Joanna Turner is an international speaker and leading spiritual success mentor, (and former chartered accountant!) She is a mentor to female entrepreneur and specialises in busting money blocks and helping them to alchemise fear into a flow and awaken their infinite possibility.
She acts as a bridge between the spiritual and business worlds combining; her strong business acumen, gained from spending 17 years in finance, with her years of spiritual practice, including being a Shamanic Reiki practitioner & Master NLP Practitioner. She is the founder of Akashic Alchemy, teaching people to read their own Akashic Records, using her simple technique to align with their Soul Purpose and beyond.
She is a digital nomad and is on a mission to raise the frequency of the planet, Joanna was also most recently nominated for the Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award in the Entrepreneurship category.
Hey Joanna, can you introduce yourself to us?
Thanks for having me! I’m Jo. I bridge spirituality and business for Quantum Success. I’m a mentor, master coach, healer, speaker and run courses online and all over the World.
Can you take us through your journey to where you are now?
I was a Chartered Accountant for 17 years. I didn’t love the work, but it allowed me to travel, I lived in Bermuda for 6 years, and travelled and worked all over the world, ending up in Australia. After ignoring the signs for far too long, it took a back injury to finally wake me up and start to think differently it was the nudge that helped me find my path and quit my job 4.5 years ago.
I started out as a holistic health coach, before realising it was about so much more than food, so I dove deep into working with emotions and energy, and increasing my skills to become a master coach and Healer, my work morphed into the energetics behind Abundance and Money blocks, Flow and Spiritual Business Coaching to now working with the Akashic Records and helping people deepen their intuitive and psychic gifts and now it’s taking an even deeper turn into Sacred Sexuality and the deep embodiment of this work, it’s been a wild journey from Goddess work to plant medicine to Tantra and my path continues to unfold naturally towards the darker more taboo topics, that nobody wants to talk about, not even me!
What is a day in the life of you like?
It totally depends where I am and what time zone I’m in, because I’ve been on the road full time as a digital nomad for the last three years, I am in so many different places, but generally it starts early, with some sacred time, whether it’s journaling, meditating, pulling tarot cards, opening my Akashic Records and then moving either a walk or yoga or the gym, if I’m staying somewhere near a gym. I also try and get a green juice in, although I’ve been intermittent fasting recently aka skipping brekkie!
I have certain days dedicated to discovery calls and coaching and other days just for creativity, which is mainly writing my newsletters, blog posts and book, and other days for interviews and marketing, I know it sounds corny, but I plan my work with the moon to make the most of that energy and supercharge it. I am constantly listening to something inspiring, I love Audible and I listen on 1.25x speed so I can listen to even more.
What was the concept behind launching Mission For Balance?
When I started, there wasn’t much of a concept, I just wanted to escape the corporate job that I hated, and start my coaching business and help people. My flatmate at the time asked me what the point was and I said, “well I’ve been on a Mission for Balance” and it kind of stuck. I really had no idea what was possible and the level of impact I could have. I’m a completely different person to the girl that started out, and my business has evolved with me and will continue to. Now my Mission is to help assist in the Global Awakening that’s happening and raise the vibration of the planet.
How is your Mission For Balance funded, is it bootstrapped, self-funded ect?
It’s been totally self-funded before I quit my job my friend asked me if I had some savings, I said yes, she asked what they for were for, I said “a rainy day” she said, “you don’t think this is a rainy day.” That one comment gave me the permission and confidence to quit my job and figure it out along the way, I started making a little money, but it was really after 6 months that I really started to generate a decent income.
Can you tell us more about your brand DNA and ethos at Mission For Balance?
I’m all about making spirituality accessible to a broader market, but not what I call pop-spirituality, it’s real change, going deep, and deep transformation, to allow us to access our greatest truth. The easiest way to explain it is to share our brand truths…
- PURSUE THE NEXT EXPANSION. Act from a place of possibility. Do something wildly interesting. Jump on a plane. Good things happen when we step outside our comfort zone. You don’t manifest sitting on your couch.
- TRUST THE UNIVERSE. Let yourself be guided. Surrender completely. Allow plans to plan themselves. It will all work out.
- PUT SERVICE FIRST. Deliver on your promises. Put the long-term goals first. When you put service first, goals manifest. Service is the lifeblood of abundance.
- EXPRESS BRAVE TRUTHS. Let your truth out. Be your most authentic self. Vulnerability builds credibility. Open your heart.
- EVERYONE DESERVES A JUDGEMENT FREE ZONE. Accept the light, dark, messy extraordinary self. It’s ok to talk about the dark. No spiritual bypassing here. Collaboration, not competition. Stop being your worst critic. Lift each other up.
Can you tell us how you are helping female entrepreneurs gain momentum in their business, a winning mindset, combined with the confidence, to take their ventures to the next level?
I love to help entrepreneurs and business leaders grow themselves to grow their businesses. I believe to be a leader in this industry you have to your true authentic self, which means releasing fear, opening your heart and being vulnerable, from a place of strength, dreaming bigger and surrendering into divine alignment and taking a few risks while you’re at it- although that’s all often easier said than done and I think so many people are still operating from such ingrained fear based paradigms and not doing the deep inner work that requires that the industry can have a dark shadow side, which needs to be addressed. So I help people collapse time to bring forth their authentic self by helping them raise their frequency from fear to flow, become visible and transform their relationship with money.
Can you give us 3 solid business building tips?
- Automate,
- Automate,
- Automate!
In all seriousness, automate as much as possible. Get the right systems in place so you can focus on the important things, like helping people and making sales. Get help before you’re ready, even if it’s just a VA for two hours a month, the worst place to get to is being too busy to delegate, I ended up here and wished I’d gotten help way sooner.
Build your email list. I had a call with a Millennial a few weeks ago and she said: “OMG, that’s so old School, you mean like do email marketing?” We don’t own any social media platforms, e.g. Facebook can shut down your account without warning, and it’s happened to a bunch of my friends so as old School as it might seem, an email list is a valuable asset. Although we always want to keep on top of trends and shifts too.
Who does the team involve behind you at Mission For Balance?
It’s been a journey to find a great team and at times it’s been bigger and smaller, I have a technical online business manager (OBM) who also handles my customer care and my diary, she is literally my lifesaver, I have a support coach who helps me in my group programs and masterminds, I have a graphic designer, copywriter, social media guy and a few other contractors I call in when we need extra help or are planning a big event. Then I have my personal support team of coaches, healers, and mentors.
Where can you see yourself within the next 3-5 years?
I believe as we ascend into the 5th dimension, time is bendy and non-linear, so Quantum Leaps are happening all the time, I believe it will be bigger and better than I can even imagine right now so much has happened in the last five years I imagine I’ll have multiple beautiful home bases, a thriving online community of changemakers, best-selling books, speaking on big stages and be continuing to run a successful online business. I can see me branching out into products, crystals, and jewellery too.
What strategies do you have in place when looking at the expansion of Mission For Balance?
We have three online programs that are self-study and always available for sale, we run automated advertising, so there is always something being sold, we’re optimising this process this year. We have multiple streams of income happening at one time, from the above courses to Masterminds, Retreats and 1:1 Coaching and more.
I’ve also been adding to my team and training up support coaches and Akashic Records practitioners to help me support my community as it grows. Plus I’m getting more media opportunities coming in regularly which is great, plus speaking on stages, guesting on podcasts, starting my own podcast and writing a book. I’ve diversified to sell Essential Oils and participating in other partnerships and joint projects. The next most important thing is making sure I’m focused on my own inner growth so I can hold the expansion.
Can you tell us what areas you have struggled in professionally?
When I set out to be a coach I didn’t realise I’d have to become an online marketer, master the sales process, become a copywriter, a public figure, speaker, film videos and have photoshoots perhaps I was naive, but it really hadn’t occurred to me.
I also had so many money blocks and personal issues come up, especially around being seen, I just wanted to hide! Also, sales didn’t come easily, I had so many limiting beliefs and blocks around the process, but now I’ve figured it out, its one of the trainings I offer to help others, as nobody wants to remain the best-kept secret!
Have you ever had any other mentor? If so how has this benefitted you to grow?
I have worked with many amazing mentors, and each of them has added to my expansion at exactly the right time, whether in business or spiritually, I’ve saved so much time and money by heavily investing (over 6 figures) in great people and courses over the years, you learn from their mistakes and they can often see an even bigger vision for you than you can yourself.
What outlets do use to market Mission For Balance?
Our main Social ones are Facebook and Instagram and advertise on both platforms, plus speaking on stages, podcasts, and joint ventures. I also have several co-authored books and regularly guest blog on different outlets.
Which methods are you using to build your own support network?
In addition to my mentors, coaches, and healers, I am very lucky to have an amazing community online of really supportive #bizbesties who get the process and the struggles, who support me 100% and celebrate my wins.
I admit at the start of my journey I felt quite alone as I transitioned from one world into this industry, and these key people have been my rock and a huge part of my success. I’m so grateful for them. I met them all in online courses, masterminds or in person industry events. So my method, I show up in person, I support others, I listen, I champion them back, and we have a whole heap of fun while we’re at it.
What do you believe are the common misconceptions about being a mentor and how are you using your platform and voice to educate people more?
Some people think it’s all glamour, lux travel and photo shoots they can’t see the hard work and difficult things that happen behind the scenes for all of us, we’re human too I keep it pretty real and tell people what I’m going through so they don’t get lost in that illusion. Plus as a mentor, we can often find ourselves in the line of fire and projections from others who are triggered by our success.
They put us on pedestals, think it’s been easy for us, judge us, troll us etc, I’ve had some shocking comments and emails from people over the years, sometimes even clients project on us and blame us for their lack of success. When this happens I often share it on social media, this takes it out of the shadows and shows it happens to the best of us.
They also don’t see the deep space that we hold, the trauma we help with, the difficult conversations or the energetic output. As one mentor said, ‘there are easier ways to make money’ it has to be a soul calling or you’d never last in this industry it’s not for the faint-hearted, but so so worth it.
What would you like to see changed for millennials in business?
The world has changed so much, even from when I started, I love that the old marketing and sleazy sales methods don’t work anymore we’re craving authenticity and connection, so I believe Millennials are super lucky as they can show up, be themselves and it’s actually the most powerful business tool they’ll ever have!
What is the best piece of business advice you have received to date?
Stay in your own lane. The comparison was killing me, I ‘should’ be, further along, more successful etc or she’s doing this or that, maybe I ‘should’ do that too. We’re all on our own journey, it’s not a competition, follow your heart, and trust you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
What is the number 1 critical lesson you have learned in your career so far?
Trust. It often feels like it’s falling apart before a breakthrough there have been moments where something hard happens, or cash flow has been tricky or a launch has flopped and I keep on marching on regardless. I truly believe if you are following your soul’s purpose and helping people, and you keep showing up in faith it will all work out. This is the critical factor that separates those that give up and disappear and those that keep showing up over and over again.
How do you create an evenly balanced work and personal life?
This has been a huge learning for me, I am a person of extremes, and the irony in my business name Mission For Balance, the first thing is to do what you love then it doesn’t feel like work plus getting loads of support and building a team.I’ve just had two weeks fully offline and my business kept growing and making money while I was on retreat.
And then it’s super important to break the belief that you have to work hard to make money…you have to lean back, and prioritise self care so you can, in turn, show up even more powerfully for your clients and a huge part of this is learning to access your Divine feminine energy and learning to receive not just help, but love, abundance and health too.
Plus I work with the Moon cycles, it helps me make the best use of the current energies so I’m not pushing harder on days where it would be more supportive to rest. That’s been a game changer.
The highlight of your career so far?
I’ve hosted two sold-out live 3 Day conferences for women entrepreneurs, they were huge to pull off and a massive up-level for me. On the last day of each event, I’ve never felt so full and expanded than when people are telling me it’s been life-changing, I literally cry the whole time, it’s so beautiful to be a part of.
What gives you ultimate career satisfaction?
Seeing a woman shift and release something that’s been holding her back her whole life, often through many lifetimes, is profound. I love when my clients email me with their successes whether it’s smashing an income goal…or something less obvious like tapping into her power, her psychic abilities or improving her relationship with her partner I just love it.
All my clients are on a mission to change the world, so when I can help them get out of their own way, they go on to have an even bigger impact on the world. And that’s how we can really create massive global change.
What challenges have you seen to have been presented during the growth of Mission For Balance?
So many, it’s been a huge learning curve, but possibly the most frustrating has been me! Often, I knew what I needed to do, but couldn’t force myself to do it all of my fear, resistance, and subconscious beliefs have caused me to waste time, make bad decisions and bad investments but I believe it’s all perfect and part of the Divine plan and I’ve always learned from my mistakes!!
Which other leading entrepreneurs and pioneering game changers do you also admire and why?
I love Marie Forleo, everything she does is done with class, humility and a sense of humour. Vishen Lakhiani, founder of Mindvalley, his vision for a better world is so inspiring, he and his team, pull off epic feats and are constantly pushing themselves to new limits and mastery. He always inspires me to think bigger.
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
‘The Surrender Experiment’ by Michael A.Singer is a great read, and I love his other book ‘The Untethered Soul,’ it’s stunning.
Top 3 go-to Podcast channels?
- ‘The Successful Mind Podcast with David Neagle.
- ‘Super Soul Conversations with Oprah.
- ‘Online Marketing Made Easy’ with Amy Porterfield.
How do you measure your own terms of success?
Great question, it used to be about what I had, how much money I made, and what my weight was. Being a digital nomad, I no longer prize possessions, in the same way, I still like nice things, I’m just not attached to them and don’t define myself by them. Chasing the dollars was also exhausting and I was never going to feel successful if I kept chasing it. Now it’s about the impact I’m making, the lives I’m helping to change, how happy and fulfilled I am and I’m way more focused on my health and energy than my weight.
So many people are chasing empty goals or even other peoples goals and it ultimately leads to frustration and pain, it’s time to redefine success.
What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?
It’s about fully being me. I spent so many years, being who I thought I ‘should’ be, the ‘good girl’ and twisting myself into a pretzel to people, please I’m excited to fully embody myself, speak my truth, be my own boss, and fully serve in the biggest way I can.
Lastly, what is next for you?
I’m excited to have a home base for a while and start my own podcast. I have a feeling 2019 is going to be an amazing year! Plus I’m diving deep into Sacred Sexuality and Tantra, which feels like a huge taboo and super scary but it’s so important and I know it’s part of my purpose, as it’s the final piece of the puzzle no one is talking about!
Instagram: @theflowalchemist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joanna.turner/
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/joannaturner1
Website: www.joannaturner.com
