Terms

"JoClub stands for the Journaling Club, but also corresponds to my name," Jo Franco begins. "When I first began writing I was aware of these large thoughts. I also had older siblings who weren't at all interested in my story. Thus, I started writing."

"I was born without a passport and so was in hiding using Portuguese in addition to getting to know English by tripping across," she recalls. "I learned a range of other languages because I was always awed by being recognized. However, I was disregarded because I was believed as one of the few kids. My appearance was different from everyone in my vicinity. I was the least tiniest of kids and I had this calm tone of voice and quiet personality.

"Of of course, I'm unable to think back now that's the way it went however, in the meantime it was always a feeling of feeling misunderstood? Many of us go through the same thing."

It was a blessing that Jo had the tool of writing: "I had a more than a compassionate view of myself, in a position to be able observe with no judgement. I jotted down all these negative things, yet I knew that good things occurred in my personal life. I started to change my writing, not just the words I wrote, but then, in a bizarre manner, reverse engineering my view of life since I was looking for positive things. I had to look for positive things to come up with positive experiences which I could write about. I began to be a more optimistic person. This tool saved me."

Understanding the circumstances

When she attended university in the University of Manhattan, Jo was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people she had to compete with. She was also able to locate much-needed space in her journal. "It was no matter whether I was within the States or traveling I could use this journal that let me come back home to my own self.

"My "why" is to give individuals the same sense of 'You got you, no matter how difficult situations may be. Additionally, you'll be able to support yourself emotionally, but it's beautiful to write down the journey you've taken - since by documenting it you can show a tiny act of appreciation for the way it started to occur. It's never difficult to slip in with your personal style and within your head."

"There's the scientific evidence to support this up," she adds. "There were clinical studies of recording gratitude as a method of therapy. People who record their gratitude in a journal are much happier."

"Give your mind a rest. Let the weight go out of your head and put it on the page. When you write about unpleasant issues, you grant your self a buffer, which allows you to contemplate your feelings with empathy. The emotions can make us insane. They're the basis of all things. They are they are at the center of confidence, at base of charisma, and in the genesis of entering the room, and then being able to bring luck."

"Maybe it's a member"

Jo certainly had plenty of good things to offer by the year 2020. Thanks to her YouTube channel, which had over a million subscribers, she received money to travel. "I had this captivating private, intimate life. But behind the scenes, I wrote. That was what made my life. The only thing I wrote about was my journal."

In January 2020 she received a Netflix job as a host for The Most Amazing World Vacation Rentals. "It was a move away from YouTube and back to the old way of presenting. If anyone has ever been working on a set they know these days are long. There are 16-hour work days as well as an incessant loop of 'Hurry up, and then sit'. You're ready to go: makeup, hair all completed. There are lines that have been written on your mind and they're saying, "No I'm not kidding it's time to breath for a minute"!"

Between those pauses that would last for a long duration, Jo would write. "Writing was something I loved and that's why I decided to make it something that could be a profitable business." Then, when covid aired and the show ended the main source of income stopped.

"I was nervous as everyone else. I began sharing pictures of my journals. A hundred days later I began sharing my journal all over the world on Instagram Stories. I was thinking "Hey I'm thinking that this could be an opportunity to join a club' Maybe people will spend money to join my virtual world, and write as members of a collective. This was how JoClub began. That was four years ago that's crazy!"

When she was watching the Netflix show, Jo realized that journaling served as a lens through her eyes that she could see the world. "It wasn't just an interest. If you're out on the road for 2 days, it's difficult to not feel exhausted. It's a job that has nothing to do with the work you're paid for.

"You realise that this is the way I perceive the purpose of my world. It's a way of life. It was clear to me that once I have let go of all other things, the only that they're able to take away from me is my writing. It was important for me to incorporate this into the next chapter of my professional life."

Her work is more than just her own

Jo took part in the undertaking. "I was posting three videos a week, in three different languages. I was required to hire individuals, and then fire them. I was able to learn how to build the content machine."

Something needed to be changed. "I was not a person who wanted to be constantly working. If you're tired or burnt out that's a typical experience for creatives, and you're exhausted, you'll never be able make a profit. I discovered that if this was my path to work which I intend to continue throughout my life, I'll have to find ways to keep my name off of opportunities to make money."

Jo wanted to create something larger than her. The journaling group was launched in a big way on Zoom: "The membership started at just $19 per month and included the benefit of one live call a month. I would also send daily journal prompts to everybody's email inbox."

She wanted to curate an experience similar to a yoga session. Two questions, followed by an open discussion, followed by another prompt, and finally breakout rooms. "It was IP (intellectual property)," she recalls. "After the six months, I began asking myself: can I teach facilitators to run these sessions? In fact, can these facilitators help JoClub in ways that I previously not thought of? The participant would like to "extract the good" in addition to working together with facilitators who were JoClub members to create the art journaling method and also a "bring your own song" session for budding musicians and other such things.

"Now we're hosting six sessions per month, and I'm hosting any amount I'd like to," she continues. "Beautiful elements that I'd not have thought of having begun such as retreats I run and organize. I also conducted the pilot program in an institution and are working on different issues. How I would have dealt with this was if I'd been in Jo Franco's circle where I was in the upper echelon."

Cultural and social cohesion

"An fascinating part of the membership model is that it creates the cultural environment" she says. "If you're buying a membership they're walking into your home that means it's your choice to decorate your home however you want." Jo and her team researched ways to create more engaging threads so "people are able to chat in public places so that members feel they're receiving their money's worth."

"It's the distinction between an audience and a member," she adds. "An audience will respond to whatever content you're posting, but there's no dialogue. If I share a video and people comment and I reply on a forum, but in a group I'm creating, I'm component of what happens when they become part of in the group."

Jo is thinking about a lot about onboarding procedures and the way we handle those who have just joined. "How do we treat the person who enters a room feeling like they're not a part of the community? It's the perfect time to get into the art of curation and that's why people tend to stay for an extended period of time."

It's not simple. "It's something is something that you should be passionate about in order to keep growing since membership is continuously changing. If you do not keep up with the news you'll risk losing all the members you've had."

It's obvious that Jo has brought the love and awareness she developed through journals into the way she manages her membership. She believes that journals can aid in becoming conscious of you. not taught in school: "We're not given tools to manage our emotions. The tools available will help you stay calm at times when you're struggling to find your feet. I was awed by the benefits. It was a great pastime. As I grew older I realized, 'Damn, I've been hiding my secrets""

Many people ask her "Jo you're only 30years old, What did you accomplish in all this? It was just a matter of journaling and it worked." she laughs.

More details

To find out more about Jo Franco and to become a member of JoClub to visit the website, click at joclub.world.

This post was first seen on here