Join host Lynn Debilzen in this fun interview with Jordan Reichardt on Redraw Your Path!
In this interview, Lynn learns about Jordan’s journey through a career in higher education, becoming a school counselor during COVID times, sharing the power of improv with others, and becoming a full-time entrepreneur. Their conversation touches on:
Tune in for a dynamic discussion on life and growth!
About Jordan:
Jordan Reichardt is an entrepreneur, school counselor, and professional comedic improviser currently based in Milwaukee, WI. She owns Trailblazer Counseling where she creates counseling resources for school districts and recently launched Laughter and Leadership with Lynn, where Lynn and Jordan enter professional workplaces and conduct corporate trainings using principles of comedic improvisation. Jordan is an improv coach and teacher and is available for booking private improv events or coaching sessions for youth and adults. She is a member of two Chicago-based improv teams, Wolf Town and Ricochet, at the iO Theater.
Connect with Jordan:
reichardt.jordan@gmail.com, trailblazercounseling@gmail.com
Ricochet Improv: @ricochetimprov.io
Wolf Town Improv Team: @wolftownimprov
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Lynn:
Join host Lynn Debilzen in this fun interview with Jordan Reichardt on Redraw Your Path!
In this interview, Lynn learns about Jordan’s journey through a career in higher education, becoming a school counselor during COVID times, sharing the power of improv with others, and becoming a full-time entrepreneur. Their conversation touches on:
Tune in for a dynamic discussion on life and growth!
About Jordan:
Jordan Reichardt is an entrepreneur, school counselor, and professional comedic improviser currently based in Milwaukee, WI. She owns Trailblazer Counseling where she creates counseling resources for school districts and recently launched Laughter and Leadership with Lynn, where Lynn and Jordan enter professional workplaces and conduct corporate trainings using principles of comedic improvisation. Jordan is an improv coach and teacher and is available for booking private improv events or coaching sessions for youth and adults. She is a member of two Chicago-based improv teams, Wolf Town and Ricochet, at the iO Theater.
Connect with Jordan:
reichardt.jordan@gmail.com, trailblazercounseling@gmail.com
Ricochet Improv: @ricochetimprov.io
Wolf Town Improv Team: @wolftownimprov
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Lynn:
Hey friends, welcome to Redraw Your Path, a podcast where I share stories of people who have made big changes in their lives and forged their own unique paths. Guests talk about their moments of messiness, fear, and reframing on their way to where they are now. I'm Lynn Debilzen, and my goal is to inspire you about the shape your life could take. So let's get inspired. Hey, y'all. I am really thrilled to share this episode with Jordan Reichardt with you. we had an awesome conversation and I can't wait for you to hear it. Jordan Reichardt is an entrepreneur, school counselor, and professional comedic improviser currently based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She owns Trailblazer Counseling, where she creates counseling resources for school districts. And she recently launched Laughter Leadership with Lynn. Oh, that's me, yours truly, where we work with professional workplaces and provide corporate trainings using the principles of comedic improvisation, or improv for short. Jordan is an improv coach and teacher. She is a member of two Chicago based improv teams- Wolftown, and a yet to be named resident house team at the I. O. Theatre, which is a pretty big deal in the improv world. I'm really excited for you to listen to this conversation. You will hear, Jordan takes many turns in life, and, you know, just knowing her, I know and believe that she is on. The right path and getting closer and closer to living out her core purpose. So enjoy the interview and I can't wait to hear what you think.Jordan, I am so excited to have you here on Redraw Your Path today. Thank you so much for joining.
Jordan:Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I'm excited too.
Lynn:Yay. so what I like to ask all of my guests to start off with is to give me some context about where and how you grew up. Set the scene of Jordan's life for me.
Jordan:Sure, sure. so I grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, and lived in the same house from like birth to 18. And it was a pretty traditional, I would say, upbringing, like both of my parents were, uh, working and worked hard. And I kind of had that as like a, focal point, I think of, of growing up that, the jobs that both my parents had were very traditional and I would say like, um, you know, traditional office work, right? And, most of the adults in my life, in terms of my parents friends, they all had that same kind of background. So I wasn't really exposed to a lot of different Life paths, especially early on, I was like, oh, okay, like your life follows a very structured path and you buy a home in the suburbs and you, get a, get a job in an office and that kind of the life that, that I anticipated I would, I would have, And yeah, so as I was approaching the end of high school in that suburb, I was like, you know what, I'm kind of feeling like I want to spread my wings here and kind of get out of this environment. And I wonder what else is out there for me in terms of paths to explore, you know.
Lynn:Ooh, I love that. So it sounds like a base of traditionality, also a value of hard work, and, and then, wait, where was the first place you, like, what was the first way you explored? You went to college not in a suburb in Minneapolis, correct?
Jordan:Correct. Yeah. So I, I went to college in, in Boston, Massachusetts. So at the time that, that was like the biggest change I could possibly imagine for myself. And I was embracing that that. I was like, I want to be around, different kinds of people and in a city where I can walk places and, you know, I want to experience something else. I saw it as an opportunity to do that. And I was like, let's go, you know,
Lynn:Yeah, I love that. So, so the plan was, let's go to college, then let's have that traditional path of get a job, buy the house in the suburbs, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Jordan:Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Lynn:yeah. So, okay. I know the story doesn't, go that way because that is the premise of this podcast. So we'll get there. So let's fast forward to now because I like to bookend the conversation. so where and how are you currently spending your days?
Jordan:Yeah. So I'm, I'm doing all sorts of stuff at the moment. So, one of the things that I do is actually, you know, just in case your listeners don't know, you and I have a business together called Laughter Leadership. So we're doing applied improv workshops in these professional environments, improv comedy workshops. and that kind of ties into. It's something that I've really gotten involved in as well as improv comedy. so I currently am performing in Chicago. Um, and I'll talk more about that as, as the podcast goes on, I'm sure. But that's been really, really exciting. And then I also have a master's degree in school counseling. So I spent some time creating school counseling resources for school districts. And, I have multiple different income streams and that's, that's how I'm spending my time right now.
Lynn:I love it. I, I love it. And so, now that we have those bookends, I'm excited to dig into, okay, like, how do we go from, you know, point A to point B? and I'm wondering, and you touched on this a little bit already, but We all grew up with these external pressures or expectations. So the way that other people think that we should live our lives. So you talked about The traditionalism, that kind of traditional path, taking an office job, hard work. What are some other, paths or expectations or pressures that you have felt that others had for you?
Jordan:Sure. I think going along with that kind of traditional path, it was maybe even about more, more than that. It was about like, okay, how do you get, a quote unquote, prestigious position. And, and of course the definition of what that meant was pretty confined, based on the environment that I grew up in. So a prestigious environment being. One probably where you supervise other people, one where you're working maybe as a lawyer or a doctor or, you know, uh, there was definitely that pressure and I think I, I always liked learning and I was pretty academically, involved, and so I think from a pretty early age, there was a lot of pressure. A lot of different areas of my life, but to, you know, utilize those skills and like the way to do that was to my initial major in college was actually behavioral neuroscience. So I was like, Oh, yeah, I'm going to be a doctor or I'm going to I work at a hospital and that's going to be the way that I can get those needs met like that academic learning, but also like satisfy all these people in my larger network that are expecting that I'm going to do something with with what they define as a level of prestigiousness, you know?
Lynn:Mm-Hmm. So I'm imagining as a little teenage Jordan, you weren't necessarily realizing that, oh, this is like other people's definition of prestige. What do I want? Is that right?
Jordan:Right, yeah, I'm, I'm giggling because it took me a long time to untangle some of that, um, a long time. I think I'm still in the process of untangling some of that, but definitely as a teenager, I was, I was not aware. I thought, like, this is the, this is the path that people live, And so that's what I'm going to do to
Lynn:Yeah, right. Like welcome to the human experience.
Jordan:the one human experience.
Lynn:We all untangle all the things forever. Um, love it. Well, okay, so tell me, what was the first big way you redrew your path from what was expected of you?
Jordan:Sure. So, when I think of this question, I often think of, graduating from college, which I think, is a point where people have, a lot of people have that experience right of like, what is my path going to look like? And how am I going to draw it for myself? And I felt at the time I was, I had an internship because I had transitioned again already throughout college, but I had an internship at a financial services company, very traditional, and I felt a lot of pressure that like that's, that's the route now that I should go. So, so again, those similar pressures still, but throughout college, I had always really loved. And even in my experiences in high school, I had always loved like working with younger students. Like I was a orientation leader and I did campus tours and I did all of that stuff. And I was like, that's where I find. So much joy is like working with students who are a little bit younger than I am and like figuring, you know, watching them kind of grow and expand and figure out their own paths, you know. Um, and so I applied a couple traditional jobs when I graduated, but I also applied to a job that was in Australia. Um, and it was actually working with, the college that I had graduated with, supervising a bunch of first semester college freshmen who were studying abroad in Australia for the very beginning of their college experience. And I was like, that would be really interesting. That's something that, feels in line with the things that I love. I love to travel also. So I was like, let's give that a try and see what happens. and I ended up accepting that job. So right after I graduated, I, moved to Australia for this. For this position, with not really a clear direction of where that was going to lead long term.
Lynn:Yeah, and what was your, um, your like immediate community or did your family have thoughts on that? Or was it like, yes, go for it. We love it. We'll visit you. This is great.
Jordan:Um, yeah, I, maybe somewhere in between that. I mean, I think they were really excited for me, but maybe have some questions or didn't totally understand. And I think You know, the, the job that I accepted in Australia was a temporary contract. So it was always going to be like for, for a set period of time. So I think there was a little bit of relief in my family. Um, that like, well, she's just doing this for now, but then, you know, when she comes back, then she'll go into that financial services job that she's currently doing her internship in. So I think there was a. At least how I perceived it, a little bit of, like, oh, maybe this is just She's just, uh, you know, doing something temporarily, right?
Lynn:Yeah, and then you'll come back and be serious and figure things out. Was there any rewriting of narratives that you had to do in your own mind at that point? Or was it pretty, like, cut and dry? Like, okay, here, now I'm moving to Australia, then I'm going to move back, and there wasn't much untangling. What was going on there?
Jordan:Yeah, so the job in Australia, I was paired with, a couple of other, people who were in the exact same position that I was, which is where they had just graduated from, the college that I went to, and they were also supervising these students. So we were all at the exact same phase of life, and that community was really powerful for me to have at that particular time. There was a guy who was on the trip with me who, um, I still think of often, um, but he was very much like, no, this is the first step of many steps that I'm going to take that are maybe outside of the norm and non traditional. And this is the way that I kind of want to live and experience life. And I remember thinking like, oh gosh, there's just like a world of possibility that I, am now considering, now that I'm surrounded by these people who are making maybe less traditional choices, so having that community, and, and I would see them and I would think, well, they're really smart and capable and talented and interesting and like, you can do, it can be done, you know, um. So having that model directly in front of me was definitely helpful for like, oh, what is long term making less traditional choices? What does that look like?
Lynn:Yeah, I love that. And it's, it's really cool that you were exposed to that at such a young age, like fresh out of college. And it's really amazing the impact that the people directly in our near vicinity can make on our paths and our lives.
Jordan:Absolutely. Absolutely.
Lynn:so fast forwarding a bit. What was your second big turn in life? what was the second way you ended up redrawing your path?
Jordan:Yeah. So, when the contract in Australia ended, I did some traveling with these, these guys in the group, um, that I had talked about before that community. And we were all talking with each other about like, what's your next step going to be? What are you doing now that this contract's done? Where are you applying? And. A lot of them were applying for jobs in higher education, and I was like, okay, yeah, that's what this field is called. That's what this field of, like, working with students is called. I think I like this. I'm gonna try and explore. And at the time, you know, there's higher education jobs, obviously, all around the world, and I was like, I have no idea where I should apply. So let's think about maybe some cities that make sense for me. And one city that was coming to the top of the list was Milwaukee. Not because I knew anybody my own age there, but because, my grandma at the time lived in Milwaukee and I had a really special relationship with her. And I was like, you know, that's as good a reason as any to, to live in a place. Um, so I found a higher education job in Milwaukee. I applied and was accepted, and then after the Australia contract ended, I packed up and I, I moved to Milwaukee. So that was my first, big transition after that Australian commitment.
Lynn:Okay. Okay. I love that. So new city, needing to establish a life in that new city and, everything went super smoothly. Right.
Jordan:Oh yeah, that end of the story. So it was great. Thanks for having me on.
Lynn:well, I will say I'm so glad you moved to Milwaukee because that is where we eventually met. So, um, I'm really happy about that. but, tell me what happened after that. Are there big turns that came up once you were established here in Milwaukee?
Jordan:for sure. For sure. So, you know, the, the little bit of first couple of years of being a Milwaukee were pretty traditional. I worked in, in undergraduate admissions and then I moved on to graduate admissions. Um, and so I was thinking at that point, like, okay, well, I'm just going to continue in a higher ed. Now that's my career and that's what I'm going to do. Um, but. As I was working in medical school admissions, I really started to not enjoy it anymore. And I was like, well, you know, I just have to tinker with it a little bit. You know, something will kind of fall into place. And I wasn't, I wasn't really, uh, analyzing it that much, I guess. and then as I, it's like so common with like big life transitions, I had a really kind of traumatic, scary, not so fun event happened, which is actually. My best friend at the time, passed away very unexpectedly while I was at this role, doing medical school admissions.
Lynn:I'm so sorry. Mm
Jordan:yeah, it was, shocking and, really upsetting and, you know, definitely went through a whole process with that. But I think even in the midst of that process, I was like, This, this friend had always been such a high achiever. did so wonderful in her professional career, but had always felt stressed out. And what that was like a very common topic of conversation for us. So she was like, yeah, I don't know. I'm working too hard. I want to prioritize living more. And I can't figure out how to do that. And so I spent a lot of time in reflection about like, okay, life is short. I don't want to be stuck in a position that I don't love. That's not bringing a lot of value to my life. So I got to shake things up. I got to, I got to do something different. And, it was almost as a direct result of that, that I, which I think this is a maybe common, uh, that a lot of people take, because I was like, okay, well, I'm going to go to graduate school. That's what I'm going to do. And I'm going to go for school counseling, which is, related to higher ed, but has. More work with younger students, which is what I, at that point, really knew that I liked the best. So I quit my job in medical school admissions and I enrolled in graduate school. So that was definitely a huge pivot as well. And I think that was maybe the first time that I really did something that my family of origin like did not understand or approve of because I, you know, quit a job without having another job to, spend a lot of money going to graduate school. So I think they were like, what are you doing? What is the deal?
Lynn:Yeah. Yeah. Do you think, at that time you were making the connection and they were making the connection between, wow, like you had this really traumatic loss, that really shook things up for you and you? It made you realize just the fragility of life. And do you think, do you think at that time, like you were connecting those dots even?
Jordan:Um, I think I was, I was having, uh, I was connecting those dots, which is why I felt so compelled make a change. But I think at that point, especially I wasn't good at verbalizing to other people, What was going on in my inner world, so I think maybe from an external perspective, it looks like I was just like, uh, spiraling and I felt internally like, no, I'm being I'm being driven by something that really makes sense to me. And that feels aligned with my values. And I was like, I hope in time people see that. And I think they have. I think my parents of other people in my life are, are understanding now more, what my path is and kind of where I'm going with, with stuff.
Lynn:Yeah. Yeah. And I think that probably comes with just maturity too, and being able to communicate what is your mission in life. Um, after you lost your friend and as you were thinking about your next step, were there any narratives that you were holding that you needed to rewrite for yourself at that point.
Jordan:Um, probably the biggest piece was like judgment of others. at that point in my life. I don't think I could have imagined anything that felt worse than the potential Judgment of people that I really cared about and respected not agreeing with what I was doing with my life. And a lot of that I came to find out was more of like a an imagined fear. I think once I actually took the leap like people supported me and were kind and you know, I Surrounded by a lot of really wonderful people that showed that support for me, but the fear that they wouldn't support me was really, difficult.
Lynn:Yeah, and sitting with that fear and living with that fear is, is really hard to do. And I think that's why many people don't take a leap, that they're feeling really called for. So that's really brave of you to do that.
Jordan:Oh, thank you.
Lynn:so then. What was the next way you redrew your path? Because I know you went to grad school
Jordan:I, I did.
Lynn:And so you're a full time school counselor now.
Jordan:Oh, no, I'm not. I am not. a lot of why I wanted to be a school counselor was the work with students. That's something that I loved, but it was also that, there was a lot of flexibility in the school environment. So it was like, okay, well, I, I'm going to have, Some breaks off throughout the year. That's great. I get off in the afternoon. So I'll have like the early evenings to do errands. Like I'm going to have a way better, work life balance that I currently have like medical school job where I'm working a lot. and. Way longer hours than I want to be working. And so that was like a big draw um, to going into school counseling. And I loved the work, but what happened is, uh, when I was in the program, COVID happened. And so now all of a sudden, like all of my friends were having these amazing jobs where they were working from home and had all this flexibility and all of my education friends, people that were school counselors or teachers, all of a sudden their jobs were the least flexible on this like new, new worldview that we all had about what, what working can be and mean. Um, And so I was like, well, maybe, maybe didn't expect that this is the path that would happen. But, um, you know, I'm adapting and I was, I am thankful for the skills that I learned from that program you know, it solidified with me that I love to work. I still love to work with with students, especially middle and high school students. So I was like, oh, like, I'm glad I solidified that even though this path maybe isn't turning out to, you know, be what I initially thought it was going to be.
Lynn:Okay, So that's interesting because the pandemic hit all of us and it changed everybody's lives, but it really changed like, wait, this thing that I thought was going to be this way. is completely opposite of what I want. so what was that realization point like when you were kind of getting to that point where you're like, Oh, okay, these are my options. What were you going through at that time?
Jordan:Yeah. I mean, it was a challenge because I, I had a lot of like shame at that point because I was like, God, like I quit this stable job to go to grad school. This stable job that like gave me An illusion of success to I don't even know society as a at large or I don't know, like, um, and I was like, I quit that job to go to this grad program. I put a lot on the line to do this in terms of financially. Like, I didn't have a job for a little period of time. Like, it was very stressful. And now I'm like, and I'm not even going to use it. Like, it just felt at that point, I'm like, I think I've reached a dead end. And I spent, I mean, it was, it was a little bit dark for me because I was thinking like, gosh, I, I've made some mistakes here. And it, it really felt like the graduate school path was the first thing that I had done. For me, that felt like this is from, like, my gut, this is what I want to do. And so I was fighting back this narrative of like, this is what happens when you follow your gut, Jordan. You know, like, when you don't listen to people in your life that know better, this is what happens. You know, so it, and I got through that. Like, I worked through all that, but it was, it was a rough time there for a little bit.
Lynn:Yeah, it sounds like a lot of self doubt and, you mentioned the word shame and so that's what's sticking out to me, but like that, that self doubt of like, I did what I wanted and now it's not working out and everybody's going to say I told you so.
Jordan:Exactly. Oh, and that's powerful.
Lynn:Yeah, yeah, it's, um, I think it's a fear, right? you said before that you had that fear that people were going to judge you for making this decision. And now it's that fear that people are going to be like, well, you shouldn't have made that decision. And when that lives internally, that can cause a lot of unrest emotionally.
Jordan:Absolutely. Absolutely. And with, with all of this, I in time got to a healthier place with it where I realized like, one, the people that love you are going to support you and are going to cheer you on and like, want to see you succeed. And if there are people who don't, If you're so strong in your center that like you're doing what you love and what you see as the best thing for you, it doesn't really matter. No, if you encounter somebody who's like, Oh, that's kind of weird that you do that thing. It's like, maybe it is to you and that's okay. You know, like, I'm not going to internalize that as like, uh, something that I'm doing wrong. I just see that as like your opinion and I carry forward, you know?
Lynn:Yeah, I love that. And that's a skill. That's a skill that I think I wish I had and had developed a lot earlier is that, like, non internalization of other Thoughts. people's
Jordan:Yeah.
Lynn:so as you were realizing, okay, I know what I don't wanna do is be a school counselor in the traditional sense, was there anything specific you were seeing at the end of the tunnel at that point? Like what was the, the vision, that you were kind of starting to imagine?
Jordan:Yeah, I mean, I think this is The point where I really sat down with myself and I'm like, okay, what are my skills? What do I really enjoy? What things light me up? Uh, let's, let's talk through that, you know? So I, was like, okay, I, I, school counseling is interesting to me because I love working with Students. And more than working with students, I love like teaching or instruction. Like that's something that I have a real passion for and I think I'm pretty good at. Like, okay, that's something. And then, you know, one part that we haven't talked about too much yet is at the time I was doing a lot of improv comedy. And I was like, well, that's really lighting me up too. I love Comedy and performance and the teamwork and collaboration that comes with that. Oh, that's interesting. Okay. So is there something that can combine kind of all of these things that I love and all these skills that I have? And at the time, I didn't really have an answer to that, but that's like where my mind was, was taking me. It's like, I bet there's a way to combine this, you know?
Lynn:Yeah. Yeah. And it's really that Venn diagram. And think of, I don't know, have you heard the framework of IKIGAI it's essentially a four part Venn diagram of, and I'm going to get this wrong, Jordan, but sorry, listeners. Um, but it is like, what, what do I love doing? What am I good at? What can I be paid for? And what do others need? And it's really finding the Of that, which sounds easy, but it's very challenging.
Jordan:Oh, I haven't heard of it explained exactly in that way before with the Venn diagrams, but I love it. I love that. That's, yeah, that's, that's the question, isn't it? And yeah, that, that center point, uh, it takes time to find.
Lynn:Yeah, yeah. And it's a constant it's a constant iteration. Um, so you were kind of going through this phase of like, all right, figuring out what brings you joy, what lights you up. Comedy was one of them. and the interesting thing that I'll share with, uh, listeners is That's how we met is through comedy. I was taking an improv class. and Jordan was my teacher. So let's talk about the next big turn in your life. What is the next way that you redrew your path?
Jordan:so, this kind of takes us up until the recent like past, I guess, but I was teaching improv workshops and really enjoying that I was doing kind of different corporate, um, improv shows and, performing on, you know, a weekly basis and really like enjoying the improv aspect of, of my life. It was something that was giving me a lot of joy. And unfortunately, what happened with that was a pretty abrupt end to, my comedy experience in Milwaukee that was, not really explained to me, and was very sudden and abrupt. So I was kind of In a situation all of a sudden where I was like, dang, I was just starting to kind of get a foothold in figuring out what my life was going to look like, which is that I'm going to do some kind of school counseling work on the side. I'm going to do some of this improvisation stuff and teaching and instruction. But now I, this, when this ended I was like, oh, I kind of, it didn't last as long as, as it maybe did the first time that I had that kind of dead end feeling again, where I was like, oh shoot, like, oh no, like, maybe. Maybe, maybe I should completely pivot and do something else. I don't know. I was, I was feeling really discouraged and, one one thing I think I've, I've found with, with some of this stuff is that I don't like to be in that discouraged place. It's not a productive space for me and it doesn't feel good to be there. So I was like, after I gave myself a little bit of time, I was like, no, I, how am I going to use this to, to my benefit? And I was like, okay, well, maybe I'll start to go to Chicago and do some improv comedy there. So I took a workshop and I ended up, um, getting placed on a, on a team, which was really exciting. And I actually, I think I shared this with you right before our call, but I actually just got news. A couple of days ago that I was placed on, like, a resident company, house team at this new theater. it's So exciting because that's kind of phase that I'm at now is I'm like, oh wow, like the, the ending of this one thing is propelling me on to like so many that I never would have seen, um, without the hard thing happening.
Lynn:Yeah, oh my gosh, congrats! This is, really exciting and I can't wait to see a show. I just want to stop at that, congrats. Sorry, I moved on a little bit too quickly.
Jordan:You're
Lynn:But it's so exciting and like, really positive things can come out of really hard times. You made it sound really easy, so that's why I want to pause. And you know, like, in that moment where you were like, gosh, this is a dead end, like, what am I doing? Were there narratives, again, that you were rewriting for yourself? Or what were you unraveling at that time?
Jordan:Yeah, I think I felt like, improv comedy, there's only so many places to do it. so I felt like, well, if one door closed for me, maybe I should give up improv entirely. Maybe that's what I should do because, like, this is a natural end to something. You know, uh, I think I had a narrative of, like, maybe it's time for me to grow up. Maybe it's time for me to, you know, uh, do the more traditional things now. Like, I've had this non traditional path for a little while and, like, maybe this is, like, the natural phase into the next more traditional part of my life, and then I was kind of like, no, I love doing this. It lights me up. I love the people that I get to do it with. I'm gonna. I'm going to keep moving forward and, and paving new paths for myself. And it, it wasn't easy because, um, the Milwaukee improv scene compared to the Chicago improv scene, I mean, it is, it is night and day different. the Chicago scene is a lot bigger. There's a lot more professional, comedians in the Chicago scene. It's just a whole different. Ballgame. so I felt a little like, oof, I don't know how this is gonna go. I'm gonna have to present myself in a way that's really confident at a time that I'm maybe not feeling the most confident, you know?
Lynn:Well, and it's what I hear is that that actually by leaning into that you have been able to play bigger in a way that wouldn't have been imaginable had you not had that abrupt turn. Is that right?
Jordan:Yeah, that I think the way you phrase that is perfect. Yeah, that's how that's how I feel like kind of kind of in I just saw it almost felt like I saw this like little tiny light, and I was like, okay, well, I'll just walk toward that and see what happens, because it was like. It felt so dark when this, when, this one thing ended that I was like, I just got to walk toward that light, even though it looks pretty dull and who knows what's going to happen when, when, or if I get there. And it, it, it's been incredible so far. Um, and yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm really excited to continue doing it. So,
Lynn:That makes me so happy. And I think that that speaks to the weight that we give, quote, unquote, work in our lives, right? When, when something ends, right? We, we question our identity. That might be, might've been our community, um, you know, like, Stand yourself up like you did and be able to take steps forward is is pretty remarkable in my opinion. And, um, yet you resisted the voices that maybe we're telling you, whether those were internal or external voices that maybe we're telling you to quote, quote, unquote, grow up or like. To follow that traditional path towards that prestigious job, you, you were like, nope, nope, I see this, I see this tiny little, this tiny little spark of light, and that's where I want to go, and that's what I'm going to follow. That, I mean, it's so cool, Jordan.
Jordan:Oh, thank you. Yeah, your support really means a lot. And, and yeah, I can't wait for us to explore Chicago together and see some shows. That'll be fun.
Lynn:Yeah, definitely. so what advice would you give to others who are considering redrawing their own path?
Jordan:I mean, I would say, uh, you know, it's so funny, I found myself almost saying do it. And then I was like, okay, well, there are considerations, right, that you have to, that you have to take. And it's wise, you know, it's wise to think about those too. But I would say that my experience has shown that the, that the judgment fear that I had, that was more perceived than reality. I think, I mentioned this before, but when, when you're doing something that feels really aligned with like what purposes, even if you don't get full support, like I said before, it doesn't really matter or impact you in the way that I thought it would. I just kind of feel like. Well, I'm, I'm doing what I love and that's the that's the reward. I hope that. makes sense the way I phrased that. But, um, and then I think, uh, life is full of kind of shitty events that happen sometimes. Um. And I think to say, like, when you're in the midst of a, of a really big, scary event that might have the potential to, like, shift your life in a new direction, at least open, open your mind up to the possibility that it could be. That there could be something, something positive that comes from it. And you don't have to believe that that's going to happen, but it's just like when those big, scary events happen, it can be so easy to just like spiral downward and stay there for a long time. Um, and it's important, even if that light is like super small, but just to be like, I'm not going to lose hope that like, I could be being led somewhere. Cool.
Lynn:Yeah, I love that. And I just want to drop the mic because that I think was such great advice. Just Be, open, even when you're going through a really, tough time, you maybe had a loss, whether that's a job, a friend, a family member, you know, that, positive things and gifts can come from the world. So thank you for that. I, I love that advice and I feel like one of the reasons, I started this podcast is because I was soaking up all this advice from all these different people and I was like, Wait, I think other people need to hear this advice, and I need to keep hearing this advice every single day.
Jordan:Seriously, I do too.
Lynn:So it's, you know, we can keep advising each other on this advice, but it's, it's very wonderful wisdom and I appreciate you sharing it with listeners. so Jordan, last question is, where can people find you? And is there anything you would want to promote or share with listeners?
Jordan:Sure, yeah. So, kind of the best place to find me, and I know it's maybe a little bit old school, but it's on email. So if people want to send me an email at reichardt. jordan@gmail.Com, I check that and respond. that's kind of the best place. Find me. I'm not on social media at the moment, though that might change in the future, but that's a good place to find me. And then, the newly formed, resident company team that I was just placed on, um, I, I will definitely pass along the, like, social media info for that, uh, when I have it. And then, the second team that I'm on in Chicago is at Wolftown Improv, and that's on Instagram, so you can find us there. So that's, that's some, some of the places.
Lynn:I love it. I love it. And people can find you at Laughter Leadership, where you know, if you, first of all, if Jordan's story resonated with you, send her an email. And I love, I love the old school ness and I admire it. So you can be my coach in, in shedding the socials. But, um, yeah, if anybody loves the vibe of this, Laughter and leadership is your place and we're happy to share the power of improv with you all because I know it changed my life. I know it changed Jordan's life and it can change the trajectory and experience for your teams that you're leading. Thank you so much, Jordan. This conversation was such a delight and I appreciate you sharing your story with listeners.
Jordan:Yeah. Thanks so much for having me on. And, and yeah, what a great podcast. I can't wait to listen to all the episodes. episodes.
Lynn:Yay! They'll be great. Alright, Hey, thanks for listening to Redraw Your Path with me Lynn Debilzen, If you liked the episode, please share and subscribe. That helps more listeners find me. And don't be shy, reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn. I would love to know what resonated with you. Can't wait to share more inspiring stories with you. See you next week.