Latest / Authentic Living / Helping Children Create Connection Through Storytelling with Lisa Caprelli
Transcript
- 0:01Welcome to authentic living with Roxanne, a place where we have as conversations about
- 0:08things that really matter in our lives.
- 0:11And now here's your host, Roxanne Derhodge.
- 0:36Hi, everyone.
- 0:36It's out Roxanne Derhodge.
- 0:38Thanks for tuning in again today to authentically with Roxanne.
- 0:42Today, I have a special guest Lisa Caprelli.
- 0:45And Lisa is from Forbes and, her and I had the, I think we ran across each other a couple times
- 0:51and I was intrigued and we had the opportunity to start talking a little bit about what she
- 0:56does.
- 0:56So let me tell you a little bit about Vicente.
- 0:58Lisa, thanks so much for coming on today and spending the time with
- 1:01Thank you.
- 1:02My pleasure.
- 1:03So she's, like I said, she's a Forbes contributor.
- 1:05She's a storyteller, which I love storytelling, so it's gonna be amazing to hear how she puts
- 1:11across the information that's so vitally important around, children.
- 1:14She's a children's author, a songwriter, which when I heard that in Forbes, I was intrigued I
- 1:19remember the first time I I, I listened to you to you chat on the, Forbes Women's Council.
- 1:26And she's, also created, I'm gonna say a character called Unicorn Jazz, which she uses a
- 1:35lot in her keynote and, presentations in schools, and a TV series, it's called The
- 1:43Thing.
- 1:44The TV series.
- 1:45Am I correct?
- 1:46I do.
- 1:46Yeah.
- 1:47That's all I do.
- 1:48The thing I do.
- 1:48There we are.
- 1:49For those that, can't see, she's just holding up a book, of, of, the series.
- 1:56So Lisa, I'm so privileged to have you on, and it's it's often nice to have people that have
- 2:03different expertise that might impact employees, right, because I think as leaders,
- 2:09we think about from that frame, what is it that's impacting employees, but I wanna talk a
- 2:15little bit about kind of how the systems around employees, how that impacts them and kind of
- 2:21your sweet spot, which is obviously around children.
- 2:24But before we jump into that, which we have a lot to talk about, Tell me a little bit about
- 2:28you and what kind of what a unique career you've crafted here.
- 2:32You know, I didn't know I was go going to grow up and be a children's off prompter of a
- 2:36unicorn unicorn jazz and how she would make an impact, and it comes from helping and giving
- 2:43back even through my childhood.
- 2:44I so I grew up in Pesto, Texas, I'm the middle child, Hispanic family, and we grew up really
- 2:50poor.
- 2:50So I often say we had humble beginnings, I wouldn't trade it for the world because it
- 2:55really, you know, made me the person we are, as many of us have had experiences in life, and
- 3:00many people have had trauma and struggles.
- 3:02So for me, it's just another story and angle that my life took a turn.
- 3:08I grew up really shy, like my character, unicorn Jazz.
- 3:11So I was able to go back into my childhood and in a way I wanted to fix things I wish I had
- 3:17and that for other children, you know, that were all unique, unique, unique, unique, corn.
- 3:21That's why when kids always ask me, why don't you pick a unicorn for the character?
- 3:25Well, because we're all unique and different.
- 3:27And we, I really want people to celebrate it, and we do see celebrated in diversity today.
- 3:32We do, you know, I I'm always, in awe of of leaders and musicians and and people that are
- 3:40saying that we're supposed to be different.
- 3:42And, again, growing up, nobody taught us these things to celebrate it.
- 3:47And that we all have different things we do and talents.
- 3:50That's why the thing I do is really about the things that you do and to appreciate each
- 3:55other's, differences.
- 3:57And, but, yeah, I was, I only started Unicorn Jazz in 2018 changed my life.
- 4:03I had 25 years in business, marketing, PR, had agency.
- 4:07I have different businesses of my own.
- 4:09I help people launch and market and grow their business to some really high success levels.
- 4:15And, right before Unicorn Jazz, I went on a on a 3 year journey to create this book called
- 4:22SkipThe step I'm showing for those who are, you know, able to watch.
- 4:25If not, you gotta watch this video by Roxanne, this podcast.
- 4:29So skip a step in parting wisdom for young entrepreneur minds.
- 4:33I interviewed, 12 different entrepreneur and leaders, and then I made chapter 13, the last
- 4:38chapter mine, on why I believe it's important for those of us that can as leaders help the
- 4:44younger generation.
- 4:45We were once them.
- 4:47So in in making his book for teens and and college students, it was, different leaders, a
- 4:54notable leaders in, that gave tips, like, I'm gonna read from the back of my book.
- 5:01Dean Dulce still says money is not the most important part of a business.
- 5:05Relationships are.
- 5:06People are more rewarding than money.
- 5:08I mean, I had so many amazing, people that I interviewed to talk speaker, op on Oprah,
- 5:14Jessica Jacky, all these amazing people.
- 5:17And by the endoscope and stuff, getting it published, which was the arduous task.
- 5:21I mean, to do a captive book, I think, is more work than a picture book that I've created now,
- 5:26but and it came with a journal skip a step, and it was really, steps that I wish I could have
- 5:32skipped to learn faster and have been surrounded with knowledge of wisdom from the
- 5:38collective body of people at a young age.
- 5:42And people we need people to believe in us at all stages of life.
- 5:46You know?
- 5:46So it was from skip a step and after being done with the book and then really, really being
- 5:54impacted by the messages that, you know, don't that know and and all these people that went on
- 5:59to do amazing things.
- 6:01And many of them had all of them had trials and tribulations.
- 6:04So I was no different.
- 6:06And it was from that that I asked myself, well, what is my purpose?
- 6:09What is what am I really born here to do?
- 6:12And, you know, what are this, one of the chapter 1, Michael Gerber, who wrote the e myth
- 6:17series.
- 6:17One of the last questions I asked him was, he was eighty years old when I interviewed him.
- 6:23Roxanne, and he I said, well, what is the mean meaning of life to you?
- 6:27You know, and he's like, well, the meaning of life is to create and We're all here born here
- 6:32to do something, you know, if we can impactful and and take advantage of of our innate innate
- 6:38abilities and gifts.
- 6:39So For me, I knew I was a good writer.
- 6:42That was one of the forefronts of my even as a child.
- 6:45I always say my only voice was on paper.
- 6:48That's why I was a good writer.
- 6:50So who knew that me, being shy, introverted, getting my thoughts out on paper, then would
- 6:56help the rest of my life and careers because I was always the one that would write the letter
- 7:02or write the social media message when that became prevalent.
- 7:05Right.
- 7:05We write someone on the website and realizing that everything comes from a well developed
- 7:10crafted message.
- 7:11So I thought, well, I wanna have fun in whatever I do in starting over.
- 7:17And I just was drawn to going back to my childhood and creating picture books, creating
- 7:24a character that I would copyright and trademark kind of like there's Hello Kitty,
- 7:28there's Mickey Mouse, and I like, well, now there's unicorn jazz.
- 7:32That's amazing.
- 7:33So, like, you know, what I what I find interesting is that you say that we all have
- 7:38such a unique path Right?
- 7:39Like, you're
- 7:40Yeah.
- 7:40You know, with your Hispanic background, I was born in Trinidad Tobago.
- 7:45So kind of, you know, indentured laborers who went to the islands.
- 7:48And that whole identity path that kind of follows you, and that in writing my my recent
- 7:54book, I talked a little bit about what the reality was of indentured laborers because it
- 7:59wasn't like slavery, but it pretty was pretty close.
- 8:02And kind of the impact on colonialism and what it did to my heritage and my identity and what
- 8:08I bring forth and what I do today.
- 8:10So it's interesting that you talk about that and all these amazing people.
- 8:14It's like finding what, like, what's your why?
- 8:17Like, why why are you doing what you're doing?
- 8:19Which is amazing.
- 8:20And every but I almost everyone I talk to because I I make it a my background in degrees
- 8:26and so psychology.
- 8:27I know you have a, a, I'll I'm enamored by your background too in in this quest for studying
- 8:33human behavior.
- 8:34What makes people do things?
- 8:35You know, the emotions and feelings that affect us all, and some people are have more empathy
- 8:41than other people, you know, personality differences.
- 8:44And And as much as I was, like, like, a straight a student pretty much even through
- 8:49college, and I I have the zest for learning, which we can all be lifelong learners.
- 8:54And one thing I realized was through communication that comes with social emotional
- 8:59learning that's now so needed and wanted back in starting with schools and with children that
- 9:06wasn't around for you and I when we were young.
- 9:08Mhmm.
- 9:09And again, children not gonna grow up to be adults.
- 9:13Children are gonna grow up to work being the workforce, and you're not gonna no one gets
- 9:17taught everything at home by their parents.
- 9:20No one there's no perfect manual to raising children.
- 9:23There's no, you know, it life is comes with a lot of ups and downs everyone.
- 9:29In fact, I find that adults is hard.
- 9:31I just already say that.
- 9:32I just wanna be a child's rep or guess what?
- 9:34I can do that now.
- 9:36And now you understand when you pair my parents used to say, you just you're such a rush to get
- 9:40off.
- 9:40Just enjoy it.
- 9:41And I'm like, darn, I shouldn't listen to them when they said Right?
- 9:44Right.
- 9:45Yeah.
- 9:45Yeah.
- 9:46Yeah.
- 9:46No.
- 9:46It's so true.
- 9:47And so I I just always feel we're all doing the best we can.
- 9:50Many people have a story.
- 9:51I I come across stories of trauma and struggle with so many people.
- 9:56And and a lot of times, because I've I've now created authored, published 17 books, 18 books,
- 10:04and counting.
- 10:05A lot of people say, I have a story, and then they tell me this story.
- 10:08And and I'm like, everyone has the story.
- 10:10It's Again, do you wanna be defined by that story if you did have struggle in trauma, or do
- 10:16you wanna be defined by now and what you're gonna create and put out in the world and
- 10:20what's the legacy you're gonna leave behind?
- 10:22So it was through a lot of self development, a lot of of learning from great leaders and and
- 10:28in really wanting to better myself and to not let my story of my past define me because we we
- 10:35it's a decision that you can make.
- 10:37To change your life.
- 10:39No one can force anyone to change your life, but yourself.
- 10:43And, I'm grateful that I I I believe in god, and I believe through god, all things are
- 10:48possible.
- 10:48But, you know, life is a constant.
- 10:51It's constant work.
- 10:52As we grow up.
- 10:53And then you get older and then do, you know, there's help and, you know, all these different
- 10:57things.
- 10:57So I just find that I give a lot of grace to people these days.
- 11:01I am a lot more patient.
- 11:04Nothing that was gonna go the way you wanted to go.
- 11:07Life is not a fairy tale, even though it's easy to write very tailed.
- 11:12So let's, you know, I want I wanna talk a little bit about the perspective of
- 11:15relationships.
- 11:16Right?
- 11:16So I was a health and wellness executive for, over 20 years.
- 11:21And, you know, regardless of the size or sector of company that I we worked with, was that we
- 11:28found the the 165% of all people that end up taking days off from work was related to
- 11:36relationships.
- 11:37Right?
- 11:38So that could be, you know, a couple of relationships ship, family relationship,
- 11:43blended families, el, dealing with elderly fam, you know, family members as most of us are in
- 11:49kind of that stage where we're, you know, we're still kind of raising our children or they're
- 11:53just there.
- 11:54And we're helping our, our, you know, our parents that are elderly.
- 11:58So it's showing you the impact that we need to get better in relationship.
- 12:01So when leaders or CEOs or senior leadership teams are looking at their people.
- 12:06They really have to look at what are by Osmosis, the extensions associated with your
- 12:12employees.
- 12:12Like, what is it that's impacting them?
- 12:14And to your point, Little people become big people, and the little problems become adult
- 12:20problems.
- 12:21And those are the ones that you kinda get a conflict on teams or I can't, you know, I can't
- 12:26disagree with, you know, Lisa's personality or, you know, those types of things.
- 12:30So it's really like a big sandbox, I'm gonna say, except we're all kinda worried.
- 12:34Yeah.
- 12:35You know, big people pants kind of thing.
- 12:36Right?
- 12:37Yeah.
- 12:38Yeah.
- 12:38And you you have, you know, boys, personalities, of course, different than girls.
- 12:44I grew up with sisters.
- 12:45So I I had the ignorance that, oh, you know, the way men think is is different than women.
- 12:51And it's just, again, to appreciate each other's differences and perspectives and
- 12:58realizing that we all didn't grow up in the same family dynamics.
- 13:04We all do like the same food.
- 13:06We all don't have the same habits.
- 13:07But, yeah, and and and, you know, there's you take that into the workplace, which, you know,
- 13:12we grow up and we gotta work.
- 13:13We gotta make a living for a self and career is a big part of of many people's lives.
- 13:18And and and to me, I I believe that you should be happy at what you do.
- 13:24And not, you know, some people may grow up to do something that was for the money and and
- 13:29they not they're not happy doing what they love.
- 13:32And I then I feel well develop Pinterest interests in hobbies outside of work.
- 13:36Abs.
- 13:37But, because so many people may do something for for the money, for the paycheck, and and be
- 13:43really miserable.
- 13:45And then they end up walking away from that thing.
- 13:47And so for me, I Just again, going back to childhood, if you could identify or help
- 13:52children who become teens, who become adults, to enjoy what they do and to find some purpose
- 14:00and, you know, hopefully, career in that, or maybe it's a side career.
- 14:04Maybe it is a hobby.
- 14:06You know, musicians.
- 14:07I get to work with so many talented kids that's that, I met since the pandemic in in
- 14:12songwriting and doing music videos, I would to go to these kids because I'm not a great
- 14:16singer.
- 14:17I I wish I was.
- 14:18Again, the thing I do is I'm not a good singer, but I rely on talent, but I can help bright
- 14:23songs.
- 14:24Right.
- 14:24That's right.
- 14:25And and so in seeing these kids that I've worked with that are part of the the show
- 14:29that's now on Amazon TV and an app called KidsvTV that's worldwide, these kids are
- 14:36incredible at their craft, and they wanna grow up to be a well known singer, to be an actor,
- 14:40actress, and many of them will, and some of them won't.
- 14:43And it's like, what is your plan B, your plan C in life?
- 14:46I I couldn't have become a children's author right out of college.
- 14:49I I needed to go through the life experiences I did.
- 14:52It was nice to go through and and help many people, grow their businesses as an
- 14:58entrepreneur and the same for me.
- 14:59I learned I, I, when I moved to California 21 years ago, I started up a mortgage and real
- 15:06estate company with a partner and we did, it was Tuesday, one of the most the, you know,
- 15:10money successful businesses I've had, but I wasn't happy come recession before I wasn't
- 15:16happy with the pace.
- 15:17I wasn't happy with the, you know, how much pressure was to manage employees and make them
- 15:22happy.
- 15:24And and even though I I could have always stayed in that in that business, I I walked
- 15:30away.
- 15:30I needed to choose my own identity and something that I was gonna, you know, enjoy
- 15:35doing.
- 15:35And and I feel like you your work should be something that to you're so excited to do.
- 15:42You know?
- 15:42And, again, not everyone gets to do that, but when people are around me and children adults,
- 15:47they're they are inspired because I I'm happy that I've created this.
- 15:51And it's it's come with risk.
- 15:52It's come with going backwards during the pandemic.
- 15:55Make as many businesses.
- 15:56I was one of them, but all I did was keep creating more books, more content because I was
- 16:02no longer being able to able to go into schools and speak to the whole, you know, grade levels
- 16:08of schools.
- 16:09You know, sometimes 800,000 kids I'd speak to in one day come zoom, come virtual times that
- 16:14we could do.
- 16:15I'm able to do that.
- 16:15Still not the same in person, and we know that.
- 16:18So all the world has gone through massive change since the pandemic, every single person.
- 16:24And it's now, you know, things are lifting, you know, slowly and surely, and and I'm just
- 16:30grateful for the time that the way we were isolated, maybe, of us, but then what did you
- 16:36do at that time?
- 16:37I created all bunch of stuff.
- 16:40Likewise.
- 16:41So let's talk a little bit about, kind of what you do in schools because I I'd like to kind of
- 16:46talk about the angle of Yeah.
- 16:47What kids are going through.
- 16:49Right?
- 16:49And then what in turn parents might be going through and how that impacts people having, you
- 16:54know, now we're going back to work and things are opening back up.
- 16:57What are some of the things that we need to kind of be aware of with human integration out
- 17:02of this, you know, isolation into kind of back into schools, back into all the activities that
- 17:09kids are doing again.
- 17:10Yeah.
- 17:11Yes.
- 17:11Thank you for asking that.
- 17:13Well, because of all the changes that many of us went through in homes, whether, you know,
- 17:17you had children in school depending on the age they are they were during the social distancing
- 17:24time, it was really hard as I I constantly talked with teachers, librarians, and the fear
- 17:30that kids were, you know, having to have with the masks and the, you know, the COVID and all
- 17:36these different things.
- 17:37And, you know, the play time change, so that the kids were isolated too.
- 17:42You know, I mean, it was it's it's this huge aftermath that I think we're gonna deal with
- 17:47for a long time.
- 17:48And for me, I look at it when I go into a school or when I when I'm able to to speak to a
- 17:53classroom or even if it's one child, to focus on the happiness within that we do have.
- 17:59What what what are you grateful and happy for today?
- 18:03And You know, one of Unicorn jazz, my book series are known for being, offering social
- 18:09emotional learning points.
- 18:10For example, you know, how how can we help and give back, whether it's opening the door for
- 18:15somebody, making them feel good.
- 18:17That's you're helping someone.
- 18:20Acceptance, you know, teaching children to accept who they are, whatever color their hair
- 18:26is, whatever their races, you know, and having that acceptance.
- 18:31And we are seeing that more and more.
- 18:32There's I I really feel that media and social media has really changed the diversity outlook
- 18:39on things.
- 18:40You know, it's important to have compassion.
- 18:43How are we teaching compassion, you know, at home and it's goal because someone may be
- 18:48thriving and another kid may not be, but you don't know what's going on in in their home.
- 18:51We don't know where they're coming from, and it's having empathy to to love when another
- 18:56empathy to understand that that we are all different is somebody struggling rather than
- 19:01getting angry at that.
- 19:03That position, maybe there's something going on.
- 19:06How do we have compassion and and show show kindness to another?
- 19:10I think through this time, what, in in some of the coaching that I've done, with parents and
- 19:16say for instance, teenagers, that a lot of teenagers are lost.
- 19:19Because, of course, you know, nothing like the most awkward stage there is.
- 19:24And you're trying to figure out your identity.
- 19:26You have conflict.
- 19:27You have groups and all that.
- 19:29And, I actually wrote an article not too long ago about, and the the the term that I'd heard
- 19:33from a lot of teens is teens aren't peeling.
- 19:35That was the term.
- 19:36Right?
- 19:37They're just like, they're not peeling.
- 19:39So they've lost that time period, Lisa, and now they're stuck, and they're feeling like nobody
- 19:45gets them.
- 19:46It's bad enough going through that stage.
- 19:48And you believe my parents don't get me, but they believed a lot of, even people within
- 19:52their subgroups, aren't, right, whether they stayed at home, whether they kind of went to
- 19:57school in person, they were losing all they were constantly going through loss because they
- 20:03were kind of being, you know, shut out of Snapchat groups because one person was in
- 20:07person and one person was virtual.
- 20:09So a lot of spinning developmentally.
- 20:12So is that something that you're finding that a lot of kids are experiencing?
- 20:16Well, and have a teenager, by the way.
- 20:19So Oh, okay.
- 20:20Okay.
- 20:22You know, it's it's it's also the technology.
- 20:25The the input of technology where kids now grow up with their phone.
- 20:29We didn't have that.
- 20:30We're older than YouTube and Google.
- 20:32I often remind kids.
- 20:34You know, the to the there's pluses and minuses to everything.
- 20:40And, I just find that it's It's really hard.
- 20:43I mean, you'd have to take away technology from kids to then have that human connection that
- 20:49we're talking about, but we can't be mad that that's what they have become, you know, like,
- 20:54we do it too.
- 20:55We just It's just I I it's an interesting divide, and and I I do see the challenges in in
- 21:02younger the younger generation having the human connections that you and I are used to.
- 21:08But is it I mean, of course, we want them to have this, what what we think is more of a
- 21:14inner connected relationship.
- 21:18But at the same time, I mean, this there's I don't know is a solution.
- 21:24The solution is to grow up and, like, those solutions to teach some of the differences just
- 21:28like we have to have self diss discipline and put our phones down and not be, you know, so
- 21:33overconsumed by it because I think many of us have that.
- 21:36So I, you know, for I've learned now, to, like, to put my phone away on the weekends on Sunday
- 21:43for me.
- 21:43It's family day.
- 21:44I hardly ever look at it.
- 21:45I yelled, you know, but that took a long time for me to get to level.
- 21:49So it's living it's leading that example to children that you can you can change you know,
- 21:56what you're doing in in over being over consumed with technology.
- 22:01Right.
- 22:01Compared to having a lot more pressure in different ways.
- 22:04Right?
- 22:04Like, I mean, if you think about it, I have a a twenty twenty year old.
- 22:07So I'm kinda out of that space, right, because he's pretty independent.
- 22:11But I think her parents, like, of younger ones that have been at home and Both parents have
- 22:16been working and, you know, trying to kind of juggle having online school and maybe you have
- 22:22a you know, a five year old, a nine year old, a a fifteen year old in a home trying to kind of,
- 22:27you know, you got all that stuff because, generally, you could kinda go.
- 22:30You could drop them off at school.
- 22:32You could go to your job.
- 22:33You could focus just on your job.
- 22:35Do your things.
- 22:36Yes.
- 22:36There's pressures there.
- 22:37Pick them back up and kind of do it, but there was such a a collision of every possibility
- 22:43under the same roof for 2 years that parents are stressed to our employees they're bringing
- 22:49that back, obviously, with them to work now.
- 22:52And somewhere in there, everybody's supposed to flow and, you know, we can get back in this
- 22:56stride.
- 22:57You know?
- 22:58Yeah.
- 22:59Yeah.
- 22:59I think it's
- 23:00gonna be difficult to do because I think a lot of things that maybe we thought we addressed
- 23:05through the pandemic now that we've kinda we're not completely out, but now we're breathing,
- 23:10we're gonna find out a lot more about the anxieties and the things that people have been
- 23:14a hining and kids are gonna probably be scared to have play groups that they used to, those
- 23:19types of things as well.
- 23:21Oh, complete.
- 23:22Everything's changed.
- 23:23And I I just find that it's up to each of us.
- 23:26You know, I myself being a mom to create that leadership in your own family to maybe change
- 23:32the dynamics.
- 23:32We create your own groups within your community.
- 23:36You know, I don't have a lot of family here.
- 23:39Come a lot of my family's still back home in Texas.
- 23:42And, of course, when we go visit there, it's nice, but that's not a reality, you know,
- 23:46Right?
- 23:46Of every day.
- 23:47So you you don't have to, but to myself, I say you have to create your own community, young
- 23:53friendships, invest in those relationships.
- 23:55Invest in in other people's time, and we only get so much time.
- 23:59And we can only let so many people close to us know who we are and develop that.
- 24:04And and being authentic and and, you know, because, again, social media can portray this,
- 24:10you know, this person that you're following, but you don't know what's going on behind
- 24:14closed doors.
- 24:16Absolutely.
- 24:16And it's important not to compare yourself to what you're not.
- 24:21Like, it's just like I said, it's growing up and adulting to have being a parent and having
- 24:26a relationship with me on 1 or It's it's all a lot of work, and and it just think we all need
- 24:33to focus on being grateful for what we have and what we can grow.
- 24:37You obviously, when you team with good people in your life, you're gonna thrive, and that's
- 24:42important.
- 24:43Absolutely.
- 24:43So let's talk about, unicorn jazz a bit and talk tell me What is it that the character
- 24:50teaches, or tell me how you use it in the schools?
- 24:52Cause I I I often see, you know, like, You go into the schools and you're seeing a speck of
- 24:57what, you know, it becomes our our next generation.
- 25:01So what is it that how is how is the character used and and how to
- 25:05be a
- 25:05little bit more about that?
- 25:07Yeah.
- 25:07So, so in the first book, and it's been holding up, unicorn jazz has a music note for a tail
- 25:13that's copyrighted.
- 25:14We wanted her to be unique in that way.
- 25:16So in the first story, unicorn jazz moves to a new land in search of new friends.
- 25:20Feels like she doesn't belong.
- 25:23She's shy, and only her mom believes in her and sings to her.
- 25:28And so she goes to to school and we, of course, we put the zoo.
- 25:32That's where animals would be, something.
- 25:35And and so the the Jurassic, well, you don't look like a giraffe.
- 25:40They have 2 horns.
- 25:41She has 1.
- 25:42The geckos, you know, say you can't play hide and seek.
- 25:45So, you know, developing the story So she, of course, she wants friends.
- 25:49She wants to feel like we belong.
- 25:50And how many times in life, I I there's many of us that don't feel like we belong in whatever
- 25:54position.
- 25:55Maybe we are moved to New City.
- 25:56We we don't we've made fun of that kind of thing.
- 26:00So, finally, she needs a crow named Wolf, a name that a dog should have.
- 26:05I did that on purpose.
- 26:07And he says, wow, your voice is so cool.
- 26:09What I would give for voice love your like yours, and he believes in her.
- 26:13And this character is so important, and he's somehow in all the stories, even if he's in the
- 26:17background, because I often say it just takes one person to believe in you.
- 26:21And for me, it was my grandmother, and it was my teachers.
- 26:24And if and as I up.
- 26:25It was a business mentors.
- 26:27There were my wolf to the crow, and we all have them, you know, and how I'm and I said maybe
- 26:32you grow up and do you become with the crow to someone?
- 26:35And that's what I get to do now is is inspire people.
- 26:38I love that.
- 26:39So that really, if I were to think about in my, my world and what I talk about, Alicia, it's
- 26:45about listening to that deep internal voice about the why, about why you're doing what
- 26:51you're doing and what is your leadership story, that makes you wanna leave that.
- 26:55And let it find.
- 26:57Yeah.
- 26:57Yeah.
- 26:57So he tells me go out and seeing the animal friends I'm summarizing, of course, for your
- 27:03listeners.
- 27:04And so everyone listens to your voice, and now they are, like, think she's cool.
- 27:07She's awesome.
- 27:08Now they wanna play with her.
- 27:10And, at the end of the story, the elsinger song comes with different chips on, and everyone's
- 27:15happy.
- 27:16And that that was that was the first story I'd introduced that.
- 27:19And I'll tell you boys is, you know, so some my t boy teenage boy in the beginning wanted
- 27:24nothing to do with the unicorn because he's a sports kid and da da da.
- 27:27And and I was like, what's the story for everyone?
- 27:30I'll tell you.
- 27:31When I go to schools and I read it with that heart and I don't put any gender on, you know,
- 27:36I I I purposely did that.
- 27:39Boys will come up to me, and 5th grade boys will be, I love Unicorn Jazz.
- 27:44I love what she represents, and that's what I wanted.
- 27:47And so then the next stories I created being happy with Unicorn Jazz and friends, is also
- 27:53booked for even grown ups to to show what makes you happy and that how you sensibly happiness
- 27:59is free.
- 27:59Just simple cool page art.
- 28:01Like, who like to paint.
- 28:03You know, a lot of people like to paint.
- 28:05That makes me happy.
- 28:07And I go page by page and kids then.
- 28:09And as adults, start sharing what makes them happy.
- 28:12I get to walk in the beach today.
- 28:13I never did bring up because I grew up in the desert, so I appreciate that.
- 28:17Yeah.
- 28:18You know, I'll say things like who likes to dance or sing and almost every hand goes up.
- 28:22And so that and so then being happy is that, again, at any time in life, we can find our
- 28:27happiness.
- 28:28So I have other books, like I said in the series, the, the helping get back is and it is
- 28:33a song also almost with all my books that we created songs.
- 28:37I was inspired by Sesame Street, which is why I just saw the thing I do, which music made it
- 28:42more impact ful and meaningful.
- 28:44So beyond the books, I have activities and I have the music because I want children to
- 28:48really, you know, get to know the characters and love them, and they do.
- 28:52Once once teachers starting to do see the characters and the roles they play, it's just,
- 28:58like I said, it's it's it's limitless learning
- 29:02You know, I I think I listen to you.
- 29:03Right?
- 29:04And, you know, the one thing that, the research shows is that, how much more creative we are as
- 29:10adults when we play.
- 29:11And what's the first thing that happens when we get out of, you know, kind of into early
- 29:16adulthood and we get our first jobs?
- 29:18It's the first thing that seems to be lost is we perceive that being adult means an opposite
- 29:23of play, but in fact, that the opposite is being found in in, in research today.
- 29:29Oh, yeah.
- 29:29Okay.
- 29:30Make believe that that was an important part of my childhood.
- 29:32I'd love to play.
- 29:33And now that I created cuppets.
- 29:35My I turned unicorn jazz and Tracy who's named after my son.
- 29:38Remember my son that's
- 29:39Yes.
- 29:40What's what's the what's the character for the, one for your son?
- 29:43So he's a Zebra corn.
- 29:45And one day I pick up my son, I go, this is Trae Zicki named after you.
- 29:49His name is Trae, and he likes sports.
- 29:51He wears the number 3 like my son.
- 29:53So now now my son
- 29:55Now it's cool.
- 29:56Right?
- 29:56Cause it's named after him.
- 29:58Yeah.
- 29:59And, so but I did do a podcast.
- 30:02It was a business podcast.
- 30:03And, again, and sometimes people are like, how are we gonna find an angle with this in
- 30:06business?
- 30:07Well, like, we always find the angle once they talk to me.
- 30:11Because again, my my background is really still a business background longer than I have been a
- 30:16children's author, although I might I I love being known as the Children's out there more.
- 30:20So, we taught in the business podcast, there was 2 guys, and they never had a guest like me.
- 30:26I had my puppets, and then they start saying, what if we brought puppets into the boardroom
- 30:30meetings?
- 30:31And they were like, like you said, play.
- 30:32Like, why do we have to stop playing?
- 30:34You know, the average The average adult American lasts seventeen times a day.
- 30:41Mhmm.
- 30:41And the average child laughs a hundred times a day.
- 30:44So I wanna be with the kids.
- 30:47You know?
- 30:47Oh my god.
- 30:47That sounds a lot more fun.
- 30:49Right?
- 30:49And I think, really, when you think about it, right, if you can bring that levity.
- 30:54Right?
- 30:54And clearly, you know, I'm seeing it from both angles as a psychologist, but also, within
- 30:59business.
- 31:00And, you know, I talk a lot.
- 31:01Add relationship.
- 31:02And relationships.
- 31:04I turn on I talk about return on relationships.
- 31:06That's my, either whether at home or at work and, you know, awareness connection,
- 31:12communication.
- 31:13How is it that I that I wanna be seen and recognized?
- 31:17These are all core fundamental things that are in relationship that you're teaching through,
- 31:22both of those characters.
- 31:23And we're teaching our children, how to do them because as adults, we lose track of that deep
- 31:30down space within ourselves.
- 31:32Right?
- 31:32We, I think we come into the world with that, Lisa.
- 31:35Absolutely.
- 31:36When we're born.
- 31:37And then what happens, I I was my my story is I feel that we get pricked and prodded, so then
- 31:43gets removed.
- 31:44And then at some point, we get connected with somebody like yourself or myself that says, why
- 31:48am I gonna wear?
- 31:50Right?
- 31:50It's almost like you have to learn the thing that naturally you were born into.
- 31:53So I love this that you're teaching this with,
- 31:57and And it's my and it's my world.
- 31:59It's my world around me.
- 32:00And and and when I'm around people that, you know, they don't love their job.
- 32:05They, you know, they It's like they're worn out at the end of the day, and I'm not worn out.
- 32:09If I have a full day speaking, it takes a lot of energy, but I do it again and again again.
- 32:14I can imagine.
- 32:15Yeah.
- 32:15And and so I I do feel I I feel I have empathy in the sense that, like, wow.
- 32:22Like, Can you imagine to do something 40 hours or more of an entrepreneur, you tend to work
- 32:28more than that and that you're just not in love with what you do.
- 32:32I I, you know, and To
- 32:34your point, to your point, though, not everybody gets that, but if you get connected,
- 32:39you know, like these children are to that space about it.
- 32:43It's you're perfect the way you are.
- 32:45Just learn to listen.
- 32:46Yeah.
- 32:46And create from that space.
- 32:49Whether we're doing a job that because we have to raise our families, and it's not I'm not,
- 32:53you know, able to be an entrepreneur.
- 32:55But at least if I realize, you know, I love play the utility or I love
- 32:59Yeah.
- 33:00You know, I love to dance, and I've always wanted to go back to dance that I implement
- 33:04those things to be able to bring space back into my life and then in turn it affects
- 33:08everybody around.
- 33:09Yeah.
- 33:10And maybe you work for a cool CEO that wants to have creative things like that.
- 33:14And and we know that, you know, cool CEOs or businesses that that are, I don't wanna say,
- 33:20out there, but different.
- 33:21They they, you know, employees wanna stay longer.
- 33:24You wanna work for a cool fund company that has good leadership.
- 33:28And maybe maybe you can start looking around for something like that.
- 33:32And, again, I know not everyone has that that luxury of maybe switching jobs or things like
- 33:37that.
- 33:38But, again, I just believe This is why I love working with children is that if you could
- 33:44foster their love and joy for what they like to do, whether it's acting singing, you know, one
- 33:50of my songs, acting singing, chemistry, you know, there's so many possibilities that those
- 33:54are the words in my song.
- 33:55And and to teach them, like, but that could still be a hobby outside a word.
- 33:59Maybe you're forty years old and you've always wanna play guitar.
- 34:02Take you two or since hire somebody, you know, Absolutely.
- 34:06Absolutely.
- 34:06Absolutely.
- 34:06If you are happy and thriving, we as an individual, and we are living longer than ever,
- 34:15you're gonna pour the happiness into your work.
- 34:17Maybe people around you are gonna go, wow.
- 34:18Like, I didn't know you were a singer and and, you know, that kind of thing.
- 34:22So I just feel like you know, when many of us when we were young, we were hard pressed to to
- 34:28grow up to do a job that's traditional.
- 34:31As we know, there's all kinds of jobs out there that, you know, like, look at whoever the
- 34:34people that mentioned Uber.
- 34:35Right?
- 34:36Like, that was something that
- 34:37I know.
- 34:37And when I grew up in the island, You had to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or teacher.
- 34:41And I'm like, I don't fit any of those.
- 34:43And I thought, I wonder if they might pay me something to talk to people.
- 34:47And my friend said, that's not a job.
- 34:50I'm like, well, I don't know.
- 34:51I was 11 at the point.
- 34:53Right?
- 34:54So, you know, it's it's you are so right.
- 34:56So it I think What I love about what you do, Lisa, whether it's in a boardroom, which I
- 35:01think, you're right.
- 35:02There are environments that create that, that space of, play, which impacts creativity,
- 35:09which, you know, draws people because the degeneration of today, they're wanting to be in
- 35:15that space of their value.
- 35:16They wanna be creative.
- 35:17They wanna make a difference.
- 35:19They want an imprint, whereas maybe in my generation or your generation, it was more like
- 35:23Okay.
- 35:24I'm gonna do what I have to do, and that'd be where I'm gonna create a legacy at the end.
- 35:28Right?
- 35:28But now the newer generation say, hold up.
- 35:31Give me what I want, and I'll stay.
- 35:33But if you're not kinda giving me what I want, I'm gonna use my feet, and I'm gonna go
- 35:37somewhere else and with with the new, you know, the new resignation.
- 35:41That's what we're seeing.
- 35:42Right?
- 35:43So play, play equals creativity, which impacts people's ability to feel connected.
- 35:49And then the bottom line takes care of itself.
- 35:52It does.
- 35:53It does.
- 35:53And would it be and to me, that's a beautiful way to live.
- 35:58And and, you, you know, as I was saying, you can be the change you wish to see in the world.
- 36:02And and I and I do see that happening more and more in and and the world is constantly
- 36:07changing.
- 36:08As we know, the one thing that we all can count on is change.
- 36:12App, the the one constant.
- 36:13So I know you and I can probably keep chatting, but I would love, like, if and let's say it's a
- 36:19school.
- 36:19No.
- 36:20You're in California, but it doesn't matter.
- 36:22I'm in I'm in Canada, and there's need for this.
- 36:24And I think regardless.
- 36:26Right?
- 36:26Yeah.
- 36:28Or even for, you know, like you said, I think it's I I I'm intrigued about play with,
- 36:33corporate environments, because I think there there's definitely a need there, of course, to
- 36:38the more, you know, aware, environments.
- 36:40But Tell people a little bit about where to where to see
- 36:43your jazz and
- 36:45the show and if they wanted to consult with you, where they could get a hold of you just to
- 36:50kind of chat with you about, you coming into to their environment with these amazing
- 36:55characters.
- 36:56Oh, yes.
- 36:57So my name is Lisa Caprelli.
- 36:59And, if you go to unicornjazz.com, you can find all the social media connections, even
- 37:04LinkedIn.
- 37:05And I am very personable and do take the time to respond to people, especially anything
- 37:10involving change, helping them give me back.
- 37:12We work with children's hospital.
- 37:13We work with, schools, Title 1 school's kids in need.
- 37:17Again, I was once one of those kids receiving a handout.
- 37:20So to be able to help children, I never turn away a school or, or helping someone, you know,
- 37:25within my capabilities.
- 37:27But you can go to unicorn jazz.
- 37:29You can go to Lisa Cape com.
- 37:31I'm on LinkedIn.
- 37:33And I always welcome hearing from individuals, Again, if you're connected with with children
- 37:41or or have a way to help and give back, that's gonna always be a soft spot for me as well.
- 37:47So thank you.
- 37:48Thank you so much for your time.
- 37:49This has been amazing.
- 37:51So what am I taking away?
- 37:52I'm a taking away that let's find the kid in all of us.
- 37:57And spend that time to invest in something that you love to do.
- 38:01I, you know, it's it could be like, to to Lisa's point, You wanted to learn how to play
- 38:07the violin and you never took that time.
- 38:10Or you like to art and, you know, you wanna go and take an art class or play an instrument.
- 38:15Take that time to invest in you to reconnect with that space that's always there that maybe
- 38:21you kind of avoid it.
- 38:23And now it's time because we're recognizing the more joyful we are, the more connected we are.
- 38:29And if we're connected, everything else falls into place.
- 38:32So again, for anyone that I'm releasing my new book, ROR return our relationship, and that's
- 38:39just about to be released.
- 38:40But if you're interested, there will be link for leases, information, but also my own.
- 38:45If you're wanting to know how authentically connected you are in relationships, there'll be
- 38:49an assessment that will be in the show notes, pop in, check it out, and then we'll, we'll let
- 38:54you know where you kind of, bench in, next steps for there.
- 38:57So again, Lisa, thanks so much for your time for everyone.
- 39:00Thanks again.
- 39:00I'm so privileged for you spending this time with us, weekly, and we'll chat soon.
- 39:05Take care.
- 39:07To authentic living with Roxanne, creating the space for positive healthy change.
- 39:13Roxanne is a keynote speaker, psychotherapist, and coach to work with Roxanne, visit
- 39:19rocksandurhaj.com/blueprint.
- 39:23We'll see you next time on authentic living with Roxanne.