Cirque du Soleil: World Tour and Beyond

Jaclyn: 00:00:00

Hello, welcome to the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast.

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My name is Jaclyn, and today I've got Julia Langley With me in the studio, Julia Langley helps ambitious performers learn how to use their voice more boldly and confidently.

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With over 15 years as a featured singer for Cirque de Soleil.

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She has performed on stages in over 20 countries in all 50 states.

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In 2019, she was hit by a Jeep while riding her bicycle, leaving her with injuries that changed her life forever, four surgeries later, and a diagnosis of PTSD.

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Julius started from ground zero, and with courage and resilience, got her life back on track.

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She believes she was given a second chance and has dedicated herself to empowering others and to share their story and truly be the force.

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Today we're born to be in this world.

Jaclyn: 00:00:49

Welcome to the podcast, Julia.

Julia: 00:00:51

Thank you so much.

Julia: 00:00:53

It is such a pleasure to be here with you today and have the opportunity to share a little bit about my background and what has led me to where I am now and really a a business.

Julia: 00:01:07

That is focused on service and serving others

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and, you know, and I, and bringing faith into it as

Julia: 00:01:14

well,

Jaclyn: 00:01:14

I love that

Julia: 00:01:15

that Yeah.

Julia: 00:01:16

Well it's a, it's a very important component of what I do.

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And quite frankly, I, I was fortunate early in my life to, you know, have parents that, that took me to church and, and really, and, you know, you do this.

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Thing.

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as you age, you get away from it, you go back to it, you get away from it.

Julia: 00:01:36

But it's been a constant in my life and it's really and truly, uh, the main thing that got me through my accident in 2019 and really got me back on track.

Julia: 00:01:47

So, um, where do we start?

Jaclyn: 00:01:51

Okay, so let's, this is great.

Jaclyn: 00:01:53

Let's start at the beginning.

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How did

Jaclyn: 00:01:56

you get into Cirque de Soleil?

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Or even, where do you wanna start?

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Even before that?

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Where did this all happen for you?

Julia: 00:02:02

Well, again, you know, family and church was a big deal for me when I was a kid.

Julia: 00:02:06

And, and I'm not just saying as a spectator, that's where I did my first performance and I was two years old and my parents.

Julia: 00:02:15

We're singers and so they had me singing at home and, you know,

Julia: 00:02:19

helping me as a 2-year-old, you know, sing songs.

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And our minister of our church heard it and he was like.

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Impromptu one Sunday said, you guys gotta hear this.

Julia: 00:02:29

And Julia and I, of which I've never been too shy, right?

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So

Julia: 00:02:34

he says, Julia, come up here.

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And I just got up and walked up and he said, um, do what you did the other day and your living room sing that little song you sang.

Julia: 00:02:44

And I threw my 2-year-old head back and sang some morning, you'll find me to tour in that city.

Julia: 00:02:50

And that was the debut.

Julia: 00:02:52

That was the beginning of it all right there.

Julia: 00:02:55

Um, and you know, fortunately, music was as important in my life as mathematics, as anything.

Julia: 00:03:02

And math was very important 'cause my dad was a math major.

Julia: 00:03:05

Right.

Julia: 00:03:05

But, um, I. Music was right along with regular studies growing up, so it was very important that I learned to play piano, that I learned to use my voice and, and to sing.

Julia: 00:03:15

And not to say that it's always been easy for me.

Julia: 00:03:18

there were times where I lost my confidence.

Julia: 00:03:20

There were times where I lost my voice, I shrunk myself to fit in or, just because I.

Julia: 00:03:26

I was confused about who I was and you know, you get told you're this and you're that,

Julia: 00:03:33

whether it be by your peers or people, right?

Julia: 00:03:35

So you shrink

Jaclyn: 00:03:36

Yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:03:36

Growing

Jaclyn: 00:03:36

up is tough.

Julia: 00:03:37

yeah, I, I wanna make that clear because there's so many people out there that think I. As a performer, you're just born into it.

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and it certainly sounds that way 'cause I started so young.

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But it's always a journey

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and I think that that's what I wanna express the most is that sometimes you lose yourself, sometimes you get yourself back.

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And that's where it all started for me and it was nurtured, um, growing up.

Julia: 00:04:02

But, you know, you get to that point in your life, you're like, what do I wanna, what am I gonna do with the rest of my life?

Julia: 00:04:07

Of course, being from a very pragmatic, family, it's like, you know, get a degree, get a job, right.

Jaclyn: 00:04:14

Right, right.

Jaclyn: 00:04:15

do the normal, safe thing.

Julia: 00:04:17

Yeah, so I, uh, I went and got a degree in business and I worked for a while in the corporate world and I just had this calling.

Julia: 00:04:27

You know, I believe people are called to do certain things in life, and I do believe we're given gifts, and it just, music was always easy.

Julia: 00:04:36

It just came easy, and, and I truly believe that those are the things that when they are easy like that, that we should.

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Pay special attention to it, you know?

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And so I decided one day, I think they were doing layoffs at the corporation and I was like, you know, now's the time.

Julia: 00:04:55

Now's the time to

Jaclyn: 00:04:56

You may lay me off.

Julia: 00:04:58

That's exactly right.

Julia: 00:05:00

I, but, but, I've always been one to see opportunities and the challenges.

Julia: 00:05:05

So the first day the challenges come, I cry and scream and pull my hair and, throw a fit, and then I go for a walk and you know, and come back and say, get it together, Langley.

Jaclyn: 00:05:14

Mm-hmm.

Julia: 00:05:16

All right, God, what are you trying to show me?

Julia: 00:05:18

And I always ask that question that that question has been pivotal The life changing for me because I get all up and, you know, we get in our feels and we get in our head, God, what are you trying to show me here?

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And then I come out the other side and go, oh, well it's time to make the jump.

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You know, you're given this gift, you're not using it fully.

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You know, you have an anointing with music.

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there are special gifts that God has given you.

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I, am a very fast sight reader among other things.

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And so, use it.

Julia: 00:05:48

Let's use it.

Julia: 00:05:49

Alright, so, you know, I, I look at my first foray into the professional singing world.

Julia: 00:05:58

Um, I did a show in South Florida called Avita, a musical theater show.

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And I met some people, right?

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And so.

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The girl that was cast as Avita and I became fast friends and she said, I have an agent.

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She said, if you can put together a show, and I got some advice from her, right.

Julia: 00:06:18

And uh, I did.

Julia: 00:06:21

And she told me later, you're the only person I've ever said that to, that actually

Julia: 00:06:25

followed through

Jaclyn: 00:06:27

Really?

Jaclyn: 00:06:28

Yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:06:28

That's amazing to me.

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Like when people are presented with an opportunity, you know what, if you do this, I can introduce you to this person, and then they don't

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do

Jaclyn: 00:06:38

the thing.

Jaclyn: 00:06:38

I just, I, it just, it, it confuses me because it's like somebody has just basically.

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Giving you

Jaclyn: 00:06:45

gold

Julia: 00:06:47

They're handing it to you.

Julia: 00:06:48

Yeah, on a

Jaclyn: 00:06:49

yeah, yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:06:50

No.

Jaclyn: 00:06:50

Well, that's great.

Jaclyn: 00:06:51

Then You knew what you wanted and you went for it.

Jaclyn: 00:06:53

That's great.

Julia: 00:06:54

That's exactly right.

Julia: 00:06:55

And I do believe in divine timing too.

Julia: 00:06:59

but that comes from being really in tune.

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So you have to get really quiet.

Julia: 00:07:03

I. Within yourself.

Julia: 00:07:04

And when you are that way, then you are always aligned with what the bigger plan is for you.

Julia: 00:07:10

And that you know, you're in the right place at the right time and you're making the right decisions.

Julia: 00:07:14

And I've always followed that.

Julia: 00:07:16

And sometimes things get delayed.

Julia: 00:07:19

Some things when, you know, we were talking earlier about, you know, I've had teams that fall apart right?

Julia: 00:07:24

At a very important

Jaclyn: 00:07:25

Yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:07:26

Seems pretty critical.

Jaclyn: 00:07:27

And then things go wrong and there there's again, God's saying pay attention.

Julia: 00:07:32

Well, either that or you're being tested by

Jaclyn: 00:07:35

Mm. Yeah.

Julia: 00:07:35

things and you know, sometimes that test is to see how bad you, you want something, I think.

Julia: 00:07:43

And so these are the lessons I've learned along the way.

Julia: 00:07:47

I sound very calm right now.

Julia: 00:07:49

Listen, it's not calm in that

Julia: 00:07:51

moment.

Julia: 00:07:52

You're like, wait, what you are doing what?

Julia: 00:07:55

I've made all of these plans and you're not, where are you?

Julia: 00:07:59

You know what happened?

Julia: 00:07:59

You know?

Julia: 00:08:00

And uh, yeah.

Julia: 00:08:02

One thing I say is we plan God Laughs you know, he's got his own plan up here

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and it doesn't always go the way we think it should

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go, but you still gotta put things out there and you still gotta try, right?

Julia: 00:08:15

So when I jumped into this world of professional singing.

Julia: 00:08:20

The only video I had was me singing the national, anthem in a charity event.

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So I was like, I'll send that.

Julia: 00:08:26

So I sent that video to an agent and we laughed about it later.

Julia: 00:08:30

He was like, you sent me a, a national anthem.

Julia: 00:08:33

And I was like, that's all I had.

Julia: 00:08:35

He's like, I can't believe I gave you a job from that.

Julia: 00:08:39

And I'm like, I guess you needed some entertainers, you know?

Jaclyn: 00:08:43

You must have done a great job with the national anthem.

Julia: 00:08:45

So my agent and I were just cracking up about it because he actually gave me work off of the worst possible video.

Julia: 00:08:54

But that just goes to show, turn your stuff in, like send it in

Jaclyn: 00:08:58

yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:08:59

Yeah.

Julia: 00:08:59

it, just send it in.

Julia: 00:09:01

It may not be perfect, but it's never perfect when you start and that's one thing I've learned sometimes you just gotta jump in and do it.

Julia: 00:09:08

Painful as it is.

Jaclyn: 00:09:10

It's true.

Jaclyn: 00:09:10

That's, that's this podcast we had even bigger ideas and we're like, okay, well we know this much so far, and we're like, let's just start.

Jaclyn: 00:09:17

We don't wanna wait until we know how to make it all perfect and.

Jaclyn: 00:09:20

And so, 'cause we wanted video originally, but we'll get there.

Jaclyn: 00:09:23

But it's true, you sometimes you just have to start with what you have and it's amazing what God can do with that.

Julia: 00:09:30

it always blows my mind, you know, and, and startings hard.

Julia: 00:09:35

That to me, it's the hardest part because once you start, then you start to see where the momentum goes with

Julia: 00:09:43

it, and you can start walking through those windows that open up for you along the way and.

Julia: 00:09:51

So I've learned that another lesson that I, I mean, I've learned, I've learned everything the hard way.

Julia: 00:09:56

I've had everything happen to me, you know, that you can possibly have happen in this journey.

Julia: 00:10:01

And, so I learned you just do it and then you fix it as you, as you go.

Julia: 00:10:05

And, um, yeah.

Julia: 00:10:08

And if it is aligned.

Julia: 00:10:10

If it is what you're supposed to be doing, little things will start to work themselves out and new ideas will come and things start to shape and mold and they start to take on a personality and, real art, and it turns into something grant and great and unique.

Julia: 00:10:30

That's really special.

Julia: 00:10:32

To the creator of that, to the

Julia: 00:10:34

performer or to the writer, you know, someone that might be writing a, a screenplay and I write for the stage and one of my goals has been to turn it into a film or, you know, on, onto the screen.

Julia: 00:10:48

And so I've loved meeting you because this has been a whole new journey for me, a new experience.

Julia: 00:10:54

To take what I've done alive and on the stage and really start to, to put it to the screen.

Julia: 00:10:59

So that's, that's the next step for me.

Julia: 00:11:02

But, you know, I've learned that as I write, I start to, things just start to come alive.

Julia: 00:11:08

Some things work, you know, and then there are the times that it doesn't, and I have to tweak 'em, you know, okay.

Julia: 00:11:13

That, that's not working,

Julia: 00:11:15

you know, but you don't know until you do.

Julia: 00:11:17

It

Jaclyn: 00:11:18

yeah, You can't pivot until you're moving.

Julia: 00:11:20

pivot till you're

Jaclyn: 00:11:21

And that, word pivot comes up a lot, I think, especially in this industry.

Jaclyn: 00:11:26

And yeah, it's true.

Jaclyn: 00:11:27

You have to be moving and then other things will start to move and then that vision will become clearer.

Jaclyn: 00:11:33

You'll understand, like I always say, you have to make a decision about something and then move on it.

Jaclyn: 00:11:39

And the thing is, you're gonna find out pretty quickly if you made the right decision or not.

Jaclyn: 00:11:44

And then if you didn't, then you adjust.

Jaclyn: 00:11:47

You pivot, you make some different choices and, you know, shift whatever is happening.

Jaclyn: 00:11:52

And, you know, and I, I learned that a lot actually as a single parent.

Jaclyn: 00:11:56

When I was growing up, I was the second youngest of five children in my home.

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And so I didn't really have a lot of decisions to make.

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A lot of them were made for me.

Jaclyn: 00:12:04

And so I didn't really learn that skill.

Jaclyn: 00:12:07

But then when I was a single parent, it's like everything was on me.

Jaclyn: 00:12:11

If I didn't make a decision, it didn't get made.

Jaclyn: 00:12:13

And so I had to learn how to, you know, you think it through the best that you can, but then you just have to make a decision and go with it.

Jaclyn: 00:12:20

You can't just sit and wait because time just keeps going and then your opportunities get smaller.

Jaclyn: 00:12:27

there's fewer, like you just, you don't have the same options that you did if you had made the decision earlier.

Julia: 00:12:34

that's exactly right.

Julia: 00:12:36

And that was a resolution of mine early in 2024 was do not procrastinate, just.

Julia: 00:12:43

Do it as in, in the words of Nike.

Julia: 00:12:46

Just do it.

Julia: 00:12:47

Just

Julia: 00:12:47

get out there and start and stop worrying about it being messy or ugly.

Julia: 00:12:52

You just gotta do

Jaclyn: 00:12:53

Mm-hmm.

Julia: 00:12:55

you

Julia: 00:12:55

know, you gotta move.

Julia: 00:12:56

And what's the science?

Julia: 00:12:57

uh, I can't even quote it right now, but where it says things in motion tend to stay in motion.

Julia: 00:13:04

So once it starts, you get momentum

Julia: 00:13:07

and then you can go

Jaclyn: 00:13:08

yes.

Jaclyn: 00:13:09

I was actually thinking about that earlier I mean, when you think about just moving something, you know, the energy that it takes to get something started moving as opposed to actually just continuing moving.

Jaclyn: 00:13:20

It takes more effort to start it moving.

Jaclyn: 00:13:22

So for those that are like starting something, uh, just understand that that is part of it.

Jaclyn: 00:13:28

Like starting is work.

Jaclyn: 00:13:30

It

Julia: 00:13:30

It is.

Julia: 00:13:31

And it's growth and painful too sometimes, but well worth it.

Jaclyn: 00:13:37

Yes.

Jaclyn: 00:13:38

Well, that's, I mean, you learn things and anything that you learn you can apply later.

Jaclyn: 00:13:42

So nothing is ever lost.

Julia: 00:13:44

Never,

Jaclyn: 00:13:44

Yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:13:45

So how did you get involved with Cirque de Soleil?

Julia: 00:13:48

Um, it was, it's very interesting.

Julia: 00:13:50

You know, I had been working, uh, I've been doing concert style work, what we call industrial, or it's, um.

Julia: 00:13:58

Like a cabaret style performances where, you know, it's dinner, uh, concert type environments.

Julia: 00:14:06

And there was a big market for that in South Florida area and all actually all throughout the us And I was doing that specifically, but I just wanted more.

Julia: 00:14:16

I was hungry.

Julia: 00:14:17

I was hungry for more hungry to expand.

Julia: 00:14:19

And a friend of mine for my birthday took me to see UBA at downtown Disney and.

Julia: 00:14:28

I fell in love with Circ and that was my first circ experience and I was just mesmerized by a sensory overload.

Julia: 00:14:36

It's just so much going on at one time and it's so creative and I loved the music and the feel of it, and I'm like, I wanna do that.

Jaclyn: 00:14:46

High quality, right?

Julia: 00:14:47

Yes, very high quality, the best.

Julia: 00:14:50

And, um, I said, then this is what I wanna do.

Julia: 00:14:53

So it didn't come immediately, but I kept my eye on auditions going up in play Bill and, um, looking and I saw an audition and I was like, I'm gonna go.

Julia: 00:15:06

And just like the rough video, I went in person and did a rough audition, but again, it was.

Julia: 00:15:14

It was in the plan for me, you know, and I was chosen not for what they actually, I went to audition for.

Julia: 00:15:21

I went to look to try to get on the tour, but they chose me for a residential show.

Julia: 00:15:27

And so I went.

Julia: 00:15:29

That was the, the start.

Julia: 00:15:31

And after that I did tons of different shows, winding up, I understudied on Broadway and did several national Broadway series tours as well as a world tour

Julia: 00:15:45

with them.

Julia: 00:15:45

So 20 different countries around the world and 18 years later and 15,000 hours on stage.

Jaclyn: 00:15:53

an incredible journey.

Jaclyn: 00:15:56

Wow.

Jaclyn: 00:15:57

That's such a, a, an interesting life.

Jaclyn: 00:16:00

Like so many people, we, we can't even fathom what it means to be on the road like that.

Jaclyn: 00:16:08

And at performances, like I was part of some performances in high school.

Jaclyn: 00:16:13

I remember the comradery and like the performance high and all of that.

Jaclyn: 00:16:18

Um, that is amazing to have that on such a huge scale with people that are like the best of the best in what they do.

Jaclyn: 00:16:27

Like that is just so amazing.

Jaclyn: 00:16:29

Was there anything in there that you were either surprised by or something that just really stuck with you that like, this was a great learning experience and uh, you know, I'll just keep that with me forever, kind of thing?

Jaclyn: 00:16:45

Mm-hmm.

Julia: 00:16:46

Well, you know, everything I know now is, was shaped by that many years of being on the road.

Julia: 00:16:53

The entire thing is a learning, like every day is a learning experience.

Julia: 00:16:58

You're somewhere new all the time, you know, you also learn how to cope.

Julia: 00:17:04

With this life, you know, it's, it's not for everyone.

Julia: 00:17:08

You see looking in from the outside, it's very glamorous and there are days it's very glamorous.

Julia: 00:17:13

I'm not taking away from the fun or the glamor or, or the camaraderie, but there are days when you're so tired

Julia: 00:17:20

that you can't put one foot in front of the other and you still gotta do it.

Julia: 00:17:24

The shows goes on, you know,

Julia: 00:17:26

or you're sick.

Julia: 00:17:27

I remember getting pneumonia in Utah one time, you know?

Julia: 00:17:31

What do you, what do you, I couldn't even sing, so they had to choke track the entire show.

Jaclyn: 00:17:37

Wow.

Julia: 00:17:38

yeah.

Julia: 00:17:38

Uh, but I had to be on stage, you know, uh, I couldn't even hardly stand those days that you question your, your sanity and

Julia: 00:17:46

your ability to carry on, but you find a grit and a resilience.

Julia: 00:17:51

and what it does is it just builds so much strength and character in an individual that if you can do it, you can do anything.

Julia: 00:17:58

You know, you can do anything.

Julia: 00:18:00

So there's a confidence that it, builds.

Julia: 00:18:04

You can, if you can handle it.

Jaclyn: 00:18:06

Yeah, if you can stick with it.

Julia: 00:18:08

Yeah, if you

Julia: 00:18:09

can take it.

Julia: 00:18:10

If you can take it.

Julia: 00:18:11

you know what's interesting?

Julia: 00:18:12

When I work with up and coming entertainers or speakers, you know, it doesn't matter anybody that takes the stage, I. When they're new, they don't understand that grit that's required because it requires you to really open yourself up to be, to be judged, to be put down, yeah, everybody's an armchair.

Julia: 00:18:32

Quarterback's really easy to sit

Julia: 00:18:34

back and, and talk about what you do wrong on.

Julia: 00:18:37

Stage, but it's really about learning how to really stand in your power and understand that art is different, that you are different, and that difference that you bring to the stage and to the performance is actually a gift.

Julia: 00:18:49

It's not a bad thing.

Julia: 00:18:51

And I do

Julia: 00:18:52

a whole, I do a whole masterclass on this,

Julia: 00:18:55

and I call it Your freak is your fabulous.

Jaclyn: 00:18:57

Yeah, actually, I wanna get into that in, uh, the next episode.

Jaclyn: 00:19:01

We're just wrapping up this one now.

Jaclyn: 00:19:02

Um, tell me where people can find you and then I hope that they will definitely come back for the next episode because we're gonna dive into some of these things that you've learned, and I'm just looking forward to that.

Jaclyn: 00:19:16

So how can people find you?

Julia: 00:19:17

Well, um, I am on social.

Julia: 00:19:19

Let me, let me start by saying that I am on Instagram as Circ Singer Jewels.

Julia: 00:19:25

Alright, and I'm on Facebook, and LinkedIn, so you can find me there.

Julia: 00:19:29

But what I'd really like to share is my community.

Julia: 00:19:32

It's called Bold and Confident Voices.

Julia: 00:19:36

It's on school SKOO l.com, and it's free to join.

Julia: 00:19:43

It offers so much value.

Julia: 00:19:46

Like I put up vocal exercises, I do checklists.

Julia: 00:19:50

Uh, for the month of November, we did a 30 day gratitude challenge for members.

Julia: 00:19:54

We have networking.

Julia: 00:19:55

You know, it's just a, it's a community of like-minded individuals who wanna be bold and confident and use their voice in a way that.

Julia: 00:20:05

Is of service to the world and, and just changes their life.

Julia: 00:20:09

And it can, it's transformational.

Julia: 00:20:11

So I think you have my

Jaclyn: 00:20:13

Yeah, I'll put the links in the show

Julia: 00:20:14

Yeah.

Julia: 00:20:15

And so that's what I'd really love for people to come in there.

Julia: 00:20:18

It doesn't cost anything to be a basic member of the group, and you still get a lot of value, even as a free member.

Julia: 00:20:24

So, um, please, uh, please join me there if you

Julia: 00:20:28

will, and reach out.

Julia: 00:20:29

Say hi.

Jaclyn: 00:20:30

Yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:20:30

Yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:20:30

Awesome.

Jaclyn: 00:20:31

Thank you so much.

Jaclyn: 00:20:32

I'm looking forward to talking with you again in the next episode.

Julia: 00:20:35

Thanks so much, Jacque.

Julia: 00:20:36

It's my pleasure.