#73 | Dr. Jeanne Retief | Human Rights to Inner Peace

Dr. Jeanne Retief on 15 years in international criminal and humanitarian law, living with anxiety, and founding FIGGI. After obtaining a PhD in international criminal and humanitarian law, and consulting in that space for 15 years Dr. Jeanne decided to pivot and look inwards. Enduring a lifelong struggle with anxiety, she was also diagnosed with panic disorder and these symptoms were wreaking havoc on her life. Facing a health and soul crisis, Dr. Jeanne decided to integrate her human rights background into a new venture named FIGGI which allowed her to seek serenity and still experience the adrenaline rush of creating something new. And FIGGI represents the journey of seeking and finding value in inner peace and serenity. To learn more about Jeanne and FIGGI: https://www.figgilife.com Chapters 0:00 Welcome Dr. Jeanne Retief 2:36 Palm trees and greenery in LA 5:11 A brutal sport with no protection 7:43 Power cuts in South Africa 10:17 Her first memory 12:47 Growing up through a difficult adolescence 15:21 Realising not every family is this way 17:51 Not knowing what to do with the emotions 20:25 Letting go of needing to know why 23:00 Running away from the story 25:33 Using her own trauma to help others 28:05 Helping others without brushing your own issues aside 30:38 A family history of mental illness 33:12 What you admit to a partner 35:44 Learning to trust in a relationship 38:18 It takes a lot of energy to be angry 40:51 Human rights work and Covid funding 43:26 From election observer to a new identity 46:01 Help with their daughter 48:33 Skincare, a podcast and talking about her diagnosis 51:06 Not feeling alone 53:40 Learning to navigate triggers in therapy 56:12 Are we all faking our mental health? 58:46 Anxiety gets less attention 1:01:20 Listening to people as therapy 1:03:51 Recognising you are not okay 1:06:22 It's okay not to be okay 1:08:54 Opening up as best you can 1:11:28 Not broken, just wired this way 1:14:00 Her husband's new approach 1:16:32 Peace and security 1:19:08 Going back to South Africa 1:21:42 A big decision about family 1:24:19 Toxic work environments 1:26:54 Protecting her daughter 1:29:26 Not raising her daughter in South Africa 1:31:56 A beautiful country, but not home 1:34:29 Life in the United States 1:37:00 What she can no longer do 1:39:30 Managing triggers while running a business 1:42:06 Taking anxiety out of situations 1:44:42 The worst-case scenario trick 1:47:18 Twenty nos and then a yes 1:49:50 Dealing with the storm inside 1:52:24 Friends who never really knew her 1:54:54 Her grandfather and the school tuck shop 1:57:30 Building a community for people with anxiety 2:00:07 Finding a creative outlet 2:02:44 Giving anxiety a seat at the table 2:05:22 Why talking to a third party helps 2:07:57 Moments of pure kindness The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com