BIG LIVES and the women who live them! Meet Liz Jansen

Leader, visionary, life & business coach, rider trainer, writer, author; Liz Jansen is all of these things and so much more!

At 61 years old this coming May, Liz who has been riding since age 16, has had a life and career that many look at with awe.

I am one of those women who is inspired by Liz.

Liz started off her professional life as an RN, and when a position in Occupational Health opened up she took it.  That position eventually translated into a Human Resources career, and it is there where she learned and mastered many skills that would one day fuel a new career path. She enjoyed the challenges and issues the position offered, but over time she began to feel restless and unfulfilled.

Liz's marriage had changed too, or as she reflects, maybe it was her perception of it that change, either way between home and career, she found that her soul felt empty.

Having come from a Mennonite background, her spirituality is strong and as she began to look inward for the answers she sought, she found that one thing kept coming back to her time and time again.  "Our lives cannot be in balance until we learn what purpose it is we are here on the earth to fulfill."

She realized that the restlessness, the emptiness she felt, was caused by the fact that her purpose was calling her. And she decided to go and meet it.

Within a span of 8 months she left her job and her husband and then embarked on a two month motorcycle trip across North America.  Liz expressed that it was as if her Honda Spirit had helped her reclaim her soul. It was not just that Honda Spirit and the adventure or the time on the road that inspired her, Liz began putting together the connection between motorcycle and spirituality, motorcycle and empowerment, motorcycle and mental strength and she wanted others to learn the power of that motorcycle and we aren't talking horsepower.

When she returned from that trip, Liz realized she had been living a life that was filled with a false sense of security and decided to invest some time and energy on herself.

She knew what her purpose was, and now she had to figure out how to fulfill that purpose.

She founded Trillium Motorcycle Tours & Events, hired a personal coach and began refining herself and her skills.

Today Liz is the author of 14 books/Ebooks, a life and business coach and a senior motorcycle instructor at Humber College.  She served on the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada board as a board member and chair person from 2006 to 2014 and she has facilitated many events for women in motorcycling.

A gifted speaker, Liz loves coaching be it one on one or in large groups. She imparts the wisdom of the road to her audience and teaches them to embrace the teachings of the motorcycle.


Liz's series of books called "Life Lessons from Motorcycles: Where the Road Meets Spirit" are the foundation for her training courses; How to Stop Dreaming and Start Doing", but she is probably best known as the author of "Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment"

Liz suffered a crash on a gravel road last fall. She was at the very beginning of what was to be a one year trip to South America. On that fateful day she was planning on visiting Blackfoot Crossing and Namaka in Southern Alberta. She wanted to visit the farming community her dad had grown up in.

Her trip to South America was to be a part of a journey to learn more about indigenous peoples and

their cultures.  When the crash happened, Liz, a highly experienced rider knew this was a message, that something about her expectations for this trip were out of balance.  She expressed that the crash has been a blessing in disguise for it has forced her to be still and introspective and she's had time to absorb all of the kindness and blessings others offered to her during her convalescence. She needed to slow down, take time for herself and re-examine things. She refers to her crash as a "Course Correction".

Her shoulder which was severely injured is healing but may require a further surgery before she is able to gain full mobility in it.

BUT

Her soul is becoming restless for her motorcycle, in over 45 years of riding she has only ever spent 2 years of her life without a bike.  Her motorcycle is truly her conduit, it keeps her focused and centred and she realizes how important that is in her life.

"The true beauty of motorcycles, as any rider knows, is that they connect you with Spirit and ultimately with yourself," says Liz and she should know because she has traversed hundreds of thousands of miles by motorcycle.

In spite of the course correction she finds herself on, Liz says life has never been better and that she loves being in service to others, doing the work that fills her soul, that allows her to use her unique gifts to empower other people to truly live their lives.

"There is nothing more rewarding in the world than knowing your gifts and talents are of benefit to others" says Liz. 

Her advice to everyone who feels like they aren't living the life they were meant to?

"We become aware of our strengths and gifts by pushing out of our comfort zone. So get out of your comfort zone and find out who you really are and what you are truly capable of!"

Liz is another inspiring example of a woman who is living a BIG LIFE!

Visit her web site to find out more about Liz and the wisdom she has to share: http://lizjansen.com

If you are blessed to be living where you can ride, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you!

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider








Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

BIG LIVES and the women who live them! Meet Lisa Brouwer

Lisa Brouwer of Sioux Falls South Dakota shared with me her story recently.

It is another story of a career banker who gave up corporate America and the illusion of security to do something that filled her soul while making a living. She wanted to truly enjoy her job and feel that she was giving back, contributing something worth while in the world.

Lisa was what she called a "Guilty Mom".  Having her first child at 30, she was in the pinnacle of her career with awards and rewards. BUT - She felt guilty about the time she was away from her kids, working, always working.

She realized that she was chasing the wrong success and she recognized how her life had shifted after she had kids. But she had missed the shift and that caused the guilty feelings.

Lisa told me the story of her college professor who had inspired her to be a public speaker.

She had stuffed that inspiration to the back of her mind, and many years later, she had a dream about that conversation and it reawaken in her, the dream of being a public speaker.

Lisa is a gal who, to use her own words, does not want to live a life of regret and so, she ditched a 21 year career and took courses and became a John Maxwell coach, a writer and a motorcycle safety trainer.

She spoke of the fear and the courage it took to leave the security of a career where she had attained a certain level of success, where people knew and respected her.

But, she is so happy that she did and she has NO REGRETS.

She knew she had to shift her ideas about what success was and attributes some of the mental strength and courage that it took to step out of her comfort zone to being a rider!

She expressed that getting on a motorcycle is one way that you can prove to yourself that, "Yes I can do this".

Among the many courses and coaching sessions she offers, the motivational speaking and coaching seminars she runs for women who ride, offer women an insight on how to take the lessons of inner courage and strength that riding offers and use it in their lives as mothers, care givers, wives, friends, employees and bosses.


"That courage, that strength translates into every aspect of your lives if you allow it to," says Lisa.
"Sharpening our skills, growing, learning, these are things that are critical to all of our lives, and motorcycling is no different from being a mom or a business owner in that regard!"

Lisa wants to encourage other women to embrace their dreams, fill their souls, fuel their lives.

She also talks about learning how to take stock, taking a pause and learning how to really listen to what your soul is trying to tell you.

"Don't stuff them, (your dreams) away in some dark recess of your mind.

Bring them out into the daylight, examine them and if the pull is still there, do something about it. Growth; the attainment of knowledge, skill, is a life long journey," says Lisa, "your either busy living or your busy dying."

Lisa Brouwer is a woman with a message!

Through her training as a John Maxwell coach, Lisa is sharing the message of empowerment and Full Throttle Living.


I deeply enjoyed getting to know Lisa on a more personal level.
She is; dynamic, open, approachable and genuine!

My interview with Liz Jansen of Ontario Canada is next, and I look forward to sharing her story with you!

Have a great day and please, if you are blessed to live where you can be riding today, remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider




Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.