JK
Jeffrey Keefer

I am an Educational Strategist & Eco Mindfulness Guide.

I offer insightful and practical acts of nature-based mindfulness tailored for busy professionals. My approach is designed to seamlessly integrate into your demanding schedules, bringing a sense of calm and environmental connection to your dai…

🔤 ABC
Active 2d ago Joined 22 Jun 2022 Paris (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

ABC forum (and rest of my course site) is now on the "new experience" -- thoughts? :)

As you'll notice when you log into https://learn.georgekao.com (ignore the ugly homepage, I'll correct it) the whole membership site is now running on Simplero's "new experience".

What do you think of it?  

Visit and try out the ABC forum again and let me know how you like it :)



JK

My initial, 5-second thoughts -- wow, they must have changed the program they contract from or hired a new developer. Looks very different in a good way. More like Skool (thoug Facebook changes so often and is so bloated I have trouble following things there). Tell them to keep this up!!

It is nice to be able to attach files and videos as well.

Everything is optional - skip pages, segments, chapters, modules that aren't interesting to you! 6:02
Most important? Everything is optional 😄 Skip lessons & modules that aren't interesting to you!

You're welcome to simply come to a Q&A call, and tell me your situation (briefly) and ask me my recommended next step :)


TF

As a teacher and autistic person I feel this video is mindblowing! I have always been a linear rule follower, and to understand this - that everything is optional, is a game-changer to me! Who would know I would learn something so fantastic at 65 years of age! I thank you!

JK

@Torill Fjæran-Granum This is fantastic learning and thanks for sharing for us! Ironically, we need to have permission for us to make decisions on how to handle something we freely choose to buy and use (or NOT to use!!). However, you are right in that many of us have been rule followers, and sometimes those rules, such as this one, can get in the way of our getting what we need. Kudos on this!!

work retreats

Are the work retreats returning to the calendar, or do we need to try FocusMate? Thanks!



JK

I tried the work retreat this past week for the first time and really found it valuable. 

I have tried Focusmate and like it, but find it a challenge with people I do not know and while I know few people here, I do feel we have a commonality that is helpful. 

JK

@George Kao Hmm, I thought the 8-hour version required or expected one to stay for all 8 hours, similar to how it is asked for the 2-hour version.  
JK

@George Kao Thinking aloud (which is what I often call typing), do you think it may make a difference to have the 8-hour versions as several smaller versions instead, all back-to-back? Again, I am not sure and thinking aloud.  

Update about ABC-Masterheart 2025

I'm brewing up some exciting updates for the 2025 program... will start some discussions in the coming weeks to get your feedback, and announce it officially in October.

The price will be increasing in 2025, hopefully not by so much that it's prohibitive:

ABC will be $150/mo or $1,500/year.  Maximum of 60 members (this year we had 75.)

There will continue to be helper roles for those who need a stipend to support the cost!

Also, what's included in the price is the Joyful Productivity Club 🙌🏾 

M…



JK

Looking forward to learning more!

First Instagram

I am slowly wading my toe into Instagram, and decided to try my first Instagram Carrousel related to the US Presidential debate. I generally avoid politics publicly at all costs, and tried a middle ground with this one. Hoping it is still aligned with my overall work.

https://www.instagram.com/p...

8 Days Along the Camino and Its Learnings Just Begin

We finished our 8 days of walking the Camino yesterday from Lauzerte to Eauze, France, where we walked 104.1 miles/167.5 kilometers in total. There were a number of sections in the past 3 days that were barely or unpassable due to the flooding and deep/slippery mud, and glad to share I only fell once, tangled in the mud, and just missed a larger fall due to trying to avoid the mud. Will share more as I continue to process all this and what it means to my personal and professional life. 

Even with these dangerous storms, the Camino provides opportunities for reflection and life-changing invitations to bring good into the world.



MB

@Jeffrey Keefer How AMAZING; thank you for sharing your journey & beautiful photos with us‼️😊 I'm eager to hear/learn more‼️ The Camino Walk has intrigued me ever since I first heard about it many moons ago‼️💟
JK

@Mary Barringer I was captivated with the Camino for decades and finally walked it in Spain just before COVID. It was only in the silent walking across rural France that I felt my spirit's needs being met. I will continue to process and share this, and appreciate your interest. 
KL

I commend you deeply for taking the long distance walk, especially the Camino! You are creating space for the unseen and unspoken magic to manifest, in your life, your thoughts, your heart. Amazing and blessed. 

JK

@Keith Logan This is so powerfully said; thank you for sharing it given the opportunity for "unseen and unspoken magic to manifest" is such a wonderful way of naming this experience. 
GB

Wow, working on farms I completely understand how difficult it is to walk through mud. I'm glad you only fell once! Looking forward to hearing your reflections as you process your experience. 

JK

@Ginny Branden I have never walked through mud before that wa soft and silken like what one may have in a spa -- it was like smooth sand and was slippery while also being all-grabbing like quicksand. It would not rinse off without a scrub brush. New experiences I did not expect!
JK

@Ginny BrandenI have never walked in mud before, so can only say it slowed us down. Between not being safe as it was slippery and mud higher than my shoes, we were often able to detour on the sides of it, though not always. A surprising experience that will invite ongoing reflection on several levels. 
SJ
swetha jadapalli 🎉 🔤

Amazing … Glad you had a beautiful experience.. looking forward to hear your  great learnings 😊

JK

@swetha jadapalli Many thanks for the kind words!

ConvertKit - free up to 10K subscribers

Hello all, I’m currently using Mailchimp for my newsletter and sometimes think about moving to ConvertKit or Substack for a few different reasons. They each to seem to have their benefits. 

ConvertKit has launched a new plan offering up to 10K subscribers for free (I think it was up to 1K previously) ⬇️

https://convertkit.com/prom...

If you use ConvertKit, would you recommend it? Do you like it? Thanks! 



JK

Thanks for sharing this. I know of converting but have not used it. Will try it given a high starting number and I have yet to follow through on any previous mail lists. 

Prayer Intentions or Personal Requests

I am planning for my third year of walking a week along the French route of the Camino de Santiago (in French, the Chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle) the first week of June 2024, and am again offering to take any Prayer Intentions or Personal Requests with me. These are all shared anonymously, and I welcome anybody to share anything they want me to bring along with me. An anonymous form is here for anybody (within or outside our community here) to use.  

For transparency, this week of wa…



JK

Thanks, all. I printed all the requests and have them in my pocket as I am on the train to start. All good energies, all!

GK
George Kao Ⓜ️ 💗 🔤

How wonderful 

@Jeffrey Keefer !  

My prayer request:

May all Soulpreneurs, such as members of ABC, be often filled with hope, clarity, and strength to fulfill the destiny of their authentic business.

Focusmate -- free month of paid service

Those of you who are interested in Focusmate, can you help me test something... 

I need 3 people... 

1. Someone who has never signed up for Focusmate before.

2. Someone who has a Focusmate FREE account.

3. Someone who is already subscribed to Focusmate's paid account.

Click this link.

Does it give you a free month of paid Focusmate?

Comment below and let me know which type of person you are ;-) and whether the link successfully gave you a free month.

Thank you!



JK

I tried this, George, and the system still required a credit card for after the first month. Perhaps I should try it after all... 

How to share someone's IG story (@mention them!) and appreciate someone who shared yours 14:11
How to share someone's IG story (@mention them!) and appreciate someone who shared yours 😊

Why you might want to share other people's IG posts as part of your Stories: It shows your audience that you're a curator of interesting content! Some of your audience might start interesting conversations with you in DM's. It creates gratitude for the person whose post you're sharing. Potentially creates a new connection / nurtures connection with that person. You can easily share someone else's IG post as one of your Stories by doing this: Just below the post you want to share, there's a paper-airplane icon -- click on it Then at the bottom of the screen click "Add to story" Be sure to add an @mention of their username, so that (if they want to) it's easy for them to reshare your share :) Any other tips about sharing people's stories, comment below 🙏🏼


JK

How does this work if we share a post to our posts themselves and not just to our Stories?

Intentions : May 2024

These "intentions" threads can be motivating to do!

As you see other members post their intentions, it can be an interesting way to get to know  them. Cheer them on by replying under a few comments as you're able to 💛

How to participate:

  1. Comment with your most important intentions for the month. Feel free to @mention your Accountability Buddy so they know what you're up to.
            Examples: To practice a specific Joyful Productivity skill, or to complete a project.
    Tip: What method will …


JK

May is my opportunity to simplify my focus. Perfect is indeed the enemy of the good. Not looking back at this time, these are my two goals for the month:

1. Revise my website with my current areas of work. I have been trying this too large, so will focus on my 3 areas and be done with it. Since I am off on a week of pilgrimage walking the first week of June, this effort here is really timely.

2. I will then revise my title and brief bio across YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram accordingly to the above. 

This is not rocket science, but it requires the discipline of daily effort. 

In advance, I appreciate any support and accountability! 

📩 First Email Invite to my webinar sent! Early stats.

Statistics in numbers for email sent!

In case you're more of a % person, 83.45% successful delivery; 26% opened rate; 9.5% hard bounced; 1.7% unsubscribed and 0% spam!

I'm happy about this ☺️ after 8 hours since sent. 

I committed to doing this webinar a week ago on a call with George. I chose the dates. Worked on collecting my CSV files from Acuity Scheduling, MailChimp and old CRM. I surprised myself with having over 400 contacts since 2015! I've entered them…



JK

Nicely done, 

@Emily Miller !

How are you feeling about your progress now a day on?

Which system are you using for this, and have you found it supportive of your own creative directions?