Franchon Francees of Healing Your Almond: Inside the Strategy to Rewire the Human Brain and Unlock Personal and Professional Growth

It feels most comfortable to stick with what we are familiar with. But anyone who has achieved great success will tell you that true growth comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. What are some ways that influential people have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to grow both personally and professionally? As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Franchon Francees.

Franchon is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Certified Trauma & Resilience Trainer, as well as the founder of a company called Healing Your Almond. Healing Your Almond works with groups and organizations, specializing in employee wellness and retention, leadership development, and certified trauma and resilience training. Franchon is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is proud to apply an Afro-indigenous lens to all of her work.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

From birth to age 16 I lived in 4 different states and with 6 different families. It is safe to say my comfort zone wasn’t something I experienced often as a child. At age 16 I started college. While I did face childhood trauma, I also had the opportunity to have exposure to several cultures as a child. Looking at my support system now I am honored to have a truly diverse group of family and friends.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“This too shall pass.” As a teenager I was always in a rush, which is partly why I graduated high school early at 16 years old. I was always looking to the next thing. My parents would always say “this too shall pass.” I would get stuck on things and my parents would remind me things weren’t permanent. It helped me live in the moment and also plan for the future simultaneously. Because I learned how to do that in high school, I excel now.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Piri Thomas — “Down These Mean Streets” by Piri Thomas. For part of my childhood, I lived in Florida and associated with several gang members. When I was older, I wasn’t ashamed of it, but I tried to hide it. This book made me realize street life was a part of life and not something to be hidden. It helped validate that part of my life.

Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does “getting outside of your comfort zone” mean?

Comfort zones are places/people/topics you frequent often, where you feel comfortable being yourself. We as humans gravitate to what makes us feel comfortable. The brain is wired for safety. We shy away from uncomfortable. Getting outside of your comfort zone is like stretching your muscles — you want to stretch beyond your normal range of motion but not to where it hurts. For example, going to new places, trying new restaurants…

Can you help articulate a few reasons why it is important to get out of your comfort zone?

It’s hard to learn new things from your comfort zone. One of the downsides of staying in your comfort zone is that it’s hard to heal. If you are trying to rewire your brain, it’s hard if you keep having the same sensory experiences. It’s harder to think differently, including managing stress, if you don’t have new exposures and don’t leave your comfort zone. One of the best ways to change behavior is to have new experiences through the 5 senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell).

Is it possible to grow without leaving your comfort zone? Can you explain what you mean?

We should all strive for growth. Professionally, if you don’t learn new things, it’s hard for you to problem-solve in a competitive business world. You want to be on the cutting edge of innovation. Personally, it’s important to introduce yourself to new people, be open minded to the value of life. It’s harder to appreciate things if you don’t broaden your horizons. You need to grow in order to appreciate life more.

Can you share some anecdotes from your personal experience? Can you share a story about a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone and how it helped you grow? How does it feel to take those first difficult steps?

I wanted to make handmade Christmas gifts for my family one year because I couldn’t go shopping (Covid times). I hadn’t used resin before. It took me 3 months to get good at it. In the beginning there were a lot of mixed emotions, including stress about failure but also excitement about new experiences. Now, I have launched my own side business with art I create using resin, called Eehahnblay, which means “to dream” in the Lakota language.

Here is the central question of our discussion. What are your “five ways to push past your comfort zone, to grow both personally and professionally”?

1. Be honest with yourself about staying in your comfort zone. Set an intention to have new experiences.
2. It’s always more fun with a friend or a coworker to try a new restaurant, a new concert, or travel.
3. Eat something different for lunch.
4. Take a new way to work.
5. Even applying for a new position at work is growth, whether you get the job or not.

From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that keep someone from pushing out of their comfort zone?

When we think about our development from the womb to 25, our brain is like a fertile garden and the messages that people give us grow, both healthy and unhealthy. A lot of time, we have beliefs we were taught in our childhood that limit us as to what we think we can achieve, so we don’t even try.

There is a well-known quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “Do something that scares you every day”. What exactly does this mean to you? Is there inherent value in doing something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, even if it does not relate to personal or professional growth? For example, if one is uncomfortable about walking alone at night should they purposely push themselves to do it often for the sake of going beyond their comfort zone? Can you please explain what you mean?

I agree 100% that we should do something that “scares” us every day, but I really think we should reword it and say “we should push ourselves to do something new that MAY make us uncomfortable every day.” I think we should all endeavor to have daily goals that are not necessarily related to our careers and growth. Life shouldn’t be centered completely on your career and personal growth. People should stretch out of their comfort zones but not put themselves in unsafe situations.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Authenticity. I would like people to feel safe and comfortable being authentic with themselves and the rest of the world.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

Will Smith –As a child I loved reading, it was a great escape for me. After my master’s program, I found myself very unwilling to read. When Will Smith’s autobiography was released, I couldn’t wait to read it and I read it in 2 days. It inspired me to want to release my own autobiography, which I am currently working on. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it reminded me of my own childhood and my own ambition. #Scorchedearth

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me via my company, Healing Your Almond’s social media on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.