Natalie: Hello everyone! My name is Natalie Ledwell and this is the Inspiration Show. Today on

the show I have a very special guest and a gift. And we’re going to talk about something very

(00:18) and something very important that’s going to put the message for women these days and

that is something called the permission project. So I would like to welcome my guest V. Lynn

Hawkins. How are you V. Lynn?

V. Lynn: Hi Natalie. I’m well, thanks. Thanks for inviting me.

N: It’s actually our pleasure to have you here. So before we get into talking about the project

and this amazing book that you have coming out, I would like to start with your story. Your

background and how you got into doing this?

V: Well, my story, the short version, starts with me as a little girl very much informed and

formulated around the gifts of my father. And to the extent that my father contributed an

amazing amount of life to who I became even as a girl. What I realized was when I was 7 and he

passed away, life became very different. And growing up the eldest girl in a family of four, I

became my mother’s right hand. I didn’t really have the opportunity to find myself until I was

grown and had two kids of my own. Single-parenting, career woman, my kids used to tease me that

I had 5 jobs mom. My mom’s got 5 jobs but what that taught me was an awful lot and the message

was, I actually have given myself permission to be successful in who I chose to be. And while I

still have a lot of things that I was working through, it became clear to me that career in

commercial mortgage banking, in commercial real estate served me well to come to the point of

where I now am a successful business coach and funding strategy muse and I really bring the

concept of business and innovative strategy, funding strategies to business owners especially

women. I’ve got an affinity for women business owners. I’ve used that as a way also to start a

project. And it’s a book project that you and I talked about and it’s really the expression of

what going this journey of life so far has meant to me. And I’m sure that we’ve hurt someone

either saved us or we’ve told someone else, just give yourself permission to be beautiful or to

have this sort to do that and for me, it was embarking on this project that I really realized

that I was the one responsible for giving myself permission but I was also the one who in past

had done so. I can see it very clearly at this point in time.

N: Right. I know and I could say that this is a very important project and part of the reason I

love this project because it gives a platform and voice to women to, may be a little bit

vulnerable, and to share some of the challenges that we all go through but for some reason we

have to put up this strong front that we can’t really share our own story. Is that what you’ve

been finding with some of the women that you work with?

V: Absolutely. So, first of all, the book came about as a divine download. In embarking in the

next phase of my business, I was looking for a way actually to keep getting out of bed every

day. I just lost my only son to a motorcycle accident and I was questioning what life had in

store for me and even with moving across the country to resettle in order to help to raise my

grandson, my oldest grandson, who now was fatherless, the question became very clear, what are

you going to give yourself permission to be or do for the rest of your life. Things have

changed. You know, change your dreams and just change them slightly because I’m still seeing

the dreams that I had a couple of years ago, it’s just a little modified now. And to actually

be able to stand now in the divine light of giving myself permission to be who I want to be,

how I want to be, yet also be okay with what I needed to now do in my life, which is now help

to raise my grandson. It became the emphasis for a book. And because of the business I was in,

it was like, Lynn, you can’t be doing this for the loom. It’s too big of a message and there

are so many others that can contribute to this message and then it became a co-authored

project. And then it became, one of my mentors saying, if you really want to make an impact on

the world, you make your message into a movement. And then it became a movement and it is all

about giving yourself permission to be who you were created to be to the fullest. To do what

you were put here to do to the fullest, to have what you always dreamed of that makes life

worth living. That thing worth going for, and in doing that, it brought about the whole book

series. So this is a series of books, permission guide books and the books are basically the

stories people tell that are giving themselves permission as women, especially women

entrepreneurs are so limiting of ourselves as far as permission and I’m hoping and the

co-authors, we’re hoping this book will really be the movement where women stand up for

themselves, for each other, and for the young people that are coming behind us and the book,

the name of the book is permission to be powerful. Twenty co-authors telling their stories,

they’re giving. One huge strategy that they used in their journey to help them to really make

that move to being powerful and not in the sense of tyrannical but in the sense of knowing who

we are and why we’re doing what we’re doing, whatever impact that we have in the world we know

that that’s why we’re here - to make a difference and be a difference. The book project kind of

blossomed from there and became more of a movement where we added the component of an outreach

program, where young girls and women will study this book of 20 co-authored story and learn the

techniques that they actually use and then have an opportunity to break their own stories,

potentially be published in a book series called permission to win. So, I’m just really excited

about it. I’m thrilled to be on your show today talking about it and I still appreciate you

because you’ve agreed to work for us, thank you.

N: I know. Like I’ve said this is a project that I think, its time has come. And it’s time for

us as women to really step on, you know what, yes there are some of us that have had success

but it’s not like it’s been an easy road. And to actually share and some of the turbulations

that we actually went through on that journey so that we can help other women who may be facing

challenges and go, well, everyone else has had it easy but why am I finding it so hard? When

really, when we’re honest, we’re all, you know, we’ve had bumps along the road to get to the

success that we have achieved. So, tell me about some of the co-authors that you have in the

(9:10) project.

V: Well, I have a couple of co-authors who are in the United Kingdom and they’re spread all

across the United States. There is a co-author in Rhode Island who’s the, she calls herself the

(9:29), that’s the name of her business and she’s actually a coastal lifestyle creator and

promoter. We have one of our co-authors is doing an outfitters, a wilderness outfitters program

where she actually takes women who are survivors of cancer and brings them into nature

environments. We’ve got a co-author who’s a real estate developer and she brings women into the

knowledge and the framework of building wealth in the manner of real estate. We’ve got, I mean,

you name it we’ve got it. I’ve tried to reach into the realm of business that these women are

not only doing great business. They’re looking to do more business and helping more with their

businesses as well as their contribution to the book.

N: Right. So tell me one of the biggest insights or one of the biggest revelations that you

came across when you were interviewing people for the book.

V: Well, I guess one of the biggest revelations that I had was that there are still so many of

us who have not gotten to the point of truly being honest and ready to give ourselves

permission into saying yes or saying no, or drive the business the way that we feel it needs to

be which is heart-centered and purpose-driven. And there were so many women who actually wanted

to be part of the book but there was another along with some of the things that I just

mentioned, not enough time, not enough money, not enough something, which in some cases may

even equate to that’s just the mask that they’ve put on because there are some other thing

that’s really happening. But the women who have stepped up even though a couple of them are

saying I’m totally petrified but I know this is what I’m supposed to do and I’m doing it and

I’m excited about it. And that’s the kind of courage I’m giving myself permission to do it,

encourage it in spite of the fear.

N: Yeah. And that’s the thing, if you step into or leaning into this new version of how you

choose to live your life. I know a lot of regular viewers of this show, now that my husband and

I separated last year, we have this amazingly successful business and we’re helping people all

around the world and this is all wonderful but it was interesting even for me and I’m quite

open about sharing how when I went through that and I’m sort of looking at the work and so who

am I when I’m not Glenn’s wife and what is this new version of me. Some of the things that

would come up for me was why would anyone would want to listen to me now, like I can’t even

make my marriage work. I’m a failure. Like I’m supposed to have all the answers, I have to have

everything together but I can’t even hold my marriage together. And I know by stepping into

that and going you know what, I think that by sharing that and being able to help other women,

we have, some of us are like, we get under the (13:10) of success and then we get scared. We

don’t give ourselves permission to step into that and really step into the success of all that.

So tell me about some of the biggest things that you thought personally and things that you’ve

given yourself permission for that’s really helped you changed your life for the better.

V: Well, very much like you, when I found myself separated and a single parent, it took some

adjusting to. It’s been many years now but I do recall that that was one of the first instances

that I gave myself permission to be the best single parent that I could be. And I gave myself

permission to do it differently that my mom did as a single parent. I gave myself permission to

do it differently than actually anyone that I had seen that I had come across, that people were

writing about and talking about. I have to tell you that that was a major move for me because

there was no one helping me. There was no support system and I had to go out and create my own

support system and I gave myself permission to do that. I was a very introverted person growing

up and in my late twenties I decided I wanted to be a fitness instructor. And it was funny I

gave myself permission to embark on that and yet it took me two years, four different

certifications that I have obtained before a friend of mine finally said, why don’t you stop,

just stop it and go do it. And don’t you know the next day, I went out searching for local gyms

where I can go and substitute. Started out substituting and I have to tell you that that was

one of the best things that I have given myself permission to do because what it confirmed for

me was that I was not only a great fitness instructor but I was a great leader which is

something that I aspired to be. And I ended up teaching fitness classes at one of the several

gyms that I taught at and one of my favorite attendees was a famous boxer back then Nat, named

Evander Holyfield. And so you can just imagine the kinds of classes and the funky stuff that we

were doing that came out of me that I really had to give myself permission to be, do and have

in order for that to have occurred. And I was able to look back on situations like that that

got me through this emotionally (16:14) tragedy in my life, no one should have to experience

losing a child whether they’re young or old and I just never thought that it would happen to me

and then to have the opportunity to being a part of raising my grandson and being open to the

additional messages that were coming to me. Because there were days that it was hard to get out

of bed and even giving myself permission to be okay with that was something new.

N: Yeah, which is very important.

V: Yes, yes.

N: So Lynn, if people want to find out about the movement, to get connected with you and to

find out about the book, where can we send them?

V: They can go to, that’s me, let me give you the movement web address first, it’s

permissionmovement.org and you will find everything about the movement, about the book project,

about the co-authors there and you’ll be able to actually click on a link there to get to the

individual location or web locations for each of the co-authors. Not all the co-authors are up

yet, we’re still a work in progress but we’re anticipating that the book will actually be

released and we’ll be doing our book launch sometime before the thanksgiving holidays. So we’re

really excited and one of the things that we’re looking for is help in getting published. We

have found an amazing publisher who is working with us and really helping us to see more than

just writing a chapter in the book and what that takes but how it is that we can use the book

to get our message out and how it is that because of that message we will be gaining more

interest and more look-sees as far as the business is concerned. And so I am really grateful to

have partnered with GU Press and Motivational Press in order to have all of that happen.

They’re going to help us with the book launch and we’re going to do a virtual book tour. So

make sure that you are a part of the movement because we’re doing a permission slip campaign

right now. Where we’re issuing permission slips for you to give yourself permission to love, to

dream, to soar and we want you to help us to get that message out.

N: Wonderful. (overlaps with guest)

V: permissionmovement.org

N: That’s right. If you just click on the banner on the side, you’ll go through the website

from here as well. So, thanks again Lynn for joining me. It’s been an absolute pleasure having

you and sharing the permission movement with the world.

V: Thank you, Natalie.

N: Thanks. Now guys I encourage you to share this video. You can do that by clicking on the

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box on this page, because I would love to send you the manifesting with the masters video

e-course. It’s actually valued at $87 and I would to send it to you for free. So until next

time, remember to live large, choose courageously and love without limits. We’ll see you soon.