I’ve been here already. Please take me to the offer! <CLICK>
If you don't actually know your message, it's hard to connect with the people who need it.
Join me on Saturday, March 1st, 2025 for a virtual retreat where I'll teach you how to Unlock Your Story by discovering long-buried details that will transform the way you look at life, your content, and how you share it.
As writers and content creators who heard storytelling is the hip new way to build your audience, it’s not as easy as picking five pivotal moments in your life and sharing them. For those of us who are train-dodging lemonade experts, nothing is ever that simple. We are women who navigate new flavors of fresh hell on a regular basis. Deep down we know crushed dreams and disappointments are rarely the result of mere coincidence or bad timing. It’s oh so much more.
For those of us who feel like we’ve lived a thousand lives, picking a niche and defining our message isn’t as simple as the three-step formula many coaches and courses teach. I have no idea how many times I’ve done that exercise, only to give up and do it my way out of sheer frustration. In the end, I found there are actually about fourteen layers to work through before you’re ready to begin thinking about a niche.
If you have the heart to tell your story, share what you survived, and how you managed IT—whatever IT might be—I’m here to teach you how to uncover the hidden details that crushed your soul and started it all. Then I'll hand you the tools to put the shards of your life back together in a way that supports others—and transforms your own life in the process. With a sprinkle of real-life fairy dust and guidance from a someone in the trenches, we can make magic.
The Vicious Cycle of Something
If you’re serious about helping others, you took the first step. You may have all the social media accounts, a website, an email list with a welcome sequence, a freebie, bought a course or two and worked through them. Or you’re working on it. You’re probably posting regularly, or want to, getting more and more vulnerable and sharing your passion. Good job!
And yet, the response is dismal.
Or frustrating.
Or confusing.
Either no one is finding your content or they aren’t interested. What’s up with that? Aren’t you doing everything you were told?
People keep telling you to give it more time. But how much is “more”? Where’s that damn fairy godmother when you need her?!
The truth is, many content creators get this far, try for awhile, throw money into expensive coaching or programs that promise results that don’t materialize, or they spend hours watching free video content trying to discover what they’re missing. Many keep going, waiting for a miracle. They might try a re-brand or change up their content to dance a little closer to a niche, but still, there are no concrete changes. Eventually, they give up because they aren’t getting sales and have no growth or interaction. Then they scratch their head and wonder what they did wrong. It’s clear they’re missing something, but what?
It’s the “But what?” that plagues most of us. Whether you’re sharing sewing tips, selling t-shirts, or coaching survivors, if you don’t know what you have to offer, you can’t connect with the people who need it. That’s what I found in my own life and the women I’ve worked with since 1998.
Four Reasons Women Who Lived Through Hell Fail When They Try to Share Their Story
(and why you don’t have to suffer the same fate)
- They don’t actually understand what they experienced. Sure, there might have been abuse, betrayal, and trauma or an unexpected fiasco, but do they know what happened? How they got there? Why they made the choices they did? How they responded to others’ decisions? Can they articulate all of it? Because that’s where the answers hide.
- They have no idea this situation or circumstance is still affecting them. If they haven’t done the work to deal with the aftermath of grief or pain and make peace with all of it, their response to the original situation pops up e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. when they least expect it. The reaction they feel towards people who irritate or challenge them speaks volumes about their level of resolution. So does doom scrolling online, the general degree of chaos surrounding them, their goals or lack thereof, and how they manage daily life.
- They can’t articulate their solution because they haven’t actually identified the core problem. Like the monster in the closet, they don’t know how to describe it because they haven’t seen it yet. They know it’s in there because they can feel it, but they have no idea how to find it. Or get rid of it.
- They haven’t found the courage to face the things that hurt them because they are still actively living in a situation that is destroying their soul. Many bury those feelings and go on with their lives. They talk about their experiences like a news report or encyclopedia entry. But deep down, they are dying inside. Sometimes, it’s because they never escaped the situation that is devastating their life.
Being successful as a writer or content creator has more to do with our mental health and emotional intelligence than it does with our grammar skills, presence on social media, or ability to splice video.
Hi. I’m Janel Guevara.
In 1998, I began publishing my own online magazine because I was afraid of rejection. The fear my articles and essays weren’t good enough for traditional publication sent me on a magical journey that kicked my butt and crushed my dreams. It took me many, many years to figure out what I needed so I could make sense of my experiences. When I finally did, I never looked back.
By 2008, the magazine was seeing nearly a quarter-million visitors a year and my personal blog had hundreds of subscribers. It seemed crazy since I started both with nary a plan or reader in sight. But no matter how successful I felt at times, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something significant.
I toyed with the idea of monetizing my blog but I didn’t want to earn a penny from the magazine. I told myself it was a “ministry.” God would provide if He saw fit. I planned to write books and speak when I was ready. I knew that would come later because traveling regularly with four young children wasn’t an option at that time. I couldn’t decide what to do, but it wasn't too long before it didn’t matter.
In July that year, a reckless driver on a cell phone caused an accident that left me with a permanent brain injury. It stole my ability to write and edit. Because the most fulfilling outlet in my life had been writing, I was devastated. After a year of extreme pain and medical dead ends that snuffed out any spark of hope I would return to “normal,” I gave up on my dreams of encouraging women to live their best life.
It would take a decade of life altering events cascading through my soul before I got the courage to open a blank document and allow words to pour onto the screen again. In the space of a few weeks, I wrote a 30k word book on everything I learned as an editor. After a dozen beta readers told me it was fantastic, I got nervous and froze. And I couldn’t figure out why.
I spent the last five years filling in the blanks of my life and dreams. Healing the past, getting over my fears of the future, and letting go of everything that caused me to doubt myself. I learned to accept who I am and work with my gifts and limitations. It’s been the most difficult, yet fulfilling, experience of my life.
Today, I’m older and wiser. I have confidence that my content is worth reading, but only if you’re my audience. I know where life has taken me and how the things I never knew or understood were actually the driving force of my pain and frustrations in everyday life—and as a content creator and coach. Now I happily teach others how to identify their “But what?”s and somethings to craft their experiences into stories that bring hope to both themselves and others. Because that’s what I know. It’s my story.
Allow me to introduce you to
I created the program I wish I had more than thirty years ago when I couldn’t figure out my very first “What am I missing?” moments. Happily Ever After Begins Here… combines self-paced exercises with practical teaching that unfolds each step in a logical, sequential order. I support your progress with week day encouragement, quick thoughts for pressing concerns, and live calls where you can ask me questions, get hot seat coaching, and connect with others who have Been There, Done That and made it to the other side.
How is Happily Ever After Begins Here... Group Coaching Membership different from other programs?
IDENTIFIES FOURTEEN FOUNDATIONALÂ LAYERS
Many coaches presume their clients have a basic understanding of life, how it functions, and the expectations. They coach based on the assumption their clients simply need a bit of guidance and a few questions to clarify what they want so they can set goals and move forward.
For women who have lived through hell, that shit messes with our heads. Many of us wouldn’t know “normal” if it walked up and hugged us. We’d probably slap it! If we didn’t freeze in horror or run like crazy the other way. We need a refresher course on life and how it works - and for some of us, we’ll experience this information for the first time. I walk you through fourteen foundational principles in human development that we need to know before we jump into traditional self-help books and courses.
USES YOUR STORY TO HEAL YOUR STORY
We can learn a lot from the stories of others but there is power when we begin to see the value in our own story. I teach you how to look at the events, circumstances, and situations that shaped you, encouraged you, and destroyed you in a way that identifies the behaviors, patterns, and shadows to give you what you need to move you forward and create a better life.
ACKNOWLEDGES LIFE IS COMPLICATED AND THE COMPLEXITY NEEDS TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT
Life is complex to begin with, but the chaos goes up by a factor of a hundred when we don’t understand our story. It doesn't have to be that way. I show you how to look at life in layers so you can break them down into manageable pieces, explain the impact in our lives, and how to navigate them.
Here’s how I do it…
I show up and listen to your heart and what you feel you don't understand about your story or project or platform. Depending on how much time we have together, we look at the areas that seem most likely to be tripping you up. Then I help you evaluate your needs. Afterwards, we create a simple plans with realistic steps to help you find hope in your story and share it with others.
The women drawn to my message have similar needs. Through the years, some figured out more than others, and a small segment just have less complex lives. A few work magic in one area, yet flounder somewhere else. Each one-on-one session is tailored to you and your specific situation.
Areas We Can Choose to Address
- Where to start. If you struggle with motivation, consistency, or figuring out where to begin, how to tell your story, where you're stuck, or what you want to do, this is the time to bring your questions and concerns. I'll offer you a compass direction to plan your journey.
- How to do it. It's one thing to know or understand a concept, it's another to implement it in your life. I break ideas and details into simply, practical steps, then show you how to embrace them in a realistic way that will get you moving in the direction you long to go.
- Gain clarity. Once you begin assembling the pieces of your story, it can be perplexing to know what to do with them. This is where we can dig into the story behind your story. We shed light into the darkness and start making sense of long forgotten anecdotes.
- Building your audience. We learn to use the specific details of our story to build a sustainable, supportable business or ministry to best serve our individual audiences.
 And we do it all at your pace, with your vision, for your life.
My Kind of Sales
Right about here, traditional sales pages use BOLD CAPS and words like Limited Time, $XXX Value, and Exclusive Bonus to make you really want to purchase the program NOW! I want to change that narrative. The women who resonate with my message have lived through so much BS that they deserve better.
My Guarantee is that I won’t gaslight, dog whistle, or manipulate you into any purchase. I don’t want you to be unhappy or stressed about the decision to buy. I’m a firm believer that those who need me will find me, and when they’re ready to work with me, they will. Period. No guilt, shame, or sleaze involved.
I know you either want to work with me, or you don’t. Maybe you think you might, but you haven't seen enough to be confident we're a good fit. Sometimes it’s a big YES! but you can’t commit to the financial investment. I get it. I’ve had those all feelings regarding the coaches and professionals I resonate with and have or plan to hire.
If you have doubts or aren't ready, I encourage you to sign up for my mailing list. Each letter is free and offers practical information with fresh perspectives. I genuinely want to support you, even if I don't make a dime. Seriously. I mean it. Survivors need to stick together.
I hate high pressure sales. If you have any doubts, I say the answer is always no. Don’t buy. That goes for me and my programs or anyone else.
If you do decide to sign up, please know every member gets the best of me, raw and unfiltered, in all my neurospicy goodness. I share what I’ve learned in my own life and offer food for thought that might work in yours. Sometimes I’m funny; other times I’m a pain in the ass and say things that aren’t at all humorous. But I promise I’ll be honest, and as gentle as I can be, because you deserve it after everything you’ve been through.
How does that sound?
K i n d W o r d s  from  C l i e n t s
I don’t have fancy testimonials about the retreat right now, because this is the original offer. That said, I do have some really cool things clients who worked with me have said:
Kristin Emily Friend
Jacksonville, Florida
My hour with Janel was above and beyond anything I ever expected. She had gone over all the information I had given her, checked out some of my social media, and came extremely well prepared to make the most of our time together. We connected, laughed, had fun AND I left knowing my next step towards the goal I had identified to her beforehand.
Janel was the perfect coach for me. Her insights, curious questions, and encouragement helped me dig long and hard after our meeting to discover the "Golden Thread" woven through the four topics I write on, the thread which connects them together. My heart overflows with thankfulness for the gems she helped me uncover. Thank you! I wholeheartedly recommend Janel as a coach.
Stacie Lampkin
www.stacielampkin.com
I was traumatized by writing in high school. I could never fluff a story to reach the required page limit. Though throughout college and my career, I found out I was pretty good at writing technical and scientific papers.
As I began my entrepreneurial venture, I really started doubting my ability to write. I vividly remembered how horrible I was at writing stories in my younger years. Writers' block prevented me from moving forward.
A coaching session with Janel was all I needed to get over the hump. She knew how to motivate me, encourage me and, of course, provided some really sound tips. She showed me I could write after all!
J. Marie
Instagram: @j.marielove
From the very first day, Janel magically became a part of my journey. It has been filled with so much passion, inspiration, motivation, and joy! Not only have I received an abundance of knowledge and guidance on the ways of the coaching world, but have also gained so many important life lessons. I will continue to them pass along, to cherish, and hold them in my heart forever.
However, I will say that overall, the very, very best thing I gained with this experience was a true, real life fairy godmother. Janel truly has many skills and tricks up her sleeve. It was her magic touch that helped me turn my ideas, mind maps, and many random late-night ideas scribbled sleepily on napkins–what looks like a complete mess of randomness–into a complete and organized(!) work of art! That’s exactly what happened as she helped me put together my 12-week trauma informed coaching program. All while she made it look so effortless with a sense of grace, love, and of course, a bit of sparkle!
Debra Wallace
www.debrawallace.org
I so enjoyed working with Janel!
She was professional, yet personable.
She did a wonderful job editing my book proposal and sample chapters to meet my deadline. She also created a lovely one page for me, helped with my website and email list.
Janel also taught me how to be a better writer.
I am forever indebted to Janel and her expertise. It was a blessing to find her and work with her!
For those who are ready, we're going to consider what life might look like if you could…
- Identify pivotal moments and ones that look insignificant but actually changed the direction of your life
- Learn how those moments affect your decisions and experiences right now
- Finally identify the something feeling that’s been nagging at you all these years, then marvel when you see where and how it shows up in your life
- Begin feeling like the best version of yourself, maybe for the first time
- Discover how to use those moments to encourage others in a way that is truly supportive
- Find a bit of Happily Ever After in the dumpster fire that is reality
How will we do it?
We'll learn the principles behind the exercises in my free resource, Five Steps to Share Hope from Your Story. I'll also introduce you to the fourteen layers it takes to get to where most coaches begin their programs. At each level, we’ll discover practical ways to identify new layers in our story and how they lead to change by using simple steps that have realistic implementation, and make a big impact.
When you join Happily Ever After Begins Here…
Group Coaching Membership, you get:
- Access to Story Central, a private community hub built by me with Kajabi. That means your thoughts are you own, the content is secure, and no one is mining your data.
- Connection to your level of Happily Ever After Begins Here… via your PC or the Kajabi Community mobile app where you can easily read, watch, post, and reply.
- Fairy Dust! Because we all need a little magic in our lives. Fairy Dust features:
- Janel’s Journal where I shares new content each weekday that includes what I'm currently reading and learning, food for thought, snapshots of my life, and a collection of my social media posts with behind-the-scenes information and room to interact with no fear of trolls.
- The Basics that dive deeper into Five Steps to Share Hope from Your Story and introduces you to the fourteen layers I discovered that will help you tell your story with confidence.
- Community Connection Chat is an interactive area where members can get to know each other and share wins and struggles from daily life.
- Q & A Area where you can leave me questions for the live call or seek a bit of in-the-moment coaching or encouragement.
- Monthly Call recordings. While live is more fun, we can’t always be there. Each group coaching call is recorded and uploaded within 72 hours of the meeting time.
- The Invitation, Pumpkin Patch, and Carriage Ride each contain specific themes and unique monthly challenges, a Q & A area, Community Connection Chat, and one-hour live call each month with recording.
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Which level do you need?
Fairy Dust focuses on:
- weekday encouragement to keep you motivated
- lessons and simple challenges to help you focus on your goals and dreams
- connection with other women transforming their story
The live monthly coaching call covers material shared that month and questions the members bring.
$25/month or $250/year
The Invitation is for women who:
- don’t know how to bring the blurry pieces of their life story into focus and how to start assembling their message
- need support in preparation for discovering their story in a new way
The live month coaching call focuses on identifying the big pieces of your story and rebuilding executive function.
✨ Includes Fairy Dust level
$50/month or $500/year
Pumpkin Patch:
- moves us into the details of our stories
- teaches us how to collect pivotal moments in our life
- begins to reveal the shadows behind our stories that tie events together
- uses those details to begin identifying patterns that keep us stuck
The live month coaching call is about unraveling the moments and details in your life until you find your Golden Thread.
✨ Includes Fairy Dust and The Invitation levels
$550 for 6 months
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Carriage Ride:
- takes everything we’ve learned in the other levels and begins to clarify what we want to do with our stories and wisdom
- shows us how to take steps to build our platform, create an audience, and share our story
- addresses how to take everything we’ve learned and monetize it
- continues to learn new ways to support  executive brain function and meet our needsÂ
The live month coaching calls are dedicated to all aspect of platform and business building for the content creator.
✨ Includes Fairy Dust, The Invitation, and Pumpkin Patch levels
$1200 for 6 months
There is the potential for up to four monthly live one-hour calls each month. Each level comes with one theme specific call and also includes the call(s) for the levels to the left. That means you’ll have one call a month as a Fairy Dust subscriber, and four live calls each month with Carriage Ride.
If you’re ready to identify and clean up the chaos in your life so you can accomplish the things you know you were born to do, this can be the beginning. I believe I can point you in a direction that will help you connect the dots in your life and story to bring clarity and confidence to everything you do. Would you like that?
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Help Me Make the Decision!
You are the only person who really knows if my programs are right for you or not. I'm apt to think if you aren't hollering "HELL YES!" or "ABSOLUTELY!" by now, the answer probably should be no. And I'm ok with that. I just want you to be cool with saying no too. But you if you genuinely want some food for thought to help you decide, here it is...
My programs are for you if:
- You’ve always felt a closeness to the romantic notion of fairy godmothers and Happily Ever After, even when they felt out of reach in your own life.
- You’ve tried everything to change the frustrating parts of life and still struggle, but you really want answers that will make a difference and improve your life.
- You’re willing to look at yourself, what you experienced, your reactions, and ask the hard questions about who you are, what you want, and then take responsibility to make changes. And you’re willing to do the work (or take the time to rest) so you can make them happen.
- You're willing to hire a licensed mental health professional to help you work through the challenges if you get stuck or struggle.
- You’ve ever had to re-think everything you thought you knew about a subject or significant life choices.
- There is stuff you’ve wanted to say but never had the courage to speak up. Or if you did, no one listened. You're willing to consider how to change it.
You should probably pass on my programs if:
- Traditional coaching programs and courses got you the promised results.
- You are who you are and if others don’t like it, tough. You're not changing.
- Life makes sense except for a bump or two along the way.
- You hold traditional, ultraconservative beliefs in your faith system that allow little room for discussion.
- You’ve already made the decisions about your message and platform but want someone to help you refine or implement them.
It’s the Questions that drive us…
Who is Janel? And why does she think she’s a fairy godmother? Janel Guevara is a certified life coach with a love of words and a background in traditional naturopathic medicine. With over 25 years of experience as a writer, educator, and the editor-in-chief of her own magazine, Janel loves to help women thrive. She uses a holistic approach with simple plans and realistic steps to empower feminine content creators with the tools and perspective they need to transform their story into hope—for both themselves and their audience. Her clients call her a real-life fairy godmother. Visit her About Page for more information on her story, experience, and education.
Can I use this retreat as a replacement for therapy? No. While there can be benefits to attending when used in conjunction with licensed support, the information offered for educational purposes only. Janel is neither a licensed mental health practitioner or medical professional. The material presented at this retreat in no way replaces traditional therapy and is not endorsed by any agency or institution. The material is condensed and simplified from Janel’s personal experiences, education, and current research on abuse, trauma, and neurodivergence, as well as traditional, alternative, and sacred healing methods from numerous sources and cultures. I always encourage you to have the support of licensed medical and mental health professionals to aid you on your healing journey.
How do I know it’s my executive function holding me back? If you struggle with things like managing your emotions, time, multitasking, forgetfulness, are easily distracted or have trouble focusing, there's a good chance tools and tips to support executive function will help you. Executive function issues are not black and white. They are more like a buffet of possibility. Every function is available, but our brains pick and choose what works and what doesn’t, and how much something works or doesn’t. It’s based our individual biology and circumstances. Not everyone with executive function issues has squirrel moments or is horribly disorganized. There are so many combinations and layers for what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes we have executive function issues but don’t recognize them because they are mild. My encouragement is to introduce a few support solutions and see if they help.
I don’t feel traumatized or like I have executive function issues. I just want to tell my story and like what you have to offer. Will your program work for me? While I’m sure you can benefit by the process I use to teach content creators how to assembles their story, there is a lot of material that may not apply if you don’t feel you are struggling with either issue. If you’re simply looking for the basics of storytelling, there are solid resources produced by others that might suit you better. I decided a few years back that I only want to work with clients who are certain my programs and philosophies are for them. I don’t want anyone to feel like they wasted precious financial resources on something that wasn’t notably beneficial.
You are a voodoo practicing heathen! You should be ashamed! You don’t know Jesus! There’s nothing Christian about you. I want to cancel my subscription and unsubscribe! Give me my money back!! A few years ago, I might have thought the same thing about women who embrace the ideals and practices I do now. I recognize I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. Unfortunately, I don’t give refunds due to the digital and live nature of the content, but send an email to [email protected] and I’ll take care of canceling your subscription and unsubscribing you ASAP. Be sure to unfollowed me on social media as well. Beyond confirmation of cancellation, you won’t hear from me again, although I will be praying for you.
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Please Note: Because of the live coaching and digital nature of my programs, and variables with a client's success in implementation of the material, there are no refunds or money back guarantees. You will gain access to my private client portal unless you violate terms of use, in which case you will be removed without warning or explanation.
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Need help ordering or have questions? Email: [email protected]
Please Note: While many of my certifications are accredited through third party organizations and carry the weight of continuing education credits, I am not a licensed mental health or medical professional. I do not diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or ailment. All information I provide is for educational purposes only. While I’m happy to share what I know, my process is not a substitute for appropriately licensed mental health or medical care. Check with your health care team before making health-related changes. I reserve the right to terminate any coaching session or program participation where I feel uncomfortable with the emotional state of the client or way they wish to tell their story. See Terms of Use for more details.
