Welcome to Journey to Legacy!
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Have You Considered Writing Your Life Story?
You may have tried writing your personal stories before, but struggled to start or follow through.
Perhaps you:
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Weren’t sure how to capture a lifetime of memories
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Worried about recalling details accurately
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Felt your stories weren’t interesting enough
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Feared revisiting the past
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Lacked structure and support
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Couldn’t find the time
You’re not alone. Writing your life story is challenging!
You want to convey your lived experiences – the highs, lows, and pivots – that made you who you are today. You hope to appreciate the hard-earned wisdom and lessons you’ve learned. Most of all, you aim to recount your unique story in a meaningful, pride-evoking way.
But translating a lifetime of rich memories into words isn’t always easy. Sifting through the moments that matter and capturing them with honesty and heart is daunting.
The story resides within, but finding the courage and persistence to express it in a way that impacts often requires guidance and support.
If you seek that kind of help to finally write your life stories, you’ve reached the right place. With inspiration and a plan, you can discover your voice and transform memories into a compelling life narrative.
Introducing
JOURNEY TO LEGACY
Everything You Need For Life Review, Memoir & Life Story Writing
From feeling overwhelmed to feeling self-empowered, we provide the tools, structure and guidance to get what’s in your heart onto the page. You’ll leave with a deeper appreciation for your life and your unique story.
LIFE STORY
4-Week Live Course (Online) with Q&A
You’re new to writing and want a simple structure and guidance to help you feel confident and inspired.
LIFE REVIEW
12-Week Live Course (Online) with Group Coaching
You’re at a crossroads in life and want to gain perspective on your life journey, create meaning, integrate lessons and gain wisdom to guide your future.
MEMOIR
6-Month Live Course (Online) with Group & Private Coaching
You know you have stories in you but you need a structure, private coaching and safe community to help you bring out your inner writer and let her shine.
Meet Your Guide
Hi, I’m Joanna, and I’m glad you’re here
I believe that our life experiences hold deep wisdom which, when uncovered, helps us fully embrace who we are and step into who we want to be as we move forward.
I also believe we have a rewarding opportunity to make a positive impact on others by sharing some of that wisdom.
Using my experience as a counselor, intuitive coach, teacher, and four decades of leading programs that change lives, I guide you through a step-by-step process that turns your life experiences into a unique life story of which you are proud.
If you’re here, you’re ready to write a unique life story and I’d be honored to be your guide.
You want to feel good about the life you’ve lived and excited for the years ahead. Your stories hold the key.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Journey to Legacy offers three different online courses to help you tap into the power of your stories to inspire yourself and others.
1) In our 4-week life story writing program, we provide the tools, technology, and guidance in a group setting to help you find and write meaningful stories.
2) In our 12-week life review program, we take you on a guided transformative journey into your past to better understand how you became you so that you can harness your hard-earned wisdom to write impactful stories or move into your next chapter with clarity, confidence and intention.
3) In our 6-month memoir program, we provide personalized guidance, an intimate, loving community where you can safely share your writings, and the structure and support you need to stay inspired to write.
In all of our programs, you’ll have one year of access to our proprietary and easy-to-use life story writing platform which offers inspiring prompts and thought-provoking deeper questions that help you explore the impact of your stories as you write them.
I want to thank you, Joanna. Because this program has made such a difference in my life. I never would have ever understood some of this (my life) and I’m a freakin psychologist. I mean, hello? There’s a lot more to this work that you present, then maybe you’ll even ever know. I’m astonished at the depth and the reframing of things in my own life. I’ll just say that. So thank you.
Jeanne Kane, Journey To Legacy Alumni
What most exceeded my expectations were the focus, motivation and direction provided by your instructional sessions and the writing prompts. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the online tools, but I have been pleased with the ease the site affords for writing and organizing the writing/stories. I am very happy with everything about the program and grateful that I came across it when I did. This was perfect timing for me.
Paula, Journey To Legacy Participant
It’s as if our lives are like jars filled with big and small rocks. Most of us have already pulled out, examined, and made some sense of the big rocks because they’re easy to see. But, it’s the smaller rocks we tend to ignore, even though there may still be something about them that gets under our skin. Writing down my stories has helped me remember smaller rocks. It has made me realize those events were more impactful than I realized and that I was still carrying some shame, guilt, or regret about them. Writing down my stories has allowed me to shine the light and see those stories from a new perspective. It has freed up stagnant energy and lightened a load I didn’t even know I was carrying.
Holly Padove, Journey To Legacy Participant
I have never thought of myself as a writer. Writing isn’t easy for me. And yet I have absolutely loved Journey to Legacy! I was drawn to this program as a vehicle for self-discovery. When I learned about it, I sensed that it could provide answers to the question, “How did I become the person that I am today?” And as I’ve delved into the stories of my past, I’ve gained insights that have often taken me by surprise.
I have nothing but praise for the way that Joanna has designed Journey to Legacy and how she leads it. Sometimes she teaches, at other times she asks just the right questions. She invites and supports, always with the goal of helping us explore the stories of our lives. I whole-heartedly recommend this program.
Linda Brooks, Journey To Legacy Participant
I was concerned about my ability to commit and follow through with an online format however from the moment I met Joanna in our first zoom conversation, I felt seen, heard and understood. I felt safe. There is so much to love about this program. Joanna walk beside me every step of the way through our personal zoom appointments, emails and with the quality of the program and technical platform she created which is truly outstanding. What an honor it has been to share this journey with other openhearted, wise, vulnerable women from around the world. What we have shared in this sacred circle will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Amanda Downing, Journey To Legacy Participant
My memories carried me on an amazing 3-D journey of my life, as if I were truly “time traveling” through decades, phases, friendships, romances, historical events, discoveries, foreign countries, disappointments, successes, relationships, revelations and exciting episodes of my 70-year lifetime. I wouldn’t trade the memories that were stirred and found their way to the pages of my legacy journal for anything – even if no one ever reads them but me! More than just simple stories, I think I have written some fascinating “road-maps” of how to live a beautiful life to share with those I love – and perhaps for children of my children and their children, who haven’t even been born!
Denise Medved, Journey To Legacy Participant
I found Journey to Legacy at a time when I felt stuck in my writing process. In my mind I wasn’t worthy of putting something out there. I believed it wouldn’t be good enough. But by making the commitment to write, I realized I did have stories to tell. And I knew that they weren’t going to be important to everyone, but they would be important to someone. The program is fun and Joanna is generous with encouragement and suggestions. The bonus is meeting other women and sharing life stories! I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in memoir writing.
Denise Nagy, Journey To Legacy Participant
What Makes Journey to Legacy Unique?
1. Our Emphasis on Helping You Write Meaningful Stories
While most online life story writing and life review programs offer general prompts, our prompts and questions go much deeper to help you explore the important moments and memories that shaped who you are today. Through this self-inquiry journey, you’ll discover the deeper meaning in the lessons, blessings and wisdom you’ve earned and learn how to turn anecdotes about your life events into stories that matter.
2. Live Teaching Sessions
Most online life story and memoir programs offer pre-recorded sessions with no or occasional access to the instructor. Our courses are live, allowing you to get answers to your questions in real time.
3. Simple 4-Pillar Life Review Framework
Unlike other online writing programs that focus on the mechanics of writing, we provide a proven step by step framework that makes it easy to write your unique life story. Instead of teaching you how to write, we encourage intuitive writing so you find and trust your inner voice which brings out the authentic storyteller in you.
4. Small Group Setting
We limit enrollment in all of our courses so that you don’t get lost in the crowd and to ensure that you get the support and attention you need to stay on track.
5. Easy to Use Intuitive Writing Software
Our intuitive writing software is easy and fun to use even if you have little to no previous tech experience and it’s accessible online from your desktop or laptop. Designed to be intuitive, our software makes it simple to navigate, write, edit, organize and share your unique life story. Share your life story in a customized Legacy Journal via email, as a downloadable eBook or bound book, You can even choose specific stories to share by creating multiple Legacy Journals to give to different people in your life.
6. Three Unique Levels to Meet Your Specific Needs
No matter which level you choose, you’ll leave with your own customized Legacy Journal to share via email, download as an eBook or printed and bound. Compare features to choose the level of support you need to write stories that connect with you and connect with others.
7. Private Online Community of Life Story Writers
Being a part of a private online community of life story writers, you’ll feel safe and supported in sharing your stories. You’ll also develop heartwarming friendships with people who are on this journey with you.
8. Ongoing Technical Support
When you need more assistance with any technical aspects of writing or sharing your story, we’re always here to help. We offer support via email on an ongoing basis.
Have questions or need more information?
How to Get Started
3 Simple Steps to Begin Your Life Review or Life Story Writing Journey
STEP 1
Choose the Level that Suits Your Needs
Life Story, Life Review or Memoir course based on the result you desire and the support, guidance and accountability you need to find what is meaningful in your life story.
STEP 2
Start Reflecting & Writing About Your Life
No matter which level you choose, you’ll find guidance and inspiration to uncover and write about what matters in the unique experiences that shaped who you’ve become.
STEP 3
Turn Wisdom into Inspiration
No matter which course you choose, you’ll gain clarity and inspiration about what you want to do with the wisdom you’ve uncovered, whether you share your stories with others or allow them to guide you as you write your next chapter.
Not sure which level is right for you?
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to participate on the live calls?
- Computer/Tablet/Phone
- Private, quiet and comfortable space
- Good WiFi access
- Journal or paper and pen
- Earphones, if you need them
What if I can't make the live calls?
All of the calls are recorded, so if you can’t make one, you’ll have access to the replay within 48 hours.
What do I need to use the writing platform?
The writing platform works best on laptop or desktop computers that run Mac OS, Linux or Windows and use Chrome as the browser.
How does this program differ from Storyworth?
While both Journey to Legacy and Storyworth offer you a writing platform, writing prompts and a bound book, Journey to Legacy offers guidance through the courses and by including what we call “deeper questions” with every writing prompt. These guide you toward a more introspective, retrospective approach as you write your stories. This helps make your stories more compelling and meaningful to both you and those who will read them.
Am I just getting a bunch of general writing prompts?
No. Our thought and memory-provoking prompts are offered in all of our programs. Our prompts and introspective questions take you deeper into your memories and experiences where revelations, breakthroughs and healing take place.
What is the difference between life story writing and memoir?
Life story writing is a collection of stories about one’s life without a central theme.
Memoirs explore specific impactful episodes through a literary lens to convey inner transformation.
What is the difference between life review and life story writing?
Life Review is an introspective process aimed at gaining understanding, inner peace and insight while life story writing is a reflection on memories and writing them as stories, usually to share.
Life review focuses on finding meaning, resolving unfinished business, and integrating one’s life experiences in a forward-thinking way. It can be a wonderful first step for life story writers.
What is the difference between life review and memoir?
Memoirs and life review share a reflective, internal focus on exploring deeper meaning and insight from key life experiences. Both involve focusing on impactful episodes and relationships
The memoir writer crafts these into stories, while life review aims to review life experiences for the purpose of resolving unfinished emotional business, finding self-acceptance, and/or using life’s wisdom to guide future choices.
Life review has a broader scope – it encompasses reflection on the totality of one’s life to achieve life integration rather than centering just on peak episodes of insight. Memoirs by nature are selective, developing literary themes around epiphanies, though this process can initiate crucial reflection and edits the raw stories of our memories into wisdom.
Ultimately life review is a more comprehensive yet private journey to self-acceptance, while polished memoirs publicly share our lessons learned. Yet both value reflective meaning-finding from emotional life events.
How is life review different from therapy?
While life review involves reflecting on your broader life journey, therapy uses clinical techniques to address specific mental health concerns that are negatively impacting your current well-being and functioning. Life review seeks to find empowerment, meaning and closure by re-examining the entirety of your life, whereas therapy aims to relieve current acute symptoms and issues.
What if I can’t remember much from my past?
Do I have to be a good writer?
You do not have to be an experienced writer or worry about getting it right when it comes to punctuation, spelling or grammar. The prompts, guided visualizations and workbook make it simple and inspire you to write. Our intuitive writing software makes it easy to title, edit and organize your stories for a cohesive and Legacy Journal you can download, share via email or have *printed and bound.
How much of my time will this take?
The Life Story course meets for 60-90 minutes each week for four consecutive weeks. There will also be a Q&A session during the 2nd and 4th week of the course. The amount of time you spend writing is up to you but we recommend at least 1 hour/week.
The Life Review course meets for 90 minutes each week for 12 consecutive weeks. There are journaling and creative, experiential assignments each week that will take about one hour to complete.
The Memoir course meets 3 times/month for 6 months. Each meeting is between 60-90 minutes. The amount of time you spend writing is up to you but we recommend at least 2 hours/week in this course.
What if I don’t think I have anything worthy or exciting to write about?
Why do you require an application to join the Memoir Course?
With such an intimate group setting and the sensitivity of topics addressed, I like to ensure each participant is ready and willing to engage and commit to this 6-month journey.
What happens if I get stuck after I sign up?
If you join our Journey to Legacy Memoir or Live Review courses and get stuck at any point in this process, you will have all the support and guidance from our team to ensure you move past any obstacles or technical issues you encounter. If you take our Life Story Writing course, you will also have 12 months of support via email in the event you get stuck or need more information.
What if I’m not sure anyone will read my life story?
What if I’m worried others will judge me once they read what I’ve been through?
What if my past is too painful?
As a counselor and intuitive coach, I know how difficult it is to experience and recall painful memories. If you need more personal guidance, support and coaching to help you feel safe in revisiting the past, I recommend joining our Memoir writing group where you receive private coaching included in the program. Although I will gently guide you, I do not push or pressure you to go beyond what is comfortable or feels right for you. I’ll help you make peace with some of the most challenging moments of your past and celebrate your strength and ability to rise above. You’ll also have a safe and compassionate community of other life story writers to lean on throughout this 6-month journey.
What should I consider when choosing among the different programs?
Being honest about what you need to be successful is critical. If you’re ready to write stories to share with loved ones and just need help with the writing tools, our Life Story Writing 4-week course may be the best option for you. If you want to take a deeper dive in reflecting on your life, whether it be to uncover meaningful stories to share or to understand where you’ve been as a guide to where you’re going, our Life Review course is the right fit. And if you want to do both a deeper dive into your past to help you write your memoir plus be inspired by an intimate community of other writers where you share and connect through your stories, the Memoir course is perfect for you. If you are unclear of which option is right for you, feel free to schedule a no-obligation appointment and we’ll help you find the best fit.
How long will I have access to this course and writing software?
You’ll have access to our intuitive writing software for six months from the day your course begins. You can renew your subscription to our writing software on a monthly or annual basis for a nominal annual fee.
What is your refund policy?
All of our courses offer a 15-day money-back guarantee.
What if I’m not ready but want to learn more about how this process works?
We recommend downloading our free Life Story Writing Starter Kit so you get a feel of what’s involved and the process of life story writing. You can also schedule a call to ask any questions you have.
Choose the Option that’s Right for You
LIFE STORY
4-Week Live Course (Online) with Q&A
You’re new to writing and want a simple structure and guidance to help you feel confident and inspired.
LIFE REVIEW
12-Week Live Course (Online) with Group Coaching
You’re at a crossroads in life and want to gain perspective on your life journey, create meaning, integrate lessons and gain wisdom to guide your future.
MEMOIR
6-Month Live Course (Online) with Group & Private Coaching
You know you have stories in you but you need a structure, private coaching and safe community to help you bring out your inner writer and let her shine.
Who Is This For?
Now is the time to write and share your life story.
Life story writing, life review and memoir are catalysts for recovering key moments in your life that deserve to be honored, celebrated and remembered. As such, writing about your life requires vulnerability, courage and a willingness to look back on your life with a fresh perspective.
If you’ve experienced any of the following:
- You’ve tried to write in the past but never made progress
- You’re curious and ready to explore the deeper meaning behind your life experiences
- You want to feel more purposeful
- You believe writing is a tool for healing and self-discovery
- You flourish with structure, guidance and accountability
- You’re not techy and need easy-to-use tools
- You want to share what you’ve learned with others
- You want to build a connection to future generations
Then, we’ve got you covered.
Still have questions? We’re happy to answer them! Contact us HERE
Feeling Called to Write About Your Life?
Your life story is full of golden nuggets of wisdom and inspiration.
You’ve gained valuable lessons and unique insights.
You’re ready to get real, reflect and take responsibility to discover a richer sense of meaning and a deeper connection with others.
It’s time to share your story.
This is your legacy.
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