and joy and that day to day job, whatever it is, as long as you're bringing your whole self to it and you can find what lights you up within that role regardless. And if it gets to a point where you can't, then you have to start making decisions on how do I get out of this and how do I move into something that does bring me passion and joy, which can be really scary because we need to pay our bills, so sometimes we're trying to juggle.

Kyla Cofer: 16:37

So I started this podcast because I wanted to learn and grow in my leadership journey and I have been so incredibly inspired by the guests and the conversations. So once the interview ends, i actually keep the conversation going because I have found that sometimes the richest part of the conversation is when we feel like the interview is over and we can just kind of have a relaxed, more casual conversation. Also, if you've noticed, if you've been following this podcast for some time, i used to ask every guest two questions What does integrity mean to them and what does balance look like to them? Well, i haven't stopped asking those questions. We're just putting those over on our Patreon page. So go check it out at patreoncom slash leadership school and for $6.50 a month, you can support this podcast.

Kyla Cofer: 17:23

It takes a lot to produce every single episode and honestly, i could use a little bit of support. So anything that you're able to contribute would really mean a lot to me and would able to help me to continue to bring these high caliber guests in to have conversations on what does it look like to be an extraordinary leader and how do we practically do that? So those conversations are continuing over at patreoncom slash leadership school, where I'm asking guests some extra questions, some bonus questions, and you'll get some bonus content over there. So be sure to go check it out. Thanks so much for your support and thanks so much for subscribing, listening and sharing this podcast. It really does mean a lot and I'm so honored to show up here in your podcast feed. Tell me about what that looks like when you're, when you're approached with, "I cannot do this in this toxic place for me anymore, but I don't know how to go out and pay that bill. How do we have that courage to make that leap Right?

Genevieve Piturro: 18:19

Well, everybody's different. So if I'm talking to an individual, I want to know their life, their life, circumstance, because we all have responsibilities. Some have more than others. And it's often a slide that I recommend because, say, they say they want to sing. Okay, it may be true that they'll never be Cher or that they'll never be Celine Dion, it could be, but that doesn't mean that's not going to light them up, right? So they have that in the back burner and they're working as somebody's assistant. So if they go to work and they feel like they're just their boss is telling what to do and they're doing that, then we talk about how to bring what's on the back burner into their personal lives, because it changes everything.

Genevieve Piturro: 19:03

Take a singing lesson once a month, depending on the financial. Join a choir, join your church, sing somewhere, get lessons, talk to people who are in that world, go and learn about that world. There are so many things they can do and so many people that we don't realize we're connected to. That can have a conversation about what we love and what we're curious about And you never know, even if you met somebody who needed help, who would mentor you or teach you how to play piano and then you can sing to your own, to your own you know little keyboard that you might be able to afford. It changes everything when you sort of have that outlet.

Genevieve Piturro: 19:45

Too many of us are clogged up with all the excuses why we don't have an hour a week for what we love to do And it suffocates us. It's just like locking up joy in us And that first almost permission to let it out changes everything. You can see on their face, you see, the next time if they've had that hour of a lesson or met with somebody, went to an opera, someone's guest, anything they want to do, they sort of like let the kid in them has come out And it just goes from there, you know, and then, depending on their life, it can be bigger, it can become a jump, or sometimes it's enough just to find the freedom to make a commitment to do something like this for yourself for an hour a week.

Kyla Cofer: 20:31

Absolutely. I talk about this a lot with burnout prevention. If we're wanting to prevent burnout, one of the main key pieces is connection, and that means connection with other people, but also connection with yourself. And when you're building those connections with yourself, you're getting back to really who you are your joys, your wants, desires, your wants, needs, desires like to be a happy, whole, healthy person. Like, what are those things that really reset you, to remind you who you are? And you have to implement those regularly into your life, and a lot of those are hobbies. So, like, what are the things that, just like, make you feel at peace? What is that moment that makes you feel like you are you and you're being you, and you have to put that in your life and in a way that you can do. I challenge someone to do it every single day.

Kyla Cofer: 21:19

So when we talk a lot about self care, I don't think self care is, like you know, traveling 20 hours to go to the beach or whatever it is for you. You know, having to go spend $700 at a spa once a week That's those things can be self care, but self care is really those things that you do to take care of yourself every day And those connections with yourself is what is what's doing that? It's that reconnecting to who you really are. And when you can do that, even at work, when you can just even bring those little pieces in, you're bringing that light. Like, bring the candle to a dark room and then you add more candles and it just gets brighter.

Genevieve Piturro: 21:59

Yes, and you'd be surprised at how many people find a lucrative position from that kind of a start. You can make money if you love what you do. It's no joke. You can make money. You will be led to the right people, if you're open, who might need your help and are willing to pay for it And you might find a job. I mean, it's just. It's incredible.

Genevieve Piturro: 22:18

The universe is our partner and not enough of us know that and believe that. But when you're on purpose and you're giving your gift to others by what you said, giving it to yourself first miracles do happen. You meet people, things that you never thought would happen Synchronistic works out. It's just. You know it's hard to tell people. A lot of entrepreneurs know it. We talk about it. You know, we know it. A lot of us, because of our backs, been against the wall. We've chosen things to do and you know people would think we were crazy, but we've learned that there's a force out there and trying to teach somebody is not always easy, but if they are open to it and they start experiencing it, then they see it.

Kyla Cofer: 22:58

Well, it's really interesting too, because what we get really passionate about doesn't necessarily mean we're doing that one thing forever. Sometimes that one thing, by pursuing that joy and that purpose, leads you down a path to somewhere you never expected and imagined. Just like you were saying with the Pajama program, you started out by giving pajamas, but now you have reading centers. Imagining that was not in your original plan, did you?

Genevieve Piturro: 23:22

ever think for a second that I thought I could make a living, that I thought I could quit my job and make money. And I quit my job before I knew there was a way to make money. I didn't even know what a 501c3 was, I knew no rules, I knew nothing. And it turns out you can make a living, as you know, working in non-profit work, and it's just. I never thought, and giving pajamas to kids wasn't like I was teaching them or doing something that I might have thought was more significant, but it's about contributing to their lives in a way that others want to join you in that, and then they're becoming this need that everyone sees as a part of what's missing in their lives, and there's a way to not have to stress and to think you can't live and eat yourself while you're helping others. It's just a beautiful thing how it comes together.

Kyla Cofer: 24:24

So what you say to someone who says, okay, that's great and all, I love it. You know, that sounds all nice and fluffy, but I really have no idea what my passions are. I really have no idea what I'm purposeful about. Like I don't even know where to begin because I've just been surviving, Yeah.

Genevieve Piturro: 24:36

So I do things that can either go to my website and look at the exercise I put up there about how to find your purpose in 90 minutes is exercise for 90 minutes, or, if they want to talk about it, I always offer a free, you know hour, 90 minute call to talk about it. But you have one, you have one We all do.

Kyla Cofer: 24:53

Every single person was created with that. Yes, it's just incredible, right? Let's just take a moment to be so amazed by humanity. How incredible is it that we look different, we talk different, we speak differently, we think differently I mean, even twins have differences. And we all have something that makes us unique, that drives us. Honestly, that's just amazing. I think this world is so beautiful and we can get so lost in the bad news every day that we just forget how incredible it is that we're so unique and we do have that within us.

Genevieve Piturro: 25:25

No, I think people are taught to conform. I think if you're an entrepreneur and you have kids, you are more accepting and maybe even suggest that they start something, that they think about their passion. But if you come from a long line of people who've had jobs, they're afraid. They're afraid to take a chance. Security is number one.

Kyla Cofer: 25:43

Oh yeah, for me to launch my own business was very scary because of that reason. I came from a long line of people who worked with strict rules, like you don't negotiate your job because you just take what they give you and you just accept that and you be grateful for it. And then entrepreneurs in our family history had failed, so they were laughing stocks And so because they had dozens of businesses and they all failed and this person just wasn't never showed up for anything and just saw them as a really really negative light, so had to kind of work through all those And I think it's worth it even to work through all that. You learn a lot about yourself and you learn what you're capable of. Yeah And no, unless you actually get out there and try and do it Right. So you've got your book up there behind you, "purpose, passion and Pajamas. Is that telling about what we were going to be talking about today? Yes, yes.

Genevieve Piturro: 26:33

It's the journey ups and downs lots of downs too. I always tell people everything, and life lessons are part of the matter lessons at the end of every chapter of what I learned about life and leadership along the way.

Kyla Cofer: 26:43

Awesome. So let's check out your book and that will be in the show notes for us to check out, and then you're coaching. So tell me, or walk me through, what it looks like to coach with you.

Genevieve Piturro: 26:54

It depends on where you are, but there's always a consultation at first because everything is tailored. So I couldn't tell you there's a one fits all. So it depends on where you are and what your goal is and what your timeline is, and if you don't know that, we'll figure it out together. So it's usually a couple of months. Some people are six months, some people are two months. It depends on your personal situation.

Kyla Cofer: 27:16

Awesome, all right. So Genevieve, where can we find you? Tell me your website, sure, genevievepiturrocom. Is there anything else you would like to say? to make sure that we haven't left anything unsaid. It's never too late.

Genevieve Piturro: 27:28

It is never, ever too late. Change your path, get off the road if you want to Do it. Thank, you.

Kyla Cofer: 27:34

I really appreciate it. I've seen how it can be scary, especially when you get into adulthood and you're getting into habits and rhythms and patterns that it does feel like it's too late. It feels like or I don't know where to start. It can feel intimidating and scary. But I really appreciate having people who've been there and done it to speak up and say that it's possible and be vulnerable with your own successes and failures, and showing up and saying, oh, I had no idea what I was doing. I quit my job and didn't even know what a 501c3 was. That, I mean. That just surprises me. Like how do? and yet here you are, successful with 26 years of this program. It's amazing.

Genevieve Piturro: 28:13

I didn't know what it was, and it's just never too late. I know people are afraid and sometimes you have to do it afraid. I still do things and I say to myself I'm really afraid, I'm doing this afraid and I am, I'm not going to tell you, it's all about feel the fear and do it anyway. Yeah, I do it anyway, but I'm afraid, I feel afraid as I'm doing it and that's okay. It's almost ridiculous to think any words can make you not be afraid. It's more comforting to me to say, okay, I'm really afraid, but I'm doing it anyway and I'll do it afraid.

Kyla Cofer: 28:44

Yeah, how have you worked through that sometimes when you've been feeling scared, and how do you push yourself to do it when it feels like I?

Genevieve Piturro: 28:51

think of the rocking chair test When I'm 85, my mom's 88. So when I'm 88, I don't want to look back and say, why didn't I do that? What was the worst thing that was going to happen? It wasn't going to work, I was going to fail. Okay, then I get back up, I figure it out and fears conquer your fears part of it. So I just don't want to ever think I wasn't brave enough, I guess to at least try.

Kyla Cofer: 29:17

Does that come from experience of regret at all of having not done things? Good question, probably when you were really younger. I mean, I'm just saying that because my own experience is when I was really younger. there are a lot of things that I'm like why didn't I just try?

Genevieve Piturro: 29:32

Yeah, yeah, i broke some barriers, like I said, with my upbringing and what I decided to do in the path that I was following was my own, but it was the wrong one.

Genevieve Piturro: 29:44

I wanted to be somebody I didn't even know. I wanted to be Mary John Lomor's Mary Richers. I didn't even know her. It wasn't like I wanted to be my aunt, who was really cool. I didn't even know this woman Just on TV. She had so many things that were success in my eye and in the public's eye, so that's what I thought would make me happy and my family proud and all that. But I want to be brave. I want to be brave. I want to feel good about the fact that I tried. I care that I fail, of course, but I don't want to stop because I failed at something. I just don't. I don't want it to end that way.

Kyla Cofer: 30:22

Yeah, Yeah, that's awesome. Well, Genevieve, thank you so much for joining me. I'm just really grateful for your time and sharing your story and hearing about your success through the Pajama program and through your coaching. I'm always just so inspired by people who have done it anyways and who have really pursued their purpose and passion and done that to a way where they can look back and say I was successful. So thank you for inspiring us and for kind of mentoring us along the way. Thank you. Thank you for this invitation. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Hey. Thank you so much for listening. If you've liked what you heard and you want some more tools and resources to help you on your journey, go check out kylacofer. com/ free stuff.