Jody Moore changed my life. Although this may come off as an attention-getting statement, it’s the truth. And I’m not the only one who feels this way; in fact, I’m one of many, many people who have benefited from her sagacity. She delivers messages of hope, strength, and empowerment, which are particularly impactful. If you know anyone who has listened to even a little bit of what Jody has to say, I’m sure you’ll find other people have been influenced by her as much as I have.
I am a long-time loyal listener to her podcast “Better Than Happy” and I follow her on social media. Even with this limited exposure to what she teaches, I’ve still learned a lot. Some of Jody’s powerful words that circulate around my mind include:
- You can’t control other people so don’t try to. Just love them as they are and drop the expectations.
- Other people can be wrong about you and that’s ok.
- You don’t need to do anything to be valuable. You are enough just as you are.
If you read on, you will certainly glean more nuggets of wisdom from her and be inspired at the drive and passion she exhibited as she built her own successful business.
A Bit of Background
Based out of Spokane, Washington, Jody reaches people all over the world as a life coach. I find her to be refreshingly light-hearted with a great eye for humor as well as consistently rational and objective. She’s also an excellent source of recommendations on all sorts of topics such as entertainment, managing curly hair, and which uplifting influencers to follow.
But she hasn’t always been a life coach. With a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a master’s degree in Adult Education, Jody spent 15 years as a Corporate Trainer and Leadership Coach before starting her own business. Although she experienced growth there, she is especially proud of what came next.
After a colleague introduced her to The Life Coach School, Jody found “tremendous changes in [her] life from applying the tools.” Subsequently she went through intensive training and became a certified life coach in 2014. Then in 2018 she earned her master level certification.
Starting Her Own Business
Jody has since coached thousands of individuals ranging from newlyweds to empty nesters, and she’s built a multi-million dollar coaching practice “from the ground up with no knowledge of online business and a lot of people doubting me.” Despite her experience and success, Jody humbly describes herself as “a woman trying to figure out how to minimize resentment, overwhelm, and guilt, and replace them with happiness, gratitude, and joy.” She constantly reminds her fans that she is just like anyone else.
In the early days, Jody didn’t have a defined office at home so she went to the mall to work. She sat outside the Apple store where the internet service was the strongest then drove to “the top of the mall parking structure where it was the quietest” and pulled out her mic to record podcasts.
But when I spoke with her the other day, she was working out of a beautiful at-home office with a door and a lock. Now she even has a producer who edits the podcast for her, which she used to do all herself. And three years ago her husband Jake left his career to work in the business with Jody. Today he “coordinates the back end” including customer service, website management, tech support, and the financials.
I find it extraordinarily inspiring that just a few short years ago Jody handled all aspects of her business on her own, but now she leads a team of six employees spread out all over the country. They’ve been Zooming for years so working from home is nothing new to them! I’m so impressed with how far she’s come and how much she’s achieved!
Starting a business was not easy, but it has proven to be exciting and fulfilling to Jody. She reflects, “I’m so glad I didn’t listen to that fear. I’m so glad I stayed focused on helping people because it has blessed my life to get to watch people transform in ways I can’t even describe.” As I suspected, she receives “many messages from people about how their lives have changed” and she confided that “it is more rewarding than I even imagined it would be.”
Jody’s Message
Anyone who has listened to Jody talk knows that she operates off what she calls “the model.” She boldly asserts that it provides the means to solve any problem. In a nutshell, the model consists of identifying one’s circumstance, thoughts, feeling, action, and result, each one leading to the next.
She embraces the idea that although you often can’t pick your circumstances, you can select the thoughts you have about what happens to you. This is a powerful concept since thoughts create feelings which fuel actions and ultimately leads to a result, imparting the idea that you can control the results in your life regardless of your circumstances.
Personally, I’ve learned several lessons from her but the main take-away I’ve gained, which relates to the model, is that we all get to choose how we feel by managing our thoughts. If left unchecked or unregulated, your brain may take you places you don’t want to go.
This is an empowering concept because it means that we can each choose who we want to be. As an example, I’ll never forget when Jody coached a woman who felt resentful for being the only one to do the dishes in her house. The woman thought, “This is totally unfair!” Instead, Jody suggested entertaining an alternative thought, “Why not me? I can totally do this better than anyone else!”
Recently, Jody stated, “The world needs women who will answer the call. What are you feeling called to do?” I have been mulling this around for a few days. Jody’s story and her podcast are helping me realize I can answer the call! I love that Jody is a champion for women and encourages women to follow their dreams!
Be Bold Coaching Program
If you’re new to the idea of coaching, let me introduce you to it with Jody’s own words: think of it as a “gym membership for your mind.” Just as it’s important to care for your physical health through exercise and nutrition, it’s also essential to address your mental and emotional health.
Jody’s website describes her coaching program as a place to find “a way out of your pain” when you’re done feeling hurt, guilty, resentful, inadequate, frustrated, or any other negative emotion. She works with people to individuals on all aspects of their lives including their relationships, health, and finances.
Members of Jody’s Be Bold Coaching program take what they learn to the next level as they apply her tools to their lives. Not only does Jody send out a new course every month on various topics, she also supplies resources such as supplemental worksheets, several live calls a week which can be replayed later, and private coaching.
According to Jody, the most valuable aspect of Be Bold is listening to other people get coached. She suggests that is even more powerful than getting coached because not only are you out of the hot spot, but seeing others be vulnerable about their struggles gives you a sense of peace. “We really connect through our humanness,” Jody said and I couldn’t agree more.
During normal years, Jody’s team hosts several popular live events: Be Bold Masters and Better Than Happy Live. At the 5-day Be Bold Masters event, participants work with Jody on extensive coaching and application of her tools. Better Than Happy Live is a full-day workshop consisting of writing exercises and in-person group coaching. I understand these events always fill up quickly and generate a lot of positive energy!
Jody believes in coaching so much that she has her own personal life coach. She expressed tremendous gratitude for her coach, mentor, teacher, and friend Brooke Castillo, the founder and CEO of The Life Coach School. Over the years Brooke has become someone Jody looks up to and genuinely loves. In addition to sharing tips about online businesses and coaching, Brooke has taught her much about life and how to navigate challenges.
The Podcast “Better Than Happy”
To date Jody has recorded over 200 episodes covering a wide variety of topics including parenting, financial success, relationships, and confidence. She is the predominant voice on most podcasts as she breaks down how to apply her coaching tools, but occasionally she invites exceptional guest speakers such as relationship therapist Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, motivational speaker Meg Johnson, professional organizer Shira Gill, and other coaches like Krista St-Germain, Brad Jensen, and her sister Natalie Clay.
Jody dives into important issues which are relevant and meaningful to everyone listening. For instance, episodes have titles such as “Help Your Kids Feel Their Feelings” and “When You Didn’t Get Invited” and even “Discomfort Now or Later.”
Her substantial background in business, which I mentioned earlier, qualifies her to speak with authority on topics like “How to Make Achieving Your Goals Easier.” And as someone who ran several marathons and even worked as a turbo kickboxing instructor for a while, Jody offers useful tips on weight loss and nutrition on several episodes as well.
She remarked that the podcast is one of her favorite things because she loves to learn and the podcast helps her connect the dots. Jody told me that she has a note on her phone full of podcast ideas which is several scrolls long so she’s not going to run out of ideas any time soon!
Much has changed since Jody first started podcasting years ago. For starters, the podcast has gone through several name changes from “Nap Eclipse” to “Bold New Mom” to “Better Than Happy.” “Nap Eclipse” referred to the magical time when multiple children napped simultaneously.
When listeners didn’t seem to understand the reference, Jody changed it to “Bold New Mom” but rebranded as her audience grew. In addition to the growth, she also found that many women feel a “loss of identity that comes with being called mom.” She ultimately changed the name to “Better Than Happy” where it settles today. This change focuses on the growth and development of women as individuals and acknowledges the truth that there is more to women outside of being someone’s mom.
An Aspiring Author
One of Jody’s traits which I personally admire is her writing style. As someone who appreciates brevity (and often gets lost in lengthy paragraphs although I find it difficult to condense my own), I love how succinctly she articulates her thoughts. If you’re not sure what I mean, her “Take Tuesday” emails are a great example of this. Every Tuesday she sends out bite-sized pieces of wisdom to her followers.
And I have to confess that I’ve kept some of these in my inbox for a long time so I can look back to read and reread them. Hence, I was thrilled when I learned she’s currently working on compiling these Take Tuesday emails into a book.
I’d like to include one here so you can get a good picture of her insightfulness. I feel like I should present them spaced out as she does because doing so really affects the way they’re received:
This week our family had some big plans get cancelled, and I noticed something interesting.
I noticed that I didn’t feel very disappointed.
I noticed that none of the people in my family were terribly disappointed either.
And it’s not because we wanted our plans to change.
These were plans we were very much looking forward to.
But we were not crushed when things changed and here’s why.
We are all different today than we were this time last year.
We are more resilient.
We have fewer expectations that making plans means we know the future.
We have less drama when things need to change last minute.
Our brains are constantly rewiring themselves to navigate our world.
Sometimes this creates problems but other times… it creates resiliency.
After reading this, I’m sure you can see why I look forward to her collection of “Take Tuesdays.” Jody is also pursuing a life-long dream of writing a book and is currently powering through the editing process. She confesses that “it’s really overwhelming” and “a lot of work” but it should be published sometime next year. Stay tuned for what I’m sure will be another exceptional product from Jody!
Family Life
A feature on Jody is not complete without a shout-out to her family because they are clearly a big part of her life. She talks lovingly of her “happy, healthy family” and laughs about fun dinner conversations that occur since three of her four siblings and her mother are certified life coach just like herself. While they often discuss business strategy, they each have unique personalities, specialties, and approaches to coaching.
It is safe to say that Jody enjoys her marriage to her husband Jake. I found her words about him very touching when she told me, “In hindsight I didn’t realize what a jackpot I had won when I found him. I loved him, but only now after being married sixteen years do I really truly appreciate how amazing he is.” Jake works with Jody in business.
Jody and Jake are raising four children ranging in ages from seven to sixteen. They live in Spokane and enjoy spending time in the mountains and lakes.
Sometimes podcast listeners get to hear from one of the children, and Jody often shares family anecdotes which help to illustrate her points. For example, she teaches mothers that children are supposed to experience all emotions, even negative ones like sadness, despite our natural instincts to protect them from feeling badly. She’s learned to “hold space for [her] children to feel however they’re feeling.”
During our conversation, she told me that although she used to try to talk one of her sons out of being nervous to ride the bus, now she tells him it’s ok to be afraid and that she feels afraid sometimes, too. She tells him, “If you want to cry, you can cry. There’s nothing wrong with it. Part of the deal is that sometimes we feel emotions. I’m not afraid for you; I know it’s safe for you to get on the bus, but it’s ok to be afraid if you want to.” This has resulted in a transformation for her young son who seems to feel much better when he doesn’t try to resist his emotions.
Jody is quick to say that motherhood is the best and the hardest thing she’s ever done. I chuckled with understanding when she said, “I’m proud of the four babies I carried and birthed and that I survived the toddler years with all of them.” She also says that although her children “cringe a bit when people recognize me in public … they like what I teach even though they are slow to admit it.”
On Managing a Business and Family
As an entrepreneur working with her husband, Jody enjoys the flexibility her work gives her family. She recognizes how fortunate she is that her family gets to “do what we love, make a great living, and do such important work in the world.” Even her children understand the benefits of having both parents work from home; since Jody chooses her own hours she only works 3 days a week, leaving her plenty of family time. She’s able to make this happen because she is focused when she works and has “learned the benefit of becoming a planner even though it’s not natural for me.” The trick, she says, is to create a routine and stick to it.
One would think that it would be challenging to juggle the demands of family life and run your own business from home. But Jody explains that it’s possible because “I work when I’m supposed to work.” Although this statement sounds simple, I can attest to the fact that it is quite difficult to get distracted by household tasks when I’m trying to work from home.
And let’s be honest: sometimes we may just not feel like working during work hours. Jody says that by focusing on work during her designated hours, “I am able to be present with my kids when I’m not working.” This is truly timely advice when so many parents find themselves working remotely recently. I also find it very valuable advice for those moms and dads who are stay-at-home parents. The more we can be present with our children, the more rich our relationships with them will be.
Jody also says that her life coaching tools have very useful, practical benefits in her personal life. She told me, “They are the reason I am the happiest person I know. They are the reason I don’t worry or stress about almost anything.” If that endorsement doesn’t get you interested in her tools, I don’t know what will!
To the Mothers
Although Jody is in the business of sharing wisdom and guidance, she shares so much advice for other moms publicly free of charge. For instance, her Instagram page, podcast, and weekly emails are all bursting with profound insights. I think she graciously shares her tools because she sees that her message is life-enhancing and she wants to be an agent of goodness in the world.
While she is constantly helping to build up other moms with her tips, she succinctly summed up her number one piece of advice to other moms during our correspondence. Jody says, “Stop trying to be a better mom. Just embrace the mom that you are. Moms are supposed to mess it all up, half the time anyway. Half the time we do a great job and half the time we are human. Your kids are going to be fine. Be the mom you are. She’s enough.”
This is consistent with the rest of Jody’s work where she urges mothers in particular to see themselves as complete, despite all our shortcomings and mess. What valuable advice for all mothers!
“Can’t Do Without” Items
As I mentioned earlier, Jody is bursting with stellar recommendations! (On a side note, Jody is well-read and seems to particularly enjoy psychology and anything to do with the brain. At one point she referred to Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning which I’m reading now and am grateful for her endorsement.)
In addition to mind expanding books, Jody also has some favorite everyday items she shared with us. If you’re looking to get a perfect tan without damaging your skin, she says that the Self Tanner from Beauty by Earth is the best! Jody also loves her noise-cancelling Apple AirPods.
And while Jody gives glowing reviews to her Norwex microfiber cleaning cloths, she says she can’t do without her house-keepers. In her words, “It’s a luxury I can finally afford and I’m not ashamed to splurge on this.”
Jody and I also share a love for TV. She shared that she loves “The Queen’s Gambit”! I agree – it’s definitely a show worth watching!
To Learn More
Jody has a thriving online presence. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram. Also, on her website you can learn more about her coaching programs, find resources to teach your children about her message, and read or listen to all of her podcast episodes. I highly recommend keeping up with Jody!
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