Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you couldn't fully be yourself? Maybe you hesitated to share an idea, express an opinion, never mind present an opposing view. Or maybe felt like you didn't belong? And as a leader, have you ever been made aware of an employee having this experience at work? I have Pasha Marlowe joining me to discuss the profound importance of psychological safety and belonging. Meet Pasha Marlowe: Pasha Marlowe (she/they) has 30 years of experience as a marriage and family therapist and neurodiversity coach. She specializes in the intersection of neurodiversity, disability, and LGBTQIA+. Pasha speaks to organizations and ERGs about neurodiversity-affirming practices, psychological safety, and neurobelonging. She encourages leaders to have a lens of inclusion and intersectionality to allow all, including those with the most marginalized identities, to be seen and heard. In this episode Pasha and I discussed: How Pasha got into such a specialized field of work. How as leaders we can create environments for psychological safety to exist. Shaping our words and actions to contribute to psychological safety. Continuing your own development to sharpen your lens of inclusion and intersectionality. The work Pasha is doing for organizations. Where you can find Pasha: Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pashamarlowe/ https://pashamarlowe.com/ pasha@pashamarlowe.com Neurobelonging.org Resources Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Have you ever wondered why some teams do okay while others effortlessly tackle challenges? The secret lies in one word: TRUST. In fast-paced environments, team cohesion is more crucial. A cohesive team, built on trust, can leverage diverse skills, tools, and resources to conquer any obstacle. Building and maintaining trust is not a one-and-done exercise. Everything you do is either growing, maintaining, or diminishing the level of trust on your team. This episode explores the role of team trust and how it can transform your team dynamics. I'm covering the key benefits of team trust, the obstacles that destroy trust - or at the very least prevent it from growing, and how you can build trust on your team if trust is low. Resources Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.  

Are you at a loss for how you can actively support and empower women of color to thrive in leadership? I often look at reports showing the current numbers of people in all levels of leadership. And, regardless of the level of leadership, the industry, etc., women of color are in the lowest percentiles. This conversation with Rebecca Muriuki explores positioning yourself for a leadership promotion as a woman of color. We discuss the challenges women of color navigate, and how we can all be part of the diversity change that we want to see in corporate leadership. This conversation will give you practical tips to create environments for women of color to feel a sense of belonging in their current teams, while also helping them feel empowered in their career ambitions. In this episode Rebecca and I discussed: ·         Rebecca’s path to advancement as a woman of color. ·         Implementing strategies for creating inclusive workplace environments. ·         Navigating the unique challenges and opportunities faced by women of color in leadership. ·         Fostering leadership skills that empower managers to advance their careers and drive positive change in their organizations. ·         The #1 mistake to avoid when reducing barriers to leadership opportunities to have more diversity in leadership. Resources Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Do you have a strong leadership style that has been mislabeled as harsh or uncaring? Every now and again, as I’m connecting with each of you on LinkedIn, I’ll ask if you have any topic suggestions for the podcast. I recently got a response that immediately piqued my interest. The response read, “One thing I struggle with as a leader is gender stereotypes and expectations on how a female leader needs to act. People assume female leaders need to always be nurturing and soft, and when they need to be direct or decisive people find that harsh. If you have a podcast that addresses this issue and how to overcome it, I would love to listen.” Me too! So here it is. Resources Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Have you ever received a promotion in which your manager becomes your peer? If you have you know it’s a big transition on top of an already big transition. The intensity of the change in relationship will depend on the relationship you already had with your former manager, but even in the best circumstances it will be a little unsettling. Especially if you have differing opinions in a management meeting. I have Liz Johnson with me for a coaching episode of the podcast today and this is one of the things we’re discussing. Let me tell you about Liz. Meet Liz Johnson Liz Johnson is the VP of Research and Development for a private, mid-sized biopolymer company located in the upper Mid-West of the United States. She holds a BA in Chemistry and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering specializing in implantable polymeric biomaterials. She grew up on the East Coast, studied in the Mid-West and West Coast. She is now back in the Mid-West where she lives with her husband, 3 kids and 2 dogs. Liz’s passion is bringing people, process, and technology together to launch great products.  In this Coaching Episode Liz and I discussed: How homing in on your personal mission will help you navigate career choices. Strategies for reducing overwhelm and setting priorities. Reframing your perspective and questions to ask your team to identify opportunities to delegate. How to gain buy-in when decisions need to be made quickly. Finding common ground with someone you used to report to, who is now your peer. Resources Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

It’s a big day for the Women Taking the Lead podcast and it’s not just because we’re ringing in 2024. This is the 500th episode of Women Taking the Lead!! This episode is covering some of the changes and milestones that this podcast has experienced and I’m sharing 20 of the most downloaded episodes. Can you join in the celebration and help me expand the reach of the Women Taking the Lead podcast? This helps more leaders hone their skills so they can advance in their career, and still enjoy their sanity and a personal life. Select from any of the gifts below: 1)    Leave a rating or review in your preferred podcast app. 2)    Share the show directly with a friend, family member or colleague, especially a specific episode you believe they would find valuable. 3)    Subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app. I’ll leave some links in the comments. 4)    Post about the show on social media. Feel free to tag me so I can like and comment. I’m @jodiflynn on LinkedIn and @jodimflynn on Instagram. 5)    Give this post a “Love” and leave a comment below to expand the reach. 6)    Do some other great thing to help me reach more women that I have not thought to ask. Thank you SO MUCH for your generosity and support. I hope these 500 episodes are of value to you and here’s to your success! HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🥂🎇 Top 20 Most Downloaded Episodes* 1. Two Reasons You Got Tripped Up After You Started Your New Role - 2/14/2022 2. 100% Jodi: Taking Time to Process - 5/24/2021 3. Two "Soft" Skills That Exponentially Uplevel Your Leadership - 5/30/2022 4. [Coaching] You Are the Leader to Develop Other Leaders - 6/27/2022 5. How to Set Explicitly Clear Expectations to Prevent Disappointment - 3/8/2023 6. [Coaching] Are They Really Judging You? - 8/8/2022 7. Facing Conflict Head On - 8/1/2022 8. Infuse Your Leadership with Bold Requests - 2/21/2022 9. How to Hold Others Accountable to Lead Effectively - 7/11/2022 10. Carla Miller on Creating Influence - 9/19/2022 11. How to Make Staying Organized Easy to Do - 9/26/2022 12. A Model for You to Process Change and Emotions - 10/10/2022 13. [Coaching] How to Turn Being the Bearer of Bad News into a Coaching Opportunity - 5/23/2022 14. [Coaching] Do You Need to Name the Priority? - 8/29/2022 15. [Coaching] Constructively Dealing with Unconscious Bias - 7/18/2022 16. How to Show Your Team Your Appreciation...Especially if it Doesn't Come Naturally to You - 5/16/2022 17. How to ask Your Company to Sponsor You to be Coached - 3/7/2022 18. Avoid Being a Bargain Deal by Knowing When to Negotiate - 10/31/2022 19. Unlock Your Mindset and Reveal Your Genius - 3/1/2023 20. How to Keep Motivated and Moving Forward - 10/24/2022 Resources Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Saboteur Assessment: Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and how they do it. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Have you ever worked on a team going through a lot of change? I’m guessing you have many times and in many different scenarios. I’m also guessing your experience of that change had a lot to do with the level of trust that the team had for one another and the leaders of the team and/or organization. When there is a high level of trust the impacts of the change are softened. When there is low trust change can be traumatic. Clearly, we want to work in teams that have high trust but if that’s not the current condition, how do we get there? To answer that question I’ve asked Malia Monaco to join me for this episode.   In this episode Malia and I talk about: ·         The work that Malia does for leaders and organizations through Positive Intelligence involving change management and trust building. ·         What it takes to build trust in teams and what becomes possible when trust grows. ·         Why it’s important to get to the root of the problem rather than tackling the symptoms, which is where many organizational initiatives go wrong. ·         How our belief system will shape what we see around us and determine whether we bring harsh judgment or blameless discernment to our reactions. ·         While insights are important, they only make up 20% of sustainable long-lasting change what makes up the other 80%. Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Saboteur Assessment. Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and also how they do it. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Where to find Malia Monaco LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maliamonaco/ Email: malia@positiveintelligence.com

Corporate wellness programs are very common now but how effective are they? Many people talk about what their company offer but when you dig in many of these programs are underutilized. The reasons, and they vary, include the programs don’t fit the demographics of the organization, there’s a lack of awareness of what the company offers, lack of accessibility to the programs. I recently met a consultant who had a fresh take on corporate wellness and I asked her to have a conversation with me to give you an opportunity to think about your own wellness programs, if your company offers one, and if it’s meeting the needs of the entire organization, especially yours. Meet Tawn Williams A renowned leader in the wellness space, Tawn Williams is a wellness consultant, speaker, and leadership development expert. She currently functions as the CEO and Head Holistic Experience Curator at House of Anaya, a platform she founded to help people access tools for wellness. One of only a handful of women of color in the corporate wellness consulting space, Tawn holds over 20 years of industry experience, having worked with international leadership teams at Intel, Avnet, and BRP. Tawn uses her unique lens and extensive background to help design corporate and individual wellness plans that feel holistic, personal, and inclusive. In this episode Tawn and I discuss: Why, despite corporate wellness programs being a $53 billion dollar industry, burnout and stress continue to be at an all-time high. How well thought out wellness initiative, folded into the culture give companies a strategic advantage in today's competitive recruiting landscape. How effective wellness programs take into account not only physical and mental health but emotional, social, financial, and spiritual well-being. Anaya Wellness’s upcoming Impact Leadership Summit and Retreat Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Where you can find Tawn Website: https://www.anayawell.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tawn-williams/

Several weeks ago I released Ep 492 How to Release the Grip Imposter Syndrome Has on You with Kim Meninger. So many of you responded with follow-up questions that I asked Kim if she would be open to doing a Live Stream to answer questions on Imposter Syndrome. Kim was happy to do it and we promoted that event for anyone who wanted to attend live and put a call out for question submissions from those who would not be able to attend or would like to remain anonymous. In this episode Kim and I discuss: What causes the condition of Imposter Syndrome, the consequences of its development and the ages that are most at risk. How to head off an episode of Imposter Syndrome before you get triggered into a fight or flight response. How to discern the difference between Imposter Syndrome and realistically not being qualified to do something. How to interact with others when you are both the youngest leader in your organization and the youngest person on your team. How to manage others who are experiencing Imposter Syndrome. Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Where you can find Kim Website: www.KimMeninger.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/KimMeninger TED Talk: How to Bring Your Diverse Voice to the Workplace

Sometimes you’re looking for a mindset shift and transformation. And sometimes what you need is help STAT! If you have no bandwidth and you are at your wits end, stay with me because I’ve got a woman who can help you. Meet Kelly Nolan Kelly Nolan is an attorney-turned-time management strategist and mom of two. After experiencing overwhelm as a young patent litigator in Boston, Kelly figured out a time management system that helped her show up in the ways that she wanted at work and at home – without requiring her brain to somehow magically remember it all.  She now empowers other professional working women to manage their personal, family, and career roles with less stress and more calm using her realistic time management system, the Bright Method.  The Bright Method has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, and Kelly's work has been published in Forbes, Fast Company, Insider, and Parents. Kelly also hosts the Bright Method podcast. Most importantly, the Bright Method works for real women, helping them manage it all with more clarity, less stress, and the confidence to hold boundaries at work and at home.   In this episode Kelly Nolan and I discuss: Our differing approaches to time management and how to know which one is right for you The four pillars of Kelly’s realistic time management system, the Bright Method.  Systemization and reducing mental load How to know with confidence what you can say Yes to Building flex-time in your calendar to absorb curve balls Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Find Kelly: Free 5-day program, the Reset & Refresh: https://kellynolan.com/refresh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kellynolan_/ 

How are you at knowing exactly what you need in any given moment? This may sound silly but, really, how tuned in are you to what you really need, and not what you think you need or think you want. Many of us get swept away by the day and how we think we should be functioning. When the workday comes to a close, we’re a little dizzy thinking about what happened. On these days, if you’re honest with yourself, you probably also realize you put your needs – be they physical, mental or emotion needs – on the back burner to get through the day. This would be something you could easily recover from if it happened once in a blue moon. However, if busy days are your normal, and you don't regularly check in with yourself to determine what you need, this episode is perfect for you. Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Does the thought of stepping into a new role, surrounded by new faces and greater responsibilities, send a ripple of anxiety through your core? If so, you’re not alone. The first 90 days post-promotion can feel much like navigating through uncharted waters. However, with the right mindset and strategies in place, you can steer through this phase effectively, emerging as a capable and confident leader. This transition period is pivotal not just for personal growth, but also for establishing a solid foundation for your new team and manager. In this episode, we’re delving into imposter syndrome, establishing authority and credibility, and fostering relationships with new team members as you stabilize post-promotion. Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Do you ever wonder if your financial decisions are aligned with your values and goals? Money can be a murky topic, especially if you don't feel 100% competent or confident around money management. And considering most women between the ages of 30 and 60 are getting pulled in many directions when it comes to money, it can be a topic that induces stress. And as I've shared recently on this podcast, I can relate to that feeling. That's why I've asked Allison Bishop to join me in this episode to inspire you to take charge of your finances, make informed decisions, and live with purpose. In this episode of the Women Taking the Lead we'll: Discover why talking about money is essential, whether it's with your family or in professional settings. Understand the importance of being intentional with money, making decisions that match your priorities. Delve into how every financial choice impacts another, highlighting the necessity for strategic planning. Debunk common misconceptions about financial literacy, retirement planning, and debt management. Learn why having a firm grasp of your finances today can lead to a more stable and fulfilling tomorrow. Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Let’s talk about Imposter Syndrome. While Imposter Syndrome is a universal experience there are times when this experience is activated more than others. A common trigger for Imposter Syndrome is when we take on new and expanded roles. There’s excitement at first and then the potential for doubting yourself will creep in. Imposter Syndrome, and the reactions women often have to it - overpreparing or withdrawing, can hobble women just as they are given an opportunity to make a greater impact. In August I had an opportunity to speak on a panel for Aspen Tech’s Women’s Leadership Forum. That is where I met Kim Meninger. We instantly clicked and the added bonus is Kim specializes in Imposter Syndrome and even did a TED Talk on the subject. In this episode Kim and I discuss: Imposter Syndrome as a fear response: Kim likens imposter syndrome to our brain's fight or flight response and offers practical steps to manage it. How everyone experiences imposter syndrome but men and women tend to respond to it in different ways. The importance of recognizing individual triggers and patterns that activate imposter syndrome. How to approach your work in a way that prevents over-preparation or withdrawal. Giving yourself space and grace when taking on a new role. Where you can find Kim Website: www.KimMeninger.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/KimMeninger TED Talk: How to Bring Your Diverse Voice to the Workplace Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Have you and your coworkers been grappling with burnout at work? Burnout has been a hot topic and yet it continues to persist because the symptoms are often dismissed as run-of-the-mill stress or overwork. In this episode I’m chatting with Julia Coit and Lindsay Coit, two of the breakout session speakers for The Maine Women's Conference coming up on October 25th. They shared their personal stories and their insightful perspectives on burnout at work. In this episode Lindsey, Julia and I discuss: ·         The current state of affairs in regard to burnout. ·         The myths of burnout that keep us from eradicating it. ·         Why learning about burnout makes you a better leader. ·         The Solution: a marriage of individuals and corporations. ·         Where to get started Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Attend The Maine Women's Conference. Use code mewc_jodiflynn_10% at check out to get 10% off. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Where to find Julia and Lindsey: Julia Coit’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-coit/ Lindsey Coit’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-coit/ Julia’s email: julia@capitalhconsultants.com Lindsey’s email: lindsey@capitalhconsultants.com

We are unpacking a big topic today. We’re exploring developmental trauma broadly and child poverty trauma specifically, and the impact it has on leaders. Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Nikki Yardy joined me to create more awareness around this topic and how you can explore this topic as an individual and support others as a leader. In this episode Nikki and I: ·         Discuss manners, etiquette, and class levels in society ·         Explore the concept of poverty trauma and its impacts on identity and self-worth ·         Define developmental and complex trauma and its influence on Imposter syndrome in the workplace ·         Underscore power of EMDR and its impact on trauma recovery You may find this episode speaks directly to your own experience but even if you don’t relate to growing up poor or having experienced any childhood trauma, chances are someone on your team has. And while other peoples’ experiences and their journeys are their own, having more information on this topic could give you insights on how to be a better leader to them. Resources mentioned in this episode Glennon Doyle Etiquette vs. Manners. Classy with Jonathan Menjivar Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson Where to find Nikki: Free Webinar: Understanding Trauma Email: nikki@viragowellness.com Website: https://www.nikkiyardy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkiyardy/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkiwetherell/ Other Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Saboteur Assessment: Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and how they do it. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Have you ever wondered why women often find themselves juggling a multitude of tasks and responsibilities both at home and in the workplace? Why is it that women seem to be burdened with an invisible load that is attached to the roles traditionally assigned to them? This episode aims to shed light on the concept of the "mental load" carried by women and how it differs from their male counterparts. We will explore the various dimensions of this complex issue, its historical roots, its impact on women's lives, and the urgent need for change in societal norms. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Saboteur Assessment: Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and how they do it. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Are you ready to redefine failure and discover how to tap into confidence? I’m chatting with Dr. Brittney Ezell, a former athlete and motivational speaker, who shares her unique perspective on failure, courage, and quitting. Here are the key takeaways from this thought-provoking discussion: 1. Failure is Not the End. Brittney emphasizes that failure is not the opposite of success but an integral part of it. It's an event, not a quality of a person. Instead of fearing failure, we should embrace it as an opportunity to learn and grow. 2. Courage is a Choice. Courage isn't an inherent trait; it's a choice we make when faced with challenges. By acknowledging that courage can be summoned when needed, we can build our confidence over time. 3. Confidence is Rooted in Past Success. Confidence is not something we can instantly generate. It's a product of our past successes. Building confidence is like stacking small wins, which eventually lead to a strong belief in oneself. 4. The Importance of Mentorship. Surrounding yourself with mentors who hold up a mirror to your potential can be transformational. They help you see your unique strengths and capabilities. 5. Quitting vs. Pivoting. Quitting is giving up on yourself; it's discarding your skills, experiences, and unique qualities. Pivoting, on the other hand, is about redirecting your path while retaining your core self. Dr. Brittney Ezell will be a keynote at The Maine Women's Conference on October 25 in Portland, Maine. This conversation is a little taste of what she is going to share at the conference and I encourage you to come to Maine, come to the conference and see Brittany in person. The link to get your ticket below. Be sure to Use code mewc_jodiflynn_10% at check out. Resources Episode Show Notes: Other resources and links mentioned in this episode. Attend The Maine Women's Conference. Use code mewc_jodiflynn_10% at check out. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

How is the new season impacting you? You may be VERY aware of these changes (Hello new school year!). Or, only mildly considering the change. Before the fall, Q4, or winter holidays fully ramps up, let's take a moment to go into the season mindfully. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Saboteur Assessment: From the Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and how they do it. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Have you ever experienced a transformational time in your workplace that demanded agile thinking, new combinations of skills, a higher level of collaboration, and a growth mindset? This week I have Anuradha Mayer of Wind River on the podcast to discuss the importance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) for any company looking to thrive as we move into the future of work. In this episode Anuradha and I discuss: 🔸 Wind River's focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) as one of their core values. 🔸 The importance of vulnerability and trust in building strong teams and relationships. 🔸 Strategies to address biases in the hiring process, such as diverse interview panels and candidate slates. 🔸 How commitment to healthy, rigorous debate in teams leads to better business outcomes and a culture of trust and collaboration. 🔸 Adopting agile approaches in talent management, including continuous feedback sessions, for better employee development.   Listen in to hear more about how embracing curiosity, a growth mindset, and an openness to healthy debate will strengthen you as a leader, your team as a cohesive unit and your organization as a whole. Connect with Anuradha on LinkedIn to stay updated on her inspiring insights and connect with the wonderful team at Wind River Careers for exciting opportunities! 🚀 Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Saboteur Assessment: Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and how they do it. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Have you heard the terms management skills and leadership skills being used interchangeably? It sounds like they refer to the same skills but they are, in fact, different. And as a leader in an organization, finding the balance between management skills and leadership qualities is vital for achieving success. The ability to balance these two skill sets is also essential in fostering a cohesive and high-performing work environment. This episode explores the difference between these two skill-sets, the significance of combining management skills with leadership qualities. I’m also going to provide strategies for you to achieve this balance effectively. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Are you aware that a 2022 Women in the Workplace study shows that women make up 48% of entry level positions, but only 26% of C-Suite positions? These numbers can be even more stark in male-dominated industries. You can only imagine how delighted I was to meet Sarah O’Hare of Freudenberg Group, a global solutions company that is developing innovative technologies across 40 market segments. Meet Sarah O’Hare Sarah O'Hare serves as the President, North America and Global Head of Human Resources. The company is based in Weinheim, Germany and employs 51,000 people worldwide. As the Global Head of HR, Sarah focuses on strategic benchmarking in order to ensure ample opportunities are in place for women. These efforts have resulted in a 32% increase in women holding specialist and management positions and she’s going to share another mind-blowing stat in our conversation to come. Immersing herself in various cultures and countries across the globe and spearheading initiatives in her various career roles, Sarah remains passionate about cultivating a culture that lifts its people up. In this episode Sarah and I discussed: 💙 The power of presence and collaboration: the importance of showing up, contributing thoughtfully, and aligning with others. 💙 How diverse perspectives fuel innovation and problem-solving. 💙 Customizing strategies promoting diversity in male-dominated companies based on the company's culture. 💙 The importance of CEO support and individual actions in promoting inclusion. This includes holding executives accountable, setting measurable goals, and creating a culture that values diverse voices. 💙 And, leaving a legacy. Your time is limited. What do you want to impact in the time you have? Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Are you ready to unlock the secret to success as a leader? Today's episode of "Women Taking the Lead" we'll explore the power of curiosity and how cultivating this essential characteristic can enhance your leadership journey. I am very comfortable proclaiming that curiosity was the characteristic propelled my success as a leader and in every area of my life. It is the reason I connect with others more easily, learn faster, and solve problems more quickly.   Stay tuned to discover even more reasons why curiosity matters, how it benefits you as a leader, and get some practical strategies for developing and maintaining a curious mindset. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

How companies support their female employees that are going through perimenopause and menopause is starting to hit the headlines. Think about it. Most women go through the menopause transition between the ages of 45 and 60. This is when women are in their professional prime. It’s nearly impossible to be your best at work when you are dealing with hot flashes, fatigue and brain fog. This is especially true when there’s no support for what you are going through. There are changes on the horizon, but we’ll usher in these changes much more quickly if we can become active participants in the solution. For that reason, I’ve invited Tamsen Fadal on the Women Taking the Lead podcast. Meet Tamsen Fadal Tamsen Fadal is an Emmy award-winning newscaster and author. In addition to being the PIX11 News primetime anchor, Tamsen is an advocate for women in the next chapter of their lives. She is an Ambassador for Let’s Talk Menopause, a nonprofit invested in changing the conversation around menopause, and an expert for menopause in the workplace In this episode Tamsen and I discussed: ·         What’s going on in workplace around menopause now.  ·         What companies can do to support their female employees who are going through menopause. ·         Best practices of a menopause policy. ·         What can individuals do to support their colleagues and get the ball rolling on making these changes in their own companies. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Did you know the clothes you wear impact how you perform as a leader? And they impact how others interact with you. I remember from my Catholic School days being told that uniforms were worn for a couple different reasons. One, they helped to level-set students from different socio-economic levels. And second, students who wore uniforms behaved better and performed better in their classes. You’d think we would move past having our clothing impact our performance but it’s not the case. The clothing we wear impacts our ability to focus and also impacts how others interact with us. To chat more about this, I am bringing back Jenny Eversole from Style Space. Jenny originally appeared in episode 466, Elevate Your Style, Simplify Your Routine and Save Money. In that episode Jenny and I chatted about: How fashion changed during the pandemic Hybrid Dressing: Styling for the office vs. Zoom My experience working with Tami Some takeaway tips that anyone could apply right away Jenny is back with Tamy Lugo, the stylist I worked with from Style Space, and we are taking that original conversation to the next level. We are going to discuss how a woman’s clothing can support her as a leader and play a role in achieving her goals. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

There are companies that have had success creating gender equality in the workplace. This is demonstrated by representation of nearly 50% or more women throughout all levels of leadership in the organization, including the executive level.  Are you curious to know exactly what is making the difference in those companies?  For this episode I invited Dana Sente, who serves as Vice President, Training and Development for Veris Residential. In this role, Dana identifies and oversees training and employee development for all property positions. She also works closely with the Company’s COO on ways to educate employees about corporate values related to ethics and responsibility. Dana has developed education programs to support both hard and soft skills for Veris Residential employees. Training opportunities include yearly real estate classes, maintenance certification classes, LEED® certification and other ESG training. In this episode Dana and I chatted about: Dana’s own leadership path What she has put in place at Veris Residential to make sure women’s leadership development needs are being met What companies can do to develop a culture of trust for women The importance of being human, being available and getting to know your people Resources Episode Show Notes: Links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST inventory and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Have you ever had to manage a difficult team member? It can be a challenge, especially when personalities clash and work styles don't align. As women leaders, we tend to be conscientious of relationships and want everyone to enjoy their job. This is fantastic and yet we also need to be aware that this can sometimes hold us back from having difficult conversations and giving honest feedback. In this on-air coaching episode, Louise, a Head of Department in education, shares her struggles with managing a team member who lacks urgency and falls behind on tasks. If getting on the same page with someone has been a challenge for you, this is episode is going to give you some things to think about. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Are you looking to enhance your leadership skills and create a positive feedback culture within your team? Constructive feedback is an essential aspect of effective leadership. It empowers team members to grow, improve, and reach their full potential. That's why I have Lynae Remindino back. She’s sharing best practices for providing feedback that drive positive change. Better yet, Lynae is also sharing a model that guides leaders through feedback meetings, ensuring a collaborative and supportive approach. In this episode Lynae and I discuss: 💡 The GROW model: Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward. This framework helps guide leaders through the process of providing coaching and feedback. 💡 The importance of reflection first: Take time to evaluate your own role in setting expectations and identify areas for improvement. This prepares you to approach the conversation constructively. 💡 Understanding the value of feedback: Ask yourself why providing feedback is important and how it will benefit the individual, the team, and overall performance. 💡 Shifting your mindset from conflict to coaching: Approach feedback conversations as opportunities for growth and collaboration, rather than focusing on correcting someone or creating conflict. 💡 Fostering open dialogue and understand perspectives: Seek to understand the other person's viewpoint, as their interpretation of events may differ from yours. This allows for a more comprehensive and constructive conversation. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Do you ever find yourself struggling to give constructive feedback? It takes some finesse and perhaps a little bit of courage to face the unknown reaction from the person you are giving feedback to. Constructive feedback is so important because it helps team members improve and grow. When done correctly, feedback can build trust and strengthen relationships. However, giving feedback can be tricky, and it's easy to fall into common pitfalls. That's why I have Lynae Remondino back on the podcast and she and I are sharing our insights on how to give feedback that is specific, timely, and actionable. In this episode Lynae and I are discussing: ·        The importance of setting clear expectations and building trust before giving feedback ·        How to avoid common pitfalls, such as waiting too long to give feedback or using vague terms like "bad attitude" ·        The benefits of focusing on specific behaviors and their impact on the team ·        How to create a safe space for feedback that encourages growth and development ·        The role of active listening in giving and receiving feedback By following these guidelines, you can provide feedback that helps team members improve and grow, while also strengthening your relationships with them. Tune in to this episode and start giving constructive feedback like a pro! Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Are you curious about neurodiversity in the workplace? Did you know that nearly 30% of the population falls into the neurodivergent category, including individuals with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more? Understanding neurodiversity is crucial because it challenges the notion that processing information differently is a deficit. Instead, it recognizes that people are just different, and accommodating their unique needs can lead to increased productivity, innovation, and happiness. This episode offers valuable insights and practical advice for leaders to promote neurodiversity and create inclusive workplaces where individuals can thrive. Meet Katherine McCord Katherine, a physically and neurodiverse woman herself, built her career on inclusive innovation in People Operations and HR Tech. She lives by the motto that different is not a deficit. In 2014 she founded Titan Management, a national people operations consulting firm, and then in 2021 she shook up HR Tech by designing the first ever fully accessible, anti-bias Applicant Tracking System plugin that fires the resume and showcases company diversity! Featured at Web Summit, HR Disruptor, SHRM, and London School of Business, she makes an energetic, interactive, education-based speaker who always brings some spice! In this episode Katherine and I discussed: The definition of neurodiversity and understanding that these differences are not deficits but rather natural variations. The significance of making accommodations for neurodivergent individuals in the workplace and the need for leaders to create psychological safety, listen to employees' needs, and provide appropriate accommodations to enable their comfort and productivity. How, by standardizing accommodations to make them available to everyone, not just neurodivergent individuals, leaders can create an inclusive work environment where everyone feels supported. Using Humor! Katherine shares her personal experience with neurodiversity and suggests using humor as a tool to diffuse tension and normalize differences. Why, If you are a neurodivergent leader, sharing personal experiences and being open about one’s own neurodiversity can establish trust, create psychological safety, and encourage open conversations about diversity, mental health, and physical differences.   Connect with Katherine: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-mccord-093bb343/ Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Have you struggled to communicate effectively after losing someone you love? In this episode of the Women Taking the Lead podcast, special guest Lynae Remondino joins Jodi Flynn to cover the importance of communication and transparency in the midst of grief, and other difficult times. In this episode Jodi and Lynae discuss:  The passing of Jodi's father and how her family communicated during his illness. The healing power of humor and appreciation. The importance of being there for loved ones and giving yourself space to grieve. From coping with grief to finding positivity in challenging moments, this episode of Women Taking the Lead is a must-listen for anyone looking to lead with compassion and resilience. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the Positive Intelligence webinar: https://womentakingthelead.com/webinar Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Is everyone clear on what your expectations are? And are you clear on what others are expecting from you? Are you sure? In episode 472, Lynae Remondino and I covered the importance of asking clarifying questions to prevent misunderstandings. For a variety of reasons, it’s almost too easy for misunderstandings to occur. On almost any given workday you can probably find an example in which you thought you were clear with someone that they were to do X, Y and Z and instead they did X, Y and M. The culprit is unclear expectations. In this episode I have Lynae back and we are discussing: ·         How to make sure your expectations are explicitly clear. ·         Why accountability is so important and what can go wrong without it. ·         How to get better at creating and honing clear expectations. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Ask any expert on success, regardless of their specialization, and they will tell you that mindset is what determines what an individual will be capable of achieving. Mindset. But... how do you measure mindset? And once you've measured it, how do you build a stronger, more positive, more resilient mindset? In this episode I’m chatting with Stacy Hartmann, a renowned success coach. She is also a sought-after international motivational speaker who has spent the past 10 years helping creatives, coaches, and expert entrepreneurs transform their lives, and make an impact by unleashing their creative and intuitive genius.   While working with her, Stacy’s global tribe of clients have started their own six figure companies, become authors, innovated new methodologies and shifted paradigms in old stagnant industries. In This Episode Stacy and I Discussed What the Energy Leadership Index Assessment (ELI) is and what it measures How it is different from other tools   How a woman in leadership can use the information provided by the ELI to find her definition of success Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Have you ever walked away from a conversation sure the other person understood all the instructions and expectations? They may have even told you they got it all and understood what you wanted. And only as things are going sideways do you realize that they actually didn’t fully understand what you wanted from them. I’m sure we’ve all had that experience and it can be exasperating. And as much as we learn from those experiences, it takes a certain skill to guarantee that all the information communicated has be received and understood as intended. In this episode I have Lynae Remondino back and we’re going to discuss how to ask questions so there are no misunderstandings. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core muscles to build to gain mental fitness. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Are there some people in your life that you find always misunderstand you and what your intentions are? We all have people in our lives that are so easy to get along with and those that always seem to question our ideas or our approach to an initiative. Here’s the thing, it may have nothing to do with you and everything to do with having different communication styles. Differences in communication styles, if appreciated, can be the basis of strong relationships and strong teams. But if not understood or appreciated, communication style differences can tear relationships and teams apart. For this episode I invited Lynae Remondino, a Talent Management Director and a genius at unlocking potential while improving organizational effectiveness and efficiencies. She is a strategic and an empathetic professional who acknowledges her purpose in life is to advocate for people.  Lynae’s certifications include Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Situational Leadership, Development Dimensions International Leadership Facilitator, and Succession Planning and Talent Development. In this episode Lynae and I chatted about: What it means to adapt your communication style Why it’s important to adapt your style (and not abdicate your style) The four different communication styles based on the DiSC and BEST models Which communication styles are more prevalent (you may find yourself outnumbered) How to develop the ability to adapt their communication style Resources Episode Show Notes: Links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core mental muscles to build to become mentally fit. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Leadership Operating System Inventory: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Are you at a loss for how to handle those seemingly small awkward moments at work? Whether it’s being interrupted, talked over, hearing women referred to as girls, or getting a men’s polo shirt as a company gift. It can be hard to know how to appropriately handle these behaviors and situations, and easy to convince yourself it’s not a big deal. But it is a big deal. Because these behaviors create a culture that make women feel like they are not appreciated or respected as colleagues or team members. Hence, my conversation with Dawn Hudson.  In this episode Dawn and I chatted about: Why she and the Band of Sisters decided to focus on gender rooted micro-aggressions in the workplace? The variety of suggestions for the same scenario provided by the different authors and how impacted their relationships and the approach to the book. What’s at stake for companies if they don’t address microaggressions in the workplace. Advice Dawn would give to anyone looking to advance their career. Episode Show Notes: Links mentioned in this episode. Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar: Learn the 3 core mental muscles to build to become mentally fit. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.   More information can be found at https://thebandofsisters.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/band-of-sisters/ Instagram: the_band_of_sisters

Are negative thoughts sabotaging you? I frequently talk with talented, experienced and incredibly capable women. For the most part, they are doing great: setting goals, creating plans to accomplish them, and making progress in their careers. Occasionally, many of these women express a desire for things to be better. Not externally, necessarily. But internally. They say things like, “I wish I could get out of my own way.” “If I could just get over the self-doubt.” And sometimes, “Even when things are going well, I have this nagging voice in my head that ruins any opportunity I have to feel satisfied.” This episode is covering the very thing that drives your behavior, what you do and how you do it: mindset. Not only that, mindset determines how quickly you will bounce back from setbacks and mistakes, and whether or not you are able to feel satisfaction or fulfillment. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Register for the Positive Intelligence webinar: https://womentakingthelead.com/webinar Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader.

Are there young women in your life who are already making a big impact in the world? This week’s episode is a little different as I am chatting with two young women who have identified a problem that, if solved, would impact the health, education, and income of a community in desperate need. Bridget Muturi and Janelly Torres are the co-founders of Women Innovated Empowered & United (WIEU) I invited Bridget and Janelly on the podcast to raise awareness of the problem they’ve identified and to hopefully raise the money they need to make their work a reality. Being college students, they don’t have a PR or communications team and though they’ve never been on a podcast or done anything like this before they were excited for the opportunity. In this episode Janelly, Bridget and I chatted about... The current conditions for the community living in Kibera, Kenya The high cost of feminine care products and the impact it has on the health of the women in Kibera The solution Bridget and Janelly came up with and what their initiative will look like The design, planning, and collaboration that is happening to make this project sustainable over many years What you can do to support their work Donate to The Kibera Project Venmo: @Bridget-Muturi Cash App: $JanellyT02 Follow along with their adventures Instagram: @w.e.i.u You can also click the link in their bios to donate to The Kibera Project. Resources Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching. Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Perhaps never before has the focus of mental and emotional wellness been at the forefront of leadership. According to the Harvard Business Review, “mental health challenges are now the norm among employees across all organizational levels.” In 2021, during a follow-up study to their 2019 Mental Health at Work Report, seventy-six percent of respondents reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition in the past year, up from 59% in 2019. The pandemic impacted every area of people’s lives, and has been a leading factor in an increase of mental health concerns. And it is not behind us yet. Taking care of yourself is vital: if you are depleted your health, work, and ability to support others will suffer. This episode explores why, as a leader, taking care of your mental and emotional wellness, and supporting your team to do so as well, is critical. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Have you been struggling with your wardrobe lately? During the pandemic many of us reverted to a uniform of professional top matched with yoga pants or sweatpants. We were video conference ready and that was fine when we were working from home with cameras on. Now that return-to-office, hybrid work, in-person conferences and networking events are full-steam ahead, you might be feeling less than excited about the options in your closet. Our clothes can help bolster our confidence or make us feel blah. And for many of us, our bodies changed, if ever so slightly over the last 3 years. For the past 6 months or so I’ve been looking at a closet full of clothes convinced I had nothing to wear. Then I met Jenny Eversole, the founder of Stylespace. Stylespace.com is a virtual styling platform to elevate your style with expert stylists. After nearly a decade running her own fashion label, she learned how personal style can make a big difference in one's confidence, happiness and overall success. Jenny founded Style Space for people to discover their best style and to look, feel, and BE their best. This is what Jenny shared with me: “Throughout the years, our lives change, and as we age, our bodies are meant to change too. With each new season of life, we have the opportunity to express this new chapter with our personal style. It takes time and learning to know what works best for us in this new stage of life. An expert stylist can be very instrumental in helping us define our style in whatever stage of life we are in.” I took Jenny up on her offer and did a session with a member of her team. I was so thrilled with the results I asked Jenny to come on the Women Taking the Lead podcast to talk about the struggle many of us are having with our closets. In this episode Jenny and I chatted about: What changed during the pandemic Styling for the office vs. Zoom (Hybrid dressing) Dressing like an executive, approachability My experience working with a stylist 5 takeaway tips you can apply today Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Where You Can Find Jenny Eversole: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jheversole/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/stylespaceinc/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylespace.official/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stylespace.inc

Have you had a chance yet to hit the reset button or recharge your energy this season? For the northern hemisphere this is a time of slowing down and taking stock. It’s time for some rest and coziness in your life. Even if you are in the southern hemisphere, the New Year holiday will also prompt you to take a step back and think about what you want to accomplish in the coming year. This is a replay of a previous episode where I covered how to identify the type of rest and recharge activities that are right for you. And as I stated in the intro of that previous episode, rest is not one-size-fits-all. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Much-need time off to reconnect with loved ones and reenergize body, mind and soul is about to commence but while I’m away I have some episodes lined up, starting with this one that will replay previous episode that are worth hearing again. These episodes were specifically curated for this time of year to support you to take some time away if you want it or need it, and to reenergize and reconnect with yourself. There will also be a brand-new episode in the mix coming out just after New Year’s on the topic of post-pandemic fashion trends and getting in tune with looks that align with you and your body. I loved this conversation and I think you will too. I’m already lining up interviews in the New Year with some interesting women, and more solo episodes on communication and setting expectations. As a reminder, I’m always game if you are interested in doing an on-air coaching call in 2023. Now let’s dive into the importance of taking time off!  Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work within organizations has gotten a lot of press lately. But what does it take for a company to truly become more diverse, equitable and inclusive? To dive more deeply into the topic for this episode, I have brought on Wema Hoover. Meet Wema Hoover, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader Wema is a DEI leader and former Global head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Google. She has also held executive roles at multiple Fortune 500 companies including Chief Diversity Officer and Global Head of Culture, Inclusion & Diversity at Sanofi and Global Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Pfizer. Wema is a frequent speaker to business leadership audiences. She is working on a book and has authored many articles such as How to Transform DEI Energy Into Action in the Workplace from INC., and has been featured on Diversity Inc. and other podcasts. In this episode Wema and I discuss... The approach to embed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into people processes in an organization Gauging company readiness, metrics to measure progress, and creating environments for people to thrive What women can do to create more diversity in their own company How to find Wema: Connect on LinkedIn Resources Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching. Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Do you have a hard time setting boundaries at work for fear that it will make you look bad? In this episode I’m going to answer a listener question on this very topic. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach. Previous Episode Referenced Your “No” Screams Senior Leadership 100% Jodi: Tending to Your Mental and Emotional Wellness is Not an Option

How comfortable are you being idle? As a high achieving woman, you might dream of utter relaxation. But the internal and external pressure to stay productive and highly efficient might sabotage your attempts at restoration. While action is required to achieve results, action without strategy, reflection, and rest can result in needless activity and wasted time. This episode covers why always being busy is counterproductive and keeping you from achieving your biggest goals. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

What's in a title? To what extent does your title concern you? Titles may be a thing at networking events or cocktail parties. And your family and friends will celebrate a title upgrade with you. But are titles that important? A few years ago, many online publications said they absolutely were important, especially in a job search.  However, is this still the state of affairs? To dive more deeply into the topic for this episode, I reached out to a colleague of mine, Alicia Canario. Meet Alicia Canario Alicia is a strategic HR leader with 25+ years global experience leading high performing teams and partnering with leaders to execute business objectives. She has a successful track record of leading manufacturing organizations through change management and proven experience securing top talent to meet business objectives. Her educational credentials include a B.S in psychology from the University of Illinois-UC, M.S. degree in Human Resources from Loyola University Chicago, MBTI (Meyers Briggs) certification, and senior level certifications from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI) and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). In this title episode Alicia and I discuss... How our drive to get big titles can cause us to end up in positions that do not suit or fulfill us. Alicia’s journey to find the right fit, regardless of title. How realizing what you don't want can help you pivot to what you do want. Questions you can ask yourself to get out of a "not right fit" position. The mindset challenges that you need to overcome to take action. How to find Alicia: Connect on LinkedIn Resources Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching. Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching. Find out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Do you cringe thinking about the mistakes you’ve made? If you have high standards for yourself, and I’m guessing if you’re listening to this podcast you do. These high standards, combined with any tendency to be hard on yourself, may cause you to want shy away from fully owning your mistakes. It may be a knee-jerk reaction, to want to move on quickly, pretending the mistake didn’t happen. But as a leader, the best course of action is to own your mistake and learn from it. Not only is it good for you as a leader, it’s good for the morale and performance of your team.  This episode covers how to own your mistakes in a way that allows you and your team to grow in experience and trust. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

As a woman leader you are constantly being sent the message to be more assertive and confident. Confidence and assertiveness do have their place and most times I would encourage women leaders to embrace confidence and feel free to be assertive. However, never is this at the expense of honestly admitting when you don’t know. If you don’t know the answer to a direct question, ‘I don’t know’ is the beginning of a good conversation. But, balancing your confidence as a leader and owning up to a lack of knowledge or competence in a certain area can be tricky. This episode covers how to graciously admit when you don’t know and handle the situation in a way that engenders more confidence in you as a leader. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Did you know...? Women make just 83 percent of what men do, and that gap is wider for women of color. According to a new Equal Pay Day study released by Credit Karma, 31% of women say they still don’t feel comfortable asking their employer for a raise. 66% of women say their current salary is holding them back from reaching their financial goals, including paying off debt and saving for retirement. 35% of women surveyed said their low salaries were preventing them from being able to afford necessities like rent. Nearly 60% of women never negotiate their pay at all. In this episode Anna and I discuss... Key times in your career that impact how much money you make The story behind the creation of Shift Profile The mindset that keeps women from asking for what they are worth Always be negotiating! Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Are there some days when you can't seem to muster the motivation to do what's right in front of you? First, let me state that this happens to all of us. It is common. But some people have figured out how to tap into sources of motivation when this occurs. And this ability to effectively self-motivate oneself distinguishes high-achieving professionals from everyone else. And, to make it a little more complicated, motivation is a personal experience. What works for one person might not work for you. This episode covers common strategies to consistently stay motivated that work for most people. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Do you work in a fast-paced environment? Or, do you contribute to different departments or divisions? If that’s the case it can be very difficult to be confident that what you are giving your time to is exactly what needs your time attention right now. If you’re not careful pretty soon things that are incredibly important to other people become your top priority at the cost of your own goals and initiatives. This episode covers how to prioritize your projects, initiatives and tasks so you know exactly what the priority is. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, every organization has an emotional culture, even if the culture is one of suppressing emotions. “By not only allowing emotions into the workplace, but also understanding and consciously shaping them, leaders can better motivate their employees.” To dive more deeply into this topic, I reached out to a colleague of mine, Joy Stickel. Joy is an accomplished and highly motivated global human resources leader with a deep passion for work in the talent and culture space. Her HR career spans over 25 years and extends across a range of industries including hospitality, high tech, life sciences, and pharma. She is currently the Executive Director of Talent Management and Development for Sumitomo Pharma. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

There’s a French cooking term mise en place that means to set in place. It is a method of preparation taught all over the world that maximizes efficiency and reduces errors. There are 5 steps to mise en place: Know your recipe — necessary ingredients, cookware, and baking times Prepare your ingredients — clean, chop, mince… whatever is required Arrange your ingredients — appropriate size bowls, positioned logically Prepare your workstation — set the oven temperature, clean the utensils Arrange your tools — similar logic applied to cookware and necessary equipment This level of organization in advance, not only increases the chances of an optimal outcome for the recipe, it provides an easier and even enjoyable experience for the cook.  There’s no scrambling around looking for that tool or ingredient. There’s no disappointment after serving the dish realizing an ingredient has been missed or measured incorrectly. This episode covers how staying organized at work increases your chances of optimal outcomes, and makes work easier and more enjoyable. Not only that, staying organized makes you look good in the process. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Do you sometimes feel like you are not being listened to? Or, that you don’t have the influence you need to make an impact at work? This is common early in our career but truth be told, this impacts women up and down the leadership ladder. And even to women who have been leaders in their company for decades. In this episode I have an expert who is here to talk about how you can gain more influence so you can make a big impact at work. How to find Carla: Website: www.carlamillertraining.com Connect on LinkedIn Get your copy of Closing the Influence Gap Listen to the Influence & Impact podcast Watch her free How to be a Respected Leader masterclass Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach.

Do you get stuck in analysis paralysis when trying to make a decision? While rushing into decisions is something to avoid, putting off a decision can also be harmful to your time, energy, work performance, and those depending on you. Putting off decisions will prevent progress, cause frustration, and can undermine how others perceive you as a leader. This episode covers the skills to develop and the effective approach to improve your ability to make timely decisions. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Are you constantly feeling like a hamster on wheel?  As though no matter how fast or how long you work, you are always behind on your to do list. We all have the same number of hours in each day. Why is it that some people are able manage their time efficiently, while some of us cannot seem to find enough time to complete our tasks and projects on time? Not without working long hours and weekends, that is. You may not realize it, but there are time wasters just waiting for you to fall into their grasp.  Sneak peak… beating yourself up for making a mistake is a Time Waster!! This episode covers the impacts of time wasters and what you can do to take back control of your day.  Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Are you pulled in so many directions you’re busy all day, but when the day ends you don’t feel like you accomplished much of anything? Just like you, the women I coach are in demand. They have teams that want their attention, clients to serve, and tasks that need to get done. I’ve been there myself on many occasions. There are different responses to this state of affairs. You might be in the camp of looking out at some point in the future. You convince yourself that once you get there, it will be a lot better. I did that for years and guess what? As that point in time got closer my calendar filled up and I had all new projects on my plate. This cycle perpetuated for a long time before I realized what I was doing. You might be researching to find new strategies for time management and productivity and making a few strides but still needing some relief. Or, you might have started to give up hope that it will get any better. Regardless of what camp you are in, you’re going to get a lot out of this on-air coaching call. I’m chatting with Madison who is wearing many hats as her company is experiencing and gearing up for even more growth. She and I talk through many of her responsibilities and strategize how to organize by priority and organize her calendar. We look at leveraging members of the team who are experienced and eager to do more. And there’s an added bonus, and what I believe may have been a pivotal point in our conversation. We also talked about what might be going on when a team member isn’t changing their behavior after you’ve given them feedback. If any of this is resonating with you, listen in. This is a good one! Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. One-Hour Leadership Coaching Session: This session is designed to get to the heart of the challenges you are experiencing in your new role. You’ll be sent a quick questionnaire to fill out ahead of our meeting so we can make the most of our time together. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Has the swirl of summer left you feeling a bit unbalanced? In this episode we’re going to acknowledge that this season requires a bit of letting go of control and going with the flow. Because summer is a swirl! Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Could anyone possibly meet the expectations you have for yourself? Many of the women I coach have such high expectations for themselves, they sacrifice health and happiness to meet them. Sometimes the driver is the thought that others are expecting a lot from you. But if you looked closely, is that true? Are others watching you and expecting you to overdeliver all the time? Or are you assigning them those judgments because in reality you’re judging yourself. I had a fantastic conversation with Andrea about trying to meet your own unrealistic expectations, delegating, having healthy boundaries, and asking for help. If you feel like you’re doing too much for everyone else, and not getting enough time for you, or for the people and things that are also important to you, listen in. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. One-Hour Leadership Coaching Session: This session is designed to get to the heart of the challenges you are experiencing in your new role. You’ll be sent a quick questionnaire to fill out ahead of our meeting so we can make the most of our time together. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

How would you describe your comfort level when it comes to confronting conflict? Do you look at it as an opportunity for growth and relationship building? Do you avoid it in the hopes that it will resolve on its own? Or do you find yourself somewhere in the middle? Perhaps at first observing and assessing the situation. But if it’s clear it’s not going away immediately you take steps to nip it in the bud. Some leaders choose to ignore conflict in the workplace in an attempt to “keep the peace.” Yet that can add fuel to the fire. By looking the other way, leaders create an atmosphere of non-trust. Addressing conflict early on is an important first step. A study by the American Management Association (AMA) found that managers spend 24% of their time resolving conflict. Instead of just “resolving” workplace conflict, transform it to cultivate a cutting-edge team that can effectively solve problems and develop creative new ideas. This episode covers facing conflict: how to address and mitigate it, and when to look to other professionals to step in. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Have you had a chance yet to hit the reset button or recharge your energy this summer? If you have and you are raring to go, amazing! But if you haven’t, this episode may be timely for you. It may be that you haven’t had a chance to take time away yet. Or, you had time away but came back even more tired than you left. In this episode, we’re covering how to identify the type of rest and recharge activities that are right for you. Because, like shoes, rest is not one-size-fits-all. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

We all have unconscious biases. Men and women, young and old, people from every ethnic background and every socioeconomic class. While you may be able to catch one of your own implicit biases in a flash of awareness, it’s more likely someone else will point your biases out for you. Becoming aware of and removing your unconscious biases takes an openness to hear someone out. It takes reflecting on what they share with you, and considering behaving differently going forward. For many of us, critical feedback causes our defenses to go up. That's a natural human tendency. Because of this, it takes courage to point an unconscious bias out to another person. How the feedback is delivered matters if you want the other person to take in the feedback you are sharing with them. As a leader, you want to keep this in mind as you are preparing to talk to another person about an unconscious bias you've observed them display. This is what came up in a coaching session I had recently with, Jaime, a member of this community and a member of the military. The unconscious biases in others that are typically experienced by women leaders is around their competence. Even though women leaders score higher on competence than their male counterparts, women are still considered to be less competent than men. This is why mansplaining occurs and it's why a woman leader's reports and decisions are more likely to be questioned and second-guessed. How do you deal with this without losing your mind or your temper? Listen in. In this conversation Jaime shares her experiences and ultimately talks through the solution that feels right for her. I think her solution is going to resonate with you as well. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. One-Hour Leadership Coaching Session: This session is designed to get to the heart of the challenges you are experiencing in your new role. You’ll be sent a quick questionnaire to fill out ahead of our meeting so we can make the most of our time together. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Do you dread one-to-one meetings because you’ll be asking the other person to account for an outcome or their performance? Many leaders want to have high performing teams but overlook the fact that accountability is at the heart these teams. If you want your team to deliver on expectations or communicate when they can’t, you have to be able to hold others accountable. Additionally, you need to look at yourself and ask what kind of role model you are to your team? In this episode, we cover how your ability to hold others accountable impacts your team’s performance and how to get best out of your team. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Have you experienced the eye-opening magic of seeing from more than one perspective? When we are children, we believe we are the center of the universe. At that stage in life, we have a difficult time considering why someone would see things differently than we do. If fact, if someone didn’t agree with us, we made up a story about why this person could possibly not agree with our outlook. It takes work to shake out of this default way of thinking and start making a habit of considering how other people are seeing things. However, the reward of staying open-minded and seeing things from multiple perspectives is new ideas, new opportunities and new solutions that you may have missed if you only look at things from your own vantage point.  Now take this ability as an individual and add to it a diverse team of people who all see the world differently. If this team can respect and appreciate each other for the unique perspectives and experiences they all bring to the table, this is your dream team. In this episode, we’re going to cover the skill of considering and incorporating multiple perspectives as a leader, why it’s so important, and how you can incorporate it into your leadership. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

The work I do with my clients often centers around adapting to a new role or promotion. It sounds easy, and many of my clients beat themselves up because they assumed it should be an easier transition than it actually is. Taking on a promotion typically looks like being further away from the hands-on work that is being done. Trying to stay close to the work, while coming from a good place of wanting to make sure the work his high quality, can overwhelm your to-do list and train some bad habits in your team. Each new role you take on requires you to shift the way you think of yourself and how you think you provide the highest value. This was something a woman in our community, T, realized while we were recording this on-air coaching session. Take a listen to this episode and let me know if any of this resonated with you. I'm offering T some tips and new perspectives, along with a book recommendation that may be helpful to you as well so stay ‘til the end. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. One-Hour Leadership Coaching Session: This session is designed to get to the heart of the challenges you are experiencing in your new role. You’ll be sent a quick questionnaire to fill out ahead of our meeting so we can make the most of our time together. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

How are you at developing others? Would you say you’re a pro at this? Do you need work in this area? Maybe you’re somewhere in between? Making sure your team is getting ongoing learning and development opportunities, formal and informal, is important if you want to hire and retain talented individuals. This also translates into a bigger bottomline for your company and a team that is effectively hitting their goals. In this episode, we’re going to cover what research is saying about learning and development in the workplace and the best ways to develop those around you. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Have you ever left a leadership development training feeling like it barely scratched the surface of what you needed? Or, that too much time was spent on competencies you’ve never had an issue with? You might have even had your concerns as a leader brushed aside or dismissed with comments such as, delegate that to your team, speak up more in meetings, brag more, or communicate clearly but don’t be too direct. All this without any guidance on how to navigate the bias, the double-standards, and the identity issues that emerge when we are asked to change our patterns of thought and behavior. The root of the problem is most leadership development training was not designed for women and fails to take women’s specific brain functions, societal conditioning or obstacles into consideration. In this episode we’re covering why leadership development for women is so important and why it needs to change. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

As a leader, are you looking to develop any of the following between yourself and others in your organization: more trust, stronger relationships, buy-in, and commitment? How about executive presence, that X-factor that has others stop and take notice?  There are a couple of not-so-soft skills, that when applied in combination, will have those around seeing you in a whole new light and admiring you as a leader. These skills are: directing your full attention and listening deeply. It sounds really easy, and it can be once you’ve developed these skills and made them a habit. Unfortunately, most of us think we are better at these skills than we actually are and if you want the benefits, you need to take an honest look at how you’re doing.  In this episode we’re covering why giving those around you your full attention and listening is so important, and ways to develop these skills. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. How to Supercharge Your Networking: this episode explains the Three Levels of Listening in detail. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

How are you at delivering unwelcome news to one of your team members, and then coaching them through the feedback? Sometimes as leaders we have to tell a team member that they are off-track or that they’re not going to get what they want. It’s not the best part of a leader’s job, but in these conversations are opportunities for growth and development. Not just for our team member, these conversations are great for our growth and development as a leader as well. In this on-air coaching call that’s exactly where a member of our community, Crystal, was at the beginning of the call. Join us in this episode to hear how you can find these opportunities right before your eyes. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Does your team know how much you care about them?  Do they know how much you want them to experience growth, success and happiness as a part of your organization? Or, do you assume that they know because they should know?  In this episode we’re covering why consistently show interest in and appreciation for those around you is so important and how to do it effectively. Because, whether you know it or not, your people don’t all like to be appreciated in the same way. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Are you leading by example? This is a trick question because the reality is you are always leading by example. The question is whether you want the people you lead to do what you are doing. Like it or not, people are watching what you're doing and they're listening closely to what you're saying. And, the higher you go up the leadership chain the bigger an example you become. There's a saying when you reach senior leadership, you are whispering from a megaphone. Your people are watching you closely to determine what is acceptable behavior and attitudes, and what is not. The question is, are you exemplifying the behavior that you would like to see in the people that you lead? Are your actions consistent with your message? Leading by example may not always be easy but it’s a must if you want the best chance of hitting your goals and having harmony in the workplace. In this episode we’re covering what it means to lead by example and how to gauge how effectively you are modeling the behavior you want to see. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you are interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

As with the last episode of Women Taking the Lead I’m asking, for your career, who do you go to for help and support? Help comes in many forms and from a variety of sources. Some help you can get for free and some help costs money. While I always recommend utilizing your free help when appropriate, and for as many things as you can, it’s important to know that free resources will only get you so far. We can get stuck in our careers or with a situation at work because we keep going back to the people in our lives whom will offer their help for free, but who don’t have the expertise to guide us through our challenges effectively. Knowing whom you can go to for what will save you time and energy, and not put any undue pressure on those in your support system who want to help, but can’t give you what you need. This episode will cover the types of career helpers you want to pay for, and how to utilize those people. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

For your career, who do you go to for help and support? Help comes in many forms and from various sources. Some help you can get for free and some will cost money. I recommend utilizing the free resources when appropriate and for as many things as you can. And, it’s important to know that free resources may only get you so far depending on what your goals and challenges are. I’ve seen many women get stuck in their career or with a situation at work because they keep going back to the people in their life who will offer their help for free, but who don’t have the expertise to guide this woman through her challenge effectively. Knowing whom you can go to for what will save you time and energy, and not put any undue pressure on those in your support system who want to help but can’t give you what you need. This episode will cover the types of help you can receive in your career for free, and how to utilize those people. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

How are you doing getting regular physical activity into your weekly routine? No judgement here. When there’s a lot going on it’s easy to free up time by skipping the workout, walk or bike you had already planned. In an emergency this is a logical move, but how often it is vital to skip the workout to handle a true emergency? Physical activity is not neutral. There are either benefits to getting in some activity or there are consequences for not being active. These consequences effect you mentally as well as physically. Given that, it is vital that you get regular movement in. And, you don’t need a gym membership or do intense workouts to be physically active. This episode is building on the last episode on mental and emotional wellness and making the case for exercise as a leadership development practice. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Perhaps never before has the focus of mental and emotional wellness been at the forefront of leadership.  According to the Harvard Business Review, “mental health challenges are now the norm among employees across all organizational levels.” In 2021, during a follow-up study to their 2019 Mental Health at Work Report, seventy-six percent of respondents reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition in the past year, up from 59% in 2019.  The pandemic impacted every area of people’s lives, and has been a leading factor in an increase of mental health concerns. And it is not behind us yet. Taking care of yourself is vital: if you are depleted your health, work, and ability to support others will suffer. This episode explores why, as a leader, taking care of your mental and emotional wellness, and supporting your team to do so as well, is critical. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode: Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? You are invited to apply to be on the podcast. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Too many of us are not taking time off, despite the added stress caused by the pandemic (and the blurred lines between work and home). What if we shifted our perception of what it means to take time off? Instead of viewing down time as laziness or a failure, what if we saw time off as an investment in ourselves? It’s about valuing yourself enough to make that investment in yourself and modeling that behavior for others. This episode is making the case for taking time off and why taking that much-needed break will yield big returns. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me.

Saying No…is this easy for you? Or does even hearing the word “no” feel like a gut-punch? We’ve all heard about leveraging the power of “Yes” – but what about saying “No”?   In this episode, let’s explore when to say “no” – and how to do it effectively. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.  

What does “asking for help” mean to you? Do you avoid it at all cost because asking would mean exposing yourself to judgment? Maybe you see the importance and ask for help on occasion, but it’s uncomfortable. Or perhaps you ask for help on the regular and you don’t make it mean anything at all. In this episode we’ll explore why asking for help feels so hard, the benefits you may not be thinking about, and how to request help in a way that actually reinforces you as a strong leader. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Have you been thinking about working with a coach, but aren’t sure how to ask your company to sponsor your coaching? In this episode we’re going to discuss why it’s a benefit to your company to invest in your leadership development and how to ask your decisions makers to approve paying for you to work with a coach. Resources Episode Show Notes: Transcript and links mentioned in this episode. Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

How are you at making bold requests?  Which of these sounds most familiar? I know what I want – and I’m definitely not afraid to ask for it. Sometimes I feel confident enough to make a bold request…but not always. Me? Make a bold request. Not a chance. In this episode you and I are going to explore what it looks like to bring some boldness to your leadership and how to be bolder if this is something you shy away from. Resources Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Have you ever found yourself, after you’ve been promoted, wondering how the heck you’re going to get through the day?   In this episode we’re going to cover the common reasons why you might have gotten tripped up after you were promoted; and if you have a promotion on the horizon, what you might want to prepare yourself for. Resources   Resources Checklist to Ask Your Company for Coaching: Would coaching help you become a stronger leader? Wondering if your company would pay? It doesn't hurt to ask! Leadership Operating System Quiz: Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST quiz and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Leadership Coaching: If you interested in finding out more about my coaching process, the cost of coaching, or how to ask your employer to pay for you to work with a coach, schedule a call with me. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: The book containing a simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

In this episode I’m sharing some things I’ve been up to in the past year and what I’m doing for myself and my business in the coming months. For those of you who are new to Women Taking the Lead…hello and welcome! I’m Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. Being an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the privilege to work with women leaders to hone the skills that will allow them to thrive in Senior Leadership. My absolute joy is to work with women who are still recovering from their last promotion. I am now settled in my new home in Norfolk, Virginia. And thanks to the beauty of technology, I’ve been able to continue to work with women all over the world as I transitioned from Maine to Massachusetts and on to Virginia. I do individual and group coaching as well as workshops and team retreats. I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference and on I’m the Board of Advisors for LeadHERship Global. There's Been a lot to Process I hope that this episode finds you healthy and well. There is so much change swirling around us right now and it’s so important for us to balance what needs to get done and be decided and taking time for yourself to pause and process everything that’s going on. Speaking of some things that are going on… Firstly, there are some exciting things going on behind the scenes with The Maine Women's Conference. We are actively producing our WeAreME Interview Series. This series features gritty, determined, and inspirational women from all over Maine. Sitting down live via Zoom to chat with a MEWC Board Member to share her story, the lessons she's learned, and her words of wisdom. In addition, participants on these calls have an opportunity to listen in and ask questions. The next WeAreME event is coming up on June 7th at 7 pm ET with Sherri Mitchell. Sherri is a Native American attorney, teacher, author, activist, and change-maker. Sherri will be sharing her story of advocating for Indigenous rights and environmental justice. Head over to TheMaineWomensConference.org to find out more! There’s also some exciting news coming out soon about The Maine Women's Conference 2021 event in November. Be sure you are subscribed to the Newsletter and or following The Maine Women's Conference on social media. You definitely don’t want to miss out! LeadHERship Global Secondly, I am also on the Board of Advisors for LeadHERship Global. LeadHERship Global is an incredibly impactful gathering of extraordinary women, connecting in a confidential, supportive and private community. Above all, LeadHERship Global is specifically designed for the unique opportunities and challenges of senior leaders. Members have access to independent, unbiased and expert advice on the most critical priorities facing leaders today, to accelerate their success. I've been taking advantage of the training, the virtual roundtables and networking opportunities the membership provides. What I love is there are plenty of opportunities to learn, network and get mentoring for your specific needs and stage in your career. You can find out more at LeadHerShipGlobal.com. Are you Active on LinkedIn? Thirdly, I’ve been getting much more active on LinkedIn and I’m really enjoying it. LinkedIn, for me, used to be a bit of a ghost town and the posts shared on LinkedIn were very formal. There are more people active on LinkedIn now and while the posts are primarily work and career related, which I like, they are much more engaging.  I’ve been active on these initiatives and working in my business. While that has brought me satisfaction and joy, I’ve also been feeling a pull recently to stop and reflect, and moreover, think about how I want to move forward with my business. And that includes the podcast. So many good things are happening right now. Moreover, I know I need to make sure everything I do is in service of my mission. That mission is serving you and making sure I’m providing what you need to overcome any self-doubt, so you can step gracefully into new levels of leadership and responsibility.   Hence, I need to slow down to process what’s been happening over the past 15 months, make some changes, and subsequently, come back refreshed and ready to support you. Are you thinking about making some new changes as well? I’d love to hear from you. Reach out to me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or comment anywhere you find me on social media. Podcasts to Continue to Help You on Your Journey In the meantime, there is a back catalogue of 423 episodes! Can you believe that?!!! And rest assured, I’ll be back! I am a podcaster and I love this medium. And if you are looking for more great podcasts to listen to, here are some other podcasts I’m currently listening to on the regular. Living Life Well The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos NPR’s Life Kit Wine and Dime with Amy Irvine Career Focus LeadHERship Global Pioneers at Work Women Amplified with Celeste Headlee Business Focus Coach Pony with Christie Mims Speaking Your Brand with Carol Cox The BizChix Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs The Brainy Business with Melina Palmer Sales Focus Linking In with Louise Sales Maven with Nikki Rausch Women Making Big Sales with Melinda Chen News and History The History Chicks The Daily As always, I hope this has been of value to you, and here’s to your continued success. Remember to process! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

In the last 100% Jodi episode, we covered what to consider when you are reviewing your responsibilities to decide what you need to focus on and what needs to find a new home. In this episode we’ll cover your next steps to make those change so you are focusing on those tasks that only you can do or those tasks that will get you closer to accomplishing your goals. Let’s do a quick recap. In the episode, Are You Afraid of Success or Are You Afraid of More Responsibility?, I challenged you to consider that what might be holding you back from pursuing your next big opportunity may be an underlying concern that if you take anything else on, you’ll get crushed by the weight of responsibilities. If you feel like you are narrowly hanging on in your current role, the thought of an expanded role would logically be out of the question. However, what I typically find working with women leaders is that they are more than competent to take on a greater role, but they have not adjusted how they are operating as a leader to allow more bandwidth. There are many reasons for this and some are easy to address by asking a question, making a decision and following up to see it through. Some reasons require addressing our mindset and the identity we are holding on to that is trapping us in a situation where we are doing work that we don’t need to do or could reassign. In the episode, What Responsibilities Should You Keep?, I guided you through a process of deciding what responsibilities needed to be realigned based on the resources you have, your values, and your goals. If you have not listened to those episodes yet hit pause and go back to give them a listen. These episodes will set you up to get the most out of what I’m going to cover with you now. I hope with these 3 episodes you now see the opportunity that delegating and realigning your commitments can create. I’ve gotten feedback from some of you that you need a place to start to begin the process. I hear you and this past week I created a quick and simple worksheet that will help you identify all the variables you need to think about as you start having conversations and making decisions. If you would like work with me on any of this, I invite you to sign up for a Responsibility Remodel Session. I would love to help you lift some of the weight of responsibility off your shoulders and do it in a way that makes you and those around you feel good. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Denis is the CEO and Founder of Leading Change Partners. An organization that transforms business and leaders to lead a bigger game in a disruptive world. A highly respected International Facilitator and Executive Coach. He is the host of the Podcast, Leadership Is Changing. Denis is a professional, with 30 years’ experience successfully working in the Business and Human Resource space. A strong leader and communicator that has the ability to articulate, connect and work with all levels of an organization. Denis was the Global Delivery Lead, Executive Development and Top Talent programs for Hewlett Packard, a Fortune 20 company. Denis is also the co-author of a book called ‘Secrets of Inspiring Leaders Exposed’ and currently writing another book on Leadership. In this episode Denis and I discuss... The training and development programs he provides, and what outcomes he is looking for. What Denis has identified as critical components of training and development, particularly for women leaders. Some of the wins he’s seen as a result of the women he has worked with going through his training program. Where he sees the focus of training and development for women going in the future. Links Website: www.LeadingChangePartners.com Email: denis@leadingchangepartners.com Podcast: Leadership Is Changing Apple Link  https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/leadership-is-changing/id1517844848 Spotify Link  https://open.spotify.com/show/3vKxUEsnnWXlXrO8cfRCMF?si=9DMeJFGhRayWxGmWqedCnQ     Join Denis in the various communities; FaceBook – Leadership Is Changing Group  https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/ LinkedIn – Leadership Is Changing Page  https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadership-is-changing-podcast Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

You’ve gotten to the point that you realize you need to make some changes in regard to what you are involved in and what you are responsible for. From here, how do you decide what stays and what goes? In the last 100% Jodi episode, we talked about one of reasons we self-sabotage our success: the fear of having too much responsibility. When our days are full of tasks and obligations, we project that onto a potential future. In this frame of mind, when we consider taking on more responsibility, we picture ourselves miserably buried in work and obligations. To be ready for the future you want, you’ve got to clean up what you’re spending your time on now. In this episode, we’re going to cover what to consider when you are reviewing your responsibilities to analyze what you need to focus on and what needs to find a new home. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Dr. Sarah E. Brown is an author, speaker, coach, trainer, and host of the KTS Success Factor™ Podcast. Her books include the best-selling Let Your Personality Be Your Career Guide and The Road to Success, the latter book co-written with Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul® fame.  She has also developed a completely personalized book series, based on the reader’s unique personality, entitled The Book of YOU®, which helps individuals be happy, successful, and better understood in a variety of pursuits. Following a successful career in corporate America, most recently as Managing Director with Accenture, Sarah retired early to speak, coach, and train individuals (mostly women) to pursue and, more importantly, complete big projects and life goals by drawing on their unique gifts and following proven success principles. In this episode Sarah and I discuss... The distinction between a "good job" and a "bad job". What Sarah has observed in regard to women and their ability to get out of a workplace rut, and how she’s making the solution accessible to women who may not have access to this solution through her employer. What women can do to get the benefits of the coaching process and mentoring even if they don’t have a coach and there aren’t a lot of women at the senior levels of the organization to mentor them. How Sarah trains women to utilize self-coaching in a way that works and is sustainable and how you can get access to this training. Links Giveaway:  Text KTS to 833-230-2802 https://www.bookofyou.com https://www.sarahebrown.com Email: sarah@bookofyou.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KnowThyselfGuides LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahebrownphd/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KnowGuides Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Patsy Doerr is the Chief Executive Officer of The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI). Patsy leads all facets of AJLI and serves as the face of the organization, advocating in both the public and private sectors. Patsy is a leading expert and thought leader in the field of corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability. She has been interviewed by a number of publications and programs, including Forbes, The Muse, The Hill and ThriveGlobal. Completing over 75+ keynote presentations, panel moderations and group discussion facilitations per year, Patsy is frequently tapped to discuss DEI issues. Her greatest passion is helping organizations build and develop initiatives that best position them for long-term success in a diverse, global environment. In this episode Patsy and I discuss... The work the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) is doing in the world to train women and get them ready for leadership in their local and global community. The people who make up the membership of AJLI and why they choose to get involved in the Junior League. The mission AJLI has in regard to its members. How understanding the qualities and values of the people drawn to your mission can help you support them and keep them engaged. Links Forbes Blog: https://www.forbes.com/sites/patsydoerr/#2b288ca43bca  Thrive Global Blog: https://thriveglobal.com/authors/patsy-doerr/  Articles/Interviews: The Muse (Interview): My Job Is to Promote Diversity and Inclusion at a Major Company The Hill (Op-ed): Gender Equality is Good for Business Swaay (Byline): No Title No Problem:  How I Created My Own Positions Throughout My Career PokerDivas (Podcast Interview): It May Be Diverse But Is It Inclusive Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Miki Feldman Simon, is a Career and Executive Coach and the founder of IamBackatWork, a company dedicated to helping women remain and return to the workforce. Miki is a seasoned professional who has held leading executive roles in human resource management, marketing, and business development. She has built and led resilient teams in high growth software companies with successful exits. Miki is a Certified Executive Coach, (CPC), has an M.Sc. (Master of Science) in Organizational Behavior and a B.A in Psychology and Educational Counseling. Miki is passionate about accelerating people’s personal and professional growth, enabling them to step into their full potential. In this episode Miki and I discuss... The current state of affairs with women in the workforce. Where women were before the pandemic and where they are now. The decisions that many women are having to make in order to meet the demands of taking care of their household, their children, sick relatives, and aging parents. The cost of this situation on our society, economy, the workforce, the advancement of women, etc. How Miki works with women to navigate these tough decisions. (Great tips here for yourself and to suggest to your employer) And finally, what Miki shares that we can be optimistic about. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikifeldmansimon/ Website: http://iambackatwork.com/ Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

As the Co-Founder of D&S Professional Coaching, Debra works with interesting, talented, and successful executives from all over the globe to equip them with the tools they need to advance in the modern job market. Debra has been recognized as a resume, LinkedIn, and job search expert by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Huffington Post, and many other career-related sites in addition to serving as an international speaker and top-rated podcast guest. Debra holds a Master of Science in Management, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and an Associate of Science in Labor Studies. She is also a Certified Digital Branding Strategist through Career Thought Leaders. In this episode Debra and I discuss... Your personal or professional brand and why is it important. How to create a personal brand for yourself that is unique. Where to begin when starting a job search. How job seekers can stand out to employers, given that it is a very competitive job market. Some things Debra specifically sees women do on their resumes or in their job searches that may be holding them back. Links Website: www.dsprocoaching.com  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/debraboggs/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraBoggs_DS Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Are you afraid of success or are you afraid of more responsibility? In this episode we’re going to explore why success can be so elusive and why self-sabotage rears its ugly head in moments when success is within reach. I don’t remember when I first heard the expression “Fear of Success”, but I do remember being baffled hearing it. Why would anyone fear success? At that time, to me, success meant a great job with a fancy title, more money than I needed, being fit, being in a great relationship, etc. That’s a pretty fantastic list. Most people want these things or some variation of them. Where is the fear coming from? As I started getting closer to actually having some of those things a light bulb went off. That list of great things I wanted, they in and of themselves weren’t the problem. It was the thought of all the things that come with them that had me start pumping the break. In a nutshell, it’s the added responsibility that causes us to cringe and hold back. When you think about the life you want to be living, what new responsibilities will you need to take on if you were to achieve that life? Is there anything that causes you to hesitate? If you are torn between the life and lifestyle you want to be living and an aversion to taking on even more responsibility, I invite you to do a Responsibility Remodel Session with me. This is a life-changing opportunity to restructure your commitments and obligations, and get you closer to where you want to be. In this 30-minute strategy session you will: get to the heart of the work you want to be doing, or only you can do, and identify the work someone else could be doing. know how to empower your team, clients, colleagues, etc., so you can work less (or refocus your energy) and still deliver. have language to communicate new expectations and gain buy-in so everyone is onboard. have the strategies to keep your to do list clear of non-essential time-wasters, allowing you to give your priority items your all. This is a special session offered to help you get past those mental and physical hurdles so you can make progress on the things that are the most vital to you, and open up opportunity for you to say yes to the things that will allow for the life you want to be living. You don’t have to work more or work harder to have that life. By restructuring what it is you do and do not do, you will actually be able to take on more responsibility and have the time and energy to enjoy the life you are living. For that reason, this session is being offered for $97. That’s 30 minutes with me focused on the things that are most important to you. I would love and be honored to support you to set up your work and your life in a way that feels good to you. A way that honors your core values, allows you to express your gifts and talents, and allows you to enjoy life as well. Go to https://womentakingthelead.com/remodel to find out more and sign up for your session. I cannot wait to chat with you. You deserve to have a life that works for you. As always, I hope this was of value to you, and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Stephen Josephs, Ed.D. is a leadership development expert. He is dedicated to helping leaders shape their culture and bring out people’s best work in ways they haven’t thought of before. He is particularly interested in the strengths women bring to their leadership roles, and he helps them build their capacities and skills to thrive in today’s business environments. In his 40 years of leadership development work in corporations he has integrated mindfulness as a central part of developing executives. His recent course, Mindfulness 2.0 for Engineers, has received high ratings from participants. In this episode Stephen and I discuss... How taking on a new role is a good fit and sometimes you have to make it your own. The challenges faced after taking on a new role when you bump up against the culture. A role play that can help you get a win-win in a confrontational conversation, and create an opportunity to transform your relationships with those whom you had perceived as adversaries. How to get at the original source of inspiration that is there for all of us. A powerful practice that allows you to build rapport and a connection with anyone. Links Books: Dragons at Work and Leadership Agility  Website: http://www.stephenjosephs.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjosephs Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

What guides you as a leader when you are faced with a moral dilemma? In this episode I’m going to call out some of the dilemmas we are faced with as leaders and some perspectives you can take to help you through them.   Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Stacy Henry is owner and founder of CenterBranch, a consulting and coaching firm dedicated to helping both companies and individuals perform to their highest potential. With services that include keynote speaking and workshop facilitation, women’s development, and leadership and executive coaching, CenterBranch enables people to be their best so they, and the companies they work for, may flourish. Stacy has twenty-five years of experience from a variety of global industries as a leadership development expert, executive coach and HR business partner for C-suite leaders. In this episode Stacy and I discuss... A critical piece of women’s leadership development that can increase the efficacy of any training and development program for women. How to engage senior leaders so they are also engaged participants in the efforts to increase the number of women in senior leadership. Some of the components in a leadership development program that address the specific needs of women. The benefits to the participants of such a program – and to the people around them. How Stacy is applying this ideology in her consulting an coaching work through her company, CenterBranch. Links In her new book, Get Rooted!, Stacy identifies common values and provides readers with a visual framework to understand their roots.  Website: www.CenterBranch.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyhenry01/ Email: stacy.henry@CenterBranch.com WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register.

Do you prefer convenience or happiness? You may be thinking, “Both!” But the reality is our long-term happiness and satisfaction usually requires a long series of inconveniences. In this episode I’m making a case for why you actually want to be inconvenienced a lot more. Hello, I’m Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I’m an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the joy to work with women leaders who want to hone the skills that will allow them to thrive in Senior Leadership. I know I’ve met a woman I would love to work with when we start having a few laughs about our tendencies toward perfectionism and people pleasing. I had been living in Maine for the past 18 years, but I am currently in Massachusetts staying with family while I prepare to make my final move to Virginia. Thanks to the beauty of technology, I’ve been able to continue to work with women all over the world even in the midst of so much movement and transition. I do individual coaching as well as workshops and team retreats, and I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference. I spend the free time I have catching up with friends and family, coordinating my move to Virginia, and finding calm by watching the Great British Baking Show. Applied knowledge is power If you spend any time with teenagers and young adults you’ve probably witnessed many occasions where they choose the short-term pleasure or convenience over the long-term gain. Currently living in a home with a 9-year-old, 13-year-old, and 19-year-old, I am treated to many conversations and behaviors around this very topic. I’ve also had a very direct conversation with my 21-year-old nephew about this. We’re always faced with things, great and small, that we’d rather not have to do. But if we want to reach our goals and find satisfaction and fulfillment – the things that truly make us happy – we have to make some sacrifices. You might be thinking, “Jodi, why are you taking a podcast episode to talk about this? I already know this.” I absolutely know that you know this. What I would ask you is, how closely are you living this? When working with my clients we make the distinction between what we know and what we believe. Sometimes we hear an idea or theory and think, “That sounds about right. That makes sense to me.” And if there is some science to back it up, we then consider ourselves to “know it.” There’s the saying, knowledge is power, but that’s not exactly true. Knowledge is potential power. Applied knowledge is power. If you are making the sacrifices necessary to achieve satisfaction and fulfillment in your life, great! If not, use this episode as a gentle reminder. Though we may “know” something it’s often helpful to have reminders to live what we know. In this episode are some examples of the short-term sacrifices or inconveniences I invite you to make so you can live a life that brings you satisfaction and fulfillment.  I'm also sharing suggestion for how to make it easier to make those sacrifices. I hope this is of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Hailed as “a force of nature” and “a rising superstar”, Nikki Groom is on a mission to help rising women leaders recognize their worthiness, own their power, and amplify their impact – without checking their integrity at the door. She is the author of A Power of Your Own: How to Ignite Your Potential, Uncover Your Purpose, and Blaze Your Own Trail in Life and Business, a business, brand and marketing strategist, and the creator of the Movement Makers Mastermind: a small business growth accelerator for women entrepreneurs. Nikki hosts the Movement Makers podcast, is the Founder of The 100 Stories Worth Telling Project, and acts as an adviser for social entrepreneurs and enterprises. She has been involved in dozens of projects and partnerships that focus on empowering women in business. In this episode Nikki and I discuss… Our concept of worthiness and how that can hold us back from pursuing our happiness How shame looks in our day to day lives as women and how to release yourself from its grips Women’s credibility challenge  Finding freedom by giving yourself permission to fail Links “A Power of Your Own: How to Ignite Your Potential, Uncover Your Purpose, and Blaze Your Own Trail in Life & Business” the book, available from Amazon and other leading booksellers. Nikki’s website: https://www.nikkigroom.com/ Nikki’s Instagram: @NikkiGroom Free resources to help you amplify your impact: https://www.nikkigroom.com/ Download the first chapter of the book free: https://www.nikkigroom.com/book WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Are you ready for 2021? That can be a loaded question most years but this year it seems that question could easily set someone off. Given our routines have been upended, we have been through so much emotional upheaval, and the next year is uncertain, in this episode I’m going to give you a different kind of New Year exercise that is designed to support you no matter how you’re feeling about the past year or year to come. Hello, I’m Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I’m an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the joy to work with women leaders who want to hone the skills that will allow them to thrive in Senior Leadership. I know I’ve met a woman I would love to work with when we start having a few laughs about our tendencies toward perfectionism and people pleasing. I had been living in Maine for the past 18 years, but I am currently in Massachusetts staying with family while I prepare to make my final move to Virginia. Thanks to the beauty of technology, I’ve been able to continue to work with women all over the world even in the midst of so much movement and transition. I do individual coaching as well as workshops and team retreats, and I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference. I spend my free time catching up with friends and family, coordinating my move to Virginia, and lately I’ve been cooking more family-style meals with my sister and nieces. I have a few more skills in the kitchen. Do you have a few more skills this year? For many of us, the pandemic added a lot of stress and new responsibilities but ironically, also freed up a lot of our time. Because extra-curriculars, travel (even local travel), and events were cancelled or cut back, we’ve found ourselves with more space on our calendars. This free time, and a desire to distract ourselves from the uncertainty of our situations, brought on a boom of indulging in new and old hobbies, and polishing some skills. Many of you have improved your cooking and baking skills, have quickly upgraded your technical skills, and even the grandparents have become old hats at video conferencing. As we start to plan for 2021 let’s take a quick look back at 2020. My first question for you to consider is, what skills have you gained or improved upon in the past year? Be sure to include tactical skills, which may include more facility around software or mastering a crochet loop, as well as soft skills, such as improved listening skills, asking better questions, or advocating for yourself. What has the year taught you? As you reflect on last year, think about what else you learned about yourself. Did you discover a new interest? Did you realize you’re not doing the work you want to be doing? Did you realize you’re definitely in the right field but would like to contribute in a different way? Did you learn something new about taking care of yourself or your energy? Did you learn something new about the people around you and what they need or don’t need from you? When you think about yourself in the past year, what are you most proud of? Use these questions as prompts but don’t limit your reflection to just these questions. Keep exploring how the past year has informed you. One more question about the past year, which will segue right into imagining the year to come. What was missing for you in the past year? There may be many answers to this question so again, don’t limit yourself to one or two answers. Some common answers I’ve heard from my clients is hugs, good communication, in-person events, the ability to shop leisurely, and travel. Those seem to the be the glaring items that were missing last year. But I’ve also been hearing: alone time, space to sit quietly and think, structure and accountability. Thinking about what you’ve learned about yourself in the past year, what would you like to bring into 2021? Thinking about what was missing in the past year, what would you like to create in the year to come? Slowly start to identify goals With these answers you can start to create goals that don’t just represent a new achievement, they will support you to be your best self in 2021. Also, these goals will support you through the uncertainty we’re sure to experience through the first half of the year. As opportunities present themselves, and we know more about our situations, you’ll be able to expand and build upon your goals. Normally I would be encouraging you to be very specific and detailed about your goals, but the reality of our situation is we can predict very little about the year to come. What is in your control is your focus, your choices and your habits. Let’s double-down on these. Would additional support be helpful? Now, do you or someone who reports to you want or need someone to partner with in the new year? Working with a skilled coach can help get to the heart of what’s holding you back in your work or in your life in general. I’ve had 3 women sign up to work with me starting in January. One woman is an executive who has hit a point of mastery in her career but is beginning to feel unfulfilled. She is excellent at what she does and other companies are trying to recruit her but she has lost the passion for the work she does. She would apply for other jobs but isn’t clear on what she wants to do next. Through coaching she is going to explore what does excite her and would bring her fulfillment. Another woman is an executive within an organization who was promoted about a year ago. She’s meeting expectations in her role but doesn’t feel like she’s doing a strong job. She said she never felt like she got her feet under her after her promotion and there are some things she would like to be doing better. In this situation the owner of the company reached out on her behalf to identify coaches she could vet and he is investing in the coaching for her. The third woman whom I’ll be working with is a business owner. Her business is doing great, is very profitable, and though she is near retirement has not plans to leave the business any time soon. What she would like, though, is to take a little more time off and doesn’t see how she can do that because her team and customers are so dependent on her. We’ll be working together to create the structure and support that will allow her to be the visionary of her business and mentor to her team while allowing her team to work more independently and provide almost all of the customer service. If any of these scenarios sound familiar or if you have a unique situation you would like support with, I invite you to reach out to me directly at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or engage or send me a message on a social media platform. I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. We can chat about your situation and determine if coaching with me is a good fit for you. I would be honored to be of service to you in the coming year. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Kim Langers, COO of Rastegar Property Company is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the activities of the asset management and development team, marketing, technology, business strategy, and operations, along with helping Rastegar achieve its business goals. She is also instrumental in fostering the growth of the company and building a team that takes it to the next level. Previously, she held the Regional Operations Manager post at Herbalife Nutrition and was dedicated to improving distributor and preferred member experience in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, and the Caribbean. Before that, Kimberly supervised manufacturing for Coca-Cola and production for Merle Norman Cosmetics. In this episode Kim and I discuss... Fining opportunities in your career to live your core values The challenge within organization to create a culture of diversity and inclusion and how much easier it is to create that culture when it is a top-down approach How the lack of access to mentors for both young women and members of the LGBTQ community affects career choices How personal insecurities can distract us from reaching our full professional potential and how to overcome those insecurities Why women/members of the LGBTQ community end up having to work harder for their opportunities and why that needs to stop Links Connect with Kim: https://rastegarproperty.com/team_member/kim-langers/ WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Shannon Kenny is a Sustainable Business Consultant who helps eco-conscious businesses grow with integrity so they can create meaningful impact while running a successful business. Growing up on the Caribbean island of Trinidad instilled a deep sense of environmental responsibility within her, and in 2017, she turned that conviction into her career with the launch of Mama Eco, a business dedicated to helping eco-conscious people make better decisions for the environment. Prior to that, Shannon worked in the travel industry as a luxury travel advisor, and in the art world as an artist and curator. She has spoken at sustainable events as well as been on panels with thought leaders in the environmental world. And has been featured in several publications, including USA Today, MarketWatch, mindbodygreen and Grateful.  In this episode Shannon and I discuss... The work Shannon does as a sustainability consultant and the type of clients she serves Why it is important for businesses to think about environmental sustainability and begin to take transparent steps to help the environment How businesses can benefit from incorporating sustainability into their DNA and how it serves their employees, customers and bottom line Why it’s important for women to take the lead when it comes to sustainability Links Website: www.mamaeco.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mama.eco/ WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

In this quick episode I’m going to be direct about what’s needed from you as a leader and a reminder of what you need to be doing for yourself. Hello, I’m Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I’m an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the joy to work with women leaders who want to hone the skills that will allow them to thrive in Senior Leadership. I know I’ve met a woman I would love to work with when we start having a few laughs about our tendencies toward perfectionism and people pleasing. I had been living in Maine for the past 18 years, but I am currently in Massachusetts staying with family for the next month, and then I make my final move to Virginia at the beginning on 2021. Thanks to the beauty of technology, I’ve been able to continue to work with women all over the world even in the midst of so much movement and transition. I do individual coaching as well as workshops and team retreats, and I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference. I spend my free time catching up with friends and family, coordinating my move to Virginia to create a life with my guy, working out and watching the Great British Baking Show. I saw a tweet a few weeks ago that said this week has been the longest month. Have you been feeling that way too? This year has brought a bag of tricks we weren’t anticipating. Add a contentious election right before the holidays and that’s the cherry on top. You may also be having that feeling you had when you were a child on a long car ride with your parents and you were dying to get out of the car. In frustration and agony, you couldn’t help it, you kept asking, “Are we there yet?” We are not there yet. A president has been announced and vaccines are being approved, but we are a long way from healing as a nation and as a globe. Though you are like feeling a bit tired and uncertain, this is a great time to be a leader. When times are uncertain and chaos is ensuing, that’s when people are looking to those who lead to help them navigate a path through. If you are a leader, and I’m assuming you are if you are listening to this podcast, those who look to you for guidance need you to bring your best self forward right now. It's a lot to ask of you, but there’s a lot at stake. It won’t help anyone if you are easily triggered and reactionary right now. I have lost count of the number of times I had to give myself a talking to over the last couple of weeks, telling myself, “don’t engage, don’t engage, it’s not worth it.” Have you found yourself digging deep recently to stay away from conflict? The number of messages I've received in recent weeks detailing a "crazy" post on social media and the sender's struggle to not respond or comment on it have been numerous. I've seen a few and have been triggered by them as well. I want to react and discharge the emotion. And then I remember I am a leader and I have a bigger mission at stake. A moment of unleashing my pent-up frustration cannot be taken back and could hurt my cause significantly. Thoughts like, "don't engage, it's not worth it", may not be of the highest virtue but they've saved me from acting rashly and I'm grateful for that. We're all feeling a little on edge lately. I’m hoping with the winter holidays here we all have an opportunity to unplug and step away from the fray for a little while. And you especially, as a leader, need to take time to take care of yourself. If you need to vent to a trusted friend, unplug from the news, delete your social media apps from your phone or take a nap in the middle of the day - do it! Doing something nice for someone else will also make you feel good. I’d love to hear what helps you to stay above the fray? You can reach out to me directly at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or engage or send me a message on a social media platform. I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Jennifer Brown is an award-winning entrepreneur, dynamic speaker, and diversity and inclusion expert. She is the Founder and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting (JBC), a strategic leadership and diversity consulting firm that coaches business leaders worldwide on critical issues of talent and workplace strategy. Jennifer is a passionate advocate for social equality who helps businesses foster healthier, more productive workplace cultures. Her book Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace & the Will to Change inspires leadership to embrace the opportunity that diversity represents and empower advocates to drive change that resonates in today’s world. Jennifer's second book, How to Be an Inclusive Leader, provides a step-by-step guide for the personal and emotional journey we must undertake to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. In this episode Jennifer and I discuss... Self-awareness and some of the truths we need to face to open ourselves to become an inclusive leader The difference between performative and authentic allyship and how we can be a more authentic ally in the workplace The need to accept that “the work” is messy and if we can embrace failing forward we will grow, learn and become more inclusive The importance of organizations preparing the way for their employees to bring their whole self to work Links Website: https://jenniferbrownspeaks.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferbrown Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferbrownspeaks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbrownspeaks/inclusiveleaderthebook.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbrownconsulting WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

In this episode, I’m sharing some exciting news. And it’s not just that I celebrated my 46th birthday this week, though that is true. I’m also sharing that my book, Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing, is now finally, finally available in Audible. Hello, I’m Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I’m an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the joy to work with women leaders who want to hone the skills they’ll need to thrive in Senior Leadership. I know I’ve met a woman I would love to work with when we start having a few laughs about our tendencies toward perfectionism and people pleasing. I had been living in Maine for the past 18 years, but I am currently in Massachusetts staying with family for the next month, and then I make my final move to Virginia at the beginning on 2021. Thanks to the beauty of technology I’ve been able to continue to work with women all over the world even in the midst of so much movement and transition. I do individual coaching as well as workshops and team retreats, and I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference. I spend my free time catching up with friends and family, coordinating my move to Virginia to create a life with my guy, working out and watching the Great British Baking Show. I first published my book Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing in November of 2016. For years I’ve been asked why I don’t have an audio version of my book in Audible, given that I am a podcaster and many of the women in my community also like to consume audio content. Well, the wait is over! Accomplished is available in Audible and if you are not already on Audible, you can sign up and get Accomplished for free. Use the link, https://womentakingthelead.com/audible and you will be redirected to Audible to sign up and get Accomplished for free. If you are already an Audible member you can go find Accomplished right in your Audible app or use link https://womentakingthelead.com/audiobook and it will take you right there. You may be thinking, “What is Accomplished all about and why would I want to read it?” When we are not seeing the changes that we want, we often look to outside sources to explain the problem, giving our power over the situation away and hurting our self-image. Accomplished takes a different approach. It peels back the layers of misconceptions that you have about yourself and introduces you to the alter egos that appear when you are under stress. It gives you the opportunity to get to know the woman you really are underneath all the coping, the stress reactions, and the expectations of others. It guides you through a process to uncover and articulate your personal mission – the “work” that will bring you alive, bringing your best self forward in each moment. It gives you an opportunity to reflect on the people whom you spend the most time with and start to identify the specific qualities you want in the people who surround you. This is the secret to accomplishing goals you had only wished or struggled for up until now. And all of this inside work will lead to the motivation to make something happen in your life. In this final stage Accomplished guides you through crafting goals that are worthy of the real you. You have your pick of the audio version, kindle or paperback. And more good news, you can get the audio version of Accomplished for $4.87. This would also make a great gift for another woman. Now, this episode is short and sweet but I’m going to be back this Monday with another episode in which I’m chatting with Jennifer Brown of Jennifer Brown Consulting on the personal journey to be inclusive. It was enlivening. If there is any way I can support you, reach out to me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or message me on any platform we are connected on. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Nicole Tersigni is a comedic writer who lives in Metro Detroit with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. Since childhood, Nicole has felt an intense need to diffuse uncomfortable moments with laughter, so writing a book that finds humor in dealing with tiresome, entitled men was inevitable. Drawing on her experience in improv comedy and women's advocacy, Nicole is excited to combine these worlds and bring some much-needed levity to the fight against the patriarchy. When she's not writing feminist humor books, she's working on screenplays, or (more likely) cracking jokes on Twitter. In this episode Nicole and I discuss... In this episode Nicole and I discuss… 😯 The concept of mansplaining and when it starts to impact women 😯 What caused Nicole to take up the crusade to call out mansplaining 😯 The post on Twitter that caught fire and inspired the book 😯 The five types of mansplaining Nicole pokes fun at in her book 😯 The galling assumption that is at the heart of mansplaining 🤨 Raising daughters to recognize mistreatment and deal with it in a way that allows the other person to hear the critical feedback Links Twitter @nicsigni  Instagram @nicsigni_writes Book Men to Avoid in Art and Life Website: https://www.nicoletersigni.com  WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Dr. Carmen W. Landrau is a board-certified cardiologist and professional keynote speaker who uses her experience navigating a male-dominated career, to empower women to embrace their talents and acknowledge their achievements so that they may transform into phenomenal leaders. Carmen is a keynote speaker at corporate conferences and associations events and has participated in panels, workshops and national TV interviews with great acceptance. Her talks are sought-after by those actively involved in the advancement of women into senior executives of an organization. Her ability to elevate an event and engage the audience is repeatedly well received. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, exercising and spending quality time with her husband and kids. In this episode Carmen and I discuss... Her journey from cardiologist to keynote speaker in women’s empowerment How making a difference is what can help you overcome fear and take action If you are called to do something new, no matter what you try, that feeling is not going away and you will only feel better if you explore the possibility The importance of celebrating your successes, big and small Tips for women to take that next step Links Website:  www.drlandrau.com LinkedIn: www.Linkedin.com/in/drlandrau WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Ellen Miller grew up in rural Maine and is a leadership coach and operational executive for TRC Companies and Former Vice President of AVANGRID. She understands the challenges of being a pioneer and breaking trail in a non-traditional role. As a leader, she has experienced digging in, charging ahead, and rising above both personally and professionally. She is curating on Instagram, “Illuminating: Women In The Shadows”, to highlight and honor women pioneers in the past to inspire and empower the women pioneers of today. In this episode Ellen and I discuss... Why all women are pioneers, whether a business owner or an employee forging new paths for women to succeed. We have to blaze trails and make inroads that require us to engage and motivate people all around us. Why starting with vision, mission, vision sounds cliche but is an absolute must if you want to avoid the common pitfalls involved in leading a team. How Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be used to motivate your team and reduce stress. Why it is crucial to be able to redefine success, especially when you are in a crisis, so you and those around you can focus on what's important. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpoweredus/ Instagram:  @mpoweredus Email: ellen@mpoweredus.com WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

In this episode I’m going to cover being forceful versus being influential. We all have an idea of what we want and there are many strategies we can utilize to accomplish our goal. However, in regard to using force, which many of us can default into because of the short-term gains, there are many more benefits to cultivating influence even though it takes more time and conscious intention. Hello, I’m Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I’m an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the joy to work with women leaders who want to hone the skills they’ll need to thrive in Senior Leadership. I know I’ve met a woman I would love to work with when we start having a few laughs about our tendencies toward perfectionism and people pleasing. I have been living in Maine for the past 18 years and thanks to the beauty of technology I’ve been able to work with women all over the world. I do individual coaching as well as workshops and team retreats. I am currently in the processes of taking my coaching system and turning it into an online course for those who prefer a Do-It-Yourself model of learning. I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference and I am a Curriculum Partner for a Women’s Leadership development program through Real Women Collective Action (RWCA). I spend my free time catching up with friends and family, planning trips to Virginia to visit my guy, working out and watching the Great British Baking Show. Communication and Relationships Because of my expertise in communication and relationship building there have been times I’ve been approached by organizations looking for scripts of what to say. And hearing what this episode was going to cover, you may also have wondered if there are the right things to say to be more influential. I always respectfully hear what they have to say and why they want these scripts and then I explain to them that communication, relationship building, and gaining influence are more about who you are being that what you are saying. When I talk about who you are being, I’m referring to your demeanor, your attitude and the overall experience you are creating for the other person or people around you. You’ve probably heard this before: communication is comprised of only 7% word choice or verbal communication. The other 93% is split 38% vocal (think tone of voice, inflection, volume, etc.) and the final 55% is nonverbal communication (facial expressions and body language). That means, that while you may have 7% of your communication nailed down the other 93% of what you are communicating may not be in your conscious control. Even if you can get conscious control of some of your vocal and nonverbal communication and get that percentage up to 50% or 60%, you still have 40%-50% of your communication sending different messages. [Listen in to get more information on transforming subtle force, which only gives you short-term gains, into influence. How to Increase Your Influence Have a strong sense of integrity; keep your word Be clear on your core values and live by them Be confident and secure in who you are and your abilities Continue to develop yourself personally and professionally Respect and treat the people you lead with fairness Own up to your mistakes and make amends Be inclusive, invite others in, letting them be a part of the process Make others feel valued and heard Be agile and flexible, especially when faced with challenges Demonstrate openness, transparency, humility and intelligence Have a good sense of humor; value fun and enjoyment in the workplace and elsewhere Take your work seriously but don’t take yourself too seriously Be curious and embody a sense of possibility Assume good intent Inspire people by sharing your vision with them and helping them to see themselves in that vision Be a team player and make others happy to be on your team, playing alongside you Be willing to roll up your sleeves, work hard, and do what it takes and so much more... If you are already doing these things you are probably very in tune with having a blessed life. Well done and keep going. We are blessed to have you among us. And, if while going through that list you realized you could use some support in developing any of the characteristics and the demeanor that creates influence, I would love to partner with you on this. What is so great about coaching is the things that help to make you a better leader are the things that cause you to be happier and healthier in all areas of your life. If you’re ready or you would like to hear more about how coaching can help you develop influence reach out to me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com. It would be an honor to be a part of your journey. And if you thought of a friend or colleague whom this episode would be helpful to, please share it with them. Some of the most useful resources I’ve gained on my journey have come as recommendations from those who cared about me. As always, I hope this was helpful to you, and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Mary Cheyne is a TEDx speaker, MBA and Transformational Public Speaking Trainer & Coach who has trained over 15,000 people in 30 cities internationally. Mary is the 2009 World Champion of Public Speaking first runner-up, out of 25,000 contestants from 14 countries and is also the best-selling author of the book, “Present” Yourself in Public Speaking – Tell Your Inner Critic to SHUT UP! And the Real You to SPEAK UP! Mary is proof that transformation is possible, as she began her career as a self-conscious, introverted computer programmer! Two fun facts about Mary is that she also holds a Karate Black Belt rank and plays the ukulele.  In this episode Mary and I discuss... The invisible force that causes you to hesitate to speak up even though you know what you’re talking about How to manage your inner critic so it doesn’t sabotage your best efforts Public speaking is not people’s #1 fear. Do you know what is? What it means to wake up the warrior woman with yourself How to be confident and assert yourself in any situation Links Download the “Bypass Your Inner Critic” Cheat Sheet:  https://magneticpodium.com/InnerCriticSummary/ Website: https://www.magneticpodium.com Watch Mary’s TEDx Talk: The Hidden Power of Bruce Lee that We All Have https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq7FxNyKURY WTL Leadership Survey I’d love it if you could help me to do some research on the coaching and training that is most needed right now. I’ve put together a quick survey (5-10 minutes) to gather this information so I can make sure you are getting exactly what you need as a leader right now and in the near future. Go to womentakingthelead.com/survey to add your voice to this project. Thank you so much for your help! Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Were you one of the people who, when the pandemic shut downs began, took a step back to reflect on how you were living your life; checking in to see if you were on the right track? If you didn’t like what you were seeing, you’ve probably been doing some research to see what changes you could make and how to make those changes. From there, the next natural step is to get into action. When the pandemic began, I redid a series on the Cycle of Change and completed 3 of the 4 phases that make up the Cycle of Change. The phases I covered were: The Toss-In Phase or the ending of a cycle, The Shuffle Phase which includes deciding what you want to do next, and The Deal Phase when you decide what strategy you’ll utilize in the next phase. The timing did not feel right to cover the final phase back in the spring but I am feeling it now. In this episode, we’re going to cover the fourth and final phase of the cycle of change, Play the Game. Hi, I’m Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I’m an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the joy to work with women leaders who want to hone the skills they’ll need to thrive in Senior Leadership. I know I’ve met a woman I would love to work with when we start having a few laughs about our tendencies toward perfectionism and people pleasing. Originally from Massachusetts I have been living in Maine for the past 18 years. Thanks to the beauty of technology I’ve been able to work with women all over the world. If you have a device and Wi-Fi we can work together. I do individual coaching as well as workshops and team retreats. I am currently in the processes of taking my coaching system and turning it into an online course for those who prefer a Do-It-Yourself model of learning. I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference and I am a Curriculum Partner for a Women’s Leadership development program through Real Women Collective Action (RWCA). I spend my free time catching up with friends and family, FaceTiming my boyfriend who lives in Virginia, working out and watching the Great British Baking Show. Play the Game (Action!) “Play the Game” is an exciting and mostly positive time during the Cycle of Change when you are all-in to live your dreams and reach new levels of success, fulfillment and well-being. Whereas in previous stages you were either reflecting on the past or imagining the future, this phase is about being fully in the moment. You are living the strategy and the plan you created in The Deal Phase. It is a time of action but the amount of action you will take in this phase is based on your personality, how clear you are on your goal, how feasible your plan is and how much support you have. That’s why The Deal Phase is so crucial to set you up for success in this phase, though most plans will work if you can only get out of your own way. What that means is in the Play the Game Phase it’s important to manage your inner critic, which always comes to life when you are doing something new, big or scary. This is where self-doubt can start to plague you and if you allow it too much power you will unconsciously begin to self-sabotage. Know that it is natural and normal for your inner critic to try to have a field day with you. Change the perspective that hearing your inner critic is a bad thing. Rather, hearing your inner critic means you are playing full out and that’s a great thing. If you are able to manage your inner critic you will, for the most part, feel harmonious, optimistic, determined and fully alive. If you are able to remain flexible you will be able to pivot and adjust if things don’t go according to plan. Let’s face it, things rarely go exactly according to plan so it’s important not to get too attached to the plan or judge yourself and others too harshly for not expecting the unexpected. Things may not go as planned but you are 100% in. While this stage is usually associated with wins and success, it can also be the setting for disappointments, setbacks, and new challenges. You can probably look back on times in your life where the Play the Game Phase of the Cycle of Change did not go well. If this is happening to you right now it’s important not to judge yourself too harshly. Look on what is happening as a valuable lesson that you can examine and learn from so you go into the next Cycle of Change stronger and wiser. Place your focus on what is working and what is not working without judgment and you’ll be able to make adjustments and pivot pretty easily because you won’t be heaping the past and emotion on the situation. Remain nimble and empowered by staying curious and looking for opportunities no matter what is happening. Being Fully in the Moment People typically love this phase the most out of all of the four phases and wish it would continue on like this indefinitely, or better yet, for the rest of their lives. Although that sounds great, chances are if you are still open to growth and being your best-self, you will be back in the Toss In Phase and the cycle will begin once again. It doesn’t mean you’ve backtracked, it actually means you are moving forward, even though it may not feel like it at first. For instance, have you ever hit a time in your life when you want to stay in action because being in action makes you feel productive? However, if you are not regularly taking time and a step back to reflect on the goal and your progress, and making sure you are using the best strategy you will limit your own progress. Every phase of the Cycle of Change is important and requires your participation, even if participating looks like sitting idle and looking out a window or writing in a journal. Powerful things are happening internally that will increase your chances of success the next time you find yourself ready to Play the Game. What phase of the Cycle of Change are you currently in, in regard to your career? I’d love to hear from you. Send me a note at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or comment wherever you see a post for this episode. Also, please share this episode with anyone in your life whom you think could benefit from it. Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways for us to find the resources we need to make changes in our lives. As always, I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Cara Macklin, a multi award-winning entrepreneur and business success coach has been recognized for her achievements including Women in Business Outstanding Innovation, IoD finalist Director of the Year for Innovation, Women in Business Young Business Woman of the Year and Northern Ireland’s Top 40 under 40 and has been featured on BBC, Thrive Global, TedX, and in 2021 on FOX TV Both an entrepreneur and coach, Cara’s journey began at 5 years old, growing up in her family business where her education began around the kitchen table… Starting her first business at 15 and spent over 15 years as a Director in the family business an award-winning healthcare & hospitality group which grew from 3 businesses with 250 employees to 7 businesses and 600 employees. She disrupted the elderly healthcare industry in Ireland creating the first ‘Lifestyle Care Home’ cited by IoD chairman as a ‘world class concept.’ Cara left her family business and founded Caram as a Visionnaire Success Coach to elevate dynamic leaders ambitious to do things differently and achieve even more, through her unique blend of business acumen, creative thinking, and success mindset. In this episode Cara and I discuss… Cara’s work as a visionnaire success coach The biggest challenges leaders have when working on the future vision and next level of the business Cara’s success in working with teams to disrupted the elderly healthcare industry in Ireland. Steps you can take to tap into your creativity to create a vision of success for you. Links Email: hello@caramacklin.com Website: https://Caram.org.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caramacklin/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Linda Fisk is a multi-award-winning leader, keynote speaker, author and university professor dedicated to amplifying and extending the success of other high-caliber business leaders. Linda serves as the CEO of Collective 54, the only national peer advisory network for owners of professional services firms, focused exclusively on growing, scaling, and maximizing firm valuation. As CEO, she accelerates the success of Collective 54’s members, enabling them to live their most meaningful lives. Prior to leading Collective 54, Linda was the global head of brand marketing, public relations and communications at Susan G. Komen following a 5-year executive leadership role at YPO, where she developed her passion for bringing leaders together to solve problems. Linda forged a career as an entrepreneurial and forward-thinking marketing leader on the cutting edge of customer acquisition, retention and loyalty. Linda has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology and has written extensively on the subjects of social comparison, depression and anxiety, subjective well-being and personality theory, with a focus on relating scientific research to commonly understood concepts.  Currently, Linda is interested in the psychology of influence, persuasion and negotiation. In this episode Linda and I discuss... The power of partnerships Core values or principles of an effective partnership Examples of unlikely yet successful partnerships How to know if a partnership will benefit you and your goals The power of peer advisors and collective wisdom and expertise Links Website: https://www.collective54.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindafisk Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello there! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing is coming soon in Audible!!  I’m crossing my fingers that it will be available by September 18 because that is my 10-year anniversary of being in business. It would be something special to be able to talk about both of these events simultaneously. Stay tuned on more information about the book. This episode is dropping on the US holiday of Labor Day so if you are listening to this episode, I hope you have had a chance to take some significant downtime this weekend. And downtime is the topic of this episode of Women Taking the Lead. I recently shared an article I found on The Daily Muse titled, "Yes, You Should Still Take Time Off Work During COVID-19—Here’s How to Make the Most of It" by Regina Borsellino. The post was liked and commented on across platforms it so I knew it was hitting home. I got the feeling we needed to talk more about this. The article made a case for why you should take time off during COVID-19, for both personal and professional reasons. It also contained 6 tips to help you make the most of your time off. It’s all about setting yourself up for success. Self-care lays the foundation of the work I do with my clients. Just recently I was meeting with a new client and she was very wound up by a lot of things that were going on at work and was near her wits end. Our next meeting was the week after she came back from a week off and the difference was astounding. The circumstances at work were no different, but she was able to see things from a new perspective and felt that resolving these issues was very doable. She also talked about feeling lighter and more productive. The time away had helped her to crystalize her thoughts about how to take better care of herself. That week off gave her an opportunity to stop focusing on the problems she was facing and as a result, brand new solutions started presenting themselves to her. I want to underscore that – by intentionally putting the problems to the side and relaxing, her mind started to formulate solutions to the problems without her putting any effort into solving those problems. I also had an experience with a friend this past week that also underscored the need we have for rest. My friend has a lot going on in her life right now. She is getting pulled in many different directions, is up against some big deadlines and there was a lot of work to be done. She texted me a week ago because her anxiety had spiked and she was in a really bad place. I did what I could to support her in the moment but I was really worried about her for the rest of the day. When I checked back in with her that evening, she reported that she had laid down in the middle of the day to catch her breath and wound up sleeping for 2 ½ hours. She slept so soundly she woke up in the same position she fell asleep in. Her anxiety was gone and she accepted she was just going to have to take everything one step at a time and do what she could. She called me a few days later to let me know the biggest project with the hard deadline was completed a day ahead of schedule. She’s taking a break before she dives into the next project. We think we need to be a non-stop superwoman but the fact is we need to stop periodically to take care of ourselves to be at optimal. There is a principle of diminishing returns that you’ll want to be aware of. In the realm of productivity, it states that there is a point at which the same investment of resources will yield fewer results. For example, you may be able to complete four reports every hour. However, if you continue to work at that pace without a break you will reach a point when you are no longer able to produce four reports an hour. And if you continue, your output will continue to diminish. We need to take breaks to stay productive. And as was shown in the case of my friend, we need to take breaks to maintain a stable mood and confidence in our abilities. If you find that you are pushing yourself too hard, ask yourself what is the story you are telling yourself that is preventing you from taking a break? The story can take on many variations. It could be you see other people appear to be working harder than you are so feel like you’re not doing enough. It could be that you feel you must keep working because there’s no way it’s all going to get done if you rest. You may be afraid that you’ll lose your motivation for good if you slow down for a bit. Or, you’re afraid your business will tank or your job will be at risk if you don’t keep going full speed. I’m not going to tell you your story is true or false. I am asking you to challenge your story to see if it’s really true. And, what could you gain if you took some of the pressure off yourself and allowed yourself to recover and re-energize after all the work you’ve put in thus far? And if you lead a team, remember what you do sends a louder message than what you say. You may say you want your people to take breaks and fully unplug when they are on vacation. But if you don’t do it, they will think that your words are only words, and that you expect of them what you model. Lastly, here is an Instagram post from a colleague of mine, Elizabeth Ross Holstrom. She is the founder of Mindful Employer, and supports companies who are creating or would like to create mindful and conscious work environments. This post is a picture of cards she’s created to give some ideas for what you can do to renew yourself if you are taking a break – whether it’s one minute, three minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or more. Check them out and if you’d like them for yourself or your company get in touch with Elizabeth! Stay tuned for Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing in Audible. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite platform or sign up for my messages through the Women Taking the Lead website. Pretty soon you’ll be able to get Accomplished in print, kindle and now the audio version! This book is based on my Accomplished coaching system, and the accompanying worksheets will help you develop your own personalized care plan so that you are regularly renewing your energy and doing the things that satisfy and fulfill you. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Malinda Gagnon specializes in launching and growing products and companies, and has 20 years of experience in business strategy and digital communications. She is the CEO and Founder of Uprise Partners, a consulting and investment firm specializing in engineering, IT and marketing. At Google, she was a founding team member of the advertising technology organization in Cambridge, MA. At WPP/GroupM, the world’s largest media investment organization, she founded and led a digital consulting practice, as well as the Product Management and Technology group. She has advised clients such as Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Volkswagen, Unilever, Land Rover Jaguar, Allergan, Walmart and many others. She is also a mentor for MassChallenge and Techstars.  In this episode Malinda and I discuss... Her journey working in male-dominated fields and what made her successful. How we are multifaceted and can draw on feminine and masculine energies/approaches to respond to what's needed in the moment. What instigated the transition she made to owning her own business. How she managed recently to loosen up and take herself less seriously. Links Website: uprisepartners.com Podcast: datamyths.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Meredith Bell has been an entrepreneur since 1982, and she’s an expert in helping companies develop the people side of their business. Meredith is co-founder and President of Performance Support Systems, a global software company based in Virginia. Meredith heads up marketing and sales for the company. Over the years, she’s served as an informal mentor and coach to the coaches, consultants, business owners and human resource professionals who use their products. One of her strengths is creating strong, long-term relationships. Meredith and her business partners have worked together for 25 years, and many of their clients and resellers have done business with them for 20 years. She understands what’s required to build the loyalty and commitment that lead to repeat business and referrals. Playing Small Moment Meredith’s playing small moment happened when she was bullied by a possible client to lower her price, and because she wanted the client’s business she gave in and lowered her price. She says she would not handle the incident the same way today. The Wake Up Call Meredith had a wake up call when she found herself ignoring her inner critic, telling her she wasn’t important enough to take a certain action. She acted quickly before there was time to second guess herself. She realized there was nothing wrong with being bold. Style of Leadership People sense that Meredith cares for them. She pays attention to what people are saying and not saying. She lets them know she is there to serve them. What Are You Excited About? Meredith is excited about her new online coaching system, Strong for Performance. It applies to those who are developing leaders. It excites her every day to see people motivated and inspired. Current Business Challenge Meredith finds it challenging to get the word out about her new product as quickly and as grand as possible. What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Meredith’s business partners have supporting skill sets that help make everything work. She also benefits from outsourcing and automation tools. Leadership Practice Listening deeply to people when they are talking is Meredith’s effective leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership Straight Line Leadership by Dusan Djukich Advice For Younger Self “Have more fun. Be less serious and lighten up.” And, “Make more bold requests.” Inspirational Quote “How can I serve this person so powerfully that they never forget this conversation for the rest of their life?” ~ Rich Litvin New Book: Connect with Your Team Special price for Kindle is just $.99 during launch week only (August 3-9). https://amzn.to/3jL0pEI Links Website: http://www.strongforperformance.com/ Email: meredith@prostarcoach.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/meredithmbell Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithmbell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeredithMBell Free Gift: Support Coaching videos and ebook:  http://prostarcoach.com/coachingebookandvideos.asp Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and immediately you dread having to get out of bed? Before your feet touch the floor a list of things you really don’t want to tackle start floating through your mind. Or, you recall a recent interaction that didn't sit well with you and you feel those feelings all over again. Your mood is heavy, but you’re determined to make it a good day. So, you start the coffee, turn on the shower and focus on positive things. You pick up some steam and before you know it, you’re on with your day until… …it's mid-morning and you’re already excited for your lunch break. Even though you’re trying to remain positive, your nerves are on edge and you could use the time away. You have lunch and are able to breathe a little easier while plotting how you’ll make it through the rest of the afternoon. But your energy never fully returns and you pull yourself through each meeting or task as if you are hiking up a mountain. Before the end of the workday, you’ve given up on being productive and you move on to the typical distractions: Facebook, videos, the news, etc. If you’ve been seeing too many of these days lately, don’t lose hope! There is a solution. But like most remedies, it will take a little work to see actual results. Your energy is consumed by the things you tolerate Your energy is impacted by more than just your diet, sleep, exercise and aging. It is also impacted by how closely you live according to your values and the life you want to be living. If you are putting up with or avoiding something in your life that goes against your values or the life you want to live, you use a lot of your energy to be "okay" with it. The things you tolerate weigh you down, and it takes a substantial amount of energy to put up with things that annoy you. It also takes energy to avoid addressing nit-picky problems you wish would just go away on their own. Often times this looks like saying “yes” when you really want to say “no.” Spending time with negative people, listening to gossip, being taken for granted, or putting up with people who are unreliable - these are all things that you may be tolerating. Tolerating can also look like avoiding a noise that your car is making or when the check engine light goes on. It could be a bodily pain that needs to be checked out or an appliance that doesn’t work as well as it used to. You might be avoiding your finances, your health or your relationships, even though they need your attention. The danger of letting things go Imagine you are holding a beach ball under water. If it’s deflated, this is no problem. You could hold it under the water all day with hardly any energy or effort being used. Now imagine that for each thing you are tolerating you blow one puff of air into the beach ball. Again, no problem if you’re only tolerating a few things. However, chances are you are tolerating more than a few things. Chances are you may be tolerating a hundred or hundreds of little things without even being consciously aware of it. What makes the things we tolerate so insidious is that, when you look at each one individually, it’s not that big of a deal. So, you dismiss it and it remains. You do this to countless things throughout the day and the busier you perceive your life to be the more tolerations build up because you tell yourself it’s not that big of a deal or you’ll deal with it later. Slowly, over time, that beach ball gets bigger and bigger. And it starts taking an enormous amount of energy to get through the day holding it underwater and pretending it isn’t there. Until one day, something comes along that demands energy you have been giving to the beach ball. It could be the figurative straw that broke the camel's back or it could be something big. Suddenly, you don't have enough energy to keep that beach ball underwater and it shoots out of the water and you lose it! You don’t have the energy to tolerate those things anymore and you wonder why you’ve put up with them for so long. If someone happens to be in close proximity to you when this happens, they will likely be the unsuspecting victim of your wrath – which you will later regret and apologize for. How to keep tolerations from creeping in To prevent the blow up, first and foremost, be vigilant. If something doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you. When you address things in the moment, you’re able to do it calmly and in a matter-of-fact manner. This keeps the interaction or transaction low drama and thus quick and easy. Also, watch for when you try to convince yourself something isn’t a big deal and so doesn’t need to be dealt with or dealt with right away. Tolerations, individually, are typically not that big a deal so don’t let that be an excuse to avoid it. If it's something that will become a big deal if it is repeated indefinitely, it's a big enough deal to address the first time it happens. If you can’t deal with it immediately schedule when you are going to deal with it. Don’t say you’ll deal with it later with no plan to do so. A couple times a year I do a Tolerations Detox. This is a process I take my clients through to help them address and remove the things they are tolerating and avoiding in a simple and non-threatening manner, so they can maintain a high level of energy, confidence and motivation. I’ve seen this process work time and again. My clients make simple changes and find themselves flooded with the energy that has been missing for months or even years. With this sudden flood of energy, they start rearranging their offices, cleaning out their garages, or tackling other projects that have been neglected for some time. I’ve had several people tell me going through the process of the Tolerations Detox was life changing and removed huge burdens from their minds. The Tolerations Detox is a process that address 5 different areas of your life and I am making one area available for you to try out. Just go to HERE to sign up to access how to address the things we tolerate in the area of Work and Technology. Now, you may be aware you’re putting up with some things around your work but you’ll be surprised at some of the smaller things that can be easily addressed, giving you more energy to get through the day. I invite you to start your Tolerations Detox by signing up at https://womentakingthelead/workandtechnology. And as always, reach out to me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com with any questions or comments you have. Life is going to feel so different when there are fewer things you are putting up with. Imagine where you could put that excess energy. As always, I hope this was of value to you and Here’s to Your Success!! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Carolyn Delaney is the heart and soul behind Journey, an inspiring magazine devoted entirely to the Recovery Community in Maine.  As founder and publisher, she leads a diverse team of 30 volunteers who are called to take positive actions to combat the current climate surrounding addiction – keeping the content hyper-local by sharing local stories, resources & services. As a woman in recovery, Carolyn knows firsthand how large the ripple effect one can have on their family and community, and the importance of support throughout the process. With decades of experience in technology leadership which started with Desktop Publishing in the early 90s, Carolyn is able to combine her skills, expertise, and personal experiences to offer a magazine that supports the message that Recovery is possible. With a grateful heart for how life has blessed her Journey to Recovery, she wants to give hope to those who struggle, and hope to those who love people who struggle. Carolyn and her team’s mission is to shine a light on Recovery, and what freedom from addiction looks like in our state of Maine.  Her vision is to create a platform for celebrating recovery, and amplifying a message of hope, empowerment and connection. Along with others who wish to remain nameless and anonymous, the Journey team is made up of kind, caring and compassionate people what want to make a difference. In this episode Carolyn and I discuss... Starting a business without knowing how to be a business owner The stories we make up in our heads which we then project onto others, causing us to play small and hold ourselves back What is actually going on when you’re afraid of success and why self-sabotage will potentially kick in The growth that has occurred since Carolyn has read the book Accomplished and how the benefits continue to ripple out The mission of Journey Magazine and why this is important for everyone Links Website: https://www.recovery-journey.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recovery.journey.in.maine/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/journeymagazine/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoveryjourney2/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Nicole Burgess helps introverted, high achieving, and/or highly sensitive women be exactly who they are meant to be. She is an empowerment and leadership coach for introverted and sensitive women and the host of the soul-filled sisterhood podcast. Her dream is to create a sisterhood, one sister at a time, with women around the world supporting each other in achieving their heartfelt desires and creating more inclusion, so that together we take the lead in our own lives. In this episode Nicole and I discuss... The highly sensitive and high achieving woman. The traits of a highly sensitive person (HSP). The #1 issue Nicole hears from her HSP clients and why they seek coaching. What creates stress for an HSP and what you can do to mitigate that stress. Some ways to be more empowered in a chaotic world. Managing the expectations of those who do not understand if you are an HSP. Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleBurgessCoaching/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleburgesscoach/ Website: www.nicoleburgesscoaching.com   Free webinar: 5 Steps to end overwhelm and live balanced, connected and calm as an HSP women entrepreneur:  https://nicoleburgesscoaching.com/endoverwhelm   Dr. Elaine Aron’s self-test, Are You Highly Sensitive?: https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/   Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.  

This episode shares my quick reflections on the racist and political events of May/June of 2020.  I am reaching out to my community in the hopes that I can ease overwhelm, validate the swirling emotions many of us are feeling and offer some resources to begin actively being antiracist everyday. The First Steps You Can Take Sign petitions and donate: Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/ Change.org: https://www.change.org/ Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org/   Next, Educate yourself Films: Just Mercy: https://www.justmercyfilm.com/ (currently free on many platforms) Neflix Original, 13th: https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741   Books: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad Please consider buying your books from black-owned businesses: https://afrotech.com/10-black-owned-online-bookstores-to-support-while-at-home   Other podcast episode for white women: Speaking Your Brand, The Work of Anti-Racism as White Women with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-of-anti-racism-as-white-women-ep-175/   Massive Resource list https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR2mUzWm1BXxQZ-pV-zxzvR8J16Zipi2h5H1P8bz5kMOeO6bGnwJOEYP6Vo   Articles on how to be an Ally: For Our White Friends Desiring To Be Allies, https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies?fbclid=IwAR21Gm97ZmSRSAp0MST1ZPbfOaulK0VDlaT10N9Aot3dQy-80e_59hJNBxU 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice, https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234 The Great Unlearn (Patreon): https://www.patreon.com/thegreatunlearn?fbclid=IwAR1KwfHB2ZdujGv9FrxfY9BlBAD1VixReHoyq-7Z8MazHkvkpfC18Gr0irw   Other resources: The Center for Transformation and Change: https://drkathyobear.com/   As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!   Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make!

Kate Erickson is the engine at Entrepreneurs On Fire, an award winning podcast where John Lee Dumas interviews inspiring Entrepreneurs who are truly ON FIRE. She is also the host of the podcast Ditch Busy and co-author of The Podcast Journal: Idea to Launch in 50 Days. You can learn more about the free training Kate & John have created for entrepreneurs who are ready to achieve financial and lifestyle freedom over at EOFire.com! In this episode Kate and I discuss... What it means to “ditch’ busy”. Not just the strategy behind time management but the lifestyle change that occurs and what becomes possible when you are feeling great about how your time is spent. How to break down overwhelm so you can overcome it and prevent it from cropping up over and over again in the future. An approach to your to-do list that will make you feel amazing rather than feeling defeated. A mindset that you can take on that will focus your time and energy, even in the midst of chaos. Links Website: https://www.eofire.com Website: http://ditchbusy.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

In the last episode I continued our exploration of the Cycle of Change using the analogy of a card game which was first introduced to me by iPEC Coaching. If you have not listened to the first two episodes covering the Cycle of Change, I recommend you go back to the episodes. They are titled How to Process These Unexpected Changes and Contemplating Your New Normal, respectively. These are quick episodes and will catch you up on The Cycle of Change as it looks during the COVID-19 pandemic, or really any time of crisis. I mentioned in Contemplating Your New Normal that when you move into the Shuffle Phase you require more time to reflect and begin researching different options for the future. You start doing some research and reaching out to others who know more about whatever it is you are exploring. In the Shuffle phase you don’t have a lot of information yet, so you are thinking and gathering, exploring ideas, imagining different possibilities that could play out in the future. The Cycle of Change Phase 2: Deal (Preparing/Developing) The next phase in the Cycle of Change, using that card game analogy, is The “Deal” phase. The Deal phase is marked by an increase in activity – this will include active networking, testing out interests or experimenting, training and skill building. The plan that was developed in the Shuffle phase is beginning put into action! You will have more energy and a more positive attitude because now you can actually do something. You are following a path; you have a direction to go in. You’re open to new experiences, new people, and preparing yourself for the intensity of the next phase. When you are in the Deal phase you are more optimistic, seeing life as an opportunity, and you experience more confidence in this stage than in any other. You are the proverbial adventurous student of life eager to stretch, learn, and grow in new directions. Think about it. When you’re playing a card game and the cards are being dealt, there’s so much opportunity. It’s anyone’s game at this point. When you first enter this the Deal phase in life, you will shy away from making commitments. Remember, this is the phase of experimenting and because of this you’ll tend to want to keep your options open and take things “one step at a time.” What’s important in The Deal phase is your ability to move to the point where you can make a choice to move forward with commitment and make something happen. You may not know how it’s all going to turn out but you are ready to execute your plan. Here you’ll also be looking around for allies, mentors and guides who can help to see you through the next phase successfully. You’re now developing a plan that will take you into the next phase, beyond networking and experimenting. You will identify one or more goals for the next phase, and thus the work at the end of The Deal Phase is to have a strategy and a plan formed that lays out the steps that will take you to your goal. Anticipation, excitement and energy will increase as you gain more clarity around all of these pieces. There is also fear of failure or success, likely a combination of both, but you will be poised for action. The Deal Phase During COVID-19 You may have experienced the full cycle of change during the COVID-19 pandemic in certain areas of your life. There is no definitive length of time that you need to spend in each phase, what’s important is that you are doing the work in each phase. You may have found that with some things in your life you felt grieving and despair, a longing for what was. This may have passed relatively quickly as you contemplated and absorbed the changes. You may have then found yourself reaching out to others to see what they were doing or going to Google or Youtube to find ideas for how to do things differently. Before you knew it, you may have found yourself experimenting with your new ideas and noting what worked and what didn’t work. And not long after you found yourself saying, “This is what I’m doing. I’m all in.” For other things in your life, you may find yourself still in the Toss In, unable to accept that things won’t be the same, at least not anytime soon. What will be helpful to you in the Deal phase is: Having a vision of what success will look like in the next phase. This will not only get you excited for what’s to come but may also help to identify any gaps in resources or training that you will need to set you up for success. In the last phase you were identifying your core values and how you wanted to live your life. Here, it’s also important to know what brings you alive, what value you want to bring and at least a sense of what your purpose or mission is. If you can connect your goals to these things it will fuel your fire. However, don’t overthink it, experiment with what you want to bring forth in this phase. For instance, in my case I can boil down my purpose to the statement, “my purpose is to wake people up to how awesome they already are so they can get on with their purpose.” That is clearly tied to the goals I have for Women Taking the Lead and yes, it fuels my fire. It motivates me on the days when I can’t see progress or I just don’t feel like it. Start with the change you’d like to see in the world and let it unfold from there. If you are externally motivated, find an accountability partner or and accountability group. This will help you keep up momentum. That’s not to say you cannot pivot based on what you are learning from your networking and experimenting. Forward movement coming from informed decisions is what you are looking for here and the accountability will help ensure that this is what’s happening. Also, having trusted advisors who have your highest good at heart and who can listen intently, cheer you on, and help you clarify your next steps is priceless. If you have someone like this who is also great at setting priorities and making a plan, especially if this is not your forte, that’s a bonus! If you are in this phase and you have not yet read my book Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing I’m going to strongly encourage you do so. A lot of what you need to do to navigate The Deal phase successfully is in this book.   From creating a vision of success, to getting at your core values, your purpose and mission, Superpowers, and even creating goals and designing a plan are in this book. It’s a tool you do not want missing from your toolkit.   You can find the paperback and kindle version of Accomplished in Amazon, and as soon as I can get into the Portland Pod recording studio once again, I will have the book recorded, mastered and uploaded into Audible for your listening pleasure as well. Stay tuned for that!   If you have read Accomplished and you are finding yourself in The Deal Phase, read it again. This book is a process that will take you to new levels of knowing yourself and finding success with each reading.   Okay, that’s The Deal phase. We only have one more phase to cover, Playing the Game phase and I’ll be covering that in next week’s episode.   As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!   Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

I hope this post finds you healthy and well, maybe not everything going perfectly but seeing some sort of a light at the end of this tunnel. I truly believe we are all going to get through this and be okay and I believe this because we always do. We always get through our worst days, we always come out the other side of things. The question always is, really, “what do we want to experience while we’re going through it? Who do we want to be, how do we want to show up as? So, I have been using these episodes as a way to support you and let you know you are not alone and what you are going through is very normal. The Cycle of Change   Last week, I introduced The Cycle of Change using the analogy of a card game as I learned it through iPEC Coaching. I gave an overview of the four phases you can find yourself, in any area of your life. I’m going to dive into each phase and I started with the phase that we are all probably finding ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Toss In phase. We don’t go through The Cycle of Change once; we go through it over and over again with each cycle ending in the Toss in. The Toss In is a stage of completion and probably some bittersweet feelings as you start to accept everything that happened in the last phase. Eventually, you start emotionally detaching from the last phase and in some cases, there may be a physical separation from the environment and people who were in the last cycle with you. This is true in the cases of buying a new home, ending a relationship, changing jobs, starting a new business, etc. So, using the card game analogy, this is when the last game comes to an end but you’re still alive and so you will continue to play one game or another. Again, it’s a continuous cycle. The phase that comes after the Toss In phase is the “Shuffle” phase. It is a non-committal phase where you want to contemplate what was and what could be next. In the Toss In phase of non-action, the contemplating and reflecting had more to do with grieving and letting go of the past and what could have been. In the Shuffle phase the contemplation and reflection moves toward focusing mostly on possibilities for the future. I know a lot of you will feel uncomfortable allowing for inactivity for an indefinite amount of time. But believe me, if you give yourself the space to do this you will then naturally begin to move into the part of The Shuffle phase where you begin to research and network, and you will find the next thing that will re-energize and re-engage you. When you enter The Shuffle phase you will find that you are better able to deal with the pain you began experiencing in the Toss In phase. You will also find you are better able to think on those events from the last cycle without becoming emotional. Rather, you can reframe what happened and logically process the information to find what worked and what didn’t work, giving you more expertise moving into this new cycle. This is also the phase where you will evaluate where you are in your life. You’ll examine your core values and feelings so you can decide what is really important to you in your life and that will help you decide where you want to move next and how you want to play that game. If you are in the beginning of this phase, you’ll likely feel that you have lost control in this area of your life and that may spill over into other areas because you will second guess yourself. However, you’re also likely feeling like there’s an opportunity here for you – you just don’t know what it is yet. This is also a phase in which you will likely experience spiritual growth because of the need to go inward and connect with something greater, causing a leap in personal growth. At the end of this phase you will have more inner strength, a plan to grow, and renewed energy. You will have a new vision for the future which will give you hope and a new purpose. With all of this you will have more enthusiasm going into each day and will probably be breathing a sigh of relief that you can now move on and DO something. If you allow yourself to do the kind of work required in this phase (reflecting and researching) you will be able to focus on the right activities that will move you forward, rather than engaging in activities that are just what you think you “should” be doing. If you find you are enthusiastic about researching, exploring new ideas, and networking and connecting with people who can move you forward in this area, you are likely well into this phase. I believe that because we are getting news about some of the restrictions due to COVID-19 being lifted many of us are starting to come out of the Toss-in phase and getting into the Shuffle phase. You may have come to a place of acceptance that while some things will be allowed this summer it will be far from normal. In the Toss-in phase there is grief for what was lost, in the Shuffle phase you begin to think about creating some new activities and traditions. I’ve already had friends say, “we can’t sit in a restaurant but we can grab take out and sit 6 feet apart either on a large blanket or at a picnic table.” You may have already started reaching out to people you know to explore new business or career opportunities. You team may be literally “shuffling” responsibilities to allow for more growth and development. If you’re not there yet, don’t worry. This phase begins with contemplation. That can look like long walks by yourself, sitting in your yard or staring at nothing. As you move toward the end of this phase you begin researching and networking to explore ideas. Wherever you are, you are the perfect place for you. Here are some things that may help you take advantage of The Shuffle phase. First, trust that everything you need to move through this phase will come to you. You don’t have to control or force it, just let it unfold and follow what interests you. Your curiosity and your interests are your north star right now. Second, if you’re starting to reach out to others, only give your time and energy to those who want your highest good.  Avoid those who seem to be pushing or pulling you in a direction that doesn’t feel good or make sense to you right now. If you can sense judgment coming from them, just put some space between you and them for a while. Third, when you’re ready to take a little bit of action, don’t overthink it. Just start somewhere. You can always pivot if your first moves aren’t giving you the information that you need. Fourth, there may be some anxiety and you will likely find yourself coming face-to-face with beliefs or automatic ways of being from the past that make you anxious and hold you back. Confront them and challenge the truth of it. For instance, for me an old belief that I get confronted with on occasion is the belief that if I have needs then I am burdensome and a bother to people. In this phase, that would hold me back from reaching out to others to ask them to impart their wisdom to me. The reality is, those with wisdom crave the opportunity to pass on what they know to those who are ready to receive it. When I am confronted with thoughts like, “they have so much going on, I don’t want to disturb them”, I have to consciously let that go and trust that if I they really don’t have time for me, they will kindly let me know. Lastly, when you’re ready, begin creating goals and a plan to accomplish those goals. Then decide how and when you want to begin. Tap on those people who have your highest good at heart. They want to help in this stage because you are acting in alignment with your own highest good. If this was helpful to you, I’m going to ask a favor. Please share this episode with a friend or colleague whom you know could benefit from this information. It’s sharing resources that helps us all get through tough times. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

In September of 2017 I did a few episodes on the Cycle of Change. Given what we are going through currently I think this is a good time for a review. I was first introduced to the concept of the cycle of change when I was getting certified as a coach through iPEC Coaching. They had a nice analogy of the cycle of change as a card game. The Cycle of Change Change occurs in a cycle and we’re always in some part of the cycle of change in every area of our lives. Each part of your life is likely in different parts of the cycle. Because we tend to interpret different stage of the change cycle as good or bad, we commonly have the experience of feeling like there are always some areas of our life in which we are winning and other areas that feel like we are struggling. In this episode I’m going to give a brief overview of The Cycle of Change and discuss the overarching phase we are currently going through during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the card game analogy for The Cycle of Change there are several phases. Before you play a card game you have to decide what game you’re going to play. This usually happens as you’ve started to shuffle the cards so this phase is called The Shuffle Phase. The game is chosen and cards are dealt. During The Deal Phase your mind is considering your resources, the other players, a strategy is chosen and you are formulating a plan. Then you move into the phase called Play the Game. Obviously, this is the phase of movement and action. Then the game comes to a close and you are now in The Toss in Phase. During this phase you are absorbing what just happened and either celebrating a victory or considering how you feel about defeat. Phase 4: Toss In All things come to an end and typically people are rarely ready for the cycle to end because when you’re in the Playing the Game phase there’s a lot of energy and excitement. At the end, the Toss In, there is loss, grief, confusion or a lack of clarity for what’s next. Whether it is the end of a job role or a relationship, people in this part of the cycle are usually unhappy and cannot see how they will be able to go through it all again. In this part of The Cycle of Change you will take little action on your own and resist change because of fear and uncertainty, and depending on how the last phase ended, there may be a lack of hope. In this phase you may also feel victimized and like you don’t have control over your circumstances. You may find yourself being grumpier, ill at ease, and even experiencing pain more. At the end of the Toss In, there can be an intense state of “hibernation” or “cocooning”. If you’ve read my book, Accomplished, you’ll be very familiar with. This state eventually passes, and if you let yourself just be during this phase you will naturally find yourself getting renewed and re-energized, ready for the next phase. Does this all sound familiar to what we’ve been going through lately? When our events were cancelled, when the schools and business establishments were closed, when the Stay at Home orders were issued, we all found ourselves unexpectedly in The Toss In phase. This is why so many of us have been experiencing feelings of grief. We are grieving a way of life that will either take a long time to get back to or may never be the same again. Here is some guidance for you that may help to ease the discomfort of being in this phase. Allow yourself to experience all the thoughts and feelings created by loss and uncertainty. Don’t try to rush through it, or numb the experience, because you feel uncomfortable. It is normal for this phase to feel uncomfortable and unnatural, especially if you are living in a culture that celebrates achievement, productivity, and getting things done. It’s okay to give in to the need to withdraw for a while because the reflection and contemplation you will do while you are feeling low energy is critical to gaining clarity to go into the next phase. I also want to underscore that numbing this experience by overindulging in sugar, alcohol, tobacco, Netflix, exercise, etc. will prevent you from doing the deep work that strengthens you and provides clarity for the next stage. I’m not judging having anything in small doses and moderation. It’s using these things to distract yourself from uncomfortable thoughts and feelings that will cause suffering in the long run. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in indecision because you just had no clue what you wanted or didn’t want, it was probably because you skipped past the Toss In phase and so never got the information you needed to do the next phase well. In this stage of grieving you are doing an analysis of what went right and what went wrong while you were in the last Cycle of Change. You are considering your thoughts, feelings, actions and the results you got during that cycle. Many of us have been looking at the lifestyle we were living in the last few years and questioning if that’s how we want to move forward. All of this is important information that you need to synthesize, and then integrate, to strengthen you to move forward. Do the work. And the work looks like being with yourself even if it feels yucky. It’s okay to vent to release the emotion. Fear, anxiety, doubt, loss and anger are all normal during this phase. Find people you trust implicitly and make it clear to them you don’t need them to fix you or make you feel better, you just need them to hear you and validate where you are. Let them know you’ll tell them when you are ready to take some action but until then you need them to respect where you are in the process. It may help to explain to them that this is a grieving process. Look for the positives. What is going well? What can you count on? This will give you some foundation to stand on while other things feel like they are coming undone. Lastly, be good to yourself. Give yourself some guilt-free space to just be for a while without the need to do, accomplish or achieve anything. Remember, this too shall pass but don’t force it. Otherwise, you’ll just find your back here again without having made any progress. If this was helpful to you, I’m going to ask a favor. Please share this episode with a friend or colleague whom you know could benefit from this information. It’s sharing resources that helps us all get through tough times. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

If any of you have ever met Amy, you know she is passionate about three things.  Family, Finances, and WINE!  This comes through in all that she does and all that she is.  When asked to describe herself she first and foremost states, “I am a wife, a daughter, and hopefully a good friend, who happens to also be a financial planner.”  Amy holds a Master’s Degree in financial planning and is a Certified Financial PlannerTM, Enrolled Agent, Certified College Financial Consultant, and a Financial Wellness Coach with over 25 years of financial planning and industry experience.  She is the Founder and owner of Rooted Planning Group, Amy is definitely “doing it her way” and has been recognized by her financial planning colleagues as being a “disrupter,” a title she holds close to her heart and is proud of. On her website it states, “I love what I do, but I also very much enjoy warmth, good conversation, wine tastings, and volunteering. In this episode Amy and I discuss... The measures she is taking in the financial upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic The steps you can take to get your healthcare initiatives in order Highlights of the CARES act and what you'll want to pay attention to How Amy is working with her clients to alleviate their fears and plan for the road ahead Links Website: www.rootedpg.com Email: amy@rootedpg.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootedpg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rooted-planning-group/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedpg/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

March started off a celebration of Women’s History Month and ended with episodes on how to identify and support leaders who are struggling, especially now that we are in the midst of a pandemic. Ironically, the focus in March changed the week of the 5-year anniversary episode where I offered some perspectives that will help you to look at things differently so you could release some of the stress that you are likely experiencing. Changing your perspective, depending on the perspective you choose, can be like releasing a pressure valve. The next episode, which was the episode before this one, talked about the effects stress has on your system and why you may be finding it hard to function at your very best. I listed out some symptoms of a leader who is struggling and the mindset of a leader who, while being challenged in a crisis, can continue to function and grow in the face of those challenges. I know it has not been easy to talk about hard things but the way to the other side is through. We need to acknowledge what we are dealing with before we can get through it. Common Responses to Stress Under stress, we typically go into a Fight, Flight or Freeze response. Flight looks like avoiding or running away from a problem. Fight looks like getting defensive or combative. Freeze looks like going still as you take in information and formulate your next move – are you going to Fight or take Flight? New research is also showing a female response to stress will also include Tend and Befriend. Some of us under stress will have increased nurturing behaviors and seek out social connections. How many of us in the current crisis have gone on a baking frenzy? My hand is way up in the air. How many of us have increased the amount of reach outs to friends, family, and colleagues to reassure them and ourselves that they are thought of and the connection is still there? Again, my hand is way up in the air. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, it is not business as usual. While you can’t expect that you’ll have the same performance that you had before this crisis there are some gentle things you can do to increase your focus and productivity. First, you must find calm. Perhaps not feeling calm all day every day, but injecting calm throughout the day. When we are stressed, we tend to be very active but not always productive. When we feel stressed, we often also feel time-pressured. We start moving so fast we can get stuck in the weeds, losing sight of the big picture and important details. We start giving unimportant details too much time and attention which results in lots and lots of wasted time. We are also more likely to make mistakes when we are moving too fast and under too much pressure. The goal is to avoid or, if you are already there, to get out of this frenetic state so you are functioning optimally. Start with a practice in the morning that helps you calm your racing mind and get clear on what the priority of the day is. Set timers or put on your daily calendar time blocks to unplug and engage in activities such as meditation, prayer, reading, walking, stretching, yoga, breathing exercises, fun and play. You choose what works best for you. Those activities will help to take you from feeling energetically stretched and scattered to bringing that energy back in your body and feeling centered. This level of calm has several benefits. It quiets the chattering, distracting, monkey mind thoughts so you can give whatever you are currently doing your full attention. A state of calm comes with a heightened level of awareness so you are able to see things more clearly. Additionally, this level of awareness helps you to realize everything will get done in due time. It all gets done one step at a time. This practice of finding calm will help with the next practice to help you continue to increase your focus and productivity. Practice being aware of your thoughts and emotions. Your thoughts and emotions are your signals to your state of being. If you find yourself anything but calm, joyful, or enlivened, you are likely feeling threatened by something and it’s creating fear, however subtle. You may not even recognize the fear. The emotion of fear gets a bad reputation in our culture because we see it as a weak emotion only felt by those who lack courage. When in reality, courage is the ability to do something that frightens you. An act is not courageous unless the person taking the action is feeling fear but does not let the fear paralyze them. By definition, fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Guess what? The current crisis is threatening to you and to people and things important to you. If you can become aware of your experience and name it you have some power over it. You can then look more closely at what the fear is and challenge the belief that is causing it.  I’ll use myself as an example. When I find myself getting wiped out, I notice it’s after spending too much time reading the news online. The numbers and the stories overwhelm me because I feel powerless to stop it or make a difference. The belief is I am powerless in this situation and am a victim of the circumstances. To challenge this belief so it no longer has power over me, I ask myself, “Is it true that there is nothing I can do that will make a difference?” The quick realization is that there are many things I can do to make a difference: I can social-distance to prevent myself from getting sick I can produce a podcast to help others get through this crisis I can email, text, or call someone to check in on them I can work on projects I wouldn’t I have time to complete if I was traveling more I can get prepared for when the restrictions are lifted I can donate money to any of the organizations on the frontlines of the pandemic Name your fear and the belief that is causing it, and then challenge that believe so that you can see that you do have some power and there are some things you can do to control your destiny, however small. Find a trusted person to talk about your feelings with. It is so powerful to have someone you can go to admit that you are sad, angry, joyful or “meh” without your emotion being judged. Now, all that being said, this exercise isn’t to push you through the emotion so you can move on as quickly as possible. Do this exercise gently and know it’s okay to sit with the emotion for a while before you take a closer look at it. The next practice I recommend to increase your focus and productivity is to… Accept help if it is offered. For some (or many) of you, this is really hard to do because you’re accustomed to being the person who is on top of things and gives off the impression of having it all handled. Some leaders even feel threatened by this. But if you want to have more focus and be more productive, you’re going to have to make this a team effort. Let’s face it, during a crisis it must be a team effort so let your team shine. Be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. You show you’re open by listening, asking questions, showing appreciation for an idea (even if the idea isn’t going to work acknowledge the person for speaking up and bringing the idea to you). I started with accepting help if it’s offered because the next one can be even more challenging for over achievers. Reach out for help Lay your cards out on the table. Make and a list of what needs to get done and ask your team and your colleagues for help. If you have a team, make them a part of the process of identifying everything that needs to get done and ask if they are willing and able to take on some tasks. I’m hearing stories of teams shuffling tasks around so the tasks are being done by the person it makes sense to be doing it. For some of you, you need to step away from daily operations for chunks of time to attend webinars on the changes in your industry. You need to rely on your teams even more right now. You may be quarantined or sick. You’re going to need to rely on your friends, family and local community to get groceries, medications and other supplies. Now is not the time to let the identity of being the superhero get in the way of the greater good, and your own good. Believe it or not, there are people right now who are dying to be more helpful. Helping others gives us a sense of meaning and purpose. If you don’t give others a chance to be helpful you are blocking an opportunity for them to find meaning in this crisis and to also show how capable and caring they really are. If you struggle with any of these recommendations to help you increase your focus and productivity (finding calm, self-awareness, accepting help and asking for help) I’m going to invite you to take the Energy Leadership Assessment as the solution to that problem. Forbes magazine listed the Energy Leadership Assessment as One of the Top 11 Assessments Every Executive Should Take. The reason for that is, quoting right from the article, “The Energy Leadership Index Assessment provides a unique lens on self-awareness and emotional intelligence, two key ingredients for any leader. Situational awareness of yourself and others is critical for a leader to respond appropriately to the people in their charge. Understanding where you are at any moment and how you respond to stress can make all the difference.” The knowledge you gain from taking the assessment allows you to continue to grow and develop as a strong, compassionate, effective leader. If you would like to explore the Energy Leadership Assessment you can go to womentakingthelead.com/assessment to find out more and purchase it if that feels right for you at this time. I would love to work with you. Again, for those of you in leadership, I thank you for your contribution. We need self-aware, skilled leaders more than ever. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

The last episode of Women Taking the Lead was a celebration of 5 years of the Women Taking the Lead podcast and, in that episode, I also covered some ways to begin to relieve the stress you are likely experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. You are dealing with the work and lifestyle changes, as well as the uncertainty around your future health and finances. It’s a lot. It’s a lot, and for some of you, you need to face that fact that you’re not going to have the same level of focus and productivity. Not without making some changes. Stress weighs on you and, from what I’ve seen and talked about with my clients, most of the stress you experience goes unacknowledged. Try this stress test Time yourself walking or running a half a mile. Once you are finished, note your time and take your pulse. Notice the pace of your breath and how much you are sweating. On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel after doing that half mile? Note how long it takes for your heart rate and breathing to return to normal. Now pick up a 15-pound weight and time yourself repeating whatever you just completed, the half mile walk or run. Once you are finished, note your time and take your pulse. Notice the pace of your breath and how much you are sweating. On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel this time? Note how long it takes for your heart rate and breathing to return to normal. The difference between the first and second half mile walk/run is the impact COVID-19 is having on you. It is like carrying around an extra 15 pounds on your shoulders. And yet, if you’re like a lot of leaders I’ve been talking to lately, you’re aghast at how tired and unfocused you are about midway through the day. It’s no wonder, you’re carry extra weight around with you, all day! But what if you’ve been training and conditioning yourself to carry around an extra 15 pounds all day, even if you didn’t have to? That’s what people who want to stay in peak physical shape do? They educate, develop and train themselves to endure more physical stress than they would experience on a day-to-day basis. As a result, when they are required to do more physical labor they perform and recover more quickly than those who have not been training. The same goes for mental and emotional stress. If you have been educating, training and developing yourself to handle more stress than you would typically encounter on a day-to-day basis, when something like a pandemic comes your way, you are better able to handle it.   Crisis Leadership Assessment I’m now going to focus on leaders and the conditioning of leaders. There’s a lot you can learn from this current crisis to improve your leadership skills and the skills of those that you lead as well. I want you to ask yourself honestly, how prepared were you to handle this crisis? For those of you who lead leaders, how prepared were your leaders to handle this crisis? I hope once you’ve gotten past survival and recovery modes you and your organization take the opportunity to analyze the performance of your leadership and identify where the gaps are, so you can identify who needs more training and coaching. This is not to come from a place of judgment, we’ve all had our own leadership missteps as we were developing as leaders. The information I’m about to give is to make it easier to identify those who may be crying for help but can’t bring themselves to speak the words. That person might be you or someone you know. Here are some of the symptoms of a leader who is not prepared for a current crisis. They stopped communicating. They ignored messages they found too overwhelming to deal with and only responded when prompted a second or third time. They also may not be responding because everything feels urgent and they are unable to rank what needs to be done in order of importance. Most leaders ready for a crisis will typically have a template response such as, “I have received your email and I am currently working on a plan to respond to our current situation. I will have more information for you by X, Y, Z.” This at least let’s the sender know their email was received, and is important if not the priority. They cancel or postpone important meetings rather than see the meeting as an opportunity to take the pulse of their people or to get everyone on the same page. A leader ready for a crisis knows the purpose and the structure of the meeting may change but it’s still important to connect with and reassure their people that steps are being taken to (assess the situation, come up with solutions, create a plan, or execute the plan). Their communications became unclear. One message says we’re meeting at this time, another message says something different. Procedures have been updated several times but not everyone has the latest version. After reading this leader’s email you’re still not certain what’s going on. They contradict themselves in the same conversation because they can’t keep their thoughts straight. They are disorganized. They can’t find the email, the printout, or the glasses that are on their head They have an agenda but the meeting goes off the rails because they can’t stay focused. They start a conversation with, “Why were we meeting?” or, “What was I going to say to you?” They are unprepared. It becomes apparent by what they are saying and doing that they didn’t do the research, didn’t read the email, or didn’t read the manual. There is no agenda for the meeting and it becomes clear they are “winging it”. They began making a lot of excuses. They know they are not fulfilling their role; it may be that they cannot fulfill their role for whatever reason, however, instead of owning it and seeking help they offer excuses for why it’s not their fault. Explanations vs. Excuses This is a good segue to distinguish between an explanation and an excuse.   An explanation is an accounting to make something clear. When a leader is providing an explanation, they are taking accountability and ownership. Taking accountability and ownership is not the same as taking blame. Typically, in this type of conversation there is a discussion of how to prevent the same thing from happening in the future, or if it cannot be prevented, how a similar situation will be handled in the future. A well-trained leader does not take things personally, they take responsibility or ownership of the solution. An excuse may look similar to an explanation because it also assigns a reason, but when someone is making an excuse, they are not taking ownership of the problem or the solution. You will know what you are getting is an excuse when the individual refuses to own the problem or the solution. There is an attitude of, “it’s not my fault, there’s nothing I can do.”   Here’s what it sounds like in real life: Two people are late for a meeting both sighting traffic on the highway as the reason. The person giving an excuse might say, “Sorry I’m late, the highway was backed up. Traffic” There might be a sigh, eye roll, or shoulder shrug. The person giving an explanation might say, “Sorry I’m, the highway was backed up. In the future I’m going to leave 15 minutes early to make sure I’m on time.” A well-trained, conditioned leader does not assign blame, they own where they have power and they take responsibility for it. Mentality of a well-trained leader In full disclosure, I’m not sitting here sparkling clean saying to myself, “Boy, these other people need to pull it together.” In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had my moments too. I almost went into leading a meeting without a very clear agenda that had a purpose and expected outcomes. Another gracious and well-trained leader gave me some very kind counsel and direction, we put the missing pieces in place and the meeting well. In my own training as a leader I’ve learned to let go of my ego and accept help when help is offered and is needed. In that situation, I clearly needed support and I am so grateful for it. If you’ve developed your leadership skills and mindset, you’re likely feeling the change in your routine and recognizing these are extraordinary times, priorities need to shift and there’s a lot of work to do, but for the most part you are on top of thing and getting a lot done. I will say before I sign off, these are extraordinary times. Be kind to yourself if you have found yourself not fully prepared to deal with everything that started coming at you recently. Take on the mentality of a well-trained, conditioned leader. They would acknowledge that extraordinary events combined with a lack of preparation have given them their current results and state of being. Then they would ask, what can I do to prepare should this happen again? What was missing? What needs to change? Who can help me? In next week’s episode I’m going to talk about some of those things and we are going to kick off with self-awareness; your self-awareness as a person and as a leader. How I create that with my clients is the Energy Leadership Assessment. If you would like to explore the Energy Leadership Assessment you can go to womentakingthelead.com/assessment to find out more and purchase it if that feels right for you at this time. For those of you in leadership, I thank you for your contribution. We need well-trained leaders more than ever. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

This episode is a celebration albeit a somber celebration. At the time of the release of this episode on March 25, 2020 we are 14 days into the Coronavirus or COVID-19 being declared a pandemic. The information we are getting from the news is startling, especially as we are all coming to grips with the fact that this isn’t going to pass in just 2-4 weeks, like we may have originally hoped. Things are very uncertain but we cannot stop doing the very things that continue to develop us and remind us of our humanity and our connection to one another. Let’s do some celebrating, then I’ve got some information that may help you get through the coming months. The Celebration The Women Taking the Lead podcast is 5 years old! The official launch date of Women Taking the Lead was March, 25 2015. Here are some numbers for you. Most podcast don’t go beyond 10 episodes and it’s uncommon to make it to 100 episodes. This episode is the 385th episode of Women Taking the Lead. There have been over 687,000 downloads in 176 different countries. We are only 313,000 away from hitting one million downloads.   Those numbers are amazing and I want to be clear that what this represents to me is community. And you, my community, while you have been listening to this podcast and sharing your thoughts and ideas, I‘ve been listening to you. Many of the best ideas I’ve gotten for this podcast and my business have come from you. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for your feedback, thank you for sharing this podcast with your friends, family and colleagues and thank you for listening! The Elephant in the Room While I will continue to celebrate and feel all the good feelings that come with hitting this milestone, it would not be an episode of Women Taking the Lead if I didn’t address the elephant in the room You are under a lot of stress right now and could probably use some support. Being a high achiever, that’s probably hard for you to come to grips with – unless you’ve already had a meltdown. In which case, you can no longer hide or deny you need help. I want to offer you some support by giving you some tips on dealing with the uncertainty and the changes that you are taking on to keep our most vulnerable loved ones safe. We joke, and I’ve seen several memes on social media, about all we have to do is stay home. And yes, what we need to do or not do is easy to understand and execute but it is going to take a toll on you. And for those of you who are leaders, it’s going to be even more important for you to take care of yourself, because you need to continue to show up and communicate with your people. They need your direction, your empathy and your steadfastness now more than ever. You must, you must, you must take care of yourself and your mindset to deliver on this. The thing that steals most of your focus and energy is the mental stress of being out of a normal routine, and dealing with uncertainty and bad news. How you mitigate stress is by changing your perspective, or the focus of your attention. If you are struggling with all the uncertainty and have not yet read Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, now is the time to do it. You don’t have to walk into a store or wait for a delivery. You can download it on your Kindle reader or buy the audiobook. If you have read Man’s Search for Meaning now may be the time to review it. Man’s Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl’s memoirs of his life during the Holocaust. He had survived, having spent three years in four different concentration camps. He noticed that those who were most likely to survive were those who could find some meaning in the experience. Frankl believes meaning can be found through creativity and work, human interaction and experiences, and the manner in which we respond to suffering. Many survivors of the holocaust had coped with their experience by reminding themselves they didn’t want to disappoint relatives who were dead or separated from them, by helping others or, as Viktor Frankl did, to try to find the beauty in his environment. If you feel guilty because you are trying to find positives in the devastation, I want you to let the guilt go because, it’s okay to do that. It’s what is getting you through this and it’s a good thing. I know you also see the reality; you’re not ignoring it. What you are doing is preventing yourself from being mentally and emotionally disabled by it. You won’t be good to anyone if you are constantly watching the news, getting overwhelmed by all you see, and becoming too fatigued to cope. It feels like doom and gloom but we are also seeing and hearing about people who are stepping up to help their neighbors and communities to address the challenges. I’ve seen businesses come up with creative ways to stay open and continue to provide services. I think this is why Kitty O’Meara’s poem has struck a chord with so many of us. It’s unlikely you haven’t read it somewhere by now but for those of you who haven’t heard this poem yet… And the People Stayed Home By Kitty O'Meara And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed. It’s okay to recognize the positives. This is how we take advantage of opportunities. Adopting a woe-is-me attitude so as to not offend other people will not help anyone. Be sensitive to what other people are going through and recognize there are good things happening all over the world and you can be a part of it. I am continuing to get new clients. I have passed 3 referrals to other business owners in the past few days that will turn into business. Yes, we are already seeing an economic downturn and it will have consequences but we will get through this and we will recover. We’ll do this together. When things are turbulent, having a coach can make a difference. There’s no shame in getting extra support and accountability so that you are thriving in such a difficult time. I’m seeing too many leaders who are struggling, not asking for help, and it’s having a detrimental effect on those around them. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if this sounds like a good option for you. I’m here to support you if you want the support. In times like these, when so many things feel out of our control, and they are, I lean into the Serenity Prayer. Stress comes when we either deny the power we have in a situation, and render ourselves victims to our circumstances, or we try to assert power we don’t have, which only causes us frustration. To bottom-line it, stress will typically come from one of two things: We fool ourselves into thinking we have no control in certain situations when we do. We always have control over our attitude, our actions, and our voice. Or, we try to control things we have no control over – like other people’s attitudes, actions, or words. In the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, you can follow the CDC guidelines on hygiene and social distancing. You can shop for your elderly or medically vulnerable neighbors. You can buy gift cards from your local establishments. You can reach out to family and friends to see how they are doing. You can think about developing new streams of income. You can get 30 minutes of exercise in each day. The list could go on and on. Find what you have control over and take action. That will relieve stress and refuel your energy stores. Alternatively, let go of trying to control things you don’t have control over. You can make sure the people you know are informed on proper protocols, and pass along tips for self-care, but you can’t force them to adopt them. And let me be clear, if you are getting upset it is because you are frustrated that you cannot control their behavior. What you can do is bless them, pray for them, and do what you need to do to take care of yourself. As long as you have done what is in your power to do, for your own sanity you need to make peace with the rest. Here’s the Serenity Prayer to help you with that. Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. I’m struck by the line in that prayer that reads, “Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.” Now, it is my own belief that the world is not sinful, it is mistaken – but let’s not get tripped up by that word. If you read the line without the word “sinful” it reads: “Taking, as He did, this world as it is, not as I would have it.” The world is what it is. This is the world we’ve got. Railing against the fact that it should be different doesn’t do you any good. Taking action to make positive changes, that is completely in your power. But you have to first accept that the world is the way it is before you can make a meaningful difference. That means first seeing things factually, unemotionally, and without judgment. The world is neither good nor bad, right nor wrong. It is what it is. Now, from this non-judgmental perspective ask yourself, “What would I like to infuse into the world?” At the end of each episode I send you off with a Marianne Williamson quote with a little jingle playing in the background. Today it feels appropriate to just read it for you now. Our Deepest Fear By Marianne Williamson Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness That most frightens us. We ask ourselves Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small Does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking So that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, As children do. We were born to make manifest The glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; It's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others. Thank you for making this 5-year journey so joyful and memorable. We are in this together. Here’s to Our success! Cheers! Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

Roze Merditaj is the Founder and CEO of Real Women Collective Action (RWCA). She has over 10 years banking experience and over 8 years running small businesses. Her career in banking has involved many roles and responsibilities that she used every day to help and develop those around her. While in these roles she completed a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business all the while raising her children as a single mom. Roze was born and raised in Kosovo, Yugoslavia. There, she felt the deprivation of limited life choices for women and being considered a second-class citizen. Years later, having overcome many struggles, being a resource and creating a path for women is one her main passions in life. She mentors and coaches youth groups on financial management in Suffolk, Newport News, and Hampton, Virginia; and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the Food Bank, Goodwill, and various shelters throughout the year. She believes anyone can achieve great success, with hard work, dedication, and focus. In this episode Roze and I discuss... The current number of women in senior leadership in the United States How networking is helping Roze achieve her vision The curriculum in a cutting-edge leadership development program The importance of partnership and community as you develop yourself as a leader The importance of starting by doing good work in your local community Links Website: www.rwcanow.org RWCA Leadership Development Program: www.rwcanow.org/our-programs Facebook: www.facebook.com/rwcanow.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/roze-merditaj-b341b7129 Instagram: www.instagram.com/rwca_now Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Megan Jo Wilson is the Founder and Ringleader of Rockstar Camp for Women based in Portland, Maine. In the last year and a half, she has graduated over 50 women (and 10 brave men) through her experiential Feminist Leadership Camp which gives Women the tools they need to sing on stage in a spotlight with a live band and a live audience for one night.  As they take these empowering tools off the stage and into their businesses, they expand their impact AND their income, and have a damn good time doing it.  She has been a Certified Co-Active Coach and Business Mentor for 16 years, she is a Certified Sound Healer, and the author of two Bestselling Business-Books: “Who The Fuck Am I to Be a Coach?!” and “Who the Fuck Am I to Be a Rockstar?!”  Her BIG-SUPER-NOVA-MISSION is to redirect Financial Wealth, Power, and Influence into the hands of modern-day Healers and Magic-Makers.    In this episode Megan Jo and I discuss... Rockstar Camp for Women teaches Women Leaders to be more Visible… Why do you think that’s challenging for Women, and why is Visibility so important? You get Women who have no musical training to sing on stage with a live band and audience - why is the concert so important to this experience and what is your secret?! You also say that this is a Feminist Leadership Development program - what is the role of The Feminine in your work and how does that make it different from other programs? What are some of the results that you have seen after Women get on stage with Rockstar Camp?   Links You can find Megan Jo and Rockstar Bootcamp here... Website: www.meganjowilson.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/meganjowilson Instagram: www.instagram.com/meganjowilson Rockstar Showcase:  https://www.portlandhouseofmusic.com/event/megan-jo-wilsons-rockstar-showcase-6   Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register.   Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Allyson Scammell is a master certified coach, EFT practitioner, and intuitive consultant. Her mission is to help soul-guided women entrepreneurs who are fed up with their efforts exceeding their income, to grow in life and business, using their own unique genius and soul's internal guidance system. Allyson was born and raised on a cattle ranch in South Dakota and spent her days dreaming of traveling the world. Immediately upon graduating college, she joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in a village in the Danube Delta. After earning a Master in International Affairs from Columbia University, she went on to work for 17 years in international development and humanitarian affairs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). At some point in those 17 years, she received a higher calling to leave that work and do something entrepreneurial in greater alignment to her soul’s purpose. Not sure what that was, she went on a journey to discover how she was truly meant to serve the world and found her answer as a coach and mentor to soul-led women. Allyson is a proud mama to three VIPs. She has lived in 10 countries, loves adventure travel, and dreams of one day owning a buffalo farm. In this episode Allyson and I... Do something completely different! In this episode Allyson takes me through a soul-guided meditation that you can follow along with. Allyson discusses: What a soul-guided meditation is what answers you can potentially receive from this practice The four intuitive gifts and how to identify your dominant gift How to vision the future you most want to experience and manifest that vision How to recognize when your thinking mind or ego is getting in the way and how to easefully release it Links You can find Allynson here... Website: www.allysonscammell.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/shegrowsnation Closed FB group: www.facebook.com/groups/shegrowsnation/ Download 3 FREE soul-guided meditations:  https://mailchi.mp/0e8f34543c30/meditation Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

This episode is Part 2 in a conversation I began with Mary-Theresa Tringale about her 7-step process to creating successful events. Mary-Theresa Tringale, currently a resident of Portland, Maine and working full-time as the Manager of Events and Sponsorships at WinterKids, also runs her own business as an Events Strategist & Producer helping entrepreneurs and organizations plan their first live events the right way. A myriad of careers across the country have helped bring M-T to where she is now. These included: Director of Catering for a Best of Boston Restaurant, Women’s Day Magazine Sales Assistant and Integrated Marketing Manager and Events Specialist for Men’s Journal in NYC , and Marketing Manager of Advertising at Portland Press Herald. She is the creator of the first Varsity Maine Awards in 2016, as well as played a crucial role as a founding member and now Past - President in development of the iconic The Maine Women’s Conference, the first of its kind in Maine. She loves to guide transformative coaches or organizations with specific initiatives through the experience of creating an event that will be transformative (for your business, community, audience, clientele) and impactful and reaches people around the world. In this episode Mary and I discuss... Team: understanding what kind of support you have that you don't have to pay for and the kind of support you will need to pay for. Ask for and allow yourself to receive support so your best can come forth! Budget: Your budget starts with your original vision. What in your vision is going to cost money? It finishes with how much money you actually made what you actually spent money on so if you do your event again you have information on which to make decisions. The many different ways you can bring income in around your event. Timeline: based on your mission, vision, budget and event date. Start with the end in mind, the date you've confirmed with your venue and work your way back to today. Links Want to consult with Mary to then take it from there and/or hand over the execution of the event to your team? Mary offers virtual and in-person intensive to guide you through all the steps so you have the knowledge and the plan to lead yourself and your team through all the stages of planning and delivering an amazing experience to your community. Find out more here: https://www.marytheresatringale.com/intensive Work with Mary to craft a personalized Mission Statement [Special discount for Women Taking the Lead listeners!]:  www.marytheresatringale.com/wtlmission You can also find her on... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marytheresa.tringale LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marytheresatringale Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary.theresa.tringale Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Mary-Theresa Tringale Currently a resident of Portland, ME and working full-time as the Manager of Events and Sponsorships at WinterKids, M-T also runs her own business as a Events Strategist & Producer helping entrepreneurs and organizations plan their first live events the right way. A myriad of careers across the country have helped bring M-T to where she is now. These included: Director of Catering for a Best of Boston Restaurant, Women’s Day Magazine Sales Assistant and Integrated Marketing Manager and Events Specialist for Men’s Journal in NYC , and Marketing Manager of Advertising at Portland press Herald. She is the creator of the first Varsity Maine Awards in 2016, as well as played a crucial role as a founding member and now Past - President in development of the iconic The Maine Women’s Conference, the first of its kind in Maine. She loves to guide transformative coaches or organizations with specific initiatives through the experience of creating an event that will be transformative (for your business, community, audience, clientele) and impactful and reaches people around the world. In this episode Mary and I discuss... The steps you must take to build a strong foundation for your live event The process that will give you all the information that will make it easy for you to market your event How to align the content of your event with your business/organizational goals so you get a strong return on investment How to prevent surprises that can prevent you and your audience from enjoying the experience or gaining value during your event Links Work with Mary to craft a personalized Mission Statement [Special discount for Women Taking the Lead listeners!]: www.marytheresatringale.com/wtlmission You can also find her... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marytheresa.tringale LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marytheresatringale/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary.theresa.tringale/   Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop-down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register.   Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

For this post, I’m going to focus on some best practices for delivering workshops you’ve been hired to deliver for an organization or group. I promised to get this episode out to you when I did the original episode on workshops in October and here it is! These are best practices I’ve developed over time because they made sense or I suffered the consequences of not doing them and thus learned a valuable lesson. Practice is the operative word. Some of these I’ve adopted so recently that I will at times forget them. This is why I’ve created a checklist that I use and you can download and keep handy for when you’re engaged to do your next workshop. You can access the checklist at the bottom of this post. Let’s break this down in stages from when you are first contacted to what you can do in the days after you’ve delivered the workshop. Workshop discovery phase: from first communication to proposal submission Be professional and timely in all your communications with your contact for the organization. This impacts your credibility. You always want to make a good impression and protect your reputation as a professional. Give them reasons to rehire you and also promote you to other people they know who could potentially hire you. Provide any materials and resources on you and your business (CV, resume, brochures, web pages, LinkedIn profile) that will help them find out more about you. Likely, by the time you’ve been contacted they’ve already done their homework but making the offer to provide more information doesn’t hurt and may actually boost the likelihood that you get hired. They may not have seen your slick brochure. Schedule a meeting to discuss and uncover what all their needs are. You are an expert at what you do and you may see solutions and opportunities that the person or people working for the organization have not seen yet. It’s not uncommon that I might be contacted to deliver a team building workshop and I ultimately recommend they do my workshop on Your Stress Personalities instead. Don’t be afraid to recommend different or additional work that you can do for them if it’s in their best interest. Find out the number of participants who will be doing the workshop. For maximum effectiveness and engagement, I typically do not do workshops with any more than 20 people so I may need to do the same workshop for an organization more than once to accommodate the number of people they want to participate in the workshop. Find out the location where you’ll be delivering the workshop. It may be at their local office or you may need travel. If you need to travel a distance to deliver the workshop, that may incur added costs for gas, tolls, hotel stays and meals while you are traveling. Make sure there is an agreement on who is covering these costs along with how they will be covered. I’ve had some organizations take care of all of that ahead of time and others that asked me to submit receipts after the workshop was done and I had returned home. Traveling gets pricey so make sure this is clear before you commit. Inquire if they will need you to do additional tasks before or after you deliver the workshop. Depending on the time or complexity of the task it may incur an additional cost. Find out who is expected to print the materials, and provide flip charts, markers, or anything else you are going to need to do your thing. If they have that all covered, great! If not, add it as a line item to your proposal. Printing and flipcharts are not cheap. You don’t want to find out you didn’t make much money for the time invested because the materials ate up your compensation. Find out who is providing the food and beverages. Food and beverages are a must! Workshops go much more smoothly when beverages and snacks are provided. If it’s a full-day workshop, are participants expected to bring a lunch or is that being catered and by whom? Be clear if you are the one bringing these items in and add it as a line item to the proposal. More often than not this is being taken care of beautifully by the organization but don’t assume it is. After you’ve done the needs assessment put together a proposal that outlines what you will provide along with the cost. Be sure to include what the organization is providing so you have it recorded on a document that a representative from the organization is signing. If a couple days have gone by and you haven’t gotten an acknowledgment of the email, send a polite follow-up inquiring if they saw it. Sometimes people are so busy they open your email quickly, close it, and then get pulled in too many different directions. Sometimes your email ends up in Spam and sometimes it’s not a priority for the receiving party. However, it becomes more important once you’ve followed up and you’re in their inbox once again. Again, continue to be profession, supportive, and timely on your end. Your reputation is everything and how you conduct yourself is what your reputation is built on. I love the memes you see on social media that say something to the effect of, “Always be kind because you don’t know what the other person is going through.” This rule of thumb makes it so much easier to maintain your professionalism even if the other person is dropping the ball or not communicating well. After you’ve gotten the answer to your proposal If you hear back from the organization and it’s a “No” you’ll probably hear something like: “We decided to go in a different direction”. Thank them for their time and end things on a positive high note so if that “other direction” should not work out, now or in the future, they think of you and how great and professional you were receiving their “no”. I’ll tell you, there have been service providers I’ve had to say “no” to after considering hiring them who were cutting and unprofessional in their parting communication. Even when I had the budget to hire them later, I didn’t go back to them. They aren’t the kind of people I want to do business with. They have already given me the impression they would not value me or treat me well. “Staffing changes have changed our needs”. Ask about their changing needs to see if you meet those new needs. If so, give some bullet points on how you can help and see if the proposal can be modified to meet their changed needs. You may also hear, “we just don’t have the money in our budget at this time”. Ask what their budget is and offer to scale your services to meet their needs within their budget. Note, I’m not saying give a discount or give away part of your services for free. I’m saying, offer to scale down what you will provide so that it can come within their budget. If you hear back from the organization and it’s a “Yes” express your gratitude to that connection and to the universe. Find out who your contact will be for coordinating the logistics. It often is not the decision maker or the person who you’ve been working with in the discovery phase. Who is booking the location, the hotel and your travel, if necessary? Who will need to get your workbook and slides, if they want your slides pre-loaded on their computer? Who is coordinating the A/V for the room? Who is coordinating the food and beverages? Who is communicating with the participants? Are you sending pre-work? When do they need all of this? If you’re lucky it’s all one person and you can filter everything through them but it may be multiple people. Who are your participants? Can you get information on the participants in advance? If this is something you require you will have already asked this in the discovery phase. Ask if they will be conducting a satisfaction survey immediately after the workshop. If so, can you get access to that information for your own development. If not, can you bring your own survey to have the participants fill out. If you are playing an audio or video make sure the room has a sound system or bring speakers that hook up to your computer or the computer being provided, if that’s the case. I bought Logitech speakers that were not cost prohibitive so do a little research and make sure you have speakers on hand if you need them. Most locations have a projector. I have yet to do a workshop where I need to have my own projector and if push came to shove, most of my workshops don’t need slides. They’re a nice to have, not a need to have. Make sure you are prepared to the point that you will have fun doing the workshop rather than stressing out about whether or not you’re ready. This includes creating a flexible timeline that includes everything contained in the workshop. Design your workshop based on the time of day. Generally, workshop participants are more focused and engaged in the morning. They get lively mid-morning and have a dip as they are starting to get hungry before lunch. Right before and right after lunch you and your participants will be happiest if they are moving around, engaged in partner or group work, and don’t have to just sit and listen. They may get another boost after they’re done digesting their food but near the end of the day, they’ve given it their all, had a great time doing it, but they need to switch gears. I find group reflection work right before lunch and in the last 30-minutes of the workshop (if it’s an afternoon or all-day workshop) goes beautifully. It also helps the participants retain what they’ve learned. Practices for the day of the workshop you are paid to deliver Arrive early because there’s a lot of boxes to check before the first participant arrives and you want to be there well before any participants arrive. You need to meet your contact, get yourself set up, make sure the A/V equipment is working properly, that the room is configured in a way that suits your goals, lighting is sufficient, the air conditioning is working properly, workbooks are passed out, name tags or name cards are ready to be filled out. Make sure you have your beverages and snacks ready and in easy reach. Make sure snacks and refreshments are available for the participants. A note on your snacks, I would keep caffeine and sugar to a minimum. You get an immediate energy boost but then you’re dealing with a crash an hour or so later. And if you keep putting caffeine and sugar in your body to keep your energy up, you’ll pay a big price at the end of the day. Everyone’s body is different so you need to figure out your nutritional needs but if energy crashes or body aches are something you’ve dealt with, try it out to see if it makes a difference. Take pictures of the room as “before” pictures. You can use these on social media to promote your services. I only mention the company I’m working with on social media if I’ve gotten explicit permission to do so. I may take pictures during the workshop but it will usually be from the back of the room and I don’t post pictures of the participants faces to use in my promotion.   Lastly, make sure you are ready to greet your participants with a smile as they walk through the door. Before you fully dive in, introduce yourself and go over the logistics. People are more relaxed when they know exactly what to expect and have a sense of their environment. If you are meeting at a location the participants are not familiar with, tell them where the bathroom is. Tell them what time the breaks and meals are roughly going to be, and what time you’ll be ending. Give them a sense of the kinds of activities they’ll be engaging in so they can mentally prepare for them. Do an activity to warm the group up. If time is tight have each person introduce themselves and identify something they are looking to gain from the workshop, or share something they struggle with in regard to the topic of the workshop. This serves to also give you an even better sense of who is in the room and what they need from you. Use the timeline you created in advance even if things aren’t going exactly according to plan. I am nearly always running tight on time so the timeline helps me to be nimble if I need to allow more time for this or take out that based on who is in the room and what their immediate needs are. Be structured but also be ready to be flexible. Read the room! Pay attention to the overall energy of the room to sense if you need to calm the group down or get them re-energized. You can turn a writing exercise into a group activity on the fly, or take an unscheduled break. I’m not opposed to having everyone stand, stretch and take some deep breaths if I think that will do the trick. Also, be sure everyone has a chance to speak and get their questions answered. If someone is dominating the conversation you need to manage them so others don’t shut down or get resentful. If someone seems withdrawn find an opportunity to check in with them on the next break. Don’t take it personally or make it mean anything until you know exactly what’s going on. Sometimes the content of the workshop triggers an old wound or provides a revelation that causes someone to go into a reflective mode on the spot. As long as they are getting what they need there’s nothing wrong. Have fun! As I mentioned in the last episode on workshops released October of 2019, to deliver high-quality workshops you have to love it. Let your love for what you are doing come through! Your participants, unless they are just determined to have a bad time, will find your enjoyment contagious. This also means you’re likely more yourself than you would be otherwise and this also allows the participants to make a human connection with you. When that happens, they are more open to learning and being in a discovery process with you, and that means they will gain more value from the content you are delivering. Before you finish up have the participants complete a feedback form or survey to get feedback on the different aspects of the workshop. This is worth its weight in gold. Sometimes it’s hard to read critical feedback but I know I make the biggest leaps in my own development as a workshop facilitator when I get critical feedback. This is one of the ways we get to mastery. Thank the participants wholeheartedly for their time and contributions to the workshop. They may have been told they had to be there but that doesn’t take away from the attention and effort they put in to participate. If okayed by the organization you may offer your contact information and handles on social media platforms to the participants so they can reach out to you if they would like to, follow you, get to know you better, or inquire into your products and services.  Lastly, freebies that require an opt-in email. Typically, if I’m getting paid by an organization to deliver a workshop it’s not appropriate to ask their employees or members for their email addresses in exchange for a freebie. I’m either giving it to them or I’m not. I may say something like, if x, y, z, is something you’re working on I have a downloadable on my homepage if that interests you. However, if you’re going to send them to a specific page that will require their email or a coupon code, ask for explicit permission from the organization before creating any slides or materials that reference this. Again, this is your professional relationship you’re playing with. All that being said, by this point you are probably both physically tired but soulfully energized from the experience. Let’s get into best practices after the workshop. Best practices for after the workshop you are hired to deliver I leave it all out on the field when I’m delivering workshops. The participants get my best and that has an effect on my physical and mental bandwidth. If I’m delivering a workshop in the morning, I keep my afternoon clear of anything that would require me to be at optimal. Instead, I will typically clean out easy emails and messages, and respond to comments and questions that come through social media platforms. I will also do rudimentary tasks like bookkeeping or entering the information from business cards I’ve collected recently into my Google Contacts. If it’s an all-day workshop I’m wiped out at the end of the day so it will be an evening in. Be mindful of what you need to recover and do what you can to take care of yourself. Within a day or two send a thank you to the person or people at the organization you had contact with, whether it’s the decision maker, the committee, or the coordinator. Let them know it was a positive experience for you, if that’s true, and that you are grateful to have had the opportunity to serve them. [This is a new practice I’m taking on], in that communication offer to do a follow up meeting to see if the workshop did its job and to see if there are other services or workshops you can provide to continue to serve them. If you are still listening at this point, I’m assuming you either get hired to deliver workshops or you’ve attended workshops that someone was hired to deliver. Let me know if I missed anything. What would you add to this list of best practices to make the workshop more effective or an even better experience? Here is the checklist of these best practices which you can use the next time an organization reaches out to you to see what you would charge to deliver a workshop for them. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank you to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Dr Tarryn MacCarthy is a Business Owner, Orthodontist, and Empowerer of women and men. She is the leader of her family, her team, and her community. She speaks to the strength of acknowledging our core values and honoring authenticity. Her goal is to empower leaders like you to live your very best lives. In this episode Tarryn and I discuss... Why it’s so important to examine, challenge, identify and live by your Core Values to find satisfaction and success in your business, career and family. The tendencies that will have you compromise your values and take you away from being your best and achieving your goals The need to redefine work/life balance and recognizing it’s not a one-size-fits-all. How self-evaluation is the beginning to all of this but low self-worth can sabotage this exploration because you many not think yourself worthy of taking the time to give yourself special attention. That taking care of ourselves is initially a brave thing and becomes a gift to others. Links Embrace the Lead on Facebook Embrace the Lead on Instagram Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop-down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me! It is a sunny and crisp October day here in Maine and I hope you are enjoying the current season you are in wherever you are in the world. I had an opportunity recently to deliver a couple of full day workshops for a local organization and I was struck again by how much I love delivering workshops. High-quality workshops are a fantastic way to deliver training in a way that allows the participant to start playing or grappling with the concepts you’re teaching. The workshop format is ideal when you’re working with a group that will benefit from learning side by side, such as a team from the same company. The workshop format is also ideal when the group would benefit from learning from each other. This could be a mix of people from different industries, backgrounds, level of experience, etc. The workshop can act as a conduit to exchange knowledge and provide feedback. Workshops are one of my favorite ways to teach because the attendees get involved and start making the content meaningful for them. I will often turn a presentation into a workshop and it is always well-received. When I think of workshops, I think interactive and engaged: workbooks, or worksheets, paired sharing, small group exercises, and whole group discussions. In fact, as the person leading the workshop, the more I can minimize my time talking and maximize the time the participants are talking, the better. Public versus Private Workshops I’ve been asked to do workshops for organizations and I’ve also organized workshops for the public. Both of these can be gratifying and they each have their pros and cons. When an organization asks you to do a workshop, they are going to take care of most of the logistics, marketing, and other communications. They are also going to pay you an agreed upon amount of money so even if some people need to back out, you don’t have to issue refunds. This situation takes a lot of work off your plate but you don’t have a lot of control either. You may not have any say in the location, the skill or knowledge level of the participants, choices for refreshments, etc. The one thing you do want to make non-negotiable, if this applies to the workshop you are doing, is the limit to the number of participants in the workshop. Much like a classroom there is ideal ratio of facilitators to participants for maximum learning and engagement and that number will usually fluctuate between 16-20 participants to one facilitator. It all depends on the content of the workshop and the skill level of the participants with the particular topic you are addressing. You don’t want to set yourself up for a situation that could be frustrating and disappointing for both the participants and for yourself. For an organization there’s also more work leading up to being asked to do the workshop. There’s likely been networking, an exploratory meeting to assess the specific needs, proposal writing and negotiation of the fine details before you even know you’re doing the workshop for sure. And there’s no guarantee you’ll get to deliver the workshop. All your effort may be for naught if they determine that now isn’t the right time or you are not the exact fit they are looking for. You can usually earn more money doing workshops for organizations but also consider the amount of time you’ll invest before you get paid to deliver the workshop. Now, if you are going to do a workshop yourself that is open to the public, you have much greater control over all the details of your event. You get to pick the location, the food and beverage choices; you can set criteria around who can attend based on skill level, and you have much more control over the date and time. However, the marketing, sales, communications, and all the minute details are on you or a person you are paying to take on these tasks. It’s not unheard of for someone to register and pay for you event only to realize they have a conflict and cannot attend. Know that they will likely ask for a refund even if you have clearly communicated a no-refund policy. Also keep in mind, if your workshop doesn’t sell out in advance, you will be continuing to put time, energy and possibly money, into marketing your workshop and doing sales calls right up until the day before the workshop, or whenever your hard stop is. You have much more control in this scenario but you also have a lot more work or have to pay someone to take on that work. To be honest, I love both types of workshops. I love the whole process of getting to know an organization, their people, and their needs. I love being able to arrive with the majority of the details taken care of. I can then focus on giving the best I have to give. I also love offering what I have to give to those who are working for themselves, or whose organizations don’t offer the type of training that I do. Even though it’s more work and often doesn’t pay as much as delivering a workshop for an organization, I find it to be incredibly gratifying. If you’ve been delivering workshops in either scenario you know exactly what I’m talking about. Qualities that will Serve You in Delivering Workshops To truly deliver a high-quality workshop you have to love it. Don’t get me wrong, there are components of the process that are not my favorite, like getting into the nitty-gritty of the timeline, but overall you need to have a passion for teaching and learning, and you have to be a bit of a performer. Depending on the length of your workshop you may need to keep the energy of the room within a range that is conducive for learning. To do that, you need to keep the attention of the attendees on the topic at hand. I’m not saying you have to do a song and dance and some cartwheels to keep everyone focused on the matter at hand, but you do need to be interesting, engaging and bit entertaining. There’s no getting this perfect. There are going to be times of the day when it’s easier to do than others and there are going to be some topics that are more challenging for some of your participants and their natural inclination will be to check out. You need to know how to read the room and meet the needs that are before you. This may mean going back to the drawing board on a particular segment of your workshop to work on making it easier to digest or injecting more humor into it to keep everyone interested. It may mean taking an unscheduled break so everyone can stand, stretch, move around or refill their beverages. Also, your own enthusiasm for teaching and the learning environment will infuse your participants with energy. If you’re having a good time, they are more likely to have a good time. People can tell if you’re having a good time or not and they use this to determine whether or not they are having a good time. Your enthusiasm and enjoyment may not win over ALL participants but you will win over most. Now, private workshops may have one or two participants who didn’t want to be there and don’t initially see the value. But if you are good at your craft, and you don’t take their attitude personally, they will usually walk away saying they did pick up one or two new things that will be valuable to them. I, personally, do not deliver any content that I don’t believe in or believe will be of value to anyone who attends my workshops. So, when someone arrives thinking they are wasting their time and they give me the opportunity to change that perspective, I feel so gratified. I’m not going to lie; it gives me a natural high. Alright, we covered the difference between private and public workshops and the qualities that will make for a high-quality workshop. In the next episode I’m going into some best practices for planning and preparing your workshops. If you’ve been doing workshops, I’d love to hear from you. What have your experiences been? The workshops I do regularly are listed at womentakingthelead.com/workshops. If you have a need, whether your inquiring for an organization or you’re doing some research for yourself, I’d love to hear from you.  As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!

Jill Salzman is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, The Founding Moms, where she helps mom entrepreneurs build better businesses.  A graduate of Brown University and law school, she started a music management firm and then launched and sold a baby jewelry company before creating her current venture. She’s the author of  The Best Business Book In The World and the best-seller, Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs. Jill is a co-host of Inc. Magazine’s top-rated entertaining business podcast, Breaking Down Your Business, gave her own TED talk on 11/11/11, was dubbed a “mommy mogul” by CNNMoney, a “ Cool Mom Entrepreneur We Love” by MSN Live, and she was recently named one of the Top 50 Women to Watch In Tech as well as a Top 100 Champion Small Business Influencer after Forbes’ named The Founding Moms one of the Top 10 Websites For Entrepreneurs.  She’s shared the speaker stage with Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg, Daymond John, Marilu Henner, and Desmond Tutu and she regularly appears on ABC7’s Windy City Live TV show. In her spare time, Jill enjoys kloofing, baking, and erasing her daughters’ crayon artwork from the kitchen walls. In this episode Jill and I discuss... How much simpler life becomes when you do the bold and daring  How she's running her third business spending as much time as she can NOT overdoing it and overachieving and making sure things are perfect Her book, The Best Business Book In The World* (*according to my mom) That you are not alone, that there is a community out there to support you (like The Founding Moms!) and that you should go find one. Links The Founding Moms Instagram Facebook Twitter Breaking Down Your Business Podcast  Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop-down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Equal parts teacher, connecter, and founder, Darrah Brustein stands for entrepreneurial empowerment. In the fall of 2018, Darrah launched "Life by Design, Not by Default" sharing stories with visionaries like Deepak Chopra, Adam Grant and Jen Sincero in a 45-speaker online summit reaching over 7,000 people. For the past 10 years, she founded and scaled two businesses in tandem: a networking events company serving 30,000+ people and a payment processing company spanning 38 states. A prolific writer and interviewer, Darrah's thought leadership articles on lifestyle design have been read by over 1 million people across Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. Her motivating motto "build a life of your own design, a career to fund it, and a network to support it" has inspired thousands to reach higher and dream bigger. She was even named “#1 to follow” by BossBabes. Most recently, Darrah launched the video series “Diving Deep With Deepak & Darrah” to make deep topics relatable and translatable into your life. In this episode Darrah and I discuss... What to do when you sense it's time for a change. How to genuinely build a network that will happily work for you. Relationship building tools to achieve the success you're hoping to (and how to connect with anyone you want to meet). Action steps to take you from an ordinary existence to living the life of your dreams. Links Website: Darrah.co Instagram: @Darrahb Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop-down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Founder and CEO of “Sales Maven”, an organization dedicated to authentic selling, Nikki Rausch has the unique ability to transform the misunderstood process of “selling”. With 24+ years of experience selling to such prestigious organizations as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Hewlett-Packard, and NASA, Nikki shattered sales records in many industries, receiving multiple “top producer” awards along the way. Today, entrepreneurs and small business owners from a wide range of disciplines hire Nikki to show them how to sell successfully and authentically, without being pushy or “salesy.” An engaging and sought-after speaker, she shares the secrets of her sales success through illuminating keynote addresses and business-changing workshops. Her robust Sales Maven Society, a membership program, ignites game-changing outcomes for clients. Nikki’s books are available at Amazon. “Buying Signals: How to Spot the Green Light & Increase Your Sales” and “Six-Word Lessons on Influencing with Grace” Free Gift: Closing The Sale eBook, www.yoursalesmaven.com/ebook Do you struggle with the sales process? Do you get turned off by the sales conversation when you are talking to a prospective client? Are you wondering why you are not closing more sales even though you know you are offering an incredibly valuable product or service? If so, this episode is for you! In this episode Nikki and I discuss... How someone can build rapport with a prospect that has a very different style than theirs. What the difference is between a Sales Funnel and The Selling Staircase. What The Selling Staircase is and why it's vital not to skip a step What the most commonly missed step in the Selling Staircase is and what should someone say when they’re on this step. A state that you can bring about that will create an amazing experience for you and your prospective clients. Links Free Gift: Closing The Sale eBook, www.yoursalesmaven.com/ebook Website: www.yoursalesmaven.com Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop-down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Bobbi Palmer, founder of Date Like a Grownup, is an internationally recognized expert who teaches over-40 women how to finally find peaceful, passionate, grownup love. Bobbi has lived your story. She worked her butt off to figure out ‘the love thing’ and became a first-time bride at age 47. Joyfully married since 2006, she walks her talk every day and, with compassion and a side of sass, she helps women do what she did. If you’re frustrated and confused about dating, Bobbi wants you to know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. No one ever taught you how to date like a grownup, right?? There are just some things you don't yet know. Bobbi has been featured on The Today Show, Huffington Post, NPR, Women’s World magazine, Match.com, eHarmony.com, AARP and numerous other TV, radio and print outlets. Want dating help that actually makes sense? Find her recipe for grownup dating at www.datelikeagrownup.com/blog.  Bobbi and I discuss... Why men do this or don't do that can be confounding to women. Whether he's a colleague, client, boss, lover, brother or father...men can be your pain in the butt and rival...or they can be your joy and strongest supporter. In this episode you’ll learn surprising things about men that are sure to get you what you want and need while strengthening the relationship and leaving him smiling!  (Yes. These can all co-exist.) Some things you’ll learn: The 3 principles to date like a grown-up The biggest mistake women make with men that can destroy any relationships. 3 ways men are scientifically different than women and the communication hacks that will bridge the gap. The One Simple Thing you can do to earn trust and create a bond with any man. (This is going to be a huge surprise!) Links Website: https://datelikeagrownup.comFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/DateLikeaGrownup/ Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop-down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Allison is a financial coach in Portland, Maine.  She's been a CPA for more than twenty years, first working in forensic accounting, and then tax preparation.  Her experience in preparing people's taxes really demonstrated for her the lack of basic financial literacy and discomfort around money many people have.  She realized her calling was to educate people about financial literacy, and in the fall of 2015 she started her financial coaching business so that she could sit down with people on an individual basis to help them make informed and purposeful decisions that support their financial goals. Allison lives just outside of Portland with her husband and four children.  She spends her free time hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, snowshoeing, doing yoga, and voraciously reading. Allison and I discussed: Her experience taking the Energy Leadership Assessment A new program she is currently developing for a younger demographic The fear that has been keeping her from taking actions that will launch this program Tapping into one's resources and not going it alone The power in even taking simple action to move forward   Links Website: https://allisonbishop.com/LinkedIn – Alisson V. BishopFacebook – Allison V. Bishop, CPA - Financial Coach Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop-down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me! Today I am continuing the conversation I started in the last episode on the various levels of leadership as related to the workplace. This is such an important topic because there are nuances to leadership that you may not be aware of and continuous growth and improvement are required if you want to make the impact you dream about. Your awareness of the different levels of leadership and what’s required at each level will affect your ability to get promoted and your ability to be successful after you’ve been promoted. I was promoted five times within 6 years and I learned a lot about how and what I needed to develop within myself and some of it was baptism by fire because of the pace I was promoted at. It pains me to see others struggle unaware that if they took a different approach to their role as a leader they would get much better results, experience less frustration and they wouldn’t have to work so hard to get those results. I’ve heard too many of you reporting struggles that were due to not knowing how you needed to shift your leadership as you rose through the ranks. I’m going to go through some common leadership levels and talk about the skills and mindsets you need to take on if you want to achieve them and be successful in that position once you get there. In the last episode we talked about the Entry Level Leader/Individual contributor and the Frontline people leader. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to that episode go back and listen to Levels of Leadership Part I. In this episode I’m going to talk about another two levels of leadership: leading other leaders and leading volunteers. Thank you to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register. Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me! Today I want to start a conversation with you about something that is near and dear to my heart, the various levels of leadership as related to the workplace. This is such an important topic and even if you have career growth and promotions on your mind you may not be aware of all the nuances of taking on a higher level of leadership. This can impact your ability to get promoted and your ability to be successful after you’ve been promoted. I was promoted five times within 6 years and I learned a lot about what I needed to develop within myself and how to do it, and some of it was baptism by fire because of the pace I was promoted at. I’ve been thinking about doing an episode on this topic for some time but recent experiences have made the delivery of this information more urgent. What I find is that if something is coming up for my clients and the people I’m casually chatting with day-by-day it’s likely also a big topic for you as well. I’ve heard too many of you reporting struggles that were due to not knowing how you needed to shift your leadership as you rose through the ranks. I’m going to go through some common leadership levels between this episode and the next, and I’m going to talk about the skills and mindsets you need to take on if you want to achieve higher levels of leadership and be successful in that position once you get there. In this episode I’m going to start at the beginning with the first two levels of leadership. Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

Recently I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Mark Taylor of the Education on Fire podcast network for his Learning on Fire podcast. One of the questions he asked me was in regard to advice I would give to my younger self. I gave a concise answer on his show but his question got my mind going and before I knew it I was opening a word document to capture all the things I wish I knew, and understood, and lived when I was younger. What stood out for me, and I shared this on the Learning on Fire podcast, is that this is the same advice I would give myself today because these are things I know but need to be reminded of because I can fall back into my old patterns. The mind has a negativity bias. To rewire the brain we have to consciously put our ah-ha moments into practice and set reminders. I’m sharing these with you just in case you want or need reminding as well. Here’s what I would say to you and my younger self… Lastly… You don’t need to do more to achieve your goals and be more successful, you need to do less. It's about changing your mindset around "work" so that instead of taking massive action that produces a few results you are taking key actions effectively to produce greater results. For instance, would you rather make 100 cold calls to set up two meeting with prospective clients or would you like to have an enjoyable coffee date with two connectors in your network who could introduce you to four prospective clients. Making 100 cold calls will certainly yield you some results but you're going to burn a lot of time and energy to yield those results. This example applies across the board in your life: in many areas of your work, health, finances, relationships - you name it! You think you need to work really hard to get what you want. It's not true. This is precisely what my Accomplished Coaching System is based on. The process I take you through, starting with the Energy Leadership Assessment, gives you the awareness to identify all the areas where you are working too hard with little result. You then have the ability to make changes, internally and externally, to free up your time and energy all while gaining greater results. It is why I am so in love with the work that I do. If you’d like to get to know yourself better and find out where and why you are working so hard with little effort go to womentakingthelead.com/assessment/ to get started. There is tons more I’d love to chat with you and my younger self about but I’m going to leave it here for now. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank you to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today. This episode is coming out a bit later than I promised. The reason for that is that I have been battling with myself about what I want to share with you, how much I want to share and how I want to share what’s in my head. I finished up last year feeling like I was going through the motions. I gave you my last update on my 2018 goals but I wrapped that episode knowing I could have said so much more about my experiences in the last year. I will say the appreciation you all showed me in spite of that feeling overwhelmed me to the point of tears. I felt such gratitude for all of you and especially to those of you who commented and sent messages. You touched my heart and called me to step up and be the leader that I am. Appreciation Makes All the Difference Here are some of the comments that were posted on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram: "It's been awesome to follow your journey the past couple months, Jodi! Congratulations on all your success so far, and keep it up!" ~ Maddie Purcell, Founder of Fyood Kitchen and Experience Maine "Hi Jodi, your year-end post is articulate, inspiring and relatable. Good job letting go of the pull ups!  You set aggressive business goals and your progress was amazing! Keep up the momentum and thanks for sharing!" ~ Holly M. Smevog, Talent Development ✻ Performance Assessments ✻ Career Coaching at Drake Inglesi Milardo, Inc. "I started to listen to this episode yesterday, and immediately stopped and went back to all your previous updates - thank you for being so open, honest and vulnerable! I was going to make goals for myself anyway, but you inspired me to do it today (even though my kids are running around me in circles)." ~ Allison Bishop, Financial Coach "I just want to say thank you for being a leader to all of us. Your podcast is the one I turn to when I am facing struggles and I truly appreciate you!!!! Here’s to making 2019 one for the books!" ~ Katie Robins, Mommy. Wife. Motivator. Beauty Enthusiast This feedback hit me and I was humbled by it because of a tendency that is typical of overachievers: that mindset of, “It’s not good enough. It doesn’t matter how much you did, ultimately you failed because you are not good enough.”  Although I’ve come a long way to ignore these messages and see them for what they are – my inner critic wanting me to play it safe – these messages can blindside me if I’m not taking good care of myself or not being aware of what is going on. December was in fact quite hectic and had some twists and turns and I allowed myself to become depleted and that was all my inner critic needed to step up and take the microphone so to speak. It’s laughable now as I look back on it but at the time it was no fun.   However, when I started reading some of the feedback on the episode it snapped me out of it, so THANK YOU to those of you who without knowing it got me out of the spiral my inner critic was sending me into. Message on Failure This whole experience had me wondering how you ended the year. Did you accomplish all your goals, did you accomplish none of your goals, or did you have a mix of success and failure like me? Were you peacefully accepting of your results, did you whoop it up to celebrate, or did you beat yourself up for not checking off all the boxes. Personally, I celebrate you for what you achieved, for the work you put in; for the battles you may have had with yourself to overcome self-doubt or a lack of motivation, to ask for help when needed, and for sacrificing short-term pleasures for long-term satisfaction and fulfillment. I want to celebrate you for what you did not achieve. I want to honor you for being “in the arena” as the Theodore Roosevelt quote goes, for facing your demons, for getting back up time and again only to end the year short of goal. I honor you for looking failure in the face and my hope is it has not changed how you see yourself, unless it is to recognize how strong and powerful you are in the face of failure. There is nothing you are missing internally. You may need to line things up externally but you already have within you all you need to be successful. Your task is to find out how to draw it out of you; how to peel back the layers of “who you are not” so you can finally see clearly who you really are and let yourself, your true self, play in the world. Our Work Continues... In the episode I'm outlining what's coming in 2019 Tools that will Enhance Your Success The other thing that helped me last year with my health and fitness goal that has already helped me to drop my holiday weight and a little bit more is my spiritual practice. Doing A Course in Miracles for the past nearly year and half has helped me to find more peace in my day. And when I have more peace I also have fewer cravings and more discipline. Given that, my spiritual practice will be something that will be contributing to my health and wellness goal. A spiritual practice, whatever that looks like for you, and getting help from others is something I would absolutely recommend for you if you are struggling with achieving your goals. I would also recommend gaining more awareness of yourself, how you interact with others, and what you believe about the world and what’s possible for you. To this end I’m going to recommend, if you haven’t already, doing the Energy Leadership Assessment. This attitudinal self-assessment is where I start all of my clients because it brings them bulls-eye to exactly what is keeping them from achieving what they want to achieve and having the life they want to have. Whether it’s having enjoyable personal and work relationships, having the energy and focus to make progress in their business or career, or having the freedom to go after something they’ve always wanted but didn’t think they could have. This new sense of freedom has allowed many of my clients to stop tolerating what’s not working in their life and to start making the changes required to have the life that they want. What I want to underscore is the awareness you gain from this process makes it easier to make these changes. It’s not that you suddenly have the ability to muscle through making changes; you suddenly don’t need to muscle through because you no longer experience what keeps you from taking decisive action. Those things may include fear, anxiety, burden, dread, exhaustion, confusion, self-doubt, etc. With a new awareness of who you really are and what shapes your experiences, those debilitating feelings fade away and in their place is a quiet certainty of what you want. The Energy Leadership Assessment will help you gain your personal power to direct your own life and confidence to make your moves. As one client put it, “I finally got permission from the only person I needed permission from: me.” Many of my clients say that this process was the turning point for them. They can see a clear difference in their experience of life before and after the assessment. If you have been at a loss for why you are not satisfied with your life or work, or if you have been dreaming about a life you know can be yours but you’re struggling to make it a reality, the Energy Leadership Assessment will get at the heart of what’s keeping you from it. Let me assure you, the success and satisfaction you are looking for comes much more easily once you know what’s preventing you from having it. I invite you to go to womentakingthelead.com/assessment to take the first step. As I learned last year, success comes when you stop trying to figure it out all on your own and accept some help. I would love to help you. As I bring this episode to a close I want to let you know I will be scaling back a bit more on new content for the podcast. I am committed to immersing myself in the writing of my second book and I need to allow some space for that. However, I will be releasing episodes occasionally so if you want to be certain that you get those episodes when they are released be sure to subscribe to the Women Taking the Lead podcast if you haven’t already. Also, I’ll be sharing snippets from the book, as well as leadership tips, tools and practices with my email list so if you’d like those particular updates be sure to opt-in to the newsletter. I’ll leave you by repeating Katie Robins’ message, “Here’s to making 2019 one for the books!" As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! ButcherBox delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door. For FREE Bacon and $20 off your first box, go to ButcherBox.com/lead and enter lead as the promotional code at checkout. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

From co-founding Climate Ride in 2008 and scaling the socially-conscious company to a seven-figure budget, to biking alone across southeast Asia, to coaching entrepreneurs on how to achieve their own lofty goals, Geraldine Carter loves finding practical, efficient solutions to complex challenges. After directly experiencing the value of outside perspective and mentorship, Geraldine began sharing her 10+ years of business experience and mindfulness training through coaching. An ICF accredited Associate Certified Coach, Geraldine takes pride in challenging herself and her clients to reach higher and find bolder ways forward. More about Geraldine and how she sees herself Note how much Geraldine has done and accomplished and how difficult it was for her to talk about it. Where did it all start, specifically where did you get the notion that you could not only think big, but that you actually had it in you to accomplish big things? Geraldine has been blessed with adventurers in her family that served as role models for her. In her family going on an adventure is as natural as going to grammar school. Also, her curiosity spurs her to see what she is capable of. Lastly, Geraldine isn’t afraid to make a mistake, fail, or make a mess of things. What have you learned from your travel, business, and physical adventures? There are painful moments when you go after your big dreams but they don’t last long. What’s important is you have to pay attention to your inner guidance when making big decisions. If it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t right. Also, it’s important to hyper-focus on what’s important and remove low-value distractions from your schedule. There is a trifecta of things that are scaring Geraldine right now as she continues to grow her business. Do you share any of these fears? What does your system contain that you are consistently applying to yourself and sharing with your clients so they can get to where you are in their own development? I am very aware that I have developed my coaching system for myself. “We teach what we need to learn.” Or rather, we teach what we need to be reminded of. I have a coach-friend who introduced me to the phrase “new level, new devil.” Meaning when you break through obstacles you achieve new levels of consciousness, performance and success. But waiting there to greet you at that next level are the new obstacles you have to overcome of you want to continue to grow and evolve. Geraldine has a very supportive yet direct approach to help her clients play bigger. We are all eager to be where you are, playing full out, thinking big, playing big. Describe for us what life is like when we live that experience. Geraldine acknowledges she is not in this head space all the time but she has the tools to get herself there. Playing big is not a comfortable space but she accepts it and embraces it. What are your hopes for your podcast, She Thinks Big? Geraldine’s hopes her podcast is used as a tool by millions of women around the world to help them develop, grow, gain confidence, trust themselves; become the full powerful women they are fully capable of being, so that they can do whatever it is they were put on this planet to do. What are some of the baby steps we can take right now to get there? Become aware of your own internal dialogue, how it makes you feel and react, and then develop a dialogue that will help you to get where you want to be. Want to know more about working with Geraldine? http://focusedbizcoaching.com/business-coaching/ Or find her episodes here: http://shethinksbigpodcast.com/ Thank You to Our Sponsors! ButcherBox delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door. For FREE Bacon and $20 off your first box, go to ButcherBox.com/lead and enter lead as the promotional code at checkout. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Shutting down: Cocooning Imagine you are going about your day when suddenly, something happens. No matter what it is, it occurs to you as bad news. In the moment it feels like the worst news. The last thing you needed right now. The straw that broke the camel's back. It could be a change to your carefully laid out plans, an unpleasant conversation, a flat tire, burnt toast...whatever. It really doesn't matter what it is. What matters is it's something you don't like and you feel like it's out of your control. And then you feel the energy drain out of your body. You're tired, defeated and you start to wonder why you try so hard. It's already X o'clock in the morning and you feel like you need a nap. Over-reacting: The Amazon Warrior Similar to the previous situation something happens but in this instance your alter-ego's faulty radar picks up something different. Rather than sensing a situation where there is nothing you can do you're alter-ego picks up a threat. That change to your carefully laid out plans, the unpleasant conversation, the flat tire, the burnt toast - they are now perceived as putting something at risk, something important. This creates conflict. The alter-ego is now charged up and ready to do battle! Rather than turning into the Incredible Hulk (we're women, after all) you become The Amazon Warrior. Realize that a large percentage of the threats you perceive are just that, perceived threats. They are not real and if you can stay in current reality you can keep yourself from turning into The Amazon Warrior. If you know one or both of these stress reactions are holding you back in your business or professional life reach out to me. This is how I serve my clients best and when they are able to manage their alter-egos and choose their response consciously they are able to keep stress away and stay focused on their goals. As always I hope with was of value to you and here's to your success! Thank you to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!  

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me for this month-end episode on goals. I hope you are enjoying the holidays and have a safe and happy New Year. The end of November and December were very active. I was surprised at how busy I was with meetings right up to the weekend before Christmas. That is unusual but a good sign that you all are ready to create some big things in 2019. The Create and Achieve Goals that Are Worthy of You workshop was so much fun and the feedback was incredibly helpful. What was clear was that we needed more time - duly noted! I also attended and conducted round tables at The Massachusetts Conference for Women. With over 12,000 people in attendance that day it made for a high energy event. As someone put it, “It was overwhelming in all the good ways.” What was really gratifying for me was, as a speaker, I was invited to have my books sold in the bookstore and they sold out. I can’t tell you how amazed and delighted I was. Many things validated for me that I was with my people. Not just women, but go-getting women who are eager to participate fully in their growth and development. Now I’m spending some time unplugged with my family and friends. I’m spending some time resting and finalizing my goals for next year and I’ll share more about that in the next episode which will be releasing in a couple weeks. For now, let’s get caught up on how my 2018 goals landed. To catch up anyone who is new to the Women Taking the Lead podcast, last December I did a series of episodes to walk everyone through my goal setting process and I used myself as an example to take you through all the steps. I promised during that time that I would keep you updated on my progress toward my goals in the hope that it would be helpful for you as you work toward accomplishing your goals. This episode is the progress report on my goals through December. During the Goal setting series I identified four focus areas that were important to me this year and each area has a specific goal assigned to it. Focus area #1 Increase profitability in my business Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. Because I was struggling a little bit with this goal I also created 4 sub-goals in June. These sub-goals are, by year end: Have had 12 new Executive Leadership Coaching clients. This is coaching that focuses on leaders within organizations to help them with their performance as well as happiness and fulfillment at work. I had a total of 8 clients who fell into this category and 3 more clients signed on before the end of the year. While I am one client shy of this goal I still feel successful in this area because of the progress I made in such a short time. Do 10 corporate workshops. I have done 5 this year with one pushed out to January. I am four short of my goal of doing 10 and I’ll be giving this area of my business more love in 2019. Promote the DIY products that are on the Women Taking the Lead website. This category has not gotten much movement and I mentioned last month that I may have to hire a marketing person to help with this. Do two more group programs by the end of the year. The virtual program was a non-starter but as I mentioned earlier my goals workshop, Create and Achieve Goals that are Worthy of You was a success and I’ll be looking forward to doing more local workshops in 2019. November’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $1822.98. I did not meet the average $6800 net profit I’m was looking for each month this year and I’ve been reflecting on this and actively talking to coach colleagues of mine about this concern. There were some things missing in the attainment of this goal but it was not a lack of effort or activity that was the problem. I worked HARD to achieve this goal and applied many strategies that got some traction, but not enough. There were 3 things missing that got in the way of my achieving this goal. I was working too hard and not asking for help. Some expert support would have been very helpful, especially when it comes to the marketing of my business. I focused more on what I could do and not enough on who I was being. Because of some tight deadlines I became focused on getting things done and out rather than taking a step back to get into an experience of being of service and support. This definitely impacted how I was marketing my products and services. Lastly, and this was an interesting insight, although I know what I do and provide is incredibly valuable, I’m not always present to it when I talk to others or as I’m creating my marketing collateral. One of my mastermind members is often pointing out I don’t get detailed enough about the benefits of my services and as we got deeper into the conversation I got really uncomfortable thinking about changing this mentality and state of being. This definitely needs to change in the New Year. Focus area #2 Build more strength and endurance Goal: do 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form within one workout by the end of October. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year. I accomplished my goal to do 1000 chest-to-ground burpees back in October but I have yet to do the unassisted pull-up. Although I have continued to do pull-us with a band as a part of my workout I was not driven to accomplish this goal by year-end. I did not have the same drive and passion for the pull-up that I had for the burpees. This tells me that this goal was chosen more for my ego than to be in alignment with living the life I want to live. I’ll continue to incorporate pull-ups in my weekly routine but I’m likely going to let the task of doing the unassisted pull-up go. Who knows, this may come back sometime in the future and if I happen to hit the goal in the course of getting more fit, I will let you know. Focus are #3 Romantic Partnership Goal: Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man. Although I did not accomplish this goal this year, working toward this goal definitely got me out of my comfort zone and caused a lot of growth for me. I am much more aware of what I am looking for in a partner at this stage in my life and just recently I had a huge “ah-ha” seeing myself falling into a now-familiar pattern of settling for something casual, hoping that something will change in the near future. It never does. Note to self: If they are not in, I’m out! As my sister reminds me, “stay open, stay available, stay vulnerable. There is someone out there for you.” I believe that, and that it’s only a matter of time and as hard as it can be to remain open, available and vulnerable, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to focus on being me and having fun. That’s actually what my focus for 2019 is going to be. Being me and having fun with everything I do. Focus area #4 Live Events Goal: Do a live workshop in the 4th quarter of this year. Success! I checked this goal off this month and am considering some smaller workshops in the future. Quick Update on my Mom My Mom is doing much better now that the chemo is working its way out of her body. She is getting her strength and appetite back. She will be having Lasik surgery on both eyes and once she is healed from that her radiation treatments will begin. Oy! As always I hope this update was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this online mini-course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me. I have a special episode for you this week. As we are heading into the New Year and you are visualizing and commenting to what you want to create in the coming year I thought we could get some inspiration from some of my recent guests. I hope you are as energized and inspired by their words as I am.   201: Dana Malstaff on Seeing Your Value as a Mom and Businesswoman “Ah, but a man's [or woman’s] reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?” ~ Robert Browning boss-mom.com   202: Elizabeth Williams-Riley on Being Open to Loving Everyone “You never know how much your past will affect your future until it shows up in your present.” ~ Elizabeth Williams-Riley americanconferenceondiversity.org   203: Rene Brent on Happiness & Subconscious Mind “Do something every day that scares you.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt PracticeHappyNow.com ReneBrentHypnosis.com   204: Tara Lynn Foster on Situational Confidence “Fear is stupid, so are regrets.” ~ Marilyn Monroe “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Phillipains 4:6-7 taralynnfoster.com   205: Lee Hews on Leading with Action “It’s all about balance.” ~ Lee Hews mainewomenmagazine.com   206: Kara Lamerato on Owning You are a Leader “I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.” ~ Rosa Parks weddingplanningpodcast.co   207: Ariana Sylvester on Not Wanting to Be a Burden “Be the kind of leader that you would follow.” serialstartups.co/join   208: Jen Hecht on Similarities Between Business & Dating “Let’s get it together, sisters!” thedatingadvisoryboard.com   209: Lolly Daskal on How Curiosity & Self-Reflection Can Set You Free “Greatness is a destiny that is available to anyone. We just have to choose it." lollydaskal.com   210: Erin Robbins on How to Give So Everyone Wins “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” ~ Thomas Edison ginzametrics.com/   211: Kara Snyder on How to Overcome Type-A Burnout “You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.” ~Colette vitalcorpswellness.com   212: Jen Glantz on Creating a Unique Business “Never, never, never give up” jenglantz.com   213: Lindsey Anderson on Being Truthful with Yourself “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”  ~ Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple. oneclicklindsey.com   214: Andi Simon on Making Change a Doable Opportunity “We take observation into innovation.” simonassociates.net/   215: David Lee on Creating Safety in Conversations “Better results require better conversations.” humannatureatwork.com/   216: Stephanie Breedlove on Turning Point Moments “Never allow a person to tell you no who does not have the power to say yes.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt stephaniebreedlove.com/   217: Lynda Adams on Being Mindful of Those Who Influence You “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 successfulbalancedliving.com   218: Diane Gardner on How to Stop Believing the Lies “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” taxcoach4you.com   219: Maggie Patterson on the Value of Unplugging “I run this day. This day does not run me, because otherwise, chaos will ensue.” scoopindustries.com   220: Joe De Sena on How to Begin Believing You Can “It could be worse.” spartan.com   221: Alison Cardy on Walking Toward Fear “Your real life, your whole life is worth getting your heart broken a few thousand times.” ~ Martha Beck cardycareercoaching.com   222: Rita Morales on Leaping to Big and Scary “You are enough.” ritamorales.com   223: Naomi Amat on the Need to Nourish Yourself “By nurturing you, you can better nurture your family too.” livinglifeonthespectrum.com   224: Lisa Woodruff on Leaning In To What You Are Good At “Done is better than perfect.” “Progress over perfection.” organize365.com   225: Megan Kelly on Creating the Experiences You Want to Have “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.” “Nevertheless, she persisted.” honorsociety.tv   226: Jenn Aubert on Identifying How You Want to Be of Service “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” learnsavvy.co   227: Elizabeth Moss on Challenges Creating Opportunities for a Thriving Art Gallery “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”  ~ Benjamin Franklin elizabethmossgalleries.com/about   228: Amanda O’Brien on Being a Leader Who Serves a Community “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed in the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do.” takeflyte.com   229: Kelly Roach on Respecting the Stages of Entrepreneurship “Be the best that you can be in everything that you do.” kellyroachcoaching.com   230: Carol Mitchell on Breaking Female Stereotypes “What do you care what other people think?” ~ Richard Feynman tsphr.com   231: Jen Brown on Making Moves When You Feel It “You aren’t pizza. You won’t please everyone.” theengagingeducator.com   232: Christina Vinters on What’s Possible When You Shed Self-Limiting Beliefs “If you want to fly, give up what weighs you down.” ~Toni Morrison modernseparations.com   233: Katie Krimitsos on Becoming the Version of You Who Can “Stay in your lane.” bizwomenrock.com   234: Katie Allen on Being Both Planner & Risk Taker “The two most important days of your life are the day that you’re born and the day you figure out why.” ~ Mark Twain viaONEHOPE.com   235: Hira Ali on Believing “You’ve Got This!” “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~ Henry Ford advancingyourpotential.com   236: Maegan Watson on Evolving Your Business “We are not given dreams or ideas without the ability to create them. We are not given the vision of ourselves without the bravery to being this vision to life. All you have to do is tell yourself that you are worth it, over and over.” watsonstylegroup.com   237: Melissa Hereford on How to Get What You Want “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” ~ FDR “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the slide, overthinking it. You have to go down the shoot.” ~ Tina Fey MelissaHereford.com   238: Sari de la Motte on Trusting Your Gut “People won’t remember what you said, but they’ll remember what they felt.” ~ Maya Angelou nonverbalforte.com   239: Giovanna Capozza on Finding Your Meaning of Happiness “You’re not doing this alone.” sherisespodcast.com   240: Lynette Delane on “You Don’t Need that Piece of Paper!” “Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.” ~ Brene Brown kitsandbits.com.au   241: Anne L’Heureux on Empowering Those You Lead “Do and believe that which leads you to your goals.” ~ Tom Bilyeu fueltrainovercome.com   242: Alissa Daire Nelson on Not Feeling Good Enough “Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.” daire2succeed.com   243: Elizabeth Ross Holmstrom on Using Mindfulness to Combat Stress “There’s no such thing as a weird human being, it’s just that some people might require more understanding than others.”  ~ Tom Robbins breaktogether.net   244: Suzanne Anderson on the Evolution of Women “The place life calls you to, where the most aliveness is, is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” ~ Frederick Buechner mysterialwoman.com   245: Brian Ligotti on Rethinking What You “Have To” Do “I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think” ~ Rumi dirigofitness.com   246: Kristy Wallace on Finding Balance by Releasing Perfection “Love what you do.” facebook.com/EllevateNetwork/   248: Angela Lussier on Speaking Your Voice “Stop waiting. Start creating.” angelalussier.us   249: Keisha Reynolds on the Valuable Risk to Be You “There is something inside of us that transcends the human experience of race, and culture, and class, and for me that’s the human spirit.” keishareynolds.com   250: Alexa Gilmore on Coming Back to Your Body “Be the first. The first to say hello. The first to compliment the other person. The first to give credit. The first to say sorry. The first to offer to help. The first to show up for someone else. The first to set an example. The first to offer hope. The first to shine. Be the first.” ~ Chris Winfield atxacu.com   251: Kelly Gushue on Helping Women to Succeed “Carpe Diem.” ~Horace PersonalFinanceWarrior.com   252: Randi Levin on Living Your Legacy “We tend to think of our legacy as something we leave behind at the end of our lives, but what would you do differently today if you believed that you had the choice to carve out exactly what you wanted that legacy to be in real time? Manifest that concept and magically you do have that choice. You are your own GPS in your life. Start by having a voice. Say yes by listening to that voice. What’s next? Now is your new next.” randilevincoaching.com   If you loved this episode you are also going to love The Quotes From the First 100 Episodes and Another 100 Quotes to Take on the Go. If you listened to this episode and got fired up to make things happen in the coming year but you are feeling lost or doubtful around how to make it happen, reach out to me. You can find me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com. I would love to hear from you and help you to achieve all your goals this year. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here's to your success. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this online mini-course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

There is a lot of competition in the online space and in the current job market. It can be difficult to distinguish yourself from others using the same strategies that have been around for decades. Even with the growing number of podcasts being launched daily there is still a barrier to entry and sustainability – making it the PERFECT way to stand out of the crowd if you’re willing to apply tried and true methods that simplify the process and attract the perfect audience for you. Questions to Ask Yourself Take some time to consider the following questions and journal your answers. 1. What do I want to be known for? Before you can amplify your personal brand be very clear on what your personal brand is all about. This information will give you topic ideas and narrow the focus of what you cover so you are know for exactly what you want to be known for. WTL example: I want to be known as a woman that helps other women own their power, step up as leaders in their own life, and go after what they want. 2. Who do I want to reach? Who is my ideal audience? Is your audience the movers and shakers in your industry? Are you trying to reach your ideal customers? Are you looking to develop those who will come after you? Being very clear on who you want for your audience will help you to customize information and develop a format that will engage the people you want to engage. WTL example: My ideal audience is women who are Type A. They are the ambitious entrepreneurs and the high performers within organizations. They've had a successful career but they are working really hard and getting burnt out by all the work; they long for success to be easier. 3. What is my message? What do I want people to know? What do you want to add to the space? You have a unique perspective that no one else has. WTL example: I want these women to know that there is a different way to have everything they want. I want them to know that there is a way to achieve more while doing less. I have the tools that can make that happen. 4. What format(s) will I use to deliver this information? (Interviews, audio blog, on-air coaching, news story, etc.) Information can be delivered in a variety of ways. Which format would you enjoy most? Which format would your audience enjoy most? Which format would be best for you to accomplish your goals stated in questions #1 and #3? WTL example: The Women Taking the Lead podcast started as interview format only. Since then I have expanded to doing audio blog episodes and "on-air" coaching episodes. 5. What would be the frequency of my podcast? (daily, weekly, monthly, in seasons, etc.) The frequency of your podcast doesn't matter so much as setting a clear expectation for your audience. If I am listening to a weekly podcast I get disappointed when an episode doesn't come out each and every week. However, some of the podcasts I listen to are released in "seasons." I enjoy the episodes that are released and I know there will be a time lapse in-between seasons. It's also okay to change the frequency of your podcast but be sure to inform your audience ahead of time so they know what to expect. WTL example: Women Taking the Lead started as a bi-weekly podcast and transitioned to a weekly podcast after 2 years. This summer I let my audience know my mother had been diagnosed with cancer and because of that I would be releasing episodes less frequently. I did promise I would have my "month-end update on goals" episode out the last week of each month. 6. What do I want people to do as a result of listening to my podcast? (Hire you, engage you as a speaker, join your mailing list, attend you event, join a cause, etc.) You may have a variety of actions you want your audience to take. However, be sure each episode focuses on one call-to-action (CTA) or your audience will get overwhelmed. Your CTA may simply be to email you with any questions or feedback. Don't skip over having a call-to-action in your episode or it will be a missed opportunity. Women Taking the Lead Best Practices Time block: block out time on your calendar for working on your podcast. Don't leave it to chance and don't give this time away. Especially if you are doing interviews. Pick a set time and day to do your interviews back-to-back. If you are doing interviews set your guest up for success. Let them know what you expect of them and what they can expect from you in regard to preparation, sound quality, and marketing. Make sure they have a quality microphone before you do the interview. Do not waste your time recording if the sound quality is bad. You will hurt your reputation and their's if you release the episode. Also, let them know when the episode will go live well in advance of the release date. Make sure the content of the episode is relevant for your audience. Don't throw something together just to stay on schedule. Better to miss a release date than to put low quality content out. You're audience is loyal to you because they've been impressed by what you have been delivering. Don't abuse their trust. Check in with your audience. Ask for feedback. Some of the best ideas I've gotten for my podcast have come directly from my listeners. Give yourself permission to pivot. The content you want to share, how you want to share it, and whom you want to share it with may all change over the course of time. Just as you are not the same person you were a year or two ago, your podcast will also grow and evolve over time. If things are feeling stale try changing it up a bit. Your audience will grow with you. Podcasting Hardware for Women Taking the Lead I'm sharing my very basic set up with you so you realize this is not a barrier to entry. PC - Dell Latitude E5430 $220.00 Microphone - Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone $69.08 Microphone Stand: Hamilton Nu-Era Tabletop Mic Stand $15.12 Pop filter: Dragonpad USA 6" Microphone Studio Pop Filter with Clamp - White/Black $13.38 Pop filter: On Stage Foam Ball-Type Mic Windscreen, Black $2.95 Webcam for "On-Air" Coaching episodes: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920, 1080p Widescreen Video Calling and Recording $49.99 If I had to rebuild my "studio" from scratch today it would cost me $370.52. If you don't need to see the person you are interviewing or coaching you would save $49.99 on the webcam. Podcasting Software for Women Taking the Lead Skype - for audio-only interviews (Free) MP3 Skype Recorder - recording software for the interview (Free) Zoom - for "On-Air" Coaching episodes. Recording capabilities included $149.90/year. I use Zoom for business meetings and client calls as well so this expense works for me. Audacity - editing software (Free). Both pictures you see in this post... that's Audacity up on the computer screen. The Levelator - for leveling the sound, especially with episodes that include other people. I use this and then Auphonic to get a better sound quality. (Free) Auphonic - high quality software for leveling sound. (100 minutes a month are free) Libsyn - podcast hosting/syndicating service. (There is a variety of plans and pricing based on your needs) As you can see there is a low barrier to entry in podcasting but effectiveness of your venture into the audio space will depend on your preparation and creativity. If you'd like to dive deeper into the realm of podcasting you can do this Free Podcast Course lead by my friend, John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire. He gets into the nitty-gritty of what can make or break your podcast and gives you tips and tools to take you from concept to launch. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here's to your success! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Women Taking the Lead Resources Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me. On the day this episode is releasing I am in full swing preparing for the Create and Achieve Goals that are Worthy of You workshop which is happening tomorrow. I am so excited about this. I am in my zone when I am leading workshops and I’m thrilled to be with the women who are attending. I cannot wait to lead them through a process that will help them craft the perfect goals for them, as well as create the plan and begin executing on it. I am also psyched because I will be going to see Jen Sincero tonight. She is the author of the book, You Are A Badass, and she is doing a book signing in Boston for her latest book, You Are a Badass Every Day: How to Keep Your Motivation Strong, Your Vibe High, and Your Quest for Transformation Unstoppable. So, I’ve got the Jen Sincero event tonight in Boston, the goals workshop tomorrow in Portland, Maine and this Thursday is the Massachusetts Conference for Women and I’ll be leading a few roundtable in the technology pavilion on how to use podcasting to amplify your personal brand. And then on Friday I’m going to sleep in and play with my sister’s puppy. How’s that for a week? Enough about me, we are back to talking about Playing Bigger, the awesome book by Tara Mohr. We are diving into chapter 3…A Very Old New Way of Looking at Fear. Having a toolkit to face fear will be priceless to you as there are always new situations that will invoke fear and you don’t want to live a half-life because you can’t manage your fear of perceived danger. Also, since the theme here is playing bigger, make a list of the things that cause you to feel worry, concern, fear or anxiety, when you think about playing bigger. The behaviors associated with this are avoidance or escape. What are you avoiding because you are afraid you will be embarrassed or rejected or not supported? Know that playing big will invoke both types of fear but we need to examine and shift the danger fear into the enlivening fear. If Time is What You Fear In talking with many of you around playing big, or even just playing at where you are now, I know one of your big struggles is managing your time. You may even feel concern, worry or anxiety around your time and if that is the case I have a program that is what you need to free yourself up and let go of overwhelm. In this program I cover 7 different strategies that will help you get control of your time, your calendar, and your peace of mind so you are accomplishing everything you want to be accomplishing with more ease and a sense that there is plenty of time. This program is seriously just $19 and I guarantee you will get results and feel relief around your schedule and your to-dos. To find out more about this program go to womentakingthelead.com/time. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! ButcherBox delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door. For FREE Bacon and $20 off your first box, go to ButcherBox.com/lead and enter lead as the promotional code at checkout. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me for this month-end episode on goals. Here in the US we just had our Thanksgiving Day celebrations and I am now in a detox mode. Luckily I had the opportunity to help my brother and his wife move so I’ve burned off most of what I consumed and now I’m just waiting for the cravings to go away. Now we are in full swing for the holidays and I am wishing you all peace, joy, and happiness as you make your plans, do your shopping, wrap your gifts, and make time for all the holiday parties and events that you want to attend. Remember, you don’t have to attend them all. Celebrate the holidays in the way that fulfills you. Last December I did a series of episodes to walk you through my goal setting process and I used myself as an example to take you through all the steps. I promised during that time that I would keep you updated on my progress toward my goals in the hope that it would be helpful for you as you work toward accomplishing your goals. I want you to know we are in this together. This episode is the progress report on my goals through November. During the Goal setting series I identified four focus areas that were important to me this year and each area has a specific goal assigned to it. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this online mini-course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me! And hello November! The countdown is on to the holidays. When I think of the holidays I think of busy and I want to share with you an insight I had recently around the whole concept of busy. I, like many of you, dream of a time in the near future when things will settle down and there will be an opportunity to move at a slower pace and enjoy a phase where not much is going on. The insight I had was there really is no slow time of year. Sure, certain activities slow down at certain times of year but then other activities creep in to take their place. I remember when I was in my office job summer was a slow time of year in terms of how much mail we were getting, so the day-to-day workload was lighter. However, this was also the time of year many people were taking vacation so it wasn’t uncommon to have weeks where we were staffed at 70% or less. This was also the time of year projects needed to be completed because we didn’t’ have time for them the rest of the year. Now that summertime is over and the kids are back at school and we’re not yet in the thick of the holidays you would think this would be the time of year when things slow down. I don’t know about you but I am as busy as ever. I’ve mentioned before we had our BNI chapter leadership transition and The Maine Women’s Conference has been in a recruiting phase for board members and volunteers. In my business there have been a surge of networking events and meetings because now is the time everyone has the time to give to their businesses. They are typically not distracted by vacations, staffing issues, back-to-school, holiday parties, etc. My point is I’m thinking we need to give up the notion that there will be a time when we are not busy. This may sound like bad news but it actually gives you some freedom. Knowing you will always have things that will occupy your time you now can make a choice on what will take up your time. Use your time for the things that bring you satisfaction, fulfillment and even enjoyment, and don’t give it to things that feel like a burden or an obligation. Also, you and I have choice in how we feel about how we are spending our time. There is nothing inherently wrong with being busy if you like what you are spending your time on. Busy is only a negative if what is keeping you busy is taking you away from what’s important to you. If that resonates, you my friend, have some decisions to make. If it doesn’t feel in alignment with who you are and how you want to live, change it. And you know what? This isn’t even the topic for today’s episode. It’s just my random thoughts. However, it’s not a bad lead in because today I’m continuing my review of Tara Mohr’s book, Playing Big. I don’t even know if review is the right word. Rather, I’m listening to the audio version of Playing Big and sharing some of the content that jumped out at me and my thoughts on it. This time I wanted to talk about chapter 2, titled… The Voice of Inner Wisdom You can also tap into your inner wisdom to help craft your 2019 goals and if you’re at the workshop I’m doing on December 4th in Portland, Maine, you will definitely be accessing your inner wisdom and that of the 32 other women who will be there. If you want to come out strong in 2019 you’re going to want to set your goals for next year before the New Year starts. December is the perfect time to plan, prepare and get excited about the year to come. For me, goal setting is the process that gives me more clarity and structure around what is going to bring me to life. That’s why I call my goal setting process “creating goals that are worthy of you.” Goals that are worthy of you are exciting and feel good. You are called and compelled to achieve a goal that is worthy of you. It gives you that extra bounce to do what needs to be done. Goal setting is the support system to playing big. It is because of my ability to set these personalized goals that I’ve been able to run a marathon, start a business, launch a podcast, write a book, become a national speaker and workshop facilitator, as well as do 1000 burpees in one workout, increase the profits in my business and do a live event. My goal setting system is very personalized because the goals that have brought me to life are not the goals that will bring you to life. This process will help you to create and achieve goals that are a perfect fit for you. It’s time to toss out the old arbitrary formula for setting goals and create goals that not only represent who you are and the life you want to live, they will guide you to let go of who you are not and old patterns that do not work for you as you move toward your goal. In this workshop you and I will: Explore what has worked and not worked for you in the past Create goals that are what you want for yourself, rather than what others want for you Learn how to leverage your superpowers in the attainment of your goal Create a way to track your progress to sustain momentum Identify who you need to be to achieve your goals (missing from most goal setting systems and yet so crucial to your success!) This process is going to reveal your Highest Self. If you are done with suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with the heartbreak of an unattained goal this workshop is for you! Date:  Tuesday, December 4, 2018 Time:  9:00 am-2:30 pm, Doors open at 8:30 am. Location:  CoworkHERS, 411 Congress St, Portland ME Parking:  All-day parking at the Temple Street Garage included in the price of the workshop. Price: $175, Early bird price of $125 until 11/23/2018 However, this space can only hold 32 participants and tickets have already been sold so don’t wait for the last minute to register. Get signed up now. Go to womentakingthelead.com/goals2019 and reserve your seat! As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me for this month-end episode on goals. We are solidly in the 4th quarter of 2018. Can you believe it? This is the time we all typically have a wake-up call when it comes to our goals. Are we going to achieve them? Do we need to adjust them to make a realistic motivated push between now and the end of the year? Or are we going to throw in the towel on our goal. Unless you realize you set a goal you don’t give a care about I am always going to encourage you to adjust instead of throwing in the towel. Throwing in the towel will leave you feeling defeated and as the next couple of months will also be focused on setting goals for 2019 you don’t want to go into that process with a defeated mindset. There’s nothing wrong with adjusting so that you’re still stretched a little bit, yet don’t feel so overwhelmed you don’t know where to begin or start to feel like, “what’s the point? I’m not going to achieve this goal anyway.” Remember, achieving goals is largely due to your mindset. Do what you need to do to get a positive and willing mindset. You can do this! Last December I did a series of episodes to walk you through my goal setting process and I used myself as an example of what the process looks like in real life as it plays out. I promised during that time that I would keep you updated on my progress toward my goals in the hope that it would be helpful for you as you work toward accomplishing your goals. I want you to know we are in this together. During the Goal setting series I identified four focus areas that were important to me and each area has a specific goal assigned to it. Focus area #1 Increase profitability in my business Specific Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. Focus area #2 Build more strength and endurance Goal: do 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form within one workout by the end of October. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year. Focus area #3 Romantic Partnership Goal: Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man. Focus area #4 Live Events Goal: Do a live workshop in the 4th quarter of this year. The Creating and Achieving Goals that are Worthy of You workshop is going to happen on December 4, 2018 at the CoworkHERS co-working space in Portland, Maine. All-day parking at the Temple Street garage is included in the price of the workshop so you don’t have to worry about finding a spot or any additional out-of-pocket expenses for parking. I am also running an early bird rate for this event but here’s the thing: space is limited to 32 participants and tickets have already been sold. Buy your ticket now because I have a feeling something is going to click and all of sudden the tickets are going to be gone. Go to womentakingthelead.com/goals2019 to reserve your seat! I am looking forward to seeing you in-person and introducing you to all the other amazing women who will be attending this event.  Quick Update on my Mom My Mom has had her third chemo treatment. Her hair had started to fall out so this past month she went to her hair stylist to shave it all off. There were some tears while it was happening but the family was sent two pictures right after the appointment; one of her with a cap on and one of her completely bald. She was beaming. In both pictures she was absolutely beaming and I had the thought, “I hope when I grow up I can face life with the same attitude she brings.” Although she is more tired and the side effects of the chemo and steroids increase with each treatment she is still in good spirits. And my sister and sister-in-law who are nurses are helping her to regularly take her anti-nausea medication and are checking with the doctor for possible alternatives. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and messages. They make a difference and I am grateful to you for taking the time because I know you’ve got your own stuff in your life you are dealing with. I truly appreciate you. As always I hope this update was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this online mini-course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Over the summer when I shared my Mom’s cancer diagnosis I asked this community to help support me in doing the Women Taking the Lead podcast by giving me some ideas for future episodes. I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of creative energy so your suggestions would take a couple things off my plate. I have to thank Geraldine Carter of the She Thinks Big podcast who sent me voice recordings that she created while she was out for a walk with ideas for future episodes. On idea was to talk about Tara Mohr’s book, Playing Big. We talk a lot on this podcast about playing small so this is not the first time I had heard of Tara’s book or gotten the suggestion to read and possibly review it. This time, however, I was ready and an open recipient for the suggestion. Geraldine, thank you so much for the support you have been to me. Let me dive into some of the underlying premises of Tara Mohr’s book, Playing Big. Women Are Playing Small and They Don’t Like It Women work really, really hard to deliver value and then undervalue their own work. This leaves them behind men who are not as critical of their own performance. In a survey Tara Mohr put forth to her community, to ascertain what type of content and programming she should create for them, she created a long list of multiple choice options. The “largest number of survey responses from women deemed their most significant problem, ‘I’m playing small.’” Playing small ranked higher than work/life balance, stress and relationship issues. It is my opinion through my own experience, and I put it forth confidently, that most of you who are listening to this know you are playing small and it makes you unhappy when you think about it. I’m going to do a few episodes on the concepts in the book, Playing Small, because I want to make you aware of what is going on for you and some steps you can take to stop playing small in your own life. Even though I’m going to review this book I recommend you buy it as well because: Tara Mohr is amazing and you’ll want to experience her more fully and You’ll get more detail from the book. I don’t know exactly what concept will create the “ah-ha” moment you need to get out of the spiral of wishing you were playing bigger, but not. The concept I’m covering in this episode is only chapter one of this book so much like a book turned into a movie, there’s a lot that didn’t get included. Here we go...The Inner Critic As always I hope this is of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

As I’m recording this it is a rainy Sunday morning, I’m sipping my hot beverage looking out the window at the trees that have started to change colors. It’s a very relaxing picture but let me warn you this is not going to be the tone of this episode. The pace so far today is giving me an opportunity to reflect on the past week and this past week was anything but tranquil. I was already a little off balance when something good happened and yet it sent me into a spiral. Let me set the scene. Last weekend I drove my friends to the airport in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday and that began for me a week of house sitting and doggie sitting. My friends have two dogs and one is a one-year-old Australian Shepard. He requires a lot of attention and engagement and will get in trouble if you don’t wear him out. This was also the week the BNI leadership positions transition over and as the incoming Secretary/Treasurer of my chapter there were a lot of things that needed to be requested, communicated, decided, put in place and prepared for. I have also taken on being Vice President of the board for the Maine Women’s Conference this year and we have been in a recruiting phase for the board for the past month. All of a sudden this week there was an influx of emails with nominations and applications to review as well as attempts to schedule interviews for the candidates. While all these things were not necessarily meant to happen all at the same time they did. It made for a hectic week but I’ve seen weeks like this before. Sunday and Monday were very productive days for me so I felt really good heading into the week. What I also had on my calendar was a large time block on Tuesday for training for my goal of 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one workout. As I’ve mentioned on the podcast previously, I recognized I needed some expert help on this goal so I began working with Alex who is a personal trainer and nutrition coach in August. Alex put together a training and nutrition plan for me that we execute and review on a weekly basis. To save my joints in my weekly burpee workout Alex had me doing no more than 500 burpees in these weekly workouts. The focus of those workouts was initially getting down the proper breathing and form and once I nailed those the focus was to try to do the workout a little faster each week. Based on the times I was hitting Alex and I guessed that it would take me about 4 hours to hit 1000 burpees if I could stay at a steady pace. This week the training plan was to do burpees slowly and steadily for 4 hours just to get my mind wrapped around how long it was going to take. The best day for this workout was Tuesday as I didn’t have any meetings in the afternoon. I knew I wasn’t going to be good for much than basic activity after doing any kind of a cardio workout for 4 hours. So Tuesday morning I began doing burpees slowly and steadily figuring I’d hit around 900. What happened occurred to me like good news and bad news all at the same time. The good news is on Tuesday, October 2nd at 11:41 am ET, after doing burpees for 3:38:34 I hit 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees done in good form and achieved my goal. I shared with a friend that it was a little tacky to share that “I did intend to but I ended up doing 1000 burpees in my last workout.” She responded that there is a saying, “practice hard so game day is easy.” I completed 1000 burpees so easily because I was prepared for it; better than I realized. I also joked with Alex that I think he used reverse psychology on me. By telling me to go slow and just do burpees for 4 hours with no goal he made it easier for me to hit 1000 because there was nothing riding on this workout; there wasn’t any pressure. I settled into a kind of meditative state just focusing on breathing in, breathing out, awareness of my form and keeping count. The bad news is I’ve been in a bit of a funk about it ever since. After some contemplation I hit on the pitfalls that created this experience for me and I'm sharing these in the hopes that if you ever find yourself feeling let down rather than joyful at hitting a big goal you can find your way out of the funk. As I mentioned at the beginning of this episode this past week was a perfect storm of things that are important to me requiring a lot of attention all at once.  You need to know that as much as you and I plan, as much as you and I prepare, it doesn't stop "life" from coming at us. Sometimes, even when we've done all the clearing away of what’s not important to us, so we can focus only on what is important those things suddenly have needs at the same time. Don't judge yourself and your life too harshly. All you can do is your best. However, the work that can be done now in preparation for the next time is to move the needle on what your best looks like. Can you practice more awareness, presence, patience and listening? Can you take better care of yourselves so your body is better absorb brief periods of living at full speed? It is no mistake that I am choosing mid-October as the time to do The Accomplished Course Part I: Energized and In-Control. We’ve just gotten through the busy end of summer beginning of fall period and the holidays are coming. Now is the time to change your perception of what you can and cannot handle. What will you focus on to prepare for the next active wave? In The Accomplished Course I’m going to give you some insight into how you are handling stress right now and the tools to manage what is coming at you more effectively so you actually decrease and even remove the experience of feeling stressed. Imagine having life coming at you full speed yet you still remain calm and in-control. When you can remain calm and in-control you will be more productive, more effective, more enjoyable to be around and you will hit your goals more quickly. I hear people say all the time, “I know what to do I’m just not doing it.” It’s always a stress reaction that is keeping them from it. If you’ve been thinking that you would like to work with me this is one of your best opportunities to do so. Go to womentakingthelead.com/energize to find out more and get yourself registered. This round of The Accomplished Course will close to new registrations on Friday, October 12 so take the step and get yourself registered now. One last thing… You guys, I did 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one workout and I did it in the month I said I would do it, October. Thank you for being a part of my journey and supporting me along the way. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me for this month-end episode on goals. Can someone please tell me where September went? With a couple trips home to Worcester, The Maine Women’s Conference board and activity surrounding next year’s event ramping up, the BNI Maine Leadership Team training and transitions going on, as well as my October group program joyfully on the calendar, the month of September seemed to go by in a blink! However, I made peace many years ago that September is a very active month. And although we’ve had some wacky weather here in Maine it has now settled into the mild days and cool nights that I enjoy the most. I’m releasing this episode late on a Sunday because I was determined to get the month-end update on goals episode out by month-end. Last December I did a series of episodes to walk you through my goals process and I used myself as the Guinea pig for that purpose. I promised during that time that I would keep you updated on my progress toward my goals in the hope that it would be helpful for you as you work toward accomplishing your goals and this is the September update. During the Goals series I identified four focus areas that were important to me and each area has a specific goal assigned to it. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

I chose the topic today because I noticed a lot of activity lately on a post I first released in 2014 titled, 5 Reasons Why Having Clear Goals is Critical for Your Business. It being September, the other New Year, and just before the beginning of the 4th quarter of 2018 I’m thinking it’s not a bad idea to go over some of the reasons why you would want to have clearly stated goals. For those of you who have been listening to Women Taking the Lead on the regular, you know I love setting and accomplishing goals. In fact, if someone asks me what my hobbies are or what I do in my free time the answer I give, a bit tongue-in-cheek but  also true, is I set and accomplish goals. Some of the questions that drive me and I want to explore in my lifetime is, “Who am I? What am I capable of? What can I accomplish when I put my mind to it?” As a side note, if you are someone who doesn’t have hobbies because any hobby you take up either begins to bore you or becomes a pursuit, don’t feel bad and stop judging yourself. Many of my Type A clients don’t have hobbies because we can’t stand to “waste time” or we turn a hobby into something we want to conquer. If you want to accomplish something don’t be shy about it, make it clear and document it. Here’s the thing, you would never dream of building a house without a blueprint, a plan for what it would look like once it was built. You would never hire a contractor who didn’t know the materials, manpower, and time it was going to take to build that house. Is your business or career less important than the house you would live in? Why, oh why, would you be a leader in business and not have a clear picture of what you are building and what it’s going to take to build it? Goals, like proper nutrition, are often seen as additional work, but I’ve got five reasons why goals are actually the fuel to your success. 1. Goals Help You To Focus Your Attention When you have clearly stated goals, preferably written and posted somewhere you can see them, your attention is brought back to what you are trying to accomplish. Shiny Object Syndrome is common. I can’t tell you how many people I meet who believe they have a touch of Adult ADD. They don’t have Adult ADD; they’re not clear on what they should be focusing on in any given moment because everything seems important. As a result, everything gets a little bit of their attention and progress on any particular project or initiative is slow. If you don’t state what’s important EVERYTHING will seem important. 2. Goals Give You A Clear Sense Of What To Say “Yes” And “No” To If you are someone who has a hard time saying “no”, having goals is definitely in your best interests. Whenever you are approached to give of your time, or resources the request is measured against your stated goals. You want to ask yourself, “Does this move me closer or further away from my goals?” If it does not move you closer to your goal the answer is, “no, for now.” It’s not to say you will never help the person who is approaching you; it just means that at this time you cannot commit your time and resources to their initiative because you’ve got your own. We are all busy. The question is what are you busy doing? 3. Goals Allow You To Measure Your Progress This is probably one of the most important reasons for having goals. Having goals, setting milestones and timeframes gives you an opportunity to gauge how you are doing against goal. Rather than having a vague notion of how you’re doing (I’m really busy) you have a realistic picture from which you can make decisions. From here you can assess what’s working, what’s not working, where you may need some help, or perhaps you realize you need to tweak the goal. Having these measurements can also give you sense of accomplishment. Because you have documented where you started from you can also see how far you’ve come. This can keep the motivation up when working toward the goal becomes hard and I did several episodes on “The Dip” that you can refer back to. 4. Goals Can Be Communicated To Employees, Partners, Contractors and Vendors People want to help, they want to contribute. More often than not they don’t live up to this desire because they are not clear on where they can make an impact. Help them help you by sharing your goals and why you want to achieve them. If the goal is vague (increase business, improve net profits, increase productivity) there’s not much there for people to get inspired by nor is there a clear idea of how they can help. Clearly crafted goals and objectives motivate other people to see where they can make a difference for you in achieving your goals. 5. Bonus: Having Documented Goals Triggers the Unconscious Mind On Your Behalf Your unconscious mind is always working. Having defined goals allows the unconscious mind to work on them, even when you are not. Your mind will constantly be looking for solutions and creative ideas to move you closer to your goal. The more clearly the goal or the “problem” is stated, the better able the unconscious mind is at finding solutions. These solutions usually come while doing a mundane activity like washing the dishes, brushing your teeth or going for a walk. Be ready when inspiration hits. To Sum It Up… Goals, though they may seem tedious and stress-inducing, are beneficial to you, your business, and the people around you. If you have not done so already, take some time to jot down what you want to have accomplished by the end of the year. If you are struggling, reach out to me, a counterpart or a friend to help pull out the concept and get it down on paper. And if you’re not 100% happy with your goals or your progress I’m going to suggest doing my goals mini-course. You can find out more about it at womentakingthelead.com/goals. And as a thank you for being a listener of this podcast you can use coupon code goals10 to get $10 off. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Emi Kirschner, speaker, coach, and author masterfully combines her deep intuitive abilities with her analytical sense to help creative entrepreneurs double and triple their revenue. Committed to impacting 1 million entrepreneurs over the next 5 years, Emi teach the leadership skills necessary to help you to confidently step into the CEO role in your business. She is known for giving meaningful tools, not just theory, to implement marketing, sales and operational strategies that result in increased profitability and more freedom in the rest of you life. Zone of Genius Emi believes that when you aren’t working in the zone of your genius, you aren’t able to grow. People tend to get stuck on things that aren’t bringing clients in, and that is where she comes in to help out. Changing the Belief Emi encourages her clients to bring along team members to start off-loading their tasks to. Emi also has them put their planning and development into their calendars, including eating and exercising. Having your week laid out on the calendar takes the guess work out. Confidently Stepping into CEO Emi finds people often struggle to price their products, but she knows the market can bear confidently what you ask for. Emi also believes that getting yourself hyped up before a possible proposal or phone call can make all the difference. Teach What You Need to Learn There were times when Emi was not working inside any of her zones of genius. She struggled with SEO for weeks without reaching out for help, did not want to be structured by her calendar, and was not charging what she should have been. Aha Moment Emi had really great coaches that helped her reach her aha moment. The book, “You Are a Badass” by Jen Sincero, had a huge impact on her as well. Emi was done playing small. She now asks herself how she can go bigger. The Next Horizon Emi is starting a podcast, and is developing a membership site that will hopefully launch early 2019. Emi currently has an 8-week course that helps create a roadmap to success. If you’re feeling stuck, the program covers life and business, leadership and mindset, operating state and where your zone of genius is, marketing and sales. Links Website: emikirschner.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Emi-Kirschner FB Group: Lifestyle for Leaders https://www.facebook.com/groups/LifeStyleforLeaders/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EmiKirschnerCHHC Twitter: https://twitter.com/empressemi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emi.kirschner/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me for this month-end episode on goals. Can you believe this is the 8th monthly update on goals? We are 2/3 of the way through 2018! Here in the US we’ve also got Labor Day next week which is our unofficial end to summer. This is also when all the kids go back to school, if they haven’t already. September is also known as “the other New Year” so this is great time to set new goals or recommit to the goals you’ve been working on. Times of transition are great times to make changes or start something new. Our brains have an easier time accepting change during transition so take advantage of this if you been meaning to change some habits or take up anything new! Okay, on to what I’ve been up to in the month of August in regards to my goals. I have four focus areas and each area has a specific goal assigned to it. Focus area #1 Increase profitability in my business Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. With the help of my mastermind group and going through my goals review back in June I have created 4 sub-goals for this goal. These sub-goals are, by year end: Have had 12 new Executive Leadership Coaching clients. This is coaching that focuses on leaders within organizations to help them with their performance and happiness at work. Since setting this sub-goal I have gained two new clients who fall in this category, have one more starting in September and I am having ongoing conversations with 5 other individuals with varying degrees of potential for the immediate future. Do 10 corporate workshops. I have done 4 thus far this year and at this point have 4 potential workshops coming up but still no movement. I am within a week or two of launching my postal mail campaign to businesses in Maine so I’ll be looking for movement in this area in the next couple of months. Promote the DIY products that are on the website. I just met with my Virtual Assistant last week to put together a marketing plan and now we are beginning to execute on this plan. Again, I’m hoping to have some more results-driven progress to share with you next month. Do two more group programs by the end of the year. I’m planning to do a virtual group program in the fall and will also be doing a live workshop that will likely occur late November after Thanksgiving or the first week in December. Now, June’s Profit and Loss report showed an abysmal net profit of $922.38, way far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000. However, July’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $5,788.76. Still $1000 away from the $6700 I’m shooting for but I will take it. This is the closest I’ve gotten to goal and I am pleased with the progress. Focus area #2 Build more strength and endurance Goal: do 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form within one workout by the end of October. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year. Two Fridays ago I did 800 burpees in 3:02:31. The Monday after my 800 burpee workout I also began training with Alex. Alex is the Personal Trainer in my BNI group. He is certified as a Person Trainer and Nutrition Coach and has experience working with endurance athletes. That first workout was eye opening and as Alex put it, “you’re strong enough to do 1000 burpees but you are working way too hard.” I really haven’t had to change what I’m eating too much but I’ve changed the frequency in which I consume food. I was eating 3 meals and 3 snacks a day (consumed about every 2-3 hours) and now I’m eating 4 meals every 3-5 hours. In one week I’ve already lost .7% body fat and gained .8 lbs. in muscle mass. Not too shabby. Alex also recommended, in an effort to save my joints from wear and tear, changing up the burpee workout I do once a week. He suggested doing my burpee workout quicker rather than trying to do more burpees. For instance, last week rather than striving to do 850 burpees I’ll did 500 burpees striving to beat the time of my last 500 burpee workout. This I did. The last time I did 500 burpees was in April and it took me 1:43:49. This time it took me 1:36:15, shaving 7 minutes and 34 seconds off my original time. Focus are #3 Romantic Partnership Goal: Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man. I have to laugh a little bit at this goal because while sometimes it is the most enjoyable goal to work towards it also challenges my Type A, need to know, need a plan, need to be in control tendencies. They are getting a workout, for sure. And they are at odds with the qualities I identified that would take me toward my goal; namely, being aligned, feminine, social, focused, disciplined and committed. When I feel uncertain and like I don’t have control it takes work for me to feel and exude those qualities. While being on a dating app can be compared to being on a rollercoaster the experience I had last month has continued. I am making more quality connections and overall enjoying myself more. Every man I’ve had the fortune of getting to know briefly has helped me to be clearer on what I’m looking for at this stage of my life from a romantic partnership. And oddly enough each month I meet a new man who is closer to what I’m looking for. That being said I don’t want to sugarcoat this either. I get more feedback and commentary on my burpee goal than any of the others. To most people that is the goal that is the most challenging on my list. But for me dating is more challenging because there’s only so much I have control over, pretty much just myself: who I’m being, how I show up, how I communicate, my appearance, my boundaries, etc. Nearly every other aspect of dating is out of my control. Through the dating app I recently met a very handsome man who has intelligence, wit and a similar sense humor – which means in my world he has a great sense of humor. He is very close with his family, devoted to his teenage son and in a profession that contributes to the community. All pluses. All awesome. The caveat is that we met while he was vacationing in Maine and he lives about 700 miles away. Queue the wah-wah. If we were local to each other this would be a no-brainer but we don’t live local to each other. The other thing is we have different perspectives on this. I have 7 siblings, 5 of whom have gotten married thus far. Of those 5 marriages 3 of them started as long distance relationships where they didn’t live together until after they were married. And to give you some perspective on the distances, one couple lived in Texas and Florida, another lived in Toronto and Cuba, and the last was Washington State and the Philippines. We’re talking long, long distances. In my paradigm distance is a challenge but not an obstacle. My handsome new friend, however, does not have the same paradigm as I so he is taking some time to mull it over and decide if he believes long-distance relationships are possible and if this is worth a try. And I, little Miss Type A, am practicing patience in the face of the unknown, uncertainty, no decision, no plan, and no deadline. I’ll end with this coach-like thought because in my heart of hearts I am a coach. This is an amazing opportunity to have a mirror held up for me to see how much my need to be in control and to have all the answers holds me back and keeps me from being at my best. Luckily I sorted my way through and am feeling more peaceful than I was at first. Focus area #4 Live Events Goal: Do a live workshop in the 4th quarter of this year. This goal is on the back-burner as I am focusing on the mail campaign that is coming up and then I’ll be working on the virtual group program which will start in October. I am committed to doing a workshop in the Portland area the last week of November or first week of December and I will keep you posted on how that is coming about. How are your goals coming along? If you’re not 100% happy with your goals or your progress I’m going to suggest doing my goals mini-course. You can find out more about it at womentakingthelead.com/goals. And as a thank you for being a listener of this podcast you can use coupon code goals10 to get $10 off. Update on my Mom I shared in the last month-end episode that my Mom had been diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. She had the surgery to remove the cancer and take lymph nodes to rule out stage 2 breast cancer. Overall she is recovering very well from her surgery. Everything has been routine thus far and she didn’t need to take anything to manage pain afterward, not even an Advil. But this is also a woman who delivered 6 of 8 children via natural child birth. However, they did find cancer in one of the lymph nodes taken and so her diagnosis has been changed to stage 2 breast cancer. Also, her hormone test indicated she has an aggressive form of cancer so she will be taking Herceptin, will have chemo followed by radiation treatments. My entire family is rallying to keep everyone updated, update plans for the holidays, and we are choosing treatment dates to keep my Mom company while she gets the Herceptin and chemo treatments. I asked my Mom if she wanted to share anything and she wanted you to know that prayer is important. She is counting on it like medicine so please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She also wanted to thank family and friends who have been important and have provided tremendous support. I asked her last week how she was doing and she said that while this is upsetting overall she feels relaxed because she is getting so much support and being well taken care of. I wish for all of us that no matter what life throws at us that we can stay relaxed through it all because we are so supported by those around us. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

I've been administering the Energy Leadership Self-Assessment tool I use with my clients more often lately and because I tend to work with perfectionists and "recovering perfectionists" quite a bit there's something that has been coming up quite often: the fear of failure. Perfectionists HATE failure and will employ nearly any strategy to avoid it. The strategy can range from not trying at all to running yourself into the ground to ensure success. But if you avoid trying at all you also keep yourself from some of the sweetest moments life has to offer. According to Robert F. Kennedy, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” And if you are sacrificing your health and well-being to avoid failure you won't be in a state in which you can appreciate your success once you've achieved it. I know this feeling myself and many of my clients know it too. The empty feeling you have when you've achieved something big and you don't feel anything. You are so tired, you are so done that you don't want congratulations, awards or a pat on the back - you just want to crash because your body is shutting down. I'm going to throw you for a loop because I'm going to declare that there is nothing wrong with failure. In fact, it's a good thing. Here we go... What’s Your Concept of Failure? Many of us are taught from a young age that failure is “bad”, and perhaps it’s this early conditioning that causes us to make an enemy of failure once we grow up. Some people cringe even thinking about it, others try hard to avoid it, and virtually all of us question ourselves when we do something that’s perceived as a failure. On top of that, failure is often more public than success – or so we perceive it to be. After all, the failures of public figures – large and small – make dramatic media headlines. And as we all know, drama sells so their failures get more play than their successes. Yet, whether we like it or not, failure is a part of the journey to achieving our goals. You, like many of my clients, may have a tendency to beat yourself up over past failures - some may have even occurred decades ago. A sudden flash of a memory has your body cringing even though there's nothing in your immediate environment that you have to protect yourself against. That's how powerful those memories can be. And to make sure you never make that mistake again you castigate yourself - for what, the hundredth time? - for having been so naive, stupid, blind, arrogant...you name it! You think by mentally beating yourself up you're helping to make sure you never make the same mistake again. But the truth is you won't the same mistake again and all you're doing is hurting your self-image and undermining your confidence. There's a better way! Gain Wisdom by Learning from Failure If you’re willing to change how you perceive failure, you might just change your life. Renegotiate your concept of failure by considering four of its benefits: One: Failure is a catalyst for change. Think of failure as the result of an experiment. You tried something out and it didn't go as expected. This is your chance to assess what happened, face the facts, and creatively plan how you’ll move ahead. After all, it took Edison around 10,000 attempts to invent a light bulb. If you give up too soon, you won’t be able to leverage the failure to your advantage. I've been struggling to achieve my monthly profitability goal and that struggle has been energizing for my business. I've made a lot of changes due to the wake-up call of these failures and there are some exciting things starting to happen as a result of those changes. More to come in the month-end episode! Two: Failure = freedom? You bet it does! Failure does one thing well – it shows us that we’re not invincible. Be willing to own your failure. Doing so will help you release the belief that you “must” be perfect – and that’s a pretty freeing feeling. If you can change your expectations that it has to be dead-on on the first try you will give yourself the space to play, be creative and test what's possible. This is the part of the reason children learn so fast. It's not just because their brains have plasticity. Adult brains have plasticity too. Young children aren't afraid to mess up. They do it all the time and so they are more open to trying something, taking risks and hitting that button. It's the reason why they figure out how to use your smart phone faster than you do. You're afraid you'll blow it up; they're not. Three: You learn who your friends are. Failure brings clarity on many levels, and as anyone who’s failed before knows, you’ll quickly discover who your friends really are. True friends will stick by you when the going gets rough. If you have a "ride or die" friend, that friend who will stick by you whether you're on top of the world or hitting rock bottom, then you are truly blessed. Your failure can be a great way to thin the heard so you are focusing your precious time and energy on those who are truly there because they love and believe in you. There are always people in our lives that we generously give to whether they have the capacity to give back or not, but at least you'll know who is who and you won't rely on someone in a time of need who will suddenly have no time for you. Four: You can bounce back, better than ever. Failure is possibly your #1 opportunity to build resilience like never before. This key trait of successful people is all about recovering quickly from what shuts you down and what set you off. One of the strategies I use to recover quickly from a failure is to have a sense of humor. Although I take my work seriously and I have some big goals to change the world, I don't take myself too seriously. Or, at least I strive not take myself too seriously. My inner critic has an insidious way of working it's way into my internal dialogue at times. Look for the ridiculous and absurd in a situation and have a good laugh. If this is hard for you make a point to watch some comedies with friends. It has been proven that we find things to be funnier and laugh more when it's a shared experience. One of my favorite movies of all time is Elf with Will Ferrell and Zoe Deschanel. The lines, "Son of a nutcracker!", "He's an angry elf" and "Does somebody need a hug?" get me every time and I quote them often. I'll leave you with this quote by Henry Ward Beecher. "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road." I'll be back in a couple weeks for the month-end episode on goals update. I hope this was of value to you and here's to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Randi Levin, founder & CEO, Randi Levin Coaching – is a nationally recognized transitional life strategist, Fortune 500 keynote, author, & reinvention expert. Randi supports women in becoming legends in their own lives through redefining legacy as a power tool for change and redirection TODAY. You may have seen her featured in Thrive Global, HuffPost, Better After 50, Reader’s Digest, Working Mother Magazine, American Express Open Forum, or The WSJ. Randi is also contributing author in Get RESULTS! Playing Small Moment Randi was convinced that she had to choose one thing or another in life. She thought her kids would be her legacy, until she realized that her legacy wasn’t just what she was leaving behind, but what she could create in the current moment. Once Randi embraced the use of and instead of or, her life changed. Style of Leadership Randi leads by example. Once she commits to something, she is all in, and wants others to do the same. What Are You Excited About? Randi is thrilled to be hosting her first retreat in April 2019 that will take 10 women on a personal and cultural journey in Italy. Current Business Challenge Randi will be downsizing her home and relocating. She plans to document this journey to provide relatable content for her audience that may help someone in the same situation. Leadership Practice When Randi was just starting out, she was told to “Just start.” So, she goes through life saying yes now, and figuring out all the details later. Randi believes there is no one right way, but you have to take that path forward to the thing you want without overthinking it. Advice For Younger Self Randi would tell her younger self, “Believe in yourself.” Success is a three letter word, and that word is now. You’ve got this. If this doesn’t work out, there will be something else, but don’t hold yourself. Be curious about the things you most want. Inspirational Quote “We tend to think of our legacy as something we leave behind at the end of our lives, but what would you do differently today if you believed that you had the choice to carve out exactly what you wanted that legacy to be in real time? Manifest that concept and magically you do have that choice. You are your own GPS in your life. Start by having a voice. Say yes by listening to that voice. What’s next? Now is your new next.” Links Website: https://randilevincoaching.com/Email: randi@randilevincoaching.comFree giveaway: https://randilevincoaching.com/balance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RandiLevinCoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randilevincoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randiclevin/Twitter: https://twitter.com/randilevincoachYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9GYtxz1RRqAl5g39kuXJ-Q Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me for this month-end episode on goals. As I mentioned in the June month-end update on goals episode, I took myself through my goals process to see if I my goals are still in alignment with what I’m really trying to accomplish in my business and my life and there were a few tweaks. And there are some more tweaks this month which will also drive the theme of this episode which is going with the flow with what life is presenting to you. Let’s dive in to the progress I’ve made on my goals so I can explain everything that is going on. Focus area #1 Increase profitability in my business Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. With the help of my mastermind group and going through my goals review I have 4 sub-goals for this goal. These sub-goals are, by year end: Have had 12 new Executive Leadership Coaching clients. This is coaching that focuses on leaders within organizations to help them with their performance and happiness at work. I already have one new client that fits this category and have the potential for another next month. To do 10 corporate workshops. I have done 4 thus far this year and at this point have 4 potential workshops coming up. Promote the DIY products that are on the website for sale. I’ll be working with my VA in the coming weeks to put together a marketing plan to see this through Do two more group programs by the end of the year. I’m looking to do a virtual group program in the fall and will also be doing a live workshop – half-day or full-day, I haven’t decided yet. June’s Profit and Loss report showed an abysmal net profit of $922.38, way far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000. As I am bringing on more organizations as clients I’m also experiencing more delays in payment. I invested more time in proposal writing and follow-up meetings and communications and I’m realizing my prices for organizations are also going to need to reflect the larger investment of time and travel required. It has been a really good learning experience and I’ve already changed some of the language in my documents to reflect the expectations. Focus area #2 Build more strength and endurance Goal: do 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form within one workout by October. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year. This past Friday I did 750 burpees in 3:10:55. I’m still on track to complete this goal by October but in the last month I experienced pain in the back of my knees a couple days after my burpee workout and I hit 750 burpees in my second attempt, not my first attempt. The first time I tried I got to 705 and had to stop. I lost good form and I was completely spent. For the pain in the back of my knees I consulted the Personal Trainer in my BNI group and we figured out what was causing it and the solution – I need to have a wider stance when I jump in and out of the push-up position and pay attention to keeping my feet straight. My heels have a tendency to come together causing my feet to form a V-shape when I jump out of the push-up position and into the squat. For this and several other reasons I’ve decided to hire Alex as my personal trainer and nutrition counselor. His certifications and experience working with endurance athletes made this decision easy to make. The only thing I have to figure out is timing and schedule as the gym he works out of is 30 minutes away from my home and as you can imagine I have a wonky schedule at times. As for my failed first attempt at 750 burpees, there was a reason for that too: my mental attitude. You’ve heard me talk about this before. If you don’t have the right mental attitude you will be working against yourself and your goals and that was true for me that day. There have definitely been things going on in my life that my brain noodles over. However, the day of my workout it was like my brain couldn’t let any of it go. I was having arguments in my head with people who weren’t in the room. I was getting annoyed with myself because I knew what was happening and what the consequences would be if I didn’t change my attitude. I had small victories and then would realize I was doing it again. Half way through my workout I was exhausted – not from the workout, from the war that seemed to be raging in my head. My second attempt, even though the temps and humidity were higher I was in a different place mentally and I achieved my goal. The lesson for me here that I keep learning and practicing over and over again is to always work on my mental game. For me that looks like meditation, walks and runs in nature, taking really good care of myself physically, making time to nurture my relationship with loved ones and frankly, letting go of the things I don’t have control over. That was the mental angst I was experiencing that day. There are some things I do not have complete control over and I need to accept that because resisting it is only causing me stress. Getting clear on what is and is not in my control will help me to take on going with the flow. From that place I have more peace and more power and can stop wasting my energy and mental space on trying to change what is. I think I may have to go back and reread Byron Katie’s book Loving What Is. For pull-ups I have not get graduated to a lower weight pull-up band but instead of stepping into it I’m now putting a knee in so that’s a little bit of progress. I let Alex know I also have this goal so we’ll be working on my pull-ups as well. Focus are #3 Romantic Partnership Goal: Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man. To recap, when I did my goals mini-course I identified qualities that would help to take me to my goals. Those qualities are being aligned, feminine, social, focused, disciplined and committed. Then I identified the daily practices that would help me to develop these qualities. Many of the practices had to do with my self-care: sleep, a lighter schedule and transition time between meetings and activities. I set the intention to take better care of myself this summer so my best self and the self that enjoys being feminine and social can come forth. And guess what? It’s working. I am meeting more men that I had before, making more quality connections and overall enjoying myself more. It doesn’t hurt that my burpee workouts are making me feel more confident overall and more present in my body as well. Focus area #4 Live Events This goal has changed as I am having a hard time connecting with Emily leRoux and it was getting to the point that pulling off this event in only 3 months was going to take such an enormous effort it would have likely ended up hurting me and my business rather than helping. Go with the flow, right? I am still going to do 1000 burpees by October but the completion of this goal will not be tied to an event. I am also still committed to doing a Women Taking the Lead branded event this year. In doing the goals mini-course as a part of my review process I realized how important live events are to me. This is an area where I shine and I feel an enormous connection with the participants of the workshops that I do. Goal: Do a live workshop in the 4th quarter of this year. I haven’t committed to any particular topic yet but given that time of year a workshop on creating and achieving your 2019 goals would not be inappropriate. How are your goals coming along? If you’re not 100% happy with your goals or your progress I’m going to suggest doing my goals mini-course. You can find out more about it at womentakingthelead.com/goals. And as a thank you for being a listener of this podcast you can use coupon code goals10 to get $10 off. Before I go I want to share with you something very personal that is going on in my life and may impact the release schedule for this podcast. It’s also part of the reason I’ve made some changes to my goals. A little over a month ago my mother was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer and will be having surgery to remove the lump in her breast next week. My mom is positive and optimistic but after a hormone test her treatment was changed from surgery and radiation to surgery, chemo, radiation and pills. It’s a little disconcerting. I’m still trying to understand everything and will hopefully be chatting soon with my sister-in-law who has been an oncology nurse. My family is rallying together so I’ve got a lot of support but for me there’s still some confusion and uncertainty so it’s a little draining. However, I am taking control where I have control and working on letting go of the things I don’t have control over, and there’s a lot of things I don’t have control over in this situation. This was one of the things going through my mind during my failed burpee workout. I am committed to continuing to bring you great content, though it may not always be each and every week. If you have any topics you would like me to cover please let me know. I am always looking for fresh ideas and this is a way you can support me and the other women listening to this podcast. Please keep me, my Mom and my family in your thoughts and prayers and know that you are in mine. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!

I don't know about you but I feel like this season is going by at lightning speed. There's so much I'm doing and accomplishing and yet there's so much more I want to do and accomplish that I'm finding I have to be very intentional about taking breaks to do nothing. In fact, when I realized it had been years since I'd read a fiction novel I committed to read at least one this summer. I got my Portland Public Library card and by recommendation from the Women Taking the Lead private Facebook group I checked out The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley and it is so good! I've also discovered the podcast Binge Mode Harry Potter and that is just a pure pleasure. Warning: it is not for children or for someone who has just started getting into the Harry Potter series. They swear and their conversations contain adult content and they tie themes between all 7 books and all 8 movies in any given episode. The Mists of Avalon and Binge Mode Harry Potter, that's what I'm up to right now in my down time and transition time. In my business I've also been working on putting my presentations and workshops into DIY formats that you can purchase right from this website under the Products tab at the top of the page. I've also been working on polishing the marketing materials and documents for the Executive Leadership Coaching arm of my business. That has been very gratifying and fun to work on. Overall the summer has been a nice mix of business and pleasure and I'll give more updates in next week's month end update on goals episode. Today I want to talk about the connection between your sense of self-worth and your ability to achieve a goal. I want to start with this quote by Brené Brown. You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging. ~ Brené Brown From the moment we’re born, we’re taught the importance of achieving in life. Parents, teachers and coaches counsel us that setting goals and striving for them is what life is all about. And it's true, achieving goals is an integral part of a successful personal and business life. But too many times along the way, we set unrealistic expectations for ourselves. And when we can’t meet those exaggerated or mismatched goals, our self-worth plummets. We beat ourselves up, forgetting that we aren’t perfect. We decimate our own self-worth. Forgiving others is important. But forgiving ourselves – that’s essential. Do You Think You’re Worthy? If you don’t think you’re worth it, you won’t invest in what it will take to be happy in your career. Career happiness takes effort – you can’t set it and just forget it. How we value ourselves determines if we’ll take the risks or make the investments necessary to succeed in both our business and personal lives. Sadly, if we don’t respect ourselves, that self-defeating philosophy affects our entire life. When our self-worth takes a nosedive, we often try to overcompensate in other ways. This is also where perfectionism will take over. We will try too hard to show we are worthy and valuable – over-promising or making too many commitments at once - and end up running ourselves into the ground to keep up appearances. Or, we may give up too soon, never living up to our true potential. The result is frustration, overwhelm, and a whole lot of unnecessary stress. It doesn’t have to be that way. Improve Your Self-Worth: Appreciate Your Value You are responsible for naming and achieving your own success. Each person has their own innate gifts and talents that can enhance their career. Follow your path - not someone else’s. Stop being influenced by what other people do or think. To give your self-esteem a boost, try these practices: - Forgive yourself for past mistakes. Recognize that at that time you were doing your best, you learned a lesson and now you can give yourself permission to move on. - Identify your strengths and how you can incorporate them into your life. This is a vital exercise I take you through in my goal-setting product because when we leverage our strengths we make achieving a goal so much easier. That sounds like a no-brainer but often we are not present to what our strengths are and we dismiss them as common when they are far from common. - Develop a mindset that validates you, not diminishes you. Our brain has a negativity bias and if left untrained it will mainly focus on what's wrong, what has not been accomplished yet. That causes you to lose sight of what is going well and what has been accomplished thus far. Make it a practice to think about how far you've come in the past 5, 10, 20 years and all the things you are doing right to move yourself closer to your goals.   Self-Compassion – A Key to Success? Research by Juliana Breines and Serena Chen at Berkeley suggests self-compassion may be the key to your true potential. “Self-compassion is a willingness to look at your own mistakes and shortcomings with kindness and understanding — it’s embracing the fact that to err is indeed human.” Hundreds of years ago when Alexander Pope wrote “To err is human, to forgive divine,” he had a good understanding of human behavior. It’s hard to forgive ourselves when we’ve made a mistake; after all, we’re groomed throughout life to try to be perfect. Reality check: no one is perfect. Do you set expectations for yourself that no one could achieve only to berate yourself for having failed? Start Increasing Your Self-Worth Today There are many ways to help you increase your self-worth - some are simple things we may have forgotten to do: Be honest with yourself about everything, including your expectations. Listen to yourself – and silence the inner critic who tells you you're not good enough. Take a chance on something. Quit gossiping – you know you have better ways to spend your time. Never let anyone attempt to change your core values. Reward yourself for your achievements – no matter how small. Reach out to others when you need help. Make a list of your best attributes. Ditch the negative naysayers who are pulling you down. Remind yourself that you have the power of choice. Many of my clients suffer from setting unrealistic expectations for themselves. The remedy? I recommend a good dose of self-forgiveness for any perceived mistakes - and tons of self-care. For one person in particular, I suggested she imagine herself as her 3-year-old self – and speak and relate to herself as that child (to curb self-abuse). You would be amazed at how this simple practice can work wonders for your overall self-worth. Self-worth doesn’t come from something outside yourself. It comes from within. Why not try to make every day Thanksgiving? Be thankful for the talents you have. Be thankful for each day that you can truly live and learn. Re-discover what brings you peace, joy, and fulfillment. Your self-worth has nothing to do with your craft or calling, and everything to do with how you treat yourself. ~ Kris Carr As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Deb Elbaum, MD, PCC, is a neuroscience coach, author, and speaker, who works with women and professionals during times in their lives when they feel ready for a new challenge personally or professionally. She brings enthusiasm and a wide-ranging toolkit that incorporates the best of neuroscience and intuitive coaching to help clients break though mental blocks, spark new connections, and take action. Deb facilitates workshops around how Think Positively and Effectively, and was a recent presenter at the Maine Women's Conference. Topics We Discussed: We all have times when we lose our composure, or feel overwhelmed and stressed. Fortunately, there are strategies that can help us return to calm, clear thinking and leading. Deb will share some brain concepts and tools that you can use right away to start building awareness of your patterns and how to shift them. These concepts include: The amygdala and prefrontal cortex The left and right brain hemispheres Networks in the brain for different types of thinking Links Website: www.debelbaum.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.   Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

If you've been following along with the podcast or got my newsletter a couple weeks ago you know I was sidelined with a strained muscle in my lower back and I am feeling so much better now and am back at my burpee workouts and moving toward my goal. This is going to sound strange to say but I am so grateful to be back doing crazy amounts of burpees! I did a lot to care for my injury but the real turning point was when I sucked up the scary and the discomfort and started going for walks, doing light aerobics and then building from there. Go figure, movement is beneficial to the body. Recently I had a conversation with someone about leadership challenges. Her biggest challenge is one we all face – and one that seems so much more overwhelming at this time of year: How to stay focused when you have so much to do – and you feel like all you’re doing is simply putting out fires and keeping up with minutia – and getting nothing of significance accomplished. I know this is an all-too familiar topic for many of you. The good news is that you can stay focused, even when it feels like you have no time to spare and you’re extinguishing whatever fire seems to be burning brightest. Here are my 5 of my favorite strategies for staying focused – try implementing even one and I bet you’ll see noticeable results in your life 1. Turn off the phone, close your email & shut the door to regain focus. Ever hear of a digital detox? I’m sure you have, and right now you’re probably thinking, “What?! Like I can disconnect now.” Don’t get me wrong – I love smartphones just as much as you do. But the importance of disconnecting from technology is even being recognized by hotels, many of which now offer a whole new kind of “detox package”. Instead of the customary offerings that give guests a chance to “cleanse” by dining on a special diet and engaging in a fitness plan, digital detox packages have been called the “next big trend” in the hospitality industry. No need to spend days detoxing – a mini-detox can be just as effective. Close out that email, turn off the phone, and shut the door to focus on what’s really important (and it’s not that Facebook post from your friend detailing what she made for dinner last night). We all have the same amount of hours - so instead of trying to use your energy on dozens of tasks, target your energy on a limited number. Focus on what will give you the biggest bang for your energy buck! 2.  Renegotiate commitments. Did you say “yes” to something when you should have said “no”? Many people say yes to avoid confrontation or maintain and image of themselves as giving, capable and in control. You can take the middle of the road option: the neutral no. “A neutral no is steady, uninflected, and clear. It is mostly notable for what it is not: harsh, combative, apologetic, reluctant, or overly nice.” Saying “yes” to everything is one of the fastest paths to burnout. It is perfectly ok to say “no”; in fact, you owe it to yourself to be honest about what commitments you can – and cannot – handle at a given time. Practice makes perfect on this one, and for some people, saying “no” can be really hard. Just keep practicing until it becomes comfortable for you. Oh, and there’s a bonus here: when you do this, you’ll gradually feel more and more empowered and confident. If you absolutely hate to say "no" I recommend using the phrase, "That's not going to work for me." It's a way to say "no" without shutting the other person down. 3. Take a deep breath when you see something on “fire”, then take a closer look. There’s another fire burning somewhere right now, just waiting for you to come put it out. Wait – is it really something that needs your attention now? Has it turned into a total conflagration, or is it just a “flare-up”? I like to take a closer look at the issue and see if it’s actually something that can wait, even if it’s just for a little bit. That little extra time may allow for the fire to burn out on its own…and if not, that bit of added time allows me to look at the issue with a clearer mindset. When we are overworked or overwhelmed we don't see things clearly. We lose our ability to rank need and so everything feels urgent. Taking that deep breath and calming down before making a decision will give your brain some time to turn those capabilities back on. 4. Reset your expectations. Sometimes, because we have such high expectations of ourselves, we assume other people have the same expectations of us. Oftentimes, however, it’s our own expectations running the show - and rarely do we live up them. According  to Eckhart Tolle,“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation - but your thoughts about it”. Reset your expectations and be real – and by taking an unbiased second look, the situation can end up looking totally different. I often remind myself that if I'm the one who set the deadline then I'm the one who can change it. I look at whether it was an arbitrary deadline or if it is tied to something time sensitive. If it was an arbitrary deadline I chalk it up to a bad guess and move the date. Being overly stressed can impede your ability to get tasks done in a timely manner. If by changing the due date on some less import tasks allows you to give your biggest priority more mental bandwidth, all the better. 5.  Free yourself by delegating! This strategy is unfortunately often under-utilized by many people who think they have to “do it all”. Amy Gallo in Harvard Business Review says if you’re working long hours and feel you’re the only one who can do the job while your staff keeps regular work hours, you may not realize that you’re hoarding your work. Don’t make excuses by telling yourself training someone will take too much time. Keep a checklist and see exactly how your time is spent. “You’re likely to find that a lot of time is spent on low-leverage activities that can be delegated,” says Jeffrey Pfeffer, author of What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management. There you have it – my 5 favorite strategies for keeping focused when it feels like the fires are burning all around you. And don't forget the Create Goals that are Worthy of You Mini-Course has exercised in it to help you identify your Superpowers as well as qualities that, once developed, you can leverage to get things done more quickly and effectively. This mini-course is $29 but as a listener of the Women Taking the Lead podcast you can use coupon code goals10 to get $10 off at checkout. I hope this was of value to you and here's to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the drop down list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Kelly Gushue is Founder & CEO of Personal Finance Warrior. She empowers women all over the world to claim their financial power inside their business and in their personal life through her online programs and coaching. She also holds live workshops for companies, women's groups and alumni groups. Kelly has worked in several areas of finance including portfolio analysis, research and investment management. She holds a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at The University of Chicago. Playing Small Moment After living in Shanghai for 3 years, Kelly returned to the U.S. and took a job as a financial advisor. When she received the job offer, she was told there was no room to negotiate, so Kelly took the first offer. After a few months, a female manager pointed out to Kelly that she should have negotiated for more. Kelly now uses that experience to teach other women to stand up and ask for the pay they deserve. Style of Leadership Kelly leads with enthusiasm, which is one of her natural abilities. She talks with her team and gets them pumped up for the vision she has in store, while also paying attention to their ideas as well. Candid and meaningful feedback is also very important to Kelly. What Are You Excited About? Kelly loves talking about money and encouraging other women to stand up and have that conversation as well. In her latest project, Kelly is taking the information she gathered from 24 entrepreneur women and turning it into a helpful tool for women. She is hoping that women can learn from this instead of making the mistakes themselves. Current Business Challenge Kelly finds it challenging to offload more work to the people on her team in an effective way. She wants her team to take on more tasks, but she isn’t sure if they can. Leadership Practice Kelly goes to the gym every morning to start her day with a clear mind. She likes to be part of a physical gym and be around people. Advice For Younger Self Kelly would have told her younger self to share more of her wild interests and wacky ideas. She was always concerned people would think she was a little nutty. Inspirational Quote “Carpe Diem.” ~Horace Links Website: www.PersonalFinanceWarrior.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimyourfinancialpower/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

In this review I have narrowed down my focus areas from 5 to 4, removing outsourcing as a focus area. Outsourcing is still going to happen and will occur as a part of my overall plan; it just won’t be something I focus on or measure for progress. Focus area #1 Increase profitability in my business Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. With the help of my mastermind group and going through my goals review I have 4 sub-goals for this goal. These sub-goals are, in the next 6 months: Have 12 new Executive Leadership Coaching clients. This is coaching that focuses on leaders within organizations to help them with their performance and happiness at work. To do 10 corporate workshops. Promote the DIY products that are on the website for sale Do two more group programs by the end of the year. May’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $1658.40, down about 39% from April’s profit and still far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000. The good news is I have a new client, the potential for a couple more in the coming weeks and 2 corporate workshops in July so next month things should look a lot better. If you know any ambitious overworked women who would like to make more money and achieve their goals while doing less, please send them my way. Thank you! Focus area #2 Build more strength and endurance The original goal for strength and endurance was to do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session by June 30 but I completed that in February. Goal: I had updated my burpee goal to do 1000 burpees at the Burpees for Boobs event I’ll be planning to occur in October. Separately, I have a goal to do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year. With this new review I’ll stop talking about the original goal of 300 burpees and only mention the goal of 1000 burpees going forward. If you receive my newsletter you know I strained a muscle in my lower back putting a dish into the dishwasher and this is an injury that got worse before starting to get better so I have not been able to do my normal workouts this past week. However, I always plan a cushion. Knowing it was possible to get sick and/or injured during the 9 months I would be training I built in a 4 week cushion in case I needed to take a  break. Pray that my back is well enough to begin training again soon and this will not be a concern. For pull-ups I now have the reminder on my to do list every day so I’m getting them done. Starting to see some small progress and I’ll be looking to see what I can do when I’m no longer so uncomfortable. Focus are #3 Romantic Partnership Goal: Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man. I am continuing to meet people, continuing with first dates but not seeing a lot of progress in this area. While doing the goals mini-course I identified qualities that would help to take me to my goal. The ones that I specifically want to develop are being aligned, feminine, social, focused, disciplined and committed. Then I identified the daily practices that would help me to develop these qualities. I was not completely surprised to see that many of the practices had to do with my self-care, especially sleep, a lighter schedule and transition time between meetings and activities. This past week being injured and not feeling like my usual self, never mind feminine, it was hard to be engaged on the dating app. When you’re sick or injured it is natural and appropriate to be focused on healing and so you need to be self-focused. For me, it was taking so much energy to just compose messages back on the dating app it was ridiculous. And not surprising the men I matched up with were also self-focused. We had the same vibe going on; I was just pretending that it wasn’t the case for me. My intention this summer is to take excellent care of myself so my best self and the self that enjoys being feminine and social can come forth. It’s a new strategy for this goal but it’s a good one. Focus area #4 Live Events Goal: Plan and execute the Burpees for Boob event in October in partnership with Marie Sola of Daughters of Change and Emily leRoux, the Spartan Women Global Leader and Global Partnerships. In October, which is breast cancer awareness month, we will partner for a “Burpees for Boobs” event. I am going to coordinate the event here in Maine and Emily will coordinate these events globally. Also, as a part of this focus area, though it is not technically a goal, I will continue to serve on the board for The Maine Women’s Conference to develop this start-up entity and plan the conference for 2019. In doing the goals mini-course as a part of my review process I realized how important live events are to me. This is an area where I shine and part of the reason I chose to have workshops be a part of my plan to increase profitability in my business. Have you reviewed your goals yet to see if they are still serving you and in alignment with your values and superpowers? Do you know what qualities will help you to achieve your goal and do you know how to apply your superpowers to get better results? Did you not set goals at the beginning of the year and your thinking now is as good a time as any. Because now is as good a time as any. We still have 6 months left in 2018 and you can make a lot of progress in that time. This entire mini-course is only $29. If you are interested in finding out more and accessing this mini-course go to womentakingthelead.com/goals. And as a thank you for being a listener of this podcast you can use coupon code goals10 to get $10 off. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you! Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

I was thinking about last weeks episode and how it was all about getting out during the summer months to network and continue to meet people. The following is a keynote address I delivered to the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce in January of 2016 on the power in community. Having shared it with some friends I was encouraged to re-purpose it for the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I hope you enjoy it. It’s no secret that business owners like their independence. They like to set their own hours, be the ultimate decision maker and forge their own destinies. The same holds true for those shooting for the top levels of their organizations. They tend to be the people who want to be in the know and be the decision makers. However, rather than a state of independence, it is a state of interdependence that has worked to grow economies and organizations. It takes a village to raise a business In my corporate career I was absolutely the benefactor of mentoring and partnerships. But, much like how a grammar school child makes friends, these relationships came naturally and developed through forced interaction, from working in close proximity with others. When I started my business, however, the game changed. I had to seek out interactions and work at building business relationships. Working for myself, there is no such thing as a forced interaction. One of the greatest challenges my small business clients report is a sense of isolation and loneliness. If you are a business owner most people in your life cannot understand your challenges or even your work day. A few summers ago my sister, who lives over two hours away in Massachusetts, started a topic of conversation with the question, “you can work from anywhere, right?” I responded flippantly with, “That’s the goal"…and "Why are you asking?” Her husband would be travelling to Kenya for a month and my sister, being a mother of 3 and a nurse who works the night shift, needed someone to spend an extensive amount of time with them through the holidays to help. With the holidays typically being slow for coaching I agreed and scrambled to prepare to work a few less hours per day during the holidays. Now, during this time my sister would also be hosting 8 people on Christmas Eve, 24 people for Christmas and my brother and his family, a family of 5 travelling from out of state, would be staying for six days bringing the total living in the household to 10 for that time. After arriving I found out my sister, without consulting me, had changed her schedule so she could have the days my brother’s family would be staying off. This meant working double shifts of 3-11 and then 11-7 twice within the first 4 days of my arrival. I was shell-shocked by the amount of work I was not able to accomplish for my business. It didn’t occur to her to inform me of the change because my work schedule was flexible and I could "get it done at any time." I’ve joked about my flexibility in the past by saying, “this week I can work 50-60 hours whenever I want to.” On Christmas Eve she also informed me she hadn’t been able to get any of her wrapping done yet and she was going to be up all night getting it done. Since I would be bunking with her that night due to the arrival of my brother and his family, my brain froze with that information. I had already determined I was going to need to get up at 4 am to meet the deadlines in my business before the household woke on Christmas Day. At 12:30 am we finished wrapping and 3.5 hour later at 4 am I woke to complete my tasks. I kept reminding myself of the quote, “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” Sometimes that thought helped. Sometimes. The next weekend it happened again, without consulting me two of her work shifts I had been unaware of were on the schedule requiring two double shifts in one weekend. I kept feeling like figurative bombs were being dropped on me. I didn’t know what was going to come at me next. It was with gratitude I returned back in Maine to happily work my own schedule but a lot of it was catch up and l think I continued to be shell-shocked from the whole experience for some time. I tell you this story for two reasons: To underscore that most people in your life likely have no idea the blood, sweat and tears that have gone and continue to go into your business and That we all need a community to thrive. Even with all the challenges faced, I know I made the right decision. The good experiences in Massachusetts far outweighed the bad and when I left everyone was happy, healthy and sad that I was going. And to put it in perspective this was the same sister, when I contracted the flu and bronchitis at the same time when we were away at college, came to my room every day to help me to the bathroom, help me to eat and give me my medication. We all help others and are helped by others in our turn I am reminded of a poem I read in high school by John Donne. No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thy friend's Or of thine own were: Any man's death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind, And therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. Soon after I started my business I was invited to a networking group. One of the members introduced me to another woman whom she thought would be helpful to me in my business. I met with this woman and she spent the entire meeting brainstorming with me on how best to get the word out about my new business. I was so blown away and so thankful, and somewhat embarrassed that I wasn’t asking her how I could help her until the meeting was nearly over. She replied, “When I started my business someone did this for me, now I’m getting to do this for you, and someday you’ll do this for another.” I will never forget her generosity nor will I forget her message. The help we receive is meant to be passed on. It’s not for one it’s for all. By lifting each other up we create an environment in which we can all succeed. According to Vince Lombardi, “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” In March of 2014 Tom Post contributed two articles to Forbes Magazine based on data collected by Radius. In his articles, The Surprising Secret Behind Small Business Success and Why Small Business Communities Grow In Clusters. Tom reports that the most hospitable locations for small businesses is “not based on their economic growth, but on factors that predict community engagement and access to resources. It turns out that small businesses tend to attract other small businesses, creating their own, distinct ecosystems." By connecting and collaborating with one another they create an environment in which they can all thrive. The statistics are grim for the 10 year survival rate of a new business. Tom Post postulates that "aside from manic drive, moxie, hard work, creativity and luck" that perhaps "a sense of connectedness to a community" - local and global, on and offline - is what gives a company the edge. Another quote I keep close by and read on occasion is by Margaret Mead. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” I’m going to offer you 6 good reasons not to go it alone that I found in an article by Jen Waak: "Access to experts. No one person ever has all of the answers, and regardless of your ability to use Google, consulting with experts is always going to give you better information. Pushing our limits. When working alone, it’s oftentimes too easy to give up when things get hard. By surrounding yourself with others working toward a similar goal or objective, you’ll get motivation, support, and friendly competition to push yourself just a bit further than you would have done on your own. Support and belief. Some days those big goals just seem impossible. On those days when you most want to give up, you need to lean on your community the most. They believe in you—probably more than you belief in yourself. New ideas. I truly believe that when you are working within a community of like-minded people that the wisdom of crowds is considerably greater than any one person working alone. Our divergent world views and lenses mean that we all approach the exact same problem in a slightly different way. Borrowed motivation. Even on those days when your belief in yourself isn’t waning, doing what needs to get done can seem overwhelming. Look around your community and be inspired! Accountability. If you’re an uber-responsible person, you may not want to admit to people you care about who are pulling for you that something didn’t get done. There’s nothing like having to be accountable to others to up your game." Allowing others to help is hard, but it ultimately raises everyone’s game. I encourage you to introduce yourself to one or two people you have not met before and find out more about them. When you are networking in the coming week, find out what problems the other person is experiencing and ask how you can be of service to them. Make it a goal to get out in your community and find out how you can contribute, even if in a small way. Another saying I absolutely love is, “Many hands make light work.” And lastly, look for the good in people. Recognize that we are all going through something and could use some compassion. I will leave you with an African Proverb that sums it all up… “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Knowing how great it is to work in groups I considered running my group program again this summer but ultimately decided against it. Summer schedules tend to shift week by week based on vacations, events, visitors, childcare, etc. Not many people can commit to two group calls a week for 5 weeks. Instead for the summer I am offering quick-hit coaching sessions. Quick-hit coaching sessions are 30 or 90 minute coaching sessions that allow you to get what you need to get over any humps and keep making progress in the summer without a big time or money commitment. If you've been considering coaching but the commitment has been holding you back this is a great option for you. You can find out more at womentakingthelead.com/quick-coaching. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Summer is just about here and we've actually passed Memorial Day in the U.S. which marks for us the unofficial start to summer. You probably know all too well about the “summer slowdown” – that time of year when everyone seems to be on vacation or planning one. So big plans are tabled until fall, and unless you are in a seasonal business and this is your time of year it’s easy to feel like your business or career growth is in a bit of a slump. Now I know not everyone listening to this podcast is in the northern hemisphere so if you are living somewhere and it's getting colder outside keep this episode in your back pocket as a future reference. What I want to offer you in this episode is some reasons why it’s important to continue to network through the summer and some ways you can do it without feeling like you’re missing out on enjoying the gorgeous weather. Networking in the Summer is the best! What better time than during the longer sunny days to be face-to-face networking? In fact, recent economic downturns have caused many shifts in how we do business. Customers today are now significantly more cautious when making decisions to buy anything, and there is a continuing – and growing – push to “buy local”. And how does this compare to social networking - making connections with others via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or any of the many social platforms? You might be wondering how in-person networking opportunities measure up against online social networking. Here’s the thing: social networking is an awesome tool for your business that you can use to connect with people anywhere, anytime –virtually every successful business owner knows that. However, it is most effective as an awareness tool to be used to create more touchpoints before someone is willing to take a meeting or buy a product or service. If you want to really accelerate your business or career growth – make more sales, hone your in-person communication skills, and even get new inspiration for your business – face-to-face networking is the answer. Fun Networking Ideas to Spice up the Summer 1. Schedule 1-2-1 meet-ups at establishments with outdoor seating. Who said you had to sit indoors for the meeting to be more professional? Enjoy your meeting outdoors while you take in the beauty of a summer’s day. I love the idea of chatting with like-minded people in a friendly, open-aired environment. Bonus tip: schedule these for mid-afternoon on Friday and call it your "last appointment." The pleasant meet-up and knowing you'll be starting your weekend early will motivate you to get work done in the morning. 2. Network while doing a summertime activity that you enjoy -Whether it's hiking, golfing, sailing or walking a nature trail you can network and enjoy the beautiful weather. Again, networking is not limited to sitting indoors. Let’s change our paradigm to suit the summer season. 3. Attend a conference to get involved in your field and make the connections you need to grow your business or your career. Here, you can connect with potential referral partners, joint venture partners, and connectors. This may involve travel to some cool places or at the very least get you out of your normal environment for a little while. Perhaps even be a tourist or a tour guide in your own backyard as you plan activities with other conference goers. 4. Volunteer - at fundraising walks, 5Ks, triathlons, or for any cause that resonates with you. Put some of the time you have this summer to good use by giving back to the community. Plus, you’re likely to meet a diverse group of people from all walks of life who share a common interest with you - or perhaps who will need your services or could offer you your next big opportunity. 5. Just be social! After all, it is summer – the time of backyard BBQs, endless youth & church events, annual picnics, college (and family!) reunions...you name it! Yes, these events may seem more “personal” rather than “business”, but who knows who you might meet up with? Remember What Networking Is Not… No matter what summer networking opportunity you decide to take advantage of, remember my #1 tip... Don’t network specifically to “make a sale”. You are there to meet people. Is every single person you meet able to provide you a new opportunity? Of course not – but it doesn’t mean they’re not worth getting to know! If you’re new to networking, I know how frustrating this can be. Over time, you’ll be able to polish your networking skills and reap the benefits of quality relationships. It’s summer – use this season to your benefit by taking advantage of all the great networking opportunities that exist beyond the confines of your office. Get out there, start shaking hands and making eye contact – with real people – not with your computer screen! Lastly, I would like to make a request. If you find value in this podcast please share it with your like-minded friends and colleagues. I am so grateful to the people in my life who shared their favorite books, courses and podcasts with me because they changed my life. And I remember exactly who shared those resources with me. Let’s continue to share the love and pay it forward. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Alexa Gilmore is a vitality warrior who takes a stand for your fullest potential. As an acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, bodyworker, and coach, she takes a no-nonsense approach to the healing arts and expects positive outcomes: function rebalanced, harmony restored, resilience renewed. She welcomes guests from around the county to her clinic in Portland, Maine, where she specializes in chronic illness, women’s health, and skin disease, but her passion is to use optimal health as a vehicle for personal transformation. Playing Small Moment After months of seeing her maximum amount of patients each day, Alexa suddenly realized there was more she wanted to accomplish. Alexa knew that if she could get her hands on people uninterrupted for as many hours per day, magic would happen. So, why did she feel that it wasn’t possible? This helped her come to a realization about who she was and what she wants to offer the world. Style of Leadership Alexa starts off as a guide for her clients and patients, to help lead them back into their bodies. Then, there is a shift and she is leading the leader to help themselves. Alexa uses her enthusiasm to get her patients and clients excited about taking back power of their own body and health. What Are You Excited About? Alexa wants to take the information that she knows about Chinese medicine and make it mainstream. If you aren’t coming into her clinic, Alexa still wants you to know the information she has about how to take care of your body and the things you should or shouldn’t be doing to live a healthy life. Current Business Challenge Transitioning from a clinical space to an online space has been challenging for Alexa. She wants to stay fully present and one-on-one in her clinic, but also have time to create her online presence without feeling overwhelmed. Leadership Practice Alexa makes sure to carve out time each day to get some quiet time in, usually through yoga and meditation. That time gives Alexa the space she needs for her inner wisdom to come forward. Advice For Younger Self “Oh honey, it’s going to be okay.” Alexa would also give her younger self the book, The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. Inspirational Quote "Be the first. The first to say hello. The first to compliment the other person. The first to give credit. The first to say sorry. The first to offer to help. The first to show up for someone else. The first to set an example. The first to offer hope. The first to shine. Be the first." ~Chris Winfield Links Website: http://www.atxacu.com Website - Specifically for Skin Disease: http://www.atxskin.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atxacupuncture/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

This is the month-end episode; that means an update on goals. This month I’m going to review my goals from the perspective of being vs. doing. Many of us believe that if we are not getting the results we are looking for it means we have to work harder. Although there are some cases where this might be true I believe, especially in this community of go-getting women, more often than not it means we have to shift who we are being as we take action toward our goals. It’s more than just “work smarter not harder” but that can be a part of it too. It’s about the attitude you bring, your self-awareness and your presence as you do what needs to be done. Or – hold onto your hats – it’s who you are being as you step back and allow others to take action on your behalf. I’ll go through each of my goals and explain it more as I talk about the progress or lack of progress I’ve made in the past month. May was a busy month with The Accomplished Intensive wrapping up the first week, The Maine Women’s Conference happening the second week, a slew of corporate training in the third week and all the meetings that could not happen in the 2nd and 3rd weeks landing in the fourth week of May. Even with all the craziness I feel like I’ve made progress and it definitely has helped to keep my goals top of mind even as I’m working on other things. Goal #1 Build more strength and endurance The original goal for strength and endurance was to do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session by June 30 but I completed that in February. My burpee goal is now at 1000 burpees. Separately, I have a goal to do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year. I have not done a great job of incorporating the pull-ups into my workout so I’m adding a task to my calendar each day to prompt me to at least do a few assisted pull-ups with the band. As of the day I’m recording this episode I have completed doing 600 Spartan-regulation burpees (chest to ground) in good form in one workout session. Doing so many burpees in one workout each week has been a little hard on my body. I recently remembered that when I was training for the marathon the program I used had the long run scheduled every other week and on the weeks in between the distance would be half what the previous long run was. For instance, if my long run of 14 miles happened today, next week I would run 7, and the week after I would run 16 miles and the week after that it would be 8. After I remembered that I decided that is how I am going to do my burpee workouts. Rather than add 25 burpees to my workout session each week I’ll add 50 burpees every other week and half the burpees on the weeks in between. This will give my body more time to recover after pushing my wall. I did 600 burpees in one session 2 weeks ago, 300 last week and this week I’ll do 650. This is an example of working smarter. The added benefit of doing these halved workouts on the weeks in between is I can compare my current time with my original time. For instance, when I did 300 burpees in February it took me 56:36. Last week it took me 52:22, shaving 4:14 off my time. That felt good to see and showed the progress I’ve made with my fitness. Another thing that has made a difference in my workouts was my mentality. Who I “Be” during my workouts is “this is happening and I’m lucky I have the ability to do this many burpees.” This impacts my presence creating one of calm confidence as I’m doing the burpees. Full transparency: this is not the presence I wake up that morning. I’m usually feeling a little anxious about what I’m going to put myself through. But if you’ve ever trained for an endurance event you know how critical it is to have a positive frame of mind. Did you know your body responds to your frame of mind? When I work out, if I start thinking about the things that are stressing me out or my mind starts floating toward negative thoughts I immediately have a harder time catching my breath and my muscles start to cramp up. It’s amazing biofeedback and it is fascinating! So, as I’m preparing to do my workout I shift my attitude and I get it done without any mental suffering. Attitude and presence impact your ability to take action toward your goals. Keep that in mind! Goal #4 Do a Women Taking the Lead branded full-day event in the summer or fall In October, which is breast cancer awareness month, I will be collaborating with Emily leRoux, the Spartan Women Global Leader of Spartan Races, Inc. to do a “Burpees for Boobs” event. I am going to coordinate the event here in Maine but the intention is to have these events happening globally in October. Now that the work for The Maine Women’s Conference and the corporate workshops has slowed a bit I’m shifting my focus to this event. I am currently in the process of scheduling a call with Emily leRoux to begin coordinating this event. I’ve also aligned with Marie Sola of Daughters of Change to make this event happen. We are both excited. Marie says she’s never done a burpee in her life but she is looking forward to learning. I hope she’s still in after she’s done a few burpees. I’ll admit, in the time I’ve had to put this goal on the backburner, I have had random defeating thoughts like, “can I really make this happen?” and “what if this completely flops?” I’ve come to realize I need to take the same attitude I’ve taken on for my burpee workouts, “this is happening and I’m lucky I have the ability and the network to make this happen.” That feels better! Goal #3 Increase profitability in my business Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. April’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $2730.41, slightly lower than March’s profit and still far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000. In June I’ll be participating in two strategy sessions with my mastermind group to take a look at this goal and what it’s going to take to achieve it. I realize I still have stories around selling and conveying value. One of my struggles is my ideal client is a busy, overworked woman. It is not uncommon for someone to reach out to me to explore coaching, they want to work with me but then all the things I can help them with come up and cause them to put coaching on the back burner. It’s tragic when I hear back from some of these women a little further down the road and nothing has changed. Or more gut-wrenching, things have gotten worse. There are definitely some actions I can take to tweak my packages, offerings and my website but I know the big piece of this is going to be shifting who I am being when I am chatting with a potential client. I know there are instances when I am so conscious of not coming off salesy or pushy that I undermine my own calm and confidence. I know when my coaching process is the solution to someone’s biggest problems and I have to be very clear about that and also clear about the cost of putting off the solution. It’s a dance but I know that by shifting who I am being in those conversations I can do it gracefully and be a support to the women whom I most love to help. Goal # 5 Outsourcing Goal: (contingent upon profitability goal) to outsource social media content creation and email inbox management. I’m going to hold space for this goal. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself because I know without a doubt that once my profitability goal gains some traction this is a done deal! Who I am being in regard to my outsourcing goal is “This is happening. Oh yes it is!” Goal #2 Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man I’m still doing the do. Most traction is happening on the dating app – no surprise there. I’m making connections and planning dates. I’ve also got a couple of friends who know someone they want to fix me up with and I have granted my permission for them to coordinate introductions. You have to be careful with this because sometimes who your friends see you with is not the person that you see yourself with. I’ve been on some odd blind dates in the past and I am typically not a fan of blind dates. However, given the conversations I’ve had with my friends I’ve felt comfortable giving the “go ahead.” With this goal I am staying in the arena, as Brené Brown has described it, and seeing it through even though it is difficult for me. I had an experience this past month that played into all my old stories about men: that they are not straightforward, they don’t tell the whole truth and the truth they leave out is the truth that would have been REALLY important for you to know. This one shook me to my core, partially because I was worn out from a couple other things pulling at my energy, and partially because the man was a person I thought would be completely honest with me. For about a week up was down and down was up. I questioned how much I could trust my own judgment in people because I’d had complete faith in this man to be a friend and be completely honest with me. I’ve mostly made peace with it and energetically forgave but talking about it even vaguely with you is causing some emotion to come up again. Historically this is when I would check out and decide finding a partner was not important to me.  I would decide it was not worth the negative impact is was having on my energy and mindset which would have a ripple effect on my career, my business and my overall wellness. So, I’m in the arena. I’ve been knocked around a bit but I’m still in the game and I’m proud of myself for that. Who I am calling myself forth to be is soft, open, loving, calm, confident and playful. It is a practice but it is worth it. One thing that has helped me with my stress level, my self-awareness, my attitude and my presence is the work I’ve done with the Energy Leadership Assessment. This is a vital tool I use for myself and in my business to get to the heart of what keeps me from naturally expressing who I am: calm, confident, powerful, playful and loving. The Energy Leadership Assessment is at the heart of the work I do with my clients and is the reason they start having crazy ah-ha moments right away and can see impactful progress within weeks or even days of beginning to work together. If you’ve been spinning your wheels and working harder and harder to make progress toward your goals I’m going to suggest that it’s not what you’re doing or not doing that’s holding you back it’s who you are being, and you are not being your best self. If you are interested in finding out more go to womentakingthelead.com/coaching. There you can also purchase the assessment for yourself which will give you the information you need to achieve your biggest goals with a lot more ease. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Zoe MacLaren is a fundraiser, thought-raiser, and spiritual activist who inspires women to reconnect with the unique difference they were born to make. Over the last two years, Zoe has helped raise over $1M collectively for non-profits, start-ups, and budding visionaries who are making a positive social impact for women, children, and families throughout the world. Zoe was recently named Director of Programs and Development for yogaHOPE, a Boston nonprofit that empowers women to become catalysts for positive change in their lives, families, and communities. She is also a licensed facilitator and trainer of yogaHOPE's revolutionary trauma recovery program, TIMBo, an integrative mind-body method for healing trauma that helps women regain agency over their bodies and empowers them to share what they’ve learned with others around them. Cutting across socio-economic divides, TIMBo has transformed the lives of thousands of women in developing countries like Haiti and Kenya, as well as high-need populations of women in the United States, including prisons, state hospitals, homeless and domestic violence shelters, substance treatment centers, and more.    Zoe and I discussed: Transformation in many forms. Non-profit organizations Authenticity and unlocking potential Presence in the world Self worth Building a personal brand Links Zoe: Instagram – @spiritual_action  Facebook – Zoe LeVan MacLaren Email – zmaclaren@yhtimbo.org  Links to yogaHOPE: Instagram - @yhtimbo and @yh_timbo_global Facebook – yogaHOPE  Website: www.yhtimbo.org Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Last week was such a wild week and I am still absorbing all the goodness. To catch you up quickly a week ago I had a chance to meet Marianne Williamson for the first time and to see her speak. If you don’t know it is her words that I am quoting at the end of every episode of this podcast. I heard that quote almost 20 years ago and it would bring me to tears every time I heard it. It has been hanging in my home and it is at the core of my personal mission. I am talking with someone on her team this week about having Marianne on the podcast so please send some good energy, thoughts and prayers my way. What Happened When We All Came Together Days later an event that I have been involved in creating for the past 2 ½ years came to be. The inaugural event of The Maine Women’s Conference went down on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. I’m getting emotional because as I’m writing this because I am still trying to take in all that happened before, during and after the event and what it means to me. When I look back on my greatest and most meaningful accomplishments there isn’t one that I can think of that I did on my own. It has always been in collaboration that I have produced the things of which I am most proud. I and the other women on the board for The Maine Women’s Conference knew we had poured our hearts and souls into this event, we knew we were being supported by amazingly talented women on our committees and other volunteers who wanted this day to be something special. We knew all the details, and there were thousands of details, and we knew there was a growing curiosity and excitement for this event. What we didn’t know was how blown away we were all going to be on the day it all came together. The board, the vendors, the speakers, the sponsors and the attendees experienced a day of energy, support, encouragement, celebration and a call to something greater. At one point in the morning it was all starting to seem so surreal I didn’t know what to think or feel anymore and I had to consciously stay in a state of both service of the women in attendance and in receiving as woman after woman wanted to congratulate me, thank me and tell me how this event had exceeded their expectations. Now, were there somethings that could have been better? Yes! Things can always be better - it's no reason to declare failure There’s always room for improvement. Something we already knew going into the event that we wished we had had the time, money, energy and other resources to make happen and there were somethings we learned as we were executing the day. We are also collecting some great feedback and suggestions for next year from those in attendance. If you were at The Maine Women’s Conference and you haven’t filled out the survey you would have received via email please fill it out! We want all voices to be heard. As much as I am dancing on cloud 9 and feel so gratified I could cry I know there were hundreds of people, men and women that contributed to the success of this event. Even in the microcosm of the board of 9 women I can clearly see that without the commitment, passion, vision, skills and expertise, willingness at times to voice a dissenting opinion, and willingness at times to concede this event would not have been half of what it was. I also don’t want to gloss over the journey. Day of we were a united team and a force to be reckoned with but it wasn’t always that way. Most of us were strangers to each other when we began working together. And, our board had a rocky start. There was a lot of turnover in the beginning and that lead much of the community at large to believe that we weren’t going to make it. The rumors became so strong at one point that I had several conversations with women in my network who expressed surprise to hear I was still working on the conference because they had gotten it on “good authority” that the conference was cancelled. Team development is rarely a pretty process With any team there are four stages of development. They are forming, storming, norming and performing. Forming is when the group members are identified and come together. Storming is the stage of tension and differing opinions as the group tries to figure out its identity, shared values, common goals, roles within the group and overall team dynamic. Norming is the stage after when all of that has been decided and accepted, consciously or unconsciously, and performing is the final stage when, because time and energy is now freed up to deliver on the purpose of the team. With our turnover and fledgling relationships with each other we went through the first 2-3 stages of team development several times. In the process we also went from being an annual event to needing to become a 501(c)(3) because we could not find a fiscal sponsor to manage sponsorship and donations on our behalf. I say all this because I know there are times when you are going after a big goal and you wonder if it’s worth it. There are times when you leave a meeting where no one seemed to agree and you wonder if you can take it much longer. Maybe you’ve heard through the grapevine that people are betting you’re going to fail. I want you to know that it is all part of it. It is so normal it’s ridiculous. And to keep on a recent theme, it’s all part of The Dip. But there is the other side of The Dip and it is an experience like no other and you can share it with everyone who was with you in The Dip.          In Summation...                                         Don’t be afraid of big goals. The secret to achieving big goals is to surround yourself with other positive doers that would like to join you on your journey. Some may make a small contribution; some may be there for only parts of the journey, while others will be there the whole way with you also pouring their hearts and souls into the work. And to be clear, although I loved the idea of someday attending a women’s conference in Maine, I did not initiate this idea. Someone else came forward and declared they wanted this to be and was I interested in being a part of it. I was recruited but the goal was also my own. That’s how it works and that’s how great things happen. Don’t go it alone. Amazing things happen when we do this together. As always I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Keisha Reynolds is an expert marketer and project management strategist. She developed skills within a 20-year career mastering being a spokesperson, handling media crisis, implementing project schedules, developing strategies, writing speeches and articles, executing events and managing online tools for nonprofits, corporate businesses and government agencies. Keisha uses her skills to coach inspirational business owners and entrepreneurs to “next level” their brands through increased visibility and comprehensive strategies. She lives in Maryland with her husband and son. Outside of spending time with her family, Keisha enjoys creative writing and running her podcast, Global Warriors. Playing Small Moment Keisha had always followed other people’s rules and thought that in order to be successful, she had to follow the path that many others had taken. Keisha was on the path that her parents had wanted her to follow, and was successful by many standards, but realized something was missing. While doing research for a children’s book she was writing, Keisha stumbled upon an internship in Tanzania offered by Jane Goodall. Keisha wasn’t sure if she would be accepted, but the opportunity both scared and excited her and she was determined to apply. Being accepted into that internship changed Keisha’s life. Style of Leadership Like most others, Keisha’s leadership style has changed over time and now that she trusts herself more, she would call herself an intuitive leader. Teamwork has also always been very important to Keisha, and she doesn’t try to hide in the background anymore. What Are You Excited About? In the past, Keisha’s marketing business and spirituality have always been separate. After attending a recent business conference, she was inspired to embrace her spirituality to help change the world. Keisha is excited about her new interview series featuring well-known influencers as they talk about how they are using their message to transform others. Two ideas that were once very separate to her have come together and given her a new way to think about marketing. Current Business Challenge Now that Keisha is working one-on-one with more entrepreneurs and change makers, she struggles with ways to get her message across to more people without taking away from the experience. Family, freedom and travel are all still very important to Keisha, and she doesn’t want to take away from those things, but wants to spread her knowledge. Leadership Practice Meditation is key to keeping Keisha level in her daily routine. When Keisha taps into that divine energy source, she has a better reaction to unexpected things that happen to pop up during the day. Advice For Younger Self “Be authentic.” In the past, Keisha would strive to be what others wanted her to be, but always had the best results when she was true to herself. Inspirational Quote “There is something inside of us that transcends the human experience of race, and culture, and class, and for me thats the human spirit.” Links Website: http://www.keishareynolds.com/ Podcast: http://globalwarriors.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/keishamreynolds Instagram: @keishamreynolds LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keisha-reynolds-80680020/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Lola: Organic cotton feminine care in customized assortments delivered to your door. For 40% off your first shipment use promo code: LEAD40 Podcast Movement: is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me. In last week’s 100% Jodi episode I talked about the book The Dip by Seth Godin. Godin describes The Dip as “the long slog between beginning and mastery.” I have to tell you after writing and recording that episode it was like psychologically I was in The Dip in every area of my life. Has that ever happened to you? I was catching up with a friend and talking about all the amazing opportunities that have been coming my way in my business. On paper just about everything is fantastic and I have many reasons to be grateful. And then I ended my update with “and I am so [insert expletive] bored with my life.” Daily the lyrics from Bruce Springstein’s song Dancing in the Dark kept running through my head and after meeting with my mastermind group at the end of last week I know exactly why and I’m going to get into that in just a bit. What I’ve been going through has gotten me thinking about the Tolerations Detox Challenge we did at the beginning of the year and I think it’s time to bring it back again but I’m going to do it a little bit differently. Instead of releasing the 5 challenges every other day, starting on Monday, May 7, I’m going to release one a week for 5 weeks. I heard all your feedback and it was tough to keep up with the challenges and I know many of you did not like falling behind. With each challenge coming out once a week it will be no problem for you to identify 2 things that you are tolerating or avoiding in the area selected for that week (think home and transportation, work and technology, health and wellness, etc.). Then you’ll have the whole week to address them before the next challenge comes out. If you are interested in joining in the Tolerations Detox Challenge for this round and getting back a whole bunch of energy before the summer begins sign up at womentakingthelead.com/tolerations to sign up! This week is the month-end episode so that means an update on goals but as promised in the last episode I’m going give the updates and comment on whether I’m crushing the goal, if I’m experiencing The Dip, or if I’m starting to wonder if something is a Dead End. To review, in The Dip you’re doing a lot of hard work and you may not be getting a lot of traction but there definitely is progress or you can see where your efforts are going to turn into progress. With a dead end things don’t get better or worse. They pretty much stay the same. Goal #1 Build more strength and endurance The original goal for strength and endurance was to do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session by June 30 but I completed that in February. Crushed that goal and set a new goal. My burpee goal is now at 1000 burpees. Separately, I have a goal to do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year. I have started incorporating pull-ups with the pull-up bands into my workouts during the week. I really shouldn’t say it’s incorporated into my workouts because the truth is I work from home so I do pull-ups whenever I think of it or feel like doing pull-ups which isn’t very often. I don’t dislike pull-ups and I’m starting to do them more often. It’s just a new activity being incorporated into my day so I’m sure this will pick up and become a daily thing this month. At first I could only do one or two assisted pull-ups with each attempt and now I’m up to four pull-ups with the band. As of the day I’m recording this episode I have completed doing 500 spartan-regulation burbees (chest to ground) in good form in one workout session and by the time this episode goes live I’ll have done 525 in one workout. The 500 burpee workout took me 1:43:49 to complete so I have to start planning my workout within larger time blocks. Yes, doing the workout is a slog but I wouldn’t say I’m suffering through it and I’m definitely making progress. With this goal I am in The Dip but I am leaning into it and enjoying the positive consequences of doing a workout that intense on a weekly basis. I’ve also increased the intensity of my separate strength-training and cardio workouts to support doing the burpee workouts with more ease. Goal #4 Do a Women Taking the Lead branded full-day event in the summer or fall In October, which is breast cancer awareness month, I will be collaborating with Emily leRoux, the Spartan Women Global Leader of Spartan Races, Inc. to do a “Burpees for Boobs” event. I am going to coordinate the event here in Maine but the intention is to have these events happening globally in October. As I reported in last month’s update there has not been a lot of extra time to make significant progress on this goal but I am continuing to share this goal with people who are ready to take action as soon as things are in place. I’ve got The Maine Women’s Conference coming up on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 in Portland, ME as well as some corporate workshops that need my attention but come June I’m going to be shifting my focus to this event. Side note: If you have not bought your tickets for The Maine Women’s Conference you can purchase your ticket at themainewomensconference.org. We have Caroline Paul and Maysoon Zayid as keynotes, there will be two panel discussions and I will be one of 12 breakout session speakers. I’ll be talking about one of my favorite topics: How to Grow and Leverage Your Network with Ease! Again, go to themainewomensconference.org to buy your ticket and I’ll look forward to seeing you there. I keep reminding myself each week as I do my burpee workout that the preparation to do 1000 burpees at the Burpees for Boobs event in October is the work I am doing to prepare for that event, for now. For this goal I have not made enough progress to hit The Dip or a dead end so I have no commentary here. Goal #3 Increase profitability in my business Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. March’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $2854.72. That is better than February’s profit of $493.82 but still far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000. Some of my largest business bills come due in February and March and that is past now so I’m looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring. Am I experiencing a dead end in this area? No. This is what the slog looks like. I am making progress. The work I am doing is making an impact and I am getting more inquiries for training and coaching. It just takes time and consistent effort to get to the tipping point. I have been reviewing and tweaking the strategies I have for increasing the profits in my business that may not be getting the traction that I hoped for. I am continuing to offer the Energy Leadership Assessment, strategy sessions and private coaching. I also will be running a group program over the summer around transforming who you are in your career and business so you can start getting traction and hitting your goals with ease. I have also been spending more time talking about the corporate trainings during my BNI meeting and in the networking coffee dates I’ve been having. The word is getting out so now my job is to continue to spread the word and create a landing page for the corporate workshops I offer on my website. Goal # 5 Outsourcing Goal: (contingent upon profitability goal) to outsource social media content creation and email inbox management. If any of my goals feel like a dead end this is the one because it’s based on my profitability goals and I haven’t hit my target on that goal yet. Something I also didn’t plan for well was figuring into my profitability goal the fact that my business expenses would go up at first to pay for more virtual assistance as I brought in more money. I may start sharing my profit number with and without the expense of outsourcing to show more progress. Goal #2 Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man In relationships I am not looking to be the best in the world but there are dips and dead ends in relationships that I am becoming more familiar with. I need to be open-minded and recognize when the work is to stay open-minded and compassionate, while at the same time be able to gauge when there is no chemistry. Or worse, when there is chemistry but the guy is not available, for whatever reason, so I’ll know when to cut my losses and move on. I have found myself getting a little tired of the process of finding a partner, at least on the dating app. In my exhaustion I have been questioning my goal in terms of do I need to be in a relationship or is dating casually good enough? Do I care if he’s seeing other people? Am I looking for a partner or am I okay with male attention from someone who at the very least considers my feelings. I had even considered casually dating someone whose life wasn’t suited to the time commitment of building a relationship. I wondered if I could see him occasionally while I continued my search for a partner. We just got along so well and had great chemistry that I didn’t want to move on. Who am I kidding? I still don’t want to move on. We had a lot of fun when we were together and I enjoyed the male attention. It is like sunshine on your skin. The reality is though all those things are okay to start with, I ultimately want a partner, and I know I would become emotionally involved if I continue to see him, and thus emotionally unavailable to other men. It’s the recipe for disaster. And it’s difficult to walk away from semi-good sunshine into a cold shadow once again.  That’s where the boredom started and why the song Dancing in the Dark kept popping into my head. When I broke down my feelings and my perspective with my mastermind group last week it was pointed out to me that almost all my time and successes were coming from masculine pursuits. I was spending hardly any time in feminine pursuits. For me this would look like singing, dancing, flirting, gardening, conversations that are not around business, politics or religion. Flirting and having romance in my life is important and it’s not something I’m capable of denying anymore. What I’ve also come to realize is, though there is a progression, I want someone to share my life with and I want to be a part of their life. And where I am in the process right now, being on the dating app, takes practicing patience. I say practicing because I’ve also come to realize I am not naturally a patient person; I have to work at it. It will also take having thick skin, not taking things personally, and consistently letting go of the past and being open to something new. It takes holding to my boundaries, being honest about what I’m looking for, keeping it light and fun, and not lowering my standards just because I’m temporarily feeling lonely. None of this is easy. It’s as Seth Godin says, “the long slog between beginning and mastery.” It’s The Dip and I am in it. However, as the cliché goes, I am in it to win it. Okay, that’s it for now. Again you can join the Tolerations Detox Challenge at womentakingthelead.com/tolerations to remove all the little things in your life that are zapping your energy and leaving you feeling drained by the end of the day and the end of the week. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

I feel like it has been a while since I have personally said hello to you. I was horribly ill at the beginning of April and that messed up my production schedule a bit but I am back in full health once again and doing burpees like crazy. In the “March update on goals” episode I mentioned that I would be talking about The Dip by Seth Godin next and I think this is perfect timing. You’ll have to let me know if this topic resonates with you right now or not but it definitely resonates with me. “The Dip” Seth Godin explains is a natural phenomenon that occurs when you set out to achieve a goal. At the beginning it’s exciting and interesting so you have a lot of energy and it’s easy to stay engaged. Then The Dip happens. Seth Godin describes it as “the long slog between beginning and mastery.” The Dip is what separates the half-hearted from the committed. It is the naturally occurring obstacles (bureaucracy, administrative work, study and practice) that are unenjoyable but required to achieve the goal. Depending on the goal some dips are longer than others. Think about med school or the career track to becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Typically the bigger the goal the bigger the dip and that’s why so few people emerge on the other end and ultimately achieve that particular goal. If something is worth doing you will usually find a dip Podcasting is one of those things with a relatively big dip and it’s the reason most podcasts fade after a couple of years. It takes doing a lot of work for a long time week in and week out to grow a loyal audience. Many people go into podcasting to make money but they quickly realize it’s a marathon and not sprint and they give up before the podcast has a chance to pay off. Seth Godin also puts forth that that successful people don’t put up with The Dip they actually seek it out and lean into it. This has been true for me and podcasting as well. I’ve leaned into the work and as a result I’ve grown my network exponentially, I’ve become a better communicator, coach, and human being. I’ve definitely been in The Dip with Women Taking the Lead but by no means has it been wasted time. According to Seth Godin If you’re not willing to work through the dip you’re better off not investing the time and energy to even start. You are better off investing your time and energy in something you are willing to get so good at you see a return on your investment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started and stopped learning a second language because I love the idea of being fluent in another language. I spent countless hours to not even become mediocre because I didn’t have the staying power and the perceived benefits were not enough to get through the dip. I now take that time and invest it in my podcast and becoming a better host, coach and community leader. Are you in a dead end? In his book The Dip Seth Godin also talks about another situation that can look like a dip but is actually a dead end. This is a situation where you work and work and work and not much changes; it doesn’t get better or worse. Think dead end jobs and dead end relationships. It’s important to recognize if you are in a dead end situation so you can get out of it fast because the dead end will keep you from doing something else that would provide better opportunities and results. There’s a stigma against quitting but the reality is successful people quit all the time; but it’s important to know when to quit. Strategic quitting can actually make you more successful (i.e. letting go of commitments that are distractions to your goals). While reactive or serial quitting can work against you. Quitting is difficult because it’s hard to admit you’re not going to be that good at something or you’ll never have the opportunities that you hoped for. Never stay in a dead end because you don’t like the short-term stress. Not quitting when it would be hard to quit is a bad decision. I’ve seen this with relationships, jobs, investments, team members, marketing plans, etc. If it’s hard to quit or pivot people tend to keep on doing what they are doing even though they are not happy. If something is not working and it’s not getting better with increased efforts deal with the short-term stress and cut your losses. You can’t do The Dip halfheartedly If that’s your plan you’re better off not getting started. If you want success you have to: (1) Recognize if you are in a dip or a dead end. Are you moving forward and making progress? (2) Having recognized you’re in a dip you have to give it your all especially when it gets stressful because that’s when the transformation takes place. Quitting in the midst of a true dip is a waste of time and energy and is very foolish. Do the work, push through The Dip and reap the rewards and long-term benefits of sticking with it and giving it your all. Never quit something with great long-term potential because you don’t like the short-term stress. Next week I’m going to be giving a progress report on my goals and with each one I’m going to cover if I’m experiencing The Dip in any of them or if a goal is appearing to be a dead end. Until then, join the Facebook group to be in community to get support and have some fun with other women who are working on their goals too. If you’re going to be in The Dip anyway let’s go through it together. Go to womentakingthelead.com/group to join us. As always I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! ButcherBox delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door. For FREE Bacon and $20 off your first box, go to ButcherBox.com/lead and enter lead as the promotional code at checkout. TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Anna brings her special blend of creativity and analysis, along with a commitment to excellence, to all that she does. Anna founded CreativeIQ in 2016 and leads a dynamic team partnering with clients seeking their consulting services in business and organizational strategy development, along with copywriting and communications advice. Based in a small town in regional Western Australia, Anna has rapidly grown the business to service, literally, the world.  Anna and I discussed: Delegation Crisis Mode Having a "foot-in-the-door" product Anxiety about others' opinions Applying your zone of genius to your own business Clarifying systems and processes Links Website: https://creativeiq.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/annacreativeiq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativeiqconsulting/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Angela Lussier is an award-winning speaker, five-time author, two-time TEDx presenter, and CEO and founder of the Speaker Sisterhood, a network of speaking clubs that help women discover, awaken, and create their voice through the art of public speaking. Angela is the host of Claim the Stage, a public speaking podcast for women rated #1 on the inspiring podcasts list by Forbes in 2017. She is a contributor to Huffington Post and her work has been featured on ABC, NBC, Forbes, Virgin, and Entrepreneur. Her motto:  Stop waiting. Start creating. Playing Small Moment Angela’s most defining small moment took place in 2008, when she was employed at an executive recruiting firm. Angela’s job was very refining. She sat at a desk all day, while making calls and reading the same script. Her boss approached her and asked her to create a presentation showcasing how she stood out from the other recruiters. Angela saw this as an amazing opportunity and put together a detailed presentation. After presenting at the meeting, Angela’s boss told her they knew her creativity would be a problem. Angela struggled to fit into the box they made for her, before realizing maybe the problem wasn’t her at all. Style of Leadership Angela leads by example. She shares her stores to inspire and show others how she got to where she is now. Angela also shares tips and shows them the steps they could be taking to move forward. Now that Angela has a staff working for her, she makes sure to ask lots of questions and welcome their ideas so it can be a more productive space, with her team more invested in their jobs. What Are You Excited About? Angela will be on a speaking tour throughout New England in April. The tour will help spread the word about speaking up and asking what for what you need at home, and at work. Angela will also be promoting her new book, The Secret Life of Speaking Up Prequel: 30 Tiny Speaking Adventures. Current Business Challenge As CEO, Angela is often weighed down by financial worries. There is cash flow and revenue, but they are so close to not being a sustainable business. Angela has a goal, and now has a plan to get there by next year. Leadership Practice Angela is a creative person who tends to come up with a lot of ideas, but when there are too many ideas going at once, not much gets accomplished. Angela’s ability to focus on 1 or 2 ideas at a time, and executing them before continuing to new ideas, really helps her lead effectively. Advice For Younger Self Surrounding yourself with coaches, mentors and a support team, is not essentially a bad thing, but you still need to trust and believe in yourself and the things you want at the same time. Inspirational Quote “Stop waiting. Start creating.” Links Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelalussier Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelalussier/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelalussier Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakersisterhood Speaker Sisterhood: https://speakersisterhood.com Website: http://angelalussier.us My episode with Angela on Claim the Stage: https://speakersisterhood.com/2018/01/10/podcast-ep-77-4-ways-to-get-out-of-your-own-way-and-put-yourself-out-there-with-jodi-flynn/ #SpeakUpTour2018: https://speakersisterhood.com/speakup/ “The Secret Life of Speaking Up Prequel: 30 Tiny Speaking Adventures” Book: https://speakersisterhood.com/tiny/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Care/of: Care/of is a monthly vitamin subscription that makes it that much easier for you to take control of your health routine. Each month, you receive a box with thirty daily packs personalized for you. You can adjust your pack or cancel at anytime. Plus, there's free shipping on all orders over $20. To receive 25% off your first month go to https://takecareof.com/ and enter promo code: lead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me. This episode is going to be short and sweet this week for a couple of reasons. I am going to give you a quick update on my goals and frankly, I have learned another lesson about spreading myself too thin. I did in fact spread myself too thin but this time it wasn’t about time or physical energy, it was creativity. I took on projects that definitely fit in my calendar and were not going to burn a lot of calories but they were going to take a lot of mental focus and creativity. Before I knew it I was spent and started to have an aversion to sitting at my desk. I started to work with a pad of paper and a pen out in the living room. I lit a candle and made hot cocoa. I tried all my normal tricks and they helped a little but they only got me so far. Although I would love to offer you some new insights this week I’m going to leave it to updates for the sake of my brain. Next week I’m releasing my interview with Angela Lussier of the Speaker Sisterhood and the week after that I will be coming with a fresh and well-rested 100% Jodi episode on The Dip. The Dip is a book by Seth Godin and subtitle is “A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick).” Are you feeling that topic? I am and I’m going to share my experiences with you in just a couple of episodes from here. Until then you know you can always be a part of the community and the conversation in the private facebook group. Go to womentakingthelead.com/group and it will take you right to where you can ask to join and fill out some information about yourself. On to the update on my goals… Goal #1 Build more strength and endurance. Original goal for strength and endurance was to do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session by June 30. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up. Let me start with the pull-up. I said I would have the pull-up bands to help with my goal of doing an unassisted pull-up and I received them last week. Now I just need to start incorporating pull-ups into my workouts during the week. Last month I accomplished my goal of 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session on February 20th. In last month’s episode I reported that I’ve changed my goal to doing 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session. I have the plan all mapped out and as of this morning I have done 425 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session. Goal #4 Do a Women Taking the Lead branded full-day event in the summer or fall I’m shooting to have this goal of 1000 burpees accomplished in October.at a fundraising event. In last week’s episode I released the Facebook Live I had done with Emily leRoux of Spartan Races on International Women’s Day. In that conversation we announced that in October, which is breast cancer awareness month, we will be collaborating to do a “Burpees for Boobs” event. I am going to coordinate the event here in Maine but the intention is to have these events happening globally in October. There has not been a lot of extra time to make significant progress on this goal but I have been sharing this goal with a lot of people who are ready to take action as soon as I can give some marching orders. I am crazy-excited about this and it’s almost chaffing me that other things need my attention before I can give this my full focus. However, there will be more to come on this in a couple of months. Goal #2 Be in a relationship One of my milestones was to join a dating app and I announced last month that I did that. Additionally, I had a conversation with a friend about going on the dating app and we went back and forth about what I was looking for. After getting some good critical feedback I declared that I would just start with the intention of meeting good human beings. Since then I have met several good human beings and I’m glad I’ve met them. Some I would want to continue to spend time with but no spark just yet. I have no expectation that this goal will be achieved quickly. My only expectation is that conversations happen that lead to dates, so I can get to know more men. Goal #3 Increase profitability in my business. Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year. February’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $493.82. That’s not good and can be partially explained by where my annual bills fall. Some of my largest bills come due in February and March. I’ve also had some legal work done and if you remember from last month I’ve been giving more work to my Virtual Assistant to alleviate my workload as I begin to take on new projects. That has served me well and I am still in the black. However, as I stated last month if I’m going to have a net profit of $80,000 I’m going to need to start recording an average net profit of about $6700 a month. So I’m a little further behind but there is more potential in the coming months. Goal # 5 Outsourcing Goal: (contingent upon profitability goal) to outsource social media content creation and email inbox management. Although I am outsourcing more items to my VA my intention was to outsource social media content creation and the management of my email inbox. I am behind on emails and I don’t feel great about that. Seeing this goal realized is definitely going to take having the funds available to pay for these services. I am hopeful that this will happen sooner rather than later. Again you can be a part of the community and the conversation in the private facebook group. Go to womentakingthelead.com/group and it will take you right to where you can ask to join and fill out some information about yourself. I would love to meet you there. As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! ButcherBox delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door. For FREE Bacon and $20 off your first box, go to ButcherBox.com/lead and enter lead as the promotional code at checkout. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

For this bonus episode, I met up with Emily leRoux, the Spartan Women Global Leader for Spartan Races, Inc, for a special Facebook Live recording on International Women's Day. Emily is a top ranked sales professional with 14 years experience partnering with some of the world's largest consumer businesses in the UK and Japan. An encouraging leader and mentor of a diverse, multicultural team of highly skilled and motivated salespeople and staff. Emily is the founder of Mums in Business Tokyo; an ever-growing network of professional females with one thing in common - we're all frantically trying to find ways to balance working life with everything family life throws at us too. She was nominated as '2016 Entrepreneur of the Year' by the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Emily is heading up Spartan Women and the Global Spartan Women Ambassador Program on a mission to harness the immense ability, inspiration and experiences of Spartan Women, sharing them with our community to inspire others in overcoming the challenges of everyday life. Topics We Discussed: Spartan Races at all ages Building a global community for women The inclusivity at Spartan Races What Emily is currently working on How to get involved My new burpee challenge Links Original Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/womentakingthelead/videos/878081589038041/ Spartan Women Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spartanwomenofficial/ Spartan Up! interview with Marla Sweeney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY5bcqyHppQ  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spartanwomen/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

We are this close to official Spring in the northern hemisphere and I am ready for it! I do appreciate winter for what it brings: reflection, the holidays and the slower pace. At least, it’s supposed to be a slower pace. I do less travelling in the winter but that didn’t stop my schedule this year from being pretty jam-packed. I am ready to be energized by Spring and I’m looking forward to what this season has to offer. Spring is also bringing Marianne Williamson to Portland, Maine and I am freaking out. She is the author of the quote at the end of each and every episode of this podcast. I first heard this quote from her book Return to Love: Reflections on A Course in Miracles exactly 20 years ago. It was 1998 and I was in a leadership development program at the time and one of the other participants read the quote and passed out printed copies of it. Hearing the quote the first time gave me goosebumps and I remember starting to cry the words resonated so strongly with me. To say Marianne Williamson has had an impact on my life would be an understatement. Her words changed the way I related to myself and this concept is at the core of the coaching I do today. I feel like this is another of the many blessings that have come into my life when I started putting out to the Universe what I wanted. Here is the link to buy tickets to this event:  http://www.leapinlizards.biz/event/marianne-williamson-love-america-tour/2018-05-06/ This week I wanted to chat about something that has been on my mind because of the work I’ve done for my website and it comes up in conversations on the regular for me. The whole concept of being or not being Type A I promote myself as a coach for Type A women, and naturally that’s my answer to the questions, “What is it you do?” or, “Tell me about your business.” I can see how my answer immediately has the person I’m talking to assessing whether or not they would put themselves in that category. I often hear as a first response, “I don’t know if I’m Type A” or, “I wouldn’t categorize myself as Type A.” When I ask a few questions to help them figure it out it commonly turns out that they do in fact have Type A tendencies. Because this is a common occurrence I debated on changing the language to describe the work that I do. However, rather than being coy about the fact that women with Type A tendencies are my ideal client I’d would prefer to remove the stigma of being Type A. Because that is what I believe is at the heart of this. There is a negative connotation in our culture to having Type A tendencies. The qualities of being driven, goal-oriented, results focused are not considered feminine qualities. The stereotypical image I believe most of us have about a Type A person comes from a masculine image of an aggressive, super-competitive, “winning is the only thing that matters”, workaholic, unfeeling type of person. That’s not me and that’s not you. I don’t even know many men that would fit this stereotypical description. I think this negative stereotype of being Type A is why many women shy away from the term Type A until I can get them to see their own natural tendencies and laugh about them. Let me give you some background on where the term Type A came from, along with some descriptors of Type A tendencies and the positive and negative aspects of these tendencies. Where the term "Type A" came from In the 1950s a study on heart disease was conducted by two cardiologists, Drs. Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. As was common at the time all the subjects of the study were men and this study identified three types of behaviors: Type A, which they labeled as competitive, ambitious, impatient, aggressive, and fast-talking; Type B, which is more relaxed and non-competitive, and Type C, which is hard-working but becomes apathetic when faced with stress. Now I bet you and I can both consider those categories and see ourselves in some but not all of those descriptors in different areas of our lives. More research has been done over the years and more nuances to Type A behavior have been uncovered. For instance, people with Type A tendencies are likely to: Work diligently to finish activities within deadline and over deliver on what’s expected Be involved in multiple stressful activities tied to deadlines. Practice perfectionism. Have a need to be in control or in positions of power (owner/leader/decision-maker) and thus… Be a business owner or corporate executive. Take their work and causes quite seriously. Have an intense sustained determination to achieve personal goals. Be hypersensitive to time because they hate to waste it. Compete constantly against others and themselves. Have a persistent desire for recognition and advancement. Exhibit mental and physical alertness over a long period of time. Appear to be insensitive toward other’s feelings. You can hear/see that in this list a balance of strengths and weaknesses and the weakness come when Type A tendencies are un-managed. Having Type A tendencies is pretty awesome unless... If left unmanaged, these tendencies lead to stress, anxiety, frustration, exhaustion, martyrdom, overwhelm, feelings of powerlessness, self-doubt, insomnia, and an inability to concentrate, make decisions, unplug/relax, have fun or feel happy. All of this impacts the quality of health, relationships, finances, and career or businesses. I also want to point out that because of our culture more and more people are exhibiting Type A tendencies. There’s more value placed on achievement, to be successful, be known, stand out of the crowd and make a mark, etc. I can’t speak for other countries but in the US, because of the cost of living the standard American lifestyle most households require both partners to bring in a good salary. This also creates a push to land a great job, have regular career advancement or for the self-employed, to be making enough profit consistently to sustain the household budget. So people who under different circumstances would have comfortably described themselves at Type B or Type C they are now finding themselves exhibiting Type A tendencies. It seems pretty bleak talking about un-managed Type A tendencies but I’m here to tell you being Type A is pretty awesome, as long as you are taking care of yourself and keeping it in check. Embrace your Type A tendencies. Own them and be appreciative of them. If you take pleasure in your work and have a value of excellence, what’s so bad about that? If you are motivated by competition because it brings out your best work and your most creative ideas, what’s so bad about that? If being driven and focused on results means you can look back on all your efforts and see that they did in fact make a difference and changed the lives of others for the better, what’s so bad about that? If your leadership and organization rally’s other to achieving their goals, where they might have otherwise been left floundering, what’s so bad about that? And if you find you are going into overdrive working too much and not finding the space to relax, reach out to me. I can help you to accomplish more by doing less. It’s all about leveraging your strengths so you have more time to relax and stay in a creative and connected space. Being Type A is pretty awesome and I wouldn’t change if given a choice. I’m speaking for myself when I say I wouldn’t have started my business or this podcast if I wasn’t so driven. I may have written my book but I wouldn’t have gotten so into my health and fitness. I definitely would not have moved to Maine or gotten so many promotions in my corporate career. There’s nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide if you are driven to get results and love the excitement of a new challenge. Do you need to take excellent care of yourself in and out of your work? Yes, you definitely do. But if that’s your struggle, that’s what I’m here for. And it’s probably why you’re here as well. Did that provide any new insights for you? I’d love to get your feedback. Being Type A I love both critical and affirming feedback. I can’t get better if I don’t know what can be improved and I’m all about getting better, thank you very much. You can comment wherever you found this episode or you can email me directly at Jodi@womentakingthelead.com. As always I hope my drive for excellence and providing great content was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make!

Jen Hemphill, a military spouse & proud bilingual Latina, helps women who are tired of the traditional money advice gain a renewed sense of control, confidence and freedom in their financial life.  She is a Money Confidence Coach, an AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor) and host of the Her Money Matters® Podcast.  Her first book, Her Money Matters: The Missing Truths From Traditional Money Advice, helps to fill the missing gaps for when you are financially stuck. Story Behind The Book Jen had no intention to ever write a book. Perfectionism held her back from ever adding it to her bucket list. Until one day, a publisher approached her and asked if she was interested in writing a book. Jen realized it was a great opportunity that she couldn’t pass up. In the process, Jen was able to observe her journey around money and mold her advice more around why she was getting stuck. Traditional Money Advice We have all heard the same traditional money advice, but sometimes it doesn’t work that cut and dry. You work so hard on what you are supposed to do, but often it doesn’t work out the way it should. Jen believes a big problem is that we aren’t talking enough about the emotional part of it… the money mindset. Money Headquarters When Jen refers to your money headquarters it is essentially a hub for your money. When you build a house, you start with the foundation, which is like your money mindset. Then you build from there, piece by piece. The next piece is money actions, then money skills. If you don’t have a strong foundation, just like a house, its not going to be steady. Takeaway From The Book Confidence. “Grab the confidence and run with it.” Links Website: http://jenhemphill.comBook: http://jenhemphill.com/book Thank You to Our Sponsors LOLA: Organic cotton feminine care in customized assortments delivered to your door. For 40% off your first shipment use promo code: LEAD40 Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

I hope this episode finds you well and well on your way to achieving your goals. This is the last episode of the month so as promised I will be giving you an update on my goals. The Accomplished Intensive has kicked off and I am very excited to be partnering with the women who said yes to invest in themselves and allow me to guide them through the next phase of their journey. It’s not always an easy decision and the benefits begin right away which is so cool to witness and be a part of. If doing a group program was not in the cards for you at this time but you still feel like you need some insight, some support or some direction I’m going to suggest you take the Energy Leadership Assessment. This is the assessment tool I am licensed to administer and I use with my clients to get right to the heart of what is holding them back from having the business, the career and the life they want. We oftentimes think it’s the circumstances that are keeping us stuck but that is rarely the case, and we have way more power than we realize. This assessment tool reveals where your power lies and where you have been giving your power away. It is amazing, it is powerful and it is eye-opening. If you need a little boost and this sounds like what you need right now go to womentakingthelead.com/coaching. You’ll get more information on the assessment and can purchase it there if you so choose. Achieving a goal requires more than taking action While sharing the progress I’ve made on my goals I’m also going to share with you some of the realizations I’ve had as I am thinking about my goals and taking action on them. This is very personal and I’m a little queasy sharing this but from all the feedback I’ve been getting from you I know my being open about my experience is helping you to face your fears and make progress on your goals. I’m going to start off with my relationship goal because that’s where the most stuff has been coming up. Goal #2 Be in a relationship. Goal: be in a committed, monogamous, romantic partnership with a man. Here are some of the good things that are going on in regard to the metrics and milestones I set. In terms of taking on embodying being more open to partnership and having fun, I have practiced being more aware and less hyper-focused when I'm out and about. I don’t want give off signals like I'm already in a relationship or I'm too busy or disinterested in chatting with strangers. That is going well. I’ve made eye contact with more men, I’ve gotten appreciate glances an smiles back so I’m definitely getting feedback from those around me that I’m doing something different. I have continued to tell more people about my goal and my preference to be introduced to men who are into personal development. No set ups yet but as I write this I’m realizing I’m not being explicit in asking the person I’m talking with to introduce me to the single men they know who are into personal development. A male friend of mine challenged me on this need to have someone who is into personal development. He thought I was limiting myself and that part of being in relationship was to have someone who balanced you out. I’m still pondering this. Please weigh in. Send me a note or comment on any of the posts about this episode on social medial. I have also researched online dating apps and asked around as to which one would be the best for me. I committed to being signed up on an app by the end of the month and that is done. I’ve only been on for a few days at the time of this recording and I can say so far it has been fun and interesting. In terms of milestones and metrics I am on track with this goal. But let’s face it working toward a goal is never limited to whether or not you take the action. There is a whole mental, emotional and spiritual component to achieving our goals. If there weren’t we would have already achieved them by now. Without putting any effort into uncovering them our limiting beliefs that have held us back in certain areas will rear their ugly heads when we begin to take action, or even consider taking action, and you will be overcome with the experience of it. This is what has been happening to me and although it’s not pleasant it’s an opportunity to change the belief. I was astounded not only by the belief itself, because it was an illogical belief, but as I worked through one belief another would be revealed. It’s fascinating! Beliefs I’ve uncovered related to being in a relationship The first belief that got in my face was I am not worthy, lovable enough, or deserve to be in a relationship. Who would want me? This is not logical but it creeps into my psyche in moments of doubt. The ego is not logical and it repeats and harps on limiting beliefs to taunt you and get you to hold back and play small. So I faced this one head on and also talked through it with a friend. I was in a good place and feeling myself moving forward and then the next limiting belief hit me a couple of days later: I resist receiving love and so will sabotage anything good that comes along. My conflict with receiving love is not limited to the area of romantic relationship. It also plays itself out in the areas of accepting help, accepting compliments or payment for my services, which also has impacted my ability to earn income in my business. I would much rather be the giver because it is safer, more acceptable and to be honest I’m in control of what and how much I give. Sometimes without warning someone pays a compliment, gives a gift or asks to hire me. The accepting of this love does not happen as naturally or easily as you think it would. It takes some effort for me to manage myself in these moments and be gracious. Even hearing “Thank you” can be annoying to me at times. Isn’t that interesting? Today as I was gathering my thoughts for this episode I was randomly on my phone cleaning up the podcast app to remove any podcasts I have not listened to in some time. I came across the Affirmations Podcast which I have not listened to in months. I went in to see if the host was still releasing episodes, because if she wasn’t I was just going to delete the podcast off my phone. I saw that yes she was still releasing episodes and the latest episode was titled Receiving Love. How funny is that? I feel supported in dealing with this limiting belief because clearly the Universe is on it and is sending me the messengers I need. The most recent limiting belief I encountered around relationship was I will have to give up full control over my life. Where I live, holidays, meals, entertainment will all be a negotiation. Rather than looking at this as an adventure I was looking at it as a loss of freedom. The actual belief can probably be translated to “negotiation is burdensome.” I definitely need to change my mindset around this one. The other interesting thing is that although these limiting beliefs have come up primarily in regard to relationship I can see how they have, and if left unchecked would continue to, hold me back with my other goals. This may sound a little odd but I’m actually looking forward to the next layer of limiting beliefs that I can face because when I do face them and move through them I feel space, something opens and creates more possibilities in my life. More on that in a bit. It's as easy or as hard as changing your mind I’m going to talk about two my goals together because they are starting to overlap. Goal #1 Build more strength and endurance. Goal #4 Do a Women Taking the Lead branded full-day event in the summer or fall Goal for strength and endurance: Do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session by June 30. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up. Originally I guessed my baseline was 50 burpees and on January 12 I discovered it was actually 100. The surprises keep coming because I can report to you that I have already achieved my goal of doing 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one workout session. It seems a little shocking to me that I achieved this goal so fast but in retrospect it’s not surprising anymore. I want to offer this to you because this is what happened. I changed my mind. Yes, I changed my mind. I had a belief of who I was and what I was capable of and I changed it. I believed it would take me until May to do 300 burpees and it took me until February. It definitely helped to just get started but even when I hit 120 and 150 burpees in one session I still didn’t see 300 burpees so close on the horizon. At one point when I was doing my burpee workout I decided I was someone who could easily do 300 burpees and within 2 weeks I did. I have changed my goal to doing 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session. I believe I can easily achieve this by December 31, 2018 but I’m actually going to attempt to achieve this goal sooner. I know I can do this because I’ve decided I’m someone who can easily do 1000 burpees in one session. I’ve already got my plan in an Excel spreadsheet. This is the key to achieving your goals and it’s at the heart of my coaching system. You have to decide you are the person who can achieve your goal. You are the type of person who does it easily. If you struggle with this I know a great coach who can help you. Because I’m the type of person who can coach someone around this. Don't be surprised if your goals begin to merge During one of my burpee sessions I got the inspiration to turn the achievement of 300 burpees into an event. The idea became a vision to find a place to accomplish this goal, invite others to burpees with me (although they don't have to shoot for 300 burpees) but it could be a fundraiser for a local charity and maybe do a Facebook live. The last time I talked about this on the podcast I was playing with this idea but this idea is now becoming a reality. I am teaming up with Spartan Races, Inc., and many other local businesses to do a fundraiser in the Greater Portland area in the Fall. The details are still being hashed out so stay tuned on that. I also have the goal to do one unassisted pull-up by the end of the year. I have not ordered the pull-up bands yet so I will put that on my list to get done before the goals update at the end of March. Also, I declared that if I can't do a pull-up by September I'm going to hire a personal trainer to help me with this goal. Goal #3 Increase profitability in my business. Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum. I have created a spreadsheet that outlines how many books, assessments, strategy sessions, group programs, private coaching packages, etc. that I need to sell in order to hit my goal. I have definitely focused on the marketing and the promotion of those things. I have also had more people reach out to me out of the blue wanting to talk about private coaching and doing workshops within the workplace, so there is a lot of potential for increased profits there. January’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $4,115.49. That ended up much better than it was looking mid-month so that’s great. However, if I’m going to have a net profit of $80,000 I’m going to need to start recording an average net profit of about $6700 a month. So I’m a little behind but like I mentioned there is a more potential in the coming months. Be flexible with the timeline of your goals Goal #5 Outsourcing. I originally stated that Outsourcing was going to be contingent upon my profitability goal so I didn’t expect to see much action here. However, all the prep work and meetings that have gone into this potential new work in the coming months had me leaning on my VA for more support in the past few weeks and so this goal has already seen some movement. The key to achieving this goal will be a matter of whether I can sustain it. I don’t want to outsource and then take work back. I want to outsource and continue to have so much paid work coming into my business that there is no thought of ever taking work that I’ve delegated back. Ultimately, this has only made sense because some of the extra work I’ve asked of my VA was work related to the promotion of my products and services. The hope being the extra work I’ve paid her for will come to have paid for itself many times over and then I can give her more projects which she has been eager to get. I also have to recognize that in the short-term my profitability goal will take a hit but this does not mean it’s a bad thing. It’s an investment now for more profit down the line. I want to mention again the Energy Leadership Assessment because this tool is brilliant at revealing the limiting beliefs and the perspective you have of yourself, other people and the world that limits your ability to experience and have the life you want. If you’ve been wondering where you get started this is it. This assessment is a low-cost, low-risk, high value experience that will clear the path and get you moving toward your ultimate goals. Go to womentakingthelead.com/coaching to find out more and to get started. Please feel free to reach out to me regarding anything you heard in this podcast or if you are looking for some support with limiting beliefs and the achievement of your goals for 2018. You can reach me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com. As always I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Jen Hatzung is a business strategist who focuses on social media, online strategy + influencer marketing, as well as a podcaster (podcast currently on hiatus) who lives in Norfolk, VA with her husband, daughter, and dachshund.  She can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee while making lists and strategizing when she can fit in her next run. She currently co-leads her local MOPS group, runs her own skincare and makeup business, and does the preschool/naptime hustle helping small business owners with online engagement and strategy. She is on a personal journey to learn how to live a life of abundance.   Before she embarked on her motherhood journey she was managed the social media for a non-profit as well as a social shopper agency that paired brands with bloggers.   If there is any time left in the day she has her nose in a book or watching HGTV.  Jen and I discussed: Balancing life and business as a mom Feeling guilty about spending Being held back by anxiety Using faith and affirmations to refocus your energy Our theme words for 2018 Links Instagram: @JenHatzung Instagram: @abundantaffirmations Website: JenHatzung.com Thank You to Our Sponsors TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year! Podcast Movement is the world's largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone. Thank you for joining me! Here we are kicking off the week of Valentine’s Day. We are celebrating one of my favorite things: LOVE! Remember this holiday is not only about romantic love. Although I do have a goal to be in partnership this year, this day is intended to bring our attention and awareness to all the relationships in which we share love; that could be family members, friends, colleagues, team members, you name it. Be sure to spread the love this week as a kickoff to showing appreciation and gratitude for those you love throughout the year. I had a few experiences recently in which I felt loved in this community and in the work that I do. In one day I received emails from three different women in this community and let me tell you, I felt tightness in my chest and had watery eyes with each one. I got permission to share their emails on the podcast because I thought what they shared might be helpful to you as well. How I've received love from this community The first one was from Karen. “Hi Jodi! I have been on fire since completing the tolerations detox. Still much to be done, but I am blasting through barriers!  My New Year’s resolution is 4 words... be good to yourself. :) Thanks for all you do! Please feel free to use me as a reference or testimonial! Have a great weekend!” That was pretty sweet and then this email from Kathy came within the hour: “Guess what?! I finally put on my big girl pants and decided to face my financial distraction. Knowing my credit is in bad shape, I neglect viewing my credit report. I finally did it! And while yes my credit score is bad, it's a pretty small amount of money to clean it up! I felt both ashamed and encouraged when I realized that and made a plan to tackle it! Yeah!” In my response I did address with Kathy the shame piece. With so much progress why feel ashamed? I suggested she focus on the feeling of relief that her credit score could be easily restored and she agreed that felt much better. Lastly I received this email from Ashley and I want to use this to springboard the topic for today: “I feel really different lately. Not quite what I would call enlightened, but I've definitely turned a corner. I feel GRACEFUL! :D I don't put my foot in my mouth - as much. ;) I have patience; I’m grateful, calm when needed, though I’m still so full of energy! I take time to really focus on people when they speak to me. I find myself making sure I’ve worded the email correctly before i just hit send, all willy-nilly. I feel like I can see how my love and light are touching the hearts of the people I interact with. I’m having deep conversations with strangers - well, rather than, ‘this weather sucks’, it’s more like, ‘I love how we get time to slow down when it snows!’ I remember back when I started on this path, 18ish months ago. I wrote something in an email to you about how I wanted to be like you. And you responded that I already was. I couldn’t see then what you meant, but now I do. Greatness is in all of us! We've just been told that we weren't good at x, or we failed at z, and are subconsciously afraid to try it again. I'm not sure what exactly I'm trying to say here. I have this question... I might as well share it; maybe you're the person who can answer it?? What is the simplest way to get someone from not seeing how wonderful they are to realizing their true potential? Ha! That is such a big question. And I'd venture a guess that the answer is different for all of us. I've noticed that being present is pretty important. Maybe it's #1. You're tapped into this line of thought... What are your thoughts on the subject?” How do you get people to see their full potential? Oh Ashley, you just hit on the work that I do. This is exactly the journey I take my clients on; from not seeing themselves to recognizing and owning how amazing and talented they already are. From there, their relationships begin to change in a good way. And they begin leaning into and leveraging all they’ve been blessed with so they don’t have to work so hard to find their success. However, to Ashley’s question, she is asking how she can do this for others and I’m guessing you probably have some people in your life that you wish would just realize they are already amazing so they can stop holding themselves back. What can you do to help these people?   This was my response to Ashley’s email: “The answer I have to your question, "What is the simplest way to get someone from not seeing how wonderful they are to realizing their true potential?” is modeling and reflecting back. You can't make a person see themselves any way in which they are not ready to see. However, rather than getting frustrated with them or trying to manipulate them to change (which would be coming from a place of judging them unfavorably) you interact with their highest self in all situations. That's what you picked up on in our first interaction. I don't interact with the person who says she is confused, I interact with the being who is on a quest for answers. And that is what you are seeing in yourself now. ​I am you and you are me. If I am seeing lack in another it's because I see the lack in myself and cannot tolerate it. When I am able to celebrate myself for the being I am, however I am, I can celebrate others for the being they are, however they are. You are fabulous, even when you are cranky. ;)” You and I have heard this before but it bears hearing many times: we cannot make other people change; we can only control our own behavior. Furthermore, another person is less likely to change if they feel like we need them to change in order to find them more acceptable. Think back on your own experiences when you may have felt that you were judged and found lacking by another person. How motivated were you to change for them? Depending on who it was you may have made an attempt but probably couldn’t sustain it because it wasn’t motivated by an internal desire for growth. It’s hard enough to make changes to our behavior even when we want to change. Think of all the New Year’s resolutions you couldn’t sustain because it was too hard or you didn’t really, really, really, really want to make the change. Now consider how hard it is to change because someone else wants us to. The desire and the motivation are not strong enough. When's the last time someone made you feel wonderful? However, I do recall times when another person consistently treated me with admiration and respect. I could tell in every interaction they saw something in me I didn’t quite see yet but I wanted to. And with enough contact with these people I eventually did. You almost can’t help it. When someone treats you that way and sees you as perfect you find yourself living up to expectations. When you see what’s possible in yourself you start to explore that uncharted territory to become more familiar with it. Eventually it is so natural to you that you wonder that you didn’t see it before. If you want others to see themselves the way you see them (as wonderful) you must consistently reflect back to them through your words, body language, tone and behavior how wonderful they are. Don’t be put off if they try to deny it or test you on your stance. Some people want to know for sure if you are being genuine and they will act out to see if you stay consistent. They may not even be aware they are doing this. And some people, through their past experience, have a hard time trusting others. They may openly display their distrust of your motives and even say something to you about it. They’ve been burnt and have a hard time believing anyone would be nice to them without wanting something from them. I’ve had people become visibly upset and even openly hostile because I was being too nice to them. Don’t let them put you off. If you see something wonderful in another, it’s there. Keep gently reflecting it back to them. Just know they won’t change until they can see it for themselves and that they have to do on their own. Keep modeling for them a person who sees wonder within themselves and wonder within other people. You need to be the role model for others to see what’s possible. Others realize their full potential when you realize yours This situation will show up in all areas and levels of leadership: at work, at home, within friendships, volunteering and participation in other organizations you choose to join. I know many of you are in various stages of your own journey of personal development, higher consciousness, and spirituality – whatever you want to name it. If ever you want to share your experience or ask a question, reach out! I love talking about this stuff! And if you want to supercharge your journey I’m going to encourage you to join The Accomplished Intensive. The Accomplished Intensive is a program designed to help you see and own who you truly are at your core and then make the changes in your external environment so you are living in alignment with who you really are. When this happens you are suddenly moving quickly toward accomplishing everything you dreamed about. It sounds airy-fairy I know but I have witnessed this process time and again. I have seen my clients go from being worn out, overworked, sick of having their nights and weekends eaten up with work to having the systems and relationships in place that allow work to come to them and be completed with less effort. My clients experience less stress and have more free time for their health, hobbies, vacations, whatever they want to also be spending time on. If you are curious about The Accomplished Intensive go to womentakingthelead.com/intensive. This program is starting February 20 so if this sounds like what you’ve been looking for and you want to join me and other ambitious go-getting women who also want more joy and freedom in their life, register and let’s get started. Go to womentakingthelead.com/intensive As always I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Kristy Wallace is the CEO of Ellevate Network, and is responsible for executing Ellevate Network’s mission to close the gender achievement gap in business by providing professional women with a global community to lean on and learn from. Kristy strives to support women and girls in achieving their dreams. She is the host of the Ellevate Podcast: Conversations with Women Changing the Face of Business; an Angel Investor with Pipeline Angels, and organization creating capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs; a Member of the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change; an Advisor for the 92Y Women in Power Fellowship for Rising Female Leaders; on the Advisory Council for the Villanova University Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Institute; Co-Chair of the Leadership Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Greater NYC; and a Board Member at Workforce Professionals Training Institute. Tweet: @kristysisko is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/246 #inspiration Playing Small Moment After having her children, Kristy was unsure what she wanted to do with her career. She is the type of person who always puts in 110% to whatever she is doing, and she didn’t know if she could balance work and home. Kristy applied for jobs she wasn’t really excited about, thinking it would help, but she just ended up undervaluing herself. Style of Leadership Kristy is honest with herself about her strengths and weaknesses. It is also really important for her as a leader to get to know her team, how they communicate and how they learn. It’s not one size fits all when it comes to being a leader. What Are You Excited About? Ellevate Network focuses on supporting women in business and how to give them more resources to get ahead or help them through professional or residential transitions. They have been making more progress they are really excited about it. Current Business Challenge With a growing team, Kristy knows they need more structure and details to act upon but she struggles with how to break down her vision into those micro details. Leadership Practice Kristy ensures she is very approachable. She also believes that being open to feedback and being connected to your team helps the whole company thrive. Advice For Younger Self Don’t overthink it. Inspirational Quote “Love what you do.” Links Twitter: @kristysisko + @ellevatentwk Instagram: @ellevate_ntwk and @kristyawallace Ellevate Network on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllevateNetwork/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristysiskowallace/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

We are just about to close out January. Can you believe we are already checking off one month in 2018? I hope you are feeling momentum and a sense of “I got this” now that we are a few weeks in. If you don’t I want you to know you are not alone! There is a virtual workshop I am doing next week on how to get hours back in your week and in retrospect I am seeing that I will be doing this workshop prior to starting the Tolerations Detox Challenge the next time I run it. The reason for this is the biggest obstacle those who did the challenge faced was not having enough time to keep up the pace and complete the challenge. What has been heartening is I am still getting messages from women letting me know they fell off but they are carving out time in the next couple of weeks to complete it. They are reporting that they’ve seen the benefits of identifying and removing tolerations from their life, even though they may have only addressed two or three thus far. Those benefits include a sense of relief, feeling in control, having more mental and physical energy and feeling like they can tackle more. Also, I’ve been getting feedback on The Accomplished Intensive. The common theme is, “it sounds great but an 8 week commitment feels too overwhelming right now.” I get it so I’m going to break the intensive into two separate shorter programs and you’ll be hearing more on that soon! As for the workshop next week, this idea came to me as I was getting all this feedback. For those of you struggling with managing your time, whether you’re currently still working through the Tolerations Detox Challenge, thinking about doing The Accomplished Intensive, or you just are overwhelmed with what you’ve already got going on in your life, this workshop may be the thing that draws the line in sand for you regarding overwhelm. I’m going to cover 7 different strategies that will help you get control of your time, your calendar and your peace of mind so you are accomplishing everything you want to be accomplishing with more ease and a sense that there is plenty of time. To find out more about this workshop and to sign up go to womentakingthelead.com/time. If this workshop interests you but you can’t make the call live, don’t worry about it, still register. I will be recording the call and sending the link to the video and worksheets to anyone who registers. Since this episode represents month end I thought I would give you and update on the progress I’ve made with my goals at the very end of this episode. Since many of you expressed how helpful it was for me to use myself as an example for creating goals, I’m going to give monthly updates that will be in the 100% Jodi episode at the end of each month. Let's define transparency, authenticity and vulnerability In this episode I am going to cover transparency, authenticity and vulnerability. These have become buzzwords in the current vernacular. We have a strong desire to connect with something real. Turns out reality TV is actually staged and the current requirement for political correctness has caused an avoidance of truth. With all the media channels, social or otherwise, that we are now on to engage with our friends and find out what’s going on out in the world we have also exposed ourselves to an enormous amount of over-done marketing. It can be exhausting. On the flip side is the experience when someone without drama or manipulation tells the truth. They open up their minds, their hearts and share their experiences in the hopes they can connect with others and be helpful to them. Just thinking about the experiences I’ve had when another person was willing to be real with me, it makes me feel joy. I sigh with relief because we can let go of the pretenses and have a real conversation about things that mean something to us. You can see why the pendulum is swinging and we are craving more of these experiences. Now many people are jumping on the movement to be more real but this is also causing the waters to muddy because people are using the terms transparency, authenticity and vulnerability incorrectly and it’s creating some confusion. Given that I have taken on Vulnerability as my theme for 2018 I am especially interested in clarifying these terms because it will keep my intention top of mind. To start let me give you some simple definitions. Transparency is how much you share. Transparency has more to do with the quantity of information you share rather than the relevance or quality of information you share. People or organizations that have a core-value of transparency will likely let you see a good deal of their records but you may have no interest in that information. Authenticity is the truth of your words and actions. Authenticity has more to do with the quality of the information you share rather than the quantity and it is backed up in everything you do. People who have a core-value of authenticity will not quibble or try to couch their responses to your questions. They will give you their honest perspective and their gut-reactions. You may not like what you hear them say but that’s your issue, not theirs. Vulnerability is the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. The added layer that is required to being vulnerable is risk. You have to be willing to risk rejection or attack. This is why Brene Brown, who is a social researcher on shame and human connection, rarely talks about vulnerability without discussing bravery. To truly connect with others we must be brave and take the risk of getting vulnerable. How do these transparency, authenticity and vulnerability play together? You can be transparent without being authentic or vulnerable. You can be authentic without being transparent or vulnerable. But you cannot be vulnerable without being transparent and authentic. To be vulnerable you must share more than you are comfortable with and be completely honest in the sharing. In The Accomplished Community, which is my membership community, we have two Zoom calls a month when anyone and everyone can jump on to ask questions, get feedback from the group or get coaching. In one of our December calls someone asked about how to build confidence. There were a lot of great tips shared by the whole group. After it was done I invited everyone, rather than focusing on building confidence, to take on being more vulnerable. Because when you are willing to be vulnerable you don’t need confidence and those you are speaking with are more likely to connect with you as a human, as a professional and as an expert. I did a presentation for a local women’s network about a year ago and one of my clients came and sat in the front row. After the presentation she came up to me all excited and said, “I couldn’t believe it. When you started talking you did great and then I saw your hands were shaking and I realized you were nervous!” I responded, “Yes, I was nervous! There are a lot of powerful women in this room.” She went on, “Before today I would have never imagined you getting nervous about anything. And while I watched you be nervous and still do a great presentation I realized I can do it to. Before today if something made me nervous I would avoid it. Now I know I can be nervous and do it anyway.” Spoiler alert: before I speak and probably for a good minute or two at the beginning I get nervous. Some of it’s just excitement but nonetheless my mouth will get dry, my voice my tremble and my hands may shake. I don’t let that stop me. Because I’m clear that I can help people by doing public speaking I take the risk of looking foolish and I speak, openly and honestly. That’s vulnerability. Where you can find more opportunities to practice vulnerability Just like The Accomplished Community I want to encourage you to find more opportunities to seek to be vulnerable rather than confident. For those of you who need to tell your story as a part of your business or your career you’re going to need to get vulnerable if you want to create a human connection. I’m not just talking about facts and figures. That’s transparency. You need to be transparent and authentic to the point that you expose yourself to being judged and rejected. That’s vulnerability. If you are looking to transform a relationship in any area of your life, that’s going to take vulnerability. If you want to have influence, start a movement or gain buy-in... You guessed it, vulnerability. To quote Brene Brown in her book, Daring Greatly… “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”  ~ Brené Brown If you never fell like you have enough time... Vulnerability is on the agenda this year for me and so is my helping you to feel more freedom in your time. For those of you struggling with managing your time my workshop may be the thing that does the trick for you in letting go of overwhelm. In this online workshop I’m going to cover 7 different strategies that will help you get control of your time, your calendar and your peace of mind so you are accomplishing everything you want to be accomplishing with more ease and a sense that there is plenty of time. If this workshop interests you but you can’t make the call live, don’t worry about it, still register. I will be recording the call and sending the link to the video and worksheets to anyone who registers. I promised to give you an update on my goals 1. Build more strength and endurance. Goal: Do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in one session by June 30. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up. Originally I guessed my baseline was 50 burpees in a session but turns out my baseline was 100 and the next week I did 120 burpees and then last week I did 140 burpees. At this rate I will hit 300 burpees well before June 30. And during one of my burpee sessions I got the inspiration to turn the achievement of 300 burpees into an event. Maybe find a place to accomplish this goal, invite others to burpee with me (they don't have to do 300 burpees) but it could be a fundraiser for a local charity and maybe do a Facebook live. I'm still playing with the idea. So it was great that I was more fit than I had guessed but I was feeling like I was going to have to really raise the bar on the area of strength and endurance and then I remembered, Oh yeah I also have to do a pull-up. I don't think I'm going to accomplish this goal so easily so it will probably keep me busy for a while. I already have a pull-up bar. My next step is to buy a set of pull up bands. I'll start with the largest band for support and graduate to a smaller band when I can do 3 sets of 5 pull-ups in one session. That sounds right but if you’re a personal trainer and you have a better idea for me let me know. I am totally open to feedback on this goal. And if I can't do a pull-up by September I'm going to hire a personal trainer to help me with this goal. 2. Be in a relationship. Goal: be in a committed, monogamous, romantic partnership with a man. *I am taking on embodying being more open to partnership and having fun (look the part). I tend to be very focused when I'm out and about and I have gotten feedback from friends and family that I give off signals like I'm already in a relationship or I'm too busy or disinterested in chatting with strangers. Sigh. I'm going to have to change that. *I have begun telling my family and friends about my goal and ask that they introduce me to single men that they admire and who they think I would get along with, preferably a man with some goals in life who is interested in self-improvement. *I have also started to research online dating apps and been asking around as to which one would be the best for me. If you've successfully done online dating and you have any tips for me please reach out - jodi@womentakingthelead.com. My intention is to do the organic thing to start and then create an account in online dating app by end of February. 3. Increase profitability in my business. Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum. I have created a spreadsheet that outlines how many books, assessments, strategy sessions, group programs, private coaching packages, etc. that I need to sell in order to hit my goal. Now I’m focusing on the marketing and the promotion of those things. As for my Profit and Loss report I’m going to have to give you the January update in the episode I do at the end of February but I’m in the black at this point by about $1000 and I am pre-recording this obviously so the final numbers are not in. However, if I’m going to have a net profit of $80,000 I’m going to have to do a lot better than this. The last two goals, 4. Do a Women Taking the Lead branded full-day event in the summer or fall and 5. Outsourcing are contingent upon my profitability goal so no real action taken in these areas as of yet but I’ve started documenting some actions steps I can take when I’m ready to take action. Okay, that’s it for now. Please feel free to reach out to me regarding anything you heard in this podcast or if you are looking for some support with vulnerability or your goals for 2018 you can reach me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com. As always I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. MissionU is an education for the 21st century. It’s a one-year, full-time program that gives you the skills and experience needed to launch a successful career with no upfront tuition costs or high-risk loans. To learn more about MissionU and to earn $500 upon completion of the full year program, go to MissionU.com/lead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

First, let's talk about money. Ugh! I have for you another on-air coaching call all around how to still pursue a long-term goal even if you know you have to wait before everything will fall into place. There’s always something we can do and that makes us feel good, more empowered in our own destiny and our day-to-day. Before we dive into that I wanted to tell you about a special call that is happening for this community. Let me give you some background on this call. Starting on January 1 and running until January 10 I lead a challenge to help everyone increase their energy, focus and wellbeing as they were beginning the New Year.  Well, something happened during The Tolerations Detox Challenge that was surprising and yet not surprising at all. During the challenge we covered what we were tolerating in various areas of life in the following order: health and wellness, home and transportation, work and technology, finances and lastly relationships. Some people reached out for help for the first few challenges but when we got to finances, the comments in the Facebook group went up as well as the number of SOS emails hitting my inbox.  After getting so much feedback on how intimidating/annoying and scary it was to look at and take action around finances I knew this was not limited to the participants of the challenge, this is a universal fear. So I've called in the big guns for help! Jen Hemphill of Her Money Matters was my roommate at Podcast Movement in 2016 and we hit it off! I love her energy, insight and genuine compassion for women who struggle with their personal finances. She and I have been on each other's podcasts and her episode on Women Taking the Lead is the most downloaded episode to date!  She is about to be a published author on the subject so she's got the subject of money down. And when I asked Jen for her help she was an immediate, "Yes!" I love that about her. :) To get an overview of the areas she is going to cover and to reserve your seat (only 50 people will be able to be on the call live): MONEY FREEDOM Even if you cannot make it register, even if you are hearing this after the call happened and you want to hear it, register. I will be recording our call and sending the replay to everyone who has registered. How are you managing the pursuit of your big dream? Christina Mathis is a classically trained pianist with a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance from Judson College in Marion, Alabama. Christina has extensive experience as a church musician, collaborative pianist, and music educator.  She has been teaching private piano lessons for more than 25 years and in private schools throughout Alabama for 13 years as a classroom music teacher and choral director. Christina currently teaches private lessons at her home studio and is pursuing a Masters in Music Education from Liberty University Online and national certification from the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). Christina lives in Decatur, Alabama, where she is pianist at First Baptist Church Decatur, choral pianist and piano teacher at Austin High School, and staff accompanist at University of North Alabama in Florence. Christina has been in the process of "cleaning up" her career. She has does some work over the past year to focus on the work she loves to do, teaching piano. However, there is still more work to do but given everything she has going on, and her big dream cannot be accomplished right now, she's feeling unsettled with life. Christina and I discussed: Having a very full schedule The conflict that arises when you are an employee and a business owner Not waiting to pursue the big dream Having an ideal client that does not have a lot of expendable money yet not compromising your value Networking and building your list before you are ready to launch Links Email: christina.genae@gmail.com Facebook: @christinamathismusic Instagram: @christinamathismusic Thank You to Our Sponsors ButcherBox delivers healthy 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork directly to your door. For FREE Bacon and $20 off your first box, go to ButcherBox.com/lead and enter lead as the promotional code at checkout. Podcast Movement is the world's largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Hello and thank you for joining me! The Tolerations Detox Challenge wrapped up this past week and it was so much fun! To say I’m delighted with how everything went was an understatement. I got emails and messages from women who wanted to share their wins and what they were getting done and I heard from women who were struggling and I loved both types of messages. If you were doing the challenge and were struggling and never reached out to me, reach out to me now. I can only support you if I know you need support. High-fives to everyone who participated, however you participated. Goals, Goals, Goals, Goals I’m going to continue this week to talk about goals because this last piece of goal-setting is actually crucial if you want to hit your goal but if you have been having a hard time choosing your goal and writing out the plan, don’t feel bad. Goal-setting is one of those things that can trigger us because 1) it takes some work to craft the goal in a way that will stretch you but not be impossible to achieve, 2) you are opening yourself up to a potential failure and 3) by choosing a goal, writing it down and declaring it you have made a commitment to see it through and for some of you that may feel constraining. Having done several episodes on goal-setting and each one completed the day before it was going live, which is unlike me and something I do not like to do, I started to wonder as I was writing this if there isn’t a part of me that resists the goal-setting process as well. However, what I know is that when I do this entire process I always hit my goal. Always. Without fail. I’m not kidding. It’s crazy, but you’re going to have to take my word for it. Knowing this was a sticky area for some of you I put something together that will provide you some structure and guidance for working on your goals. If you have found yourself struggling or avoiding this process this is especially for you. You’re either going to love me or hate me for this but I created a worksheet that will take you through each of the steps covered in all four 100% Jodi episodes on goal setting. Access it here: Creating Goals Worthy of You.  Even if you’ve been following along and doing your goals you may want to grab this for a mid-year reset or for later this year when you start creating your goals for 2019. Who You Need to BE to Achieve Your Goals This last area of goal-setting is actually the most important part of goal setting: who do you need to BE in order to achieve your goals. At the end of this episode I’m going to go over a transformational process that is like jet fuel in becoming who you need to be in order to achieve your goals but I want to go over the methodical step-by-step process first because the other process is not for everyone at this time. It’s great to have goals, to have a plan and to be taking some action - these are the fundamentals. But if you are not embodying the qualities that are required to achieve your goal it won’t matter how clear your goal is, how great your plan is or how much action you are taking. This is where I see a lot of us Type A action-takers start to spin in place, essentially go into overdrive without making much progress. If you’re not getting results you may start to think you need to work harder and take more action. However, it is your state of mind, your attitude, and your presence that will see you to your goal. Just like the last episode I’ll use myself as an example to clarify what I’m talking about. I’ll go over my focus areas and the goal that was worthy of me that I chose to indicate what success would look like for me in this area, and then I’ll list the qualities that I will need to develop and exude to achieve the goal. 1. Build more strength and endurance. Goal: do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees (chest to the ground) in one session. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up. My strength and endurance slipped because I wasn't focused on it. So one of the qualities I need to develop is focus. There are a variety of workouts I need to do for this goal so I’ll also need discipline to do the workouts and stay the course even when I don’t want to. Another quality that will be important for me with this an all my goals is playfulness. I need to be having fun or I will quickly loose interest and then motivation. So my workouts will either need to be social or I need to make them some sort of a game. This is a quality I have developed over the years so this will not be a problem. Another quality that is required for all goals is the quality of being committed. This goes for you too. If you are not committed to achieving a goal that is worthy of you then it’s not really a goal. It’s a “nice to have” and you will likely not achieve it. So when you create your own list of qualities you will need to exude to achieve your goal make sure “committed” is on your list. 2. Be in a relationship. Goal: be in a committed, monogamous, romantic partnership with a man. I didn't achieve my goal to date last year because I wasn't focused on it. This is not a goal that is hard to achieve so I literally was not paying attention to it or taking it seriously. Obviously, that means commitment and focus are required. The other qualities that will help me to achieve my goal is that playfulness piece again; being light about it and not taking it too seriously, and intending it to be fun. Another quality is aware; I need to be more aware of my surroundings, who is around and also be making eye contact with people. Bringing lightness and smiling more wouldn’t hurt anything either. Lastly, open. Open-minded, open to possibilities, open to it not looking exactly how I may be picturing how dating and being in a relationship is going to happen. 3. Increase profitability in my business. Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum. I had marginal profits in my business last year due somewhat to a lack of focus. Though I was very active sometimes it was just being busy doing things that were not moving my business forward. What really hurt my profitability was I didn't get vulnerable. I didn't ask for help in terms of getting feedback on my business. I asked for a few testimonials but not many, and I didn’t let certain people know how much I wanted to work with them. I didn't get vulnerable and that hurt my business. 4. Do a Women Taking the Lead branded full-day event. Goal: Do a WTL branded full-day event in the summer or fall. I've wanted to do a full-day live event for a few years but have not done it because it has felt too overwhelming and the initial investment is a little scary. What I've lacked is clarity on the cost and the scope of the work it will involve. The quality that will help me to be clear is inquisitiveness. And to pull the trigger or not on this event I’m going to have to be decisive. If I am well on my way to achieving my profitability goal in the next few months this will be a go and there will be a lot of decisions to make. I’m also going to need a lot of help so I’m also going to need the quality of being to open to asking for help. 5. Outsourcing Goal: (contingent upon profitability goal) outsource social media content creation and email inbox management. For this I will need to be organized. I need to be clear on what I’m going to outsource and have any checklists, procedures and training materials ready to go before I hire anyone. Since this goal is also contingent upon profitability it will require me to embody all the qualities I listed for that goal. The worksheets I mentioned at the beginning of this episode will help you not only identify these qualities but also start formulating a plan for how you are going to develop these qualities. You can find the worksheets here. Qualities Needed to Achieve Your Goals Pulling this all together and looking over my list of qualities that I need to develop and BE to achieve my goals, I’m going to condense playful, light, and fun-loving to just fun-loving. That word in my world involves being playful and light and I don’t want to overthink or overdo this list. The qualities I’ll be developing and exuding this year are committed, focused, fun-loving, aware, open, vulnerable, inquisitive and organized. My next step with be identifying ways to amplify these qualities. For, example, in terms of being committed, having all of this information in a podcast episode for anyone in the world to hear and be able to call me on, that certainly helps with commitment. I’ve also created a recurring task on my calendar on Fridays to review the progress of my goals and I have identified accountability partners for each of my goals. For each quality I’m going to go through a similar process to identify how to embody that quality. A Transformational Process to Remember Who You Are I told you at the beginning of this episode I was going to also cover a transformational process that is like jet fuel in becoming who you need to be to achieve your goals. Anything you truly desire you can achieve. Because that desire came from you, was fashioned by you, you can achieve because you are created to be able to achieve anything you desire in truth. What I mean by “desire in truth“ is that the desire for something comes from who you really are. Not because others want it for you, not because society says you should want it, not because it’s part of the plan other people have for you. What you desire in truth comes from who you really are and therefore you are capable of achieving it. What I am saying is that if you have not been able to achieve a goal that you truly desire it’s because you have forgotten who you really are and what you are capable of. If you’ve spent any time following me or Women Taking the Lead you know my core mission is to help you overcome self-doubt so you can lead with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Any self-doubt or hesitation you experience is caused by you not knowing who you really are and what you are capable of. When that changes internally, you automatically and with very little effort, start to make changes externally. You start leading yourself in your own life with confidence, integrity and humor. The Accomplished Intensive To help you with this I have taken my coaching system, that is in my book and that I take my private clients through, and created a group program called The Accomplished Intensive. In this program you will find the belief in yourself to go after what you really want. For some of you, this will be when you finally give yourself permission to go after what you want. The Accomplished Intensive is an 8-week transformational program that will take you from a place of feeling self-doubt, confused, lost or lacking clarity to being clear, decisive and in action toward your big worthy goals. This program will completely change how you see yourself and what you think they are capable of. Because this is a pilot program, because it’s the first time I’m taking a group through my system, I have greatly reduced the price. And, if you sign up with another person (a friend, colleague or team member) it’s even less per person. This is a smoking hot deal and we won’t see this price again. If any of this interests you or is resonating with you, find out more about The Accomplished Intensive.  I am CONFIDENT that if you do this program and fully commit to the process you’ll remember 2018 as being the year when everything changed and success and fulfillment got a whole lot easier. Check out the page at womentakingthelead.com/intensive and if you have any questions you can reach me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or fill out the contact form on the page. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Happy New Year!! I hope it is going great for you thus far. There has been so much energy and excitement around 2018 and what’s possible I can’t help but feel this is going to be a great year. And it’s all within our power, right? I’ve also been feeling the momentum as I am running the Tolerations Detox Challenge. Ultimately, 112 people have registered and as of the day this episode is released we are on Day 8 of 10. And as I expected people are reporting feeling more empowered, more energy, momentum and enthusiasm for their goals, the coming year and life in general. Most of the activity has been playing out in the private Facebook group so if you a woman (sorry guys) and you have not joined us yet go to https://womentakingthelead.com/group to join the conversation and get support from other go-getting women just like you. Okay, in the last 100% Jodi episode that came out a couple weeks ago I shared a process to create goals that are worthy of you. Near the end of that episode I touched upon creating the milestones and metrics of each goal but having listened back on that episode I realized I didn’t give those topics their due. Since I am in the process of creating the milestones and metrics for the focus areas I’ve chosen it made perfect sense to continue this series on goal setting and in the next 100% Jodi episode I have the final piece that will bring all this together. Choose a Goal that Represents Success for You So for this to all make sense I’ll share with you what I’ve been doing with my focus areas. Since focus areas are not always specific you need to choose a goal that represents success in the focus areas you have chosen. I’ll cover the focus areas I chose in the original episode on creating goals that are worthy of you and then I’ll share what I chose as a specific goal and we can use these to get into metrics and milestones. Here are my focus areas and the goal I chose to indicate what success would look like for me in this area. 1. Build more strength and endurance. Goal: do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees (belly and chest to the ground) in one session. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up. 2. Be in a relationship. Goal: be in a committed (monogamous) romantic partnership with a man. 3. Increase profitability in my business. Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum. 4. Do WTL branded local paid workshops Goal: this morphed into doing a full-day event. 5. Outsource Goal: (contingent upon profitability goal) outsource social media content creation and email inbox management. Metrics to Gauge Progress Metrics are measurements like dials on the dashboard. They are indicators of how you’re doing, tracking your progress toward goals. An example of a metric would be how many burbees I can do in one workout session. They would let me gauge where I am on a given day or week and allow me to track my progress. My clothing size is technically a metric, however, since my focus area is to increase strength and endurance going down a clothing size is nice yet irrelevant. When determining the metrics for your goal you want to make sure they are relevant to the focus area and the goal you chose. Something that lets you know you’re making progress. Now, for my goal to do an unassisted pull-up as a sign of success in building strength, dropping a few pounds may be a part of my strategy to achieve that goal. Essentially, my thinking is if I am a little lighter it will be easier to do an unassisted pull-up. Some of you might be thinking that’s counter-intuitive because if I’m dropping weight I would be pulling less weight, thus undermining the amount of strength I can build. However, during the progression of a pull-up, from hanging from the bar to pulling your chin over the top of the bar, you transition through different muscles in your back, arms and shoulders. Being able to do the full progression of the pull-up is what I’m looking for and being a little lighter will make that easier. Now, making a progress is awesome but as you know we can stretch progress on endlessly and take forever to finally hit our goals. This is why milestones are so helpful. Milestones to Motivate Progress Milestones make a plan to achieve a goal specific and concrete. They are the mini-goals you are looking to hit on your way to achieving the bigger goal. Milestones can be dates, deadlines, tasks, and budgets. Metrics will allow you to track progress all you want but if you don't have something specific you are looking to achieve and a date by which you want to achieve it, you can find yourself feeling like you’re not getting much traction toward your goal. For my goal of doing 300 burbees in one workout session I’m going to start by seeing where I am now. I want to know how many burbees I can do before I just can’t do another burpee with good form. I haven’t done this yet but say I can do 50 burpees maintaining good form before I start to feel my back bowing as I come up from the ground while doing the push up. That means I have a gap of 250 burpees to hit my goal. I also need to know by when I want to achieve this goal. If my goal is to do this by December 31 my milestones are going to be different than if my intention is to achieve this goal by June 30. There’s no time like the present so I’m going to shoot for June 30. Based on the date I am releasing this episode and my guess that I can do 50 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form as of today that gives me a little less than 6 months to increase that number by 250. January 31 – 100 February 28 – 150 March 31 – 200 April 30 – 250 May 31 – 300 Yes, you see that correctly. I am shooting to achieve my goal ahead of schedule to give myself some wiggle room in the last month for the unexpected. Always put some cushion in your plans for the unexpected. This is where we high-achievers can get ourselves into trouble. We don’t account for the unexpected and they feel like complete failures if we didn’t achieve our goal according to the original plan. Remember to be a little bit flexible so you can pivot and tweak your plan if you need to. This is your goal and you get to decide how and when achieve it. Other things to consider when making your plan: What other activities do you need to consider that will support your goal (i.e. core strength)? What other resources or support do you need to achieve your goal (education, coaching, personal trainer, etc.)? When will you review your metrics and milestones (I will do a burpee workout 1x per week)? When are you going to execute your plan (time-block your calendar!)? If you don’t have metrics and milestones for your goals yet, no worries! Put some time on your calendar in the next week or two to get it done. This can be an eye-opening experience in that you may realize your goal was a bit unrealistic or you may realize it’s more easily achieved than you first thought. I’ll be continuing to build out the plan to achieve my goals and would love to hear where you are in creating your goals and forming the plan. Let me know if there is anything I can do to support you. You can reach me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or join the Facebook group and get some support there. Go to https://womentakingthelead.com/group to join us there and be a part of fun and supportive group of women just like you. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

Brian Ligotti is a health coach and the owner of Dirigo Fitness in Falmouth, Maine. Having overcome years of struggling with his weight, being uncomfortable in his own skin, he obtained his degree in Exercise Physiology because he wanted to make sure no one ever felt the same despair he had felt. Brian spent most of his life addicted to one thing or another; food, then drugs, then food again. Fitness allowed him to find the piece of himself that could face anything and push through discomfort. It showed him that there is nothing more important than your health and that the people around you benefit when you are taking care of yourself. A voracious learner, Brian applies the knowledge he has gained with the philosophy that helped him turn his health around: "The only way to create lasting change is to stay focused, have a clear reason for what you are doing, and be consistent with small changes." Click to tweet: Brian Ligotti is sharing his story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/245 #inspiration A Woman Who Impacted You Brian’s mom has always been a huge influence in his life. She raised three kids on her own, which was not an easy task. Considering her children often spent their free time fighting, they all turned out to be decent adults. Another inspiration to Brian was Silvia Anthony. She grew up near his grandfather. In the 60’s after her divorce, she started homeless shelters for women with no formal training,  because she wanted to help. Mother Theresa has also impacted Brian for the same reason. Through helping one person at a time, Mother Theresa became one of the most powerful women of the 21st century. What Hold’s Women Back from Stepping Up as Leaders? The most common thing that Brian encounters is that women typically place everyone else before themselves, especially when it comes to fitness and self care. Women tend to think that they have to be able to do it all, all the time. If you are running yourself ragged, because you feel like you have to, that hurts everyone around you. Another thing Brian tends to see is not choosing to be happy in the moment. He believes you have to make the decision to have a good time, despite the bad things happening. The Benefit of Mentoring Women Brian has learned the power of being present with someone through working with women. He finds that a lot of people, when they are speaking, are just waiting for their turn to talk, but women respond better to presence. The power of just “being” in the moment and listening with your full attention is very important. Brian grew up around women, and one of his early survival skills was tuning things out. His mom and sisters would call him out when he wasn’t listening, so this is a practice he has been learning from early on. The Necessary Changes Brian feels that women need to embrace who they are at the core of their being. He has seen that women can sometimes need reassurance when they get in their own head. Current Projects Brian is excited to be offering health and fitness coaching online and over Skype. Skype allows him to see a person’s face and their body language, which is important as he feels communication can get lost in text, email or phone. Final Inspiration “I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think” ~Rumi Links www.dirigofitness.com brian@dirigofitness.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

In the last 100% Jodi episode I shared the first step to creating your goals for 2018: reflecting back on all you’ve accomplished this past year. In this episode I’m going to go over the whole process I use for setting worthy goals so if you’re celebrating Christmas today you may want to save this episode and come back to it in a day or two. My background is in psychology and I’m one of those people who, after spending 6 years working on my undergraduate and graduate degree, realized I didn’t like where my studies were taking me and so opted for something else. I was really discouraged and disappointed with where my life had gone and when I took an entry level corporate position I decided I was not going to stay there for long. However, I thrived in that position and in the next 6 years I was promoted 5 times and it had everything to do with my mindset and my practice of setting goals. I use this combination of mindset and action goals to help my clients achieve the results that they have been craving without having to work themselves into the ground. The tools and exercises I use with my clients help them to identify their own mindset and start zeroing in on the actions that are going to lead them to their ultimate goal. Although we’re not getting into mindset here, there are plenty of episodes I’ve released that definitely help you with mindset, for this episode I’m diving into the exercise I’ve been using for the past several years for myself and on occasion with my clients to create goals. This is not something to rush through so be sure you can dedicate a decent amount of time to give each question some thought. A Process for  Setting Worthy Goals Pull out a blank piece of paper or on your electronic device write down and answer the following questions based on the prior year: 1. What were my successes and opportunities (personal and professional)? If you listened to the last 100% Jodi episode, Before You Choose Your Goals, Do This, you may already have done this. Do not do this quickly. Really dig deep and look at every area of your life: health, finances, relationships, career, spirituality, personal development, etc. Ask others to help you with this one if you don’t have a good list going. We often dismiss our successes thinking they are no big deal. They are a big deal and they should be acknowledged. 2. What are the lessons I learned? This may be easier to come up with if you are someone who tends to focus on or beat yourself up over mistakes. Think of the things that happened that prompted you to think, “I won’t be doing that again.” 3. What surprised me? It's the unexpected that helps us to make our blind spots a little smaller. What results, outcomes, opportunities, or consequences did you not expect - good, bad or neutral? 4. Based on my Values and who I REALLY am, what do I want? Don’t hold back, be honest about what you want to happen in the coming year. Don’t worry about how it’s going to happen. You’ll use this section later to calibrate your answers to make sure your goals are worthy of you. These can't be things that incrementally build on the goals you've accomplished (or did not accomplish) last year. These goals must reflect your values and focus on creating, rather than changing, a situation or relationship in your life. For instance, the goal would not be to lose 10 pounds. A goal that is worthy of you is to wake in the morning feeling refreshed and energized, comfortable in your own skin. Part of attaining that goal may include changing your nutrition or getting more activity in your day but 10 pounds is arbitrary and does not guarantee you'll feel energized. To feel refreshed and energized in the morning will call on more than diet and exercise and will have a greater ripple effect than the scale moving or your clothing size changing. Find What Intrigues and Interests you 5. What from the list of answers above informs me how I can recreate any area of my personal or professional life? (Circle or highlight the one’s that stand out) Of the items you circled or highlighted pick four or five. These are your focus areas in 2018. Define your overarching goal and set milestones From here you will create a plan and milestones (or smaller goals) that will help you to achieve your overarching goals. You will also use these focus areas to weigh whether or not to let some things go or take advantage of a new opportunity. 6. Create your goals or metrics based on your focus areas. For example, you’re focus area may be to increase your income or profitability margin. You’ll want to define what that means. It may be to make to make $5,000 more than last year. A metric may be to ask for a raise, start a side-business or improve your retention rate. Another example, your focus area may be to run a Spartan race successfully. You’ll first want to define what “successfully” means to you. Based on that definition you’ll create metrics and milestones to help you get there. It may be how fast you can run 5 miles, being able to do pull-ups, etc. With each goal create an action plan with milestones that will take you to your goal. Plug in celebrations and rewards for hitting the milestones and get an accountability partner. Having another person who will witness your challenges and successes will motivate you to stay on track. Make sure the goals you choose reflect your highest values and get you excited. The satisfaction you feel on achieving your goals is directly related to choosing the right goals for you, the ones that stretched you a bit, and how well you executed your plan. A goal that is worthy of you calls you to express the best parts of you and motivates you to keep going, even when staying on track is tough. And upon reaching a goal that is worth of you, you will feel pure joy. And if you want to set yourself up for a great new year by playing along with the Tolerations Detox Challenge register here womentakingthelead.com/tolerations. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

Marie is a veteran of the Portland and Maine media markets, in sales, business development and management positions. She also produced and distributed television programs that received industry acclaim. Most recently, Marie worked internationally for the Young Presidents’ Organization, the premier Chief Executive Leadership organization in the world - with over 20,000 members. As Director of Integration, she interfaced with business leaders around the world in a myriad of areas including, but not limited to, membership support, event and workshop planning, corporate communication, and creating the first, full-fledged new member integration program from the ground-up. In this on-air coaching episode Marie needed some clarity around using live video to engage her audience. It was something she resisted and was surprised to find…she loves it! However, she wants to make sure she is doing it purposefully it helps her to forward Daughters of Change and doesn’t become another thing to do. Although on the surface it appears like we are just talking about live video. However, as is common in the coaching I do, there is a lot more going on under the surface that is keeping Marie from releasing live videos to more than just her friends and family. Thank you again, Marie, for sharing what you are struggling with right now. And for those of you listening, if you’re experiencing doubts in your business or your career, reach out! This is what I do. I was email corresponding with Nicole Boucher yesterday, who was on the last On-Air Coaching episode and she reported that things have been wonderful over the past few weeks and to quote her, “I feel that I have such a sense of purpose and clarity. I need to blog about my word of the year ("Nourish") and your help in getting me to that place. Nicole, I cannot wait for you to post that blog. I’m going to blast it everywhere. Again, if you feel like you’re spinning your wheels because it’s not clear what direction you should take or how to go about making things happen, reach out to me. Email me at jodi @ womentakingthelead.com or message me through any platform. I’m always happy to hear from you! Marie and I discussed: Being in the “Sandwich generation” Reluctancy with being on camera Facebook Live The importance of being on camera Connecting and interacting with people live Links Web: http://www.daughtersofchange.com Email: msola@daughtersofchange.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/daughtersofchange Women Taking the Lead Interview: https://womentakingthelead.com/marie-sola/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zola Registry: Zola is an all-in-one wedding registry that will do anything for love. Register for the things that you need and want, as well as experiences, cash funds, and honeymoon funds – all in one place! Choose products from their beautifully curated assortment in the Zola store, and ask for contributions towards your honeymoon…or anything at all! To sign up and get a $50 credit towards your registry, click here. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

I hope that as you’re listening to this episode you are in a good place physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I hope you are enjoying the season and surrounded with love. This time of year there is greater emphasis on having gratitude for what we have and to be kind to those around us. I’m going to encourage you to especially be kind to yourself. I know you all are working so hard to hit your goals, to take care of your families and to honor your responsibilities. Just remember, you at your best can get all that done more quickly and easily than the version of you that is over-tired, feeling frazzled or unappreciated; or the you that is fighting off an illness. Those around you are happy when you’re happy so give them what they want. Are You Sick of Being Tired? I also have some exciting news for the New Year. Year after year I, and many of you, experience the post-holidays fatigue. I’ve gotten the low-down from many of you. You’re so wiped from all the activity that you limp into the New Year and don’t hit your groove until late January or even February. Let’s change that this year. Starting on January 1st I’m going to help you get re-energized within days. I’ve done this work with my clients and it is remarkable how quickly this can help you go from feeling tired and burdened to light, energized and ready for action! This is a Tolerations Detox. What happens is that over time in our busy lives we begin to tolerate things because we tell ourselves that we don’t have the time or energy to deal with them head on. So we ignore them, put up with them; we try to let go, move on, accept or make peace with these things but consciously or subconsciously they are still bothering us so we have to use some of our energy to try to keep them off our radar. And when I say we have to use some of energy I mean we have to use some of our energy for each little thing we are tolerating, and the bigger the toleration the more energy it takes. And for some of us we are tolerating so many things we are expending a great deal of energy to keep from getting bogged down by them, to keep up appearance of “everything’s fine” and to stay on top of the important things that need our attention. As our overall energy becomes depleted we start to feel busier and so we feel like we have even less time and less energy to deal with the things that bother us. These tolerations start to build like plaque and clog up our energy system. Want to Get Back Your Energy? To explain away our lack of energy and lack of ability to focus and engage, we say things like “It’s because I’m getting older” or “I’ve just been so busy” or “the weather is bringing me down” or, “I think I have adult ADD.” At the end of the day you’re probably baffled by how tired you are and wonder how other people get the energy to get in a workout, go out with friends, or work on a hobby or project after dinner. While you are sitting on the couch watching TV because it’s the time you can check out and unplug from the day. What I’m going to tell you, and I want you to sit with this, is you have as much energy as all those people. You could also be waking up in the morning jumping out of bed, rocking your day and spending your evenings doing whatever you like, whatever you find fulfilling. What I have for you that will help you get back your energy is a Tolerations Detox Challenge. This Challenge will kick off on January 1st and every other day for 10 days I’m going to guide you through identifying all the little and big things you are tolerating in your life, your home, your finances, your relationships, your work and even your car or mode of transportation; not all at once, we’re going to do this little by little and I’m going to share with you how to remove the tolerations in a way that feels good to you. I’m not going to ask you to do anything that you’re not ready to do. You’ll do this process at your pace. You’ll have a couple of days in between each challenge to remove a couple of tolerations (or more if you’re so motivated). Let me tell you, once you do a few you’re going to feel a difference and it’s going to feel great. If you are interested in playing along with this challenge go to womentakingthelead.com/tolerations to register. Let’s kick off the New Year with a bang and with an abundance of good energy. Go to womentakingthelead.com/tolerations to sign up for the Tolerations Detox Challenge. Pre-work to Goal Setting Last week I promised to take you through a goal-setting process I use for myself and my clients. Today, we’re going to take the first step. Years ago, my coach and I were talking about my goals for the coming year. Before I got into the list I had created she asked if I had captured all my accomplishments from the previous year. It gave me pause and at first I resisted the notion. All I could think was, "great, another task." It reminded me of preparing for my own performance reviews in the past and that thought brought me no pleasure. It felt like I had to prove I had been productive and valuable in the past year. That was a turn off. Then she explained the reason she was asking. She said, "Often times I find I've accomplished way more than I would have given myself credit for at first glance. It's so easy to forget the small victories you've had along the way when you're focused on all the obstacles that still need to be faced to achieve the big goal." She was right. When I started to create the list I started with the obvious. That year I had survived my second corporate acquisition with my sanity intact, for the most part. I became certified as a professional coach, started my business, took my first paying clients and performed a comedy skit in front of 150 people and received a standing ovation. Then I started remembering the less obvious accomplishments.  There was a relationship with one of my sisters that had previously been on life support was transformed that year, I developed amazing connections with fellow coaches and business owners, I changed my coaching niche...etc. Quiet Your Inner Critic It had the desired effect. I was awed at what an amazing year I had, amazed at who I became in the process and grateful for all that I had faced. Reflecting on and writing down your achievements is like a booster shot in the arm. Giving yourself the credit you deserve increases your confidence, quiets the critical voice in your head and energizes you to go after bigger goals. The first step to creating your goals for next year is to start with what you've achieved this past year. What worked for you? What went well? Even if it was unexpected, write it down! We are all capable of more than we give ourselves credit for. Celebrating and remembering all our victories great and small will get us that much closer to reaching our full potential. Do yourself a favor, take the time to sit still and reflect on the most important thing in your life: you. And if you want to set yourself up for a great new year by playing along with the Tolerations Detox Challenge go to womentakingthelead.com/tolerations to register.  Again, that’s womentakingthelead.com/tolerations. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

We are now in December and it is getting chilly here in Maine but I’m getting excited for Christmas. What’s been fun has been chatting with those of you in the Facebook group who are in the southern hemisphere. As I’m posting about the cooling temperatures you are getting ready for some hot days. I love that this podcast has allowed me to connect with so many amazing people all over the globe. I feel blessed and I’m looking forward to meeting more of you in the year to come. Speaking of the year to come I have an episode coming next week that will start you thinking about goals. Tis the season for goal setting but I’m not a believer in jumping right in and setting arbitrary goals. I have a process I am going to take you through over a couple of episodes that will make sure the goals you set will inspire you and be worthy of you. In the meantime, I want to talk to you about the assessment tool I use in my business because I don’t think I’ve given it its proper due up until this point. Be in the Know! I am licensed to administer the Energy Leadership Index Assessment. This is a one-of-a-kind attitudinal assessment that acts as a mirror to reveal your perceptions, attitudes, behaviors and overall leadership capabilities – as they currently are. Because attitude is subjective it can be altered and get you the results your looking for. But the first step is awareness and the Energy Leadership Assessment provides that. This assessment is administered online – so you can do it when it is convenient for you – and it takes about 20 minutes to complete. You’ll then have access to my calendar to schedule a 75-minute debrief of your results. You get a report that breaks out 7 levels of awareness and we are going to go through each one and identify what perceptions, attitudes and behaviors are holding you back and what ones are working for you that you can lean into. I have administered this assessment to over 100 people and the common reactions are amazement, relief that there are simple solutions to common problems and a feeling that the future holds a lot more opportunity than what was previously perceived. Although I commonly use the assessment as a beginning to a coaching package or a lead in to a strategy session it can be a stand-alone opportunity to identify some hidden areas of opportunity that you have overlooked. I can’t stress enough this assessment and debrief is powerful and well worth the money. If you are ready to do this next year differently, with better results and less stress, contact me at Jodi at Women Taking the Lead dot com. Changes to Ensure Better Content Next on the agenda that I wanted to let you know is there is going to be a frequency change to the podcast. I am now going to be releasing one episode per week. This is coming about for a couple of reasons. Taking on doing a 100% Jodi episode each week has been awesome and taxing. I don’t want the quality of these episodes to slip so I’m going to weave in some natural breaks. Also, I’ve been getting feedback from all of you about the episodes that are hitting home for you and providing the most value. Everyone agrees the interviews are good and there’s always a nugget of wisdom, if not more, to walk away with. You are loving the 100% Jodi episodes, thank you, and the On-Air Coaching episodes are blowing your mind. Awesome! Taking all that in and the new frequency of one episode per week, here’s what it’s going to look like. I will release one interview episode per month, one On-Air Coaching episode per month and the other weeks will be 100% Jodi episodes. I think this will give the right mix of content that you are looking for and that I can provide. Now, to do one On-Air Coaching episode per month I am going to need volunteers from the community. What I am asking is that those who volunteer either have read my book, taken the assessment or done private coaching with me. This will ensure that the content of the coaching episode stay focused on the intent of the podcast: to help you overcome self-doubt so you lead with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. If you meet this criteria reach out to me. I am scheduling virtual coffee chats with volunteers so we can meet, talk about what the experience will be like and answer any questions. Email me at Jodi at Women Taking the Lead dot com. Changes are good! Wow, there have been many changes made since launching Women Taking the Lead over 2 ½ years ago. I can’t think of a change that was initiated by the feedback in this community that didn’t result in a better quality podcast. Continue to give me your feedback and I promise to continue to do my best to make the changes that will provide everyone what they need. I found this quote by Pearl Zhu. “Change shouldn’t be treated as a singular occurrence when it is an ongoing, continued process and dynamic capability within the organization.” I believe that! Rather than seeing change as a bad thing we can see thought out changes as opportunities for growth, experimenting, finding efficiencies and getting better results. Having said that, I’ve got one more thought for the Energy Leadership Index Assessment. If there are some changes you know you need to make but you’ve been hesitating or resisting them this assessment could be the catalyst that will make those changes much easier. Get this done before the New Year and I guarantee your 2018 will be much more fulfilling than your 2017. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

Suzanne Anderson is a change agent for women change makers. As a psychologist, author, executive coach, speaker and transformational facilitator she has dedicated the past 15 years of her career in leadership development to decoding an embodied, integral and accelerated pathway to awaken consciousness and leadership capacity in women. In her global online programs and retreats she guides women to do the deep work of upgrading their inner operating systems and becoming a match for these complex times. She is the co­author of the award­-winning book The Way of the Mysterial Woman: Upgrading How you Live, Love and Lead. Click to tweet: @MysterialWoman is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/244 #inspiration Playing Small Moment At the end of 2012, Suzanne was preparing for a huge launch for the new year. It was time to take what she knew and bring it out into the world. A few days into January, Suzanne’s world came crashing down as she came home to find her husband dead. Within 6 months, her life had drastically contracted, when she had expected expansion, and everything she considered the most dear was gone. Through it all, Suzanne’s center held, even though she had never felt so uncertain. Style of Leadership Suzanne’s leadership is Mysterial. She brings together the feminine and masculine principles and embraces the capacity to unfold the emergent. What Are You Excited About? Suzanne is excited about her transition into the online world. When the online world wasn’t as present, Suzanne had a vision of 144,000 Mysterial Women. At the time she didn’t know how she would achieve those numbers, as most of her work in the past was based around retreats. Now with the worldwide online community, Suzanna can see her vision coming to life. Current Business Challenge Though Suzanne is excited about the online world, she finds it challenging to get her name out there in order to reach those 144,000 women. Leadership Practice Suzanne starts each day with what she calls her Morning Flow. “How we enter into the day has everything to do with what actually unfolds in the day.” Advice For Younger Self “I know it doesn’t feel like you belong, but your time is coming. Keep following the thread of your destiny. You were born for these times and we are getting you ready for what you need to do.” Inspirational Quote “The place life calls you to, where the most aliveness is, is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” ~Frederick Buechner Links Website: mysterialwoman.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Suzanne.Anderson.MysterialWoman/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysterialwoman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysterialwoman/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MysterialWoman Thank You to Our Sponsors ThirdLove: Tired of compromising comfort, ThirdLove® set out to create a better bra. Armed with research and a lot of opinions, they scrapped the standard bra cup size molds—literally broke them!—and developed their own half-cup sizes based on real women’s measurements. Check out ThirdLove today! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Nicole Boucher is a Project Manager who helps small business owners be more productive and strategic with their time so they can grow their businesses with less overwhelm. She loves the business side of business—strategy, spreadsheets, and systems—and her clients love feeling the weight lifting off their shoulders with the support of a true brand partner. Nicole and I discussed: Working on doing the things we do for others, for ourselves. Cookie Cutter businesses. Inner turmoil as a working mother. Being afraid to offset the current life balance. Altering client relationships as the business evolves. 2018 business plans. Links www.nboucher.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

  Elizabeth Ross Holmstrom is the Founder and President of BreakTogether. Elizabeth founded BreakTogether to improve health and work in office/tech environments. With twenty years of health and wellness design experience, most recently as VP with a national bank and 26,000 employees, she’s witnessed the power of mindfulness. We’ve spent decades creating new ways to connect 24/7, leading to significant increases in stress-related illnesses. Her proven methods help people work better in 2-10 minutes a day, unplugged. When she isn’t practicing, she may be mountain biking on the nearest wooded trail and singing along the way. Click to tweet: .@BreakTogetherME is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/243 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Several years ago, Elizabeth was given the opportunity to manage a new program that lead 70 different work groups. On one of their monthly calls, someone on the client team berated members of her team over something insignificant and Elizabeth had to change conversation topics. After the group call was over, she took a walk to calm down before meeting with this person one-on-one. During their call, Elizabeth stood up for herself, despite her fears, and ended up forming a very good working relationship with that person. Style of Leadership Elizabeth searches for strengths in others. She feels it is always best to work on the things you are good at, and collaborate with others on the things you aren’t good at. What Are You Excited About? Elizabeth is thrilled about her new website updates. Now that she has a clearer product and a clearer path to describe, she is excited her website will reflect that. Current Business Challenge Elizabeth struggles prioritizing her to-do list. She needs to focus on important tasks and not get sucked into other things when she logs on. Leadership Practice Elizabeth is compassionate and always strives to listen and understand where people are coming from so she can better serve them. Advice For Younger Self “Trust your intuitions.” Inspirational Quote “There’s no such thing as a weird human being, its just that some people might require more understanding than others.”  ~Tom Robbins Links Website: http://www.breaktogether.net LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethrossholmstrom/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BreakTogetherME Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreakTogether/ Email: Elizabeth@breaktogether.netOffice: 207-370-9055 Thank You to Our Sponsors Zola Registry: Zola is an all-in-one wedding registry that will do anything for love. Register for the things that you need and want, as well as experiences, cash funds, and honeymoon funds – all in one place! Choose products from their beautifully curated assortment in the Zola store, and ask for contributions towards your honeymoon…or anything at all! To sign up and get a $50 credit towards your registry, click here. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

As of the date this episode was released it is Thanksgiving Day here in the US. It is always a good time to be thankful for all the blessings in our lives. It’s too easy to focus on what’s missing and what’s not going right and that creates a very unpleasant experience. Taking the time to reflect on what we have and what’s going right creates a peaceful and grateful state of mind that can help us to stay calm and in action. If you have not yet added a gratitude practice in your daily routing I’m going to highly recommend it. One thing I am incredibly grateful for this week is all the changes that have been happening to my website. More changes are going to roll out over time but for now womentakingthelead.com definitely has a new look and feel to it. I would love for you to check it out and let me know what you think. Many of the best ideas for my business including the website, this podcast, and the services I provide have come from my clients and community. Sometimes we’re too close to something to see the obvious so I am grateful for any feedback I can get; positive, negative or neutral. This episode is the fourth and last episode in a series based on one of the most impactful books I have ever read, The Four Agreements, and an event that I attended in Portland, Maine. The speakers at the event I attended were don Miguel Ruiz Sr., who is the author of The Four Agreements, and his sons don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. and don Jose Ruiz. In this series I’m sharing with you the notes I took that evening and some of my thoughts around the material. The agreements I’ve covered in the first three episodes where Be Impeccable with Your Word, Always Do Your Best and Don’t Take Anything Personally. I’ve introduced each agreement in the order in which they were presented at the event. There was one agreement left as don Jose Ruiz came to the stage, Don’t Make Assumptions. And again a twist on how to apply this agreement to your life was presented. From the book The Four Agreements the guidance for Don’t Make Assumptions reads, “Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.” When I read The Four Agreements 20 years ago I read this agreement as relating mostly to not making assumptions about other people. However, don Jose Ruiz focused mostly on not making assumptions about yourself. I went back to the book to see if this was a completely new twist and discovered it was not. Be open to avoid making assumptions. Open your heart. Remember who you are. You are a temple of love. You can overcome anything, including yourself. You are here to love unconditionally and that includes yourself. If you are not happy with yourself how can you be happy with another? You are the love of your own life. Love yourself so you can love another. Be skeptical of the negativity you direct at yourself: that you are not perfect, that you are not enough and that you cannot change. Respect and love yourself. What do you love about your temple? We assume people see things the way we do and so when they do not say and do what we think they should be saying and doing we assume it’s for a negative reason. This is why we struggle with being ourselves. We are such a harsh critic of ourselves we assume if others knew “the real” us they would judge us as harshly as we judge ourselves. In this way we project our view of the world onto other, thus completely misunderstanding the other person and internally or externally attacking the other person for intentions they do not have. To stop this vicious cycle we have to (one) change the way we treat ourselves. Again, you are the love of your own life. Love yourself so you can love others. And (two) ask other people what their view is, what their intentions are. We are wired to need to understand, to have the answer to questions that float through our mind. If we do not seek the truth we will make stuff up to have any answer even if it is incorrect. This causes so much suffering. That is why with the one agreement to Don’t Make Assumptions you can completely transform your life. Can you imagine how this one agreement could change who you are as a leader and as a business owner? By not making assumptions you are less like to take things personally and be hurt by others words or actions. Making assumptions is the breeding ground for taking things personally. It’s a one-two punch. Take some time today to imagine what life would be like if you were no longer emotionally derailed by other people; if, rather than need to expend energy on managing your emotions, you could calmly and directly ask questions to get the heart of the situation. How much more could you accomplish in a day, a week or a year? It will blow your mind if you take some time to think about it. And if this is something you struggle with reach out to me. This is part of the work I do with my clients. With the process I take them through they get so much energy back that they in turn use to hit their goals and create even better ones. Don’t go it alone if you don’t have to. CTA: Before I wrap this up I want to invite you to go to womentakingthelead.com take a look around at the site and give me your feedback you can reach me at Jodi at womentakingthelead.com or message me on any social media platform. I am eager to hear what you think and I don’t take anything personally; it’s all valuable information to me. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

You might mistake my guest today for Superwoman and if you do, you won't be alone. But Alissa believes YOU have Superpowers too! Alissa Daire Nelson is regularly featured on television news segments, inside major blogs and publications, and on podcasts from all over the globe. She's an accomplished Success Coach, Speaker, host of the Maximize Your Strengths podcast, as well as published Author of the hot new book; From Frustrated to Frickin' Awesome: 4 Steps to Achieve the Success You're Wired For. But more than anything else she's an exceedingly proud wife and mother of two, who loves helping others discover how to make their businesses and relationships thrive in harmony. Click to tweet: .@daire2succeed is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/242 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Alissa was working as a dietician, and going after her second degree, while drowning in unhappiness. She believed if she kept doing more, she would achieve more, which would lead to happiness. Alissa started drinking and one night found herself behind the wheel, intoxicated. That moment was Alissa’s lowest point. She was living someone else’s life, doing what she thought she should have been doing. Now, Alissa is cautious about her “shoulds” and focuses more on the things she has accomplished. Style of Leadership Alissa is a visionary. She can help paint the bigger picture and look beyond the next step so her clients can find hope. Though she creates the plan, she looks to those around her for accountability and support to get the stuff done. What Are You Excited About? Alissa is working on a brand new podcast and membership site that she is thrilled about. Her new podcast, The Freaking Awesome Entrepreneur, will go beyond her current podcast, Maximize Your Strengths, and incorporate more of herself into the show. Current Business Challenge Alissa struggles to manage all of the details for her current projects without letting things fall between the cracks. Leadership Practice Alissa trusts in people that are better at things than she is. Advice For Younger Self “You are enough exactly how you are.” Inspirational Quote “Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.” Links Website: http://daire2succeed.com/Freebie: http://daire2succeed.com/takingthelead Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaireSuccessCoaching/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/daire2succeed LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dairesuccesscoaching Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Anne L’Heureux is a Spartan SGX Coach and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.  Anne works with clients on and off the race course to perform at their best and nourish the body. Anne believes that the lessons learned in obstacle racing can be applied to everyday life to overcome physical, mental, and emotional challenges. Through fitness and nutrition, Anne believes our true Beast is hiding inside, waiting to be unleashed. Anne has been featured in Maine Women’s Magazine, FitMaine.com, and has been recognized as Today’s Dietitian Magazine’s “Dietitian of the Week”. She was a 2016 Spartan Elite Points Series Leader and the 2017 Killington Beast winner. Anne coaches OCR Athletes dedicated to fueling for performance as well as taking care of the one body that we get. She believes that overcoming challenges in life starts by placing focus on a strong body and mind. Click to tweet: .@AnneLHeureux3 is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/241 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Anne was very shy her whole life, up until her sixth week of bootcamp. Joining the Navy and going to bootcamp is tough, but going in shy and without a friend, was even tougher. Until one day a switch when off and she just started doing it. “You don’t have to do it well, you just have to do it.” Style of Leadership Anne had been trying to lead people to proper nutrition by supplying them with a plethora of information, but people can find information on their own. She had to change her ways and work on empowering them to want to make a difference. What Are You Excited About? Anne is currently developing a platform to reach more people. In order to be successful, you have to bring value and build a community. Anne wants to be able to reach more people and bring value, without making people pay too much. Current Business Challenge Anne’s biggest challenge as business expands and picks up is making sure she is bringing value but also understanding the value that she brings. She doesn’t want money to be an obstacle, but at the same time when you’re running a business, it’s about money. Leadership Practice You have to live it. Through living it, Anne knows how to approach the person. Advice For Younger Self “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Nothing happens in your comfort zone.” Inspirational Quote “Do and believe that which leads you to your goals.” ~Tom Bilyeu Links New website! https://www.fueltrainovercome.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anne_lheureuxocrsgx/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPartanSGXBFD/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneLHeureux3 Thank You to Our Sponsors ThirdLove: Tired of compromising comfort, ThirdLove® set out to create a better bra. Armed with research and a lot of opinions, they scrapped the standard bra cup size molds—literally broke them!—and developed their own half-cup sizes based on real women’s measurements. Check out ThirdLove today! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

There has been some excitement around here but of a different flavor than last week. I recorded last week’s episode on Sunday, October 29th and there was a rain and wind storm hit the coast of Maine that evening. On Monday morning at 5:15 my power went out. Luckily Monday the 30th was a relatively mild day for this time of year being about 60 degrees. But as I checked in with the website that was tracking the number of households without power the number kept rising throughout the day. Soon the website would show about 400,000 households without power. This was not going to be a quick recovery. I was also fortunate to have a friend text me that afternoon asking if I had power and to come stay at her house until the power came back. I do not like to be cold and the idea of sleeping in my place which probably would have dropped down into the 40s and 50s over the next several days did not appeal to me. While my home did not have power until late Wednesday evening I was blessed to be staying somewhere with heat, electricity and Wi-Fi. There was some low-grade stress due to the uncertainty of the situation and being out of my normal routine but it was nothing and I got to spend more quality time with my friend and her team as they set up a satellite office around her kitchen table. I shared in my newsletter a perspective that helped me to focus on the benefits of the situation rather than the inconveniences. Rather than wallowing in how much I did not want to be without power, which represents the perspective of “Why is this happening to me?” I wondered instead, “Why is this happening for me?” Beginning to wonder from that perspective I was able to see some benefits of having the power go out that I had not been able to see before. I wonder how often we fail to see the benefits of things not going according to plan. I’ll be pondering this more because things rarely go according to plan. The Anniversary of Accomplished On a lighter note, this week marks the first anniversary of the publishing of my book Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. It went live in Amazon on November 8, 2016. The Kindle version alone got over 1600 downloads that first week making it an Amazon Bestseller. It also hit #1 in four different categories: Business Life, Motivational Business Management, Business Motivation and Self-Improvement, and Personal Transformation. To celebrate this occasion I have reduced the price of the Kindle version from $7.95 to .99 cents for one week. If you are hearing this episode in real time, and you don’t have your Kindle version of Accomplished yet you can grab it for .99 cents until November 14, 2017. Thank you to those who have already read Accomplished and thank you to those of you who are going to get it now. I just received and email from someone a few days ago who said they read it in a day. It’s an easy read and if it speaks to you, you’re probably going to have a hard time putting it down. A Better Life through the Four Agreements In the last two 100% Jodi episodes I began a series based on one of the most impactful books I have ever read, The Four Agreements. The agreements covered in the first two episodes where Be Impeccable with Your Word and Always Do Your Best. When people ask what book I would recommend to others The Four Agreements is the book I recommend most. The reason for this is I believe the biggest thing holding us back in our lives and in our businesses is our stress reactions. Our stress reactions are created by our perception of self, others and the world at large. Quite simply, the teachings in The Four Agreements enable you to change your perception so you don’t get stressed out by what’s happening. Because you don’t get stressed out and thus shut down, overreact or pretend things are okay when they are not, you can bring forth your highest self in any situation. The Four Agreements are powerful because they are simple. I recently had the pleasure of attending an event in Portland, Maine titled The Four Agreements for a Better Life. The speakers were don Miguel Ruiz Sr., who is the author of The Four Agreements, and his sons don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. and don Jose Ruiz. In this series I’m sharing with you the notes I took that evening and some of my thoughts around the material. This is part three in this series. In part one, I shared don Miguel Ruiz, Sr.’s perspective on the agreement, Be Impeccable with Your Word and in part two don Miguel Ruiz Jr.’s perspective on Always Do Your Best. That evening Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. continued his presentation to quickly talk about another agreement, Don’t Take Anything Personally. Don't Take Anything Personally From the book The Four Agreements the overview for Don’t Take Anything Personally reads, “Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” And these are the notes taken from the talk that evening: Don’t assume responsibility for other’s actions. Taking things personally is another form of conditional love. When people are mean to you they are asking for your help. Don Miguel, Jr. told a story of travelling with his father for some speaking engagements. On one particular evening they did their event and arrived back at their hotel and looked around for a place to eat. Don Miguel Jr. shared that when he looked into the lounge and the restaurant area he noticed everyone in there was impeccably dressed and he didn’t want to go in there until he had a chance to get more dressed up. So he suggested to his father they freshen up and meet back in the lobby. His father agreed and they went to their own rooms to change. Don Miguel, Jr., all dressed up, came back down to the lobby to wait for his father. When the elevator doors opened Don Miguel Sr. comes out wearing his pajamas, a bathrobe and slippers. Don Miguel Jr. was mortified but tried to play it cool as they went into the restaurant, passed all the people dressed to the nines, and were seated. His father seeing his discomfort asked him what was wrong. Don Miguel Jr. denied any discomfort until finally he blurted out his mortification that his father would come down to the restaurant dressed as he was. Don Miguel Sr. replied, “Do you disrespect me so much that you don’t think I can pay the consequences of my own actions; that you think you have to pay them for me.” In that moment Don Miguel Jr. realized what his father was doing had nothing to do with him personally and yet he was taking it on as if it was. How many times do we cringe or feel disappointed because a family member or close friend, or anyone, is behaving in a way that we would not choose to behave. And even though it has nothing to do with us we feel embarrassed or guilty on their behalf. We may even go so far as to apologize on their behalf as if we have the right to do so. His last message was that if you have ever done this forgive yourself for ever saying yes to conditional love. To Sum it Up… That’s the end of my notes on this agreement from that evening though I’ve had time to ponder this agreement since then. First I want to acknowledge that these agreements are simple but they are not easy. Without training and diligence we can easily slip into the old automatic ways of thinking and responding. We are ego-centric beings and we have a hard time separating what someone else does from ourselves. I’ve had my own experiences within the last 24 hours in which more than one person failed to do what I had requested and I took it personally. I made it mean they didn’t appreciate or respect me; then I didn’t, then I did again, then I let go again, and later I remembered I was still waiting for what I requested and I got annoyed again. That’s what it can look like and I’m hoping your chuckling about this because we all do it. Reminders are important when we are taking on new perspectives and ways of being and responding. Until it becomes a habit, plant a sticky note on your mirror or monitor, or as a backdrop on your computer to remind you that what other people do has nothing to do with you; it only has anything to do with them. This reminder, especially in the past 24 hours has helped me to have compassion for the people I’ve been thinking of. I remind myself I have no idea what’s going on for them in their world. With that thought I can stay calm and a little detached from what’s happening and check in with them without any hard feelings. I’m going to encourage you to take this on at least for today and see what happens. Set up reminders so you don’t forget. Your mission is don’t take anything personally. What others say and do has nothing to do with you. I’m just asking you to commit for one day to see how it goes. If you are so moved reach out to me and let me know how it went. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing Just a reminder, until November 14, 2017 you can get the Kindle version of Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing for .99 cents on Amazon.com. If you type accomplished or Jodi Flynn in the Amazon search bar the book will be at or near the top of the list. As always, I hope this and everything I’m sharing is of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

As a tech translator, Lynette Delane embodies an intrinsic ability to save business owners time, and therefore money. It’s like her magic trick. Her purpose is to deliver back to her clients the all-elusive “spare” time so they can use it to do what they love. She puts her principles into practice in her own business – Kits and Bits – founded with the desire to create a work/life balance and prove to her clients it can be done! Click to tweet: .@kitsandbitsoz is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/240 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Being the youngest of 9, Lynette constantly worried about what other people thought. Formal qualifications became a hurdle for Lynette. She watched her friends get their degrees and she started to doubt her own abilities because she lacked that piece of paper. Her biggest strength wasn’t that piece of paper, though, it was her ability to do things differently and learn as she went along. Style of Leadership Lynette leads by example and would never ask someone to do something she hasn’t done herself. What Are You Excited About? Lynette trains businesses in software in ways that will be most beneficial for their company. Her newest program focuses on Microsoft Office, and teaching people the exact skills they need to be more efficient. Current Business Challenge Lynette struggles with visibility, alongside the fact that most people believe they know everything there is to know about Microsoft Office. In reality, Microsoft Office isn’t usually utilized to its full potential. So, getting people to see her and understand how much they really do need her is something that challenges Lynette. Leadership Practice Understanding the process is key to Lynette being a better leader. Lynette also believes that having empathy for the effects of her trainings, especially in tech, is absolutely necessary. Advice For Younger Self “You do not need that paper, just get on with it!” Inspirational Quote “Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.” ~Brene Brown Links Website: http://kitsandbits.com.au/ Facebook: http://bit.ly/kitsandbitsonFB Youtube: http://bit.ly/kitsandbitsonyoutube Google+: http://bit.ly/kitsandbitsongoogleplus Twitter: http://bit.ly/kitsandbitsontwitter https://twitter.com/kitsandbitsoz LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/kitsandbitsonLinkedIn Instagram: http://bit.ly/kitsandbitsonInstagram Pinterest: http://bit.ly/kitsandbitsonPinterest Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

There are some exciting things going on behind the scenes here. I mentioned the upcoming changes to my website in last week’s 100% Jodi. There are other changes I’m planning for this podcast, The Accomplished Membership Community and in the coaching services I provide. Some of the changes are subtle, some not so subtle and I will let you all know when the changes are real and you can actually look at them or experience them. Suffice to say for now, the experience I’m having working with a digital strategist, the feedback I’m getting from all of you, and the experience I’m having doing A Course in Miracles, and the complimentary books I’m reading, are leading me in some exciting new directions. I want to read to you an excerpt from one of those complimentary books I’m reading, The Law of Divine Compensation by Marianne Williamson. “Your energy, your attitude, your positivity, your words, your ability to listen to others and truly dwell in the present; all those things make you a person others want to be with, want to work with, want to share ideas with. That energy is the spiritual basis for wealth creation.”What Marianne is talking about is self-leadership and this is the core of the business and leadership coaching I do. In fact, the starting point in working with me is taking the Energy Leadership Assessment. The Energy Leadership Assessment captures your energy, your attitude, your positivity, your ability to listen to others and truly dwell in the present. It’s not a critique; it’s a snap shot to give you an idea of where you are starting from and where you can go. And you’re not left there. In the debriefing of your results I am giving you practices and perspectives that will help you to increase your energy, positivity and abilities so you can be without a doubt the person others want to follow, want to work with, want to collaborate with, etc. If you are interested in taking the Energy Leadership Assessment go to womentakingthelead.com/assessment to find out more and purchase your assessment so you can start getting the results you want to see. The Four Agreements for a Better Life In last week's 100% Jodi episode I introduced doing a series of episodes based on one of the most impactful books I have ever read, The Four Agreements. Last May I published a 100% Jodi episode titled, 9 Places I Found What I (Didn't Realize) I Needed. In that episode I shared 9 books that came into my life and changed it for the better. When people ask what book I would recommend to others The Four Agreements is the book I recommend most. The reason for this is I believe the biggest thing holding us back in our lives and in our businesses is our stress reactions. Our stress reactions are created by our perception of self, others and the world at large. Quite simply, the teachings in The Four Agreements enable you to change your perception so you don’t get stressed out by what’s happening. Because you don’t get stressed out and thus shut down, overreact or pretend things are okay when they are not, you can bring forth your highest self in any situation. The Four Agreements are powerful because they are simple. I recently had the pleasure of attending an event in Portland, Maine titled The Four Agreements for a Better Life. The speakers were don Miguel Ruiz, who is the author of The Four Agreements, and his sons don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. and don Jose Ruiz. In this series I’m sharing with you the notes I took that evening and some of my thoughts around the material. This is part two in this series. Last week I covered the opening of the evening in which don Miguel Ruiz, Sr. declared the most important agreement is Be Impeccable with Your Word. I’ve been hearing from some of you that this talk provided a spin on this agreement that you had not considered before so if you personally did not catch that episode be sure to go back and give it a listen. Always Do Your Best Next to the stage that evening was don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. and he covered the agreement, Always Do Your Best. Here are my notes as I wrote them. Always do your best is the expression of unconditional love. It is living your life fully. Love yourself, love your body, and love your mind. Take care of yourself for your fullest expression of love. Conditional love is the enemy of freedom. In fact, as don Miguel Jr. explained it, conditional love is the weapon used for domestication, or controlling the will of another human being. Control of another is a form of disrespect that begins with creating self-doubt in another. Self-doubt then allows the perpetrator to exert their will and subjugate the other. There are rewards and punishments in the process of domestication. The rewards feel like acceptance, feel like love and the punishment feels like rejection, a lack of love. Looking at yourself in the mirror and judging yourself is the ultimate form of Domestication. Couples also try to domesticate each other to fit their own image of love. Bring Awareness to Your Automatic Ways of Being Taking the four agreements and making each one a means by which to judge yourself and others is domestication. Judgment takes a pure teaching or wisdom and corrupts it. In a moment of clarity when we see what we have done we can make a choice to change for ourselves. To unlearn our domestication we need bring awareness to our automatic ways of being, our automatic “yeses” and “nos.” Being skeptical introduces reason and prevents the automatic “yes’ or “no.” Putting your beliefs up for scrutiny (skepticism) will allow you to make a new choice. What has someone else said that has stuck with you? Chances are they said it once or a few time but you have been repeating it to yourself ever since, thus being complicit in your own domestication. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Forgive yourself for being complicit in your own domestication. Be skeptical of negativity. Be skeptical of your own negativity. To Sum it Up… That’s the end of my notes and I have to share when don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. introduced skepticism…let’s just say I was a little surprised. I was skeptical of being skeptical which is making me laugh a little bit now. However, what I’ve come to realize is doses of skepticism allow you to bring more awareness to the forefront. Rather than knee-jerk reacting into a verbal response or a behavior we can take a step back and consider the options. I’ve come to realize there are very few things that need to be rushed. Yet, we often rush to try to fit more into our lives only to realize most of the things we’re rushing to fit in are things we don’t want or need in the first place. In fact, rushing will cause us to overlook important details that we will have to take the time to fix or make amends for later. Always do your best is the expression of unconditional love. It is living your life fully. Love yourself, love your body, and love your mind. Take care of yourself for your fullest expression of love. Energy Leadership Assessment I’m bringing this back around to the Energy Leadership Assessment because it goes hand-in-hand with don Miguel Jr.’s coverage of “always do your best”. His coverage had at its core bringing awareness to your automatic ways of being. That is exactly what the Energy Leadership Assessment does. It allows you to see what your knee-jerk reactions to stress are so you choose a different response if you want to and get a different result. It’s a quick and dirty way to get at the heart of what has been keeping you from accomplishing the goals you long for. If you are interested in taking the Energy Leadership Assessment go to womentakingthelead.com/assessment to find out more and purchase your assessment so you can start getting the results you want to see. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

Giovanna passionately advocates for women to stop settling for less in all areas of their lives! She began her spiritual and personal development journey over 20 years ago and now acts as a catalyst for the transformation of the mind and the belief systems that hold you back and sabotage your life, relationships and businesses. She calls her approach a form of Radical Self Love & Responsibility; which brings forward more energy, presence, authenticity and visibility in the people she works with. Click to tweet: .@sherisespodcast is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/239 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Giovanna found herself overwhelmed with grief in her hotel room in Mexico after awaking from a nightmare. A recent breakup, paired with the death of her mother, had Giovanna in despair, imagining herself dying of a broken heart. A peace came over Giovanna when she put her arms around herself and realized what she had to do to save herself. Style of Leadership Giovanna leads by example. The reason she is a coach is so that she can share her life experiences and what she has learned. What Are You Excited About? Giovanna is currently writing a book, and it is making her giddy every time she sits down to write it. Current Business Challenge As visible as Giovanna is, she feels she needs to up it a notch. She wants to get out in front of more audiences and share her story to more people. Leadership Practice Giovanna calls in something greater to work through her when she is working with clients. If she pretends to have all the answers, it doesn’t often work out the way it should. Advice For Younger Self “Find love inside yourself.” Inspirational Quote “You’re not doing this alone.” Links Website: www.sherisespodcast.com Instagram @she_rises_podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherisespodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherisespodcast Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

What can I share with you that has been going on in my world? Well, for one, there are going to be some changes to my website. WomenTakingTheLead.com is going to get a whole new look and feel soon. I’m really excited about this because the changes are more reflective of my brand and what I am trying to accomplish with Women Taking the Lead. If I haven’t shared already I’ve also begun reading A Course in Miracles. Or I should say I’m doing A Course in Miracles. It is a very interactive read, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. As of the release of this episode on October 26, 2017 I am 36 days into the course. It has been both challenging and freeing. While overall I can acknowledge I’m a pretty positive person, I have become aware of how critical I am of myself and others. While this awareness is a bit startling it’s a good thing because enables me to let go of being so critical. Given some of the things I’ve been dealing with recently and what’s been going on in our society in the past few months I don’t think it was a coincidence that I took the opportunity finally to begin A Course in Miracles. If you have done any part of the course or you are thinking about it I would love to hear from you. I don’t think this course is meant to be done on your own and I’m seeking a variety of perspectives. I’ve gained so much from others sharing with me what their experience has been, either the insights they’ve gained or questions they still have. Lastly, what’s going on for me is in the next few weeks I am offering 30-Minute Calls to the members of the Women taking the Lead Private Facebook Group to chat about anything. It could be for coaching, for advice, to ask me anything and everything, etc. This call is for you, my only questions will be, “How can I be of service to you?” If you want in, head over to womentakingthelead.com/group to join the facebook group and schedule your call. Living “The Four Agreements” I’ve got a new series of 100% Jodi for you and it’s based on one of the most impactful books I have ever read, The Four Agreements. Last May I published a 100% Jodi episode titled, 9 Places I Found What I (Didn't Realize) I Needed. In that episode I shared 9 books that came into my life and changed it for the better. Chronologically, The Four Agreements came into my life second but it is the book I recommend most when people ask what book I would recommend to others. The reason for this is I believe the biggest thing holding us back in our lives and our businesses is our stress reactions. Our stress reactions are created by our perception of self, others and the world at large. Quite simply, the teachings in The Four Agreements enable you to change your perception so you don’t get stressed out by what’s happening. Because you don’t get stressed out and thus shut down, overreact or pretend things are okay when they are not, you can bring forth your highest self in any situation. The Four Agreements are powerful because they are simple. On Saturday, October 14, 2017 I had the pleasure of attending an event in Portland, Maine titled The Four Agreements for a Better Life. The speakers were don Miguel Ruiz, the author of The Four Agreements, and his sons don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. and don Jose Ruiz. In this and the next few 100% Jodi episodes I’m going to share with you the notes I took that evening and some of my thoughts around the material. The Most Important Agreement Don Miguel Ruiz, Sr. started the evening declaring the most important agreement is “Be Impeccable with Your Word.” It is the most important agreement because your word creates your reality. You have created the story of yourself so if you don’t like the story you have about yourself you can change it. You don’t have to be the current version of you anymore if you don’t want to. You are an artist with your words. The art you create is the story of your life. It is not real, you made it up, so you can change it at any time. Don Miguel Ruiz, Sr. issued a request to help him change the world. The way you change the world is by changing your own world. You change your world by changing the way you speak, specifically by no longer using words against yourself. Stop punishing yourself for the mistakes you believe you made. Stop attacking (and thus trying to control) other people. Respect yourself; respect other people. When you respect yourself and others you find peace. Life is Easy. We Make it Difficult. We make life difficult by adding drama to it. You will change your world by changing the way you treat yourself and your physical body. It doesn’t matter what others do. What is important is for you to enjoy your life. What really struck me in what don Miguel Sr. shared is that it was a fantastic compliment to the conversation Libby Bunten and I had in last week’s On-Air Coaching Call episode. Libby and I recorded our call the day before this event occurred so I went into this event with our conversation fresh in my mind. In that episode, Libby shared how her old story of who she is, specifically who she is for other people, was holding her back in her business and keeping her from being her highest self in her life. Not only was it keeping her from being her highest self but she could see how it was keeping those around her from being their highest selves as well. Before our coaching call Libby had already started crafting a new story for herself, however, she was having difficulty living into it. We were able to identify some things that were holding her back from truly embracing her new empowering story and some practices that would help her to more quickly integrate it into her life. The Stories that Hold You Back My clients come to me for various reasons but what is always holding them back is a story they have about who they are, who other people are, how things should be done, etc. These stories are the words that they repeat to themselves and keep them imprisoned in their current reality. Here are some examples: Stories and words that keep you from trusting others “If you want something done right you’ve got to do it yourself.” “I’m the only one who can do this.”   “I can’t trust others to do this the way it needs to be done.” You cannot grow in your business or your career or your life without beginning to trust others. It may sound like an insurmountable hurdle but there are ways to build trust slowly so you can get to a place where you can allow other people opportunities to grow as well. It can be done. It has been done. It could be yours. Stories and words that devalue your abilities “I’m not the expert.” “I’ve only been in business for X amount of years.” “My degree is in another field.” “I don’t have the letters after my name.” “Other people have so much more experience than I do.” Let’s be clear, more experience, degrees and letters do not necessarily mean better results. In fact, when I challenged one of my clients on this belief she owned up that some of her clients had hired her after hiring a so-called “experienced expert” to come in and fix what the experienced person had done. What society considers valuable is not necessarily what produces results. Please don’t devalue what you can do for your clients and customers. They need you to help them so be more confident so they can put their trust in you. Stories and words that give your power away to others “If I speak up for myself I’ll hurt this person.” “There’s no point in speaking up. They’re not going to listen to what I have to say.” “There’s nothing I can do.” “Why bother, it’s not going to make a difference.” When we give our power away, when we stop speaking up for ourselves, for what we believe and we stop trying to make a difference we mentally become a victim to our circumstances. I’m not got to water this down. This mentality has catastrophic consequences to our health, work, relationships, finances, and thus destroys our experience of joy and peace. To Sum it Up… There is NO FREEDOM in any of the stories I just mentioned and these stories attack who you really are, your highest self. They disrespect you and they disrespect others. The moral of this episode is your words create your experience. Watch the words that flow through your mind and the words that come out of your mouth. If you find the words that you think or speak upset you or limit what’s possible for you, you have a choice. You can keep going on the way you’re going and hope things get better or you can challenge your words and choose new words that empower you. “Be Impeccable with Your Word” is the most important agreement because your word creates your reality. 30-Minute Calls for the Private Facebook Group If you want to talk through any of this here is the reminder that in the next few weeks I am offering 30-Minute Calls to the members of the Women taking the Lead Private Facebook Group to chat about anything. It’s not limited to talking about this episode. It could be for coaching, for advice, to ask me anything and everything, etc. This call is for you, my only questions will be, “How can I be of service to you?” If you want in, head over to womentakingthelead.com/group to join the facebook group and schedule your call. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

Sari de la Motte is the CEO and founder of FORTE. Sari has trained extensively with an internationally recognized authority in nonverbal communication and leads seminars based in nonverbal communication strategies throughout the United States. Sari has spoken for, and works with, several members of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only group consisting of the top 100 trial attorneys in the United States. She’s been a featured columnist for Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Magazine, Oregon Defense Attorney, and for Washington State Association of Justice. Click to tweet: .@SariDLM is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/238 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Sari decided to expand recently. It was the wrong timing and it didn’t work out. Sari had a crisis of faith and questioned all of her decisions. What did she do wrong? Is this the end? In those moments it was easy for Sari to overlook her success and underplay her good moments. Style of Leadership Sari likes to take charge and do things now, apologizing later. This strategy has gotten her to places she has wanted to go, but she also had to learn the opposite side of it. Sari has learned that people tend to put themselves in boxes, when you should realize your range and give yourself permission to expand. What Are You Excited About? Sari has her first book deal! Her upcoming book, titled “From Hostages to Volunteers,” discusses jurors and the hostage situation they are brought into. Jurors are expected to use logic, reason and evidence to make decisions, yet they often don’t even want to be there. Current Business Challenge When faced with a situation that doesn’t go as planned, women tend to withdraw and figure out problems alone. Sari was challenged with this recently when her expansion didn’t work out. Instead of turning inward, we should be reaching out and asking others for help. Leadership Practice Self care is very important to Sari. Each morning, she does Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages, three pages written to drain the brain. Your fears, plans—or even random thoughts—all get dumped onto these pages, leaving your brain clear and ready to focus on the day. Advice For Younger Self Sari would tell her younger self, and her current self, to be more patient. Inspirational Quote “People won’t remember what you said, but they’ll remember what they felt.” ~Maya Angelou Links Website: www.nonverbalforte.com Website: www.attorneywhisperer.com Free eBook: www.nonverbalforte.com/pumpupthevolume Job Seeker Offer: www.nonverbalforte.com/showupTwitter: @SariDLMFacebook: www.facebook.com/nonverbalFORTE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saridlm Thank You to Our Sponsors ThirdLove: Tired of compromising comfort, ThirdLove® set out to create a better bra. Armed with research and a lot of opinions, they scrapped the standard bra cup size molds—literally broke them!—and developed their own half-cup sizes based on real women’s measurements. Check out ThirdLove today! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

In the last On Air Coaching call there was more consulting going on. I chatted with Terri DeCoster about technology because that was the obstacle for her in her business. In this call I’m chatting with Libby Bunten of Arbonne International and we had a coaching call which is more typical for me in my business. The issue we addressed was the conflict that arises when we are developing ourselves personally, professionally, mentally and spiritually and the people around us are not yet comfortable with the changes that are happening. I want to underscore we’ve all been on both sides of this scenario whether we realize it or not. We’ve been the person trying to make positive changes in our lives and are experiencing resistance from the people around us and we’ve been the person resisting change in others. No one thinks to themselves, “wow, good things are happening for my friend and I wish that weren’t the case.” It’s more a though like, “we used to think the same way about things and now you’re looking at things differently.” Or, you used to always be available for me and now you’re busy doing other things.” This change in relationship dynamics is natural, it is happening all around us, and in the conversation you’re about to hear there is no judgment about how others should or should not be. Libby and I covered topics like identifying and letting go of old stories, the space between letting go of an old story and taking on a new story; and once that new story is identified, integrating it so it becomes a natural part of our identity. If you know you’ve been bumping up against some old stories that keep playing themselves out and are holding you back or if you’ve started to move toward a new empowering story but it’s creating some tension in your relationships, this is a great episode for you to listen to. Libby and I discussed: Connecting people through leadership. Deepening connections in spirituality. Loving people where they are at. Showing up and being yourself. Replacing your childhood blueprint [old stories]. Being placed in a leadership role. I really want to acknowledge Libby for getting so vulnerable. It was not easy for her but she knew it would be good for her and her business, and for those who would listen to this episode as well. And, Libby sent me a text an hour or so after we finished recording because she was experiencing an exposure hang over. I spoke about my own experience with an exposure hangover in a 100% Jodi episode regarding an episode I did on my spirituality. What happened was Libby’s old story started playing itself out and she was worried about the potential negative impact this episode would have on others. When we talked it through and looked at this episode through the lens of her new story of her leadership and her success would ripple out and benefit all of those around her all the internal conflict and worry went away. That’s how powerful our stories are and why we need to be aware of them and also have people in our lives who won’t let us play small, who won’t let us live by our old stories. I promised Libby I would call her on it if she showed up as her old story and she gave me a chance to keep my word within hours. Libby and I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Links The Energy Leadership Assessment Work With Jodi https://www.facebook.com/libbybuntenaic https://www.instagram.com/libbylula/ https://twitter.com/Libbylula79 You can reach Jodi at jodi@womentakingthelead.com Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

Melissa Hereford has been teaching people how to negotiate for over 22 years. Through her workshops, Melissa teaches women skills to get ahead AND get along, to confidently ask for what you want without worrying that you’ll be called bossy or too aggressive.  A lot of women feel powerless like "they don't have a choice" in life situations. She’s here to show that you have all of the tools already inside you to make shifts in your everyday agreements that will change your life.  Click to tweet: .@mel_hereford is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/237 #inspiration Playing Small Moment In her role as a Vice President, Melissa let her fears and insecurities stand in her way. She watched as this company lost customers and revenue and knew how to make changes, but was too afraid to speak up. If she had spoken up and given her team the reasons why and ideas to move forward, she could have really made an impact. Style of Leadership Earlier in her career, Melissa but a team from scratch and filled it with like-minded individuals. As her team grew, Melissa had to really look at each person and understand their motivations and strengths so she could help them act and work more effectively. What Are You Excited About? Melissa is so excited about being able to bring her negotiating skills to women, outside of a corporate setting. Most of the time, people don’t have access to these types of trainings unless their employer purchases them for the company. Through Negotiate with Confidence, Melissa is teaching women how to ask for things that they wouldn’t normally ask for — and they are actually getting them! Current Business Challenge Melissa is Type-A and often finds herself striving for perfection. Her biggest challenge relating to her personality is her fear of failing. If details are missed, Melissa has a tendency to beat herself up and she is really trying to learn how to let that stuff go. Leadership Practice Something Melissa had to learn to do was trust her team. She makes sure to give them a change to do their job, without asking them — or letting them tell her — the nitty gritty details that she really doesn’t need to know. Advice For Younger Self “Take time off. Do not work every day. You need time to recharge.” Inspirational Quote “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” ~FDR “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the slide, overthinking it. You have to go down the shoot.” ~Tina Fey Links Website: https://MelissaHereford.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-hereford-170a063/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mel_hereford Negotiate With Confidence: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBb_nSImUPvzxDFVRq9Bt4g Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/negotiatewithconfidence/ Email: melissa@melissahereford.com  Thank You to Our Sponsors   Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

This episode is going to be short and sweet and you’re going to find out why pretty quickly. One of my favorite shows of all time is The West Wing. I loved the quick pace, the witty banter, the thoughtful approach to complex issues, and the relationships of the characters. They were good people doing their best and occasionally, with good intentions, messing up. There are many things I like about The West Wing but what I want to talk to you about today is something I noticed in the episodes and became very intrigued by. The 5-Minute Meeting Most of the meetings happened in short bursts. Some as short as 1-2 minutes and even in The Situation Room where serious things were going down, people got right to the point so they could fulfill the purpose of the meeting which was to make decisions. Information was given clearly and concisely and if more information was needed the meeting was ended and everyone moved on to do what they needed to do. Otherwise, they made their decisions, everyone had their marching orders and they moved on. Meeting over. On to the next important issue. I was reminded of this recently when I was meeting with a woman who was the head of an organization who was in a tight situation. She needed to have contact or facetime with many different groups but her days were getting eaten with meetings and she had to work longer hours to stay caught up on emails and get her own project work done. I told her about what I’ve labelled “The 5-Minute Meeting” from The West Wing. She was intrigued and we explored what this could look like day-to-day for her. Now this is not to say that all meetings are 5-minutes. That number is as arbitrary and meaningless as a 30, 60, or 90-minute meeting. However, only allowing a meeting to as long as it needs to be prevents “needless expansion” from happening. Why Meetings Go Too Long “Needless expansion” includes, among other things, people starting to come late to meetings because the meeting never start on time anyway. Idle chit chat at the beginning of the meeting that serves no purpose other than put off actually starting the meeting, and people coming to the meeting unprepared because they know there is plenty of time to talk ideas through rather than flesh them out beforehand. Also, included in this is when people feel the need to tell stories, gossip, or give irrelevant opinions to the matter at hand. Then there’s the time when two people have a conversation in the meeting that they could have by themselves after the meeting but choose to have everyone bear witness to it instead. I’ve been victim to this rude behavior and I’ve been the perpetrator as well. There are so many ways a meeting can be hijacked by time wasters and if you’re a people pleaser you probably struggle with how to handle it. Rude behavior isn’t always conscious behavior and that’s why we need other people to kindly bring our attention to it. Not all meetings are time wasters but it’s important to do something about the ones that are. For meetings I know to be time wasters, I’m a big fan of cutting the time for the meeting in half. To make it work you need to let everyone know the timeframe in advance and set some ground rules. The ground rules may include that the meeting will start promptly at the start time, all materials to be discussed need to submitted to all attendees, for example, 24-48 hours in advance of the meeting and everyone needs to be prepared to concisely give their report. Let everyone know how much time they will have to present and hold them to it. Time them if you have to. They’ll learn. Don’t be Afraid to hold people accountable. And how do you end a meeting that is starting to go overtime? If it’s in person you stand up and let everyone know that’s all the time you have. Give assignments, thank everyone for their time, and move toward the door. If it’s via video conference you call the meeting to a halt, give assignments, thank everyone for their time and end the call. Soon enough people will come to realize that your time is valuable and when you say the meeting will be 18 minutes (or however long you set for it) that means it’s up to them to make sure they are prepared going into the meeting and get right to the point. Even if it’s not your meeting you can make requests to have them run a bit differently or say you can only be there for part of the meeting. If you’re someone who hates meetings because they eat up too much of your day start doing what you can to minimize your exposure to this time-waster. Though it might be uncomfortable to do at first, the reward is that you will become more relaxed, more productive, and more effective. Isn’t that worth it? Before we say goodbye, if you have not yet joined the Women Taking the Lead private facebook group, come join. Hang out with me and other amazing go-getting women who know the power of community and networking. Go to womentakingthelead.com/group and click on the green +Join Group button. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Maegan Watson is a personal stylist and founder at Watson Style Group, a firm dedicated to creating wardrobes that practically hand you your outfit every time you get dressed so you feel the way you want and love the way you look.  She has nearly a decade of experience supporting amazing women to feel great in their clothing so they’re empowered to stand out and speak up. She solves the unending question of “what should I wear today?” so your energy is reserved for family, fulfilling work, and fun! She lives in Chicago with her son, husband and chocolate lab. Click to tweet: .@mydearwatson86 is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/236 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Maegan offers complimentary styling sessions for new prospects. These 75-minute calls are super valuable and everyone really enjoys them. Wanting to increase the number of leads, Maegan started offering incentives for people to sign up for the calls. This actually had a negative affect on sales. People were signing up for the calls to receive the freebies, but not to work with Watson Styling Group. Maegan realized she was undervaluing herself, while also draining herself and the admin team. Style of Leadership Maegan’s leadership is constantly evolving. A key component to her leadership is giving credit to her team. When good things happen throughout the day, Maegan is mindful to take the time to send positive recognition to the team. What Are You Excited About? This past summer, Maegan and her team laughed a new membership subscription for her styling service. For a monthly fee, members are granted unlimited access to the talented team of stylists. Maegan is having a blast with this new project! Current Business Challenge As fun as the new membership group is, it also brings a lot of challenges as well. The ease to sign women up just isn’t there with the new structure, but the members who are there are extremely happy. Leadership Practice Taking 100% of the responsibility, 100% of the time is very important to Maegan. It allows the other person to have some space, but it allows the other person to take 100% responsibility as well. It’s ok if you need a day or two, but as long as you get there genuinely, its a fantastic, freeing practice. Advice For Younger Self Maegan would tell her undergrad self to stop being fueled by success and realize that it isn’t healthy. Maegan’s mom tells her students that the joy should be in the process of learning, and not in receiving an A. Inspirational Quote “We are not given dreams or ideas without the ability to create them. We are not given the vision of ourselves without the bravery to being this vision to life. All you have to do is tell yourself that you are worth it, over and over.” Links Website: http://watsonstylegroup.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/watsonstylegroup/ Thank You to Our Sponsors   Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

We have covered 3 of the 4 phases in the Cycle of Change using the card game analogy as first taught to me by iPEC Coaching. These are: The Toss In Phase, The Shuffle Phase, and The Deal Phase. Now we’re going to cover The “Play the Game” Phase. Phase 3: Play the Game (Action!) “Play the Game” is an exciting and mostly positive time during the Cycle of Change when you are all in to live your dreams and reach new levels of success, fulfillment and well-being. Whereas in previous stages you were either reflecting on the past or imagining the future, this phase is the time to be fully in the moment. You are living the strategy and the plan you created in The Deal Phase. It is a time of action but the amount of action you will take in this phase is based on your personality, how clear you are on your goal, how feasible your plan is and how much support you have. That’s why The Deal Phase is so crucial to set you up for success in this phase, though most plans will work if you can only get out of your own way. What that means is in the Play the Game Phase it’s important to manage your inner critic, which always comes to life when you are doing something new, big or scary. This is where self-doubt can start to plague you and if you allow it too much power you will unconsciously begin to self-sabotage. Know that it is natural and normal for your inner critic to try to have a field day with you. Change the perspective that hearing your inner critic is a bad thing. Rather, hearing your inner critic means you are playing full out and that’s a great thing. Manage Yourself to Remain Flexible If you are able to manage your inner critic you will, for the most part, feel harmonious, optimistic, determined and fully alive. If you are able to remain flexible you will be able to pivot and adjust if things don’t go according to plan. Let’s face it, things rarely go exactly according to plan so it’s important not to get too attached to the plan or judge yourself and others too harshly for not expecting the unexpected. When I first planned to self-publish my book last year I was only going to release an eBook in Kindle. A few weeks before the publish date I interviewed Honoree Corder and in our post-interview chat she convinced me of the benefit of releasing a print version as well. What I didn’t realize was how different it would be to format a book for print versus a book for Kindle, and that last-minute realization ate up more than half a day. I was also launching a membership community with the release of my book. While the formatting mini-crisis was going on I also discovered the membership software was not playing nice with payment software. To add to the madness, unbeknownst to me my web developer became horribly ill that week and so didn’t get my messages for a couple of days. All I knew was that I needed her and she had gone radio silent. I had also failed to communicate to my Graphic Designer the exact date I intended to submit everything to Amazon and so mock ups and final approvals for the cover all happened within days. Then there were videos, copy and worksheets that needed to be created and uploaded to the membership portion of my website. However, in all of this, I was 100% in, feeling fully alive, and rolling with everything whether it was going according to plan or not. Play the Long Game to Always Get Better While this stage is usually associated with wins and success, it can also be the setting for disappointments, setbacks, and new challenges. You can probably look back on times in your life where the Play the Game Phase of the Cycle of Change did not go well. If this is happening to you right now it’s important again not to judge yourself too harshly. Look on what is happening as a valuable lesson that you can examine and learn from so you go into the next Cycle of Change stronger and wiser. Place your focus on what is working and what is not working without judgment and you’ll be able to make adjustments and pivot pretty easily because you won’t be heaping the past and emotion on the situation. Remain nimble and empowered by staying curious and looking for opportunities no matter what is happening.  People typically love this phase the most out of all of the four phases and wish it would continue on like this indefinitely, or better yet, for the rest of their lives. Although that sounds great, chances are if you are still open to growth and being your best self you will be back in the Toss In Phase and the cycle will begin once again. It doesn’t mean you’ve backtracked, it actually means you are moving forward, even though it may not feel like it at first. If you’d like to connect with me and other women who are exploring these conversations head over to womentakingthelead.com/group to join the Women Taking the Lead private Facebook group. This is a great group to ask questions, get support and have some fun with other ambitious go-getting women. As always, I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success. Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hira Ali is a Leadership Trainer, Speaker, Writer, ICF accredited Coach & Licensed NLP Practitioner. Over the past decade she has trained and coached hundreds of professionals belonging to various professions, cadres & ethnicities . Hira's articles have been have been featured in The ICF The Huffington Post, Thrive Global as well as Ellevate Network (a few of them have been shared by Arianna Huffington herself) She is regularly invited at various forums to talk on Leadership and Personal Development topics. Her self-development podcast 8 Minutes of Learning With Hira Ali has been featured in the Huff Post. Hira is the founder of ed Management Consulting, Advancing Your Potential & Revitalize and Rise. Click to tweet: .@advancingyou is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/235 #inspiration Playing Small Moment While in school, Hira was terrified to speak in front of her peers, to the point of refusing to turn up to a speech she could be chosen at. Later, this caused her to cry as she was a good student with a lot to say. She now tries to push herself forward in those situations, but it still happens from time to time. Hira has to ask herself, “What is the worst that can happen?” Style of Leadership Hira’s leadership is always evolving. When she was managing a team in person, Hira took on more of a team leader role. Now that she is in the online world, her leadership has changed from people-oriented, to task-oriented. Hira is working on mixing the two. What Are You Excited About? Hira is working on her book and new online training program right now. Current Business Challenge Hira finds working remotely with teams can be challenging, especially when they are abroad. Hira tries to work one-on-one with her team and coordinate times that works for everyone. Leadership Practice Hira creates a good, but realistic, vision for her team in order to keep them motivated and driven. Advice For Younger Self Even up to a year ago, Hira would tell herself to be more focused and prioritize. Inspirational Quote “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford Links Website: www.advancingyourpotential.com Website: www.revitalizeandrise.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hira-ali-5972b91b Twitter: https://twitter.com/advancingyou Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advancingyour/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/advancingyourpotential/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edmanagementconsulting/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

In the last episode I continued our exploration of the Cycle of Change using the analogy of a card game which was first introduced to me by iPEC Coaching. If you have not listened to the first two episodes covering the Cycle of Change I recommend you go back to the episodes titled Respecting Where You Are on Your Journey and The Secret to Clarity is Reflection and Research, respectively. These are quick episodes and will catch up on The Cycle of Change. I mentioned in The Secret to Clarity is Reflection and Research how I had moved into the Shuffle Phase and so I required more time to reflect and begin researching different options for the direction of Women Taking the Lead. Another thing that I was fully aware of but it started to become a problem in this Shuffle Phase is the constant feeling I have of being busy. I feel, and I want to stress the word feel, I feel like I’m always overbooked and up against several deadlines. This causes me to constantly abuse the busy word and it impacts my mindset and how I “BE” in my life. What had been happening was I was not honoring my flow; I time-block to get project work done, and have separate time blocks for meetings and consults. But I find I am constantly giving away my project time blocks because, let’s face it, I consider other people’s time to be more important than my own. And here’s my dirty little secret. I am constantly working on the weekends because my projects get pushed from the work week to the weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I love the work I do, and would probably choose to do a little bit for my business every day but that’s not what’s happening. I wake up on Saturday and Sunday knowing I have to do several hours of work each day to play catch up before the work week begins all over again on Monday. I’m done with that. So on Saturday when I thought through what was happening and what I really wanted in this Cycle of Change for Women Taking the Lead I realized I don’t want to be doing project work every weekend. So I moved all my tasks to the coming week so I could not give my time away. Wish me luck and send me your love and energetic support as I commit to taking better care of myself, while leaving other people feeling honored and supported. Now, onto The Deal Phase. Phase 2: Deal (Preparing/Developing) In the Cycle of Change using the card game analogy, The “Deal” Phase comes after The Shuffle Phase and before Playing the Game. The Deal Phase is marked by an increase in activity – this will include networking, testing out interests or experimenting, training and skill building. Thus, the plan that was developed in the Shuffle phase is beginning put into action. You will have more energy and a more positive attitude because you now you can actually do something; you are following a path, you have a direction to go in. You’re open to new experiences, new people, and preparing yourself for the intensity of the next phase. When you are in this phase you are more optimistic, seeing life as an opportunity, and so you experience more confidence in this stage than in any other. You are the proverbial adventurous student of life eager to stretch, learn, and grow in new directions. When you first enter this this stage you will shy away from making commitments. Remember, this is the phase of experimenting and because of this you’ll tend to want to keep your options open and take things “one step at a time.” Before entering the next phase you’ll make a firm commitment to trust yourself and the choice you have made. In the next phase you will be assessing and evaluating the plan but what’s important in The Deal Phase is your ability to move to the point where you can make a choice to move forward and make something happen. Here you’ll also be looking around for allies, mentors and guides who can help to see you through the next phase successfully. You’re now developing a new plan that will take you beyond networking and experimenting. You will identify one or more goals for the next phase and the work at the end of The Deal Phase is to have a strategy and a plan formed. Anticipation, excitement and energy will increase as you gain more clarity around all of these pieces. There is also fear of failure or success, likely a combination of both, but you will be poised for action. What will be helpful to you in this phase is... Having a vision of what success will look like in the next phase. This will not only get you excited for what’s to come but may also help to identify any gaps in resources or training that you will need to set you up for success. In the last phase you were identifying your core values and how you wanted to live your life. Here it’s also important to know what brings you alive, what value you want to bring and at least a sense of what your purpose or mission is. If you can connect your goals to these things it will fuel your fire. Don’t overthink purpose, mission, and the value you want to bring. This can be something you experiment with in this phase. For instance, in my case I can boil down my purpose to the statement, “my purpose is to wake people up to how awesome they already are so they can get on with their purpose.” That is clearly tied to the goals I have for Women Taking the Lead and yes, it fuels my fire. It motivates me on the days when I can’t see progress or I just don’t feel like it. Start with the change you’d like to see in the world and let it unfold from there. If you are externally motivated, have an accountability partner or group. This will keep you from backtracking. It’s not to say you cannot pivot based on what you are learning from your networking and experimenting. Forward movement coming from informed decisions is what you are looking for here. The accountability is about ensuring, for you, that this is what’s happening. As always, having trusted advisers who have your highest good at heart and who can listen intently, cheer you on, and help you clarify your next steps is priceless. If you have some like this who is also great at setting priorities and making a plan, especially if this is not your forte, bonus! A Tool to Have in Your Toolkit If you are in this phase and you have not yet read my book Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing I’m going to strongly encourage you do so. A lot of what you need to do to navigate The Deal Phase successfully is in this book. From creating a vision to success, to getting at your core values, your purpose and mission, Superpowers, and even creating goals and designing a plan are in this book. It’s a tool you do not want missing from your toolkit. If you have read Accomplished and you are finding yourself in The Deal Phase, read it again. This book is a process that will take you to new levels of knowing yourself and finding success with each reading. Okay, that’s The Deal Phase. We only have one more phase to cover, Playing the Game phase, and I’ll be doing that in the next 100% Jodi episode. As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Katie Allen is Vice President of viaONEHOPE, empowering entrepreneurs to make an impact while making an income. Katie leads the business and the community of over 2000 Cause Entrepreneurs.  After experiencing firsthand the challenges of raising a family and working full-time, Katie transitioned to a career fulfilling the need for balance, freedom and flexibility. She is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs find and fulfill their purpose.  Katie graduated from the University of Nebraska. She and her husband John are proud parents two daughters. Click to tweet: .@viaONEHOPE is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/234 #inspiration Playing Small Moment When Katie’s children were little, she had a busy lifestyle. Working, maintaining her home, being a parent, and trying to keep up a healthy marriage all had her feeling stuck. Katie was used to taking big risks, but now with a family, there was a lot more to consider. Katie started to lose her spark, until she started working part time for fun. The Wake Up Call When Katie first moved to California, she worked for a big movie studio. Katie’s job appeared glamorous to her family back home in Omaha, but in reality, she was miserable. Katie doubted her ability to find a better job, until she simply could not take it anymore. Standing up for herself at that job and leaving was a very proud moment for her. Style of Leadership Katie is all about empowering others so they can achieve their fullest potential. She tends to remain hands off, but will always give a gentle nudge when needed. What Are You Excited About? OneHope Wine has a new winery under construction in Napa Valley. Katie is hoping that sometime in 2018 they will start welcoming people to the winery. Current Business Challenge Though there is exciting new growth within the company, it can be a little overwhelming at times. Katie is trying to stay ahead of the game by planning out months in advance, while also keeping the same tight-knit family feel amongst the company. Leadership Practice Katie remains fearless and willing to take risks. “If your team sees you do that, they will follow suit.” Advice For Younger Self Katie would advise her younger self to drink more water and moisturize. Inspirational Quote “The two most important days of your life are the day that you’re born and the day you figure out why.” ~Mark Twain Links Website: viaONEHOPE.comLinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-allen-832b181a/   Twitter: @viaONEHOPEFacebook: @viaONEHOPEcommunity   Instagram: @onehope

First, the Agents of Change conference was awesome! I want to give a huge thank you to Rich Brooks, Amanda O’Brien, Lindsay Babayan and the whole Flyte New Media team who made this such an awesome experience. A crap-load of work goes into an event like that and they made it look easy. Then, I got to hang out with a lot of you. The Women Taking the Lead community was in attendance at The Agents of Change. What was really fun was The Agents of Change conference happened the day after last Thursday’s 100% Jodi episode in which I introduced The Cycle of Change. Several of you came up to me to let me know you listened to the episode and it rung true for you as well. We had a lot of fun laughing about how much we resist the Toss In phase but we are looking forward to the next phase. And for my new friends…if we met at The Agents of Change and you’ve just started to listen to Women Taking the Lead, Welcome!! If you have not yet joined the private facebook group for this podcast you can find it at facebook.com/groups/womentl/. Last week, I introduced The Cycle of Change using the analogy of a card game as I learned it through iPEC Coaching. I gave an overview of the four phases you can find yourself, in any area of your life. I’m going to dive into each phase and I started with the phase that I was in with Women Taking the Lead, the Toss In phase. We don’t go through The Cycle of Change once; we go through it over and over again with each cycle ending in the Toss in. The Toss In is a stage of completion and probably some bittersweet feelings as you start to accept everything that happened in the last phase and move toward emotionally detaching from it and in some cases there may be a physical separation from the environment and people who were in the last cycle with you. So, using the card game analogy, this is when the last game comes to an end but you’re still alive and so you will continue to play one game or another. Again, it’s a continuous cycle. Phase 1: Shuffle (Thinking and Reflecting) The next phase, the “Shuffle” phase is a non-committal phase where you want to contemplate what was and what could be next. In the Toss In phase of non-action, the contemplating and reflecting had more to do with grieving and letting go of the past and what could have been. In The Shuffle phase the contemplation and reflection moves toward focusing mostly on possibilities for the future. I know myself and a lot of you will feel uncomfortable allowing for inactivity for an indefinite amount of time. But believe me, if you give yourself the space to do this you will then naturally begin to move into the part of The Shuffle phase where you begin research and network, and you will find the next thing that will re-energize and re-engage you. When you enter The Shuffle phase you will find that you are better able to deal with the pain you began experiencing in the Toss In phase. You will also find you are better able to think on those events from the last cycle without becoming emotional. Rather, you can reframe what happened and logically process the information to find what worked and what didn’t work, giving you more expertise moving into this new cycle. This is also the phase where you will evaluate where you are in your life. You’ll examine your core values and feelings so you can decide what is really important to you in your life and that will help you decide where you want to move next and how you want to play that game. If you are in the beginning of this phase you’ll likely feel that you have lost control in this area of your life and that may spill over into other areas because you will second guess yourself. However, you’re also likely feeling like there’s an opportunity here for you – you just don’t know what it is yet. This is also a phase in which you will likely experience spiritual growth because of the need to go inward and connect with something greater causing a leap in personal growth. At the end of this phase you will have more inner strength, a plan to grow, and renewed energy. You will have a new vision for the future which will give you hope and a new purpose. With all of this you will have more enthusiasm going into each day and will probably be breathing a sigh of relief that you can now move on and DO something. If you allowed yourself to do the kind of work required in this phase (reflecting and researching) you will be able to focus on the right activities that will move you forward, rather than engaging in activities that are just what you think you “should” be doing. If you find you are enthusiastic about researching, exploring new ideas, and networking and connecting with people who can move you forward in this area, you are likely well into this phase. I mentioned in the last episode that I was definitely in the Toss In phase. I don’t know if it’s because I had a chance to talk about on the podcast and with some of you at The Agents of Change conference, or if it’s because I’ve finally started catching up on the sleep I’ve been deprived of all summer – you guys, I slept a full 8 hours after Agents of Change and then took a nap the next afternoon. A nap - I can’t remember the last time I took a nap. I’m not known for napping. I don’t know if it was from all of that but I can definitely feel myself in The Shuffle phase. As I mentioned before I had already made some changes to the podcast and they felt right but I can feel myself wanting to do a deep dive again to make sure the vision I’ve had for Women Taking the Lead still excites me or if I need to dream bigger or change some of my plans. I’ve started working with a digital strategist who just as a part of the discovery session has gotten me to think about who I am, what my gifts are, who I’m meant to serve and how I can best serve her. I’ve also started drawing to me people who are energy workers, intuitive coaches and even mediums – here’s where the spiritual and personal growth play in. I’ve let go of the discontent that after so much massive action in the last year things are still not exactly how I wanted them to be and I’ve moved on to dreaming about something new. It feels good to be here and I’ll be keeping you posted on my progress. For those of you who found your ears perking up and may nodding along as I went over The Shuffle phase here are some things that may help you now. First, trust that everything you need to move through this phase will come to you. You don’t have to control or force it, just let it unfold and follow what interests you. Your curiosity and your interests are your north start right now. Second, you’re starting to reach out to others. Only give your time and energy to those who want your highest good and avoid those who seem to be pushing or pulling you in a direction that doesn’t feel good or make sense to you right now. If you can sense judgment coming from them, just put some space between you and them for a while. Third, when you’re ready to take a little bit of action, don’t overthink it. Just start somewhere. You can always pivot if your first moves aren’t giving you the information that you need. Fourth, there may be some anxiety and you will likely find yourself coming face-to-face with beliefs or automatic ways of being from the past that make you anxious and hold you back. Confront them and challenge the truth of it. For instance, for me an old belief that I get confronted with on occasion is the belief that if I have needs then I am burdensome and a bother to people. In this phase, that would hold me back from reaching out to others to ask them to impart their wisdom to me. Even though the reality is those with wisdom crave the opportunity to pass on what they know to those who are ready to receive it. When I am confronted with thoughts like, “they have so much going on, I don’t want to disturb them”, or, “well that was a curt reply to my text, they must be annoyed with me”, I have to consciously let that go and trust that if I they really don’t have time for me they will kindly let me know. Lastly, when you’re ready, begin creating goals and a plan to accomplish those goals. Then decide how and when you want to begin. Tap on those people who have your highest good at heart. They want to help in this stage because you are acting in alignment with your own highest good. If you have not yet joined the private facebook group for this podcast you can find it at facebook.com/groups/womentl/. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Katie Krimitsos is an entrepreneur; growth strategist & business coach dedicated to helping women take their businesses to the stratosphere! She provides online and offline education, hosts masterclasses, group and 1:1 coaching and retreats to women who dream BIG, and who are passionate about living their purposes through their businesses. In 2009 she began her entrepreneurial career when she joined her husband’s brand new startup Tampa Bay Business Owners. Merging her passions for women and business, in 2014 she launched the Biz Women Rock Podcast. This gave birth to an entire community of action taking, purpose driven business women all over the world! Click to tweet: .@Biz_WomenRock is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/233 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Katie was always a big dreamer. In college, Katie was interrupted by a man who felt sorry for her, saying that having such big dreams would set her up for failure. Katie believed him and let that discourage her dreams for a while. The Wake Up Call During a low moment, where Katie was filled with self-doubt, she happened to get interviewed by her friend on a podcast. Katie told her friend about her eating disorder and weight loss struggles that she had overcome. After speaking to her friend about all of those things she overcame, Katie realized how much growth had happened and ultimately knew she could overcome life’s struggles again. Style of Leadership Katie always makes sure to remain authentic and vulnerable. She knows how important it is to share vulnerable moments with others, especially women, as no one wants to feel alone in their struggles. What Are You Excited About? Katie launched Biz Women Rock Elite community recently, where she gets the opportunity to be the leader for women who are on fire about their businesses and determined to grow. Current Business Challenge Katie has big dreams, and sometimes she feels there is a gap between what she strives for and how she shows up. So, Katie works on keeping up with her dreams while giving herself some grace. Leadership Practice Katie’s number one leadership practice is her morning journaling, or what she calls Mindset Olympic Work. This practice helps Katie put her vision into words. Advice For Younger Self Katie believes in knowing herself, while not paying attention to what anyone else is doing or what anyone else thinks she should be doing. Inspirational Quote “Stay in your lane.” Links Website: http://bizwomenrock.comFacebook: http://Facebook.com/bizwomenrock Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

I’m going to be one of the speakers this year at The Agents of Change Conference to help any struggling podcasters or would-be podcasters to overcome obstacles and set themselves up for success. As you guys know I love talking about stress, fear, taking risks, overcoming self-doubt. It sounds so dark but these are juicy topics and the other side of these things is heaven. But you can’t go around these things you have to go through. Which segues nicely into my topic today ... The Cycle of Change Each part of your life is likely in different parts of the cycle. This is why we commonly have the experience of feeling like there are always some areas of our life in which we are winning and other areas that feel like we are struggling. Using the card game analogy for The Cycle of Change there are several phases. Before you play a card game you have to decide what game you’re going to play. This usually happens as you’ve started to shuffle the cards so this phase is called The Shuffle Phase. The game is chosen and cards are dealt. During The Deal Phase your mind is considering your resources, the other players, a strategy is chosen and you are formulating a plan. Then you move into the phase called Play the Game. Obviously, this is the phase of movement and action. Then the game comes to a close and you are now in The Toss in Phase. During this phase you are absorbing what just happened and either celebrating a victory or considering how you feel about defeat. Phase 4: Toss In All things come to an end and typically people are rarely ready for the cycle to end because when you’re in the Playing the Game phase there’s a lot of energy and excitement. At the end, the Toss In, there is loss, grief, confusion or a lack of clarity for what’s next. Whether it is the end of a job role or a relationship, people in this part of the cycle are usually unhappy and cannot see how they will be able to go through it all again. In this part of The Cycle of Change you will take little action on your own and resist change because of fear and uncertainty, and depending on how the last phase ended, there may be a lack of hope. You may also feel victimized and like you don’t have control over your circumstances. You may find yourself being grumpier, ill at ease, and even experiencing pain more. At the end of the Toss In, there can be an intense state of “hibernation” or “cocooning,” which if you’ve read my book you’ll be very familiar with. This state will eventually passes, and if you let yourself just be during this phase you will naturally find yourself getting renewed and re-energized, ready for the next phase. Okay, for me, over the summer I noticed myself starting to feel stretched. I was happy with the way the 100% Jodi episodes were going but I was not looking forward to starting up my interviews again. I also was feeling a lack of vibrancy overall in my business. Now, some of this can be attributed to the lower engagement that typically comes with the summer but it felt like something more. I knew then, and know now, somethings needed to change for me to get back to being in alignment. I don’t want there to be any judgment in this. I love the women I’ve interviewed on Women Taking the Lead and I love this community. I could get emotional because you all don’t know the impact you’ve had on me. I am fulfilling my life’s purpose because of you and I don’t for a moment lose sight of that. How do I describe it? It was like my skin was drying up and getting tight. I didn’t fit in my skin anymore. I haven’t been sleeping well over the summer, I noticed I wasn’t setting good boundaries with others and that only caused me to feel more depleted. I definitely feel myself turning a corner, though I’m still in the Toss In phase. It’s like I’ve started to shed that old skin but the new skin underneath is so new it’s still sensitive to the environment. I feel an unravelling of an old identity but my new identity is not fully formed yet. This past weekend I was so low energy I barely did anything. I could have sat and stared out the window living in a world of my own thoughts and imaginings for hours on end. The problem I had was there was so much to DO that I could feel guilt creeping in even though I knew sitting still was what I really needed to do. I want to step off the path here but not too far to talk about Sanebox. This is actually very relevant to what we are talking about because while I’ve been experiencing low energy what has been saving my butt and yes, my sanity, is Sanebox. I’m so into this software I signed up for it myself when my free 2-week trial expired. Sanebox is a software you integrate with your email service and it automatically sorts low-priority and waste of time emails into a folder that you can check at any time but the key is it’s not clogging up your inbox.  When everything is hitting the inbox it can get overwhelming and then everything feels like a priority causing you to invest your peak times of day on emails that are not important. Go to sanebox.com/lead to sign up for your 2-week FREE trial and see if SaneBox can save your day like it saved mine. If you end up subscribing you’ll also get a $20 credit that will be applied to your first year of service. Alright, after The Agents of Change tomorrow I’ll definitely be taking some guilt-free time doing whatever I feel like I need to do in the moment. I’ve got a weekend of puttering on my agenda and it may look like a lot of nothing. Some things have come to light and some changes have already been made. Last week’s “On-Air Coaching” episode with Terri DeCoster is one of them. Starting in October you’ll also notice a format change with my interview. I have removed the Wake-up call question, because that typically comes out in the Playing Small question, and I’ve added some coaching to the interviews. When my guest answers what their biggest challenge currently is I’m taking 5 minutes or so to talk through it with them. I’ve already recorded two of those episode and I and my guest were happy with the results. It’s funny, I resisted doing any “on-air coaching” for over a year and now it’s going to be in every interview episode and that feels right that feels more in alignment. Over the summer I also started diving more into the concept of the masculine and feminine energy that is in each of us, and especially for me. Being Type-A, and being a business owner I tend to bring forth more masculine energy although at my core I am more naturally feminine. This is evident to me because I will often find myself in a cycle of go-go-go and then crash and recover, go-go-go, crash and recover. I’d like to explore bringing more feminine energy to my business and see how that plays out. I’m diving into this and going where my research takes me in terms of conversations, books, podcasts, Youtube videos. If you are into this and you have any resources to recommend to me please reach out. I’d love to hear about them. What is this going to look like for me and my business? I don’t know yet. It’s scary and exciting but it feels right to follow this path and see how it all plays out. What I do know is I want to continue to share this with you. I want to continue to be more open and vulnerable with you. Thank you all for the amazing feedback I got from the episode on spiritually. Releasing that episode was not easy for me but you affirmed for me it was the right thing to do. I want to continue to have the courage to share my journey in the hopes it help you on your journey. Speaking of which…if as I described the Toss In Phase it sounded like what you might be going through right now I’ve got some guidance for you that may help to ease the discomfort of being in this phase. One, Don’t try to rush through it because you feel uncomfortable. It is normal for this phase to feel uncomfortable and unnatural, especially if you are living in a culture that celebrates achievement, getting things done. People may not understand your need to withdraw for a while but the reflection and contemplation you will do while you are feeling low energy is critical to gaining clarity to go into the next phase. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in indecision because you just had no clue what you did or did not want it was probably because you skipped past the Toss In phase and so never got the information you needed to do the next phase well. In this stage of grieving you are doing an analysis of what went right and what went wrong while you were in the Cycle of Change. Not only your thoughts, you are considering your feelings, actions and the results you got during that cycle. That is important information that you need to synthesis and then integrate to strengthen you to move forward. Do the work. And the work looks like being with yourself even if it feels yucky. Two, fear, anxiety, doubt, loss and anger are all normal during this phase. You may need to vent to release the emotion. Find people you trust implicitly and make it clear to them you don’t need them to fix you or make you feel better, you just need them to hear you and validate where you are. Let them know you’ll tell them when you are ready to take some action but until then you need them to respect where you are in the process. It may help to explain to them that this is a grieving process. Three, look for the positives. What do you have to be grateful for? What is going well? What can you count on? This will give you some foundation to stand on while other things feel like they are coming undone. Lastly, be good to yourself. Give yourself some guilt-free space to just be for a while without the need to do, accomplish or achieve anything in the area of life you are experiencing the Toss In phase. Remember, this too shall pass but don’t force it. Otherwise, you’ll just find your back here again without having made any progress. As I mentioned, there is information and resources that can help you. I don’t talk specifically about these phases in the book but it all applies. Go to https://womentakingthelead.com/accomplished to get more information and find where you can buy it online. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors! SaneBox: If you are someone who feels buried in email and if you know you can’t help but get distracted by new emails coming in then you’re going to love SaneBox. Go to www.sanebox.com/lead to get your FREE 2 week trial and $20 off when you sign up. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Christina Vinters is a Chartered Divorce Mediator. She left her position as a big firm divorce attorney last year to transition from the traditional adversarial process into the healthier and more efficient arena of consensual dispute resolution. Her company, Modern Separations, provides e-mediation to clients across most of Canada and the United States by Skype and phone. She is the author of Pathways to Amicable Divorce, and she provides business consulting to other divorce professionals. Click to tweet: @cvinters is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/232 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Christina liked her job and colleagues, and also made an excellent salary. This is how Christina thought it should be. She started to feel withdrawn and her anxiety was high. Christina knew she had to take a risk to start her own business, and eventually made the leap. The Wake Up Call Christina and her family travelled to Thailand for a vacation of a lifetime. During a layover on the way back, Christina opened her work email for the first time, and was suddenly overcome with dread. In that moment, she turned to her husband and made a plan. Style of Leadership Christina likes to enable the consideration of possibilities and lead by example by being cutting edge in her field. Given her experience, Christina likes to encourage open mindedness and creative thinking. She also tends to be the calm in the storm. What Are You Excited About? Christina is excited about her new podcast that her and her husband started for entrepreneur couples. They interview couples, as well as experts in all sorts of areas in business, communication and wellness. Current Business Challenge Christina struggles with coordinating all of her projects that she has ideas for. Blessing and a curse. Enjoying her work so much that its difficult to take a break, take time with the family. Leadership Practice Christina is constantly learning, as she tends to get bored. By learning something new, she is always bringing fresh ideas and new skills to the community. Advice For Younger Self Keep going. There is always more to learn and lots of time. Inspirational Quote “If you want to fly, give up what weighs you down.” ~Toni Morrison Links Website: www.modernseparations.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/modernseparations Divorce Professionals Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/modernseparations Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

This is my first On Air Coaching Call. With me I have Terri DeCoster who is working full-time hours between a couple of gigs but really wants to get her own business off the ground. Terri DeCoster is a Masters level counselor, certified coach, and family mediator with over 15 years of supporting adults and children going through tough family transitions. Terri has facilitated numerous workshops and groups for adults and children, as well as private coaching. Terri served as a Board member at the Kids First Center in Portland ME, and continue her work as a facilitator. Terri brings passion from her own life experience as a child of divorce and a divorced mom when helping other families navigate the minefield of divorce with health and hope. Because of where Terri is in her business and what she was requesting of me I found myself doing more consulting than coaching and that’s why you’ll hear me do most of the talking as we get into the call. Terri and I discussed: Comparing ourselves to those who appear to have it all together. The pros and cons of hiring college students to build a website or take on other technical work. How to find professionals you can trust to help with your financials and admin support. Developing branded forms to use in your business. Putting together presentations using Canva and PowerPoint. Links The Four Tendencies quiz.  It’s very important for you to understand what motivates you so you can set yourself up for success. You can reach Terri at terrideco@gmail.com You can reach me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com Thank you all for joining me and here’s to your success!  Thank You to Our Sponsors! Simple Loose Leaf Tea: Finding the perfect loose leaf tea can be complex and time-consuming. That’s what Simple Loose Leaf is here to help with. With their monthly box of loose leaf tea you get to explore the world of tea. With each box you get 4 unique teas in re-sealable pouches. Go to https://simplelooseleaf.com/leadtea,  and enter code LEADTEA for 15% off your new membership! SaneBox: If you are someone who feels buried in email and if you know you can’t help but get distracted by new emails coming in then you’re going to love SaneBox. Go to www.sanebox.com/lead to get your FREE 2 week trial and $20 off when you sign up. Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Jen Brown is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Engaging Educator. Through EE, her pedagogical approach of Improv as Continuing Education has reached over 25,000 people – all non-actors! Since 2012, Jen has given three TEDx Talks on the power of Improv, grown EE to two locations in NYC and Winston-Salem, NC and recently began The Engaging Educator Foundation, a 501(c)(3) which offers free and low-cost Improv workshops for educators, at-risk adults, teens and students on the Autism Spectrum. Currently, Jen happily resides in Winston-Salem with her husband, who she met while teaching an improv class – and no, he wasn’t the best person in the class, in fact, he was the worst. Click to tweet: .@jenoleniczak is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/231 #inspiration Playing Small Moment When Jen started Engaging Ed, she was also a museum educator, working at different museums part time. Any time Jen was asked about her “improv thing,” she would downplay it into a hobby. After about two years, someone pointed out that she had a logo and a brand, and that pushed her to embrace Engaging Ed for what it really was, her business. The Wake Up Call Jen was working with a collaborator at the time, so she could continue to say yes to various projects. An old acquaintance of Jen’s called, wanting to hire Engaging Ed for team building. When Jen presented this idea to her collaborator, he blew up at her and retaliated with name-calling. After this altercation, Jen took a huge leap and moved to Winston-Salem, away from New York and her collaboration. Style of Leadership Jen is type A, creative, and likes control over situations to a certain extent. It takes her a minute to delegate,  but she often pushes those around her to creatively meet goals in their own way. What Are You Excited About? Jen is excited about the customer service-centric workshops she has started to teach with Engaging Ed. These trainings teach people to listen better. In improv, listening is everything. Jen is also very close to sending her book off for publishing . This book is not just for actors, it shows how improv ties into the goodness of life. Current Business Challenge Jen is always looking for ways to show that Engaging Ed is different, that she is different. Jen may not be the first to take improv and tie it into business, but what they do at Engaging Ed is different. Leadership Practice Before Jen opens her computer, she makes a written list of what she is working on. Advice For Younger Self “Hang in there, kid.” Inspirational Quote “You aren’t pizza. You won’t please everyone.” Links Twitter: @jenoleniczak or @TheEngagingEd Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEngagingEducator Website: www.theengagingeducator.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDBbmyWo3KYSHAcgtFYKfFw Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

I am back from Podcast Movement this week and slowly getting back into the swing of things. I am happy to say the jet lag has finally worn off and we are about to go into my favorite month of the year, September. And I’ve got something exciting on the agenda for September. If you bought my book, Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing, and you signed up for the free resources you are going to be invited to a free open call with me via Zoom. That call is going down on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 7:30 PM ET. If you bought the book but haven’t signed up for the resources sign up now so you can get access to the link for the call. This is a video call so I will have my camera on but you can opt to have your camera off and there will be dial-in information if you need to call in by phone. This is your opportunity to get any of your questions answered regarding the content of the book and/or some laser coaching if that’s what you need. If you bought my book but you have not yet signed up for the free resources you can find the link in the book after the dedication and before the table of contents. I am looking forward to seeing all of you on the Zoom call! Hot Tips to Lock Down Your Online Persona We have Katie Clark back this week for our final episode on personal branding. Online, Katie Clark is the Insights Gal. She is a market research, social media and marketing professional who has worked with companies in industries including consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, specialty foods, live events, insurance, entertainment, and technology and excels at finding efficiencies, building capacity, and fostering growth. Katie is a social media influencer and currently is the Communications Manager at the Maine Historical Society. She speaks on podcasts, blogs, at conferences and other events about market research, social media, productivity tools, wearable tech, and personal branding. If you have not yet listened to the first two episodes on Personal Branding with Katie Clark go back and listen to those as well because they are the foundation to this episode. Start with Why You Want to Develop Your Personal Brandand then listen to How to Remain You When You’re in the Spotlight. In this bonus episode Katie is sharing tips and tricks for being visible online. She went over some easy action items that you can do right away to lock down your online brand and make sure it is conveying what you want people to think about when they see your name. And without further ado… Action items: Google yourself! Make sure you know what’s out there listed under your name. Lock down your social media profiles with your name Clean up and improve your LinkedIn profile Look at your social media profiles as if you are a complete stranger and remove anything that does not represent your brand. Purchase the URL of your name if it’s still available. Look at About.me as an alternative to building out a website. Privacy is important but don’t have your profiles so locked down you look like you’re not a real person. Find the right balance of sharing to achieve your personal goals Thank you all for joining me and here’s to your success!  Thank You to Our Sponsors Simple Loose Leaf Tea: Finding the perfect loose leaf tea can be complex and time-consuming. That’s what Simple Loose Leaf is here to help with. With their monthly box of loose leaf tea you get to explore the world of tea. With each box you get 4 unique teas in re-sealable pouches. Go to https://simplelooseleaf.com/leadtea,  and enter code LEADTEA for 15% off your new membership! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Carol is the author of Breaking Through “Bitch”: How Women Can Shatter Stereotypes and Lead Fearlessly, about how women lead and succeed. She cofounded Talent Strategy Partners, working with numerous companies to identify and develop leaders to build the right workplace culture.  Carol helps organizations advance women using her proprietary assessment and development programs.  She is a frequent speaker and writer on women’s leadership, and a contributing editor for the Huffington Post. Click to tweet: .@cv_mitchell is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/230 #inspiration Playing Small Moment In her early career, Carol was encouraged to go back to school by her colleagues. Carol’s view of school wasn’t positive, and her self esteem pushed her to make several excuses for her not to go. After enough persuasion, Carol finally applied and was accepted. Even after that, it was hard for Carol to process that she had what it took to succeed there. The Wake Up Call For her dissertation, Carol wrote about men and women in leadership and how it differed. Carol had thought about making her dissertation into a book, but a literary agent said it wouldn’t sell. Carol needed her friends to remind her that she was holding herself back. Style of Leadership At the core, Carol’s leadership style is about getting people engaged and excited about what she is excited about. Carol speaks enthusiastically about where it is they are all headed. Carol is also working on being better at pulling from people in a collaborative way. What Are You Excited About? At Talent Strategy Partners, they now work with managers and executives in large organizations, but they have developed an assessment to show individuals who will have leadership potential. Talent Strategy Partners is also working with executive coaches to certify them to give this same assessment to their clients. Current Business Challenge Carol still tends to have the profile of researcher, as she is still somewhat introverted and very focused on the content of her work. Carol finds that she struggles with marketing. Leadership Practice Carol uses enthusiasm and her passion for what she is doing as a motivator in her leadership. Advice For Younger Self Don’t listen to the internal voices. Don’t doubt yourself. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do something that your friends and family think is beyond your reach. Inspirational Quote “What do you care what other people think?” ~ Richard Feynman Links Email: cvmitchell@talentstrategypartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolvallonemitchell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/btbbook/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cv_mitchellWebsite: http://www.tsphr.com Book: http://breakingthroughbitch.com Thank You to Our Sponsors MyLola: LOLA is a female-founded company offering a line of organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. To try out LOLA and to get 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter promo code LEAD when you subscribe! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Katie Clark is a market research, social media and marketing professional who has worked with companies in industries including consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, specialty foods, live events, insurance, entertainment, and technology and excels at finding efficiencies, building capacity, and fostering growth. Katie is a social media influencer who has appeared on various ‘people to follow’ lists including 10 Great #MRX Tweeters Every Market Researcher Should Follow, Most Influential Client-Side Tweeters, and the Wearables 1k. Currently, Katie is the Communications Manager at the Maine Historical Society, and also speaks on podcasts, blogs, at conferences and other events about market research, social media, productivity tools, wearable tech, and personal branding. She is the mom of identical twin girls and an advocate for international adoption.  Blending your personality into your personal brand People are looking for authenticity, for the personality behind the brand. Getting a glimpse of the person behind the brand is what entices people to have that relationship. This is very helpful in determining who you want to work with, and who wants to work with you. Coming out from behind your business brand Always strive to be your authentic self and bring your personality into your writing, visuals, and in social media. What it means to be authentic Being authentic is all about feeling good in your own skin. When things get more important, it gets a little harder to remain yourself, but that’s when you need it the most. Think about what you are putting forward. You are spreading the word on who you are and what your brand is. How to be your authentic self on video, in front of a large group or on social media Authenticity in front of an audience takes practice. Whether you are live, on camera, or writing social media, there are different tactics you can use that will help you feel more comfortable and ensure you are being true to your authentic self. ___ Oh my God, good stuff! So in the last bonus episode Katie shared why personal branding is so important, in this episode she covered how to amplify your personal brand and in the next bonus episode Katie is sharing tips and tricks for being visible online so stay tuned for that!  If you have any questions on personal branding I may be able to coax Katie back on to answer them for a Q&A podcast. You can send your questions to me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com or you can send me a message through Voxer. Voxer is an app for your phone that allows you to send text and voice messages. If you send me a message you will hear your voice on a future episode. I am easy to find on Voxer as Jodi Flynn or jflynn74.   Lastly, if you are getting a lot of these episodes please share them with a friend. I love when I see you guys sharing the episodes on social media and there is something powerful when we tell one person, “I thought of you when I was listening to this. Let me show you how to find it.”   As always, I appreciate you for your support of me, of this podcast, and of each other!  Thank you all for joining me and here’s to your success!  Thank You to Our Sponsors MyLola: LOLA is a female-founded company offering a line of organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. To try out LOLA and to get 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter promo code LEAD when you subscribe! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

As a former NFL Cheerleader and Fortune 500 Executive where she was promoted 7 times in 8 years, Kelly brings a powerful combination of proven and profitable business growth strategies coupled with the mindset, wellness and productivity practices required to help entrepreneurs build a profitable business around a life they absolutely love. Kelly runs business coaching programs, mastermind groups, online courses and does private consulting with individuals and organizations.   Playing Small Moment Like many others, Kelly found it difficult to start from the bottom after flying high in the corporate world. Kelly had spent a decade building her reputation and learning the ins and outs of her job. When she started as an entrepreneur, she had to rebuild her reputation and hurdle over many obstacles of failing before ever leading to success. The Wake Up Call Kelly spent a lot of money to learn the art of the perfect webinar. She often cautions people against webinars, as you need to take a lot of time perfecting it before having the ability to convert sales. Buying other people’s strategies in hopes that you can skip steps one through four, to get to five, doesn’t always work out. “You can’t copy and paste a business strategy that worked for someone else.” Style of Leadership Kelly ensures that she not only boosts her employees to grow in their career, but also in life and as a person. For her internal employees, Kelly supplies gym memberships, has a book of the month, and encourages ongoing brain development. “As a leader, if you cultivate the whole person, and you help them reach their peak potential as a human being, you then create a bond and relationship that this person can grow with.” Kelly tries to be the best mentor and coach she can be, while helping her team because the best versions of themselves overall. What Are You Excited About? Last year, Kelly launched the Campaign for Humanity, which chooses charities each month to sponsor. Their goal is to expand their reach to people who can’t pay for their services. Some of the charity work they have been involved in include bringing communities clean drinking water, Operation Smile, and veterans groups. Current Business Challenge Kelly is currently coaching and training 3 sales reps, helping them build hit right database, and hit the right sales targets without her. Kelly has learned that every time you grow, then get to a plateau, you have to slow down to speed up. Leadership Practice The number one thing that Kelly practices is looking at her coaching and how it affected her team when something isn’t working out right, instead of passing the blame onto the individual first. Advice For Younger Self “This is a marathon, not a sprint. Patience, patience, patience. Be kind on yourself the journey. Don’t expect to be successful overnight.” Inspirational Quote “Be the best that you can be in everything that you do.” Links Website: kellyroachcoaching.com Facebook: facebook.com/kellyroachinternational Podcast: kellyroachcoaching.com/podcast (also on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc) Twitter: twitter.com/kellyroachint LinkedIn: linkedin.com/kellyroachit Book, UNSTOPPABLE: http://kellyroachcoaching.com/book Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.

Katie Clark is a market research, social media and marketing professional who has worked with companies in industries including consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, specialty foods, live events, insurance, entertainment, and technology and excels at finding efficiencies, building capacity, and fostering growth. Katie is a social media influencer who has appeared on various ‘people to follow’ lists including 10 Great #MRX Tweeters Every Market Researcher Should Follow, Most Influential Client-Side Tweeters, and the Wearables 1k. Currently, Katie is the Communications Manager at the Maine Historical Society, and also speaks on podcasts, blogs, at conferences and other events about market research, social media, productivity tools, wearable tech, and personal branding. She is the mom of identical twin girls and an advocate for international adoption. Personal Branding Expert When Katie talks to people about personal branding, they usually freak out. Her job as an expert is to demystify it. Personal branding boils down to how you want to be seen and making yourself memorable. Katie made a concerted effort back in the day, during the genesis of social media, and built a personal brand early on. Katie really fine-tuned her personal branding efforts when she started building a family and needed flexibility. Now, Katie has people that reach out to her no matter where she is in currently working, because of her personal brand. People hate the word competition, but we always compete for jobs, to get ahead. Personal branding defines your story, gives you credibility. It’s all about learning the ins and outs of amplifying the authentic you. Where to Start What do you want others to think of when they hear or see your name? What are you known for among your friends and family? What do you get complimented on the most? What three words would your friends or family use when talking about you? Structure things when you’re doing this and actually visualize the steps. Craft a short mission statement, expand to be your pitch. Elevator Pitch 1. Who are you? 2. What do you do? 3. What do you want, and where are you going with that? Thank You to Our Sponsors Simple Loose Leaf Tea: Finding the perfect loose leaf tea can be complex and time-consuming. That’s what Simple Loose Leaf is here to help with. With their monthly box of loose leaf tea you get to explore the world of tea. With each box you get 4 unique teas in re-sealable pouches. Go to https://simplelooseleaf.com/leadtea,  and enter code LEADTEA for 15% off your new membership! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Amanda O’Brien is the director of business development at flyte new media, organizer of Social Media Breakfast Maine and cofounder of eighteen twenty wines. She is a work in progress, proud mom, and dog lover. She loves working with businesses and individuals to help them grow and connect them with resources to reach their goals. Click to tweet: .@amanda_pants is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/228 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Amanda wasn’t very confident in her twenties, as she desperately tried to find her career path. Internet marketing, and making Myspace pages for others interested seemed to really be her thing, but Amanda was discouraged as she knew she needed to find a “real job.” At Amanda’s “real job,” she was miserable and realized that the number on her paycheck didn’t really mean as much as she thought. The Wake Up Call During her start in internet marketing, Amanda witnessed people getting taken advantage of. She felt it was her personal responsibility to help everyone. After a marketing event in Boston, Amanda realized she could help more people if she could do something like that in Portland. Style of Leadership Amanda just legitimately wants to see others succeed. What Are You Excited About? Amanda and her friend, Pete, are making wine out of rhubarb. Current Business Challenge Amanda struggles with time management. As a single mom, who wants to succeed at work and home life, Amanda feels she needs to be better at managing her own time, but also doing things one at a time. Leadership Practice Amanda always tries to put herself in a better place before she makes a big decision, or finds herself in a situation that is not going how she wants it.  Amanda follows the 24-hour rule, goes for a run, and spends time evaluating how she can make the best decision. Advice For Younger Self Amanda wishes she was more confident earlier in life. Always be learning; always be moving forward. It will work out. Inspirational Quote “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed in the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do.” Links Websites:http://www.takeflyte.com/http://socialmediabreakfastmaine.com/ http://eighteentwentywines.com/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/amanda_pants Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

If you listened to the last 100% Jodi episode you know coming in the Fall is the “On Air Coaching” calls. I’ve already got 6 volunteers for these calls and the feedback has been incredible. Thank you all for always letting me know when I’m on the right track and when you’d like to see some changes. This podcast definitely has an element of promoting myself as a business and leadership coach for Type A women but it’s meaningless if I’m not providing good and relevant content to you. I look at this podcast as a partnership between you and I so always reach out to me if there’s anything you want to ask or share. Speaking of which, I put out feelers in the past which didn’t get a lot of traction but this time I’ll ask more directly. If you have questions you want to ask and have answered on a future episode of Women Taking the Lead, send them to me. I would love to do a Q&A episode but need your questions to do it. You can comment any post you see on social media or send an email directly to me at Jodi@womentakingthelead.com. This episode was inspired from a recent workshop I did for a local company but let me be clear, I have this type of interaction with women several times a year. We were doing a roundtable exercise and one of the participants brought up a situation where a new position was created in 3 separate divisions. In 2 of the divisions a male was selected and promoted to the new position but in her division, where she had a strong edge, they were taking applications to interview for the new position. Although she had been given an explanation for the discrepancy, she felt wronged and treated differently from her male counterparts. The group felt for her but this was a savvy group so they didn’t stay on the surface of the situation. They began asking really good questions about the dynamics of the office, experience, etc. Then I asked her, “How often to you advocate for yourself?” She looked confused and responded that she didn’t understand the question. Although this did not blindside me my heart broke a little bit. Too often I see women getting overlooked because they are afraid to appear to be bragging, grabbing for attention or being a bother. The reality is those who are in positions of power, the people who can hire us, promote us or advocate on our behalf have a lot on their plate and so they are focusing on the end result and not always paying attention to how things done and by whom. This is why, even if you are uncomfortable tooting your own horn, you have to do it anyway and work on getting more comfortable as you go. This is true whether you are an employee or you own your own business. Many business owners struggle with the About page of their business, they have a hard time asking for testimonials. Because they are not able to make clear declarations of “I am awesome at X and have produced these results for my clients,” they blend in the background with their competitors who are all saying the same thing. In the office, your boss might be thanking you and congratulating you on a job well done today but will they cumulatively remember all your contributions 8 months from now when senior leadership is identifying top talent in each division? You don’t want to blend, you want to stand out and there is a way to do that without looking like you’re not a team player. Thank You to Our Sponsors Simple Loose Leaf Tea: Finding the perfect loose leaf tea can be complex and time-consuming. That’s what Simple Loose Leaf is here to help with. With their monthly box of loose leaf tea you get to explore the world of tea. With each box you get 4 unique teas in re-sealable pouches. Go to https://simplelooseleaf.com/leadtea,  and enter code LEADTEA for 15% off your new membership! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Elizabeth Moss is dedicated to recognizing Maine’s role in American Art.  She opened her gallery in 2004 after completing a master of art's program in museum studies and curatorial research at George Washington University. While in Washington she worked at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden and was a member of Zonta International and a founding member of the Smithsonian Young Benefactors.  In 2010, she founded the nonprofit arts organization the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts and was its Executive Director from 2010- 2014 and today heads the Advisory Board. In 2013, she was a finalist in Maine Family Business Awards for Elizabeth Moss Galleries and the gallery was named one of the top 500 Galleries in North America by Blouin International's website ArtInfo.  She is also an active member of the Women's Executive Forum. As director of Elizabeth Moss Galleries, she has exhibited at international art fairs in NYC's 28th Street Armory and Boston's AD20/21 at the Cyclorama.  Artworks from her gallery have been included in the Art in Embassies program and are in the corporate collections of LL Bean, Acadia Insurance and Maine General Hospital and countless private collections in the US, France, Saudi Arabia and Finland. Click to tweet: .@emossgalleries is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/227 #inspiration Playing Small Moment At the start of her business, Elizabeth was told by two well-known gallery owners that she should move to a more popular area. Elizabeth knew that she would probably flourish in a lofty place away from the strip mall she was in, but stayed put. It may not have been glamorous, but she wouldn’t have survived if she had followed their advice. The Wake Up Call In 2010, a client inquired about a painting that had been in their family a long time. With Elizabeth’s love for art history, she took a look at the painting and saw the beauty shine through. Discovering that the painting had an incredible history, Elizabeth realized she has just as much to offer as everyone else outside of Maine. What Are You Excited About? Elizabeth wants to focus on branching outside of Maine, possibly nationwide. Current Business Challenge Elizabeth feels like there is a retraction in art market. With recent politics, there is a little uncertainty in where it’s all going and the unknown can impact a nonessential industry like art. Leadership Practice Elizabeth’s relationships with everyone she knows. Advice For Younger Self It’s okay if you’re not 100% every day. It’s ok to be 60-70% sometimes as the days you are 124% will even it out in the end. Inspirational Quote “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” Benjamin Franklin Links Elizabeth Moss Galleries: https://www.elizabethmossgalleries.com/about Maine Museum of Photographic Arts: http://www.mainemuseumofphotographicarts.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/emossgalleries Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Elizabeth-Moss-Galleries-118863138155746/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-moss-civiello-479695b/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today! If you're getting my newsletter you know I am in the midst of some summertime craziness with family coming and going and getting ready for Podcast Movement in a couple of weeks. My parents were just visiting this past weekend and I was sharing with them how I'm listening to Marianne Williamson's book, "A Return to Love Workshop: Basics on a Course in Miracles." It's a live recording of her delivering this workshop over the course of a weekend. I shared with my parents how I missed going to a personal development seminar. It's been a while since I've gone away to focus just on me and who I am as a human being. However the more we chatted over the weekend and I shared with them different conversations I've had with people in my life and books that I'm reading I realized I am immersed in a personal development program. I've said many times on this podcast that entrepreneurship is the most robust personal development program you can put yourself through, but I'm also realizing you don't have to be an entrepreneur to get the rigorous benefits of personal development. You just have to surround yourself with the right people and resources and have a huge willingness to look at your stuff honestly and compassionately. With Podcast Movement on the horizon something that has definitely been on my mind lately is the creative direction of Women Taking the Lead. I'm not the type of person who can keep doing the same thing over and over and over again without getting bored and so I need change. Last year that change look like switching up the format to releasing one interview episode a week and putting more time and effort into releasing the 100% Jodi episodes. That had a huge impact on the success of this podcast. My download numbers per episode have doubled since I started doing the 100% Jodi episodes. It's those type of changes that I know keep me growing, keep the podcast growing, and serves this community best. Last year at podcast movement I had a conversation with Natalie Eckdahl of the Biz Chix Podcast. I told her how much I admired her for doing the "on air coaching" calls as a part of her podcast and conveyed how courageous I thought that was. Natalie very directly told me, "Jodi, this is something you should do with your podcast. You're a business coach. This is a way to display what you can do for your clients and the types of conversations you have in your coaching sessions." When she said that to me a year ago I was so intimidated by the idea of it that I just put it to bed and only thought about it every now and again. Until recently.  I was chatting with a new friend recently who asked what was next for my podcast. The first thing that came to mind was the "on air coaching" episodes so I mentioned that and then instantly came up with a bunch of reasons why I couldn't do it. All of those reasons were pretty much excuses not to take the risk and that became apparent in the conversation. I thought about it over the weekend and what kept coming back to me was the oral exam I had to pass to earn my coaching certification. This entailed coaching a master coach on a recorded line and then the recording is passes onto 3-5 other master coaches who review and either pass or fail you with feedback. As soon as the call was done I started to cry because I was sure I failed. I was wrong, I passed but I didn't feel good about the experience at all. Years later I entered a fun contest in my coaching community that was set up like March Madness in college basketball. In the contest each coach submitted a recorded call to be rated by a select group of coaches deciding who moved on to the next round. I didn't make it past the first round. I was bummed but I figured it would be a good learning opportunity so I asked if I could get the feedback on where I went wrong. I was told someone would reach out to me but nobody did and I didn't follow up, which I've come to regret. Because what has lived with me is this conflicting image I have of myself as a coach.  On the one hand I have this image of me as a great coach - I am able to provide my clients with a safe space in which they can just be themselves; they don’t have be super professional or put up any fronts with me. They can come as they are, tell the truth without fearing judgment and they can be supported and stretched at the same time. They reach or exceed their goals and they rave about me. That sounds all good, right? On the other hand there is this lingering feeling that I’m not as good as I think I am. There’s something I’m doing wrong and I don’t know what it is because that information has not been shared with me. So you can imagine what I’m going through as I start seriously considering these “on air coaching” calls. I’m going to be releasing yet another recording of me coaching and this time it’s for the whole world to hear. Anyone can access this podcast and listen to my coaching process and style. And my inner critic is having a field day with me. This is a perfect example of the Imposter Syndrome. I’m afraid if I record myself coaching and publish it I’ll be called out as a fraud. Everyone will know I’m not as good as I appear and the jig is up. As I’m saying this I know it sounds insane but that’s why the Imposter Syndrome is so insidious. Until we get our thoughts out of our head and say them aloud to another person those thoughts live like they are the truth. When I shared all my excuses with my friend, who in turn questioned them, the excuses all sounded ridiculous. It was then I realized how much fear had been deciding the content of Women Taking the Lead. And I can’t let that go on. I can’t expect you to do anything I’m not willing to do and I want to model boldness, taking a risk, and stretching limits. Starting in the Fall I’m going to start releasing “On Air Coaching” episodes. I’m going to take advantage of my time at Podcast Movement this month to develop my process around these episodes and you’ll be hearing more starting in September. The bottom line, and coming back to where I started from, doing programs and weekends to focus on your personal development is awesome – I certainly want to do more – and if you surround yourself by the right people and resources be it books, TED Talks, podcasts or videos, and take action on what you learn, you are going to experience continuous growth in your life and in your work. If you are interested in joining forces with a group of women who are going for it in their life and in their businesses I’m going to highly recommend you check out The Accomplished Community. There is coaching, Q&A, masterminding, expert calls, weekly prompts, a lot of compassion and more to help you continue to grow and stretch yourself in a way that feels good. Go to https://womentakingthelead.com/community to find out more. I hope this was valuable to you and if it was please share this with a friend. That’s how we gain resources to help us on our own personal development journey. Here’s to your success!   Thank You to Our Sponsors   Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

  Jenn Aubert is an author and entrepreneur.  Her first book Women Entrepreneur Revolution: Ready! Set! Launch! (Balboa Press, 2014) explores the mindset, motivation and behaviors of successful female entrepreneurs and the role models in their lives who have influenced them. She is also the co-founder of LearnSavvy, an online community for women business owners with a primary focus on facilitated peer group masterminds, called Savvy Circles. Jenn currently lives in Portland, OR with her husband and adorable son. Click to tweet: .@LearnSavvy is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/226 #inspiration Playing Small Moment When Learn Savvy was more of a marketplace for education, Jenn recruited women to teach classes. As they started to move away from that setup, Jenn realized that she had been solely relying on these other women to teach the classes and undervaluing her own knowledge. The Wake Up Call For many years, Jenn suffered from severe anxiety over talking to people on the phone. The moment that Jenn decided she wanted to write a book consisting of 100 interviews, Jenn knew things had to change. If Jenn wanted this book to be a success, she had to jump into the deep end. Style of Leadership Jenn uses calm enthusiasm. She believes there is just so much frantic enthusiasm, and that approach can tend to make some individuals anxious. Jenn uses a calmer approach, but still encourages with enthusiasm. Jenn also believes in genuine relationships and finds some joint ventures or list building promotions to feel slimy, where she would rather make natural introductions. What Are You Excited About? Jenn is currently excited about Savvy Circles, her peer facilitated mastermind group. This group of usually 4-6 women meets up weekly for 90 days. Jenn finds it incredibly inspiring to watch the journey of those women. Current Business Challenge Jenn struggles with marketing and standing out in a crowd. With so much noise, being able to get in front of the right people is always a challenge. Leadership Practice Meditation. Advice For Younger Self “Appreciate where you’re at right now, rather than always looking forward.” Inspirational Quote “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Links Website: http://www.learnsavvy.co/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learnsavvy Twitter: https://twitter.com/learnsavvy Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Man, the summertime crazy has commenced. It took everything I had, and little less sleep, to get this episode out this week. My schedule was jam-packed and I have family coming to visit so my schedule is going to be all out whack for a couple of weeks. I'll have a week of rest after (or not) and then I'm off to Podcast Movement. The old me would have become insanely stressed out and resentful, and the people around me probably would have been very aware of it. I would have tried to get rid of as much on my to do list as possible to try to alleviate the stress.  The old me would have battled with myself about doing an episode this week and I probably would have done it but it would have been because I didn't want to look bad. I would have been motivated by a fear that if I didn't do this episode I would lose momentum, and lose the faith and trust of those of you who look forward to the 100% Jodi episodes each week. I'm not going to deny I'm a little wound up this week with everything but I wanted to do an episode this week because I'm motivated from something different than fear. The emotion I'm motivated by is love. I love doing these episodes. I was hesitant at first. I was excited and nervous and testing out the waters with different topics but now I've hit a groove, gotten your feedback and now 100% Jodi is a labor of love. As much as possible do things coming from the emotion of love. I think we can agree it's much more enjoyable to be feeling love while you are taking action than it is to feel fear. I would much rather do an obstacle course loving the exhilaration rather than running it half freaked out by the obstacles I have to overcome. Sometimes it's not even fear we need to shift but there can be something really special that can come about when we add love to the mix. I remember when I joined BNI my chapter took attendance but they didn't enforce the attendance policy. That seemed fine with everyone because everyone seemed to give a best effort to attend...until they didn't. When I was the President of the chapter from 2012-2013 I had some real concerns with what I was seeing. With my personality type, and my background in corporate you know I went to the reports to see what was going on. Sure enough, when attendance was good there were corresponding increases in the numbers of referrals passed and the amount of money we tracked in closed business. When attendance went down so did the referrals and money made by the members.  Okay, so after looking at the BNI reports for my chapter for attendance, referrals passed and money made by the members, it was plain as day what I needed to do but this would be a major culture shift and I had only been in the chapter for a year and a half. A large number in my chapter had been in the chapter for more than 10-15 years, some of them for nearly 20 years. However, the solution was clear but I needed to do this right. So I presented the information first to the members who were in leadership roles in the chapter and proposed that we start enforcing the attendance policy. They were surprised but the numbers didn't lie and they agreed to the change.  With their support I prepared a PowerPoint presentation to do at an upcoming meeting. I was a little nervous given some of the personalities that were in the chapter at that time but I knew it was the right thing. I was resolved. And I was preparing for the presentation with that energy. My friend Michelle who is also a member of my BNI chapter, chatted with me the day before my presentation and asked me how I was feeling. I've mentioned her before as the friend who balances me out and this demonstrates exactly how. I told her I was ready, I was resolved and it was the right thing to do. Michelle replied, "And remember you doing this because you love them." She was exactly right! I wouldn't have risked so much if I didn't love the people who were in the room but I wasn't present to it as I was preparing my data and creating the slides. Every Type A woman should have a friend like Michelle in their life. I started my presentation by asking everyone in the room if they had hit their money goal the prior year. Only one person raised their hand. I then told them that my goal as their President was to change that. The reason people join BNI is to make more money. Everything else, and there's a lot of other things, are a bonus. People leave BNI if they are not making enough money for their efforts. I delivered my presentation focusing on how the attendance policy was going to help them make more money and achieve their goals. At the end of the presentation I decided to be completely transparent and I told them I wanted to do this because I loved them and I wanted them to be successful. Everyone agreed to my proposal to start to enforce the attendance policy. We've been enforcing the attendance policy ever since and my chapter has gotten better every year. On your part it feels better to come from a place of love, and it feels better for the other person as well. People can sense the intention behind what is said and an action taken. They may not be able to name it exactly but they do get a sense of whether it feels genuine or manipulative. If you're not coming from love you are likely being somewhat manipulative. Things that will take us out of love: Money fears are soul sucking Conflict in an important relationship  Judgment of another or a situation Challenges to our values A lack of love in others We have to consciously choose love in these situations because it's too easy to get sucked into fear and anger.  If you find yourself getting sucked into negative emotions come back to a place of love. How do I do this is focusing on the things that I love. I might get fearful about some aspect of my business but then I think about the women in this community. I remember why I work so hard and why I continue to challenge myself to put out good content.  When I get stressed out about a lack of time I remind myself that it's my expectations of myself that causes the time crunch and that I love peace of mind more than perfection. I then do what I can from a place of love. And sometimes I surprise myself; because I'm so calm doing my tasks they actually get done more quickly because I'm not so easily distracted. Make Plans and Take Action from a Place of Love As you start planning your days and your to do lists begin by getting yourself, not only in a good state of mind, but a good state of heart as well. Remind yourself of what you love and once you begin to lighten and feel the good emotions, then take action.  Especially do this before every meeting or phone call. Get to your set point of love and go from there. I guarantee you, you will see a difference in your productivity, your results and the effect you have on other people.  This is simple but not easy. It's a practice and I am constantly getting off track and going into auto-pilot, catching myself and resetting my mindset and my emotions. It takes some effort but it is SO WORTH IT. If you are looking to be around more women who are taking the concepts I've been sharing in these episodes, talking about them and putting them into practice then you want to check out The Accomplished Community. While I certainly have a private facebook group that any woman can join, The Accomplished Community is an exclusive community of women who are taking it to the next level. What I am really good at is showing Type A women how to let go of the stress so you can believe in yourself and, with clear vision and confidence, take the actions that are going to see you to the success that you want. My coaching removes the barriers that keep you from having the experiences you know you were meant for. Whether that is gaining more clients, growing your team, achieving awards and recognition in your industry, gaining that promotion, speaking, podcasting, or writing your book. If you've dreamt it I can help you achieve it. Go to https://womentakingthelead.com/community to find out more and register if this is for you. Thank you all for joining me and here's to your success!! Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Megan Kelly is the Co-Founder, Managing Partner, Executive Producer at Honor Society and brings nearly two decades of experience on both the advertising agency and production sides of the business and was an early adapter for digital content. While honing her skills for every facet of production and cultivating strong and enduring relationships, she has also earned a reputation for curating and developing talent. Prior to founding Honor Society, she led production teams for such top industry shops as Savage, Shilo, The Sweet Shop, Public Domain and Czar. Most recently Kelly started the Live Action Division at Click 3X. Kelly’s work has garnered some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, including One Show, AICP and Cannes Lions. Click to tweet: Megan Kelly from @HonorSocietyTV is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Leadhttps://womentakingthelead.com/225 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Megan has always been a hard worker who strived to keep everyone happy. In her thirties, she found herself juggling motherhood and a corporate lifestyle. Megan realized she had been trying to follow the rules, but sometimes rules need to be broken in order to grow. The Wake Up Call Megan was placed in charge of the division at one of her past jobs and was really proud of her accomplishments. Though she was the head of the division, Megan wasn’t able to have the creative freedom she needed or recognition that she deserved. After a certain point, she was pulled aside by her boss and told that she needed to run the company the way he wanted her to. Style of Leadership Megan’s staff is large and quite varied, so her leadership style sometimes differs. Overall, she strives to have a family-type environment where all opinions can be heard. What Are You Excited About? Megan is working on a couple of things that are yet to be released, but that she is really proud of. Honor Society is also starting to work on episodic branded content work for networks. Current Business Challenge Megan feels that she can be an impatient person and an overachiever. She struggles finding balance, and always finds herself wishing to be further along during the growing process. Leadership Practice Megan always tries to trust her gut. Especially with all of her experience, she needs to trust herself when she feels something isn’t going to work. Advice For Younger Self “Learn to trust yourself. Embrace trusting yourself.” Inspirational Quote “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.” “Nevertheless, she persisted.” Links Website: honorsociety.tvEmail: megan@honorsociety.tvFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Honor-Society-Films-943277799060462/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mynetwork/invite-sent/megan-kelly-8677515/ Instagram: @honorsociety.tv Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

It looks like last week’s 100% Jodi episode left its mark. I got an overwhelming response with visits to the blog post; comments on the blog, the Facebook posts, mentions in tweets, Facebook messages, emails, women joining the private Facebook group, and my email list, etc. Thank you so much!! What I loved was even those who let me know they didn’t express their spirituality the same way I do reached out to let me know that episode made an impact on them. If anything the response was, “Yes! Be courageous. We love it!” I wrote, recorded, edited and uploaded that episode on July 4th. A little ironic that it all happened on the day the U.S. celebrates Independence Day. However, that meant I lived with what was in that episode for nine days before it dropped. I had to manage myself for over a week because although I was excited to be more open and honest about what was true for me, my ego and my inner critic was having a field day with me. I’ve been through this before and I’ve coined this experience The Exposure Hangover. Here’s Where The Exposure Hangover Comes From Some of you may be able to relate to this, others maybe not. But let me take you on a journey to the past. It may have been in college or soon after. You were out for an evening with your friends. You had a drink to kick the night off. You were having such a good time you weren’t paying attention to how many drinks you had. Everyone was having a good time and the night was going strong. You had thoughts like, “I love my friends. They are the best.” And, “I love my new friends. We just met in the bathroom but we bonded.” Trust is high and you say things you’ve never felt so comfortable saying before. There’s a vibe of fun and acceptance so you become a little more daring. At some point in the night you felt your buzz starting to fade and so you had another drink. What number drink is this? Who cares, I feel great! Bio chemically there is a lot going on in your body. One thing that is happening is your body has started to release a load of endorphins which are blocking pain and anxiety, causing you to feel great and courageous. The night ends and you go home to sleep it off in your bed thinking this was the best night ever. And then you wake up the next morning. And the sun is peaking through the curtains. Pain shoots through your eyeballs triggering a headache. You’re dehydrated and nauseous and every nerve ending feels exposed. It’s all foggy at first and you’re not sure what made you feel like death. Then images and sounds from the night before start to filter through to your consciousness. Some it might be funny at first and then…you remember. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!” You said or did something that was so risky and outside of how people know you that a jolt of fear and shame hits you like lightening. You cringe, you moan, you want to deny it but there’s no taking it back. All you can hope for is that other people don’t make a big deal about it but they probably do. I don’t know about you but more often than I’d like to admit my hangover was made all the more painful because I felt vulnerable to being judged, ridiculed or treated coolly. What The Exposure Hangover Looks Like in Your Business If you are a business owner or you are striving for promotions in your career you’ve probably had this feeling before. In order to stand out, to be noticed and ultimately successful you have to put yourself out there. I’ve shared this Jen Sincero quote from her book You Are a Badass at Making Money in a previous episode but it bears repeating. “You have everything you need right now to start turning your financial reality into something that doesn’t make you wake up screaming in the middle of the night. You just have to be willing to do what it takes. And here is what it takes: agreeing to get really, really, really, really uncomfortable over and over again. We‘ve been raised to believe that you have to work hard to make money. And certainly there are times when this is true but the real secret is you have to take huge uncomfy risks. You have to do stuff you’ve never done before to make yourself visible, to acknowledge your own awesomeness, to risk looking stupid.” This could potentially look like speaking up in a meeting and giving our opinion, sharing our values with the people we work with, getting real with a client, telling a personal story while giving a talk or delivering a workshop, or revealing your relationship with God on a podcast. And here’s the thing, when you do it you might be a little nervous but you know it’s the right move. Because it’s the right move you’ve started boosting yourself up likely causing your brain to release more endorphins so your fear gets mixed with some courage. It almost doesn’t matter how your words or actions are received, you will likely experience The Exposure Hangover later. When the endorphins make their way out of your system the Ego kicks in and your inner critic goes insane. It will tell you that you are a fool, an idiot, and have you fearing an enormous backlash. I want you to know if you experience this it is actually very normal and it shall pass. It is not an indication that you did the wrong thing it’s an indication that you did something new and scary and you have removed a layer of what has been limiting you. I tell my clients there is the real you at your core and it is always there ready to be released. However, over the years you’ve taken on stories about yourself, other people and the world that inhibit you. Imagine each story is like a blanket that has been placed over your head impeding your vision and impeding other people’s perception of you. Is it any wonder that you feel so misunderstood and disconnected from other people when you are hiding under so many blankets and they are doing the same? Let’s change the perspective of The Exposure Hangover Rather than relating to The Exposure Hangover as a bad thing let’s label that initial inner critic reaction as what happens when you let go of a blanket. You have been relating to that blanket as a security blanket but you don’t need that security blanket. In a short amount of time you will have adapted to no longer having that blanket over you. You will feel lighter, your vision will be clearer and you will feel closer to the people around you. Unlike a real hangover greasy food will not make you feel better but perhaps hydrating and sitting still for a while to integrate or allow the feelings to slowly move through you will have you feeling better in no time. If you know you need to be more visible and more vulnerable to start gaining more success and you don’t like the idea of going it alone check out the Work With Me! page on womentakingthelead.com. There are all sorts of ways to work with me that don’t necessarily involve a long-term private coaching package. We can find a way to work together in a way that feels right for you. Thank you all so, so much for joining me and here’s to your success!! Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Lisa Woodruff is a professional organizer, productivity specialist and author of The Mindset of Organization, Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time. Lisa believes organization is not a skill you are born with. It is a skill that is developed over time and changes with each season of life.  Lisa has helped thousands of women reclaim their homes and finally get organized with her practical tips, encouragement and humor through her blog and podcast at Organize365.com. Click to tweet: .@organize365 is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/224 #inspiration Playing Small Moment After years of working in sales, Lisa left and started her Organize 365 blog. After a push from her husband, she incorporated sales back into her life and started doing sales parties. At these parties, she realized her audience grew significantly. It turns out that people really wanted to hear what a professional organizer had to say! The Wake Up Call Lisa started Organize 365 as a blog in Jan 2012 and had been waiting for a brand to find her and ask her to write about them, as she had seen so many others do. After that didn’t happen, Lisa decided to do a virtual webinar to teach about her Sunday basket. When she got onto the call, she realized everyone who signed up had already been following her and been using their Sunday baskets but needed more guidance. Style of Leadership Lisa has a teaching background, so she leads through education, motivation and action. Lisa wants to tell a story so people can understand their own mindset. What Are You Excited About? Lisa is excited about her newest book, How ADHD Affects Home Organization, and how empowered people with ADHD will feel once they realize there are methods that work. Current Business Challenge Lisa struggles with finding mentors or business leaders that are at or above the level she is in. Leadership Practice Lisa reads, or listens to podcasts every day. Advice For Younger Self “Just start. Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission; just do it.” Inspirational Quote “Done is better than perfect.” “Progress over perfection.” Links Website: http://organize365.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/organize365 Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

I feel like I’m inviting you into my living room because this is going to be an intimate conversation. Buckle up because this is another one of those “What I’m Afraid to Tell You” episodes like the one I did 6 months ago. This episode was brought on by two conversations I had within a 2-week period. The first conversation was a coaching call with one of my clients. She has given me permission to share our conversation with you and I am very grateful to her. We have been working together for 2 ½ months so we’ve gotten very comfortable with one another. In fact when we’ve talked about personality tests like Myers Briggs and DiSC our profiles are a near match. She joked that if we lived near each other we’d either be hanging out all the time or avoiding each other because we would be a mirror to the other and there might be times we don’t like what we see. I completely agreed. We were chatting a couple weeks ago and she mentioned that she wasn’t sure of me when she first started listening to the podcast. She enjoyed the interviews and got a sense that we had a similar take on things but the Marianne Williamson quote at the end of my episodes has a strong reference to God and that did not resonate with her. Also, being from the UK and living in Australia she also sees how evangelical U.S. citizens can be. I chuckled and thought this impression was very fair considering what gets blasted in the new and on facebook whenever there is a presidential election. She had a valid concern considering she didn’t know me very well. However, it was when she heard my episode on Higher Consciousness vs. Traditional Theology that she realized that I was a spiritual person but not practicing any religion. It was then everything clicked and within a few weeks she reached out to me and we scheduled a Skype call. I was very appreciative that she shared this with me and grateful that an unintended consequence of that episode, also inspired by a conversation with another client, allowed her to feel comfortable reaching out to me. Okay, so that conversation happened and about a week later I was having a one to one networking meeting with a member from another BNI chapter. I had recently seen a book list he put together for his employees and it included some of my favorite books like Start with Why, The Four Agreements and The Alchemist – books that from my perspective are spiritual but not religious;  along with another book that had the word “spiritual” right in the title. Of course I had to ask him if he considered himself a spiritual person. This opened up the gates to a conversation I did not see coming. During our conversation I told him what my client recently shared with me about the perception she had of me. He asked me some great questions and picked up on the fact that this is an area I censor myself, not just on this podcast, but in my entire life. There is such a stigma around spirituality, and exploring concepts like faith, divinity, intuition and higher callings. It’s not to say that I feel a need to talk about these things all the time but even when it’s relevant I often find myself saying very little on the subject even though the truth of the matter is I believe these things are woven into everything. From my perspective there is no conversation where these topics are not relevant. It’s like trying to pretend water is unnecessary. In the course of a conversation I would have no problem saying, “Do you mind if we pause while I go fill up my glass of water?” but the thought of saying, “Do you mind if we pause while I check in with my intuition?”, makes me feel squeamish. I could count on one hand the number of people I would feel comfortable saying that to and I only feel comfortable because they did it first, thus giving me permission to do the same. And this is probably something many of you have grappled with. Being Type A and likely left-brained, logical thinkers we like our facts, our case studies and what has been scientifically proven. It can be difficult for us to embrace faith because that would mean letting go of control and allowing things to unfold. We don’t like being told what to think and believe, or having anyone assign our role or cap our potential, so the dogma of religious institutions can chafe against who we are at our core. And for most of us we have collapsed spirituality and religion into the same concept but they are distinct. Spirit is your non-physical form and your connection to something greater than yourself as an individual. Your spirituality is how you choose to explore and express that connection. Religion is a system of practicing faith and worship. Religion is structured and has agreed upon principles. I want to be clear that I am all for a religious practice if it aligns with you and allows you to grow in your spirituality. Joining a religious community can provide support, guidance and company in your spiritual journey. I was raised Catholic and although I am not a practicing Catholic there are many things that I treasure about the Catholic faith. I can’t remember what age I was but I would guess it was somewhere between 4th and 6th grade I had a catechism teacher whom I felt comfortable with. Because of my level of comfort I would pepper her with questions. Being logical we can instantly see when things don’t add up, when they don’t make sense and if there is inconsistent information we have a hard time trusting the source. For instance, in the Catholic faith you are only to receive communion if you are in a state of grace, meaning your sins have been absolved. And you can only receive absolution by confessing to a priest and doing your penance. So for example, if you skipped mass the week prior and haven’t made it to confession it’s a no-no to receive communion. However, during the mass right before receiving the Eucharist the entire congregation repeats the words, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Having said that, and believing in a forgiving God, you are still not to receive communion unless you have confessed to a priest. Still, often when I am back in Worcester visiting family I will attend mass with them for several reasons. I like the people of their parish. They are warm and friendly and comical. It also makes my parents happy to see me attending mass. They do not push nor do they hide their hope that all their children will become practicing Catholics once again. They are very respectful of my choices and so I feel a freedom to attend mass. Lastly, I sometimes become very moved during the mass. When you get past the quirkiness of the Catholic mass, and some of the dogma that doesn’t resonate, you can see that it is designed to create an environment in which you can have a spiritual experience. Sometimes I feel so connected to that something greater my eyes start to water. If you cut yourself off from the notion that there is something greater than our mortal coil you will limit what is possible for you in regard to your own development and your human experience. I remember watching a PBS broadcast of a talk Wayne Dyer gave and he made the statement, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." That stirred something in me and I realized I already believed that but I had never heard it articulated in that way. That is at the core of my beliefs but it has been a journey to get here. My faith has been tested many times and I went through a time when it was shattered. As I share this story I don’t want you to get hung up on the word God. If God resonates with you, great; if not know that in the telling of this story I could interchangeable use the words source, higher power, universe, etc. Change out God for the word that is true to you. Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Naomi is a mother of a child on the autism spectrum and a specialist coach for families like hers. She manages an amazing movement Autism Living Life On The Spectrum which consists of over 9,000 people touched by Autism and/or Special Needs, with a focus in helping families create a life where they can turn the obstacles they are presented with into opportunities. Click to tweet: Naomi Amat is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/223 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Ten years ago, Naomi and her family were away for her a wedding, and her son had an accident and fell out of a window. During the healing process for her son, she realized that everything they had done had been centered around her son for so long. Changes in focus needed to take place so Naomi could put some energy into herself and what she wanted to do in life. The Wake Up Call Naomi and her family were struggling with her son. She made some great progress working with him and family dynamics started to move forward, but she felt unfulfilled. Naomi was a busy mom who realized all that she had gained from other people and their journeys. With that inspiration, Naomi started a Facebook group that featured her learnings, and it took off from there. Style of Leadership Naomi looks at the emotional, physical, and mental impact as well as family dynamic, to figure out how to move forward from situations that may seem negative and turn them into a positive. What Are You Excited About? Naomi is working on creating Autism acceptance on a global level. Current Business Challenge Naomi finds that most people have a preconceived idea of autism and she is working on changing that perception while educating at all levels. Leadership Practice Naomi believes in always reflecting on what is happening around her. Sharing her stories and coming out the other side has been empowering. Advice For Younger Self Embrace change ourselves to be able to see that change is a possibility for others. Inspirational Quote “By nurturing you, you can better nurture your family too.” Links https://livinglifeonthespectrum.com/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

I’ve been resisting this episode and the topic of next week’s episode as well. Which is kind of funny because the book I’m reading right now, or I should say the physical book I’m reading, because you guys know I’ve always got a book in audible going as well. The physical book I’m reading is Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly. In this book Matthew Kelly states, “The hardest war to win is the one you don’t even realize you are fighting, and the hardest enemy to defeat is the one you don’t even know exists. Every day you are at war with resistance.” I love you all for reaching out and letting me know how the interviews and the 100% Jodi episodes are impacting you. The more conversations I have with you the more I want to bring out the best in my guests and encourage them to be open and vulnerable with you. I am also striving to be more open and vulnerable, to share the perspectives and experiences I know will help you. One topic that seems to be coming up a lot lately with my clients and in this community at large is the theme of being a lone wolf. What I mean by lone wolf is being the type of person who likes to take care of themselves; to be independent and to be seen as someone who has got it all together. Especially for me and the women I attract into this community, we love helping and taking care of others. There’s no shame in other’s accepting help from us but there’s shame when we even consider asking for help from someone else. It’s a double-standard and we come out the losers. Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Rita Morales works with wellness entrepreneurs who want to take their online presence to the next level through authentic branding and creative websites that capture the personality of her clients.  She is a firm believer that a pretty website is pretty useless without a strategy behind it to maximize sales and conversions.    Rita empowers her clients by teaching them how to tame technology effectively through a hands-on approach with each client.   Click to tweet: .@ritasmorales is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/222 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Rita knew how to build a website, but she didn’t know enough about herself to create her own branding. Rita had to believe that she could slowly transition into this more powerful state. When she figured out her branding, she finally realized who she was helping, what she had to do and it really opened a whole new view for her. The Wake Up Call After Rita established her branding, she finally felt awake. Rita understood what she should have been doing, and learned how to brand herself and others to really make an impact. Style of Leadership Rita is an organized, Type A person. Becoming an entrepreneur allowed Rita to see that she didn’t need to be so serious. Rita tries to be relatable but firm in her leadership. What Are You Excited About? Rita is taking her solopreneur shop into a larger agency model. Rita knows how to manage projects, so she is excited to grow it and take it to the next level. Current Business Challenge Always finding the right people is a challenge that Rita faces. Being Type A, its hard for her to give up certain tasks until she feels like a person is skilled in that area. Leadership Practice Rita journals no matter what is going on around her. Her journaling allows her to analyze everything and understand things better. After her journaling, she will do a page of affirmations. Advice For Younger Self Rita would tell her younger self to stop overthinking everything and trying to be perfect. Inspirational Quote “You are enough.” Links Website: http://ritamorales.com  Facebook: http://facebook.com/ritamoralesdesign  FB group: http://facebook.com/groups/brandingyourbusiness Instagram: http://instagram.com/ritasmorales Twitter: https://twitter.com/ritasmorales/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

This past week turned out to be the week of talking about fears. In last weeks 100% Jodi I talked about all the fears I was confronted with when I was training for and competing in the Spartan Race. I had forgotten that the title I chose for Alison Cardy's episode was Walking Toward Fear and then the Eleanor Roosevelt quote my assistant chose for the newsletter, originally shared by Nikki Wetherell in her powerful interview in episode 104, had to do with fear. We’ve got some momentum going so let’s lean into it. One of my favorite life quotes is: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." ~ Helen Keller Hellen Keller is one of my idols. She is right up there with Mother Teresa and Anne Frank. These three women experienced horrific adversity and risk in their life but each one found a way to remain positive, optimistic and soft. They each felt fear, found acceptance in their life situations and were able to do tremendous good as a result. According to Cheryl Strayed in her book Wild, “Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me. Insisting on this story was a form of mind control, but for the most part, it worked.” We have to rewrite our fear stories if we want to free ourselves from a life of limits. If we are too afraid to roll the dice and experience risk then the risk we are actually taking is living an unfulfilled half-life. Do you wonder why so many people are bored and antsy and looking for diversion? They’ve been playing it safe for too long. For a lot of you the risk is going to look like being still and just being with yourself for a while. You’re afraid if you do so all the things you don’t like and find lacking in yourself will bubble up and overwhelm you. All those stories you have about yourself and what you fear might happen if you owned how talented, knowledgeable and experienced you are. If you owned it and started telling and showing people how amazing you are you’re afraid you’ll get called out publicly ridiculed for being a fraud. And here’s what’s going to sound crazy. That grueling, punishing story you have – that’s your way of playing it safe. You know if you continue to not believe in yourself you don’t have to take any risks. What stories do you tell yourself that induce fear and keep you playing safe? In her TED Talk, Shonda Rhimes stated, “A crazy thing happened — the very act of doing the thing that scared me undid the fear. It’s amazing the power of one word. ‘Yes’ changed my life. ‘Yes’ changed me.” When I first heard about Shonda Rhimes book, Year of Yes, I was turned off by it. I thought she wrote a book about saying yes to everything, which as you know I’m opposed to. Then I found out her book was about saying yes to the things she was afraid of and I was all in. I love the saying “do something every day that scares you” because I know by exposing ourselves to fear on a regular basis we desensitize ourselves to its paralyzing impact. In People magazine Dolly Parton shared, “The key to my success has always been that my desire to succeed has always been greater than my fear.” And that’s just it. You have to focus on the goal, the mission, your Why, however you want to say it. Your desire to be successful has to be greater than your fear. When you focus on the end goal the fear starts to dissipate and you find the ability to get in action. And if mocking and making light of fear is more helpful to you then listen in to what Elizabeth Gilbert has to say on the subject, “YOUR FEAR IS BORING. …Fear is boring, because fear only ever has one thing to say to us, and that thing is: ‘STOP!’… My fear wants me to stop, because my fear wants me to be safe, and my fear perceives all motion, all inspiration, all work, all activity, all passion whatsoever as potentially life-threatening. My fear wants me to live a smaller life. The smallest imaginable life, ideally. My fear would prefer that I never got out of bed. Your fear is the same. Exactly the same as mine. I guarantee it.” It’s perfectly normal to feel fear. And fear is like a beacon to get us to take a look at something that might be lurking under the surface (usually a self-limiting belief that needs to be rewritten), but fear is not a reason to hold back or stop. For many of you fear is causing you to hold back your gifts and your superpowers from the world. You keep them hidden so no will judge you or find you lacking. But it’s a trick. In order for you to live your best life you must risk everything you fear on the chance that you could change the world. I have to share the Eleanor Roosevelt quote Nikki Wetherell originally shared in Episode 104. "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." You absolutely can handle the next thing that comes along. And until it does, keep doing your thing. That’s how you prepare for the unexpected – you live each day doing your best. What I also find to be true is that we gain confidence in numbers. If you are afraid of something find some company. Stop trying to go it alone. If you can get help from me or from a community please reach out to me and we can talk through what would be the best fit for you. You can reach me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com. I’ll leave you with this gem from and unknown source, "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic." I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Alison Cardy is a career coach who runs an international career coaching team specializing in guiding people through career changes. Her team’s work focuses on that crucial step before job searching: helping you figure out what it is you actually want to be doing with your life. She and her team have guided hundreds of people, in every industry imaginable, to innovative and functional career solutions. Alison is the author of the 5-star rated, bestseller, Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career. Her work has been featured on Monster, Forbes, The Muse, Undercover Recruiter, and The Washington Post.   Click to tweet: .@cardycareers is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/221 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Alison was so used to following the path her parents put in front of her, that she got stuck in a safe routine. Realizing she had to break out of the cycle, she hopped on the Metro to DC for a solo trip. Once she stepped out of the fear, she looked around and saw it for what it was. The Wake Up Call Alison naturally focuses internally. When she transitioned into leading team, she realized things were getting a little rocky. Alison realized there was a blindspot getting in her way and had to refocus. Style of Leadership Alison takes care of herself, but is always trying to look at ways she can lift up the people in her world. She wants people to know she is not just in it for her, but them too. What Are You Excited About? Alison is excited about her book, “Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career” Current Business Challenge Alison enjoys work and sometimes struggles to turn off her work brain in the middle of the night. Leadership Practice Alison actually cares. Advice For Younger Self “Keep doing those scary things.” Inspirational Quote “Your real life, your whole life is worth getting your heart broken a few thousand times.” ~Martha Beck Links Website: http://www.cardycareercoaching.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cardycareercoaching/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cardycareers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisoncardy Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin's altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at: altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

This past Saturday, June 17th of 2017, I completed my first Spartan Race. I did the Spartan Sprint with several family members and friends and it was just an amazing experience. And it wasn’t amazing to me because everything went smoothly and as planned. It was amazing because it was really, really hard and I did it. The community, the comraderie and the overall energy of the event was something that really needs to be experienced. As I was heading into the last week of training and through the day after I completed the race I was reflecting back and thinking about what I learned through the whole experience and how this goal changed me. Why Would I Sign Up for a Spartan Race? First I have to thank my sister Kerri who on Thanksgiving Day in 2016 came up to talk to me as she and her family were getting ready to leave. She announced to me that she had read my book Accomplished and had made a commitment. I was overjoyed because one thing I’ve learned for my own happiness is not to expect family members to be as into my career and business as I am. Any support I get from them is great. So when my sister made this announcement I was touched and I asked what she committed to. During the day her husband had been talking about his recent experience doing the Spartan Stadium Sprint at Fenway Park so I should not have been surprised when Kerri declared that she was going to do her first Spartan Race in June. Caught up in the moment I blurted out, “I’ll run it with you!” Being a woman of integrity, even after the reality of what I had just done had started to settle in over the next few days I got online and registered myself for the race.  And knowing what I know about big scary goals, and my own need for external accountability, in the next month I told anyone who would listen that I was running my first Spartan Race in June. The other reality was I was getting out of shape. I ran a marathon in 2006 and managed to continue to work out with my personal trainer, run and do boot camp classes and yoga even after starting my business in 2010. However, my time and resources were seriously depleted when I was preparing to launch this podcast. In 2015 I was no longer working out with my personal trainer and getting to the boot camp classes and yoga felt like too much of a time commitment. Pair that with eating on the go and resorting to a cheese and cracker dinner each night because I didn’t have the desire or energy to prepare and clean up a home cooked meal. Training for this race forced me to take my health and fitness more seriously, to get in the workout even when I felt there wasn’t enough time and to say no to things that are not serving me, my health, my money or my peace of mind. That’s still a work in progress. That means I need to set another really big goal to support me in this. How I've Used Spartan Racing to Conquer Fear and More Making the time, doing the workouts, and feeling intimidated have not been easy. But it has been good. My life is more balanced and I am healthier and more confident as a result. In my “reflecting back” process the word “fear” kept coming to me. I learned a lot about fear and had many intimate up-close and personal moments with my own fears since beginning this. There were fears of sacrificing time in my business to make time for training – the very fear that caused me to be out of shape in the first place. There were mortal fears of getting injured by falling, pulling a muscle, twisting an ankle, etc. Then there were fears of looking stupid, out of shape, intimidated, and weak. And get this one: the fear of feeling afraid. I’m afraid to be afraid. Oh my God, that one landed like a boulder on my chest and the consequences of this fear are still revealing themselves. I don’t want to be afraid to feel fear anymore so I captured for you here a few things I have learned about fear while I was training for and competing in this Spartan Race. Thank You to Our Sponsors Freshbooks: The all new FreshBooks makes ridiculously easy accounting software that’s completely transformed how freelancers and small business owners deal with their day-to-day paperwork. Get a 30 day, unrestricted free trial go to FreshBooks.com/lead and enter WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section. altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at: altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!  

Joe De Sena - the founder and CEO of Spartan Race, the world's leading obstacle racing company. Following several successful entrepreneurial adventures and a career on Wall Street, Joe moved his family to Pittsfield, Vermont to operate an organic farm, a bed and breakfast, and a general store for hikers. It was here his passion grew for ultramarathons, adventure races, and endurance events. His racing resume is the stuff of legend – over 50 ultra-events overall and 14 Ironman events in one year alone. It was in Vermont the idea for the Spartan Race was born.  With more than 200 events in 30+ countries planned for 2017, Spartan Race has more than 1 million global participants offering open heats for all fitness levels and ages, as well as competitive and elite heats. The company has two popular NBC television series, making obstacle racing one of the fastest growing sports—and lifestyles— in the world. Joe’s message of inspiration and personal transformation, combined with his status as a two-time New York Times Best Selling Author of “Spartan Up” and “Spartan Fit.”, makes him a popular keynote speaker and public figure. Joe currently lives in Tokyo, Japan with his wife Courtney and their four children.  Click to tweet: .@SpartanRace is sharing his story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/220 #inspiration A Woman Who Has Influenced Your Life In the 1970s, Joe’s mother entered a health food store and met a yogi from India who changed her life. After that trip to the store, she began meditation, adopted a vegan diet and started teaching yoga. These new life changes made Joe’s mother an outcast and resulted in his parents getting a divorce. Joe learned to follow what he believed was right in his heart. Trends He Sees That Hold Women Back Both women and men need to believe in themselves more. Believing in yourself can allow you to push through when things seem stacked against you. What He Has Learned From Women Joe is confident that women are definitely tougher than men, probably due to biological reasons. In his races, he has witnessed women with a higher tolerance for pain and an unwillingness to quit. The Necessary Changes Women need to believe in themselves and stop talking about the things that are limiting them. Joe believes that you need to take control and make things happen. You may not get recognized for your hard work right away, but keep at it and you will. What Are You Excited About Joe is currently writing a third book called Spartan X, which he hopes will help people 10X their lives. He is also working on expanding obstacle racing to 20 new countries, and even adding it to the Olympics. Inspirational Quote “It could be worse.” Links Website: https://spartan.comEmail: joe@spartan.comSpartan Up Podcast: https://spartan.com/en/media/podcast/episodes Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpartanRace Thank You to Our Sponsors altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at: altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

I thought the last episode of networking tips shared by the women in this community was going to wrap up the series but as I was chatting with a friend I realized there was still more to share. Bear with me because I’m going to keep going until I’ve wrung this topic out. Networking is so crucial to our success in our careers and in our business I don’t want to leave any stone unturned. I’ve discussed the opportunities to do group networking and broke down the key elements of the one-to-one meeting. Now I want to share with you a skill that if you can focus on and constantly improve, will have everything else fall into place more easily. The skill is listening. We’re often told we need to listen more or listen better but we’re never told how to do it. This is a complaint I hear from many people about getting information from the gurus out there. We are told what to do, and that’s great, but we’re not told how to do it so we waste time and energy spinning our wheels and then feeling like we got the wrong information. And this skill doesn’t just impact your ability to network effectively, it impacts all the interactions you have with others. The better you are at listening the better you will be at sales, negotiating, building a team, handling customer complaints, getting buy-in, being heard and considered, and giving constructive feedback. I’m going to share with you 3 different levels of listening and the results you can get from each. The Three Levels of Listening Subjective Listening The most basic level of listening is subjective listening. You don’t have to put any effort into listening at this level as it’s the type of listening we grant most people and other people grant us. As it is subjective the listening is focused on you as the listener. This may sound odd because you’re thinking the person talking should be the subject but the reality is when we are bringing this level of listening we are paying closer attention to our internal dialogue than we are to the other person, though you may not be aware of it. As the other person is talking you listen through the filter of, “What has this to do with me?” You are listening for commonalities and information you can respond to or use. You know you’re brining this level of listening if when you get bored or irritated by what the other person is saying you start to check out. Because you have decided that what they are saying is not important to you, you no longer want to be in the conversation. There is nothing wrong with this level of listening, per se. It is part of our wiring for survival and making our way in the world to see and hear everything through a filter of, “is this important to me?” Example of Subjective Listening The person you are talking to:  “I had the toughest time trying to get myself up a half hour earlier to take my morning walk.” You respond:  “Yeah, I have a hard time waking up in the morning too.” Or, you respond: “You know what I do? I go to bed a half hour early at night.” The first response will likely go over better than the second. Rule of thumb, don’t jump in with advice unless you’ve been asked for it. Since this is the type of listening we are typically giving and receiving hardly anyone would think there was a problem with the conversation. We are often trying to find commonalities with the people we are first meeting so a response like “me too!” is not uncalled for but the rewards are so much greater if you can hold off on that for a little bit. Objective Listening The second level of listening is objective listening. If this is as far as you get you will still be an effective listener and networker. When you are listening objectively you are completely focused on the person you are talking to.  Though your mind chatter will still be going on you don’t give it that much attention. Though you will of course notice commonalities if there are any, you are not overly concerned with how the information relates personally to you. You are listening to understand what the other person is saying. You may reflect back what they’ve said to you to make sure you got it right and you’ll ask follow-up questions to get a better understanding of what they are telling you. Example of Objective Listening The person you are talking to:  “I had the toughest time trying to get myself up a half hour earlier to take my morning walk.” You respond:  “You’re taking on walking first thing in the morning. What brought this on?” Can you see how energetically this type of listening makes for a richer conversation as opposed to saying “me too” or “this is what you should do”? Even if you are in fact also getting up earlier to walk in the morning hold off for a few minutes to keep your attention on the other person. They will appreciate it. This type of listening is very effective, but doesn’t get to the “heart” of the matter. Intuitive Listening The highest level of listening you can bring is intuitive listening. And when I say intuitive I don’t mean you got magical messages from the universe. Intuitive listening is paying attention to what the speaker is saying as well as taking in their tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, word choice, their overall energy level, the feelings they are expressing, etc.  It’s paying attention to what’s NOT being said.  This is the most powerful form of listening and allows you to really connect with the other person. You not only want to understand what they are saying you want to understand why what they are saying is important to them. It’s the complete opposite of subjective listening. The goal is to really know who the other person is as a human being and what their core values are. You want them to walk away from the conversation with you thinking, “They really get me.” If you can leave someone with that experience you will be memorable and hold more sway in their mind. Example of Intuitive Listening Although you will likely not be diving in with a typical intuitive listening response at the beginning of a topic here’s what it might sound like… The person you are talking to:  I had the toughest time trying to get myself up a half hour earlier to take my morning walk. You respond:  It sounds like you really want to do this, you really want to live a healthy lifestyle, but you’re not used to it yet and you’re finding it to be challenging and maybe a little frustrating. Don’t be afraid to dive in and take a stab at it. Even if you get it wrong the other person will explain why you have it wrong without thinking any less of you. In fact, most people enjoy the opportunity to really explain themselves and make sure the person listening to them really understands where they are coming from. As long as you get to that point it doesn’t matter that you were off the mark at first. And let me tell you if you can provide someone with the experience of being truly heard and feeling like you get them, you have sped up the relationship building process. You are well on your way to building trust, respect, and if you want, friendship. I can’t underscore enough how important it is for you to develop your ability to listen with your entire being. It will radically change your life. You will show up differently to those who know you and they will start interacting with you more positively and appreciatively. Do me a favor, if you know anyone who would love to get those benefits please share this episode with them. The more people walking the earth with intuitive listening skills the better the planet will be. I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors Fanchest: Sports gift boxes loaded with products from your guy’s favorite team, in the perfect packaging delivered right to their door. Licensed apparel and fun surprises any sports fan will love. Free shipping and free returns. Enter promo code Jodi to get $10 off! www.fanchest.com Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Maggie Patterson is a communications strategist and Chief Marketing Officer at Scoop Industries. With 15+ years’ experience (11 of which as a self-employed consultant), Maggie has spent her entire career working in client-facing roles in marketing and as a copywriter. Today, she works with service-based business owners to help them implement smart strategies for business growth. She’s the co-host of the Service Business Success podcast, a Master Level Content Marketer as awarded by Copyblogger and her work has been widely published by leading websites including Virgin.com, Fastcompany.com and more. Click to tweet: .@magspatterson is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/219 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Maggie was the epitome of playing small, until a trip of lifetime with her husband changed everything. While she was unplugged, she realized life was too short to do work that didn’t make her happy. When Maggie got home, she transitioned her clients and within 6-7 months, she was working for micro small companies and much happier. The Wake Up Call Maggie was possessive of her business and felt that she had to do all of the tasks herself. Maggie’s coach pointed out that she was making a decent income and it was time to outsource. After hiring her first virtual assistant, Maggie noticed an astounding difference in her revenue. Now, she has full-time employees! Style of Leadership Maggie views herself as a renegade leader, as she doesn’t do rules very well. Understanding that she can still have her vision/goals, but as a leader part of her role is giving her team permission to improve on her ways. Not apologizing for being “too bossy” or “too much” To be the renegade and own that has been amazing for her. What Are You Excited About? For the last year, Maggie and her business partner have been mentoring women who are stuck and help them move through it by focusing on whats important in the business. Ultimately, they focus on going back to basics. Current Business Challenge Maggie battles with her inner critic and an imposter complex, but she is always evolving and figuring it out. “That inner critic? Man, she is mean!” Maggie doesn’t let it get her down, but it’s always present during the important and scary things that are necessary for success. Leadership Practice Maggie is a prolific planner and often works in 12 week sprints. Advice For Younger Self “Oh you got this girl. Go do it!” So many times we hold ourselves back, so she would give younger Maggie the nudge needed to go do it. Inspirational Quote “I run this day. This day does not run me, because otherwise, chaos will ensue.” Links Website: http://www.scoopindustries.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/scoopindustries Twitter: @magspatterson Thank You to Our Sponsors Fanchest: Sports gift boxes loaded with products from your guy’s favorite team, in the perfect packaging delivered right to their door. Licensed apparel and fun surprises any sports fan will love. Free shipping and free returns. Enter promo code Jodi to get $10 off! www.fanchest.com Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

After doing the 8 Networking Myths that Prevent New Opportunities and The Secrets to Make Networking Easy and while I was beginning  Where the Real Magic of Networking Happens I received a message from Shelli Warren of Sheconnex via an awesome app called Voxer. If you are not using Voxer you need to check it out. I went into the private Facebook group for the Women Taking the Lead community and asked if they had any networking tips to share with you. It’s no surprise we’ve got some savvy networkers in our community and I’ve got their audio clips strung together for you here. If you are not yet in the Women Taking the Lead private Facebook group yet get in there. You can hang out and see what everyone else is chatting about or you can dive right in, share posts and resources you have found helpful or ask questions and leverage the talent and experience of all the members of the community. You can find it in Facebook by typing Women Taking The Lead Private Group in the search bar or you can click on the link in the show notes at womentakingthelead.com/networkingtips. Here a few tips from the community. Carol Cox of Speaking Your Brand Cloris Kyle of ClorisKylie.com Anna Dixon of Creative IQ Jan Molino of Aspire Ascend Karen Maffeo Creamer of KWrites.com Kathrine Farris of MarkeTecs.com Nicole Boucher of NBoucher.com Nikki Groom of NikkiGroom.com Would you add anything to what these amazing ladies mentioned here? Let me know by emailing me at Jodi@womentakingthelead.com or leaving a comment where ever you found this episode. Also, do me a favor. If you are not subscribed to this podcast and you find it randomly on social media or some other platform hit the subscribe button below on your favorite platform:  iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music, or iHeart Radio. When you are subscribed the episodes come right to you, you don’t have to go searching for them. I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors Fanchest: Sports gift boxes loaded with products from your guy’s favorite team, in the perfect packaging delivered right to their door. Licensed apparel and fun surprises any sports fan will love. Free shipping and free returns. Enter promo code Jodi to get $10 off! www.fanchest.com Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Diane Gardner is a Certified Tax Coach and best-selling author whose proactive planning approach helps clients dodge the tax bullet. Her tax coaching sessions have resulted in a combined savings of over $1.22 million to-date — hard-earned profits small business owners would have given to the government by overpaying taxes. Diane is the co-author of the best-selling books, Stand Apart and Why Didn’t My CPA Tell Me That?  She has also authored six other books including her newest, Stop Overpaying Your Taxes! 11 Ways Entrepreneurs Overpay and How to Stop it Now!    Click to tweet: .@gardner_diane is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/218 #inspiration Playing Small Moment As an accountant, Diane had a habit of letting her staff and clients walk all over her. It wasn’t until Diane was able to stand up for herself and create processes and systems, that her business started taking off and excelling. The Wake Up Call Diane was stuck in a verbally abusive marriage for 17 years. When Diane was at a conference with a mindset coach, she realized that her experience in her marriage had her believing the lie that she had nothing important to say. That mindset helped Diane develop her voice and see that she had an important message to share. Style of Leadership Diane doesn’t associate herself with titles; she is just part of her team. Those titles can be intimidating to some and Diane wants to be relatable to the members on her team. What Are You Excited About? Diane’s goal for 2017 is to bump her current $1.22 million in tax savings to $2 million by the end of the year. Current Business Challenge Diane struggles with staffing to get those really good, superstar people to join her team. She is working on honing her interviewing skills, as well. Leadership Practice Diane is a firm believer in ditching the titles. Advice For Younger Self Diane would tell herself to develop a niche early on and not to wait until she has been in business for too long. Inspirational Quote “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” Links http://www.taxcoach4you.com/ https://twitter.com/gardner_diane https://www.facebook.com/taxcoach4you Thank You to Our Sponsors Fanchest: Sports gift boxes loaded with products from your guy’s favorite team, in the perfect packaging delivered right to their door. Licensed apparel and fun surprises any sports fan will love. Free shipping and free returns. Enter promo code Jodi to get $10 off! www.fanchest.com Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

If you’ve been following along with the last couple 100% Jodi episodes you’ve heard the 8 common myths out there about networking and you’ve gotten an idea of all the different types of events and gatherings you can attend for group networking. Ultimately, all of this group activity is leading to where networking has its power: the one-to-one meeting. These can be coffee dates, lunches, happy hours, video conference calls, etc. This is when you spend focused time with an individual to deepen the relationship. Nothing can replace an in-person meeting but when time or distance are inhibitors it’s time to get hip with the latest technology. Phone calls serve their purpose but they are so last century when it comes to the get-to-know-you meeting. Now that video calls are readily available to anyone with a device and wifi, phone calls give off what they are: a conversation with a disembodied voice. It’s fine as a last resort but if you want to make a strong connection get comfortable with the tools that are out there. I regularly use Skype, Zoom and Google Hangouts. I have also used Facetime on occasion. Before the One-to-One Meeting Confirm the meeting a day or two in advance. It happens. Sometimes the meeting doesn’t make it to the other person’s calendar or they haven’t looked at their calendar in days. Also, sometimes there is glitch when you or they put the meeting on the calendar and the time or date is off. By reaching out to confirm the meeting you can discover ahead of time if there is a need to reschedule. I don’t know about you but, even if I’m having a video call from my office, I’ve structured my activity around the call. To discover 10 minutes into the call that it’s not going to happen can be very frustrating because in actuality I’ve lost about 30 minutes of my time. The time gets eaten up because we need to reschedule the meeting. Also, the mental transition out of projects before the time of the meeting and the transition back in after discovering the call is not going to happen. This is even worse if you travel to a coffee shop or restaurant only to find out it was a waste of time. If you are having an in-person meeting be sure to exchange cell phone numbers in advance in case anything comes up last minute. Text messages tend to be more reliable than email especially if you are in an area that does not have good cellular service. Review their website or LinkedIn profile to get an idea of this person and the work they are doing. This is especially helpful if you are having an in-person meeting with someone you have not met in person before. You can look up their profile picture so you’ll be able to spot them in the crowd. Side note, make sure your profile pictures look like you and presents you as you want to be seen. Update it if necessary. During the One-to-One Meeting The first time you are meeting with another professional or business owner, focus on getting to know them well as a human being and finding out how you can contribute to them. Don’t focus on the work they are doing right away. Ask them about their journey, what they are currently excited about, and their plans for the future. When they look back on all they’ve done what makes them feel proud? What has been their biggest challenge? There are so many questions you can ask to get the ball rolling and once it is rolling stay curious about them and the questions will come to you naturally. If at the end of the meeting you feel strongly that this is a person you would want to introduce to others in your network, schedule another meeting to find out more about how the two of you can help each other. In subsequent meetings get into the nitty gritty of what opportunities they are looking for and guide them to teach you how to find those opportunities for them. Even if you are a newbie entrepreneur or you are early in your career, there is always a way that you can bring value. You have to believe that it is true and it is just a matter of discovering what it is. If they are looking for more customers get them to talk in specifics about who their customers are and how you can identify them. Do not settle for descriptions like anyone with a car, anyone with a spine, anyone filing taxes or everyone could be my customer. It’s too generic and it doesn’t give you a clue of where to start. I’ll use myself as an example. I occasionally hear, “everyone needs a coach so anyone could be my client.” Ugh! It’s not true! Anyone open to coaching can benefit from having a coach but few people need a coach. Even as a BNI member, I can confidently say there are people in my chapter who are going above and beyond to identify and chat with potential clients for me; it is still MY JOB to make it as easy as possible for them to make that connection. However, I am trained to do this. Not everyone you meet with will be skilled at helping you find them new opportunities. You may need to guide them to give you the information that will help you help them. Here are some prompts you can use and if you are networking for your career take the focus off clients and focus on opportunities and connections the other person is looking for: Tell me about your favorite client. What were they going through before they found you. What problem did you solve for them and how did that change their life? What do your clients say about you? How do your clients or customers find you? What professions would typically refer clients/customers to you? Or, who else could provide opportunities for you or be good connections for you? It doesn’t have to be a specific person. Think about titles, companies, professions and industries. What would I say to that person that would make them want to meet you? If you were at a cocktail party how would you know you were talking to someone who could potentially be your client? What kind of things to they say or do that lets you know? What questions do you ask them? What do you say to them? Now, I’m not you, what would I say to them that would make them want to talk to you? What’s the best way to make that connection? Now, when you are empowered with the answers to these questions you will have a much easier time finding new opportunities for others. It’s one thing to say you want to help someone else. When you can deliver on that commitment it goes miles to creating a strong business relationship that will provide opportunities for you as well. Speaking of which… Be Ready to Talk About What YOU Need Be confident about yourself and clear about what you are looking for. This is where a great conversation can come to a disappointing end. After you’ve been all gung-ho about helping them, they are naturally going to want to find out how they can reciprocate. If you don’t give them anything they are going to be left feeling pretty crappy. I’ve done this to so many people. It sucks the magic right out of what had been a great conversation. At the end, it’s still a good meeting because I’ve discovered how I can help them but I’ve also left them feeling a little frustrated because I’m able to more easily go to bat for them while they will have to struggle to find something for me. I know for many of you you’ve been taught not to boldly ask for what you want but in business, rather than coming off as unselfish and giving, you will be perceived as clueless and possibly incompetent. Imagine you desperately want to help another person be successful and they say, “I don’t really know. Let me give it some thought and I’ll get back to you.” You have to empower other people with information to allow them to help you. Know ahead of time what you are looking for. All the prompts I gave you a few minutes ago to ask the other person – answer those questions yourself. Additionally, be ready to talk about the opportunities you are looking for: speaking engagements, a new job, board positions, etc. Don’t forget to ask for connections to other professionals who wouldn’t necessarily be your client but come into contact with your ideal clients or connections on a regular basis. Who else can help you grow in your career or business? Have some names ready or if you’re not able to be that specific, know the titles and industries you are interested in meeting. At this point if they haven’t offered it up yet, ask the other person, “Are there other people in your network that I should meet?” This is how you can meet other professionals via a warm introduction without having to constantly be going to the social networking events, if those events don’t interest you. Lastly, remember that when someone passes you a referral or presents you with an opportunity they are putting their reputation on the line for you and that’s a very vulnerable thing. That’s why it may take a while before someone is ready to go to bat for you but trust if you continue to nurture the relationship and provide opportunities for the other person, it will come back to you. After the One-to-One Meeting Send an email thanking them and reconfirm your tasks from the meeting and give an update if you have one. Put reminders on your calendar to check back in with them or send them items of interest. I share articles, social media posts and upcoming events that they may be interested in, on a personal or profession level. Anything that let’s them know you had listened to them and you are thinking of them. If you are connected on social media comment and share their posts. Keep yourself top of mind by being a supporter and advocate for their cause. Coming back to the analogy of planting seeds that I share in the last 100% Jodi episode, you have to think of this as cultivating a vegetable garden. You cannot plant seeds and expect that you’ll yield a plentiful harvest. You have to feed and water the garden, and pull the weeds when necessary. It takes some time and effort but it’s so satisfying and delicious to have fresh vegetables that have come straight from your own garden. Would you add anything to what I’ve mentioned here? Let me know by emailing me at Jodi@womentakingthelead.com or leaving a comment where ever you found this episode. And again, subscribe to this podcast at womentakingthelead.com Before we go I wanted to give another shout out to Milly Welsh of Zebralove Web Solutions, who has been faithfully sponsoring this podcast since last Fall. She has been a priceless resource to me and has helped protect my website from hackers and does updates as needed. If you need a website or are sick of trying to figure out the updates on your own contact her at Milly@zebralovewebsolutions.com. Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Lynda Adams has worn many hats and is never afraid to try something new in order to expand her horizons! She has been exploring personal and professional development for a number of years and has a desire to educate people how to have more fulfillment and success in all areas of their lives.  She is the Marketing Director for Essential Living Maine magazine; a host for the Portland, Maine WMPG radio show, Successful Balanced Living; a coach teaching people how to build residual based income; and was recently elected to the Westbrook, Maine City Council. Click to tweet: Lynda Adams is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/217 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Though Lynda had previous experience as a singer in a band, Lynda was not comfortable with public speaking. When Lynda was asked to do a presentation before a well-known and—to her—a more experienced speaker, she panicked. At first, Lynda turned down the opportunity, but ended up changing her mind. On the day of the event, her nerves were through the roof to the point that she had felt physically ill. Somehow, she willed herself on stage during her time to speak and survived. After the event, that same well-known speaker came up to Lynda and shocked her with his comments about her presentation. Lynda learned a lot that day about playing small. The Wake Up Call After working as a city clerk for 7 years, Lynda craved more from her career. She was eyeing a job that would give her more time to work on her network marketing business and was assured she would get the position. Lynda was crushed to find out that they had given the position to someone else, as she had already mapped out her future plans. This pushed Lynda to step away from her city job completely and jump into her network marketing business full time. A couple of months later, her path changed again for the better. Style of Leadership Lynda has the natural ability to get along with pretty much everyone and allow them to open up and share things they wouldn’t necessarily share with others. Lynda asks a lot of questions and really listens. When people are allowed to be heard, they talk more and you have the ability to learn more. What Are You Excited About? Lynda is thinking about buying Essential Living Maine magazine, but also working with the owner over the next year to double the reach of the publication. Current Business Challenge Lynda is currently trying to stay balanced and healthy. She does know how to say no, but when something enticing comes along, it seems to escape her vocabulary. Leadership Practice Lynda loves to give people compliments and watch them shine. She believes that people don’t receive enough compliments and it really inspires them to want to do more. Advice For Younger Self Lynda would tell her younger self to listen to her gut instinct more and tune into her spiritual side. Inspirational Quote “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 Links Web:  www.successfulbalancedliving.com Email: info@successfulbalancedliving.com Facebook:  www.facebook.com/successfulbalancedliving   Thank You to Our Sponsors altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at: altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and welcome to the show today. I am riding high from an interview I did on Friday with Joe De Sena, the CEO and Founder of Spartan Race, Inc. I can’t even explain how amazing that experience was for me. I shared with all of you that a month ago I was in Boston for the Spartan Workout Tour. This is a free two-hour workout put on by Spartan Race, Inc. all over the country. Unannounced, Joe De Sena showed up halfway through the workout to cheer us on and he led the last 20 minutes. He even hung around to meet the participants and take photos. And if you’re getting my newsletter you know a couple weeks ago I shared a tip on how to move past fear and get into action. I alluded to some amazing experiences as a result of my using the strategy I outlined and this was one of them. When I saw Joe hanging around after the workout and a crowd gathering around him to say hello and take pictures I was frozen. I hadn’t expected him to be in Boston so I had not mentally prepared myself for the opportunity that was now right there. As I stood and watched, torn between staying safe from rejection and doing something really bold, I got a picture of myself in the car heading back to my sister and brother-in-law’s house filled with regret for not taking the opportunity when it was right before me. That image was more painful to me than the thought of being told, “No.” And so I turned to my sister and brother-in-law and said, “I’m going to ask Joe to be on my podcast,” and off I went. Joe was incredibly gracious. He said he recognized me which blew my mind and he said “Yes” to the interview. “Anytime,” he said and he gave me his email address. His episode is going to drop on Monday, June 19, two days after I run my first Spartan Race. Amazing things happen when you act upon a small burst of courage. Now, in the last episode I went over 8 common myths about networking that may be limiting your opportunities. If you haven’t listened to it yet be sure to add it to your playlist so you can see if there’s anything that been holding you back. Now that we’ve dispelled some of the myths let’s start looking at what networking actually is and some ways that you can begin to strengthen your networking muscle. My goal is to help you begin a process that will make networking easy for you. Thank You to Our Sponsors altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at: altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Stephanie Breedlove is the authentic voice for women entrepreneurs. She has been walking the walk of a successful entrepreneur for over twenty years. After launching a career in corporate America with Accenture, she found her true calling as co-founder and CEO of  Care.com HomePay (previously Breedlove & Associates), the nation’s largest and most comprehensive household payroll and tax firm. Her startup grew to national leadership, was later acquired for more than $50 million, and plays a vital role in the quality and professionalism of the in-home care industry.  Click to tweet: .@BreedloveSteph is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/216 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Stephanie’s company was 5 years old and was doing great. They were profitable, growing steadily, and profitable. Stephanie got a call from a competitor that changed the way she looked at how her business was growing and opened up her eyes to how she was playing small. The Wake Up Call After the universe beat Stephanie over the head for months, she realized she needed to break away from the conditioned that was filling her head with doubt. Stephanie knew it was her responsibility to put aside societal norms in order to succeed. Style of Leadership Stephanie believes if you’re going to be an effective leader, you have to consciously work on it. You have to bring your best traits and talents into your leadership. Stephanie ensures that her team knows that they will achieve excellence together. If you want equal give and take, you have to give expectations. What Are You Excited About? Stephanie’s company was acquired by Care.com, and she exited the business a couple of years ago. Since then, Stephanie has answered a new calling and is now an author and advocate for women entrepreneurs. Stephanie’s new book, All In: How Women Entrepreneurs Can Think Bigger, Build Sustainable Businesses, and Change the World, empowers readers to be all they are called to be. Leadership Practice Stephanie prides herself on being all in, in all that she does while pushing through any barriers that stand in her way. Advice For Younger Self Stephanie would tell herself to not jut be okay, but be comfortable and confident in being different, if that is where your best talents are. Inspirational Quote “Never allow a person to tell you no who does not have the power to say yes.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt Links Website:  http://stephaniebreedlove.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreedloveSteph/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BreedloveSteph Thank You to Our Sponsors altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at: altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

This past week I had a chance to connect with one of the members of our community, Hira Ali of Advancing Your Potential and Revitalize and Rise. In our chat she encouraged me to share what I know about networking. It’s not a sexy topic, and most people report to dread networking. But Hira was so excited about it and assured me many women want to get better at networking so it doesn’t feel so intimidating or stressful. She convinced me and so here I am talking to you about networking. If fact, as I started to record my thoughts on networking I realized this wasn’t going to be one 100% Jodi episode, it is actually going to be two with a potential third episode thrown in the mix. Life Before the Need to Network What you have to know about me is that when I started my business in the Fall of 2010 I was at a disadvantage because of the size of my network, especially here in Maine. I had moved to Maine in 2002 and even though that was plenty of time to meet and get to know a small army of people, I didn’t. At that time I was more focused on doing my best at work and that did not require me to get to know anyone but my co-workers. It was through work that I formed my closest friendships after moving to Maine. Even when I became passionate about working out and running it was something that happened by teaming up with my co-workers. I didn’t even reach out to my neighbors because when I wasn’t working or exercising I wanted to be by myself or I was travelling back to Massachusetts to visit family and friends. What I hadn't grasped at the time was I could have benefited from knowing professional women who worked for other companies. Such women could have been a valuable resource as I was developing as a leader in my own company. Venturing into Networking I felt a little awkward when I first joined Business Networking International (BNI). I didn’t have a lot I could contribute but it was because I joined BNI that I’m so good at networking now. I remember the phases I went through as a networker from feeling like I didn’t know anybody and didn’t know what I was doing, to gaining a little bit of confidence after I passed a quality referral to another business owner; to walking into a networking event and knowing at least 10 people in the room and on to where I am now. Now I’m at the point in my networking evolution that I’ve been referred to as a Connector, a serial networker, and a master networker. I’ve overheard people telling the person next to them that they needed to meet me because I knew everyone. This is obviously not true. There are some occasions that a colleague will say after I indicate I don’t know someone, “I can’t believe I know someone that you haven’t met yet.” My point in sharing all this is that if I can hit this level of networking in less than 6 years you can make a lot of progress in a relatively short period of time. I’m even going to give you some insights so that your learning curve is a lot quicker than mine was. Listen in as I dispel 8 common myths about networking. Thank You to Our Sponsors altMBA: Seth Godin’s altMBA workshop is an intensive leadership and management workshop designed for changemakers who have a fire in the belly. This is for people who are itching to level up and make a bigger impact. Find out more at:  altmba.com/womentakingthelead Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

David Lee is the founder of HumanNature@Work and StoriesThatChange.com. He is the author of nearly 100 articles and book chapters on topics related to leadership, constructive conversations, and personal development. He is author of Powerful Storytelling Techniques, published by ATD press, and is currently working on a new book Courageous Conversations At Work. He is especially interested in helping people “show up” as their Best Selves and have the important conversations they need to engage in, to have the life they desire. Click to tweet: .@HumanNatureWork is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/215 #inspiration A Woman Who Impacted You David’s best friend and former partner has always had the skill to ensure emotional safety with a gentle approach to listening and allowing you to feel comfortable. With a gentle presence, she was able to see the potential in him when he would doubt himself. What Holds Women Back from Stepping Up as Leaders? Though it is not typically gender specific, choosing silence over speaking up in our professional or persona lives can hold us back. David believes that when we bring up difficult conversations in a respectful way, it models how to have the hard conversations. The Benefit of Mentoring Women David mentored a woman for many years, eventually becoming more colleagues and friends than mentor and mentee. David found himself in a situation where he would benefit from her help, and it was a nice switch to become the student. David recommends that mentors also become the students sometimes to keep perspective. The Necessary Changes Challenge your self limiting beliefs. David was faced with a situation where he almost talked himself out of a great opportunity. The entire process made him question what else had he been telling himself he couldn’t do. Current Projects David has a book called, Courageous Conversations at Work, where he tells different stories about people and their challenging conversations, in storybook style. Inspirational Quote “Better results require better conversations.” Links http://humannatureatwork.com/ http://www.storiesthatchange.com/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today. I have been enjoying connecting with those of you who have reached out to say hi, ask questions, say thank you, and share who you are with me. If you’ve reached out you know I’m asking you for feedback on what’s working and what you would like to see more of. I’ve gotten some great feedback this week from Sonia Sng, Vice President of Product & Innovation Risk at Visa, who was looking for more topics that would benefit both the entrepreneur and the professional working woman.  She offered up conflict resolution and personal branding as suggestions and I love these ideas. I developed a workshop on conflict resolution last year and so I can dive right into that topic. Thank you so much, Sonia! I’m making a case for Why You Want to Have More Conflict in Your Life Erin Robbins from Ginzametrics was on Women Taking the Lead recently in episode 210 and she shared how what worked for her was her ability to be direct and address things as they arose. She explained that, though hardly anyone loves to give critical feedback to another person, it’s actually necessary to keep the peace and maintain strong relationships. Most people hate conflict because their experience with conflict is the type where the tension built for so long that the conflict was a heated emotional exchange rather than a calm conversation. Who wants to sign up for that type of conflict? I also know women who value harmony so much they don’t want to rock the boat or come across as unsupportive. The problem is that, in their desire to maintain harmony, they usually create chaos. I had a personal experience with this when I was in my corporate job. It was during our first acquisition, and you have to know that when you are combining two distinct cultures there is going to be conflict. That is normal. Everyone is used to their way of doing things but adjustments have to be made. And there’s a lot of conversation that needs to take place in order to facilitate the process. The problem was two different teams began having conflicts and it wasn’t getting resolved. The senior leader who could have mediated the situation and let all parties be heard and make a decision did not like conflict and chose to pretend it wasn’t happening. The miscommunication and chaos that ensued rippled across several departments of the company and every level of those departments. If nothing else I want you to take away from this episode the clarity that avoiding conflict creates chaos. The more small confrontations you have the more peace and harmony you will experience overall.     Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Andi Simon is a Corporate Anthropologist who helps executives see their companies with more observant eyes, achieve “aha!” moments, and discover new and profitable opportunities. By applying the concepts, methods, and tools of anthropology to business environments, she turns observation into innovation and revitalizes businesses seeking growth. Andi is PhD in Anthropology and tenured Professor in American Studies and Anthropology. She is the Founder and CEO of Simon Associates Management Consultant, the author of On The Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Business to New Heights. She has 20 years as senior executive in healthcare and financial institutions Click to tweet: .@simonandi is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/214 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Andi was hired to eventually take over a company, on the terms that she would fix it first. Andi successfully merged the company into its parent and had really focused on taking the company from bad to great. Once the company had been severely improved, the original agreement drastically changed and Andi was shocked. Andi learned a big lesson about each of us being the hero in our own stories, and how there isn’t always room for two heroes in the same story. The Wake Up Call Andi was in the healthcare organization during 9/11, and though they didn’t receive many patients from the attack at that facility, her and her coworkers were still really emotionally involved. It became the push that Andi needed to reassess where she was and where she wanted to be in life. After a talk with her husband, and with his PR guy, Andi had a clearer idea on her goals and what she wanted to be doing. Humans are easily happy in routine and similarities, so sometimes it takes a crisis to make you reevaluate everything around you. Style of Leadership Andi’s leadership style is very much entrepreneur, but with a visionary side. She also competitive, while inspiring and enabling others. Andi refers to herself as a balanced leader with a strong focus on where they headed in a visionary fashion. What Are You Excited About? Andi and her husband have started using inbound marketing to focus on discovering what people are looking for. Often, it’s not about the product you are selling, but the answers you have to the questions people are asking. Current Business Challenge With the struggle of today’s society of there never being enough time for things, Andi believes in taking a walk away from the desk. Every 90 days, her team takes vacations. It helps clear their minds so they can come up with fresh new ideas. Leadership Practice Andi tries to really listen and think outside in. If you ask people what they are having issues with, they usually don’t come forth with their problems. Henry For said, “If I asked people how to improve their transportation, they would have told me to make their horses go faster.” Observational research lets you see what they don’t think you can see. Advice For Younger Self “Keep going, this is an adventure.” Andi said as corporate anthropologists, they tinker and fuss, fail and pivot. Andi’s younger/older self would say to just keep trying stuff. Inspirational Quote “We take observation into innovation.” Links http://www.simonassociates.net/ http://www.andisimon.com/the-book/#onthebrink https://twitter.com/simonandi https://www.ocai-online.com/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hey everyone and welcome! I hope you are having a great week. As I’m recording this the sun is out, there is a breeze and I can hear bird song. I’ll be heading outside as soon as I can to get in a jog and do some burpees. That Spartan race is not going to run itself. I wanted to share with you today some of the books that have changed my life for the better. I’ve read a lot of books that have had an impact on my process and thus influenced positive changes I have made. Over time I’d like to share with you all the books that I found helpful to me in the hopes that they will be helpful to you as well. But there are some books that went right to my core and transformed what I believed about myself, other people, the world and what was possible for me and my life. Each of these books helped to lighten my load and see things in such a new way that I found myself experiencing less stress and more joy. I’m listing them in the order in which they came into my life and not in the order of overall impact in my life. Each book was the most impactful book while I was reading it because it was exactly what I needed at that time. You have to follow your own instincts to take you to the resource that will best serve you, where you are right now. Here are the books that gave me what I didn’t realize I needed at the time. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson This was probably the first personal development book I was introduced to. It was published my senior year in high school and I’m pretty sure I read it that year or my freshman year in college. Although I gave this book away many years ago (I don’t believe in holding onto books; I believe they are meant to be gifted away) I remember seeing the wisdom in not getting so worked up over little things. This book, in a wise and gentle way, challenged common held beliefs and ideas about the “should” in our life. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz If you’ve been listening to this podcast for any length of time you’ve heard this book mentioned time and again. This book was a game changer in my life. Published almost 2 years after Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, for me this book was a deep dive into exactly what was at the root of my stress. Each of the four agreements, if you understand them correctly and live by them, will transform how you relate to the world around you. The four agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions and Always Do Your Best. I read this book right at the end of my college years and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt more free, more confident and joyful. It was a blessing I didn’t see coming. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle This book builds upon Eckhart’s other book, The Power of Now, but I was introduced to A New Earth first. A New Earth is about a shift in consciousness that is currently occurring. This shift is from that of the ego-mind to a consciousness that is at the core of who we are. If you’ve heard Wayne Dyer’s quote, “you are not a human being having a spiritual experience, you are a spiritual being having a human experience,” this is exactly what Eckhart is getting at. Reading this book ignited in me my clear understanding that I was called to be a coach. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer I put these two books together because, even though they each separately have value, for me they delivered and reinforced a similar message. Reading The Power of Now introduced to me the concept of the observer behind the thoughts. It helped to anchor for me the spiritual being having a human experience. We are not our thoughts or our emotions, nor are we the doer of deeds. We are actually the observer behind these things. The Untethered Soul took this a step further for me and I have more regularly had experiences of utter peace and joy. I’m still in the practice of this but that’s all part of the journey. Loving What Is by Byron Katie Although I was introduced to Byron Katie’s website years and years ago because someone reference we had similar philosophies, I did not immediately resonate with her. Well, have you ever heard the expression “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” Right before the New Year I was ready to hear what she had to say. I heard an interview with Byron Katie on another podcast and it wasn’t so much what she was saying, though I listened to the episode twice, it was who she was being. She was so peaceful and loving and accepting and I wanted to listen to her talk for hours. And so I did. I downloaded the audio version and listened to the entire book in 2 days. I got so excited by what I was learning I downloaded her works sheets and took myself through the questions. Over the next week several clients said things that made me think of Loving What Is and so I recommended they read or listen to the book as well. They all had transformational experiences. If you’ve ever found yourself resisting the reality of a situation, if you say the word “should” at all you will get tremendous value out of this book. The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein Again, I heard of Gabrielle Bernstein years ago but did not resonate with her at the time. I loved her message but I was in a place then when I wasn’t venturing out into unknown territory as much as I am now. I was in a safer place and so did not find myself yearning for a safety net. It has been common in my business that there is a new client lull that starts a couple weeks before Christmas and will typically last 2-3 weeks into January. This year looked different. Although I could speculate on the reasons why this year was different, the facts were I was not getting new clients well into February. I was meditating and practicing gratitude, refocusing my thoughts and took actions to change the situations. However, weeks went by and the situation did not appear to be changing. I found anxiety starting to creep in and I didn’t like waking up and instantly feeling… (overwhelmed, burdened, disappointed)…yuck! I am not committed to living that way and so I knew I needed something different. I had also hear a recent podcast interview with Gabby and I believe something came up in my newsfeed as well. I grabbed this book the 3rd week of February and it was a nice compliment to Loving What Is. However, instead of binge-listening I listened to a chapter each morning and took time to do the homework assignments and journal. I think I went through the book 3 times because I kept getting something new with each listen. If you feel like you could use some extra support or you notice yourself working harder and trying to control the outcome this is a great book for you. The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks This book was recommended by another podcaster who was familiar with concept of the law of attraction and was venturing into the area of quantum mechanics. She recommended reading this book to get the background of what she was exploring with quantum mechanics. I was intrigued so I downloaded the audio version of this book at the end of March. This book covers 4 concepts: the law of attraction, the science of deliberate creation, and the art of allowing, and the practice of segment intending. A little background on me: the coaching process I am trained in and use with my clients is called Core Energy Coaching. It is rooted in the understanding that we are made of energy and our thoughts, emotions and actions have a vibration. It’s not so much what we say, feel and do that creates an experience for ourselves and others, it’s who we are being when we say, feel and do things that creates that experience. In fact, who we are being influences the how and the what that we generate. So from this perspective tactics and strategy are helpful but not as impactful as your level of consciousness (clear perception): your level of self-awareness, and awareness and attitude toward the people around you and the environment you are in. Put simply, oftentimes we don’t see things for what they are because we’ve attached so much story to what we are seeing. Our perception is then a misperception and we are making choices based on incorrect information. However, by clearing away the story we raise our level of consciousness, see things more clearly and can act accordingly, gaining better results for our effort. Now, coming back to the Law of Attraction, I could absolutely get how the vibration we put out could attract back experiences of a similar vibration, much like a magnet. What the Law of Attraction dives into is how to get clear on what you want and how to align your vibration so that you are attracting more of what you want and repelling the things and experiences that you don’t want. I think The Universe Has Your Back and The Law of Being has helped to remind me of how powerful I am and has also given me a new appreciation and facility with the concept of co-creation. Yes, this does require some faith and that can be uncomfortable for you. However, there is no risk in listening, doing the work, and being open to what comes. Three weeks after buying The Universe Has Your Back I unexpectedly got a new client and 6 people have hired me since then. That’s 7 new clients in 2 months after 3 months of no new clients. You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero THIS was the book I wanted to buy in mid-February but it was not released until April 18th and I believe this was how it was meant to be. I was in a much better place to hear what Jen had to say. And she got me in the introduction. I heard this gem 14.5 minutes into the introduction to the book: “You have everything you need right now to start turning your financial reality into something that doesn’t make you wake up screaming in the middle of the night. You just have to be willing to do what it takes. And here is what it takes: agreeing to get really, really, really, really uncomfortable over and over again. We‘ve been raised to believe that you have to work hard to make money. And certainly there are times when this is true but the real secret is you have to take huge uncomfy risks. You have to do stuff you’ve never done before to make yourself visible, to acknowledge your own awesomeness, to risk looking stupid. You must not only admit to desiring and commit to creating wealth but most important you must allow yourself to do so.” Holy mother of God, is that not the truth?! Now I started the first couple of chapter reading like I did The Universe Has Your Back – focusing on one chapter a day. After chapter 3 however I had two 2.5 hour road trips in a weekend and I binge-listened the rest of the book. I did not feel like that was the right experience for this book but I couldn’t stop listening. So, I’m going back to chapter 4 and I’m going to do one chapter per day again. Have you read any of these books? Leave a comment on the post that accompanies this episode or wherever you found it. Lastly, if you feel like you’ve been struggling or plateaued in your business or in your life in general I’m going to recommend you take the assessment tool I use in my business to help my clients uncover exactly what keeps them facing the same challenges over and over again or not making progress on a goal that they’ve had for some time. Thank you so much for joining me and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Lindsey Anderson, also known as One-Click Lindsey is a web strategy expert working with small business owners to help them utilize the web to produce more website traffic and leads. Lindsey is the founder and CEO TrafficAndLeads.com. One-Click Lindsey is an expert in landing pages, email sequences, search engine ranking, newsletters, analytics, social media, pay-per-click ads, websites, blogging and more. She knows how to utilize the myriad of online marketing options to generate more traffic and leads.  Click to tweet: .@oneclicklindsey is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/213 #inspiration Playing Small Moment While pregnant with her daughter, Lindsay found herself drowning in debt and ready to give up. She just wanted to hand over her business and go back to being a paid employee. At this point, Lindsay and her husband took a step back and made a plan that would save it all. The Wake Up Call Lindsey had never even considered having a business coach until a podcast interview she did with Jim Palmer. Jim offered to help her and gave her free tickets to his event. With two children at home, and a business to run, Lindsey felt she couldn’t go. After some encouragement from her husband, Lindsay left the kids at home with him and attended what turned out to be a life changing event for her. Style of Leadership Lindsay refers to herself as an autocratic leader; everything in the business has to run through her. Out of all of her weaknesses, Lindsey says this is where she needs the most work and she is constantly striving for better. What Are You Excited About? When you’re trying to obtain traffic and leads, it can get pretty expensive. To have someone do everything for you, it could range about $500-$600 a month. Lindsey’s membership program offers all of the training, tools and support needed for someone to do it themselves for only $49/month. Current Business Challenge When this year is over, Lindsey will be a better leader and will have detailed processes in place to be able to hand off more tasks. Leadership Practice Lindsay records three things that she is grateful for in a notebook each morning. You can’t let one bad thing ruin all of the other good things that are going on. Advice For Younger Self Lindsay would advise her younger self to grab onto a business coach much sooner, and more specifically one that is in the same industry as herself. Inspirational Quote “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” - Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple. Links http://oneclicklindsey.com trafficandleadsmembership.com https://twitter.com/oneclicklindsey Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Jen Glantz is the brains behind the business, Bridesmaid for Hire, the heart behind the blog, The Things I Learned From, and the main character inside of the Amazon-best-selling book, All My Friends are Engaged. Her new book, Always a Bridesmaid for Hire is available now for pre-order.   Jen's told her story to over 500 press outlets world-wide, such as the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, CNN and Fox News, where they called her job the "weirdest of all time". Jen is a mentor for New York City women entrepreneurs and a hired speaker for conferences and workshops around the country.  Click to tweet: .@JenGlantz is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/212 #inspiration Playing Small Moment After a viral post, Jen’s business was an instant whirlwind. Nine months in, Jen was still working a full-time job and running her business full-time, essentially being two people at once. Jen was severely lacking a work and home life balance, and was beyond exhausted. Jen was her own assistant, lawyer and accountant. Right as she was ready to throw her hands up in the air, Jen met up with a free business mentor who sat her down to tell her some hard truths that she needed to hear. Jen’s mentor worked with her to overcome the fear of failure that was paralyzing her and helped her strive to fail. The Wake Up Call Jen had gained lots of experience being a bridesmaid for most of her friends’ weddings. Her reputation as a stellar bridesmaid resulted in her receiving bridesmaid requests from women she wasn’t even close with. Jen toyed with the idea of starting a website and writing honest advice on how to be a good bridesmaid. After her friend pointed out that she had basically become a professional bridesmaid, a new business idea clicked in Jen’s head. She knew it sounded crazy, but on a whim, posted on Craigslist. Jen’s ad turned into a viral sensation and suddenly she was receiving hundreds of emails from around the globe. Jen had always felt that her calling was to help people during difficult times. With Jen’s desire to help others and her on-the-job training as a bridesmaid, Jen knew she had discovered what she was meant to do. Style of Leadership Jen is skilled in relating to people and always tries to remember who she is helping and make it about them. Jen really tries to listen and hear what they have to say so she can understand what their problem really is before suggesting anything. Jen realizes she can sometimes be a stubborn leader. She has to remind herself, at times, to step back and ask for help, listen to comments, and make sure her stubbornness isn’t standing in the way. What Are You Excited About? Jen’s book, Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire): Stories on Growing Up, Looking for Love, and Walking Down the Aisle for Complete Strangers, was not an easy process. She was rejected by 27 publishers so when that “yes” finally came though, it was such an incredible feeling. Current Business Challenge Right now, Jen is striving to make her life easier and develop more of a work life balance. She has always been someone who did everything herself and she spends way longer to get things done that way. Jen’s resolution this year is to change that. Leadership Practice Jen tries to learn about other people’s practices and find out how they became better leaders, so she can learn from their mistakes and experiences. Advice For Younger Self “Slow down.” Jen was always getting in trouble when she was younger for rushing through everything and has always tried to live life in the fast road. Inspirational Quote “Never, never, never give up” Links http://www.bridesmaidforhire.com/  http://www.thethingsilearnedfrom.com/ http://jenglantz.com If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today. As of the day of this recording I am 2 months away from my Spartan race. I have kept to my nutrition plan and I have amped up my workouts but I’m still a little bit nervous. This Saturday I’ll be going with my sister and brother-in-law into Boston for a special 2-hour training put on by Spartan Races. I get a little nervous thinking about that too but it’s all good. Having chatted with family members over the weekend about the upcoming race it was clear to me that I was one feeling the most nervous and unprepared for what was to come and it reminded me of a blog post I wrote a few years ago about not feeling successful. There is a big difference between being successful and feeling successful. When my clients don’t feel successful they don’t really care that they are achieving success. They have got to feel it for it to mean anything to them. I’m guessing you go through this as well. That being the case here are some reasons why when other people describe you and I as successful we feel like a fraud. Have You Documented Your Goals and Milestones? If you don’t mark where you started how will you know how far you’ve come? If you don’t know exactly where you are going and the different milestones you’ll pass on the way, how will you know if you need to course-correct, or pick up the pace? You have nothing to measure your progress against. Every accomplishment lacks meaning and gets swallowed up by the next thing on the list. If you haven’t documented goals and milestones then you’re also not likely celebrating your smaller victories along the way. Acknowledging and celebrating small wins will give you momentum to keep going. If you can’t recognize a small win and take the time to celebrate it then it was just something that should have been done anyway. I can’t stress this enough: have documented goals and create all the milestones along the way to achieving that goal. Celebrate the passing of each milestone. Do You Keep Comparing Yourself to Someone Else? No matter how much we achieve there is going to be someone who is further ahead or doing something uniquely different from what we are doing. That’s their journey. You are on yours. There are reasons why we choose the goals we choose, why we choose the timeline and the plan for achieving those goals and they are uniquely our own. Chances are if we were to trade places with those people we momentarily envy we would be unhappy. We would be dissatisfied because there would be something important missing or a sacrifice made that would have compromised our values. Your mission is to live your best life and leave others to live theirs. You Are So Overworked and Overwhelmed, What Is There To Feel Good About? Someday you’re going to wake up and wonder where all the time went. You’ll wonder why you were not happy even though you had a good life. If you are thinking now I’m going to tell you to stop striving to be wildly successful think again. It’s not the striving for success that is making you feel dissatisfied. It’s how you are striving that is stealing the joy of your achievements. How many times have you heard that it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey. If you are unhappy with how your journey is going then you need to take a different perspective on the journey. Pay attention to the conversations you have, with yourself and with others, about the work you are doing, the progress your business is making, what you are and are not getting done, and the people you interact with regularly. If the conversations don’t lift you up then something must change. Bottom line…  Being successful doesn’t mean much if you don’t feel successful as well. Allow yourself to see your progress and celebrate all the accomplishments, big and small. Appreciate that you are on your own journey that is going to be different from everyone else’s, and if striving for success feels like a burden seek an objective observer to gain some perspective so you can identify what is stealing your energy and joy. If you haven’t already done so, invest the money to take my self-assessment to pinpoint exactly what is causing you to have to work so hard to be and to feel successful. If you’d like to add anything, or list another cause of feeling unsuccessful, I’m sure the Women Taking the Lead community would be very appreciative! Just add your suggestion into the comment section below. If you’ve found this episode to be valuable, share it with a friend and click one of the share buttons on the post! Thank you so much, and here’s to your being and FEELING successful! Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Kara Snyder is the Strategist over at vital corps, a health + lifestyle studio located at the 3-way intersection of functional health, self-care and strategic action. Additionally, she’s the creator/host of Le vital corps Salon podcast. Serving frazzled, Type-A women since 2009, Kara deconstructs the broken processes in her clients' lives, investigates why they might feel not-so-great, and co-creates actionable steps towards a healthier life – a life spiked with passion and slathered with joy. Click to tweet: Kara Snyder from @vitalcorps is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/211 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Kara has been a health and life strategist since 2009, but after college she was a CPA and helped businesses as they went through bankruptcy. Kara was fortunate and landed a good job with a large accounting firm while she was in her senior year of school. Everyone, including her school advisors, continually exclaimed how lucky she was to have that sort of opportunity. Because of those circumstances, Kara didn’t even consider negotiating during her interview. Years later, she discovered that her male friend that had started at the same time as her was making substantially more money per year. This hit Kara pretty hard, and she realized she was playing small in that interview. The Wake Up Call Kara had always this energy that stemmed from scheduling and planning, even as a kid. During the time spent at her first job, Kara was drained of that energy. She spent most of her time traveling for work and spent many nights sleeping on conference room floors. All of the continuous stress and exhaustion lead to a complete break down of her digestive system. Having digestive issues only escalated her stress. Kara had a pretty traumatic event occur in the middle of a plane, after rushing to catch her flight one day for work. The only help Kara was getting for her health issues was in the form of prescription medication, even after asking for alternatives. Kara left her doctor’s office in tears after a disappointing talk and had a sudden realization that if she was going to heal her gut, she had to take it into her own hands. Kara set her mind to helping herself and others heal themselves and her airplane story came out of hiding so she could encourage those around her to address their health head on. Style of Leadership Communication and creating a safe place for people to express themselves and their opinions is something that is incredibly important to Kara. Whether it's in the sessions, volunteering, on a board or on a team, its important to recognize the process leading up to when you’re interfacing with her, thinking about when - night time meetings - people are going to be hungry, they’ve been on the go since 8am. analyzing that and working with it. Recognizing, have a snack available, they may be flustered. Give them a couple minutes, coffee or tea. Make it comfortable so everyone can be productive in a little more relaxed way. What Are You Excited About? After 7 years of working with clients, Kara noticed that there was either absolute angst or excitement when discussing tasks lists. The struggle between obligatory stuff we need to do, and the stuff we deeply desire but don’t always have the time for, can be overwhelming. Kara’s observance sparked “The 33k Task List Project, where she hopes to collect 33 thousand hand written task lists. The lists will help Kara shift the conversation around obligation and desire and the consequences that occur when balance is not present. Current Business Challenge The 33k Task List Project will definitely be a challenge for Kara, given the volume and spreading the word. Behind the scenes, Kara struggles with referrals. Due to her line of work, and the taboo of digestive issues in our society, Kara often find that her clients refer to her as their “secret weapon,” which doesn’t exactly help her marketing. Leadership Practice Kara is an avid supporter of meditation. Advice For Younger Self “Chillax. Everyone else feels like an imposter too, so stop overthinking, overworking and over planning everything.” Inspirational Quote “You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.” ~Colette Links http://vitalcorpswellness.com  https://www.facebook.com/vitalcorps  https://www.linkedin.com/in/karamartinsnyder  https://twitter.com/vitalcorps  https://www.pinterest.com/vitalcorps/  https://www.instagram.com/vitalcorps/   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today. I'm sitting here on the Sunday before this episode is being released and not quite sure which topic I want to touch upon. I'm in a head space today where instead of wanting to crank out a lot of work, which is my normal routine on a Sunday morning, I wanted to sit and reflect and do a bit of puttering as I've talked about in previous episodes. I am feeling resistance to being very active today. I tried pushing for a bit, and distracting myself with other tasks but I keep coming back to wanting to be in the space of ease and reflection. And this is the thing, if you have big goals and I know I do, there are going to be days that you have tasks on the calendar but you're just not into it. And this leaves you with a few choices. One, you can delete the task all together. Two, you can reschedule the task for another time. Three, you can force yourself to do the task and there are very few situations in which I would recommend this. Lastly, and what I did, is you can be creative about the task. A few episodes ago I talked about getting started. How the first couple of baby steps to initiate the goal is actually the goal you want to focus on. In my experience of writing that episode what worked for me was to open a blank page and just start writing. However I had a different energy level that day. Today that strategy wasn't working for me so I tried something different. First I meditated, since that's an activity I am in the mood for today I went with it. While I was meditating what popped into my mind was the dragon software. Dragon software allows you to dictate your thoughts via microphone into a document. I went back to my computer to research the software and discovered it cost $300. While I did not want to spontaneously drop $300 on new software I have no idea how often I would actually use, I still like the idea of voice dictation. Then I remembered I almost deleted the Evernote app off my phone this morning but decided not to because I knew I would use it at some point in the next few months and didn't want to go through the whole process of downloading it onto my phone again and signing in. I know it's such a small task but the idea of doing it didn't appeal to me so I left the app on my phone. Well that decision was fortunate because the next thought I had after deciding not to download the dragon software was to go into Evernote to see if I could do voice dictation there and I could. Wag-lah! Here I am doing the next 100% Jodi episode via voice rather than typing on my keyboard. Yay! The lesson for me and what I want to offer you here is, the next time you're not in the mood or don't have the energy for a particular task take a step back. Do something you would rather do and when you come back, give yourself the space to approach the task in a different way. Relaxation, play and an attitude of lightness around a task will oftentimes trigger the perfect solution. Do you have a strategy for approaching a task you don't want to do? If so, let us know! Leave a comment on the post that accompanies this episode at womentakingthelead.com/resistance. I also wanted to let you know that I am doing a free webinar on the secrets to being calm and powerful as a Type A woman. We are often perceived as being powerful but we are not often perceived as both calm and powerful or as I really like to call it calm and influential. In this webinar I’m going to give you some insights into how you are wired as a Type A woman and the subtle but effective things you can do to start feeling calmer so you can do what you do best without the stress or upset that can be a part of our everyday existence. If you want to start waking up feeling lighter, more free, and eager for the day ahead go ahead and grab your seat at womentakingthelead.com/calm. Lastly, I want to talk about the awesomeness that is Milly Welsh, owner of Zebralove Web Solutions. Here’s an email I got last week from Milly. "There is a brute force attack on your website in progress. I’ll remove it shortly! Sorry about the inconvenience! I hate hackers!" Yeah, I hate hackers too. But what was worse than this minor inconvenience is when years ago I didn’t have Milly hosting my website and looking out for my security. The hackers got in and made some nasty changes. Then I got emails from people saying they’d been to my site and saw what was there. It was so embarrassing! As much as we can sympathize with business websites getting hacked it looks unprofessional and people won’t feel safe doing business with a company whose website gets hacked. Do yourself a favor and reach out to Milly to see if your website is safe. You can reach her at milly@zebralovewebsolutions.com. Thank you all so much for joining me and here’s to your success! Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Erin Robbins has been working in analytics and marketing for the past 15 years for enterprises, agencies, and startups. She has lived around the country as well as internationally and currently calls Columbus, Ohio home. As GinzaMetrics' President & COO, Erin helps lead product strategy, sales and marketing, and organizational operations. When she's not busy with Ginza, she's likely spending time with her bulldogs, enjoying a beer, or doing something active.  Click to tweet: .@TexasGirlErin is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/210 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Erin came from a male-dominated technology field and had to figure out how to navigate through the gender bias while also staying true to herself. She was shocked to discover that many women were often just as much to blame as the men in supporting the gender roles in business. In her early 20’s, Erin worked for a midsize organization, as one of the lowest people on the totem pole. Her boss was often seen talking to people in the hallways and inviting them back into his office. One day, Erin was also invited and was made very uncomfortable by this boss’s comments about advancing her career. Erin started making herself busy during those invites and would ignore his advances. A female coworker of hers at the time, who was previously familiar with the boss’s invites, started spreading rumors about Erin out of jealousy. Erin assumed that because of her junior position, she would not be taken seriously on her claims against the boss and her coworker; Erin just wanted out. In order to avoid the confrontation, Erin quickly switched jobs into one she wasn’t even interested in, just to get out of the uncomfortable situation. Looking back, Erin wishes she had said something, as others may have been suffering the same way. Erin now stands firmly behind the belief that size or stature is not a determinant in doing the right thing for yourself, or your organization. The Wake Up Call Erin worked at an agency filled with amazing coworkers and clients, but a terrible boss. Having worked with some incredible bosses, Erin was torn, as she definitely knew the difference. At times, Erin felt there was no way to please her boss, almost as if she were running on a treadmill with the speed increasing, yet going nowhere. Erin knows she stayed longer than she should have at that job because of how much she loved the people who surrounded her. Moving on to her next position, she reflected on something her father told her when she began working, “Your only real job at your job, is to make your organization and your superiors look good.” Your performance is always more important to your direct supervisor than the CEO of the company, as that person is responsible for you accomplishing your goals and tasks, while helping you grow your career. This taught Erin how the type of manager she wanted to be, and how she wanted to make people feel included. When one person wins, the whole team wins. Style of Leadership Erin is a direct leader. She wants her team to always know where they stand with positive coaching feedback on a regular basis, not just a yearly review with shocking information. Erin expects the same in return. She wants to know if her team is unhappy as soon as it becomes a problem, not 6 months later when they decide to unexpectedly quit. Erin is direct, but also casual. She uses overly formal communication and is often both sarcastic and intense. Erin also encourages all growth opportunities and believes the only limits within her organization are the ones you set for yourself. What Are You Excited About? Historically, there has been a black hold between where companies are putting their money and what they are actually getting for their investment. What GinzaMetrics is trying to do now is use more data and data analysis to show companies better insight into what is working and not working, with a side by side comparison. This can also allow for recommendations on where they should be spending to make the most difference.  Current Business Challenge At GinzaMetrics, they have a huge global network and customer base, which means the team is constantly working with different languages and time zones. Considering her team is reasonably small, Erin really counts on everyone to pull their weight and be a conscientious team player and it can be a real struggle at times. To stay productive, the team uses numerous channels on Slack. Erin feels that especially with a small team, everyone’s ideas and input are important so they try to keep the channels narrowed down so nothing gets lost. Leadership Practice Erin tries to learn and do the tasks that she asks of others around her. In order to help make the most strategic and beneficial recommendations as a leader, Erin strives to always understand the core functions and roles of her team. Erin also believes in being aware of what she doesn’t know, as this allows her to put trust in the people she hires to fill those gaps. Advice For Younger Self Erin would advise her younger self, and even her current self, to incorporate more balance into her life. Allotting more time for family, friends and healthy practices, such as yoga and running, has been very beneficial for Erin. She is more focused and productive during her time spent at work when things are more balanced than if she pushes herself to work 24/7. On days when Erin is working longer hours, she still tries to pull away during the afternoon to readjust herself. Inspirational Quote “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” ~ Thomas Edison Links Website: http://www.ginzametrics.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TexasGirlErin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinrobbins Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today! Let’s talk Facebook Live. Love it or hate it, it has become a monumental change in the way we can communicate on social media. To be honest, I was resistant to it at first, but once I tried it I had intended to do them regularly since the fall. Well, life gets in the way sometimes. Even though it has been some time, I really do think these Facebook Live Sessions are beneficial to all of us, so I really want to make it happen. In hopes of outward accountability and staying consistent, I am sharing with you my intentions, along with a Facebook Live I did back in September. Here are some topics I cover in the Facebook Live: Getting comfortable in uncomfortable situations The purchase of a selfie stick Finding people in your community that are up to great things The Agents of Change conference Having that “Shitty First Draft” out there, no matter what Checking in with your community and how they perceive you What I do for a living Changing perspectives Facebook Page reach Arbonne Products   Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Lolly Daskal is one of the most sought-after executive leadership coaches in the world. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her proprietary leadership program is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world. Based on a mix of modern philosophy, science, and nearly thirty years coaching top executives, Lolly’s perspective on leadership continues to break new ground and produce exceptional results. Of her many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and others. Click to tweet: .@lollydaskal is sharing her story on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/209 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Early in a difficult childhood, Lolly made a conscious decision to not play small or undervalue herself as she journeyed through self-discovery. Lolly was a curious child and an avid reader who became enamored with her life, finding out who she was and what life was all about. While reading Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Lolly really identified with the challenges and finding meaning behind them and rereads the book each year to keep the message fresh in her mind. Lolly knows that in her darkest moments she will find treasure, and knows it will always be an amazing learning experience. Each night before bed, Lolly asks herself a two-part question that allows her to revel in daily triumphs and set goals for the following day. Lolly knows now that life is in stages, and the decisions you make at a certain level must be the right choice for that point in your life. The Wake Up Call Lolly has a history with perfectionism and had to learn the difference between perfection and excellence. She thought she had to be perfect and on top of everything and ended up exhausting herself. Lolly started asking herself if she was trying to achieve perfection or excellence. Being perfect is not achievable, but Lolly knew she had to bring quality and excellence to what she does and let the ideal of perfection go. Style of Leadership Lolly leads from within and by example. She does everything with heart, compassion, empathy and without judgements or assumptions. Lolly truly tries to be present in the moment with each person or group that she is with, either virtually or in person. Lolly feels that if she can be present in the moment, it allows her to have a robust future of all the great little moments that add up. What Are You Excited About? Lolly's lifelong dream of being an author is coming true with her first book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness. Lolly is extremely excited and passionate about this book, as she has written about the methods she uses with clients so people can coach themselves, and have awareness about themselves, in a way that they normally wouldn’t. This book is different than other leadership or business books, as it's not about what you should do, but about who you should be. Biggest Leadership Challenge With Lolly's dream in full force, her perfectionist self has come back in full storm. Many years ago, Lolly made a promise to herself that she was going to live each day with a purpose of serving others. It's hard keeping that promise, being of service every day. So, Lolly's goal of reaching the New York Times Bestsellers List, would enable the book to become its own entity and allow her to help others she normally wouldn't be able to. Leadership Practice Lolly has a couple of practices that allow her to be a better leader. Being disciplined and coming up with rituals on a daily basis, gives her the freedom to be who she wants to be. Every night she asks that two-part question, and in the morning between 4:30 and 6:30, she reads an entire book. These practices make her a better leader because she is always learning, growing and changing. Advice For Younger Self Have more compassion. Lolly says her compassion came from not having compassion, and suffering about it, when she was younger. Lolly would also advise her younger self to not be as harsh on herself and learn that its ok if things arent working out the way she wants. Everything will be ok. Inspirational Quote “Greatness is a destiny that is available to anyone. We just have to choose it." Links WEBSITE:  www.lollydaskal.com BOOK WEBSITE: Lolly’s proprietary insights are the subject of her new book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness, and is available for pre order now www.theleadershipgapbook.com  SOCIAL LINKS  Twitter: www.twitter.com/lollydaskal Facebook: www.facebook.com/lolly.daskal Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lollydaskal   Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me! I have to acknowledge right off the bat that Women Taking the Lead’s 2nd Anniversary came and went and I didn’t do anything to acknowledge it publicly. Even though I had started to make plans and got some suggestions from The Accomplished Community and my team, last week and the weekend turned out to be incredibly hectic and March 25th came and went and not a peep from me. So let’s pretend I’m hosting a celebration to mark this achievement. If you were wondering what to bring as a gift I would say, just share this podcast with a woman in your life who you know would enjoy and get value from it. Let’s include her in this celebration. And what I’m giving away as party favors is a 20 minute call with me. This is an opportunity for us to chat and you can ask any questions you like. Shoot me an email at Jodi@womentakingthelead.com. Put “Party favor” as the subject line and I’ll send you the link to get on my calendar. I can’t wait to chat with you! Let’s make this an amazing celebration marking 2 years of Women Taking the Lead. Well, I got a GREAT reaction to the last 100% Jodi episode. That episode was all about getting started on a big goal so I want to continue along this path. Now that you have in your tool box a trick to break down an overwhelming goal into manageable baby steps I want to talk about keeping up momentum. We’ve all experienced this before. We get a vision of what could be, what we want to achieve. We get emotionally involved and can begin feeling what it would feel like to achieve that goal. We become excited by the prospect and decide to go for it. And then the work toward the goal begins. We start with a lot of enthusiasm and that gets us through any initial preparation or adjustments we need to make to our schedule. We start and within a matter of time – it could be days or weeks – we notice life is throwing us some major curve balls. Something unexpected always pops up when you have a big goal. It may then feel like it is taking a force of will to stay committed to the goal. Depending on your mental preparation or the support system you have around you, you may pull through or you may wind up feeling defeated. This is why many people give up before they’ve reached their goal. They were not mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually prepared to deal with the obstacles that would come at them. We have been hearing a lot about the need to pay attention to the food we eat. Our physical health is largely determined by the foods and drinks we put into our bodies and the products we put in our hair and on our skin. If you are avoiding processed foods, consuming whole foods in moderation that are organic and toxin-free, and you make a point to get in physical activities that raise your heart rate and cause you to break a sweat, you are fortifying yourself against most obstacles that would impact your physical health. You will be less likely to get sidelined by whatever illness is going around and taking down those around you. However, what we don’t think about are the things we consume every day that are impacting our mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. And even if your big goal is something like a triathlon, a marathon or a Spartan, it takes more mental and emotional endurance than physical endurance to cross the finish line. Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!  

Jen Hecht has an extensive background in both sales and marketing since graduating from Coastal Carolina University.  This experience was crucial in creating The Dating Advisory Board. Jen envisioned bringing business principles that she has learned over the years and apply those strategies in the dating world. Jen has always leaned on her “advisory boards” in business and now bringing that mindset into the dating world. The Dating Advisory Board takes real-world business practices and discusses how those principles can be crafted into a dating strategy. Click to tweet: .@jenhecht1 is sharing her story on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/208 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Even at a young age, Jen would doubt herself. She would have friends and family members try to sway her into different careers that she knew she wasn’t passionate about. When it was time for Jen to decide what she wanted to do after her college graduation, she knew she didn’t want to go back to Michigan. Her aunt and uncle offered her a place to stay in DC, where she could teach tennis at their local country club as she searched for a job. Jen knew she wanted to go to California, but her uncle pointed out she didn’t have the same connections out there. Jen started in telecommunications in DC, which is what she was good at. Though she knew she wasn’t passionate about her telecommunications position, she truster her gut and eventually found out that everything we do in life becomes a life lesson if we let it. Jen would never have created the advisory boards if she didn’t have her community in DC, who have become some of her closest friends. The Wake Up Call Jen looked in the mirror one day and saw the shell of who she once was. Where had her vibrancy and determination gone? Who was this empty person staring back at her? Jen took a step back and knew that she had let outside influences affect her negatively. It was time to go back and surround herself with the people she did when she was in vibrant and knew where she wanted to be. This is how Jen created The Dating Advisory Boards. Approaching dating as a business strategy, where she could present her non-negotiables and target an audience, Jen knew she was going to have to become the best version of herself first. Jen used positivity as a game changer, started focusing on self-reflection, health and fitness, and surrounded herself with inspiring people. Style of Leadership Jen plays to her strengths and recognizes her weaknesses so she can defer out for help. Jen knows who she is and leads with intention, positivity and active listening, while always thanking others for their help. What Are You Excited About? Jen has a new website design coming out soon for The Dating Advisory Board. She also has a Facebook Group for Let’s Get it Together, Sisters, that brings together women to find the right advisory boards and become the best version of themselves, professionally and personally. “If we can be the best versions of ourselves, we are unstoppable.” Biggest Leadership Challenge Patience is not a strength of Jen’s. With all of her lists and boards, Jen tries to acknowledge that she cannot accomplish all 30 things in one day and at least 5 things were done that weren’t yesterday. Leadership Practice Jen believes in always asking her friends or clients where they need help. Often, they’ll turn around and list what they need done and she can use her networking skills to help people tackle their tasks and guide them to be the best versions of themselves. Advice For Younger Self If she could, Jen would have a strict conversation with her younger self, advising her to know her worth. “Never let others’ insecurities about themselves dull your sparkle.” There are so many negative sources out there that want you to fail because they are afraid you will outshine them. Inspirational Quote “Let’s get it together, sisters!” Links Website - http://www.thedatingadvisoryboard.com/ LinkedIn - The Dating Advisory Board Facebook - The Dating Advisory Board Instagram - TheDatingAdvisory Twitter - @jenhecht1 Snapchat - jenhecht1Let’s Get it Together, Sisters Facebook GroupWLVS Radio Live Show   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Here’s a tiny peek into what I’ve been struggling with lately. I have been procrastinating on this latest episode of 100% Jodi and I am relieved that I got this out on schedule. Every time I had a to-do or blocked time out on my calendar to sit down, gather my thoughts and put together an outline of what I wanted to share with you I found other things that were more urgent or I openly admitted to myself I just didn’t have the inspiration to create anything. However, I had an epiphany yesterday thanks to two episodes on two different podcasts I listened to this week. The first podcast I wish I could name but it is eluding me right now. I think it’s because I was listening from a selfish place of how it was going to help me. However, the message has stuck with me. It was an interview and the guest shared that when you have a goal such as running 5 miles in the morning, you can’t think about it in terms of the whole goal - it’s too overwhelming. Instead consider your goal to be getting up with the alarm, getting dressed and stepping outside. That’s the goal. If you do anything else after that it’s a bonus. Given that you are already dressed and on your doorstep you are more likely to do the next natural thing which would be to begin walking. Once you are walking it’s likely you’ll start to pick up the pace after you’ve warmed up and gotten into a groove. Wah-lah, you are then on your way to achieving the bigger goal which is to run 5 miles. Then yesterday I was listening to Luke Iorio’s A Meaningful Way podcast and he was talking about a similar concept. I think I remembered that it came from this podcast because while I was listening I immediately had the thought that I was going to share this with my community. Because of that thought the resource stuck in my head. Lesson learned! In this particular episode Luke Iorio talked about how when we set a big goal we are creating a goal that we cannot yet achieve. We have to develop ourselves and execute many actions that will take time before we reach the destination. It’s all logical and yet once we have set this big goal we start comparing our current reality against the future reality of the goal having been realized. It’s unrealistic and only sets us up to feel bad. However, if every day we focus on a couple or few actions that help us move toward our goal we will feel good about our progress. These concepts have already had an impact on me. Find the rest of the post at https://womentakingthelead.com/started   Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Ariana Sylvester is not your typical entrepreneur, she’s the "Reality Checker" & partner for her crazy husband & "Idea Man" Tom. Lover of iced chai Lattes, DIY crafting, bursting out in song, and The Big Bang Theory series; Ariana manages all 3 of their businesses from home, along with their two young children. Together they own a rental property business with 18 units, a wine & liquor store, and an online coaching & training membership site for entrepreneurs. Click to tweet: Ariana Sylvester of @serialstartupco is sharing her story on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/207 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Ariana was taking care of two young children while also running a real estate business and a liquor store with ease. When it was time for her and her husband, Tom, to transition their in-person life coaching to the online world, Ariana struggled. She was unsure of her role in this new online business as Tom was more of the business strategist, and she felt people would rather hear his information. Ariana felt the pressure from herself and her husband to contribute more, but she was at a loss as to how she could help. Tom often calls her out when she is undervaluing herself, and this was no exception. Ariana forgot she was running two businesses on her own and she was finally able to see that she had something to offer their community. The Wake Up Call As Ariana and Tom were revamping their online business, which happened to coincide with the birth of their second child, Ariana found herself overwhelmed and miserable. With a 6 month old baby, she was understandably emotional and exhausted. Ariana never said anything, and taking care of the children and doing the bare minimum with the businesses, while doing her best to try and fake that she was okay. In the midst of the chaos, Ariana looked at her life and realized she was unhappy. It took a week or two to talk to Tom about her feelings. Ariana didn’t want to add to his stress, but without clueing him into her feelings he would be left in the dark. This situation was rough, but it gave Tom and Ariana an opportunity to revisit their goals and improve the systems they had in place Style of Leadership Ariana defines herself as a bit of a diplomatic leader. She likes to feel connected to people and give them a relaxed and cool environment. Her style is the opposite of Tom’s, who is more of a project management person who asks the hard questions. Ariana likes it to be light, but she will still tell the truth in a more sensitive fashion. As an employer, she is more laid back. There is a binder at her brick and mortar businesses with listed expectations and the employees are given leeway to be their own person inside the business. What Are You Excited About? Ariana and her husband have a startup academy. It takes people through the five stages of the very beginning of starting a business, through operating it and then growing it to scale. Recently, they took out a piece of their academy as a teaser, a Start Up Roadmap Checklist. This checklist takes you through the phases and each step inside the phase before you start a business through starting the business. They are also rolling out a new free trial for the academy so they can help more people. Biggest Leadership Challenge One of the biggest challenges that Ariana and Tom face in their business is that they don’t get their message out as affectively in the online community as they do in-person. Leadership Practice Ariana likes to really listen to what people are saying and put herself in their shoes so she can ask herself what she can do to help. Advice For Younger Self Ariana was always confident in most areas, but not all. Ariana would say to her younger self, “Be yourself to the fullest. Say what you’re thinking even if it’s the unpopular view point.” Inspirational Quote “Be the kind of leader that you would follow.” Links FB Community: http://serialstartups.co/fbcommunity Startup Academy: http://serialstartups.co/join Email: ariana@serialstartups.co    If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me today. This episode is going live the day before we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and for me this signifies that I will be competing in my first Spartan race in exactly 3 months. I’ll admit I have not been taking my training as seriously as I wanted to at the outset and now I’m making some dramatic changes to my schedule and lifestyle to get myself in the best shape so I can enjoy the experience. Yes, I did say I want to enjoy this Spartan race. I know it will be tough but I also know there is a satisfaction that comes when at the end of the race I can say I did my best and for me my best includes the training. Wish me luck! A Type A Discovery Over the past year or so I began to realize that I attracted into my community and my clientele women who all seemed to fit a particular personality profile. It was no surprise that they were a lot like me. They were going through challenges I had overcome or was in the process of overcoming, they had strengths that were similar to my strengths, and weaknesses that were similar to my weaknesses. When I began to sort out all the trends and commonalities it jumped out at me what I and these women all had in common. We all had Type A tendencies. Since then I have spoken about being Type A women, I wrote my book for Type A women and I’ve spent more time focusing on how to help these women not only be successful but to feel successful. With these conversations I’ve also had more women wonder aloud to me if they are Type A. Sure enough many of them do have a lot of Type A tendencies, but Type A, Type B and Type C all describe a variety of tendencies that live on a spectrum. So you don’t want to think of yourself as being wholly Type A or Type B but rather recognize the degree to which you are each of the Types. I wanted to go deeper into Type A in this episode so that you will know once and for all the degree to which you are or are not Type A. The Definitions of Type A According to the Business Dictionary, Type A is "a temperament characterized by excessive ambition, aggression, competitiveness, drive, impatience, need for control, focus on quantity over quality and unrealistic sense of urgency.” Well that doesn’t sound very complimentary but that’s a starting point so let’s continue. Go to https://womentakingthelead.com/typea/ to read the post in it's entirety. Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Kara Lamerato is a wedding planner, but not in the traditional sense.  After running a wedding product-based business for over five years, she launched the Wedding Planning Podcast to share her industry expertise with a global audience.    She leads engaged couples to see that affordability and common sense can overturn the expense & excess of the wedding industry.   Kara lives in San Diego CA with her husband John, daughter Stella (4) & son John William (2), and loves to travel, run, & read. Click to tweet: .@karasvinwedding is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/206 #inspiration Playing Small Moment On the last day of Podcast Movement 2016, Kara’s sister and I were having coffee when Kara came over to join us. Kara was familiar with The Women Taking the Lead Podcast, as her peers and mentors had been guests on the show. She was impressed by the caliber and the things that those women were tackling. Kara remembers sitting in the lobby as we talked about the potential of her being a guest on the show and her first thought was, “Oh, please!” Kara didn’t feel qualified to be featured on this show, as she only viewed herself as someone who makes little wedding decorations, how could she be on this show? I had to shift her perception a bit so she could see herself in a different light. Kara states that at that moment, she realized that her listeners may be inspired by not only her wedding advice, but her whole journey from engagement to newlywed, through her corporate struggle and her daily life as a mom. Kara just needed to hear the words out loud to change the way she viewed everything. The Wake Up Call Kara has been at home with her two children for the past four years. Her daughter starts kindergarten in the Fall, so she is trying to prepare for her next steps in her business. Kara didn’t want to move away from her homemade projects, but she wanted to explore different directions. There was one week that she received four of the exact same emails, all asking if they could hire her as their wedding planner and the lightbulb went off. Kara realizes that she won’t be able to sit down one-on-one with everyone, but she can look at it as an opportunity to open up another part of her business. Style of Leadership Kara’s style is very visionary. She likes to meet people in person, or virtually, put her arm around them and give them a big hug and lead them on a walk to an end game where they are living the wedding of their dreams. Along this visual journey, Kara wants to encourage couples to experiment, explore and think outside the box about how to get there. Kara believes that there is no one size fits all, or one way journey. “It’s about common sense and thinking outside the box and getting creating with what you have.” What Are You Excited About? Kara is working really hard on a couple of different ways to work with her one-on-one or inside a small group setting. She is excited to share more down the road, when there are more details. Biggest Leadership Challenge Guiding couples to see past the excess and expense can be challenging for Kara at times. She peels back those layers of glitz and glam and shows them that it can be simpler and more common sense based. Leadership Practice Kara religiously stays engaged with her audience. She is a firm believer that without your audience and without your customers, you are not going to have a business. So, Kara makes sure to answer each email personally, and is always there for those who reach out. Kara listens to her audience and finds out what they need and want. “Until you know that, you can’t lead. You would be a blind leader. Know who you are leading.” Advice For Younger Self Kara firmly believes she is where she is in life for all of the choices and decisions she has mad, and she is at peace with that. Though, if Kara could have had a window into the entrepreneurial world, she may not have spend 7 years at a corporate job that she did not love. Kara would tap herself on  the shoulder and say, “There’s more. There is a passion, and this is not it. So get busy trying to find it.” Inspirational Quote “I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.” ~Rosa Parks Links Website:  www.weddingplanningpodcast.co Facebook - www.facebook.com/karasvinwedding Twitter - @karasvinwedding Instagram - @karasvinwedding   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Today we are talking about ways in which you can reward yourself if you hit a milestone or accomplished a goal. My clients know for every achievement we are planning a reward. I am constantly asking, “What are you going to do to celebrate?” This is really hard for Type A women because for us, achievement is what is expected so the thought of getting a reward for something that was expected is a hard concept for us to wrap our minds around. What I find is it’s not hard for Type A women to be convinced that a reward or celebration is a good thing. It’s logical when you think that this could be a great way to allow the experience to sink in and to motivate you to do the next thing. No, where they get stuck is deciding what reward to give themselves. Type A women often put rest, relaxation, fun and enjoyment last on their list of priorities and so it can be difficult to think of something in the moment. I have a colleague who thinks it’s hilarious to ask me every time we meet up what I’ve been doing for fun. My response every time is, “I don’t have do anything for fun, I bring the fun.” And then I change the subject. Another struggle can that what is a reward for those around you, may not be something you are interested in. I have a friend whose favorite reward is to have dinner in really nice restaurant. The whole experience lights her up. For me, I can’t fully relax in that kind of environment. The food and drinks are delicious but when the bill comes, I get sticker-shocked and the last thing I experience is that I have been rewarded. The Reward Needs to Bolster the Achievement For those of you who might hesitate or balk at being asked “what are you going to do to reward yourself?” I’ve got some ideas for you. These are just ideas to help you start thinking about what would be a reward for you. Ultimately only you know what gives you a sense of reward. Let me start by saying that the reward needs to bolster the achievement. If you’ve lost weight you don’t want to reward yourself with pizza and ice-cream. If you’ve hit your goal of saving a certain amount of money or paying off your debt you don’t want to reward yourself with a shopping spree. You want to think about rewards that feel good but will also help you to move forward with your goals. On the podcast Happier, Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft discuss this at length. An example I have from my life is, after I released my book which required a lot of long hours of focused attention I allowed myself a day to putter. The definition of putter that I like comes from Merriam-Webster and it is “to work at random.” I didn’t necessarily take an entire day off from my business but I didn’t structure my day. I allowed myself to do what I wanted to do in any given moment. If I felt like doing my bookkeeping, I did bookkeeping. When I felt like cleaning the bathroom, I cleaned the bathroom. If I felt like reading, I read. My day was a mix of unstructured personal and business projects. It was aimless and freeing, and by the end of the day I had actually accomplished a lot but none of it was required which is what made it feel like a reward. As much as I love structure I also love freedom so this was perfect for me. Here are some ideas for you… Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Lee Hews, founder of Current Publishing & Maine Women Magazine has logged 30 years on the Maine publishing scene. Lee believes that outstanding local content, great design and fabulous art will build a strong and loyal readership, while providing the best environment for the advertising customer. Lee, a Maine woman for more than half her life is a Mom to four strong Maine women and mentor to countless others. She received an Executive MBA from Suffolk University in 2013. Click to tweet: Lee Hews of @MaineWomenMag is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/205 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Lee has always been a hard worker who wanted to incorporate herself into the business and as much managerial decisions as possible, to the point of often doing her boss’s work. A colleague of Lee’s pointed out one day that she was performing all of the work without the title, recognition or proper pay. Lee laughed it off at the time, giving the credit to her manager, but this statement forced her to really see what was happening. Within the next year, Lee was promoted to general manager and a year later had started her own company. The Wake Up Call Lee found herself in a place of nonstop work, keeping up the building momentum, until one day she was ready to sell. Lee had discussed the idea of selling with her family, and knew it was the right thing to do, but was leery. Lee wasn’t giving up, and she didn’t want it to be perceived as that. She didn’t want to disappoint her employees, partners, or their readers. Lee’s wake up call was realizing that this sale would be the best way for her to grow, and to continue to grow the products she had created. Lee made the call to the people she wanted to buy, and the sale took place 10 months later. Style of Leadership Lee is the publisher; she brings it all together. Lee leads by example in her role. She works very hard—is creative and passionate—and she expects everyone working with her to be productive. Lee stands by her view, “We all have to produce, we can’t just talk about it.” What Are You Excited About? Lee is just as passionate as ever about the work she is doing with Maine Women Magazine. The magazine has been in the market for 10 years, but was recently relaunched as a glossy publication. It keeps keeps getting bigger and better and they get more excited with each issue. Maine Women Magazine is also involved in three upcoming expos and sponsoring a wide range of women’s events and panels. Biggest Leadership Challenge Patience is Lee’s biggest leadership challenge. She has never been particularly patient, so she is learning to be patient with the process. Lee believes that you have to be patient with people all around you. Another leadership challenge Lee has faced is always trying to find the right people to work with. Leadership Practice Lee is very adamant in her ability to reconsider. If you are on a course, or are set on an idea or a plan, you need to be able to step back and reevaluate, and feel good about pursuing a different path, even though you may have planned it out differently. Lee also believes in listening to yourself and others and always asking for advice and input. Advice For Younger Self Lee would advise her younger self to bee more patient. Also, to take time and understand what motivates each individual and learn what each person can bring to the table, as everyone can bring something different. Inspirational Quote “It’s all about balance.” ~Lee Hews Links Email: lhews@keepmecurrent.com Website: mainewomenmagazine.com Website: mygenerationmaine.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/95northmagazine/ Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

For you today I wanted to share an email I received from a client after she did the “Get Your Energy Back” Process I offer in my business. How it works is you take a 20-minute online self-assessment and then we schedule 75 minutes to debrief your results. During that debrief session we uncover where your sources of stress are coming from and what you can do to alleviate it so you greatly reduce, and for some completely remove, those triggers for stress. It also gives you a process to continue this work as you become aware of other triggers that hide under the surface until the crop up and blindside you. You all know what I’m talking about. J Even before meeting me this particular client had been working on developing a greater level of consciousness and she was in a place where she felt caught between the new perspectives, thoughts and ideas she was being exposed to and her parent’s counsel to seek her truth from a more traditional source. Here’s what her email said… “Hi Jodi, I'm having a hard time relating my personal feelings of "Aha!" that I felt when I read [Eckhart] Tolle's work to the background both of my parents have in the bible. That's a poorly worded sentence. How do I explain?? When I told my parents about my new discovery of enlightenment, they were quick to try to redirect me to the bible (dad, especially). Almost as though what I was learning was wrong, and I needed to get closer to God to fix this. But I've never felt closer to God than I do now. So how do the teachings of the bible fit in to this? Admittedly, it's been a loooong time since I've attended church, and the style of the bible's writings just don't interest me. I have a hard time following it. But I want to understand the connection so that I can bridge the gap with my Dad. I ask because you mentioned God a few times during the assessment, and I thought you might have some insight. I almost feel like the bible is the basic how-to guide, and maybe even a little bit of backstory on why, while this new consciousness trajectory is simply mankind finally "getting it" and seeing the bigger picture of where things need to go in order to reach that final destination of heaven on earth. How do you see it? Ok, back to work I go! ;)” What a great question!! What was so special about this question for me is it paralleled my own internal journey with my faith and spirituality. I’m sharing with you my response to this email and I want to be clear, I have no degrees in theology, I do not represent any organizations and I am not an expert on God, consciousness or human evolution. My response to this email reflects my journey and my perspective. I offer it here because it was helpful to the woman who reached out to me and it may be helpful to some of you. Here was my response...   Find the post to this episode at https://womentakingthelead.com/consciousness Thank You to Our Sponsors Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Tara Lynn Foster is a leadership development speaker, consultant and coach. After twenty years climbing the corporate ladder, she took the risk to start a new career helping other professionals push past barriers and accelerate success in practical and meaningful ways. Tara has presented concepts of confidence, charisma and leadership to audiences ranging from Fortune 500 companies to regional organizations and non-profits. When she isn’t speaking, consulting or coaching, Tara enjoys spending time at home with her husband and three kids – or on a sandy shore in a beach chair alone with a pen and paper, contemplating her future best-seller. Click to tweet: .@taralynnfoster is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/204 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Tara had a goal while she was in corporate to have an executive role by the time her oldest was in kindergarten. She achieved this goal with a job within the same financial institution that she went after without knowing all of the details, but she was thrilled. On a day that it was her responsibility to pick up her children from daycare, as her husband was in study group, she was told she could not leave work until everything was finished. After informing her boss of these terms, she received a look and was asked why her husband couldn’t pick up the children. At that point, she knew her role was threatened and she had to continue to prove that she was reliable and capable of doing the job. If she was playing big, she would have realized that role was not right for her. The Wake Up Call Tara knew she was unhappy with her current role in the corporate world, and hired an executive coach. Tara was overwhelmed with life and unhappy at her job and she remembered driving to work, praying for just one happy moment in her day because her job was sucking the life out of her. Tara attended a women’s leadership conference and had major realizations. In the midst of a meditation exercise, where Tara was asked to focus on moments that brought her pure joy and laughter, she kept drawing a blank. In another exercise, she found that the fear of not having money from childhood experiences was what was holding her back. Tara spoke with her friend and her friend pushed her to make the jump. That Thursday evening, after the talk with her friend, Tara called her husband and confided in him about her need to change her life. He was supportive and kind, and not alarmed by this decision. On Monday morning, Tara made that risky move she had been dreading for five years, and started her new journey. Style of Leadership Tara takes an inclusive approach that is dynamic in nature. She loves to make things as interesting as possible. It’s important to Tara to be relational and empathetic, and to understand the perspective of those around her. She is also very focused and has a process driven mind, where solving problems becomes a puzzle she strives to solve. What Are You Excited About? Tara is excited about adding a new certification to her business to take the concept of personal branding and make it come alive in practical and useful way. She wants to help people take their slogan they could use on LinkedIn and push it past those boundaries into something completely new. This new certification will work with business teams and individual clients, as well. Biggest Leadership Challenge Tara’s first challenge is finding time to have time to maintain her family, marriage and social life while also running her business as a solopreneur. Because Tara does everything by herself, and is also trying to tackle this new project, she is struggling to find time to make it all happen. Secondly, Tara is starting to realize more and more that she needs to incorporate her faith more into her business. She has always relied so much on her faith, that she hopes she can translate that into her daily work. Tara knows this may mean her clients will change, and she may have to niche more, but it is worth it for her to be her authentic self in her work. Leadership Practice Tara has a morning ritual that is critical to getting her attitude right and starting day right. First, she writes down five things each day that she is grateful for. Tara also reads scripture and meditates on that, while writing some notes down on how she can apply that scripture to her day. Lastly, she adds a little bit of time for prayer before starting her day. That quiet time in the morning is so important for her to ground herself and start the day off in the best way possible. Advice For Younger Self Tara believes that so much of what happens to us helps us become who we are. Of course, Tara wishes at times that she had known more, but wouldn’t change a thing. When she really thinks about it, she would listen more. Tara thinks that she really could have done better if she was more observant of the people and world around her and more empathetic. “Work hard and look forward, but be present. Enjoy where you are." Inspirational Quote “Fear is stupid, so are regrets.” ~ Marilyn Monroe “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Phillipains 4:6-7   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

This is Jodi Flynn and you are listening to Women Taking the Lead. And for those of you who are regulars to the show, did you think I forgot to celebrate the 200th episode? Oh no I didn’t and just like when we were celebrating the 100th episode I gathered up all the quotes from episodes 101-200 and strung them together. This is a celebration I’m going to listen to over and over again. What’s really funny for me is this episode kicks off our weekly episodes themed 100% Jodi and there is about 2% Jodi in this episode but I think after listening you’re going to forgive me for this. Here are another 100 Quotes to inspire and lift you up. Find all the quotes and leave a comment here: https://womentakingthelead.com/another-100-quotes/

Rene Brent is Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, an #1 International Bestseller author of the book How Big Is Your BUT?, International speaker and on faculty for The Institute of Interpersonal Hypnotherapy. Rene has been an RN for over 25 years and has worked in ICU, Trauma/ER and Recovery Room. She helps her clients use the power of the deep inner mind to release blocks and reach personal and professional goals. She is passionate about teaching people how to Practice Happy and becoming a Happiness Hunter. Click to tweet: .@ReneHypnosis is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/203 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Rene grew up with an alcoholic mother. As a teenager, Rene knew she had to provide for herself and her little brother, that no one else would do it for her. Rene had a poor self image because of her height, and knew she had to find her strength from within. An instructor at Rene’s high school believed in her and gave her opportunities to succeed. This instructor finally got Rene to see herself from a different perspective. Rene realized that once she connected how she felt on the inside to her intimidating height, she could start playing big from the inside too. She now refers to herself as a warrior princess. The Wake Up Call Rene was married for 20 years to someone she later realized was a narcissist. Because of her past, she learned to find happiness in this relationship and didn’t realize she was still carrying falsehoods from her childhood into adulthood. During their divorce, Rene found herself rocking inside her closet as she did as a child and had a revelation. Rene realized she was not feeling pain from the actual divorce, but from the false beliefs she had held onto. Rene’s next steps were clear; she had to focus on herself and move away from the things that held her back. Style of Leadership Humor saved Rene’s life. She could always move through whatever life threw at her with humor. In the business and networking she does, she always maintains her authenticity. Rene knows that in stressful situations, we sometimes try to emulate someone else, but it never works. Rene also makes sure not to judge others, ever. What she learned to do was release judgement of herself. In each moment, Rene knows she is doing the best that she can. If she makes a mistake, then she learns from it. What Are You Excited About? Rene knows that we are not all taught to understand our subconscious mind and she wanted to get to a bigger audience. Rene is getting herself worked up to be a speaker. This is out of her comfort zone, but Rene knows people need to hear what she has to say about the subconscious mind and releasing yourself from perfectionism and how to move forward. Biggest Leadership Challenge Rene says she is blessed with an incredible life and a beautiful relationship, as she healed and moved through and welcomed someone into her life who is such a giver. Rene likes to make time for him and sometimes she finds herself quite busy and often working late. Right now her biggest challenge is finding that balance between work and love, relaxation and fun. Leadership Practice Self awareness. Rene goes into a meditative state, even if it is only 5 minutes. “Go into an altered state and find your truth.” Advice For Younger Self Rene would say to be nicer to her self, look within and trust her instincts. “You have great instincts and you’re beautiful.” Inspirational Quote “Do something every day that scares you.” Eleanor Roosevelt Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReneBrentHypnosis/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PracticeHappyNow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/renehypnosis Website: PracticeHappyNow.com  Website: ReneBrentHypnosis.com If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Hello everyone and welcome to Women Taking the Lead. It has been a while since the last bonus episode and there is a good reason for that. There have been some changes going on behind the scenes here that I had thought about out loud in my last bonus episode but I am now ready to roll them out. This will be the last “Bonus” episode. Will this be last time it’s just me talking directly to you on the podcast? Absolutely not. In fact, you’re going to be hearing a lot more of me going forward. Starting this coming Monday, which at the time of the release of this episode will be February 20th, 2017, I will be releasing one interview per week and one episode of 100% Jodi per week. In fact, 100% Jodi is what I am going to be calling these episodes. I got this idea for this title from one of The Accomplished Community members, Shelli Warren of SheConnex, so thank you Shelli!! I laughed when she proposed the idea and thought, “brilliant!” So, each Monday I will be featuring a new amazing women who is taking the lead in her life and sharing her with you and on Thursdays I’ll be releasing an episode of 100% Jodi. But let me be clear, I want these 100% Jodi episodes to be inspired by your questions, your ideas, and the solutions to your challenges. The more you send me the more valuable these episodes are going to be for all of us. Changing the format was in response to the feedback I’ve gotten from all of you. I kept hearing that you wanted more bonus episodes, more talk time from me during the interviews and questions on how to get more from Jodi. I love you all for that and I am incredibly humbled. I want to serve and be a part of your journeys because it is one of my guiding principles that we are all better together. Here are some ways you can get more from me and be a more intimate part of me and my world: (1) Listen to the episodes and even go back and listen to them again. Just like the movies we watch more than once we realize we missed something the first time around. Keep the inspiration going. If you like what you’re hearing subscribe in iTunes and leave me a rating and review so other women (and men) just like you can find this podcast. (2) Want to keep the inspiration going? Share this podcast with your friends. Not only will you get inspired by listening to the episodes, your friends will bring up what they got out of listening in the conversations you have with them creating a shared experience – and this helps to integrate or anchor what you took away into your consciousness which will then show up in your actions. Here’s where you can find the podcast: iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community! (3) Join the Women Taking the Lead private Facebook group. At this point we’ve got nearly 350 women who are up to things in their life asking questions, sharing resources, introducing themselves & their work, and finding collaborators to partner with. I’m posting questions and inspirational posts to keep you in the conversation and motivate you throughout the week. I’ve got the link in the blog post that accompanies this episode for you: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ (4) Buy my book, Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. The feedback I’ve gotten from the community is Accomplished is well written, clear and concise, inspirational, motivational and the free resources that come with the book have been invaluable in helping you to achieve your goals. You guys, this is my signature coaching system in a book and you are getting it for less than $15. If you have a goal that you are struggling to get off the ground or you can’t seem to reach this is the book for you. You can find out more at womentakingthelead.com/accomplished or go directly to Amazon. If you put Jodi Flynn Accomplished in the search bar you’ll find it quickly. (5) Join The Accomplished Community. This is the community I created for those of you who are ready to go BIG and want to do it with support and accountability from me and others just like you who are also stretching themselves to be the person they know they are meant to be – the best version of themselves. I don’t know about you but this was what I was craving early in my career and in my business. I have definitely been successful but I know I would have achieved that success feeling more confident and less stressed out if I had formed a committed community of women just like me to be a part of. Here’s a big announcement and let me give you some background. Each month in The Accomplished Community I bring on a subject matter expert to do a video call with community – not a webinar where we are being talked at and Q&A happens via chat. This is a webcast where everyone on the call has an opportunity to interact with the expert. We’ve had 2 so far: CS Wurzberger, The Green Up Girl, presented on how to have a wildly profitable business and Meredith Bell of Performance Support Systems presented on how to connect with influencers on LinkedIn. Next up we’ve got John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire coming to talk to us about Self-Mastery. If you don’t know John’s story let me give you a brief version to catch you up. After years of regularly changing careers looking for that perfect fit John decided to go after a dream and launched the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast. He didn’t know when he started how he was going to make money and for the first 6-8 months he had expenses and no income. Then it started to trickle, and trickle more and by the time he was 18 months in he was earning 6 figures a month from the multiple streams of income he created for his business. There’s a lot that went into how he did it but was always stood out to me about John is his unconquerable spirit. He doesn’t let much get him down and it’s nearly impossible to stop him and it’s self-mastery that is his secret sauce. Coming soon he will be doing an intimate presentation and Q&A for The Accomplished Community so if you want to be a part of it go to womentakingthelead.com/community and get yourself in there. (6) Lastly, if you want to partner directly with me let’s talk about private coaching – either stand alone or included with The Accomplished Community. I love working one-to-one with you guys and witnessing the transformation that occurs while we are working together. Experiencing your ah-ha moments and helping you put them into action so you are achieving success more quickly than you first imagined – that gratifies my soul and energizes me to keep going. If you’ve been on the fence about working with me and not sure if this is the right time for you’ll let’s just have a quick chat about it. I am not a high pressure person. It’s either the right time for you or it’s not – and we’ll figure that out together within 20-30 minutes of chatting. The calendar link is too long and confusing to read so just head over to the blog post, click on the link and let’s get a chat scheduled on the calendar! https://calendly.com/jodimflynn/30-minute Thank you so much for being a woman taking the lead, for joining with me and others just like yourself to hit our goals and make stuff happen. It is an honor and a joy for me to be a part of your journey and I’m looking forward to living the future that we create. Here's To Our Success! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Elizabeth Williams-Riley, President & CEO for the American Conference on Diversity, brings more than two decades of experience in education, training, and consulting on diversity and inclusion matters working with corporations, nonprofits, professional associations, communities and schools, nationally and on the local level. She was recently named Girls Scouts of America Jersey Shore 2015 Woman of Distinction, 2013 Woman Worth Watching, and is featured in Diversity Journal. Elizabeth is also a 2014 Lead New Jersey Fellow. She is a dynamic presenter, facilitator, and diversity and inclusion expert. Click to tweet: .@AmConfDiversity is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/202 #inspiration Playing Small Moment In Elizabeth’s teenage years, she had to come to terms with being comfortable with the skin she is in, her size and who she was. Her mother suggested that she audition for a beauty pageant. Elizabeth was convinced that she did not fit the mold for a beauty pageant. Though she was very involved in her community, school and church, Elizabeth felt that she was just not one of those girls. Her mom persisted and said there was no reason for her not to audition. Elizabeth followed her mother’s advice and ended up not only making her way through, but won! Elizabeth realized she was the one getting in her own way. The Wake Up Call There was a school in Orlando that was turning 100 years old and for the celebration, Elizabeth was asked to create a wall of history featuring images from the last century. As she was collecting the photos, she realized there were no pictures of people like her. Elizabeth used this as motivation to go out into the community and connect with people, often going door-to-door, listening to many stories and collecting photos. Elizabeth knew that she needed a complete picture of the history of this school, and she owed it to the community to feature the different people who contributed and why it was important for everyone to be included. From that point on, she made it a point to respect and value everyone she met and creating and believing in the humanity of individuals. Style of Leadership Elizabeth ensures to keep herself very humble. She also believes you need to be a good follower in order to be a good leader. Elizabeth is thoughtful when she engages individuals and keeps direct conversations but remains respectful throughout. Elizabeth is also very in tune with her own vulnerability. She is passionate, driven by what she does, but is also driven by the relationships she holds with those around her. What Are You Excited About? Elizabeth is part of a statewide No Hate campaign that was launched in January. To kick off the campaign, they held a town hall meeting discussing the meaning of hate and how it manifests in current society. Elizabeth finds it as a wonderful opportunity to engage people in bold dialog and learn from each other in a respectful environment. Elizabeth believes that when we want to learn and grow, we need to make sure we are thinking about all of us, not some of us. Biggest Leadership Challenge Fundraising is the greatest challenge that Elizabeth finds in the non-profit sector. That challenge holds so many great opportunities that it makes it all worth it. Leadership Practice The process of being able to really hear what people are saying without thinking of your rebuttal, active listening, is so important to Elizabeth. You are not listening to reply; you are listening to seek understanding. For Elizabeth, it has been one of her strongest skill sets because it allows her to see where people are coming from. Communication is a two-sided process. Advice For Younger Self Elizabeth would tell her younger self to never underestimate the value of her authentic self. Allowing your authentic self to show up wherever you go, provides consistency in your life. You don’t have to hide your mannerisms to fit in. Inspirational Quote “You never know how much your past will affect your future until it shows up in your present.” Links Website: http://americanconferenceondiversity.org/ Twitter: @AmConfDiversity Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanconferenceondiversity LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1561082?trk=tyah Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AmericanconferenceondiversityOrg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amconfdiversity/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AmConfDiversity If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Dana Malstaff is the founder of BOSS Mom and author of Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro. Dana has channeled her success as a content & business strategist, into a fast growing community of business women she has helped begin and run their businesses and families like a Boss. Click to tweet: .@danamalstaff is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/201 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Dana believes in embracing the “hot mess-ness” and isn’t ashamed that sometimes she cries in the bathroom with the lights out or in the shower when no one is around. After surveying her expenses in the beginning, Dana realized she was spending as much as she was making and hired a coach. Dana’s coach told her that she can continue to change her business and reopen parts that she had previously closed. It was, in fact, her business. Dana realized that she quit her job to make her own decisions, but wasn’t utilizing it to her potential. Dana opened the academy back up and told the participants that the structure would continue to change until it worked better for everyone and they were delighted. The Wake Up Call When Dana was brainstorming ideas for her business, she decided to focus on what she was passionate about, mindful communication and how people connect in corporate America. In her past, the wellness company she was the director of built behavioral modification programs for large companies and she knew how important good communication was. Dana tried to build her business around communication, and realized that it became much harder than she had originally thought. Dana attended a conference with a friend, where the speaker made a comment that entrepreneurs should focus on that one thing they are amazing at, the skill that comes easy to them, and to start their business based off of that. Unsure of what her gift was, Dana helped her friend brainstorm during one of the conference exercises and a lightbulb went off. Her gift was brainstorming and strategizing, and she had been focusing on her passion this whole time. Feeling fired up with this new information, Dana jumped into a Facebook group and tested out a few things, with amazing return. Now Dana focuses on her gift, while also intertwining her passion, but the gift is what makes her money. Style of Leadership Dana leads by letting others lead. While assessing corporate businesses, she would focus on what made the employees happy, engaged and want to stay employed with that company. That process has translated into Dana’s leadership. She is constantly asking her team if they are doing what they love to do, because someone can always be brought on that loves to do what someone else hates doing. Dana believes that when you allow people to show you how amazing they are, they will come up with ideas you may never have thought of yourself. Dana knows that she may be the face of her brand, but she is only one key player. What Are You Excited About? Dana is excited to have her first Boss Mom retreat and all of the buzz surrounding it. “It’s like planning a wedding!” Dana is also launching The Raising Your Business program, which she spent an entire year building. Dana combed through all of her content and courses to come up with this new evergreen program. Her dad always said, “Information isn’t knowledge,” and she believes that translating all of the information into understanding what to do with it, and it what order, is the real resource that everyone needs. Leadership Practice Dana makes sure to assess her priorities every single day.  She has a vision board and looks at what she is trying to do as a whole, not just the single tasks on a list. Dana believes that it is really easy to fall off the priority path and chase the shiny thing. Reassessing every day gives her the confidence to know she is saying yes and no to the right things. Advice For Younger Self Dana would tell her younger self that she is totally not an island. “I don’t care if you can make images in Canva, hire someone to do it.” Dana points out that by reaching out for help, you are actually helping move the economy forward by giving people jobs and you will get there so much faster. Inspirational Quote “Ah, but a man’s [or woman’s] reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” – Robert Browning Links Boss Mom Website: https://www.boss-mom.com/ LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danamalstaff   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Nikki Groom is a digital marketer, brand strategist, and content marketing expert for business leaders and entrepreneurs who want to build a profitable business while making the world a better place. She is also the founder of The 100 Stories Worth Telling Project, which seeks to amplify the voices of women entrepreneurs all over the world by sharing their real-life stories of overcoming adversity, and a firm believer that all businesses should lead with empathy. Click to tweet: .@nikkigroom is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/200 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Throughout her youth, Nikki was quite shy. She didn’t feel confident and had not found her voice yet. Nikki’s writing always gave her an escape and allowed her to use her voice, though. At the age of 15, Nikki spent two weeks shadowing a reporter at a local newspaper and remained quiet for most of her time there. When it was time for the editor to submit Nikki’s evaluation to her school, he reported that she met all the basic requirements, but included  a paragraph stating that Nikki did not possess the voice or personality to become a journalist. Nikki felt that the editor didn’t know her at all and what she was capable of, and was infuriated by his assessment, so she set out to prove him wrong. Nikki remembers that she had a friend at university who laughed at the idea of her studying abroad. Well, now Nikki lives in the United States. Whenever someone challenges Nikki, it only pushes her further to succeed. The Wake Up Call Nikki was the UK manager at a global company, and was craving a new opportunity. She was offered a job in London, but when she asked her boss for his opinion, he told her they weren’t offering enough pay and that she should wait. Within the next few months, the North American manager in the same company sent out an email announcing her departure. As she read the email, her head started filling with ideas and possibilities. Nikki drove home and had an internal struggle over her next steps and ended up siding with the thrill of this amazing opportunity. That moment was her wake up call. Style of Leadership Nikki would describe her leadership style as real. It’s something that people have told her they really admired about her. Nikki doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. Sure, she is an expert in certain areas, but she knows that there is always room to grow and learn. Nikki also likes to lead from within and from a place of empathy and compassion. She wants those inside her community to really feel included, as that was something she struggled with in her youth. What Are You Excited About? Nikki is super excited about her new website. It has been a huge production with a great team, and she cannot wait for everyone to see it. There will be new offers and lots of new stuff coming up this year. Current Business Challenge Even with her business is in a transitional phase, Nikki knows that one of the key things she has to accomplish soon is gathering a team around her to lift her to the next level. She has been working with a diversity consultant who is surrounded by a wonderful team, which showed Nikki that is exactly what she needs. Leadership Practice Nikki is a firm believer in meditation. Advice For Younger Self Nikki would tell her younger self to speak up! Inspirational Quote “Just start.” Links Website: http://www.nikkigroom.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikkigroom/ https://www.facebook.com/100StoriesWorthTelling/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkigroom Twitter: https://twitter.com/nikkigroom Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkigroom/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nikkigroom/ If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Astrid Mueller is a creative serial SOUL-preneur with a background in branding and design, who loves helping women to dream big and shoot for the stars. She works specifically with soulful women freelancers and soul-preneurs who struggle getting their dream business off the ground. Astrid helps them ignite their superpowers and create a successful, beautiful brand their customers love.  Originally from Switzerland, Astrid followed her heart to beautiful Kodiak Island, Alaska, from where she connects and empowers women around the world. Click to tweet: .@Astrid_Mueller is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/199 #inspiration Playing Small Moment About 10 years ago, Astrid was trying to get her name out at a trade show in Europe when she was drawn to a stand selling handbags with her idol’s illustrations on them. Since she, too, was an illustrator, Astrid spoke to the owner hoping to work for him. When the owner asked if she had experience designing handbags, Astrid regretfully said no. She felt discouraged, but went home and did her research. This is when Astrid learned that sometimes you just have to be a little bold and go after what you want. The Wake Up Call Astrid attended a training called Unstoppable Live, where they were selling a program for five figures that she was interested in. Unsure how she could afford it and scared to death, Astrid took a moment to center herself. She heard her heart screaming to jump at this opportunity and decided she could come up with a way to invest. Astrid went downstairs and spoke to someone about the program and ended up breaking down with all of the empowerment she felt by saying yes. Since then, Astrid has been on such a positive roll and has lost her scarcity mindset. Style of Leadership Astrid only recently started seeing herself as a leader and she still finds herself caught off guard hearing herself referred to as a leader. Astrid is happy and easy going and loves to come from a place of collaboration, inspiration and empowerment in all situations. What Are You Excited About? Astrid feels so blessed to be super excited about everything she is currently doing. Over the last two years, she has found her calling helping female entrepreneurs who are a lot like her younger self. Astrid uses her branding super powers and laws of attraction to help those women achieve their goals in one-on-one coaching sessions. Astrid is also working on an artistic side project with 10 other female artists. She was looking for ways to bring back the use of her art, and got inspired by her oracle cards. The oracle cards they are collaborating to create will focus on inspiring and empowering female freelancers and soul-preneurs in their business and in life. Current Business Challenge Astrid refers to her ongoing business challenge as grounded leverage, staying grounded and centered and having free time while also growing her business. It’s a work in progress for Astrid, where she feels she’s got it, but has to remain aware of it. Leadership Practice Astrid is adamant on always listening to her heart and centering herself. Advice For Younger Self Astrid would tell her younger self to stop hustling, look for her inner north star sooner, and to follow what helps her open up to her own heart, soul, and desires. Inspirational Quote “Follow the fun that comes from the heart.” - Astrid Mueller Links AstridMueller.com https://twitter.com/astrid_mueller https://www.facebook.com/AstridMuellerGirlpowerCEO https://www.linkedin.com/in/astridmueller/   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Alyssa Wright is an artist, activist and capacity building expert. An accomplished facilitator and consultant, Alyssa works with organizations from East Africa to New England, all focused on powerfully creating social change, especially for women & children. A Co-Founder of the Massachusetts-based Recovery Theatre and a passionate advocate for the arts, Alyssa believes that when we place dignity and love at the forefront of our change-making efforts, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish together on this Earth. Playing Small Moment Because she didn’t feel that she had anything intellectual, philosophical or academic to say, Alyssa felt that her story wouldn’t necessarily help others and didn’t see the importance in sharing it. Alyssa had assumed that everyone experienced the same parental struggles that she had in her youth and that her story was just too common. Ultimately, she underestimated the significance of how she came to be who she was as a person. The Wake Up Call In July 2015, Alyssa had the opportunity to work with women and girls in East Africa with Heshima Kenya, a refugee organization. On her flight to Africa, Alyssa was filled with doubts and felt undeserving of the amazing opportunities that awaited her until she received an encouraging text from a caring friend. Once Alyssa arrived at the safe house, she was greeted by all of the girls, holding their beautiful children. The group took turns sharing their talents and when Alyssa was asked to share hers, she realized that her artistry made her feel more herself than she ever had. Alyssa was inspired and knew how she could make a difference. Style of Leadership Alyssa sees her leadership style as more of a mentorship that becomes kinship that becomes a legacy of doing the right thing. When Alyssa started in the world of philanthropy, she asked a more experienced peer how she stayed motivated when it didn’t seem they were moving the needle at all. The woman replied that they were in fact moving the needle, and to pay attention to the young people that were showing up. Those young people are what keep the movement going. With Alyssa’s leadership, it’s more than just inspiring a young person to work with her, it is making an investment in that person as a whole and making sure they are enjoying the progress, not just the goal. What Are You Excited About? Since last summer, Alyssa has been working with Tree Sisters, which has been an inspiring leadership journey for her. One of the projects they are working on that Alyssa is really excited to be a part of is a global philanthropic strategy that unearths feminine leadership within different communities while also repairing the nature around us. Current Business Challenge After working for Raising Change for seven years, Alyssa became partner and just recently received a certificate to further her leadership in her field. After building a new consulting business, Alyssa is challenged by finding her own identity and voice in an that same industry as a leader and not just an employee. Inspirational Quote “The time is is always right to do what is right.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Links Website: www.alyssafwright.com  Twitter: @WrightAlyssa1 Tree Sisters Website: Treesisters.org Mogul: https://onmogul.com/alyssa-wright-95   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Katie Clark is the 2016-2017 President of the Junior League of Portland, Maine. The League, a community fixture in Portland for 94 years with more than 200 members, promotes voluntarism, develops the potential of women, and improves the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.   Katie is also a market research and social media consultant, working with companies large and small in industries as varied as software, seafood, fragrance, and finance. Katie is a social media influencer and has been named to 10 Great #MRX Tweeters Every Market Researcher Should Follow, Most Influential Client-Side Tweeters, and the Wearables 1k. She was selected as a Google Glass Explorer in 2013.   Katie speaks at events and online about market research, social media, personal branding, technology, and productivity tools. She is a mom to identical twin three-year-old girls and an advocate for international adoption Playing Small Moment Katie loved attending Smith College, but the unspoken expectation that graduating as anything less than a leader would be unacceptable left students feeling like failures on day one. Because of this, Katie thought success would be instantaneous after grad school and was quite disappointed when she wasn’t saving the world just yet. Once Katie realized that her early jobs were stepping stones to greatness, she was able to teach other women with similar conditioning that it takes time and to embrace the journey to success. The Wake Up Call After working at an extremely stressful job that wouldn’t advance her any further in her career, Katie knew she needed a change. She decided to try out a job in retail, working at Barnes and Noble. Katie thrived on the customer interaction and learned how to manage people with differing backgrounds and personalities. This job gave Katie the change of pace she needed to allow her health to heal from the stressors of the previous job, while also teaching her the skills she needed to move on to bigger things. Style of Leadership Katie feels that she leads in a humble way, while also focusing on being hyper organized. Humble leadership is important to Katie because it allows her to lead towards a goal or higher purpose without making it about herself.   What Are You Excited About? Katie has been elected as this year’s president of The Junior League of Portland, Maine. There are 292 Junior Leagues that span 4 countries, and each league selects their goals based on their unique needs each year. This year, The Junior League of Portland, Maine is working with Partners for Protecting Children and The Main Freedom Project and Katie is excited to advocate for the changes that she feels the community needs in these areas. Current Business Challenge The Junior League has been around for 94 years, yet the awareness to the changes they provide to the community is minimal. Often the community is aware of the organizations in which The Junior League is involved in, but not the work they have accomplished. This year, they are working on having more brand ambassadors to spread the word and bring in more members while also attracting like-minded organizations to get involved. Your Support System Inside The Junior League, Katie is surrounded by 200+ women that make up an outstanding support team. In her home life, Katie’s husband has been her real hero. After adopting 3-year-old twins, he has really helped be her biggest support, logistically and emotionally. Leadership Practice Katie really tries to check her own biases. Whether in business or at home, Katie realizes that her filter is often different than someone else’s and will adjust accordingly to keep an open mind. Resource to Develop Leadership Books on servant leadership, and there are many, are fantastic and everyone should read them. Exploiting Chaos by Jeremy Gutsche Advice For Younger Self Katie would tell her younger self not to worry, that she is going to get there. It’s not going to be instantaneous, but you will get where you need to be. Katie is an impatient person, so sitting in the unknowing can be hard for her but she tries to keep faith that she will get there. Inspirational Quote “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Jesus, to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 “Remember. Your story can help save someone’s life. Your silence contributes to someone else’s struggle. Speak so we all can be free. Love so we all can be liberated. The moment is now and we need you.” Yolo Akili Robinson, Dear Universe: Letters of Affirmation and Empowerment for All of Us Links Twitter: https://twitter.com/insightsgal  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieeclark  Website/Blog: http://www.insightsgal.com/#welcome Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightsgal/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Esther Kiss is the founder of Born To Influence, a boutique publicity firm specializing in helping experts and personal brands get more publicity, leads and sales. Her clients have been featured on TV, in newspapers, magazines and on some of the top podcasts in the world, resulting in millions of dollars in additional sales. She is also the producer and host of Born To Influence: The Marketing Show, where she interviews highly successful entrepreneurs and NY Times bestselling authors about their marketing and publicity strategies. Playing Small Moment Esther was notoriously shy, so shy she was given the nickname, Pinky. Unsure of the reasoning behind her given nickname, assuming it was because of her favorite color, Esther inquired of her ex-boyfriend and was told it was due to her excessive blushing.  Even one of her teachers told her to stop being so scared. When Esther acted, or was on camera, she could behind someone else’s words. When she launched her own podcast, it was time to step up and stop being shy. The Wake Up Call When Esther was unsure of what her business was going to consist of, she would do small projects while still acting and day trading. Esther knew she could continue to do the small projects while she kept an open mind about her business and not pressure herself too much to have it all figured out now. Style of Leadership Esther sees her leadership as straightforward with an easy going style. She likes to be nice to people, but she is also very, very clear. When Esther makes a request, she suggests that the client and her have a Skype call and always makes sure that she always makes sure to be clear of all expectations and an gives her clients an easy out. What Are You Excited About? Esther is working on transitioning more into coaching. She is currently preparing a done-for-you package for those with a specific set of skills who are looking to step into the spotlight. In addition, Esther is looking to add more coaching to her business for those who can’t justify hiring a publicist but want to learn those skills themselves. Current Business Challenge Esther is at a point where she is doing the done-for-you packages and can take less clients, but also gearing up the coaching side. This presents a bit of a time management problems for her. Esther is currently trying to hire and delegate more. She does work with a virtual assistant team, but hopes to work more with one person. Your Support System Esther works with her virtual assistant team and a publicist that she works with more on a project-by-project basis. Esther still does the pitches and follow ups herself, but she uses a publicist to make phone calls or send emails for the occasions where her clients want to be on television or radio. Leadership Practice Esther believes in not thinking too much. When she is clear on a goal, she tends not to overanalyze it. Resource to Develop Leadership Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi Advice For Younger Self Esther would tell her younger self to start going for what she wants so she could get really clear on her goals. Esther is now able to follow through more because she has a stronger connection with what she wants. Inspirational Quote “Your network is your net worth.” Links Website: http://borntoinfluence.com Free Gift: http://borntoinfluence.com/gift Twitter: https://twitter.com/estherkiss If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Teena Evert inspires and empowers women to deepen and strengthen their greatest asset: their connection with themselves. Her extensive background as a marriage and family therapist and relationship coach, paired with her honest, gripping, compassionate speaking style fuses personal growth with finding and nurturing a loving relationship with a partner. Successful, driven women are moved to consider new possibilities in their quest to find a new relationship (or fortify the one they already have). Click to tweet: .@TKEvert is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/195 #inspiration Playing Small Moment Teena recalls having a shirt with a patch that read, “Think Big,” while she was in elementary school. As a young girl, she thought that thinking big could make her taller, smarter and prettier. In her adult years, “Think Big” has a different meaning. Teena had to learn to embrace her self worth and know that she is valuable and more than good enough just the way she is. The Wake Up Call Teena was constantly enrolling in personal development courses and reading self help books that were supposed to help her figure out how to have a more fulfilling life. Teena did learn to practice yoga and meditation to calm her mind and balance her emotions. Teena was ultimately searching for a healthy relationship with herself and to build a relationship with a potential partner and these tactics didn’t help her achieve that. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to get her needs met, or that she even had needs, which caused resentment to build. The universe kept hitting her over the head to get clear with what she wanted in a relationship and live in alignment with her core values. Style of Leadership Teena would say that her leadership style is full of moxie. She leads with courage and lots of guts. Teena also leads by example, shows up as her best self and is transparent about her struggles. If she can inspire someone to think big, then Teena feels like she is leading from her innate brilliance. What Are You Excited About? Teena is releasing her second book, Put Love First, a book for women who are smart, successful and driven that want to turn their love from hot mess into a hot success. The book teaches women how to prioritize their love life without losing ground in their business.  Current Business Challenge Teena’s biggest challenge is feeling uncomfortable. She acknowledges that whenever we up level our life, we feel really raw and uncomfortable. Recognizing this keeps Teena anchored, rather than feel paralyzed and ending up self sabotaging. Your Support System Women tend to be very independent; asking for support doesn’t come as our first choice. Teena had to learn to find the right support, and she did in a mentor and women’s tribe that keeps her honest. Without a tribe of women by her side, Teena doesn’t think she would follow through with her ideas. Leadership Practice Teena isn’t sure it is a practice, but she believes in “being real” every day, bringing the pretty and the ugly. Resource to Develop Leadership Conversational intelligence: How to Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results by Judith E Glaser Advice For Younger Self Teena would tell her younger self, “You’ve got this. Trust your gut. Don’t doubt yourself and say no more often so when you say yes you really mean it.” Inspirational Quote “One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are and what you believe in and where you want to go.” - Sheila Murray Bethel Links Website: http://www.teenaevert.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ignitelovenow Twitter: https://twitter.com/TKEvert Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teenakevert   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com      

TJ Jones is a leadership crusader, author, speaker, team-builder, and coach. He has spent 25 years first as a teacher and coach, then twenty years as a corporate sales executive and head of training and development. TJ crusades for fiercer caring; caring to be our best selves, caring for others, and caring for the greater cultural good. TJ’s mission is to Awaken, Influence, and Inspire others to become “Caring Warriors.” A Woman Who Has Impacted You as a Leader TJ has had the opportunity to work with many great leaders, but he thinks back to a particular senior executive who gave him his first opportunity. She was a great business woman, who was also very warm and likable, with a talent to balance those aspects beautifully. Ultimately though, it was TJ’s wife that made him into the leader that he is now. Without her love and support, TJ wouldn’t be crusading for much now. What He Sees That Holds Women Back One of the many bosses TJ has had was such an impressive woman, who was smart and analytical. During one of his performance reviews, she broke down and was clearly upset. Initially, TJ was shocked and wondering why it was happening during his review, but he felt she could trust him. She has received feedback that she was too harsh and intimidating. Lack of self acceptance can hold us back and cause us to overcompensate in certain areas. What He Has Learned From Women Instead of just opening up the laptop when you sit down with someone, TJ learned that particularly in the beginning, that it is better to discuss the expectations with an employee or peer. It is really important to have an open and honest conversation to start the working relationship. What Changes Are Necessary for Women to Step Up as Leaders TJ believes that women don’t need to change so much, but to become, to progress throughout our lives. TJ listened to one of Oprah’s commencement speeches, and she said after her show ended, that she wondered if she mattered anymore. We take the need to feel significant, to feel connected to the world into the professional environment. Expect to continue to grow and better yourself. If you aren’t getting that, ask yourself if this the right thing for you. Make necessary steps to continue and grow. What Are You Excited About Tj recently launched his first book, The Caring Warrior, which can be qualified as a self help book with leadership undertones. TJ wants to create a new generation of caring warriors. Inspirational Quote “Does anything take more courage, is anything more challenging, and sometimes frightening than to live by your own mind, judgement and values? Is not self esteem a summons to the hero within us?” - Nathanial Brandon Links Website: http://tjjonesleadership.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TJJonesLeadership/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaringWarriorTJ Book Recommendation: The Confidence Code by Katty Kat & Claire Shipman If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Natalie Eckdahl is a business coach, professional facilitator, keynote speaker and host of the Biz Chix Podcast which iTunes ranked a #1 New Business Podcast in March 2014. Natalie has an international coaching practice where she works with female entrepreneurs desiring to grow a profitable business whether they are just starting out or have a million dollar company. She leverages her 20 years of business experience, graduate business degree and social media savvy to help her clients efficiently adapt their business to their family life and individual priorities. She is the busy mom of three children ranging in age from 2-14 and starts her day with a steaming cup of Ethiopian Coffee.  Click to tweet: .@bizchixpodcast is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead https://womentakingthelead.com/193 #inspiration Playing Small Moment When Natalie started her podcast, she thought her show would be an instant hit with the sponsorship to go with it. After a year with lots of expenses and absolutely no revenue, Natalie had to reassess her plan and focus on her niche audience. After a mentor suggestion, Natalie came up with a new plan which has helped her business soar.  The Wake Up Call In the Fall of 2015, Natalie and her husband sat down and discussed their financial goals for the upcoming year. With a set number of revenue that would be transferred to the family account each month, Natalie would be able to prioritize her expenses while also seeing the rewarding amount she had actually earned.  Style of Leadership Natalie is confident that just 60 minutes with her in a strategy call, she can help any entrepreneur with their business. Inside that very call, Natalie can become familiar with their current success and how to further develop it. What Are You Excited About? Natalie is excited about certain trends she discovered this year and has come to really understand the entrepreneurial woman. She is excited to help women profit their business and to see traction build in her own after 3 years.  Current Business Challenge Not wanting to cut corners, Natalie struggles to find time to create a bigger team she can properly delegate to. This is due to her very busy schedule.   Your Support System With Natalie’s current struggles of establishing a new team, her husband has agreed to step in to help and be her tech handyman. Natalie also has a mastermind that has helped her along the way. Leadership Practice A self-proclaimed podcast junkie, Natalie often learns from fellow podcasters through binge listening once she's found a favorite. This auditory practice helps to expand her show and interviewing skill, by exposing herself to a wide ranging set of styles. Resource to Develop Leadership Profit First by Mike Michalowicz Advice For Younger Self If Natalie had the chance, she would tell her younger self that you can’t plan it all out. “You don’t know where life is going.” She had a whole plan in her 20s, and things have been so pleasantly different. It was through all of the things that weren’t in the plan that made her who she is today. Inspirational Quote “Do it scared.”  Links http://bizchix.com/  nat@bizchix.com  If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Julie Broad is an Amazon #1 Best-selling Author, recipient of the Top 20 under 40 award for Vancouver Island (2014), a successful entrepreneur, recognized real estate investor, and a popular speaker and workshop trainer. Her first book, More than Cashflow, debuted at #1 overall on Amazon.ca, and went on to win an International Book Award. Her newest release, The New Brand You launched in July 2016, and recently won a Beverly Hills Book Award for Best Sales Book.  Playing Small Moment  After spending two months making a proposal Julie felt would transform a sales process in her organization, she presented it to the president. Without looking at her ideas, he mandated she follow his plan. Julie realized she had spent much of her life pursuing a path she didn’t want to be on. She was 100% accountable for things she had 0% control over. She knew she had to quit. The Wake Up Call Julie and her husband attended a personal growth seminar. During the exercises, she realized she did many of the things in her personal and business life because she wanted people to like her. Style of Leadership Julie leads by example. She would rather let the people around her see her taking action and making mistakes, than be afraid of making mistakes. What Are You Excited About? Julie is just a few weeks away from giving birth to her first child. She will also be starting a business to assist new self-published authors sell their books. Current Business Challenge Julie finds it challenging to be in her current transitional state. Your Support System Julie’s husband is her biggest supporter. Leadership Practice If Julie says she is going to do something, she does it without hesitation. Resource to Develop Leadership The New Brand You by Julie Broad Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert Advice For Younger Self “Be you. You are the only person worth being.” Inspirational Quote “The missing piece is always action.” Links Website: HaveMoreInfluence.com Youtube: JulieABroad Twitter: @TheJulieBroad Facebook: JulieBroadSpeaker   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com  

After nearly twenty years in senior leadership roles in communications at media giants Universal, Sony, and Turner Broadcasting, Libby founded executive coaching and consulting firm Libby Gill & Company, in November 2000. A sought-after international speaker, she guides established and emerging leaders to inspire purpose, and ignite performance, by building engaged cultures based on trust, respect, and hope. Author of four books, including the award-winning YOU UNSTUCK: Mastering the New Rules of Risk-taking in  Work and Life, which has been endorsed by business leaders including Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh and Dr. Ken Blanchard. Her latest book, CAPTURE THE MINDSHARE AND THE  MARKET SHARE WILL FOLLOW: The Art and Science of Building Brands, shows readers how to build brand loyalty through deep emotional connections. Playing Small Moment Libby has always worked behind the scenes, but she yearned to be front and center, in the theater. Instead of getting out in front and taking charge, she let her fear overcome her. The Wake Up Call Libby’s wake up call came when she received her head shot back from a touch-up artist, with too many notations. Style of Leadership Libby’s leadership style is a blend of candor and kindness. She found her sweet spot in not being too direct nor too nice. What Are You Excited About? Libby is excited about her new leadership course, which focuses on helping people rebuild their careers. Current Business Challenge Libby believes in the content she has created. Her next challenge is marketing it and sharing it with people. Your Support System Libby found having an accountability partner was meaningful, and she has an assistant whom she considers to be her right hand. She also has other people she employs, plus outsourced support. Leadership Practice Libby’s leadership practice is a 3-step vision process. Resource to Develop Leadership YOU UNSTUCK, by Libby Gill Advice For Younger Self “There are people out there to help you!” Inspirational Quote “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.” ― Robert Lewis Stevenson Links Website: Libbygill.com Website: Yourcareerquiz.com Twitter: @LibbyGill Facebook: MeetLibbyGill Instagram: @LibbyGill_co LinkedIn: LibbyGillLeadershipExpert Email: AskLibby@Libbygill.com If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

I’ve talked before about how the seasons impact our behavior. September tends to be a time of transition while December with it’s darker shorter days brings on reflection and going inward. Now that I know this happens I plan for it and take advantage of it. But there were some things that came onto my radar unintentionally that prompted the topic of today’s episode: disclosing what I’m afraid to tell you. Loving What Is Two weeks ago I was listening to the BNI and the Power of One podcast. There is a segment of the show that happens about once a month where the host, Tim Roberts, brings on a co-host and together they discuss a book together. The book they reviewed that day was Loving What Is by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell. Though Loving What Is is not a business book but it’s what I refer to as a life book. These are books that have ideas that are so profound they ripple across every area of life and so can be used to impact business, career, health, finances, you name it. I was intrigued by what was shared in this podcast and immediately went to Audible to download the audiobook. The book is centered around what is now popularly called “The Work.” It’s four questions that help you to separate what’s real from what’s made up in your mind so you can let go of angst and suffering. This book blew me away, has continued to do so, and the timing was perfect as I had a couple of clients who were engaged in doing deeper work to find peace and happiness. I was able to recommend this book to them and they’ve been reporting feeling more peace and freedom around things in their life that were troubling them. The Lively Show Then last week I was listening to another of my favorite podcasts, The Lively Show with Jess Lively. This podcast was recommended to me by Kendra Wheeler who has been a guest on Women Taking the Lead. I was hooked immediately. Jess Lively is about 10 years younger than I am which makes her a millennial and I have been appreciating her perspective on the world, work and life. Jess is very open about her life and right after I started listening to her she went through some rapid and drastic life changes and she’s balance being respectful of the privacy of others and sharing a great deal of her thoughts and feelings knowing it has been helpful to her community. She’s not afraid to talk about finding flow and intuition and she’s interviewed people on her show that I dream about having on Women Taking the Lead. I get a happiness boost every time I see one of her episodes downloading onto my phone. You can imagine my surprise when last week I hit play on her latest episode and she started talking about how she hasn’t been enjoying the thought of doing future episodes as much as she had in the past. When she did her own inquiry into why she was feeling this way she realized it was because she had been holding some things back and so didn’t feel like the podcast was a place that she could fully express herself like she had been in the past. To clear the air she listed out all the things that she had not been saying on her podcast and it was amazing. Nothing she said was shocking or earth shattering but you could almost feel with each admission that her load was lifting and she was being herself without effort and letting that come forth however she was in the moment. I was in awe of her and still am I too have also been feeling the weight of responsibility with my podcast and my business and my relationships and her admission had me wondering where I have been holding back and being less than forthcoming. I started doing Byron Katie’s “The Work” and also began listing out what I wanted for my business and my podcast and took a close look at what I had been keeping to myself – not in an attempt to deceive, but more because I wasn’t dealing with feelings that were nagging at me. Here is my list of things I’ve been afraid to tell you...Listen in! Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. The Accomplished Community: A community of entrepreneurial Type A women uniting to achieve their biggest goals with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Jennifer Briney is the host of Congressional Dish, a twice-monthly podcast exposing the secrets drowned out by the partisan noise in the United States Congress. By interpreting legislation, summarizing Congressional hearings, and following the money, Jennifer Briney analyzes the actions of Congress that are generally ignored by the corporate media, delivering the information from the perspective of a fed-up taxpayer, who bears no allegiance to any political party or ideology.  Playing Small Moment For six months, Jennifer had an idea to make a podcast but never acted upon it. She allowed the naysayers in her life to influence her decision. It wasn’t until after her father had a near-death experience, that she decided to take his advice and run with the idea. The Wake Up Call Jennifer downloaded 30 episodes of Audacity to Podcast, and then followed through with every piece of information the host recommended. She’s embarrassed by those first episodes, but is so happy she did it! Style of Leadership Jennifer’s leadership style is hands-off. She wants people to be responsible for their own work; for this reason, she avoids hiring employees, and instead, gives work to freelancers. What Are You Excited About? Jennifer is excited about her new opportunity to outsource her busy work. Current Business Challenge Jennifer knows it will be challenging to deal with the new presidential administration and the new one-party House and Senate. She will need to buckle down and pay attention to everything. Your Support System Jennifer’s husband, Joe, is supporting her through the early days of this venture; her father; and Darrell Darnell of Pro Podcast Solutions, who does the audio editing. She also has a volunteer, who helps with her graphics. Leadership Practice Trust is Jennifer’s most effective leadership practice. But she really doesn’t consider herself a leader. Resource to Develop Leadership Daniel J. Lewis, Dave Jackson, Adam Curry, Joe Rogan and Kara Santa Maria Advice For Younger Self “Don’t stress yourself so much. Do it in your own way, and you will be fine.” Inspirational Quote “You never know until you try.” Links Website: www.congressionaldish.com Twitter: @JenBriney Facebook: www.facebook.com/congressionaldish   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Carol Cox is the creator of Speaking Your Brand, which helps purpose-driven women entrepreneurs and leaders shape their business and personal brands, share their message, and become recognized as influencers in their field. She teaches business and marketing classes at a university, and during election seasons, serves as a Democratic political analyst on TV news. Carol believes that as high-performing women, we change the paradigm, the perception of ambitious women, by more of us actively and visibly pursuing bigger audacious goals, raising our voices and sharing our stories about what really matters — on stages, in boardrooms, in our businesses, in the media, and in our families — so others can learn from our journeys, see themselves in ours, and become leaders in their own companies and communities.  Playing Small Moment Carol was in her early 30’s when she decided to finally run for chairperson. She obtained the position and enjoyed the success for a time, until her friends stopped supporting her. After that lesson, Carol started building multiple support systems so she always has support for her ventures. The Wake Up Call Carol’s wake up call came after an interview with a news organization. She had smiled her way through a serious topic with the intent of seeming likable. Later, she realized she had betrayed her emotions for the sake of feminine likability. Style of Leadership Carol is a hands-off leader. She trusts the people she is working with and they know the best way to complete their part of the work. What Are You Excited About? Carol is excited to be re-launching her online group coaching and Mastermind program this coming February. Current Business Challenge Scaling is Carol’s biggest business challenge right now. Your Support System Carol’s husband is her main support system. In addition, her Mastermind group allows her to interact with people who help to keep her focused and accountable towards achieving her goals. Leadership Practice Carol reads about a wide range of topics so she stays well rounded and can provide insights in different areas. Book to Develop Leadership Playing Big by Tara Mohr Advice For Younger Self “Move to New York City!”  Inspirational Quote “You can’t take people further than you have gone yourself.” ― Carl Jung Links Website: www.speakingyourbrand.com Free gift for listeners: www.speakingyourbrand.com/takethelead Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/speakingyourbrand @CarolMorganCox   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community!

Lin Eleoff is an Internet startup lawyer, but she's more than that — she's the kind of lawyer that wants to help you avoid having to hire a lawyer, especially when you're just trying to grow your business, and money is tight. That means she doesn't want you to hire her; she wants to show you how you can do a lot of the legal legwork yourself. Her "DIY Legal Toolkit" not only answers your legal questions, it provides you with checklists, templates, and the law you need to know about in order to "cover your assets online." Online entrepreneurs don't know what they don't know, and that means they're exposing themselves to liability, and they're putting their personal assets at risk. Playing Small Moment Lin says playing small for her was when she attempted to be all things to all people. The Wake Up Call Lin started her online business without knowing what she was doing. After some time, she made a 46-step checklist that she made into a book. A book she wished she had had access to when she first started her business.   Style of Leadership Lin would like to be a leader who leads with grace, to enable those who have the guts and the grit to go for it. She throws in some humor and some sarcasm, just to lighten things up. What Are You Excited About? Lin is really excited about her new Mind, Body, Business Freedom Mastermind. She wants to make an affordable community for women who want to find success when starting their own online businesses. Current Business Challenge Lin says it has been challenging finding a group of like-minded women who are willing to go all-in. Your Support System Lin belongs to a high-level Mastermind Group, she has a business coach, a virtual assistant, and a tech support system. Leadership Practice Asking questions is Lin’s practice that makes her a better leader. Book to Develop Leadership The Dance of Anger, by Harriet Lerner The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz Advice For Younger Self “You are on the right track. Keep doing what your heart is telling you to do. Yes it’s scary. Keep moving forward.” Inspirational Quote “This too shall pass.” Links Website: CoverYourAssetsOnline.com Website: DIYLegalToolkit.com   If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com 

Dana Zarcone, known as “The Liberating Leadership Coach,” is passionate about helping her clients live all-in and full-out, step into their power, and enjoy epic success in life and business. Dana has her masters in counseling, is a national certified counselor, certified core energetics practitioner, certified life coach and energy healer. She’s the founder of Source Your Joy™ and is a motivational speaker, author, and host of The Your Shift Matters podcast. Playing Small Moment When Dana was growing up, her parents had her life already roadmapped for her. She did exactly what was expected of her. Dana’s playing small moment came after receiving her mother’s discouragement after she told her mom she was going back to college, after becoming successful in corporate America. She ended up staying the course and continuing her work, when it wasn’t what she wanted to do. The Wake Up Call Dana decided to leave the corporate world to become an entrepreneur and coach. When she took the leap, she realized that she didn’t know who she was. She had identified herself with her job title and her paycheck for so long, she had no idea how much confidence she lacked. After a breakdown and some soul searching, her wake up call came when she realized she had a purpose in this world.  Style of Leadership Dana’s leadership style is about being compassionate, sympathetic, humble, and non-judgmental. She firmly holds people accountable. What Are You Excited About? Dana is co-authoring a book, The No-BS Truth: What it Really Takes to Build a Business. She is also really excited about her energy work, and having Jodi as a guest on her new podcast, Your Shift Matters. Current Business Challenge Dana underestimated just how much work having a podcast is, so she is in the market for a Virtual Assistant. Your Support System Friends and family are supportive of Dana’s ventures. Her virtual friends have really been great sounding boards and mentors. She is thankful for these women she considers some of her dearest friends. Leadership Practice Dana does a 5-minute energy routine. Book to Develop Leadership Thrive, by Arianna Huffington Eat That Frog, by Brian Tracy Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson Advice For Younger Self “Don’t let other people’s opinions about you and about life determine how you feel about yourself and what you can accomplish.” Inspirational Quote “Our deepest fear isn’t that we are inadequate. It’s that we are powerful beyond measure; and there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so others won’t feel insecure around you.” ― Marianne Williamson Links Website: http://www.DanaZarcone.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danazarcone Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaZarcone Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SourceYourJoy/ Podcast: http://www.YourShiftMatters.com    If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com 

In this holiday season while we are putting more effort into being forgiving, cheerful and jolly I thought I’d go over some of the reasons why you might want to continue the effort throughout the year…at least until it doesn’t require as much effort. We’ve all needed to vent at one time or another. The pressure builds inside of us and we need to release it to a close and trusted confidant. The mistake I see some women make is bringing that behavior into their professional life assuming everyone they are talking to is on the same page as they are. They voice their grievances indiscriminately and without any commitment to create change for the better. Another reason I’m doing this episode is as a reminder to myself to always be mindful of the impact I have on others. I’m generally known as a positive person but I have my moments of negativity and I’d like those moments to be fewer and farther between in the future. Also, if you are a win-lose kind of person I can tell you when you go negative in a relationship you lose. The person being the most negative appears to be the more immature, unstable person and thus will appear to be the source of the problems. Protect your reputation and your peace of mind by being aware of what comes across as negative and work towards keeping a more positive frame of mind. Obvious ways we tend to go negative Complaining about another person, especially when framed in a way to make yourself look good. This is also a form of gossip and it is as damaging to the other person as it is to you. You may not realize it but you are sending a message to those you are talking with that you don’t know how to handle conflict, that you are not capable of resolving issues. While you may find people who agree with you and validate your position you also make yourself look weak and untrustworthy. Those around you will believe you to be the type of person who will sell them out as well should you get mad at them. Instead, find a way to resolve your conflict with the source. If you need to talk through your strategy with someone first, find a trusted confidant who will listen objectively and keep your conversation confidential. Talking at length about how hard you have it Everyone is going through something. No one has it easy. It’s okay to share with your friends and close associates an update on some challenges you have to let them into your world and possibly brainstorm some solutions. If the conversation is focused on finding a solution it can actually be energizing, especially to those who love problem solving. And before you share your challenges, weigh whether or not it is even worth sharing. You’ll be surprised that if you are able to let some things go and not focus on them by engaging in a conversation about them, fewer things will bother you. We all have things to be grateful for, share those instead. Saying anything snarky It’s unprofessional. I’ve seen people try to be snarky in mixed company thinking that it was a good joke but instead it landed like a lead balloon. Sarcasm is easily misunderstood so outside of the private conversation with your other sarcastic friend, avoid it. It’s not worth taking the chance. Subtle forms of going negative Disagreeing with everyone’s ideas without expressing any alternatives or offering to help in the solution It’s okay not to agree with others but when you shoot down other people’s ideas and don’t have a logical reason for it or an alternative you run the risk of looking contentious. Rather than disagreeing outright politely ask questions that would help the other party see the gaps in their plan or reveal information that would help you to see the validity of the idea. Expressing your opinions without being asked for them. Have you ever been around someone who was constantly blurting out, “I don’t like that”? Oy! When asked for your honest opinion it’s okay to be honest, just hold back from laying it on thick. Moping This passive-aggressive tactic is usually employed after someone has not gotten their way. Rather than accepting what has been decided they choose to disengage and refuse to participate in protest. This is considered childish behavior and it makes the situation uncomfortable for everyone. Rather than moping either completely remove yourself from the situation or organization if it’s that intolerable or shake it off and start participating again. Be the person others want to be around We all can agree that it’s draining to be around people who are constantly complaining. Don’t be the person others want to avoid because you have a tendency to go negative on occasion. I go over all the triggers to this behavior and how you can be the person others want to work with, promote and support as you move toward your goals in my book, Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3LH7S0 Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Michelle McQuaid is a best-selling author, workplace well-being teacher, and playful change activator. With more than a decade of senior leadership experience in large organizations around the world, she’s passionate about translating cutting-edge research from positive psychology and neuroscience, into practical strategies for health, happiness, and business success. She blogs for Psychology Today, Huffington Post, and Live Happy, and her work has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Boss Magazine, The Age, and more. Michelle lives to help people discover their strengths, move beyond their fears, and finally discover what it truly takes to flourish with confidence. Playing Small Moment Michelle says her playing small moment came when she requested coffee with a friend who was a C-level executive from a large financial firm, to ask for some career advice. When her contact said she should take on a new role, Michelle was embarrassed, because she didn’t think she had what it would take for a role of that size. The Wake Up Call While watching TV one evening, Michelle was amazed to learn there is a science behind how we show up every day. This was her wake up call that maybe she had plateaued in her current position, and it was time for her to learn more about positive psychology. Style of Leadership Michelle practices positive leadership. She has a weekly check in and asks her team members “What lit you up the most?” What Are You Excited About? Michelle’s book, Lead Like a Woman, was released in early 2016. When she and her partner saw the incredible results, they devised a way to get it in front of more women, through an online program. Current Business Challenge Michelle finds it challenging not to be attached to outcomes, and to give her best efforts to the daily processes. Leadership Practice Michelle looks for the best in people. Book to Develop Leadership Lead Like a Woman, by Michelle McQuaid & Megan Dalla-Camina Advice For Younger Self “Be gentler on yourself.” Inspirational Quote “What if everything you dreamed was entirely possible?” Links Website: https://www.leadlikeawoman.net Website: http://www.michellemcquaid.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/chellemcquaid Character Strength Assessment: http://www.viacharacter.org/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Andrea Goulet is the CEO of Corgibytes, a software development shop dedicated to maintaining and modernizing software applications. Named by LinkedIn as one of the top ten professionals in software under 35, Andrea is the founder of LegacyCode.Rocks, and hosts a podcast dedicated to changing the way we think about legacy code. She keynotes frequently about building a business based on balance, empathy, and trust; the perils of the technical/non-technical divide; and the technical philosophies around working with legacy code. In her spare time, Andrea enjoys helping other people learn how to code, and writing about the intersection of empathy and software. She loves watching her kids explore the world, and is a sucker for a good physics documentary. You can recognize her by the JavaScript tattoo on her wrist. Playing Small Moment Andrea says she still plays small sometimes, and she feels the anxiety that accompanies her fear may always be there for her. She finds herself focusing on the negative comments about her work, so she welcomes positive feedback about the impact she is making. The Wake Up Call After hearing her husband describe her as non-technical, Andrea realized she was the person who had been holding herself back. He had used the exact words to describe her as she had used to describe herself just days before. Style of Leadership Andrea encourages her team members to go outside of their comfort zones. She considers herself a gardener who sets seeds and lets them grow, and tries not to get in the way. What Are You Excited About? Andrea is ready to dedicate her time to writing a book and getting it published. She is also excited about the community of LegacyCode.Rocks. Current Business Challenge As Corgibytes continues to grow, Andrea is challenged with embracing the growth, while maintaining her original vision. Your Support System Andrea’s business partner Scott, who is also her husband, provides her with amazing support. Scott’s parents provide child care which gives them freedom to run their business. All of the team members are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Leadership Practice Shared daily journals have been a transformative practice. Book to Develop Leadership Daring Greatly, by Dr. Brene Brown Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, by Dr. Lois Frankel Advice For Younger Self “Recognize no matter what you do, you are gaining an important lesson you can use later.” Inspirational Quote “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt Links Website: Corgibytes.com Website: LegacyCode.Rocks Twitter: @AndreaGoulet LinkedIn: AndreaMGoulet GitHub: AndreaGoulet   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

As CEO of Successful Culture, Marissa helps CEOs master the three most critical aspects of business growth: leadership development, strategy formulation and execution, and organizational culture assessment and improvement. Marissa also helps CEOs build the supporting communities they need to grow, including advisory boards and CEO roundtables. Successful Culture ensures organizations have the strongest internal infrastructures and external support systems required to build their greatest organizations, and reach their greatest potential. Playing Small Moment When Marissa worked for a company before starting her own business, she was a protégé to the CEO. She had built a business case about why she deserved a raise and the CEO told her she would never be worth more than $34K to his company. For a moment, Marissa thought maybe I am only worth a certain amount. She then remembered her mother saying “Never let anyone else determine your value.” The Wake Up Call After a government initiative to only accept lowest-cost providers, Marissa decided her values were not alignment with this style of business, so she left for her own company. Style of Leadership Marissa is a servant leader. She believes in a supreme service model for those who work for her and those she works for. What Are You Excited About? Marissa’s book, Built to SCALE, helps companies build advisory boards. She is excited to work with CEOs to implement the SCALE model. She also is introducing new roundtables to an existing project, and working on her third book. Current Business Challenge Marissa has a tremendous vision for successful culture, and her biggest challenge is to execute all of the many pieces she has planned. Your Support System Marissa has a dedicated team of advisors, a Mastermind group, and an EO forum, and her girlfriends are her lifeline of emotional and moral support. Leadership Practice Marissa intentionally educates herself, and is constantly aware of the information she takes in. Book to Develop Leadership The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz Advice For Younger Self “Hire more slowly and fire faster,” and, “Surround yourself with great people.” Inspirational Quote “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” “The trouble is, you think you have time.” Links Website: SuccessfulCulture Facebook: Successful Culture Twitter: @MarissaLevin LinkedIn: Marissa Levin Instagram: @MarissaLevin1 If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on #inspiration and community! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Upon the creation of Wreaths Across America™ in 2007, Karen Worcester was chosen for the position of executive director. With over 40 years’ experience in the administrative stewardship of various Worcester enterprises, Karen is a passionate champion and spokesperson. As a co-founder of Wreaths Across America, Karen tenaciously works on ways the organization can best remember the fallen; honor those who serve; and teach our children that our freedoms are purchased at a great cost. Playing Small Moment When Karen’s second child was born two months premature, she blamed herself. It put things in perspective for her, and she knew if she could survive that, she could survive anything. The Wake Up Call Karen struggles with self-doubt and realizes many people just want to be loved and needed. She feels blessed to have understood from a young age, she didn’t need to be perfect, and she could only do the best that she could do. Style of Leadership Karen is respectful of the fact that we all have different skill sets and she wouldn’t ever set someone up to fail. She enjoys making other people feel successful. What Are You Excited About? Karen is working on a living history project through Wreaths Across America. Through reenactments, they are teaching people about the character of the men and women who stepped up to serve. Current Business Challenge Karen finds it challenging to raise funds to get wreaths for all the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. Your Support System Volunteers step up and take the responsibility to get sponsorships and make the ceremonies. Many people in her organization don’t take a salary and she gets a lot of support from the community. Leadership Practice Karen practices patience, and this makes her a better leader. Book to Develop Leadership The Bible Advice For Younger Self “Don’t eat the bread.” and “Don’t let a day go by that you don’t appreciate your family, your country, and what you have. Don’t have a pity party, and don’t let the sun go down being unhappy with people around you.” Inspirational Quote “Give freely, love deeply and always reach down and grab another gear.” Links Website: http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WAAHQ/?fref=ts   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

As a lifelong pianist, Jennifer Eklund has embodied the American entrepreneurial spirit since she was a teenager. She worked as a performer and teacher for twenty years before diving head-on into running her music book publishing company, Piano Pronto Publishing, full-time, starting in 2014. A trailblazer in the evolving print music industry, Eklund is an avid composer of educational piano music and now represents and publishes the works of a growing number of independent composers. Playing Small Moment Jennifer says for musicians small moments can come on an almost daily basis. She had created a curriculum she felt needed to be seen in the publishing industry. She accepted many rejection letters before standing her ground and questioning them on why they thought the world didn’t need it. The Wake Up Call Jennifer had a contract meeting with a major publisher which made her feel like she would be signing away her life. They edited her piece of music and took all the fun out of it. She knew at that moment she needed to stay independent so she would have control over her own work. Style of Leadership Jennifer has a very personal and hands-on leadership style. What Are You Excited About? After a summit, Jennifer offered to mentor someone she knew from social media. The venture has since turned into her core business at Piano Pronto. She is excited to create a loyal community of composers who wish to publish their works. Current Business Challenge Jennifer is challenged with managing her time. She realizes she needs to take more time for herself and her creative endeavors. Your Support System When Jennifer first started her business she was responsible for every function of the business. She now has a team of people she can rely on to help run the business. Leadership Practice Jennifer wakes up really early to review her list of short-term and long-term goals. Book to Develop Leadership The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John Maxwell Linchpin, by Seth Godin Advice For Younger Self “Be more curious about the inner working of things.” Inspirational Quote “You are the star, and the life is your stage. It’s up to you whether or not the audience shouts for an encore.” Links Website: www.PianoPronto.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PianoPronto/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pianoteachercentral/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Milly Welsh is the founder of Zebralove Web Solutions, a web development company in Portland, Maine, that specializes in web design & development, mobile app development, and search engine optimization. Milly started Zebralove in 2006 and loves to help businesses, small and large, achieve the online presence they need, to grow to the next level. Milly is currently working on a mobile app, called VibeSquirrel, that will come out for iOS and Android in early 2017. Playing Small Moment Milly’s playing small moment was when she took on an enormous project, and because she was a self-taught developer, she didn’t ask for help from other developers. She feared they might think her a fraud. The Wake Up Call Milly realizes that by helping other people she is able to grow her business to the next level. Style of Leadership Milly is developing her leadership style through collaboration. She knows it takes longer than giving directives but she believes better ideas come out of it. What Are You Excited About? Milly is excited about developing her own mobile app, VibeSquirrel, which is a random positive messaging app. She is raising money through Kickstarter to cover the marketing costs. Current Business Challenge Milly is challenged by getting all the pieces of her business in place. She may be reaching the tipping point of having to hire additional people. Your Support System Milly’s support system consists of her husband, her team members and her dad. Leadership Practice Milly has a heart-to-heart conversation with new team members so she can assess where they fit into her team, and how she can help them to move forward. Book to Develop Leadership The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper Advice For Younger Self “Don’t think too much,” and “Trust your gut.” Inspirational Quote “Each of your cells is a galaxy in the universe that is your body. You are full of amazing things.” ― VibeSquirrel Links Website: www.vibesquirrel.com Website: http://zebralovewebsolutions.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vibesquirrel/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Today, for this bonus episode, I want to talk to you about bartering. This topic is relevant if you have a business or not, so stick with me. First, let’s start with selling. The idea of selling, for many women, is an icky thing. We are taught as young girls to be of service and to give for the sake of giving. Usually when we were transacting with money the price was set by someone else and we were not to haggle over it. And as a coach, the idea that I was selling conversation – something I gave away for free all the time – that was even more difficult. I remember when I became a newbie coach there was a lot of advice and opinions on what to charge for services and how to have those conversations. I remember being told not to barter my services; that my services are a valuable commodity and I needed to respect that. I can see how this advice was well intended but I have evolved as a coach and a business owner and I want to share my new understanding with you in the hopes that it is helpful to you and gives you some freedom. Resources Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community! Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing: A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen. Women Taking the Lead Website: Find more resources to help you on your leadership journey.

Krystal is a branding, PR, and influence expert who helps women build expert brands that get them more opportunities to make an impact in the world, so they can finally get paid what they’re worth. She’s also an author and keynote speaker who loves helping people stand out. Playing Small Moment Krystal realized she was playing small early in her freelance career when she had difficulty charging people for her work. It wasn’t until she found the support of a networking group that she was able to become comfortable asking for her true value. The Wake Up Call Krystal started a free networking group named “Women of Denver.” When she decided to make it a subscription based group, she was overwhelmed with anxiety from the responsibility of it all. Her wake up call came when she realized she needed to build her own confidence before she could lead the group using her full potential. Style of Leadership Krystal wants people to know the why behind the things she preaches, and she allows people to see the mistakes she makes, and how she moves on to do better the next time. What Are You Excited About? Krystal is excited about launching her online course, Stand-out for Success. Current Business Challenge Krystal struggles with overbooking herself. She often needs to remind herself that it is ok to put something on the back burner. Your Support System It wasn’t always the case, but Krystal has become a master at asking for help. Her husband backs her up in life, and in business, and the leadership team from the “Women of Denver” provide her with welcome support. Leadership Practice Krystal allows herself to be authentic in front of other people. Book to Develop Leadership The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane Advice For Younger Self “You don’t need to have all the answers today, and you won’t have all the answers tomorrow, either.” Inspirational Quote “Man cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― Andre Gide Links Website: www.krystalcovington.com Networking Group Website: www.thewomenofdenver.com Twitter: @krystalgolead Instagram: @krystalgolead   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Naketa Thigpen, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Balance & Relationship Advisor took the best of her education, aptitude, and experience as a barrier-breaker, and founded ThigPro Balance and Relationship Management Institute to unlock passion, unleash innovation, and maximize profit. As the author of the forthcoming book, Selfish, and a sought-after speaker and podcast host, Naketa has set her daily intention to empower and motivate the willing to balance all that matters. Playing Small Moment Naketa takes us back to the first time she recognized she was playing small. She walked into a networking event and felt isolated based on her appearance and personality. She acknowledged she wasn’t comfortable in her “new skin” as an entrepreneur, when she changed her answers based on if the person who approached her was a male or a female. The Wake Up Call Naketa’s latest aha moment came when she decided to do a daily 5 a.m. Wake and Breakthrough on Periscope. She didn’t plan on her Grandfather’s words coming back to her to tell her she wouldn’t be good enough, but when they did, she realized she needed to move forward to her next level. Style of Leadership Naketa needs to be honest and transparent in order to lead others. What Are You Excited About? Naketa is excited about The Dreamer’s Blueprint, which is the new membership community she is creating. Current Business Challenge Naketa finds it difficult to find time for business priorities while simple to-do’s are left unanswered. Your Support System Naketa’s support system includes an amazing digital media strategist and guru, a dynamic accountability partner and her brain trust advisors sister friend, who she feels has completely transformed her business. Leadership Practice Naketa gives herself permission to pause several times daily. Book to Develop Leadership The Big Leap, by Gaye Hendricks Advice For Younger Self “It’s ok to ask for help, especially from people who truly want you to succeed in life.” Inspirational Quote “I feel adventurous. There are so many doors that need to be opened, and I am not afraid to look behind them.” ~ Elizabeth Taylor Links Website: Thigpro.com LinkedIn: Naketa Thigpen Twitter: @BalanceBoldly   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Robin Bates is a new small business owner, as of June of this year. She creates unique children’s books, where your precious little one is the star of the story. Prior to starting Jewel’s Custom Books, she took a four-year hiatus from her 25+ year career as a preschool teacher. She and her husband, Marc, currently have three children, and they were her main motivation in starting Jewel’s Custom Books. The love of reading is a gift they wish to instill not only to their children, but to as many other kids as possible. Playing Small Moment Robin recognizes that some people view teaching as being a glorified babysitter, but she knows what she is doing is very important. Teaching is actually one of her superpowers. The Wake Up Call The book, The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, had a profound influence on Robin at a very early age. Later, when her husband introduced custom books as a business idea she loved it because she knew what it felt like for a child to be the star of the story. Style of Leadership Robin believes in mentoring others, and using questions as a learning tool with those she leads. What Are You Excited About? Robin is excited to incorporate her own stories into the variety of books her business offers to customers. Current Business Challenge Robin is challenged with getting her new product out to the masses. Your Support System Robin’s husband is a relationship and business partner, her niece helps put books together, and her various networking groups make her support system complete. Leadership Practice Robin likes to go the extra mile for people, and she always treats them the way she wants to be treated. Book to Develop Leadership The Bible Advice For Younger Self “Just keep doing what you are doing. Stay on the path.” Inspirational Quote “Fear is false evidence appearing real.” Links Website: www.jewelscustombooks.com Email: robin@jewelscustombooks.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/jewelscustombooks Phone: 1-207-221-6973   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Boom Shikha is a serial entrepreneur, wanderluster, online-business owner, yogi, author, and avid meditator. She's interested in helping you find your life purpose, and get to your Level 10 life. Playing Small Moment The last time Boom felt like she was playing small was in the corporate world. She says they almost set up the environment for people to play small by hiding their creativity and not being themselves.    The Wake Up Call Boom was working at her previous job when she planned an overseas vacation. Shortly before she was ready to leave, the management team told her about an upcoming launch she would miss if she continued with her travel plans. Boom went to Asia and upon her return, her boss told her how disappointed she was that she missed the launch and that she must not care about the company. Her wake up call was the realization she wanted to control her own time.  Style of Leadership Boom trusts her gut and considers herself an intuitive leader. What Are You Excited About? Boom is excited about her current artist’s workshops and the desire to become an improv performance artist. Current Business Challenge Boom is challenged by continuing to trust and believe in the path the universe has for her, and keeping her ‘keeping on’ mindset. Your Support System Boom has a weekly Mastermind Group which gives her a community to build and grow with. Her family also supports her in her business efforts. Leadership Practice Meditation is a leadership practice that is crucial to Boom, making her a better leader. Book to Develop Leadership 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Advice For Younger Self “Don’t go to University and start your business right away!” Inspirational Quote “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson Links Website: http://www.themillionairehippie.com/ Facebook Group: http://www.whatsyourfreedomnumber.com Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/boomshikhacoach Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/boomshikha   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Changing the world is the reason Daniel Bielak wakes up in the morning. A dynamic speaker and presenter, Daniel’s desire for change has led him to start the Youth Empowerment Podcast, and business danielbielak.com. On the podcast, he has interviewed some of the world’s greatest influencers, leaders and inspirational people. With a passion for entrepreneurship, helping others and changing the world, don’t be surprised if he’s impacting one hundred thousand youth by the end of 2016, and one million within 3 years. Look out for him in 2035 when he is sworn into office and becomes Prime Minister of Canada. A Woman Who Has Impacted You as a Leader Daniel was born nine weeks premature, and diagnosed with asthma. He spent most of his childhood sick, due to his allergic reaction to the asthma medication he was prescribed. His mother took him to the Mayo clinic when she was tired of seeing her son suffer. His Impact on Women as Leaders Daniel’s initiative is to empower men to embrace their feminine aspects -- which he knows will, in turn, empower the females in their lives. What He Sees That Holds Women Back  Daniel sees women challenged with the confidence to ask questions or to challenge an idea. What He Has Learned From Women Daniel is learning to be emotionally open and more vulnerable from the women he works with. What Changes Are Necessary for Women to Step Up as Leaders Daniel believes women can benefit from leadership classes, but internally leading their own lives towards their visions and goals before they attempt to lead a team, is a best practice. He says “find out who you are, and then drive your leadership towards it.” What Are You Excited About Daniel is excited about his podcast and about publishing the new “You Empower” magazine. Inspirational Quote “There is no not.” ― Daniel Bielak Links Website: www.danielbielak.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YouthEmpowermentPodcast LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/danielbielak Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/daniel_theman_bielak YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf5KACREN213KTZxK9PHRpg   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Dr. Tiffany Stewart is a national speaker, professional coach and mentor, trained licensed therapist, and tenured associate professor of counseling. She works with individuals, teaching step-by-step how to create the life they want and desire. Her passion is to help individuals, who may be stuck in some area of life, tap into their power and give themselves permission to step into their purpose and create the life they want to live. She is the creator of the L.E.A.P. Success System. Playing Small Moment Dr. Stewart’s playing small moment was a large portion of her past, when she was following along with everything she thought she was supposed to do. She didn’t consider that she could think outside of the box and explore her other abilities. The Wake Up Call Dr. Stewart was working with a mentor early in her career, when she was looking for guidance. She questioned her own worth, because her ideas were being rebuffed. But when she noticed her ideas were being regurgitated back to her, she experienced her wake up call. This is when she started to trust in herself and her intuition. Style of Leadership Dr. Stewart trusts her support group to take care of their responsibilities, but requires them to go hard like she does. She believes in work/life balance for herself and her team. What Are You Excited About? Dr. Stewart is super excited about her life right now, as she is creating her life’s work. Current Business Challenge Dr. Stewart is challenged as she tries to streamline her work. Her past beliefs of hard work all the time go against her work/life balance philosophy. Your Support System Dr. Stewart’s business coach and mentor supports her during her transitions, and helps her feel comfortable as she achieves new levels in her life. Leadership Practice Discipline and consistency are the two ruling practices that allow Dr. Stewart to be a good leader. Book to Develop Leadership The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss Advice For Younger Self Don’t be so hard on yourself. Inspirational Quote “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” ― Thomas Edison Links Web: www.tiffanystewartphd.com Email: tiffany@tiffanystewartphd.com Facebook: Dr.TiffanyStewart Twitter: @drtiffphd Instagram: @drtiffphd   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Accomplished: How to Go From Dreaming to Doing is in Amazon! Knowing the pain of needing coaching yet not being ready for it I took my coaching system, wove it with personal stories, descriptions [and a free companion course with videos and worksheets] and put it into Accomplished: How to Go From Dreaming to Doing. Go here to grab your copy and share with a friend: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3LH7S0

Katie Grant is the co-owner of Dirigo Public House, a craft beer pub located in Yarmouth, Maine.  After many years in the service industry, she and her chef husband, Ben, opened Dirigo in 2015 where they share their love of great food and drink and a welcoming community with their guests. Katie has a BS in Media Arts & Design from James Madison University and has worked in the corporate design world as well successfully running her own graphic design company after graduating from JMU in 2010.  Katie is a proud life-long Mainer and feels incredibly fortunate to live, work and raise her family in such a beautiful place. Playing Small Moment Katie’s playing small moment came when she joined a larger team of graphic designers. She was new to the team and the youngest of the group which made her unsure of her abilities. The Wake Up Call Katie’s wake up call slowly evolved as she took control of the managerial activities at Dirigo. Her confidence is continually rising as she is confronted with each new challenge. Style of Leadership Katie respects everyone she works with tries to be clear and transparent with them in her leadership role. She and her husband approach leadership as a team. What Are You Excited About? Katie is excited to roll out a new menu at the restaurant! She created a new design to go along with the new menu items.    Current Business Challenge Katie finds it challenging to train new team members and being patient as people are learning. Your Support System Katie’s support system consists of her husband Ben,their families and a community of regular clients and it means the world to Katie. Leadership Practice Katie’s daily yoga practice helps her to silence self-doubt and it keeps her happy and grounded.  Advice For Younger Self Ask questions when you are unsure! Inspirational Quote “We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” ~ Charles Bukowski Links Website: http://dirigopublichouse.com/ Facebook: http://facebook.com/dirigopublic Instagram: @dirigopublichouse & and @kt.grant   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Stacey Brown Randall has one focus in life: to help business owners avoid business failure. She knows – she’s been there, done that, and received the t-shirt. What Stacey learned when her first business failed – and through years of researching successful business owners – is now what is making all the difference with her current business’ success. And she is sharing all of her secrets. As a business growth accelerator, Stacey’s online programs and live coaching provide a blueprint to follow, to take control of your referrals, your client experience, your business, and your days. Stacey received her Master’s in Organizational Communication, and is married with three kids. Playing Small Moment Not talking about her failed business was Stacey’s playing small moment. She spun a story and told people a corporate job was a better option for her, but it wasn’t. It is a cornerstone of where she is today. The Wake Up Call Stacey’s aha moment came as she was reading paperwork for a conference. She read a question aloud as her husband was walking by, and he brilliantly answered the question for her. Style of Leadership Stacey says three things make up her personal leadership style. She is not a bossy leader, she plans ahead so decision makers have time to prepare, and she understands that not everyone thinks like she does. Current Business Challenge Stacy finds it challenging, balancing her time and effort between the coaching side of her business and the online programs.  Your Support System Stacey has the full support of her husband, her family and her virtual assistant. She outsources everything in her business that can be outsourced. Leadership Practice Stacey takes deep breaths, and isn’t afraid to take a step back. Book to Develop Leadership Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl Advice For Younger Self Success isn’t the end result. Be happy in your successful moments. Inspirational Quote “Be you, bravely.” Links Website: http://www.growthbyreferrals.com Custom Page for Today’s Podcast: http://www.growthbyreferrals.com/womenlead Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StaceyBrownRandall LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/staceybrandall Skype: StaceyBRandall Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Hello everyone, and thank you for listening in to this bonus episode. Things are getting very exciting and very hectic around here as I put the finishing touches on my book and all the supporting materials that will go along with it. I recently stopped referring to a “working title” and have said the title with confidence several times so I feel great to finally share it with you. The title of my book is, Accomplished: How to go from Dreaming to Doing. To help promote the book I’ll be offering it for free for the first several days. If you want me to notify you when the book is live in Amazon send an email today to jodi@womentakingthelead.com and put “I want the book” in the subject line. You’ll get a grateful email from me the day the book is live and you’ll be able to snag a copy while the book is being offered for free. This episode is a little bit longer than usual but I’ve got a story to share and this is actually an excerpt right from a chapter of the book and it starts with this quote from an unknown source: “When the why is clear, the how is easy.” ~Unknown When I was a young girl, I knew in my gut that God had put me on the Earth to do something special. I heard the bible stories, and I knew that, some day, I would have a dream in which God or an angel would speak to me and tell me what my special mission was. These were the stories I grew up with. The Old Testament is full of them. God was constantly talking to people. I couldn't wait! And then, as I got a little older, another element of these stories appeared. These stories didn't always have happy endings.  In fact, the ones who didn't die a horrible death usually didn't live a great life either. Poor Moses was kept out of The Promised Land after all he went through.  Being called on by God didn't seem so great anymore. I prayed one night for God NOT to call on me. I asked to live an ordinary life. And for a time I had my way. My life was an ordinary life, and I did ordinary things. In college and throughout my 20s, I envied those people who knew exactly what they were meant to be doing. All the while, I still had this growing feeling in me that I was meant for more, that I should be doing more, and that I was throwing my life away to live an ordinary existence.  [Listen in] Thank you so for taking the time to listen in today. If you are not already in the Women Taking the Lead Private Facebook group and would like to be a part of the community go to facebook and enter Women Taking The Lead in the search bar at the top. You’ll see Women Taking The Lead the podcast and there will also be Women Taking The Lead Private Group in the list. Click on the private group and then once on the page click on the button to ask to join. And as always there will be a link in the blog post at womentakingthelead.com Don’t forget to email me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com and put “I want the book” to get a notification when my book, Accomplished: How to go from Dreaming to Doing, goes live and is free in Amazon. Thank you for becoming a part of my journey and here’s to your success! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Jen Edds is a musician, and HBIC (Head Broad in Charge) at The Brassy Broadcasting Company. She believes that our voices are the most undervalued assets in our businesses, and an often overlooked superpower. Jen serves a diverse client base that includes coaches, healers, and other do-gooders. She is on a mission to get them in the ears, heads, and hearts of their audiences by helping them incorporate podcasts and other audio content into their platforms. The common thread through her work, in both podcasting and music, is the desire to help others share their stories and voices.  In 2012, she quietly walked away from her comfort zone and a steady paycheck to live her passion and start The Brassy Broadcasting Co. Playing Small Moment Jen muses she played small for the first 39 years of her life but she acknowledges she needed a kick start to start singing. Her friend encouraged her to pick up the mic and broadened her horizons. The Wake Up Call Jen had an opportunity to play a ranch gig in front of people and other musicians she admired. The other musicians came up on stage did a few numbers which made Jen realize “Why not me?”  Style of Leadership Jen’s goal is to help other people be successful and to a place where they don’t need her guidance. She plays roles ranging from hand holder, drill sergeant and cheerleader. What Are You Excited About? Jen is getting ready to launch Season 2 of the Brassy Broadcast! She decided to go out of her comfort zone and choose a subject on one thing she has never done.    Current Business Challenge Jen is seeing more and more opportunities coming her way but she needs to filter them by factors such as where can she do the most good and where can she help the most people. Your Support System Jen is able to be successful because her wife supports her and encourages her to make the necessary changes required for her to be content. She also has a community of talented and supportive musicians surrounding her.  Leadership Practice Jen has a morning ritual of meditation and journaling which helps her to become a better leader.  Book to Develop Leadership The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz Advice For Younger Self Read the Four Agreements. Nothing is about you. Inspirational Quote “Do or do not, there is no try.” ~ Yoda Links Website: http://brassybroad.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-edds-470351b Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brassybroadcastingcompany/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jenedds Twitter: @brassybroadjen Instagram: @brassybroadjen Snapchat: Brassybroadjen   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Libby Brockhoff launched her career as one of the founding partners, and namer, of Campaign’s “Agency of the Decade,” Mother London. She was 27 — and she hasn’t slowed down since. As one of the only female creative directors in the industry (women make up 3% of agency leadership), she’s crafted the advertising strategies for Silicon Valley tech giants like Facebook, Microsoft, and YouTube. She reframed the transgender narrative as the creative visionary behind Caitlyn Jenner’s coming out story. She helped activate Obama’s Arms Trade Treaty because she believed in it. And, she leads a dangerous team of equally passionate professionals at the AdAge’s “Small Agency of the Year” (and next “Agency of the Decade”), Odysseus Arms. Playing Small Moment Libby was supposed to quit her job and move with her husband to Los Angeles. Her boss told her shortly before she was scheduled to leave, he was starting an ad agency in the UK and she couldn’t leave. She feels her playing small moment was when she moved back to the US. The Wake Up Call Libby created the ‘Army of Moms’ to harness and return energy back to women. Her Aha moment was when she realized she could go back and pick up where she left off before leaving the workforce. She could follow her dreams and goals. What Are You Excited About? Libby is excited about a project she is working on with Facebook. The Facebook project focuses on the social media company giving back and reinvesting in their workforce. Current Business Challenge Libby says it is challenging to bring value to the creative work her company does. Your Support System Libby is surrounded by believers. Her husband wouldn’t let her quit, and helped to reignite her passion for her business, and other strong women are frequently reaching out to her, offering their support. Leadership Practice Libby says her special leadership practice is spending time with the people she works with. Book to Develop Leadership Any Books or Art by Frida Kahlo Advice For Younger Self Embrace being a woman, your femininity. Don’t try to hide it. Inspirational Quote “Difficulties be damned!” Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/libby.brockhoff Email: Libby@o-arms.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-brockhoff-6825a14b Twitter: https://twitter.com/motorhoney2   Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

J V Crum III helps established business owners and coaches build companies that make a Big Impact and Big Profits. He is the Founder/CEO of ConsciousMillionaire.com, which provides training, coaching, and masterminds through its First Million Academy. J V is a speaker, coach, Huffington Post Columnist, and #1 best-selling author of “Conscious Millionaire: Grow Your Business by Making a Difference.” He hosts the top-ranked “Conscious Millionaire Show & Podcast” and holds an MBA, JD, Masters in Psychology. J V has built and sold successful companies and is featured in the upcoming movie, RiseUP.   A Woman Who Has Influenced Your Life J V says many of his mentors have been women. Mary Ann Reese is a particular female who had a profound impact on him with her neurolinguistic programming (NLP) research and techniques. She stands out to him as having strong leadership skills.    Trends He Sees That Hold Women Back J V says often times what holds women back is their compassionate and mothering aspects. A woman’s journey is more difficult because in the professional world they didn’t have female models to emulate.    What He Has Learned From Women  J V has learned that women want to uplift other people. They allow their loving hearts to bleed into their business.      The Necessary Changes J V says women need to embrace their left-brained strategic qualities. It’s necessary for business.   What Are You Excited About Launching The First Million Academy, Coaching Programs and Masterminds are what J V is excited about right now.   Inspirational Quote “Everything counts!”   Links Free Gift from J V: http://consciousmillionaire.com/freebook Conscious Millionaire Podcast: http://consciousmillionairepodcast.com/ Conscious Millionaire Website: http://consciousmillionaire.com/ Conscious World Foundation - A global non-profit for young   entrepreneurs: http://consciousworld.org/ Conscious Millionaire Book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Conscious- Millionaire-Business-Making-Difference/dp/0976719223/ref=tmm_pap_title_0 J V LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jvcrum J V Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jvcrum J V Twitter: https://twitter.com/JVCrum   Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/   For more resources go to https://womentakingthelead.com

Emily was a self-starter from the get-go and began her trajectory of being her own boss by owning a tanning salon in college – no joke. From there, she started making and selling jewelry online which fueled her passion for online business as a whole. She moved from designing jewelry to designing websites at Indie Shopography where her natural talent for coding, project management, and ability to use metrics to make calculated decisions has allowed her to continue to expand her reach and impact for online business owners ever since. Emily uses that experience to share what she knows about building an online business on the Being Boss podcast, where she inspires, writes, and curates content to help creatives own their path and be more boss.     Playing Small Moment When Emily moved her jewelry store off of Etsy and on to her own website she decided to sell web design to others interested in doing the same. Her playing small moment came when she undervalued her own work even when she knew it was worth more.   The Wake Up Call Emily woke up one day and knew she had to do a podcast with her partner Kathleen. When a fairly large company contacted them about a sponsorship she realized the podcast was cultivating a community that was hungry for the information they provided.      Style of Leadership Emily likes to keep things as transparent as possible and she refuses to ask someone to do something she would not do herself.    What Are You Excited About? Emily is excited about re-launching the Being Boss Club House. It’s a result-focused, paid membership group for their ‘bosses’.   Current Business Challenge Emily finds the daily grind of leading a seven-person team challenging. She is responsible for doling out tasks, keeping things organized and making the business run smoothly.   Your Support System Emily has a six-person support team. There is Kathleen, who is Emily’s business partner at Being Boss.  Her baby daddy and money man makes sure people get paid, and a four-person team of people makes the website and podcast work.   Leadership Practice Taking an interest in other people is one of the things that makes Emily a great leader.   Book to Develop Leadership Rework, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier   Advice For Younger Self Wake up earlier.   Inspirational Quote Emily’s one-word focus intention is Grace and her word of the month is Joy.   Links Web: http://www.beingboss.club Web: http://www.emilymthompson.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilym_thompson Twitter: http://twitter.com/beingbossclub Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilym_thompson  Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/beingbossclub   Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Before I dive into the topic for today there’s something I want to underscore: we are all leaders and the first person we lead is ourselves. That’s why leadership development looks a lot like personal development – because it is. As you know yourself better and have better facility over leading and inspiring yourself, you will be better able to bring that to other people. And before you know it you are having better conversations, attracting the type of people you want to be attracting into your business and your life and then getting the results that take you right to your goal, to your dream or vision…however you articulate it. Everything you do to raise your own awareness will have a ripple effect on your life. If at any time you feel like you need to really take this on and work with a coach directly don’t hesitate to reach out to me. It’s what I’m here for. Okay, so we already got through our stress reactions and who we are not and we dove into finding out who we truly are. We’ve done the work to name our top 5 values and what our Superpowers are. We’ve been talking a lot about strengths so let’s quickly talk about weaknesses. While our strengths come pretty naturally to us and don’t require tremendous effort, our weak areas take much more focus and attention from us and the finished product…let’s just say it’s good because it’s done. Your weaknesses are the abilities that don't come naturally to you. When you force yourself to engage in tasks that call out your weaknesses it will drain your energy. And that’s why I refer to your weaknesses as your Kryptonite. Is it worth expending a lot of energy improving your weaknesses? That is a topic long debated. My opinion is that if it will benefit you to improve an area you are weak in then do it. If you're doing it as a hobby, great. If you're expending a good chunk of your resources (time, money, energy) on trying to go from a 3 out of 10 to a 5 out of 10 I say outsource whatever that ability is for you and save your energy on activities that come naturally and have a greater impact for you and your business. For instance, my weakness is technical details. I outsource any technical updates of my website and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Could I spend an entire weekend or more learning how to do this myself? Sure. But I would hate it and I would be wiped out for the rest of the week. I’ve also hired someone to edit my book. I’ve data-dumped everything I know into a document, adding in my personal experience with the concepts and arranging it all in a way that makes sense. But going back and dealing with the details and minutia are not my strengths. It would be draining for me. I would quickly get distracted and soon I would find other things that need my attention, even though they are not more important! Truth gets blurry when we are overcome by our kryptonite. Deadlines get missed and before we know it time has passed and we still haven’t accomplished out goal. Figure out what your kryptonite is so you can minimize your exposure. Find those people who find strength around your kryptonite and let them work with it and vice versa. Working together is how we hit our goals and become more accomplished. Head over to the post that accompanies this episode because I have a worksheet that will help you to reveal your Superpowers and your Kryptonite. You can find it at womentakingthelead.com/weaknesses/ You can always find more resources and other episodes to support you on your leadership journey at womentakingthelead.com. I hope this was helpful to you and Here’s to Your Success! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/

Elizabeth Crook is a strategist, game changer, and re-invention expert. She has been the CEO of Orchard Advisors for over 20 years, helping CEO’s grow their bottom line and have more fun. She believes if everyone had the work and life they love, we could change the world! Her book Live Large –The Achiever’s Guide to What’s Next (Greenleaf Book Group) will be released May 2017.     Playing Small Moment Elizabeth experienced a playing small moment while living in Venezuela. A woman mentor pointed out that every time Elizabeth offered up her opinion she started by saying “I might be wrong but…” Elizabeth realized she undervalued her own perspective.   The Wake Up Call Elizabeth frequently created unnecessary resistance in situations because she was desperate for the approval of others. Her wake up call was progressive and evolved over many years of self-realization.   Style of Leadership Elizabeth describes her leadership style as a listener and constant learner. This keeps her ideas fresh and allows her to offer a different point of view to those she leads.   What Are You Excited About? Elizabeth finds it consistently exciting to show her clients how they are able to use their true talents and resources to make the change and the impact they desire. Also, building the platform for her upcoming book allowed her to venture into exciting projects she had never experienced before.   Current Business Challenge  Balancing her responsibilities is Elizabeth’s current business challenge. She questions how much to delegate and how much to handle herself.   Your Support System Elizabeth’s personal assistant has been a valuable resource for over 15 years. She handles whatever necessary so Elizabeth can be out in front of people. She also has a Momentum Manager  she relies on for her websites and a new social media manager.   Leadership Practice A Mastermind, a coach and countless books help Elizabeth to be the best leader she can be.   Book to Develop Leadership Daring Greatly by Brene Brown   Gutsy Women Win by Pat Obuchowski   Advice For Younger Self It’s not too early and it’s not too late.   Inspirational Quote “Millions of lives and millions of books.” ~ Elizabeth Crook   Links Web: http://www.biggersmarterricher.com/offer Web: http://www.orchardadvisors.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/biggersmarterricher Facebook: http//www.facebook/orchardadvisors    Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/   For more resources go to https://womentakingthelead.com

Bri Seeley is an inspirational woman who supports women around the world to live their own version of an inspirational life. Bri is the creator of The Inspirational Woman Project, the co-founder of a UN-networking movement, The AMPLIFY Collective, and co-host of a weekly podcast, Be Amplified. A coach, speaker, author, and former renown fashion designer with an international fashion brand, she is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and is known by many for her tell-it-like-it-is advice. Bri has been featured on The Today Show, Kickstarter, PBS, and Free Enterprise. Playing Small Moment Bri’s playing small moment came just a few years ago when she realized she had not fully committed to her brand. She was waiting for a “white horse” to make her decision for her.  The Wake Up Call Bri’s wake up call came when her day job cut her pay in half. She sifted through her notes from a conference she had attended the day before. She was searching for inspiration to get her through this difficult time. In doing so, she found an email address that changed her life. She realized all she needed was to trust herself to take the first step, and the universe rained goodness on her after that. Style of Leadership  Leading by example is Bri’s leadership style. She doesn’t like to be preachy and tell women how they should do things. Bri gives women the tools they need to get what they want out of life.  What Are You Excited About? Bri has a big soirée coming up in December. This fun un-networking event will host 100+ people to shopping and champagne. Current Business Challenge Bri is challenged with shedding some old habits, processes and people which no longer serve her new way of being. She is rebuilding her life with things that are in better alignment with her success. Your Support System Bri leans on her mother and her business partner for support. Her business partner helps her to organize her business and their shared community of amazing women. Bri also just hired her first employee. Leadership Practice  Bri’s internal meditation practice allows her to show up in a powerful way as a leader in the world. Book to Develop Leadership The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks   Advice For Younger Self Learn to have more fun! Inspirational Quote “If you don’t ask the answer is always no.” ~ Nora Roberts Links Web: http://www.briseeley.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/theinspirationalwomanproject Twitter: http://twitter.com/briseeley Instagram: http://instagram.com/iambriseeley Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ For More Resources https://womentakingthelead.com

Dr. Amy Cannatta is an international coach, innovative life strategist, #1 International bestselling author of her book,  PURSEpective: From Ruin to Resilience, podcast host, and blogger for The Huffington Post. She is passionate about teaching you how changing your perspective can turn tragedy into personal transformation. Focusing on resilience, perseverance and positivity, she has personally developed a signature coaching program using her DREAM framework, the same strategies she used herself to transform from domestic abuse victim to VICTOR, doctor and entrepreneur. Her personally developed coaching programs combine her expertise as an intuitive, holistic chiropractor, business owner and life coach. When she is not getting caught red handed with her hand on her secret stash of sour patch kids or getting glares from her teenage daughters for dancing around the kitchen, she can be found enjoying nature. Playing Small Moment Amy’s playing small moment came when her grandmother passed away. She was 29-years-old and pregnant with her second daughter when she felt a nagging feeling, telling her she was destined for more.  The Wake Up Call Amy knows exactly when the biggest wake up call of her life happened — it was May 21, 2002. She was taking her final chiropractic exam when police officers surrounded her school. Amy’s abusive, husband-at-the-time had shown up armed and in camouflage.    Style of Leadership Leading by example to inspire and motivate others through actions. Amy says you never know who is watching or who you are influencing. What Are You Excited About? Amy is launching a 5-step, DREAM framework. It is a simple framework anyone can use to build resiliency, tenacity and courage. DREAM will soon be a group course and a self-study course.  Current Business Challenge Amy finds herself maxed out on time and her biggest challenge is deciding if she can afford to hire another team member. Your Support System Amy has an army of support behind her. She pays attention to the people who are cheering her on while she is doing well, because her inner circle cheers her on all of the time.  Leadership Practice Journaling every day makes Amy a better leader. Book to Develop Leadership Sacred Success by Barbara Stanny   Advice For Younger Self Get used to the downs, because they come along with the ups. Inspirational Quote “To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don’t worry about the darkness, for that is when stars shine brightest.” ~ Anonymous Links Web: http://amycannatta.com/ Podcast: Concept To Cash Flow - http://amycannatta.com/concept-to-cashflow-podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amycannattadc/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/acannattadc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amycannatta Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ Find More Resources https://womentakingthelead.com

Shelli Warren is a self-proclaimed Leadership Junkie and Encore Career Enthusiast, with 25 years of experience leading technical teams and projects in a large global manufacturing company. As a Success Coach, she teaches women how to first become the person she wants to be on the inside, so she can become her on The outside. She’s also the host of the Success Series — a cocktail hour like no other, where she conducts live interviews with fabulous women who are reaching success on their own terms. When she’s not growing her business and making new connexions, she co-chairs the Leadercast Brockville Leadership Conference. This event that is linked to the Atlanta, Georgia hub site annual conference, which is gearing up to launch "Success For Teens”, a youth leadership program designed by the team at Success Magazine for the up and coming leaders in her hometown. Playing Small Moment Shelli was a proven leader of technical teams. When she felt it was time for her to move up and into a different role, she enlisted the help of a leader who turned out not having the clout she thought he had. It took a couple of years before she decided to bypass him and get the word out on her own.  The Wake Up Call One day it dawned on Shelli that she was starting to resent having to go to work. She was finding more and more fulfillment in her community and discovering joy outside of her career. She loved her job until she didn’t.  Style of Leadership Shelli has the unique ability to stack a team. She attracted the best candidates because of her communication strategies and her willingness to shine a spotlight on those deserving of the attention.     Current Business Challenge  Shelli is learning things happen on divine time and not on Shelli time. She is learning to release the significance on the outcome and appreciating that things will happen when they are supposed to happen. Shelli is also finding it challenging to value her ability and formulate a price for her services. What Are You Excited About? Shelli is excited about recording her live sessions and launching her encouragement cards. Her cards are an easy, quick delightful way to let someone know people are noticing what “she” is accomplishing. Your Support System Shelli’s support system includes an artist, a web developer and the women of her Sheconnex community.  Leadership Practice  She starts every day with a podcast for motivation and keeps key people in her Fab 5. Book to Develop Leadership She Takes On the World and The Conquer Kit by Natalie MacNeil  Advice For Younger Self “Your instinct, your intuition and your spirit are your three best friends who will be with you for a lifetime.” and “Be the proof of your truth.”  Inspirational Quote “Be true to you.” ~ Shelli Warren Links Website: http://sheconnex.com/ Facebook Group Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1485759525052975/ Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/sheconnex/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsheconnex/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shelliwarren2 Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ More Resources https://womentakingthelead.com

In the last episode we talked about identifying your core values so you could use them, almost like a compass set to your True North, with more awareness. Knowing your values and using them as a guide to make decisions will help you to be more peaceful and confident day-to-day. In this episode I wanted to talk about other qualities you have, that you may not be fully aware of, that can also help you to find the success your looking for. We are entering an era where success in business will be determined by the relationships we’ve built over time. As a leader, what does this mean for you? A lot. Why Your Leadership Matters Today, many employees consider the overall culture of an organization, the amount of freedom they’ll have in their position, and how they can contribute to and make an impact there. Consumers aren’t basing their buying choices solely on cost. They’re researching more than ever before to find out what a brand really represents – its mission, values, and history. Given this shift, strong leadership itself is a superpower. And our society is ever-obsessed with superhero figures. When I was a child I wanted to be like Wonder Woman, She-Ra, and GI Jane. In my years as a corporate leader I loved and was inspired by the then more recent superhero characters in Trinity from The Matrix, Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, and Michelle Yeoh's character from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. To me, these characters embodied strength, self-assurance and a willingness to take a different path. They endeavored for the greater good at great sacrifice to themselves. They had superb fighting skills but used them judiciously and only when necessary. Defining Your Leadership Superpowers As a leader, take a moment to reflect on your own superpowers – those special qualities that make you shine in your role. Remember, virtually every professional interaction gives you the opportunity to build – or slowly destroy – your relationships. Here are some qualities that come to mind when I think of leadership superpowers: Authenticity: You say what you mean, and mean what you say. You consider whether your actions are really aligned with your inner thoughts and feelings. You’re not afraid to speak up when something needs to be said. Reliability: Others can count on you. Sure, we all make mistakes from time to time – but you own up to your mistakes and work to make it right. Everyone knows you’re dependable and won’t jump ship when the going gets tough. Inspiration: You bring out the best in others, encouraging them to discover – and use – their own superpowers. People are motivated not only by your own unique strengths, but also by your ability to hone in on theirs. Other superpowers I think of are: warmth, humor, being open to constructive feedback, sharing (within reason) your thoughts or personal stories, visionary thinking, listening, ability to plan effectively and to successfully re-route those plans when they don’t fall into place, willingness to commit, and a desire to give back to others. Use Those Superpowers! Just like your favorite superhero, use your superpowers to build quality relationships, lead your team, and inspire others – in business and in life. And as any great superhero would, wield your powers to annihilate any quality that isn’t serving your highest good (we all have them!) – such as being overly judgmental, critical, or condescending, blaming others, being argumentative or continually wanting to prove your point, or even, being unresponsive. And, (since you’re only human, after all) when you need a little inspiration of your own, just envision your favorite superhero, busting through all that evil and making everything alright again... There are tools out there that are designed to help you get to know yourself better and identify your unique Superpowers: DiSC Myers Briggs Strength finders Fascination Advantage There are many more indicators but these are the more popular ones and the ones I am most familiar with. If you have another you are more familiar with, take that one. The point is to seek clarity around what makes you tick so that you can use this knowledge to your advantage. When I found out two of my strengths were enthusiasm and collaboration I was not completely surprised. Looking back on my career I could see how those traits helped me to stand out of the crowd. However, having the awareness that these were the traits that had me stand out I can plan my business activities around these traits...and avoid situations where I am weakest. How about you? Are there Superpowers you already know you have and are using regularly? Let me know by leaving a comment or message me directly. Have an amazing week and here’s to your success! Join the Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Luke Iorio is President of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). He is a dad, spouse, entrepreneur, conscious growth strategist, coach, blogger, podcaster, wide-angled observer, and enthusiastic participant in the game of life who seeks to ask and answer the question, “What’s truly possible?” In fact, Luke has made a career out of disrupting life’s “good enough” status quo. A digital mastermind behind the Live Lead Play network (iPEC’s publishing arm), Luke has built a high conscious, multi-media publishing platform rivaling today’s lifestyle verticals. As a Certified Professional Coach, Luke became the youngest CEO in iPEC’s history and was soon recognized as one of New Jersey’s elite Forty Under 40 prodigies. All while helping to position iPEC as a Best Place to Work, and nabbing a top 10 spot amid Leadership Excellence Magazine’s Leadership 500 list. Currently presiding as iPEC’s President, Luke and his team have graduated over 11,000 coaches and Coach Centric™ leaders traversing 44 countries via in-person training, immersion programs, and targeted education sweeping the virtual marketplace. A Woman Who Has Influenced Your Life Luke has had many women influence his life. His mother expanded his mind through art and creative thinking. His wife believed in him when his life was at a crux. And, his grandmother was the business leader and matriarch of a chain of music schools. All three women got him to be greater than even he thought he would be.  What He Sees That Hold Women Back Luke recognizes that when a woman takes over a traditional leadership position, they are normally walking into a role a man previously held. He seems them struggle to get their bearings in the beginning. What He Has Learned From Women Luke has learned a great deal about courage and a lesson in vulnerability from a client who lost her husband to cancer. She turned her tragic circumstance into her mission. The Necessary Changes Luke says if women were to lean into their feminine values, leadership styles and essence of who they really are, they would discover their extraordinary powers of influence. What Are You Excited About Luke is excited about working on his new book, A Meaningful Way, right now and he has recently re-launched his podcast to compliment the book. Inspirational Quote “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~ Zig Ziglar “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure that you seek.” ~ Joseph Campbell Links Website: http://lukeiorio.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luke.iorio Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukeiorio Live Lead Play Network: https://twitter.com/liveleadplay Live Lead Play on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liveleadplay   Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ For more resources https://womentakingthelead.com

Honorée Corder is the author of 20 books, including Vision to Reality, pRosperity for Writers, Business Dating, the Successful Single Mom Book Series, If Divorce Is a Game, and the Divorced Phoenix. She is also Hal Elrod’s business partner in the Miracle Morning book series. Honorée coaches business professionals, writers, and aspiring nonfiction authors who want to publish their books to bestseller status, create a platform, and develop multiple streams of income. She also does all sorts of other magical things, and her badassery is legendary. Key Takeaways: [5:51] Honorée used her business partner as her avatar for inspiration while writing her latest book.  [9:54] How Honorée addressed the main hurdles of starting the book writing process. [12:50] Having a book lets clients know you are the expert they need to seek out. [14:57] Get your first draft out and then work with an editing team to polish it up. [19:14] The fever sets in when you start thinking about your second book while in the middle of your first book. [23:32] Start by building your list to get people excited to get your book as soon as it available on Amazon. [27:00] The title is what the book is about and the subtitle is the premise for the reader. [30:18] How The Wheel of Fortune is re-purposing your book’s content. Mentioned in This Episode: Women Taking the Lead Episode 58 with Honorée Corder @Honorée is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead #inspiration (https://womentakingthelead.com/163) Website: HonoréeCorder.com Twitter: @Honorée Facebook: Facebook.com/Honorée A Free Sample of Honoree’s Book: HonoréeCorder.com/youmustsample Email for scheduling or information about coaching for writers: Christina@HonoréeCorder.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want   Find more resources at http://womentakingthelead.com

Meredith Bell has been an entrepreneur since 1982, and she’s an expert in helping companies develop the people side of their business. Meredith is co-founder and President of Performance Support Systems, a global software company based in Virginia. Meredith heads up marketing and sales for the company. Over the years, she’s served as an informal mentor and coach to the coaches, consultants, business owners and human resource professionals who use their products. One of her strengths is creating strong, long-term relationships. Meredith and her business partners have worked together for 25 years, and many of their clients and resellers have done business with them for 20 years. She understands what’s required to build the loyalty and commitment that lead to repeat business and referrals. Playing Small Moment Meredith’s playing small moment happened when she was bullied by a possible client to lower her price, and because she wanted the client’s business she gave in and lowered her price. She says she would not handle the incident the same way today. The Wake Up Call Meredith had a wake up call when she found herself ignoring her inner critic, telling her she wasn’t important enough to take a certain action. She acted quickly before there was time to second guess herself. She realized there was nothing wrong with being bold.  Style of Leadership People sense that Meredith cares for them. She pays attention to what people are saying and not saying. She lets them know she is there to serve them.    What Are You Excited About? Meredith is excited about her new online coaching system, Strong for Performance. It applies to those who are developing leaders. It excites her every day to see people motivated and inspired. Current Business Challenge Meredith finds it challenging to get the word out about her new product as quickly and as grand as possible.  What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Meredith’s business partners have supporting skill sets that help make everything work. She also benefits from outsourcing and automation tools.      Leadership Practice  Listening deeply to people when they are talking is Meredith’s effective leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership Straight Line Leadership by Dusan Djukich  Advice For Younger Self “Have more fun. Be less serious and lighten up.” And, “Make more bold requests.”  Inspirational Quote “How can I serve this person so powerfully that they never forget this conversation for the rest of their life?” ~ Rich Litvin Links Website: http://www.strongforperformance.com/ Email: meredith@prostarcoach.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/meredithmbell Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithmbell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeredithMBell Free Gift: Support Coaching videos and ebook: http://prostarcoach.com/coachingebookandvideos.asp Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want   Find more resources at http://womentakingthelead.com

Dr. Michele Summers Colon is the author of Body Wisdom: 10 Weeks to Transformation So You Can Get and Feel Healthy Again. She is also a physician, entrepreneur, yoga instructor, and a motivational speaker offering workshops and online courses based on her book. Dr. Colon hopes to inspire women to live happier, healthier lives that honor their own bodies, wants, and desires. She is a holistic podiatrist in Southern California and lives with her daughter in a suburb east of Los Angeles, California where she hikes and practices yoga. Playing Small Moment  Michele was bullied during her formative years and she let that stop her from doing the things she loved. When she opened her shoe business she had thoughts about not being good enough and was worried about what people would think. But she worked really hard to get through it.  The Wake Up Call Michele’s wake up call came when she paid off all of her student loans. She realized she didn’t have to be in debt forever and she could accomplish big goals. Style of Leadership Michele leads by example. She finds the way that works for her and then teaches it to others.  What Are You Excited About? Michele is excited about her new podcast, Body Wisdom with Dr. Michele. Current Business Challenge Michele finds it challenging to build her team. She is figuring out how many team members she needs and how to best utilize the specific talents each team member has. What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Michele has a business coach that provides support and consistently takes her to the next level. She also feels supported by her mastermind groups, her friends and her family.    Leadership Practice Michele has developed the important practice of deep listening. Book to Develop Leadership Tribes by Seth Godin   Advice For Younger Self “Just go for it. Don’t worry about what other people think.”    Inspirational Quote “The secret of leadership is simple. Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.” ~ Seth Godin Links Website: http://www.drmichele.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yogawithdrmichele Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/doctormichele Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichelecolon Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/drmichele Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel’s Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make! Private Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/ More Resources https://womentakingthelead.com 

Over the last several bonus episodes we’ve been talking about all the things that get in the way of you being and showing up as who you really are: that unique, powerful, capable person who is going full-steam after their biggest goals with passion and enthusiasm. Now that you know who you don't want to be, and who you are not, let's get to who you really are. "Find out who you are and be that person. That's what your soul was put on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything else will come." ~ Ellen DeGeneres As we discussed in the previous bonus episodes you may have been at the mercy of your stress reactions for so long that you are not really sure who you are anymore, though you may see glimpses of that person, but there are ways to get there. A good place to start is your values. Your values are at the core of who you are. Without thought your values guide you through your day-to-day life. You know you, or anyone else for that matter, has honored your values when you feel really great about them or something you did or a decision you made. We are often attracted to those who share our values. We have thoughts like, “They get me” or “they get it.” We pick up on the shared values and feel like we’ve found another member of our tribe. And guess what? You will also know when you or someone else has dishonored one of your values. You will immediately become upset. Whenever something bothers me I quickly do what I call a "Values Scan" to see which value or values have been infringed upon. Once I have that awareness I do what's in my power to put it right. You do not want to achieve success while dishonoring your values. Those who try usually sacrifice their health or relationships to do so. Think of people who go to work every day to a job they hate. They know something is wrong but they convince themselves they don't have a choice in the matter. So they start overeating or drinking, or gambling or...you fill in the blank. They go from Cocooning to The Amazon Warrior to tolerating…exhausting! Chronic disease is also prevalent among those that know their life is not on track. Do you have any idea how many clients who started working with me who had arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia‎ or some other debilitating condition? Their body had been screaming at them for years but the good news is they made a decision and are doing something about it now. Uncovering what their values are and honoring those values as a priority alleviates some if not all of their suffering. Living a life in accordance with your values will strengthen you. You will feel more confident, peaceful and fulfilled in the work and activities you engage in. Are you ready to get at your core values? I have a worksheet that you can use to identify your top values. Once you know what your values are, and who you are at your core, you can use them to guide you in any decision you need to make. Whenever you are faced with a new decision ask yourself, “What choice will honor my highest values?” Thank you so much for listening and if you need help working through the values exercise or figuring out how to apply it to your life, business or current situation don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Jodi@womentakingthelead.com or through any social platform. Have an amazing day and here’s to your success! Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com Leave a comment and let me know what you think! I love feedback. Want to continue the conversation? Go here to join the Women Taking the Lead private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/

Jessica Philippe is the founder of Uptrovert, a blog dedicated to helping introverts succeed without losing out on the magic of actually being an introvert. She’s currently focused on helping introverted entrepreneurs who thought they could start a successful business alone, to get over that fantasy and instead build a network they can rely on. When she isn’t helping other introverts kick ass at being themselves, Jessica is also a mom, scientist, gardener, and adventurer living in Vermont. Playing Small Moment  After attending a conference and feeling confident about her performance, people back at the office inferred Jessica should never have been invited―her invitation was only because no one else could go. Jessica started to believe what her colleagues were saying and it took her many years to move past it. The Wake Up Call When Jessica realized her sense of place was important to her, she took the necessary steps to continue living in Vermont. She started looking for inspiration outside of her traditional career and found opportunities everywhere. Style of Leadership Jessica leads by doing, and by setting an example that it is OK to try new things. That is what makes people follow her. What Are You Excited About? Jessica is excited about putting together a portfolio of tools for introverts. She wants to take fears and weaknesses and turn them into something positive. She would like to facilitate meaningful conversations.      Current Business Challenge Jessica’s business challenge is finding balance in her life. She is so excited about Uptrovert that she wants to work on it all day, every day; but Jessica knows she needs to take her time because she is in for the long haul. Your Business Support System Jessica’s husband has been amazing at picking up the slack when she gets excited about a new class or her new business. Also, she now has a coach she can trust. Leadership Practice Jessica always does basic background research on people she is going to meet with, in order to give her a sense of who they are.  Book to Develop Leadership Start with Why by Simon Sinek   Advice For Younger Self “Don’t listen to the people who are trying to get you to slow down!” and “Listen to your mother when she tells you that you can do anything you put your mind to.”       Inspirational Quote “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson Links Web: http://uptrovert.com/ Email: jessica@uptrovert.com Find more resources at http://womentakingthelead.com Thank You to Our Sponsors Jewel's Custom Books: Every child wants to be the hero of their own story! With a Jewel’s Custom Book your child plays the central role in every book, bringing joy and delight when they hear their name and those of their family and friends. Visit jewelscustombooks.com to make your child the STAR of the show! Zebralove Web Solutions: Your website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make!

Stacy Tuschl is an Entrepreneur and Business Performance Strategist. She started her first business in her parents’ backyard at the age of 18, and turned that company into a 7 figure business. She is the author of the book, Is Your Business Worth Saving?, where she reveals proven strategies for pulling entrepreneurs out of a rut and launching them toward business success, and the host of the top-rated podcast Business Rescue Road Map. Playing Small Moment Stacy realized she had been playing small by only looking within the dance industry for inspiration for her business. It wasn’t until she started branching out that she realized how much more was available to her.  The Wake Up Call Stacy reached a level of success with her dance studio that she never thought was possible. She was nervous to extend her business reach even further. It wasn’t until a contractor told her she needed her Facebook page up and running that she overcame her fear of branching out to reach even more success.  Style of Leadership Stacy understands she is leading leaders. She encourages her team to work on personal development so the entire group can take the company to the next level of success. What Are You Excited About? Stacy is excited about her Level Up Facebook community and group coaching program.     Current Business Challenge Stacy always focuses on marketing and building her brand, so as her business grows she needs to add employees. She says it’s challenging to hire new team members while she is in the rushed mode of needing someone quickly. What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Stacy has 40 members in her team. They allow her to work on the business and not in the business. She is able to work on things that matter the most to her business and delegate everything else.  Leadership Practice Stacy reaches out to every employee, every month using her popsicle stick method. Book to Develop Leadership Good Leaders Ask Good Questions by John Maxwell   Advice For Younger Self “You are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with.”      Inspirational Quote “Don’t be the smartest person in the room.” Links Web: http://www.stacytuschl.com Facebook: http://www.leveluptribe.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/StacyTuschl Business Rescue Road Map Podcast: http://businessrescueroadmap.com/ Text: Levelup to 24587 Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Jen Hemphill helps busy ambitious women transform their finances from being overwhelming to bringing joy, simplicity, and confidence. She is a Motivational Money Coach, an AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor) and the host of Her Money Matters Podcast. When she's not talking money, she enjoys photography, coffee, chocolate, traveling, working out and spending time with her husband and two boys. Playing Small Moment At the beginning of her journey, Jen didn’t listen to her own intuition. She allowed the opinions and coaching of others to influence her initial business practices, because she didn’t feel confident enough to follow her own instincts.    The Wake Up Call A few years ago, Jen found herself  down in the dumps about many things in her life. Her husband’s pep talk taught her to celebrate the things that were successes, and so she didn’t have time to focus on what didn’t happen. Style of Leadership Jen strives to step into other people’s shoes to see things from their perspective. Empathy helps her to lead.  What Are You Excited About? Jen is super-excited about her Fearless Money Sisterhood Program. It is a new, affordable program that is a go-to source for women seeking money guidance.     Current Business Challenge Jen is in the process of building a team and is finding some challenges in taking it to the next level. Her business will be morphing from being centered around direct coaching to a membership-based model. Business Support System Jen’s family has been really supportive and her business friends offer business support, because they have been where she is and understand. Leadership Practice Jen takes one day a week to make sure she practices self-care. It helps her to disconnect and quiet the clutter in her head. Book to Develop Leadership How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie   What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith  Advice For Younger Self Believe in yourself, being positive is not enough.     Inspirational Quote “If you are not willing to risk the unusual you will have to settle for the ordinary.” ~Jim Rohn Links Web: http://jenhemphill.com/community Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenHemphill For more resources go to https//womentakingthelead.com

I am excited and honored to do a couple sponsor introductions to the newest (and first!) sponsors of Women Taking the lead, Zebralove Web Solutions and Jewel's Custom Books! Meet Milly Welsh Milly Welsh is mom to 3 young daughters. When she's not helping businesses create websites and make them easily found she's getting dirty in her garden or making pottery. Zebralove Web Solutions http://zebralovewebsolutions.com/ https://www.facebook.com/zebraloveweb Meet Robin Bates Robin and her husband Marc are foster-to-adopt parents. They have adopted 2 of their 3 children - all under the age of 5. She is busy but she loves every minute of it! Jewel's Custom Books http://www.jewelscustombooks.com/ robin@jewelscustombooks.com/ https://www.facebook.com/jewelscustombooks 207-221-6973 Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Caroline Greene is a recovering lawyer, chronic overachiever, and two-time Amazon best-selling author of MATTER: How to Find Meaningful Work That’s Right for You and Your Family and NEXT: How to Start a Successful Business That’s Right for You and Your Family. As a life and business coach, Caroline helps determined moms build businesses –and whole lives– that truly matter to them. Playing Small Moment Caroline’s playing small moment happened when she realized she didn’t value herself enough to allow other people to love her. Caroline didn’t have the tools to see her own shortcomings. The Wake Up Call While pregnant with her second child, Caroline experienced a hormone shift―which she calls a deep darkness. Her aha moment came when she caught herself in the mirror and saw an exhausted, resentful, sad person. It was this vision that caused her dark cloud to start lifting. Style of Leadership Caroline leads through honesty and compassion. Current Business Challenge Caroline has had amazing results in helping women to launch their businesses. Her challenge is making sure that her ideal client is ready to make a holistic shift and to get them to realize their business is part of their divine journey.     What Are You Excited About? Caroline’s idea to help women connect to their business and connect it to their faith is what has her really excited right now. Business Support System Caroline is not afraid to outsource chores and jobs she doesn't enjoy or have time for, so that she can show up completely for her clients. Leadership Practice “Live it to give it” is the leadership practice she uses to keep her integrity in check. Book to Develop Leadership Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck   Advice For Younger Self “Trust yourself.”     Inspirational Quote “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” ~ G.K. Chesterton Links Web: http://carolinegreenecoaching.com/ Email: Caroline@carolinegreenecoaching.com use NEXT in the subject line for a free copy of the book. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinegreenecoaching Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeterminedMoms Instagram: http://instagram.com/determined_moms Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/carolinekgreene/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

This episode represents the last of three bonus episodes that I have dedicated to talking about who we are not. Namely, out alter-ego that has a tendency to appear when we are under stress. I introduced the concept of the alter-ego in Bonus Episode 18, Defining Who You Are Starts With Who You Are Not, and dove into two of the most common stress reactions in Bonus Episode 19, Common Stress Reactions That Derail You [Part 1]. In this episode I’m going to give an overview of two other common stress reactions and what you can do if you choose not to utilize these reactions in any given moment. I say choose because I want to underline that there is no right or wrong in how you respond to stress it’s just that some reactions will move you toward your goals while others will move you away from your goals. Tolerating/coping: The Chameleon  While this stress reaction is much more agreeable and feels better than shutting down or over-reacting, if you constantly choose this method of dealing with stress you will never be truly happy. This is the stress reaction of choosing your battles but you must choose wisely. While tolerating and coping are great short-term strategies they are debilitating long-term strategies. For example, if you had guests coming for the weekend you're not likely to bring up and address every little thing they do that doesn't follow house rules or just plain gets on your nerves. They are there for a short time and the goal is to make your guests comfortable and for everyone to have a good time. So, you tell yourself they just don't know better, you put it aside and move on. However, if these guests are building a new home and out of the graciousness of your heart you offered to have them live with you for 3-6 months it would be a different story. In this instance you would be better off using a different strategy:  having a conversation up front about house rules, expectations and strategies of dealing with conflict. But many of us don't think to set expectations in advance. You see, we have been raised to be The Chameleon. Listen in to identify where The Chameleon is showing up in your life and if you're interested in identifying all the areas of toleration in your life I’ve got a worksheet that can help you with that.   Focusing on Others: The Superhero Syndrome Oh, how I love to help others. It makes me feel so good to solve other people's problems, give them a helping hand, and take some of the stress off their shoulders. I especially love it when I don't want to deal with my own projects and problems.  Being able to focus on someone else for a while takes the attention off what's causing me stress in my own life. This is a sure-fire way for me to feel better for a little while. The problem is while I'm off saving the day for someone else my own stuff gets neglected: my business, my home, my finances, my health, etc. All you current and recovering people-pleasers, are you with me?! Tell me if this sounds familiar. It starts as you giving out of the generosity of your own heart. You see a need that you know you can take care of and your instinct is to take care of it. Because that's you, your a giving person. It's part of your identity.  So you swoop in and contribute your time, energy and/or resources and it is so appreciated and makes a difference that you light up on the inside. It's like a drug. You get a jolt of the feel-goods so you do it again. And it starts to become a regular thing. So regular that other people stop relating to it as a gift that you generously, and with sacrifice to your own needs, give - and they start taking it for granted. Now it's no longer a gift, it's an obligation and obligations don't make you feel good they make you feel burdened. But if you stopped giving people would wonder what's wrong with you, what made you so upset. And that's not you. You're not the type of person that takes things away just because you’re upset. That's childish and you’re not childish. This is now a crisis to your identity. Continue to give resentfully or take it away and risk your reputation as a helpful, giving, generous person. So now you are on the hunt for any semi-valid excuse for why you can no longer give what's expected of you. I mean, you can't possible just come out and say it no longer works for you to give or heaven forbid...ask to be recognized and appreciated for what you give. Heavens to Betsy, who the hell does that?! All the while your own needs, your projects and your mission in life take a back seat - only to be given attention when there are deadlines, emergencies or wake-up calls. And the saga continues. Cue the music. Or maybe this is your wake-up call. Listen in to hear more about The Superhero Syndrome and how you can prevent it from taking over your life. Managing Your Alter-Ego If it helps you to name your alter-ego, draw it, journal about it, or write a song about it. The more aware you are of this part of you the more power you will have over it. When you know the thoughts, feelings and behaviors you have when your alter-ego has taken over - and what triggers those reactions - the better you will be at catching your alter-ego before it has done too much damage and you can handle the situation from there. Trust me, knowing is half the battle. You are going to feel like a whole new woman as you start working through this process. If you want help identifying your stress reactions I have an assessment I use with my clients that gets to the heart of the stress reactions that are running the show and keeping them from hitting their goals. Just go to https://womentakingthelead.com/assessment/ to get more information and buy it if it’s the right next step for you. Let me know what you thought of this episode and if you see your chameleon or superhero coming out in response to stress.   For more resources go to https://womentakingthelead.com

PJ Jonas is a business owner, goat-wrangler, entrepreneur, and mother. After getting goats to provide healthy milk for her eight children, she decided to put some excess milk into a batch of handmade soap. That decision was the beginning of Goat Milk Stuff, a growing goat milk products business that has been featured on The Today Show, The Doctors, The Huckabee Show, and in “O”, the Oprah Magazine. What started with an initial small batch of soap, has expanded into a host of goat milk items such as goat milk soaps, cheeses, candies, fudge, gelato and more. It’s a team effort to keep the farm running, make and ship all the products, and welcome visitors to the farm. PJ’s husband, eight children (aged 9 to 19), and six full-time employees, all work hard to promote the goodness of goat milk. Playing Small Moment In 2008, PJ realized she had some momentum going in the business, but it was not enough income to allow her husband to leave his job―unless, the family made some cutbacks and sacrifices. The entire family voted to pitch in and give up small pleasures to help invest in the family business.  The Wake Up Call PJ’s wake up call came when she realized the family’s existing 3 acre farm was not going to be big enough to support their growing business. When the family bought a 36 acre farm with a lot of traffic, they decided to open up their farm to visitors. Style of Leadership PJ wants her employees and family to know it’s okay to make mistakes, and to strive to be better through continuous improvement.  Current Business Challenge PJ is finding it difficult to identify good employees. Her challenge is to make better hiring decisions.    What Are You Excited About? A new kitchen building and a machine milking parlor are the latest projects for Goat Milk Stuff. PJ is excited to be increasing her company’s product line with food products, in addition to soaps and body products.  What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? PJ’s business support system is her family at the moment. She is interested in getting an outside perspective from other entrepreneurs, but doesn’t want to sacrifice her lifestyle.  Leadership Practice  Continuous learning is something PJ does in order to be the best leader she can be.  Book to Develop Leadership Lady on the Hill by Howard E. Covington  Advice For Younger Self “Don’t be in such a rush.”    Inspirational Quote “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the more I work, the more I have of it.” ~Thomas Jefferson Links Free Gift: http://www.goatmilkstuff.com/womensoap.html Web: http://goatmilkstuff.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goatmilkstuff Twitter: https://twitter.com/goatmilkstuff   For more resources go to https://womentakingthelead.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goatmilkstuff/

While working in the television industry, Marie Sola excelled at new business development and relationship building. Her entrepreneurial spirit inspired her to start her own company (Crocker Marketing, Inc.), which led to her creating the – New England Emmy nominated television show The Maine Dish and The Maine Kids Show. Following her work in the television industry, Marie worked internationally for the premiere networking group, of more than 20,000 CEOs around the world, Young Presidents’ Organization. Deciding that she is the best boss she has ever had, Marie took the leap to go back and work for herself, founding Shasta Concepts LLC and Daughters of Change™. Combining her love of developing grassroots projects with her passion for social entrepreneurship, Marie’s work focuses on businesses with a conscience. Playing Small Moment  When Marie watched the planes hit the twin towers on 9/11, she felt compelled to take action. She organized the United Maine Lobster Feed and along with many Maine breweries, she was able to organize food for the emergency workers at “the pile”. To this day, it is one of the most significant days in her life, with a clear message to make her time on this earth count.   The Wake Up Call Marie had always worked for other people’s passions and pocketbooks, which she knew didn’t mesh with her core themes. Marie had a wake up call when her teenage son admitted to not sharing something with her, “because she was working”, to make her take the leap and to start off on her own.        Style of Leadership Marie believes you must inspire and empower the people you lead by stripping down your ego and giving them a voice. Current Leadership Challenge Marie’s biggest challenge has been creating a business model for an abstract idea. She grapples with defining and focusing on what she needs to do first.  What Are You Excited About? Marie is currently working on what will be Maine’s largest public awareness and education campaign on domestic violence —Take Action Maine.  What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? A supportive partner can make all the difference when taking the big leap to do what you love.    Leadership Practice Meditation is essential to Marie. The time she takes to slow down and gather herself keeps her from being scattered. Book to Develop Leadership Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey   Advice For Younger Self “Do it sooner, don’t agonize over the small stuff and take the leap.”  Inspirational Quote “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough” ~ Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia Links Web: http://www.daughtersofchange.com Email: msola@daughtersofchange.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/daughtersofchange   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

At 53, Anne Stephany faced a life threatening illness. Her biggest fear was dying without fulfilling her purpose.  Her work has always been service. Now she brings skills and wisdom from two careers and extensive life experience to serve women. Anne empowers women to shine, joyfully living their purpose and proudly creating their legacy. They break through limiting beliefs, effects of trauma and of aging (Anne is going to be 60 next month!) to be free. When not working you can find her at the beach, swimming with whales, and traveling. Playing Small Moment Anne found herself making excuses and covering up incidents for an abusive partner. It took her some time before she realized what she was doing, and that she needed to leave. She had to later forgive herself for staying as long as she did.     The Wake Up Call Anne’s wake up call came when her doctor told her how close she was to death. She realized she might actually die before she did all the things she was put on earth to do. Life became very precious because there was no time to waste.       Style of Leadership Anne is a free spirited leader who leads with her “why”. Current Leadership Challenge Anne’s vision and leadership challenge are one in the same. She would like to create a worldwide network of luminescence from women shining, while coming into their power. What Are You Excited About? Anne is excited that she is able to share her message by hosting her own podcast. She also is a member of an online learning platform so she shares her message in the best possible way.   What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Anne receives support in many different ways. She has a coach,  mentor and a fitness coach plus she is part of Women’s Groups on Facebook. Leadership Practice Meditation is Anne’s secret weapon. It creates a space for her, and in that space answers become clear and she knows what her next steps are. Book to Develop Leadership Start With Your Why by Simon Sinek Advice For Younger Self “You are enough. You can have and do and be whatever you can dream.”   Inspirational Quote "If today were the last day of my life would I want to do what I am about to do today?” ~ Steve Jobs Links Web: http://www.annestephany.com Podcast: http://www.annestephany.com/podcast Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/theannestephany   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Abbie McGilvery is a Social Media Magician (okay, a Social Media Strategist, but that’s close enough!) She serves as an adviser, guide, and mentor for the business owners she works with. Abbie has been called a Marketing Maven and a Networking Expert, but prefers to think of herself as a creative "social media scrapbooker" with a focus on helping business owners build brand visibility and tell their stories on social media channels. Abbie helps business owners, creatives, and leaders get clear on what they do, who they are, and how to share their gifts with the world. Playing Small Moment Abbie dimmed her light for many years because she was afraid someone else would dim it for her. She thought people wouldn’t be ready for her energy. So, when she found herself in a moment of panic after being let go from a job, she went into an interview carrying her doubt and uncertainty on her sleeve. She forgot to interview the company to see if the position they were offering was even a good fit for her. The experience taught her some hard lessons and crushed her spirit.  The Wake Up Call Abbie was rudely confronted about a photo she used in a company publication. Instead of having a conversation with her, the manager aggressively accused and bullied her. The situation ended with her separation from the organization. She vowed never to allow herself to be treated in that way again and she would make sure the next job she took would be something she wanted.       Style of Leadership Abbie says there are three things a leader should be or do. They are: 1) Leaders should understand that they do not have to be perfect. 2) Leaders should sit within the circle of their team. 3) Leaders should be authentic and show people what it’s like to be the culture of their organization. Current Leadership Challenge Abbie’s current leadership challenge is her plan to scale up. Her service based business will be adding people and they need to have the same values and beliefs she has.  What Are You Excited About? Abbie is excited about the possibility of helping people pinpoint their dreams and to figure out how they can focus more energy in that direction. What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Abbie figured out that humans were meant to be surviving in tribes by working together and sharing talents. Her best friend and co-worker Angie, along with her parents are always there for her. Leadership Practice Abbie’s practice of showing up and listening to other leaders she aspires to be like make her a more effective leader.  Book to Develop Leadership Rising Strong by Brene Brown   Advice For Younger Self “Be big, be bold and don’t ever let anyone dim your light.”  Inspirational Quote "In a gentle way, you can shake the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi “The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.” ~ Mohadesa Najumi   Links Web: http://www.fromthenestsocial.com/ Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/fromthenestsocial/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FunkyFabAb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funkyfabab/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbiemcgilvery   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

To get us caught up, in the last Bonus episode I talked about using your powers of deduction to get at who you want to be as a leader and that you are not your stress reactions. I promised I would go into some of the common stress reactions so that, with an awareness of what they look like, you could choose a new reaction. Well, as promised here are two of the most common stress reactions Shutting down: Cocooning Imagine you are going about your day when suddenly, something happens. No matter what it is, it occurs to you as bad news. In the moment it feels like the worst news. The last thing you needed right now. The straw that broke the camel's back. It could be a change to your carefully laid out plans, an unpleasant conversation, a flat tire, burnt toast...whatever. It really doesn't matter what it is. What matters is it's something you don't like and you feel like it's out of your control. And then you feel the energy drain out of your body. You're tired, defeated and you start to wonder why you try so hard. It's already X o'clock in the morning and you feel like you need a nap. But you can't take a nap so instead you either go in your office and close the door, or you go to your phone to see what's happening on facebook, or you get in your car to go to Starbucks to get a jolt of caffeine. If you're at home you might sit on the couch and do a Netflix marathon. You. Are. Shut. Down. You're batteries became depleted and you are now doing anything you can to recharge. You may also be in a mindset where you can't stand to be around yourself and nothing makes you happy. You may feel ashamed of yourself and worthless. You can't stand to have people see you like this so you hide out and go into your cocoon. You isolate yourself from others and keep them at a distance. This is not YOU. This is your alter-ego in survival mode. It will help you to recover but it's not the most effective way to hit your goals or to achieve the life you want to live. While you are recovering, and if you find yourself here do what you can to recover… But while you are recovering you are falling a little further behind on your goals and you are ineffective at anything you try to do. The real you is effective, capable and resourceful but the real you has taken a back seat and given the power over to the alter-ego. Don't give your alter-ego decision making power. Here’s a little warning: do not make decisions when the alter-ego is in charge. They will be decisions made from the perspective of an 8-year-old. What does an 8-year-old know about what you are capable of? Exactly. The key here is to be aware that the alter-ego has taken over. When you are aware, the power is in your court. You can make a different decision if you like. You can choose to see the situation differently and see where you do have power and control - where the woman of your experience and skill level can make a difference. In the last episode I mentioned how I become a micro-manager when I get stressed out and feel out of control. Well, there are times when I let that controlling part of myself off the leash so I can dive into the details and research the daylights out of a certain topic. But I'm doing it by choice and not because I feel out of control. I use my default stress reaction to serve me and not the other way around. Life is duality. You are both in control and powerless. The key is to be in control when you are in control and to let things unfold when you are not in control...and dare I say, enjoy the ride? Over-reacting: The Amazon Warrior Similar to the previous situation something happens but in this instance your alter-ego's faulty radar picks up something different. Rather than sensing a situation where there is nothing you can do you're alter-ego picks up a threat.  That change to your carefully laid out plans, the unpleasant conversation, the flat tire, the burnt toast - they are now perceived as putting something at risk, something important. This creates conflict. The alter-ego is now charged up and ready to do battle! Rather than turning into the Incredible Hulk (we're women, after all) you become The Amazon Warrior. Being an Amazon Warrior might sound eccentric and sexy. But no one likes to be around this woman and this woman has to fight for everything that she wants. She's so unpleasant people only help her if they have to. The battle that you create in this stress reaction can come in the following forms: Aggression: verbal and/or physical (though likely at your age you redirect physical aggression into some sort of workout) Passive-aggression  Fuming silently Perfectionism Jealousy (the more they get the less I get) Second-guessing yourself (yup, this battle is with you) There is more energy in this stress reaction so you're not likely to find yourself lying on the couch, at least on right away. But this burst of energy is on credit and you pay it back in interest. Once the adrenaline rush has passed you will likely find yourself in need of some recovery time and you slip into cocooning. Also, when your alter-ego is in charge of this stress reaction the actions you take will like be misdirected. It will get you a result that is only temporary and land you with consequences that may be worse than the original perceived threat. This stress reaction causes us to say things we don't mean (to ourselves and others), take our fear and anger out on an innocent bystander, and make snap-decisions in the heat of the moment.  Even if you are somewhat aware of your internal conflict your attempts to hide it are futile. You'll find yourself being critical of yourself and others, you'll involuntarily focus on the negative (threats!) and your tone of voice/word choice/body language will give you away. A coach of mine called this leaking. It's gross but accurate. You are trying to hide your volatile mood but it leaks out and as a consequence you occur to other people as "not quite right." This is not YOU either. This is your alter-ego on high alert, looking for threats, and trying to protect you. It is defensive, augmentative and just waiting for someone to say or do that "thing" and it will lash out. Again, to gain control over your alter-ego awareness is key. Be aware of what is pushing your buttons; what feels threatened and what is causing the threat. Realize that a large percentage of the threats you perceive are just that, perceived threats. They are not real and if you can stay in current reality you can keep yourself from turning into The Amazon Warrior. If you know one or both of these stress reactions are holding you back in your business or professional life reach out to me. This is how I serve my clients best and when they are able to manage their alter-egos and choose their response consciously they are able to keep stress away and stay focused on their goals. For more resources go to https://womentakingthelead.com

Cloris Kylie, Marketing MBA, is the founder of Lead Generation Academy and Client Attraction Bootcamp. She helps coaches, authors, speakers, consultants, and skilled practitioners command attention, attract the right clients, build a captive audience of subscribers, and skyrocket their impact and revenue! A sought-after speaker, trainer, and author, Cloris has been featured on various television and radio shows, including the #1 podcast for entrepreneurs, "Entrepreneur On Fire." Cloris’ articles have been published on websites with millions of followers, such as TinyBuddha and Addicted2Success. Key Takeaways: [2:40] Produce something new, partner with those around you and promote your own message to reveal your magnificence every single day. [6:55] Start with step #1 - Get clear on who your right client is. [11:20] Create an offer that meets the needs of your ideal client. [16:23] Learn the fundamentals before you try to change the rules. [24:19] Leverage the audience of large platforms to build authority at a faster rate. [30:32] What is a current business challenge Cloris is facing right now? [32:45] What does Cloris’ support system look like?  [35:12] How to get in contact with Cloris and how to get her new ebook for free.    Mentioned in This Episode: Women Taking the Lead Episode 97 with Cloris Kylie  Cloris Kylie 8 Proven Ways to Build Authority and Grow Your Audience   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Jan Molino is the CEO of Aspire Ascend. She has a passion for empowering women and a keen perspective on the challenges and opportunities of the modern workplace. Her specialty has always been to help executive women maneuver leadership obstacles and help organizations define cultures that are open to gender balance and diversity. Her strength in bringing smart, influential women and professionals together is complemented by a powerful network she utilizes in pursuit of leadership excellence for women. Playing Small Moment Jan realized she lacked confidence after turning down an opportunity to relocate and lead her own team. Her boss at the time told her to advise him of her next opportunity because he thought she was ready to ascend. The Wake Up Call Jan’s wake up call came when she found herself alone after her business partner decided she wanted out of their new venture. She thought that she had needed a partner, but realized she could handle all the risks necessary.    Style of Leadership Jan is a connector, a leader who influences people and brings them together. She uses her networks to help people to help other people. Current Leadership Challenge  Jan has to remind herself that she needs to work on the business and not in the business. She is currently challenged by her tendency to over-extend herself.  What Are You Excited About? Aspire Ascend’s new membership service for executive women leaders is what presently excites Jan.  What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Jan’s husband has always been her biggest supporter. Leadership Practice Jan’s ability to connect with people is her most treasured leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy BRAG!: Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It by Peggy Klaus Advice For Younger Self “Get a mentor earlier. Someone who is a superior and not a friend!”    Inspirational Quote “I am a thought leader.” - Jan Molino Links Website: www.aspire-ascend.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janmolino Twitter: https://twitter.com/AspireAscend Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aspire.ascend/ Google +: https://plus.google.com/107950323524449969251 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspireascend/ Email: Jan@aspire-ascend.com   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Alexis Robin is the Co-Founder of pLink Coaching Center for Excellence, an executive coaching firm specializing in leadership and organizational development at the individual and collective level. She is a published author of Leap of Faith, Cultivating Your Brave Heart, and radio host of The Bright Side, A Life Coaching Radio Show. When she’s not working, you can find Alexis at her home in Lake Tahoe, California, snowboarding, stand-up paddling, and enjoying the great outdoors with her French husband and 11-year-old twins. Playing Small Moment  Bravery is one of Alexis’s highest values, so to be called out for shrinking away on stage was an eye opener for her. She suddenly realized that she used to shrink away a lot. She wasn’t considering just how much she really brought to the table. The Wake Up Call While working with her clients, Alexis realized how many talented people still carried the burden of self-doubt. This prompted her to examine her own self-doubt and to realize that it wasn’t about her. She needed to be present for her clients and not worried about herself. Style of Leadership Alexis says her style of leadership is about setting clear direction and intention. She focuses on what she wants to create instead of what she wants to stop from happening. She adds that sharing ‘why’ you are asking something of someone can make all the difference. Current Leadership Challenge Getting the word out about what her organization is doing and how it is different than other coaching companies is Alexis’ biggest business opportunity.  What Are You Excited About? Alexis and her partners are excited about a new, visually stunning webinar series she is developing for her Positive Leader Journey program called Think pLink webinars. What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Alexis has a great support system within her organization as well as at home. She says everyone around her shares her same vision and values.  Leadership Practice Sharing her intention when she asks for something is Alexis’s best leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership Rising Strong by Brené Brown Advice For Younger Self “Don’t spend time trying to prove yourself to people. The most valuable mentors and friends don’t need convincing.”  Inspirational Quote “Trust the process of life. Sometimes life goes wrong in your favor.” ~ Alexis Robin Links http://plinkcoachingcenter.com Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Dr. Jamie Orr is a successful entrepreneur, physicist, and educator with expertise across a wide range of technical fields. She is passionate about helping young companies and students alike to thrive and discover their potential. She is a co-founder of Mountain Lab, Lake Tahoe's first co-working space and innovation hub. Jamie also teaches courses in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and green sustainable education, and consults in the areas of economic development, entrepreneurship, and education. Playing Small Moment Jamie was crushed when an advisor in her department didn’t show up for the faculty meeting, which would have helped her along in becoming a Ph.D. candidate. After the initial sting wore off, she decided she would move away from Physics and into the study of law. She was accepted into six different law schools before being persuaded back into the Physics program. The Wake Up Call Jamie’s wake up call came almost a year after her daughter was born. Jamie and her husband were going through photos and realized most of their happiness came from their visits to Lake Tahoe―not from Silicon Valley. So, they just packed up and moved to Lake Tahoe. Style of Leadership Jamie likes to lead by teaching people and by working in collaboration with them. She wants the people around her to reach their potential and to accomplish things.  Current Leadership Challenge  Jamie needs to give herself permission to say no, because she realizes she may experience burnout if she doesn’t take time for herself. What Are You Excited About? Jamie is excited to be integrating the concepts of physics into her community projects.  What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Jamie has a balanced team of business partners and family who inspire her and amaze her every single day.       Leadership Practice  Jamie is a teacher by nature and she believes in elevating those around her. Book to Develop Leadership Brain Rules by John Medina Advice For Younger Self “Failure is an opportunity to try a different direction. So, don’t be so hard on yourself.”  Inspirational Quote “Be kinder than is necessary because you never know what someone else is going through.” ~ Jamie Orr Links http://tahoemountainlab.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamieforr   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

I am a logical person and one of the most useful tools when applying logic is deduction - the process of ruling out. Deduction is very effective. So effective we call the ability to use this process as one's "powers of deduction." In the workshops I do with young leaders I ask them, "Who do you want to be as a leader?"  They are often stumped by this question and often times respond with, "I'm not sure who I want to be but I know who I don't want to be as a leader - my [current/former] bad boss." That is the power of deduction and without realizing it shapes who you are as a leader, as a partner, as a coworker, as a friend and as a parent. We remember how we felt when we had to deal with another person and those who upset us tend to make a lasting impression and that experience shapes who we become – hopefully for the good. In my early experience as a leader I put more thought into avoiding being perceived as a "bad boss" than I did being perceived as a good boss. It's all part of the process and it then lead me to consider what experience I did want to create for my team. Here I'm telling my own bad boss story...and it's a good one. Starting from a place of who I was not as a leader I came to an identity of who I am as a leader. Here is another area we are going to look into to determine who you are not… You Are Not Your Stress Reactions Have you ever been in a negative relationship or a situation and over time you notice there are some changes in your personality and how you respond to things. Changes and responses that you are not proud of. Rather than saying the sweet words we hear in dramas, "they make me a better person" or "they make me want to be a better person" you find yourself uttering, "I don't like who I am when I'm around them." Or, "when I'm there I'm like a different person." This is who you are not! You say those things, you do those things but they feel wrong and you don't like it. That's the sign that it's not THE REAL YOU. Whenever you feel at odds with how you are showing up and how you are behaving you are sure to find your default stress reaction at play.  This is your alter-ego, the persona you become under stress to try to protect you from any perceived threat. When I get stressed I become very controlling. I micromanage and get lost in details and research. If you know me you would know details and research are not where I choose to hang out on a day-to-day basis.  Likely, when your alter-ego is a play you'll find yourself doing things that are the opposite of what you would normally do if things weren't so tense. The issue with the alter-ego is it started to develop when you were very young, when you didn't know as much as you do now. Think 6-8 years old. Since the alter-ego came into existence you have become more experienced, skilled, wise and resourceful. But your alter-ego isn't aware of that and so it jumps in to save the day thinking you are not capable to handle the situation, that you are still 8-years-old, and as a result your alter-ego makes you feel small, incapable and out-of-control. In the next several bonus episodes I’m going to cover some common stress reactions. I'm hoping you will gain an awareness of your own alter-ego so you'll be able to see it in action when something stressful occurs. With this awareness you'll be able to make a different choice; you'll be able to respond to stress as you really are: powerful, capable, resourceful and committed. Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com  

Everything Chloë Thomas does is focused on eCommerce strategy and marketing. She is the author of four books, speaker, and host of the eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast. Her latest bestselling book is, Customer Manipulation: How to Influence your Customers to Buy More and Why an Ethical Approach will Always Win. Key Takeaways: [2:45] Manipulation encourages people to do things. We are all manipulators. [7:33] The Customer Manipulation Model is applicable to both eCommerce and retail type businesses. [9:31] Breaking down the Customer Manipulation Model.  [18:13] How to transition an inquirer to a first-time buyer. [25:49] Chloë’s current business challenge is getting her sales funnel full of repeat buyers.    [28:24] Chloë’s support system is mostly outsourced and optimized to give her more bandwidth for her business. Mentioned in This Episode: Women Taking the Lead Episode 45 with Chloë Thomas (https://womentakingthelead.com/chloe-thomas/) eCommerce Masterplan (https://ecommercemasterplan.com) @chloe_ecmp on Twitter Customer Manipulation: How to Influence Your Customers to Buy More and Why and Ethical Approach will Always Win (http://customermanipulation.com/) Find more resources at http://womentakingthelead.com  

Lauren Copeland is an empowering Life and Clarity Coach for amazing women who feel the call to be more, do more and live more! By working together, we discover what your 'mores' really are in life and business, how you can make them happen, and pursue the life you love without sacrificing your unique self. Playing Small Moment Lauren knew the 9-5 was not for her and she was excited to get the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. But, people close to her didn’t seem to understand her decision. She says her playing small moment was when she let the opinions of others color how she viewed herself.  The Wake Up Call Lauren truly had an A-ha moment, when her husband asked her if she could really overcome her shyness to become a life and clarity coach. It lit a fire under her to do what she felt compelled to do and that would bring her joy. Style of Leadership Lauren is a listener, an analyzer and very optimistic. All traits that contribute to her nurturing leadership style.    Current Leadership Challenge Lauren is finding it challenging to dodge her insecurities while launching her business.    What Does Your Business Support System Look Like? Lauren is part of an online community of female entrepreneurs that, she says, gets her through when she has questions or when she needs support. What Are You Excited About? Lauren is excited to be launching a 5-day challenge to help people prioritize their tasks, make the most of their time and find balance in their lives.  Leadership Practice Consistently working towards her own personal development is one practice which makes Lauren a better leader. She is able to learn new ideas that she can share with others. Book to Develop Leadership Make it Happen by Lara Casey Advice For Younger Self “Value is not determined by anything on this earth. It is determined by Christ.”  Inspirational Quote “To live is to choose. But to live well, you must know who you are, what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” - Kofi Annan Links http://www.laurenecopeland.com/ https://www.facebook.com/lecopeland/   Find more resources at: http://womentakingthelead.com   

Suzanna McGee is a former Ms. Natural Olympia bodybuilding champion, now a competitive tennis player, author, speaker, raw vegan athlete, and performance and injury prevention specialist with over 25 years of experience. She is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and holds a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University. She is also the author of Tennis Fitness for the Love of it and The Athlete’s Simple Guide to a Plant-Based Lifestyle. Playing Small Moment Suzanna had never thought about being an entrepreneur until she arrived in Venice Beach, California. A client, who later became her mentor, helped her to realize that she could make a career in the fitness industry. He kept telling her that she needed to get certifications, but she was hard-headed. While she was aware that she knew a lot of things, she didn’t realize the certifications would give her credibility, as she was still adapting to the culture in the US. The Wake Up Call Suzanna knew she wanted to spread her knowledge, with the world, by writing a book and speaking. But she feared that her level of the English language would get in the way. Her wake up call came when she decided to start a blog, and people accepted her and along with her accent. Style of Leadership Suzanna leads by example. If there is a new way of eating or a new exercise, she always tries it first before telling other people to try it. She also leads by sharing her story. If people see that she can do it, then maybe they think “I can do it too”. Current Leadership Challenge Suzanna struggles, because she believes she needs to get her message out to more people, but she really doesn’t like to travel. Speaking through media, like podcasts, may be her way forward to achieving her goals. What Are You Excited About? Suzanna has decided she is going to start learning pole fitness. She feels she needs to master this skill and is excited about taking on the challenge. Leadership Practice Suzanna says that by being grateful, every day in every way, influences people around her.  Book to Develop Leadership Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod Advice For Younger Self “Cherish what makes you different.” Inspirational Quote “Take small actions daily. Small actions will compound and become bigger every day.” - Suzanna McGee Links www.tennisfitnesslove.com https://www.facebook.com/SuzannaMcGeeAuthor/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Jessica Williams is a career and leadership coach for women and founder of The Superwoman Project where she is dedicated to helping women declare ownership over their professional lives to achieve more money, success and joy. Jessica holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communications from The University of Oregon, is a Certified Martha Beck Life Coach and a 200-hour Certified Yoga Instructor. She is also the host of The Superwoman Chronicles, a podcast highlighting the work of extraordinary women around the globe. Playing Small Moment When Jessica started her own business she found herself trying to understand her audience, figuring out what she was actually doing and looking for a “magic bullet” in the form of someone to tell her what to do.  She decided to invest in a business coach but after a very short period of time, she had feelings of misalignment and anxiety. She had to come to terms with losing her investment and start doing it all on her own. But, as soon as she started trusting herself and owning her expertise her business exploded. The Wake Up Call Jessica’s wake up call came when she left the best job in town. Even though through this position she was held in high esteem and influential in her community, she just couldn’t stay. She realized there is no need to wait until something gets really bad before we come into alignment with our calling. Style of Leadership Jessica goes inward when it comes to leadership. She tries to figure out where she is holding back and how she can remove the obstacles others are having on their way to success. Current Leadership Challenge Jessica is interested in the challenge of empowering women. She wants to create a movement so women can take care of themselves without becoming more masculine. What Are You Excited About? The Superwoman Chronicles podcast is what has Jessica really excited right now. She loves highlighting the work of amazing women all around the world. Leadership Practice Meditation is the practice that allows Jessica to know herself better which leads to her being a better leader.  Book to Develop Leadership The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner Advice For Younger Self “Stop worrying about everybody else and learn to take care of yourself.” Inspirational Quote “Do not now seek the answers which cannot be given to you, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.” - Jessica Williams “Be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses, the meaning discovered there.” - Rilke Links www.thesuperwomanproject.com  www.thesuperwomanproject.com/free-stuff Find more resources at: https://womentakingthelead.com  

I'm just going to bottom line it. Taking care of yourself – body, mind, and soul – is the foundation of being and feeling successful. People often dismiss this key component of success because they become overly focused on the end result – a new job, a career advancement, another degree or certification. And if you're in my tribe of entrepreneurial minded, Type A, ambitious women, you know this is one of your stumbling blocks. Success Starts with You Anyone can push hard for an immediate goal. However, if you’re focused on success that will last, you're going to have to take care of yourself.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The first wealth is health.” Dr. Stephen Covey, author of the best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, calls it “Sharpen the Saw”. Successful people develop and maintain a balance or focus in four areas of life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. When we renew ourselves continually in each of these four areas we enhance our ability to cope with the inevitable challenges that come at us. Keep in mind that while self-care is key, it’s imperative you pay close attention to your habits – because your habits determine your success. You can do all you want to take the best care of yourself– but if you’re not willing to honestly examine and alter your habits – don’t expect to get anywhere fast. Go back to the last episode/post, The Secret to Being Successful With Ease, to help you get in the mindset to commit to forming new habits. I'm going to focus on four key areas but I've also got a worksheet below that you can use to identify where you need focus on taking care of yourself. Read more and find all the resources shared in this post at https://womentakingthelead.com/feel-successful/  

Carrie Hartunian works with business owners and entrepreneurs to develop accelerated growth strategies in highly competitive industries. She creates and executes strategic growth plans,  directing integrations and marketing automation, as well as  manages projects and establishes benchmarks for success. Her expertise in fostering winning cultures, increased productivity and reducing costs in mission-driven environments are just a few of her recognized talents as a talented and accomplished leader. Playing Small Moment Carrie didn’t feel like she was playing an essential role at her family owned business but she had big aspirations to become significant. Her small moment came when her family’s company was purchased by a group of venture capitalists. The COO hired her for a short 6-month transition period. It was then that Carrie started to see her true value. She tapped into her special gifts and began acquiring other companies and moved into the advertising world with great success. The Wake Up Call Carrie was ripe for a wake up call. The position she was in didn’t give her a reason to mentally get out of bed in the morning. But as a single mom, she needed to be thoughtful in her decisions. When her discomfort grew to disabling, she dusted off her resume and accepted what was at that time a risky out of state opportunity to help an ad agency get off the ground. It was there she was able to surround herself with people she could learn from. Style of Leadership Carrie believes in inspiring enthusiasm in her team because it helps to motivate them towards goals. If a team doesn’t buy into a leader’s vision, then the plan won’t work. A leader must listen to the team and be open to changing their plan if a great idea comes out of brainstorming. Current Leadership Challenge Carrie’s current challenge is trying to scale her service-based business. It is a ‘which direction to lead her business’ type of challenge. What Are You Excited About? Carrie has been working with business people to elevate their brand by writing a book and getting it to rank on amazon. The book is designed to build the client’s authority, generate leads and gain a profit. She says there is nothing more exciting than telling a client they have made it to #1 bestseller in multiple categories. Leadership Practice Parenting taught Carrie how to overcome challenges in creative ways which made her a better leader. She also adapts her observations from people watching in to her leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews Advice For Younger Self Don’t worry, the dark moments are temporary and they will pass. Inspirational Quote “Everything is temporary, it will pass.” - Carrie Hartunian Smith Links www.SmartMarketingConsulting.com    Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Steve Forbes, the Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Media has called him a “Grand Master” of communications skills and Elite Books has called him “One of the fifty most influential business thinkers today”. Dave Frees is an attorney, author, entrepreneur and speaker who has lived a fascinating life that took him across the globe and exposed him to master communicators, persuaders, and negotiators in hundreds of nations and across many cultures. He is a master of teaching enhanced communication and how to go from being persuasive to being truly influential A Woman Who Has Influenced Your Life Dave lives and works in a very estrogen-rich environment but his earth-mother wife has the biggest impact on him as a leader. Dave is normally the fiery one and his wife has a more subtle way of dealing with things in their relationship. An example of this is when Dave increases the sound of his voice intentionally with their children. His wife thought it had gone a little too far so she calmly pointed out that raising his voice did not seem to be an effective way of communicating with the kids. She pointed it out several times until Dave realized she was right and promptly stopped raising his voice. What He Sees That Hold Women Back Dave notices that many intellectual women, especially in helping professions, do not charge clients what they are worth. He says they seem to be afraid to take credit for their hard work. And, they are often surprised to learn that if they don’t charge people, they will not believe the service offered has value. What He Has Learned from Women Women have taught Dave two very important things. One is the skill of being adaptable in their communication style and they are good at making sure their message is heard which led to him writing his book, The Language of Parenting. The second is the skill of patience when communicating.  The Necessary Changes Dave sees many women who are leaders or in the process of becoming leaders who impose limitations on themselves. He believes that if they overcome internal objections they can hone in on their leadership skills.    What Are You Excited About? Dave’s new program, Persuasion to Influence, has him really excited. He is building and testing different aspects of his program at his live events. Inspirational Quote “No plan survives contact with the enemy. So, plan early and often.” ~Dave Frees “The quality of my communication is the quality of the response I get.” ~Dave Frees Interview Links Website: http://www.successtechnologies.com/blog Twitter: https://twitter.com/davefrees Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidfrees   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

In this episode, I welcome Michelle Dutro to the show. Michelle was a military veteran by the age of 22 and she joined the fire department at the age of 35.  Michelle has always been determined to pursue her dreams. She has spent more than a decade working in a field of preventative medicine which has spurred her to emphasize the importance of good health. Her goal is to inspire and motivate others to pursue their passions in life.    On the way home from school in 7th grade, Michelle saw someone being bullied. She believes that witnessing someone being treated badly and not do anything about it is the most intolerable form of evil she can imagine. She vows never to allow another person go through what that person went through. It is her mission to be a voice for those who don’t have one. Playing Small Moment Michelle doesn’t feel she has a small moment; she just wants to help people find their special gift and follow their special purpose. She has been that way her entire life. She believes that not following a purpose in life is not an option. She helps people to remember what things they loved doing before society, parents, or culture got in the way. The Wake Up Call For Michelle, there was no landmark epiphany. She lives in a constant state of evaluation about how she can do better and how she can do more. She decided to become a firefighter because she felt it was the most effective way for her to help those who need it most. Analyzing how she handled emergencies led her to educate people on how to avoid emergencies in the first place. Michele knew her work should focus on prevention.    Style of Leadership BOLD and confident. Michelle doesn’t mince words and she doesn’t hold back. She says there is a very big difference between being nice and being kind. She defines kindness as seeing someone for who they truly are and then helping them become who they need to be. Placating people through being nice only enables them to stay where they are or to play small. Current Business Challenge Michelle’s biggest challenge is the linear thinking required for paperwork. She is aware that being organized is not her gift and often finds herself putting these types of tasks on the back burner.     What Are You Excited About? Michelle is excited to launch her online course and new book. It’s a life reboot for people who feel stuck or uncertain about why they are here in this life.  Book to Develop Leadership Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl Advice For Younger Self No matter what, believe that anything is possible. Don’t push away emotion.  Inspirational Quote “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.” - Mahatma Gandhi Links www.innernorthstar.com www.thegamechangerpodcast.com   Find more resources at: https://womentakingthelead.com/

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Alicia Cuello, a National Conference Speaker, a facilitator, and coach who specializes in non-verbal communication. She has spent over 20 years reading and interpreting body language and she is the host of the popular podcast series Body Language for Sales Success. She earned her Master of Human Resource Management degree from the University of Houston. When Alicia describes her unimaginable childhood it might make you think that she and her four sisters would never have amounted to anything. But when you see the businesswoman Alicia is today, you truly understand how resilient she is in every aspect of her life and career. In fact, she still uses some of the skills she learned as a young girl to propel her forward in her industry. Despite Alicia’s past, she has been able to overcome all obstacles with the help of women mentors early in her career. It was the first time someone cared about what she could accomplish and she bent over backwards to be the best that she could be, for them. Her goal is to make the world a better place through a combination of HR and body language. Playing Small Moment Alicia’s mentor, Lynn told her, “You remind me of myself but you are screwing it up.” Lynn was a Vice President and the head of nursing at her place of employment. She would meet with Alicia one-on-one and help her to get her act together. Alicia says “Lynn saw something in me. She made me believe I had so much more to offer.” Alicia’s small moment happened when she allowed Lynn to help her believe in herself. The Wake Up Call Alicia had spent 20+ years in Human Resources where the pay was good but the work was starting to crush her soul. She stayed a while longer, knowing she wanted out. So, she made the decision to get a business coach and with his help she started Underlying Communications and eventually left corporate America. Style of Leadership Alicia isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She steps back to observe and absorb how the game is being played before she makes a leadership decision. She believes power can be found in silence. When she is ready to effectively lead, she leads by doing. She feels more like one of the pack than someone who stands at the helm barking orders. Current Business Challenge Alicia says maneuvering through all the noise is her current business challenge. She has been sharing on all of the social platforms and even video-blogging for some time, but the time has come for her to create proposals and network herself and her business. She says the process is like an additional full-time job. What Are You Excited About? Alicia is excited about a new opportunity to give a presentation to two large, national HR organizations in San Bernardino. It gives her the opportunity to turn a bad situation into something that benefits people. Book to Develop Leadership Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers by Dr. Lois Frankel Advice For Younger Self “Get into therapy sooner. You are better than this and your behavior is a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Inspirational Quote “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you are saying” - Ralph Waldo Emerson Links Website: www.underlyingcommunications.com Email: alicia@underlyingcommunications.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnderlyingCommunications Free Gift: http://www.underlyingcommunications.com/interview-with-jodi-flynn-invitation-and-free-gift/   For more resources go to https://womentakingthelead.com

Welcome to this 16th bonus episode for Women Taking the Lead. In the last bonus episode I talked about how it’s so important to have a picture in your mind of what success is going to look like and a sense of how you are going to feel when you get there. I also did a guided exercise to help you with that so if you have not listened to that episode yet go back and listen to Bonus Episode: A Future You’ll Be Excited About. I’m talking to you now about commitment but it’s really important you have something worth committing to. When you have that really important something come back to this episode as I guide you to the next step. At the beginning stages of forming what success will look and feel like you have the thought, but no action or very little action to back it up. If in the past you stayed in this phase you probably noticed that you were just wishing and wishing, and then you noticed all the time going by with no wish granted. Every now and again you may take tentative steps toward this dream. You try something new; you buy lottery tickets or you try to form a new habit that will get you better results. If it doesn't pan out you go back to wishing. If you want to achieve that success you imagine it will require changes; changes you must commit to. Access the full transcript and find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Today I am pleased to talk with C S Wurzberger, also known as the Green Up Girl. C S is on an important mission to inspire people to care for the earth and its animals. She offers earth-friendly, adventure-packed activity packs for children, teens and adults so they can safely explore the earth and its animals. She does this by hosting podcasts and publishing a series of how to Greenup guides. She is also the founder and director of Zoocademy, the teaching zoo that travels to you. C S loves guiding children, teens and adults on fun and virtual expeditions to meet exotic and endangered animals. She enjoys connecting with organizations working to save endangered animals from extinction and sharing simple ways people can join in to live a greener, cleaner healthier lifestyle. C S started giving nature classes when she was 12 and that was just the beginning. For the past 12 years, she has been the Director of a 150 acre petting zoo with 300 animals, and she previously owned a web development/Internet marketing company. She has published 5 different books on marketing as part of the Wildly Profitable Marketing series for related industries. Her name, The Green Up Girl started in Vermont. When she was young every first Saturday of May was Green Up Day in Vermont. This day is for people in the community to get outside and help the environment by picking up trash. C S says trash on the side of the road has always bothered her, so much so that she drove her mother crazy. No matter where they were, she made her mother stop so she could pick up trash along the road. Playing Small Moment C S found it difficult, at first, to think about what her small moment was. And, then it hit her like a lightning bolt when she realized she has been playing small her entire life. She knew when she was only seven she wanted to inspire people to take care of the earth and its animals but she always let her various careers get in the way of her true path. When her soul started crying out for attention is when she decided to follow the path of her life’s mission. The Wake Up Call The last few months have been life changing for C S. Her mother’s death and an out-of-the-blue real estate listing reminded her of all of the skills she had acquired during her life and how they could now be used to run her mission-driven company. Style of Leadership C S is a “let’s get it done” type of leader. She is all about accomplishing her client’s ultimate goal and making it happen.    What Are You Excited About? Her new Zoocademy project is what has got C S in a tizzy. She is excited to get earth and animal education in front of all the children she can. Plus, she vows to keep the entire project dutifully licensed.  Current Business Challenge C S is actually having trouble sleeping because she is so passionate about the work she is doing. She’s really hoping to find a balance between her self-care practices, meditation, and her strong desire to move her projects forward. Book to Develop Leadership The Success Principles - 10-Year Anniversary Issue by Jack Canfield Advice For Younger Self C S would go back and advise her younger self to stay focused, trust herself and not to let anyone or anything derail her.   Inspirational Quote “What we appreciate we preserve. What we value we conserve. What we are taught we understand. And, when we understand, we can come together to protect the earth and its animals. ” Links TheGreenUpGirl.com www.facebook.com/TheGreenUpGirl zoocademy.org/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Karen Jehanian is the Owner/President of KMJ Consulting Inc., an innovative transportation engineering consulting firm located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm focuses on improving mobility. She began living her true passion as an entrepreneur at 8-years-old. She likes to be the best version of herself and continually improve, while helping others to do the same. In her spare time, she volunteers, reads, plays golf and takes long walks on the beach.  At a young age, Karen was surrounded by entrepreneurs and a very courageous mother. Her Grandparents started from scratch, making use of their fantastic work ethic and family values. Karen knew by the 7th grade she wanted to own her own business. She landed in civil engineering and went to the co-op program at Drexel University. One of the reasons she started her company was because she wanted to create a more friendly and productive culture with an atmosphere that inspires creativity and where the people care as much about each other as they do their product and their clients. Playing Small Moment Karen’s biggest small moment was brought on by an uncomfortable feeling she had. At first, she didn’t believe she could run a business on her own. She thought she needed a partner, but just before they incorporated she realized she was making a big mistake and could succeed on her own. The Wake Up Call Karen says sometimes you have to hear the same story repeatedly for it to sink in. As a woman, Karen tended to think ‘this is happening because I am a woman’. But one day, she shared a problem she was having with a group of male colleagues and someone said: “Oh, I have that problem on a daily basis”. So, she asked him how he had dealt with it and he responded: “I tell the person to get out of my office and to handle the problem themselves”. It changed her life. She accepted that she did not have to accept responsibility for everything someone puts in front of her, she could just say no. Style of Leadership Karen prefers a collaborative leadership style. She likes to envision her team in a row boat and they are all rowing in the same direction towards their goals.  What Are You Excited About? Karen is excited to start teaching a course in Entrepreneurship at Drexel’s Close School of Entrepreneurship. She says that teaching has helped her to expand her mind and to better understand people.  Tips to Become a Better Leader Karen says her daily meditation and prayer practices make her calmer which also makes her a better leader. Also, she sleeps well when she expresses her gratitude.    Book to Develop Leadership How to Become A Great Boss by Jeffrey J. Fox Advice For Younger Self Karen would tell her younger self to take more risks earlier in her career and to play a team sport, so she could have learned more about give and take. Inspirational Quotes “Anything is possible.” ~ Karen Jehanian Links www.kmjinc.com   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Paula Gosney is a writer, businesswoman, feminist, warrior, speaker and mom. At 11-years-old she was sent to boarding school, and during her teenage years she became the victim of sexual assault. Her 20’s were spent seeking pain relief through a mix of hard drugs, alcohol, and personal development masters. She established her first business at 21. Her current endeavor, Belief School, is an accumulation of all she has learned, taught and lived. Her personal vision is to help other women heal more quickly, accept love earlier in their lives and contribute to their own lives sooner. Much like what she would have done, had she been exposed to the principles she teaches today sooner.  “As women, we need to celebrate our broken bits and stop the righteousness, stop the blaming and hold each other up. Because we are bloody awesome.” - Paula Gosney Playing the Small Moment Women succumb to two types of fear. One is an intuition-based fear which comes from deep in our subconscious. It is a healthy, survival-based fear. “Women are taught to ignore our gut feelings,” Paula says, “but what we should be doing is giving ourselves permission to trust this fear”. The second type of fear is one we should not allow ourselves to fall prey to, as it is one of the greatest poisons of our society. It is when we feel this fear telling us we cannot do something or we are not good enough that we need to embrace the moment and know that we are not the voices in our heads. The Wake Up Call Paula’s wakeup call came during some of her darkest days. She was listening to her inner victim and living the life it chose for her. One day, a profound thing happened as she was sitting in her car. Almost mystically, the clouds parted, the sun hit her shoulders and she thought “Wait, I get to choose how my life will be”. She found it empowering and now teaches others that if we stop listening to our inner victim we will become creative, solution-focused and powerful. Style of Leadership Paula believes in a service based leadership approach and leading by example. She says “we have to be the lighthouse and light the way for others by owning our own mistakes.” She adds “the world around us is a reflection of who we are being.” What Are You Excited About? Paula is bursting with excitement over her new book The Fuck Off Handbook for Healing and Celebrating Your Broken Bits. It’s just now coming together but she already knows it’s really good. It is a practical guide about shedding shame and owning our experiences. She adds that this book may not be the last as she certainly has 1 or 2 more books in her. Leadership Challenge Paula faces the challenge of moving into a bigger mindset. In her other businesses, she has always done everything herself. Her new project requires more funding and more partners. Everything is expanding. She is presently adopting a THINK BIG mentality and moving past previous challenges.    Book to Develop Leadership The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris Advice For Younger Self Paula says she would grab her 16-year-old self by the shoulders and say “This is not about you. This has nothing to do with you. You get to choose your story.” and “Define what gives you satisfaction for yourself, don’t let it be defined by the people around you.” Inspirational Quotes Paula finds it beneficial to choose one of her limiting beliefs and then write her own success quote around it.  “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi Links How to Be Recognized for the Work You Do Webinar Belief School Belief School on Facebook   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Nicole Hoglund is a marketing + small business coach. Her experience in marketing started out in 2008 and has evolved as the industry has changed over those years. She loves all things that deal with your brand and getting your message out into the world through online marketing. She believes that attracting the right customers to your website through strategic intentional content marketing is how you can achieve your own version of success! In her free time she loves yoga, wine, her dog, + husband! Playing Small Moment While working as an Account Manager at her previous job, Nicole had a contact she had a conflict with and this older gentleman’s disrespectful words made her feel small. And, she found herself playing small by letting self-doubt creep in. Nicole realized then she needed to stop internalizing what others say to her based on their own jealousy. The Wake Up Call Nicole had a wakeup call after her miscarriage, which led her to re-evaluate her life and career choices. Style of Leadership Leading by listening and cheering people on is Nicole’s style of leadership. Current Leadership Challenge Getting her voice heard and having people see her as a leader is Nicole’s leadership challenge. What Are You Excited About? Nicole is excited about the creation of her eCourse, which is for small business owners to take charge of their online content. Leadership Practice In order to be a better leader, Nicole has to practice these 3 things each day: tell her husband she loves him, take her dog for a walk, and shutdown her computer at 5 pm. Book to Develop Leadership For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker Advice For Younger Self As a twin sibling, Nicole’s advice to her younger self is that it’s OK to be her own person and she doesn’t have to compete constantly with her twin. Inspirational Quote “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” ~Thomas J Peters Interview Links www.honestlyable.com Nicole Hoglund on Instagram Nicole Hoglund on Twitter Nicole Hoglund on Facebook   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

Welcome, welcome I’m excited to have you here with me because I’m talking about something I really enjoy talking about: imagination. I’ve talked previously about how the women I work with all have a vision of themselves achieving success. There is some image they have in their mind that represents the moment when they’ve made it. Not only do they see themselves achieving success they imagine what it is going to feel like when it happens. Because it’s so real for them they live like it’s a foregone conclusion. They might be facing obstacles now but they live like it’s a matter of time and hard work. That success is theirs to be had. It’s the image and the story in their mind that makes it so real and why they are able to keep going even if their current reality doesn’t support their vision. In a related article in Entrepreneur magazine three examples are given of this phenomenon: “Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was always stressing the importance of seeing himself victorious long before the actual fight.  As a struggling young actor, Jim Carrey used to picture himself being the greatest actor in the world.  Michael Jordan always took the last shot in his mind before he ever took one in real life.” The question is posed: If you can’t picture yourself achieving success in your mind how will you do it in real life? Sometimes I struggle with this myself but I’ve found it helpful to get some guidance so for the rest of this episode I’m going to guide you through seeing yourself to success. If you are on the go pause it here because you’re going to want to come back to this and frankly this would be dangerous to do if you were driving. Find a quiet spot where you can sit in solitude, away from any distractions. Guided Exercise I hope that helped you to see and feel the kind of success you want in your life. If you struggled with this exercise, that’s okay. Go for a walk, go about your day and come back and do it again. Sometimes if there is too much noise in our head it’s hard to really get into an exercise like this. Shake it off and try again another time when you don’t feel the world pulling at you. I also want you to take the information you got and start recording it. I have a worksheet that you can access in the blog that accompanies this episode. Go to womentakingthelead.com/future and you’ll find it right at the bottom of the post. If you think this will be helpful for other women share this episode. If you don’t have an image and a feeling of what success will look like you’ll continue to trudge along hoping one day things will get better. I don’t want that for you. I want you to be mission-driven because when you have a mission you have confidence and energy and a clear direction to take. I love feedback so please share your experience with this on the blog or anywhere you found this episode. I’m here to support you and cheer you on. Thank you so much for joining me today and here’s to your success! Find more resources at womentakingthelead.com

Deedra Determan has 20+ years of marketing experience starting on the agency side at Ackerman McQueen Advertising Agency to 10 years in the television industry. Deedra went on to launch niche websites for moms including 918moms.com, 405moms.com, and MoneySavingQueen.com with over 100,000 moms visiting the websites each month. Deedra then followed her true passion in launching D2 Branding, an innovative marketing firm igniting brands to be the market leader in their industry through marketing, public relations, social media, advertising, strategic partnerships, sales, website creation, search engine optimization, content creation, video production, graphic design, and more! Playing Small Moment Deedra’s playing small moment was her first job offer right out of college with Ackerman McQueen Advertising. She showed up for her first day of work and was lead to the front desk, but Deedra didn’t end up being the receptionist for long. The experience turned out to be a valuable lesson. The Wake Up Call Deedra’s wake up call occurred during her son’s premature birth, which is when she realized what was truly important in life. This event catapulted her decision to leave her corporate job and go into business for herself. Style of Leadership Although her leadership style has evolved over the years, Deedra is more lenient now and chooses to lead by example. Current Leadership Challenge The business challenge Deedra is facing with D2 Branding has to do with scaling her business beyond herself. She is the face of the company and she needs to find more consultants with a similar approach to her style, in order to safeguard the authenticity of her brand. What Are You Excited About? Deedra is excited about being a mentor for thrive15.com, which is an online education company for entrepreneurs. Leadership Practice Deedra leads by example, she is an incredibly hard worker and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Book to Develop Leadership Scale: Seven Proven Principles to Grow Your Business and Get Your Life Back by Jeff Hoffman and David Finkel Advice For Younger Self Deedra would tell her younger self to GO FOR IT! Inspirational Quote “Everybody has a calling. And your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you were meant to be, and to begin to honor that in the best way possible for yourself.” ~Oprah Winfrey Interview Links www.D2Branding.com www.thrive15.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/deedradeterman https://www.facebook.com/deedra.determan   Find more resources at https://WomenTakingTheLead.com

Emily Mottram grew up in Pennsylvania and received her degree from Penn State University. In 2007, she and her husband moved to Maine where her passion for functional, yet beautiful spaces led Emily to start Mottram Architecture and start pursuing design with an emphasis on cold climate building. She is licensed in Maine, Pennsylvania, and New York. Her burning desire is to design simple, attractive, durable homes that use space efficiently but in a soulful and creative way.    Playing Small Moment Emily's playing small moment was when she realized she was going to have challenges; since her degree in Architecture is a male-dominated field. However, Emily made a decision that she wasn't going to let that define her. The Wake Up Call In 2009, after starting her business, Emily took on work as an Energy Consultant; instead of going full force into her company. She was working long hours; once she made the decision to cut back her workload; more opportunities started to present themselves in her business. Style of Leadership Emily's style of leadership is learning and analyzing what she has learned. Emily doesn't care how she gets to a destination as long as it leads to the right place in the end. Current Leadership Challenge Emily's biggest challenge thus far is educating people. She is trying to get the knowledge out there using terms people will understand. What Are You Excited About? Emily is excited about her partnership with Clear Conscience Construction in Cumberland; they have partnered to build zero-energy prototype houses. The first one has been up and live since October 2015, the second house is going up right now. Leadership Practice Emily doesn’t like to multitask; she believes in putting a 100% focus on the project she is working on. Book to Develop Leadership The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber Advice For Younger Self Emily would tell her younger self to take more time to think outside the box and look at everything as an opportunity. Inspirational Quote “Constant pursuit of knowledge.” ~Emily Mottram Interview Links Website: www.mottramarch.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MottramArchitecture/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-mottram-22401410 Join our mailing list: http://mottramarch.com/join-our-mailing-list/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mottramarch   Find more resources at https://www.womentakingthelead.com

Kharisma Aro is the founder of the Dare to Be Iconic Academy and Publisher of the forthcoming, Kharisma Magazine. As a Visibility Coach and Iconic Brand Strategist, Kharisma helps conscious entrepreneurs get visible and to build an iconic brand that stands out, aiming to give them the income, impact and freedom lifestyle they desire. The Kharisma Show, a 5-day per week business and lifestyle podcast, interviews today’s inspiring and successful lifestyle entrepreneurs, thought leaders and bestselling authors who share their stories, strategies and tips. Playing Small Moment Kharisma stayed in the corporate world too long. Having already started her entrepreneurship journey, she was playing small by not getting out of the everyday grind soon enough. The Wake Up Call While planning on leaving the corporate world, Kharisma's life was turned upside down. She made the conscious effort to leave Corporate America behind and dive into her business wholeheartedly. Style of Leadership Leading individuals to the path they were meant to be on in life and business, daring to be iconic and not taking any excuses for an answer is Kharisma’s leadership style. Current Leadership Challenge Kharisma is in the process of launching her magazine, which has been an exciting challenge. What Are You Excited About? Kharisma is excited about launching her magazine; allowing her to inspire, encourage, motivate, and give actionable life and business advice to women entrepreneurs. Leadership Practice Kharisma focuses on meditation, prayer, and visualization of a positive daily outcome. Book to Develop Leadership The One Thing: The Surprising Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan Advice For Younger Self Go for it! Kharisma would tell her younger self to take a leap of faith and dare much sooner. Inspirational Quote “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~Winston Churchill Interview Links kharismaaro.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kharismaaro/ Twitter:  @KharismaAro   For more resources go to:  https://womentakingthelead.com

Osayi Emokpae Lasisi is the creator of Happy People Happy Profit, helping create people-systems and strategies for hiring and retaining the right people. She is also the HR Director of Havilah Open Door Limited, an organization with over 3000 staff members, and a recovering U.S. attorney who found that she was more passionate about people than contract agreements. Some of her books include, Invest in People, Invest in Profits, and People are not Stupid. Playing Small Moment As a lawyer, Osayi didn’t feel like she was making an impact. Driven by helping others align with their own purposes, she started venturing into side projects, such as writing. The Wake Up Call Osayi was dreading going to work and she’d constantly ask herself what excited her. In trying different aspects of her creativity, she realized life is short and she needed to do something more interesting and exciting. So she moved to Nigeria where everything was an adjustment but the best decision she ever made. Style of Leadership Participatory leadership is Osayi’s style of leadership. She gets the team involved in decisions making, since she realizes she isn’t an expert at everything.   Current Leadership Challenge The biggest challenge is finding well-qualified people for different positions. What Are You Excited About? Osayi is writing more and working on a new book to get the message out there to those that might not be able to afford her program, as well as working on getting her podcast up and running. Leadership Practice Meditation and affirmations, at least 10 to 20 minutes in the morning, are part of Osayi’s daily routine which keeps her centered and grounded. Book to Develop Leadership Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin Advice For Younger Self Life is short. Whatever it is you desire at the moment, it’s up to you to bring it to fruition. Inspirational Quote “The desire to do something is proof that you have the power to do it.” ~Wallace D. Wattles Interview Links Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/happypeoplehappyprofit/ Website: www.OsayiLasisi.com Twitter: @OsayiLasisi Instagram: @OsayiLasisi Pinterest: @OsayiLasisi Facebook: facebook.com/osayilasisi   For more resources go to: https://womentakingthelead.com/

Today we are talking about Time vs. Energy. I don’t know if you can claim with full confidence that you have plenty of time but I have yet to hear that said or see it written anywhere. We’re all wanting more time and we never seem to get it but I’m going to propose we’re looking for the wrong thing. Rather than time, which is largely out of your control – how many of us have wished for an extra hour or two in the day? It never happens, does it? If you’re like me trying to control time, you take things off your schedule only to find other things have filled the gap and you still don’t have any extra time, you’ve only got a new routine. Rather than wishing for more time, enough time, I propose you seek to have more energy. The coaching process I use with my clients is called the Core Energy Coaching process. At its very root is the science that we are all made of energy and that our beliefs, thoughts, feelings and actions have an energetic signature that either depletes or restores us. All day long we are thinking thoughts that either gives us energy or we are thinking thoughts that take our energy away. This phenomenon was written about in the book, The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. The subtitle of this book is “Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.” How many times have you carved out time to work on a project only to find when that open time came that you were too cranky, tired, hungry or restless to focus on the task and get it done? The reason you couldn’t focus is your energy was tapped out. You needed to do something to restore your energy before you could use any on your project. These are the times you find yourself reaching for your phone or going on the computer to check facebook or watch Youtube videos. One of my favorites is of a baby panda bear sneezing. It’s hilarious. We instinctively do this because we want to find something that will calm us down, let us check out for a while or find a good laugh. These strategies work in the short-term but they are not the best source of energy so you end up spending precious time trying to gain a small amount of energy to make it to the end of the day. The key is to keep your energy high so when the time presents itself to get something done, you are all-in and ready to go. Rather than constantly responding reactively to lost energy try adding in some activities that will proactively renew your energy and/or prevent your energy from getting stolen. Here is a list of things that proactively renew your energy and obviously their opposites are the energy stealers. I’ve broken them down into categories but let me be clear, they all overlap. Physical energy: sleep, good nutrition, exercise or activity, stretching, conscious breathing, and good hydration. Mental energy: keep life simple; minimize decision-making and make decisions in a timely manner. Read books, watch videos and have conversations that stimulate your mind (TED talks are great for this), and actively seek to communicate clearly to prevent confusion and ask that those around you do the same. Emotional and spiritual energy: activities that bring you joy, spending time with happy, positive people, spending time with animals and being out in nature, being of service and taking time for reflection. Would you add anything to this list? Go to the post that accompanies this episode and leave a comment letting us know what you do to restore your energy and keep it high. I hope this was helpful and helps you to have a more energetic week ahead. Thank you all for being a part of this journey and here’s to your success. https://womentakingthelead.com/enough-time/

Caitlin Pyle is a 29-year-old former desk zombie, business transformation consultant, and creator of ProofreadAnywhere.com, home of the Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ online course on how to work from anywhere by proofreading transcripts for court reporters. An authentic, yet effective content marketer, Caitlin turned Proofread Anywhere into a 6-figure blog/business within 3 months, and her total business revenue reached $1 million within 15 months. To teach others her unique method of building platforms, carving out authority, and monetizing digital products, Caitlin developed TheWorkAnywhereLife.com blog and the Monetize Your Genius™ course. Playing Small Moment In October 2014, Caitlin realized she was playing small when her husband would tell her about the information he was learning in his entrepreneurial classes. Caitlin didn’t think what she had to offer was going to be able to help people tremendously. It’s often the things that you are great at that you undervalue the most. The Wake Up Call November 2014, Caitlin finally bought the domain name and wrote the eBook. She didn’t want to put too much time and effort into it at first because Caitlin didn’t realize how much of an impact she could have on others. Style of Leadership Caitlin is friendly and doesn’t like to put herself above others. She is all about living life humbly. What Are You Excited About? On Memorial Day, Caitlin launched Legal Transcription on Transcribe Anywhere. She is currently working on other projects, but she is not ready to divulge that information just yet. Please stay tuned. Caitlin wants everyone to know: if you are tired of working at a desk job or cannot fathom working for anyone else, please check out her courses to begin your carefree career and not pay for someone else's Escalade. Leadership Practice Speaking your mind in a professional way and always being kind as you are doing so. Book to Develop Leadership Dailygreatness Business Planner: An Actionable Plan for Expanding Your Mind & Exploding Your Business by Lyndelle Palmer Clark Advice For Younger Self You don’t have to depend on someone else for your liveliness. Inspirational Quote “Learning changes everything.” ~ Caitlin Pyle Interview Links Proofread Anywhere The Work Anywhere Life Caitlin Pyle on Twitter Caitlin Pyle on LinkedIn   https://womentakingthelead.com/caitlin-pyle/

A lifelong entrepreneur, inventor, author and coach, Don Hutcheson, created the Discover Your Talent—Do What You Love podcast to help people find their talents and use them to build a career of success, satisfaction and freedom. Don has never had a “boss” and has created 6 innovative companies in advertising, publishing, coaching and career planning – and now on the Internet – over the last 35 years. A Women Who Has Influenced Your Life The most influential women in Don’s life were his mother and grandmother. In his experience, men can learn about compassion, creativity, and collaboration from women, which are the defining traits of great leaders. What He Sees That Hold Women Back Don says he noticed, unfortunately that when women speak up they get called the B-word. It’s about balance for men and women finding a life of success, satisfaction, and freedom. Life shouldn’t be all about money, power, control, and wealth; it should be about spiritual, emotional, and metaphysical nurturing. Identifying what success means to you and what leadership looks like in your life. What He Has Learned from Women According to Don it is difficult for women because they deal with biases. Women need to realize what the best strategy is in an intelligent, wise, and present way by making a contribution and getting their needs met without having to sellout or giving in. The Necessary Changes The growing awareness of the Internet has a profound effect on us all. People can see highly articulate women stepping out of their box with the use of social media. What Are You Excited About? Don’s business partner and long-time ally Jan created the Discover Your Own Talent Podcast about a year ago with over hundreds of episodes on people sharing their life’s journeys. They are going to be offering membership groups for different segments, a variety of courses, and tools for subscribers to access. Inspirational Quote “I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.” ~Albert Einstein Interview Links www.DiscoverTalentPodcast.com www.linkedin.com/in/hutchesondon https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverYourTalentPodcast https://twitter.com/donhutcheson11 Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com/don-hutcheson/

Sharon Haver teaches everyday women to look like they’re worth it, so that they can create a relevant, authentic modern image to earn + deserve 6-figure pay days. Halfway through her three-decade career in style, she left the lure of being a New York fashion stylist working with top models & actresses on photo shoots to helping working women make the most of what they’ve got. She founded FocusOnStyle.com in 1999. Although her impressive resume looks like a who’s who of media household names, her heart is with helping entrepreneurs refine their chic style to confidently pull their look together with ease. Playing Small Moment Sharon noticed at a young age that she was playing small. While working at a plastic trade magazine, Sharon overheard a lady say that she would not work out because she was too pretty. Sharon realized she would always have to prove her worth, which she needed to overcome to propel her business forward. Sharon couldn’t do it all and needed to learn how to delegate and work with a team. So she ended up hiring a business coach. The Wake Up Call The light bulb went off when Sharon was working seven days a week/fifteen hour days; she noticed she was doing all the grunt work in her business. Sharon slowly began to realize she needed to hire responsible people that could do their job effectively to help her when needed. Style of Leadership Sharon is straightforward and to the point. She practices what she preaches. What Are You Excited About? Sharon is excited about her new book called The StyleWORD: Fashion Quotes for Real Style. It’s the ultimate cheat sheet to upgrade your look in the shortest amount of time. Check out the StyleWORD website to join the waitlist. Leadership Practice NO DIVA ZONE! It’s your business get down and dirty and get what needs to get done, done! Book to Develop Leadership On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership by Alison Levine The Way You Do Anything is the Way You Do Everything: The Why of Why Your Business Isn’t Making More Money by Suzanne Evans Advice For Younger Self Believe in your gut and practice what you preach. Inspirational Quote “If the shoe doesn’t fit, must we change the foot?” ~Gloria Steinem Interview Links Sharon's Free Gifts + How To Connect on FocusOnStyle.com: 1) Passport to French Chic  (complimentary): https://focusonstyle.com/passport-to-french-chic/ 2) VIP One On One Get More Style Call (complimentary): https://focusonstyle.com/getstyle Social + Web Connections: FocusOnStyle Website FocusOnStyle Facebook FocusOnStyle Twitter FocusOnStyle Pinterest FocusOnStyle Instagram   https://womentakingthelead.com/sharon-haver/

Jen MacQuarrie is a Habit Success Coach and founder of Bright Habits. She helps people achieve their biggest life goals step by step, one habit at a time. Jen understands the power of habits because she turned her own life around by creating a 5 AM wake up habit for daily exercise and personal development. Jen is also a musician and lead vocalist with her band Magnetic. Jen loves helping others to discover their passions and create habits that will support their success.  Playing Small Moment As a wife and mom with a corporate position in 2011, Jen found herself with a victim mindset, just moving through the motions. She was not participating in anything that she was passionate about. Jen was basically living to please everyone else, without any time for herself. Eventually this took a toll on her mentally and she became resentful. After some soul-searching, Jen watched an Oprah video about finding your life purpose and was inspired to make some changes. The Wake Up Call Once Jen had seen The 5am Wake Up, that became the biggest moment of change for her. After that video, she knew what she had to do to change and began her new morning ritual: setting her alarm, doing her workout and practicing with her guitar. Style of Leadership Jen leads with quiet confidence. She would describe herself as an ambivert who leans more towards introvert. This allows Jen to listen and understand what people are going through so she can gently guide them. Jen is also big on leading by example. What Are You Excited About? Jen has started a one-on-one coaching to help her students change their habits on a small level so that they can achieve a goal that may seem out of reach. She is also showing people the power of the 5am Wake Up. Leadership Practice The 5am Wake Up makes Jen a better leader. She is always learning, reading, attending trainings to better her knowledge to help her clients. Book to Develop Leadership The Leader Who Had No Title, by Robin Sharna Advice For Younger Self Don’t worry so much what everyone else thinks. Jen was a people pleaser and would worry about everyone else’s opinions. Go forward with the things you are most passionate about. Inspirational Quote “Be responsible for the energy you bring into a room.” ~ Jen MacQuarrie Interview Links http://www.brighthabits.ca https://www.facebook.com/brighthabitscoaching/   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com/

Welcome to this community of women taking the lead! Our private facebook group is getting more action. I am getting better at starting conversations and you lovely ladies have been very generous in sharing your experiences, practices and resources in the group. It’s like we have our own mini podcast episodes going on there. So, if you’re not in there yet and are interested in joining in on the conversation go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/womentl/. Sponsorship Opportunities I also wanted to mention that I am looking for businesses who want to collaborate in supporting Women Taking the Lead and getting their own name out there in the process. I’m already in discussions with a couple of women who I would really love to introduce you to so keep your fingers crossed. If this is an opportunity that interests you go to https://womentakingthelead.com/sponsor-opportunities/ Full Disclosure I am scared to go big but I want it so bad! Can you relate to that? Like a lot of you I know I am capable of so much more but the fear of the unknown and what life would look like if I started playing even bigger causes me to hold back and keep it to myself. And here’s the bold truth, said openly and directly: I would love to work with you. I want to be a partner with you in your journey to the top. I want to help you discover your superpowers, identify and honor your values and challenge you to do the next scary thing, knowing I’m cheering you on the whole way. I’ve been working with women all over the globe. Online video conferencing is a magical thing and allows us to have virtual face-to-face conversations, no matter where we live. Some things my clients say about me is that I instill a belief in themselves that they didn’t have before working with me; a belief and a confidence that they are fully capable to achieve their goals and a certainty that they will. What My Clients Tell Me My superpower is identifying and helping other people to see their own superpowers. And when you own your superpowers and realize the value they have it boosts your confidence and makes you want to go right out and use those superpowers. My clients also tell me I help them to get focused. There are so many different strategies and actions we can take to try to hit our goals but which ones will yield the best results for you, with the least amount of effort so you can either increase your bandwidth or find more personal time? When you are not diverting your energy in too many places you can produce more results. I work with entrepreneurial women who feel called to something greater. She has a vision of success that she has not yet attained. What I’ve come to realize is my clients don’t just want to do well; they want to be in the upper ranks. They want to be the expert in their industry, the person everyone else looks up to. They work really hard, they know their stuff and they in turn want to help others to achieve as well. This woman comes to me because she’s frustrated. Although she is in a place where those around her would congratulate her, she hasn’t hit that level yet that would signify to her that she has “made it.” She usually finds her current tasks to be tedious and boring. She’s feeling a calling, a compulsion to “do more” so the everyday tasks remind her that she’s not there yet. She’s getting restless and looking for distractions. She may be starting to lean into the quick coping methods of food, alcohol, shopping or exercise. She’s feeling overworked. She’s trying so hard to play bigger with very traction it’s leaving her exhausted. She has high standards and high expectations of herself and that projects out onto others so she gets annoyed when other people aren’t doing their part. You’ll hear her say things like, “I just want them to do their job” or “why can’t they just do what they said they would do.” What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. The success strategy that has always worked before and gotten her this far won’t get her any further. She has to change her mindset so she can change her strategy, and she needs to overcome some fears. My question to you is, are you this woman? Because this is exactly where I come in and can be of assistance. I can help you tease out of your current strategy exactly what’s working and what’s not working and together we create a new strategy customized to get you the results you are looking for. I would love to partner with you! If this fired you up or made you really scared go to womentakingthelead.com/coaching to get started. If this description doesn’t exactly match you, no worries. My larger mission is to support all women to own their power and step up as leaders in whatever area of their life they would like to make a difference and that’s what this podcast is all about. Thank you all for being a part of my journey and here’s to your success!

Melinda Chen is a sales coach, helping female entrepreneurs sell to big clients. She is also a sales executive with an impressive sales track record of 8 figures. Her company, Women Making Big Sales, allows female entrepreneurs to start connecting and sell to big clients in 5 weeks. When she first started her sales career after university, she wanted to know everything about selling. So, she spent years reading over 20 books in sales, made over 5,000 cold calls and worked with agents, reps and corporate clients around the world. Since then, she has mastered the art of selling to big companies and made sales in the Americas, Europe and Asia, covering a wide range of industries. She is inspired to help women take control of their lives by going for big clients, closing important deals and dramatically expanding their business. Playing Small Moment Melinda went through many struggles when she first started selling. She was fresh out of college and working with people that had been in the industry for years. Melinda was nervous while attending a networking event and she even made up cards for talking points. Melinda was getting treated like she was the new kid on the block, so to avoid attending these events she began cold calling. Melinda learned she didn’t have to take things so personally and that the reason they treated her that way was because she was the new kid. The Wake Up Call Melinda was the queen of the cold calls, but she wasn’t reaching her sales goals. On a rainy night, while still at the office, she ran into one of the senior executives. He asked her how things were going, and she explained her process. The executive told her it was taking the same amount of time for his sales. He told her not to waste her time going after the small clients and to go for the larger ones instead. Style of Leadership Working with a lot of female entrepreneurs, Melinda learned demonstrating things is far more teachable than telling. What Are You Excited About? Heart of Sales is a 5-week program where Melinda shows people how to sell step-by-step. Leadership Practice Melinda listens and empathizes with her clients. Book to Develop Leadership How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie Advice For Younger Self Be authentic, don’t care too much about what others think. Inspirational Quote “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~Neale Donald Walsch Interview Links Women Making Big Sales Website Women Making Big Sales on Facebook   https://womentakingthelead.com/melinda-chen/

Suzanne Doyle-Ingram is a best-selling author of 7 books, and she has written or co-written a total of 13 books. She has also helped over a hundred business professionals get published by bringing together the collaborative efforts of experts in various fields that contribute to one book on a specific topic. Suzanne has had tremendous success with this model. In addition, she also coaches and trains individuals and existing authors on how to write and publish a book and how to use that book as leverage to increase their visibility, open doors for speaking engagements, grow their brand and business, and much more. She lives on the West Coast of Canada with her husband James and three kids ages 9, 12 and 14. Playing Small Moment Suzanne recalls playing it small by not knowing her value, and the value of what she could do. When Suzanne was approached to help create an entire course, she jumped at the opportunity. Creating this course took up much of her schedule and without a written agreement she was not compensated appropriately. Suzanne created this course in hopes of someday making money, when she should have charged up front for the hard work it would require. The Wake Up Call When Suzanne first started her Expert Author program, one of her privately coached students forwarded her an email containing quite the testimonial. The student raved about how her book was guaranteeing her business success. This prompted Suzanne to notice that she had all of the proof needed to spread the word about her course. Style of Leadership As described by one of her past students, Suzanne is a coach, a best friend and a mom all rolled into one. She tries to be nice and encouraging, but also sets deadlines and follows up frequently to make sure her students are on target. What Are You Excited About? Suzanne is currently working on writing multiple books. Her and twelve professionals are writing a book on mortgage, she is ghost writing a realtor book and an entrepreneur book and is looking for students for her private coaching. Leadership Practice Suzanne is continually learning. Even though she knows more than her clients do, Suzanne is always learning to help her clients as much as she can. Book to Develop Leadership No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs, by Dan Kennedy Advice For Younger Self Charge more. Suzanne was not brave enough to charge more and she was working too hard for not enough money. Know your value and know your worth. Realize how the work you do helps others make money. Inspirational Quote “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” ~ Gary Player Interview Links http://prominencepublishing.com/ https://twitter.com/prominencepubs https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneDoyleIngramBiz/   https://womentakingthelead.com/suzanne-doyle-ingram/

Fabienne Raphaël is an Online Business Strategist & Connector, Speaker, Best-Selling Author & Podcaster at Marketing to Crush your Competitors. She helps entrepreneurs to cash-in on their expertise & build their online business the right way to make it profitable & automated, so they can spend more time with their loved ones. Her mantra is: Connect, Build, Automate. Playing Small Moment Fabienne was scared to put herself out there for fear of what others would say. Silencing her true self, she struggled to fit in and please everyone. While in a mastermind group, she clashed with another entrepreneur because she saw herself not as skilled as the other women, despite all of their similarities. This caused a rift that couldn’t be repaired during their project. The Wake Up Call Fabienne’s wakeup call wasn’t just one day, but a series of events to expose who she really was. Her business partner was a great influence on her life and business skills. Fabienne realized what she was expressing was only a small percentage of who she was. Shocking to her, once she was acting like herself people were accepting her and she started embracing her true self. Style of Leadership Fabienne likes to lead with passion, confidence and empathy. She puts herself in the shoes of the person she is serving and is very conscious of what others are feeling and experiencing. What Are You Excited About? Fabienne is excited about the upcoming 200th episode of her podcast, airing May 17th. She has some huge surprises she can’t wait to reveal! Leadership Practice Listening. With all of the selfies and status updates on social media, we are not used to listening to each other. Ask a question as a follow up instead of make a comment about yourself, but you have to really be in it. If you are sincerely interested in other people, they will be more interested to help you as well. Book to Develop Leadership The Ten X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure, Advice For Younger Self “Just do it! Make it happen.” Inspirational Quote “Success is something you attract by the person you become.” – Jim Rohn Interview Links Freebie to offer: www.marketingtocrushyourcompetitors.com Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FabiennRaphael FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/connect.build.automate/ Twitter: @FabiennRaphael   https://womentakingthelead.com/fabienne-raphael/  

Susan Morris is a condominium developer in Portland, Maine and Principal of NewHeight Group, a firm specializing in providing marketing, branding and business strategy to organizations developing new products and services, or repositioning existing ones. Susan is a Maine Angel and is actively engaged in Maine Startup and Create Week, Women Standing Together, TopGun and the House of Genius. She has built and exited from several businesses. Prior to having her own businesses, Susan worked for Marriott International for 13 years. Susan is co-author of a college textbook, Hospitality Sales: A Marketing Approach and serves as a speaker, adjunct professor and facilitator. Playing Small Moment During her Marriott career, Susan was the account manager for very large accounts, handling all aspects of their development and strategies. The man who replaced her when she relocated to a new position packaged up her work, claiming it as his own, and teaching presentations about it all throughout Marriott. Looking back, she viewed her work as not fully complete and realized that a lot of women tend to do the same. The Wake Up Call There were two instances during her career with Marriott where Susan was up for a job against men, where she was the more qualified candidate that didn’t get the job. When Susan inquired why she was not chosen for the job, her boss informed her that the man was married and had two kids to put through college. Susan realized as you go higher in a company, there tends to be more people who think the same and they don’t like it when you challenge those thoughts. Style of Leadership Susan believes in rallying people to believe in her vision and see what their part is in that vision. She is an exceedingly verbal person and quite proactive in throwing out ideas, recognizing that it gives people a chance to react. Susan prides herself on being able to change her mind and be convinced to do so. What Are You Excited About? Susan is excited about a new condominium, Luminato, with a new theme of living light. This condominium will bring about new concepts of living and the idea that if you live in a bright space, you can live in a smaller space. They will be including new amenities, such as a guest room you would see in a hotel and a community room to do your work or hang out in. Something else that excites Susan is that there are more female buyers than male buyers now. Leadership Practice Susan is full of curiosity about the world and the people she gets to interact with. Her style can be described as what you see is what you get. Book to Develop Leadership Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation–and Positive Strategies for Change, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever Advice For Younger Self There are many times when Susan has thought she could make the changes needed or make it happen before throwing in the towel, when she should have moved on sooner. Susan often lives by The Serenity Prayer, reminding herself to only change what she can. Inspirational Quote “Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ~ Emerson “Stop me before I volunteer again.” ~ Susan Morris Interview Links http://www.newheightgroup.com Email: susanvmorris@newheightmorris.com   https://womentakingthelead.com/susan-morris/

Marissa Lawton is a Self-Esteem & Strategy Coach for Mompreneurs. In a previous life, Marissa was a Mental Health Counselor who specialized in women's issues. Today, she uses her training as a licensed therapist along with her business degree to help moms raise their biz babies while raising their real-life babies. Playing Small Moment Marissa realized, at her 8th grade graduation, the importance of grades and reputation. She wanted to go to college and growing up with a single mom she knew the only way she could get there was by earning a full-ride scholarship. All throughout high school she would daydream about moving to a far away place and getting out of the area. However, during her junior year, Marissa received a full-ride scholarship from Arizona State University, which was only 2 hours away. Marissa jumped at the chance because she decided to stay closer to home. That choice changed the course of her life forever. The Wake Up Call The corporate world was not for Marissa, so she decided to go down the Mental Health path instead. Marissa became a mother because her daughter at birth had some health concerns, so she quit her job to stay at home. Marissa had Post- Partum Depression because she didn’t have a purpose in life and she didn’t know what was going to happen with her daughter’s health. Marissa never figured she would be an entrepreneur at a young age. However, when the opportunity arose, she took it. Style of Leadership The ability to meet people where they are in their process by using her listening skills is Marissa’s style of leadership. She believes no one is one-size fits all. What Are You Excited About? Marissa is excited about helping moms. The Riss Lawton Company’s mission is showing women they can be excellent mothers and still have passion and purpose beyond motherhood. She has two free resources: More than Mom Mini Course and Feel Good Schedule Challenge. Leadership Practice Listening for undertones - it’s more about what people don’t say than what they do say. Book to Develop Leadership The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield Advice For Younger Self Marissa would tell her younger self that life is not going to look like anything you thought it would, but that doesn’t mean it's not going to be amazing and beautiful. Inspirational Quote “All love starts with self love.” ~unknown Interview Links To learn more and join her caring community of motivated mamas click here >>> bit.ly/join-mompreneur   https://www.womentakingthelead.com/marissa-lawton

With her signature program Step into the Spotlight, Profile Builder and Coach Mentor, Vanessa Talbot specializes in igniting coaches to Be Seen and Heard by boosting their profile and increasing their influence; resulting in their magnetic attraction for more leads, more clients and more opportunities! Creator of the popular Facebook group Coaches, Authors, Entrepreneurs: Step into the Spotlight, Vanessa is also the Author of the international selling Inspirational book for women, Extraordinary YOU: The art of living a lusciously spirited, vibrant life. Playing Small Moment Vanessa was playing small when she had a mining company with her husband. She realized that business was his dream, not hers - they ended up getting a divorce. Vanessa never fought for what she deserved because she didn’t like conflict. She had to start all over again from scratch. Vanessa knew she had to find another way to earn an income while still maintaining the same lifestyle she had grown to love. The Wake Up Call As a shy introvert, Vanessa did all the admin and financial work at the mining company, but when she started her coaching business Vanessa had to be the face of her brand. She was approached by a media celebrity in Australia for her advice. Vanessa challenged that friendship until she ended up losing it because she felt intimated by that caliber of a person. Vanessa is more open to playing with the bigger players now. Style of Leadership Never been a follower when she was younger, Vanessa leads by the beat of her own drum. She doesn’t care what others think; she listens to her inner self. What Are You Excited About? Vanessa is excited about her May launch of Step into the Spotlight for Coaches, which is a six-month program based on finding a key message and expanding and boosting their profile. Leadership Practice Balance is how Vanessa starts her day. She doesn’t start working until noon because she spends her mornings outside with her animals. Book to Develop Leadership Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling by Michael Port Advice For Younger Self Vanessa would say to her younger self to stop playing mediocre. Inspirational Quote “Life is short. Eat dessert first.” ~ Jacques Torres Interview Links Website:  www.extraordinarybeings.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepintothespotlight/   https://womentakingthelead.com/vanessa-talbot/

I don’t think it will come as a surprise for anyone that in the past year I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating our position as women in the workplace, in the home and in society - more than I ever have in the past. Multiple conversations per week flow into more conversations and more pondering. Sometimes, I admit, I get a little overwhelmed - like I’m trying to crack a code that no one has been able to solve yet. There are many reasons why as women we are faced with bias and some are out of our control. However, what I’ve come to see as the biggest obstacle to our confidence and equal opportunities is ourselves. Collectively, it is our own self-imposed limits that are having the greatest impact on the slow progress we’ve had as women. Stay with me for a bit, Here is a story from my own experience. In grammar school my peers and I were assigned in work groups based on what our ability was believed to be in certain subjects and the teacher taught each group according to this criteria. When I was in the 3rd grade I was placed in the middle reading group in school. At some point during the year my teacher met with my parents to propose moving me to the higher reading group because the workload in my level was too easy for me. The change was made and the problems began. I wasn’t finishing my work and it wasn’t at the same caliber it had been. My peaceful existence in the 3rd grade suddenly changed. I was publicly ridiculed by my teacher and accused of being lazy. My teacher seemed to look for opportunities after that to criticize me. In the 3rd grade I began wetting myself at school. Luckily in the 4th grade I had a wonderful and compassionate teacher and I worked hard to prove myself worthy of her kindness. I excelled in school through the sixth grade and was always in the top groups. Then when transitioning to Catholic school in the 7th grade I tested into the middle level. I was shocked by that having been in all top levels since the 3rd grade but it was explained to me that Catholic school was harder than public school and I was actually an average student in this new system. I wasn’t happy but I accepted what I was told. Until high school when I tested into the highest level once again. However, after 2 years of being average and at an older age when these beliefs become more firm, I could not accept this change. My parents were pleased but I was not. I was freaked out. Remember the last experience I had when moved into a higher level? The thought that ran through my head as I sat in the classroom on the first day of school was, “I don’t belong here, I don’t belong here. I’m going to fail.” This was reinforced when a girl from my previous school, who had been in a higher level, looked at me with surprise as she walked into the room that first day and asked what I was doing there. I transferred this thought to my new classmates in the room. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know me. In my mind they knew I was a fraud and that I shouldn’t be there. For weeks I begged, I pleaded and lashed out in anger at my parents and my guidance counselor. They wouldn’t budge. I had tested well and I belonged in the honors level classes. In their mind - that was that, case closed. Long story short – I intentionally flunked Biology that first quarter and my parents and guidance counselor, much to their chagrin, agreed to move me down two levels to the middle level. Do you know it took me the next 2½ years to get back into honors level classes? The reality was I didn’t belong in the middle level classes. It was only after meeting an amazing teacher, who helped me to begin changing the beliefs about my abilities, reinforced by other teachers around me, that I could begin to see I had been wrong about myself. Until I changed the belief I had about myself that I was only an average student I couldn’t excel in school. This isn’t just the case with me, this happens to us all. We create an outward reality that reflects the internal beliefs we have. The two have to connect. This is the crux of the work I do with my clients. When they change their limiting beliefs about themselves and what’s possible, they suddenly have this renewed energy and confidence to take action or take new actions. With these new actions things start to change and they start getting the things they’ve always wanted but couldn’t seem to make a reality, be it better relationships, more money, or to finally write their book. Until we as women are willing to believe that we are worthy of more; that we deserve the right to speak up and advocate for ourselves, to be treated well - what we will get is what we’ve always gotten. Isn’t it time you got something different? I saw a meme on Facebook recently that stated, “When you stand up for yourself as a woman you stand up for all women.” How true is that? I hope this was helpful for you. Give me your feedback by commenting on the post that accompanies this episode or by leaving me a rating and review in iTunes. I see and appreciate all the feedback I get there and it also makes this podcast more visible for those who want to be in community and get support from others just like them. Thank you so much and here’s to your success! https://womentakingthelead.com/how-we-see-ourselves/

Dr. Joanie Connell is the founder of Flexible Work Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in leadership assessment and development.  She is the author of Flying without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life.  She received her doctorate from UC Berkeley and her bachelors from Harvard. Playing Small Moment After Joanie had graduated with her Psychology degree, she decided to apply for the CSPP (California School of Professional Psychology). When CSPP made the offer, she accepted the salary, which was in alignment with the wage Berkley stated. Joanie didn’t counter; she accepted it as is. The program director at CSPP boosted her salary because he realized she didn’t negotiate and was worth more than she was initially offered. The Wake Up Call Joanie had her wake up call after she left her previous job of being a professor over a decade ago. Joanie became a consultant and wasn’t sure what she could offer others that hadn’t been offered before. One of her contacts called her to develop an assessment center for executives; they told her the reason why, she was reliable, ethical, structured, and would get the job done. Joanie realized at that moment what her brand was going to be. Style of Leadership Situational is Joanie’s leadership style. Listening and paying attention to what's needed in any given situation and being adaptable. What Are You Excited About? Joanie’s excited about her book Flying without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life. She’s taken lessons learned from successful people and is bringing it to the younger generation, helping them realize what their needs are and focusing more on life skills than academics and experiences. Leadership Practice Joanie listens more and talks less. She finds this is the best way to know what is going on with someone. People don’t always want to know your opinion. Book to Develop Leadership Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders (Center for Public Leadership) by Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli Advice For Younger Self Be true to yourself! Be authentic at an early age. Inspirational Quote “Be true to yourself and your values.” ~unknown Interview Links Website: www.flexibleworksolutions.com Twitter: @ConnellLessons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanieconnell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LessonsfromtheWorkplace   https://womentakingthelead.com/joanie-connell

Kim Boudreau Smith is a multi-talented CEO and business leader with a legacy of empowering thousands of women. From a corporate background in sales and marketing and over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry, Kim has gone on to become a #1 International Best-Selling Author with the book being one of the best-selling on Amazon for 2015! Kim combines her expertise with a passion for motivating and inspiring other women to become “top producers in their lives”. As CEO of Kim Boudreau Smith Inc. and KBS Publishing, her platform on international speaking and coaching has enabled thousands of women to benefit from her inspirational and empowering work. Playing Small Moment Kim thought that in order to continue her radio station she needed to merge with someone else. She met a woman who owned a radio station in Michigan, and ultimately this partnership didn’t work out. Kim closed the doors on everything and told her client she was done, but they told her “Kim, you are not a quitter”. Kim and her client merged under Kim’s radio station and the platform that she had started 3 years prior. The Wake Up Call Kim had an ‘aha’ moment when she fell asleep at the wheel; she knew at that moment she was living without passion in her life. Style of Leadership Empowering her team to take ownership of their decisions is Kim’s leadership style.  What Are You Excited About? Kim is launching her second radio show called Down & Dirty with Kim BS. She is also excited because Bold Radio Station is in a growth phase. Leadership Practice Kim practices meditation. Book to Develop Leadership The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U6SFUSS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1 Advice For Younger Self Stop living for everyone else and flex your confident muscle. Inspirational Quote “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” ~ Oscar Wilde “Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.” ~ Unknown Interview Links www.boldradiostation.com    www.kimbsmith.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kboudreausmith  https://www.facebook.com/BoldRadioStation/?fref=ts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimboudreausmith Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimBSmithInc https://twitter.com/BoldRadioStatio   https://womentakingthelead.com/kim-boudreau-smith/

Michelle Mazur, Ph.D. is hired by speakers and entrepreneurs to create speaking as profit-center for their business by building a speech-like product that positions them as the go-to expert in their field. She is the CEO of Communication Rebel. She lives in Seattle, WA with her adoring husband, 2 obsessive felines, and a huge collection of Duran Duran memorabilia. Playing Small Moment Michelle was taking Debate during her Junior Year of College and read the judges’ comments on the ballot while on a trip back home. She saw, in big bold letters, a capital B and a word that rhymes with witch. That moment ended up changing her life. She was scared of speaking up which still plagues her today; Michelle has never shared this story with another audience before. The Wake Up Call Michelle needed to find her voice; she was a blogger and didn’t know how to go about showing her passion in her writing. Michelle attended a conference; the lady at the beginning tricked and duped the whole audience. She was very upset, and while the woman was still speaking, Michelle wrote a rant about “How to Not Be a Motivational Speaker” - it was funny and cutting. Michelle published it the next day and was waiting for the backlash. She received an email from someone telling her she did a great job, and they wanted to hire her as a speaking coach. Michelle had her aha moment, realizing it is OK to have a different perspective than others. Style of Leadership Michelle is very direct in her leadership style and has good vision. She will ask her team what they think, before she goes ahead with implementing a decision, to ensure everyone else is onboard. What Are You Excited About? Michelle is getting ready to launch her 6-week program “The Speaking Distillery”. The goal behind this program is for women who want to get their message out there and get paid. Leadership Practice Meditation makes Michelle feel less reactive. Book to Develop Leadership Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Powers http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRISKD6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1 Advice For Younger Self No matter what you hear or what other people think, don’t let anyone dull your spark. Inspirational Quote “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” ~Pablo Picasso Interview Links www.drmichellemazur.com Rebel Speaker Facebook Group: www.drmichellemazur.com/group Twitter: twitter.com/drmichellemazur   https://womentakingthelead.com/michelle-mazur/

Rachael Thompson Phillips is a Spiritual Entrepreneur, Business and Spiritual Mentor, and Founder of Successfully SASSY and 'BEYOU' Oracle Cards. She works with sassy spiritual lady entrepreneurs who are lightworkers, healers, therapists, psychics, psychic mediums, yoga teachers and coaches providing a service based business and want to unleash their potential and become successful spiritual entrepreneurs through online businesses and/or online courses. Playing Small Moment Rachael always learned to follow her intuition. During Easter vacation 15 years ago, she decided to ride on a jet boat. Rachel was saying goodbye to everyone when her heart sunk. She didn’t listen to her gut instinct, 5 minutes into the trip the steering cable snapped and she was thrown from the jet boat into the water going 80mph. Rachael was under the water angry at how she hadn’t lived her life’s purpose yet and how she almost died leaving her family and friends behind. The Wake Up Call Rachael’s aha moment was creating two different careers with absolutely no knowledge behind them. This time, she decided to go with her instincts and realized it was the right thing to do. Rachael knew all the pieces would come together. She had to change her mindset from being a teacher to being the student. Rachael knew she could achieve anything she wanted to. Style of Leadership Determination! Rachel wants to know how things are relevant to help other people live a more congruent life. What Are You Excited About? Rachael created a deck of Oracle cards called BEYOU. She wanted to give women the tool to learn more about themselves. Leadership Practice Consistency is Rachael’s leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway®: Dynamic techniques for turning Fear, Indecision and Anger into Power, Action and Love by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008OXEROK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1 Advice For Younger Self Believe in yourself, you can achieve anything you want to. Inspirational Quote “You are never given a Dream without the Power to Make it Come True.” ~ Richard Bach  Interview Links Web: www.rachaelthompsonphillips.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachaelthompsonphillips.spiritualentrepreneur Instagram: https://instagram.com/rtp.spiritualentrepreneur/   https://womentakingthelead.com/rachael-thompson-phillips/

Vicky Murgatroyd is a mindset coach and transformation specialist. After losing her Mom and finding out her partner was cheating on her weeks later, she lost herself completely. Discovering the world of personal development, Vicky finally owned the responsibility she had, both towards her failings and then her potential. She now shows other entrepreneurial women that self-awareness and self-knowing are the only way to success. Playing Small Moment Vicky's playing small moment was when one of the girls in her group of friends verbally abused her. She slipped into a perception of believing that was her reality, rather than having the confidence to know that she defines herself. Vicky thought if she could make herself unnoticeable, it would all go away. The Wake Up Call Vicky’s aha moment happened when she lost her mom, leaving her to feel like she had nobody to fall back on. Vicky learned, from her practitioner, about a new process to help her let go of her emotions. She needed to get over her boundaries in order to get over emotions. It was an emotionally draining process. Vicky didn't notice at the time, but she started to move past her feelings. She could see the light at the end of the long winding tunnel. Style of Leadership Naturally introverted, Vicky plays the role of the observer. She gets people to find the answers within themselves.  What Are You Excited About? The launch of Vicky's program is in its second stage. Master Your Emotions, which is about a person who can't grow their business bigger than their mindset allows.  Leadership Practice Self-reflection, being continually willing to develop yourself.  Book to Develop Leadership A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle http://www.amazon.com/New-Earth-Oprah-61-Awakening-ebook/dp/B000PC0S5K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qi... Advice For Younger Self It is entirely okay to play your own game regarding knowing what you want. Inspirational Quote "I expand in abundance, success, and love everyday as I inspire others to do the same." ~ Gay Hendricks PhD Interview Links www.lifeempowermentproject.com https://www.facebook.com/lifeempowermentproject https://twitter.com/LifeEProject https://au.linkedin.com/in/vicky-murgatroyd-a7634782   https://womentakingthelead.com/vicky-murgatroyd

Niyc helps women, struggling to find their self-belief, overcome negative self-talk, activate next level breakthroughs in their life and business, and create their life of joy, personal power, and unstoppable success. Her signature 90 Day Master Your Success Mentorship and Guru Girl Entrepreneur Mastermind combine the power of Positive Psychology with Niyc’s decade of experience in coaching women to create positive change, and produce dramatic and long lasting results. Niyc is from the UK, where she recently won Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is currently travelling the world, speaking and coaching. She is Founder of niycpidgeon.com, Award Winning lifestyle brand optimallyou, Newcastle parkrun, and her first book Now Is Your Chance will hit the book shelves in March 2017, with Hay House Playing Small Moment Niyc began her career as a personal trainer. She would push herself really hard. The income wasn't great, but she was doing something she really loved. Niyc got to a point where she felt stuck while working, going to school, and going back to work at night. That came at a detriment to her health and she felt like a victim. She was playing small because she gave struggle the strength. The Wake Up Call Last June, Niyc had taken two months off from her business to write her book. She had savings in the bank and was launching an online group program at the end of that two-month gap. She knew it was going to be a success because she worked so hard on it for 6 months with her assistant. When Niyc launched the program, she had a grand total of one sale. Real panic and fear started to set in. She got one or two more sales as weeks went on. Niyc was on the other side of the world, sold her car, and moved out of her apartment. She was faced with the prospect of getting a job and leaving entrepreneurship behind. Niyc decided she needed to stay true to what she talked to her community and clients about. Never abandon yourself. Always back yourself and always believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, then nobody else is going to believe in you. Style of Leadership Strength and Love is her leadership style. Niyc leads from a loving heart with joy and inspiration. As a leader she wants to create an atmosphere that is supportive. What Are You Excited About? Niyc is in the editing process of her book Now is Your Chance. She is working on a TV Series, Niyc TV or Happiness TV, still in creation at the moment. Leadership Practice Niyc's morning mindset ritual is what gets her ready in the morning. By building a strong body and strong mind you are able to go out there and seize the day and be a powerful strong leader that is coming from the right place.  Book to Develop Leadership 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Advice For Younger Self Niyc would tell herself no matter what happens along the way that it is always going to work out all right.  Inspirational Quote "Find fulfillment in the joy of your journey." ~ Niyc Pidgeon Interview Links w: http://www.niycpidgeon.com/ F: http://www.facebook.com/niycpidgeon T: http://www.twitter.com/niycpidge IG: @niycpidge   https://womentakingthelead.com/niyc-pidgeon/

This past year I kicked off a local mastermind group in Maine. The participants gelled very quickly and within an hour they were being very open about their struggles, the current state of their business, and where they would like to be making more progress. Some common themes quickly cropped up and one in particular was the need to constantly work on creating the conditions for a great life, as well as what is required to maintain those conditions. One of the participants blurted out, “Happiness is not for the faint of heart!” We all chucked but it was laughter with the ring of truth. And she is right. Happiness is not something you work for, achieve, and then you can forever stare at your happiness diploma on the wall Do You Feel Like a Happiness Failure? Happiness is not an achievement at all and I think that’s where many of us go wrong. Happiness is a state of being - it can come and go based on the choices we make and our current level of awareness. If you feel like your failing because there are times when you are clearly not happy, you are not alone. In fact, floating in and out of happiness is part of the human experience but you can increase the amount of happiness you experience overall. This is something that hit me over the head recently when I noticed that things that once rolled right off my shoulders started to bother me. My patience was wearing thin and I started to feel unappreciated. These are red flags for me! This is an early warning (or not so early warning) system for me that I am exhausted and need to unplug from work, obligations, or anything that doesn’t serve my greater good. And I do need to unplug. Despite all my recommendations otherwise to my friends, family and clients, I haven’t had a day off in months. If I only put in a few hours of work on a Saturday or Sunday I consider that a “day off.” I know what I’m afraid of: that everything will unravel if I take time for myself. I pride myself on excellence; it’s one of my core values and I’m afraid I will have to sacrifice excellence if take time for myself and fill it with non-purposeful fluff. Also, I have a sense that my business is on a precipice. It’s nearing that tipping point where at any time I can suddenly grow and then (yes then!) I can hire someone to take some of this load off my shoulders. The problem is I know this way of thinking is a trap. I’m more likely to see my business to the next level if I am well rested and enjoying my work. You and I will not experience happiness if we are running ourselves into the ground. If we are pushing ourselves too hard we may actually be preventing the very experience we are trying to obtain: happiness.   Read more: https://womentakingthelead.com/failing-to-be-happy/

In 2002, Sheila Ronning believed so strongly in women’s ability to serve on corporate boards that she became the founder & CEO of Women in the Boardroom. Today, as one of the nation’s top leadership and board service experts, Sheila excels at connecting influential women executives and professionals with the people and tools they need to succeed in business and the boardroom.  She has built a strong track record and a powerful network over the years, which she uses to help women achieve their goals. When asked about her secret to networking, Sheila says to “Be fearless, sincere, honest, and frank.” Playing Small Moment Sheila is a life learner. She was playing small when she was working for a major retailer. She realized her boss was always just dangling a carrot in front of her face. He was always giving the store management positions to the guys. Sheila was selling herself short by constantly needing to please him.   The Wake Up Call The aha moment Shelia can remember was when she moved from Minneapolis to New York. She didn't know anyone in NY. The relationship she moved there for had ended. Her company took a nose dive, because the financial crisis crept up and she didn't have her eye on the ball. Sheila tried to hide what was going on with her business and relationship. She didn't want anyone to see she was failing. Sheila became this really unhappy and angry person. One of her friends suggested she should try meditation. Style of Leadership Sheila leads by communication and authenticity.  What Are You Excited About? They reformatted Women from the Boardroom from an event company to a membership platform five years ago. Sheila is continuing to develop this platform for growth for getting more women on corporate boards. Leadership Practice Sheila meditates as her leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant Advice For Younger Self There are going to be some serious bumps in the road, keep forging through. Everything happens for a reason.  Inspirational Quote “Remember to show up, stand up, and speak up.” ~ Sheila Ronning Interview Links http://womenintheboardroom.com/   https://womentakingthelead.com/sheila-ronning/

Laura Novak Meyer is the owner and founder of Little Nest Portraits, a luxury boutique brand of photography studios specializing in family portraiture. As an independent photographer, Laura built Little Nest Portraits as a way to meet customer demand in an underserved niche of the market. Today Laura is one of only 3 % of women business owners to grow her company to more than a million dollars in revenue. Little Nest Portraits is now an emerging franchise company staying true to its leader’s core values, vision and passion. Playing Small Moment Laura played small when she first started Little Nest Portraits. She believed this was a temporary solution to an economic downturn.  Laura thought Little Nest Portraits was going to be a little spin off of Laura Novak Photography. The Wake Up Call Laura had a wake up call was when she delegated ‘culture’ to a senior manager. The senior manager created a culture of fear and blame. It took Laura almost two years to undo that. She realized culture is the one thing you cannot delegate. Style of Leadership Humility through service is her leadership style. Laura is always asking other people what she can do to make them more successful. What Are You Excited About? Laura is thrilled about franchising. She is excited to see the systems and processes working so well. Leadership Practice Meditation is the one practice that makes Laura a better leader.  Book to Develop Leadership Rising Strong by Brené Brown Advice For Younger Self Don't take the bait when people try to hand you negativity.  Inspirational Quote "Peace in my heart and wisdom out of my mouth." ~ Laura Novak Meyer Interview Links http://www.littlenestphoto.com/ 4 Key Mindsets that Grow Business Success free PDF   https://womentakingthelead.com/laura-novak-meyer/

Bola is a money coach, business strategist and founder of Clever Girl Finance, a platform that empowers and educates women to make the best financial decisions for their current and future selves. Clever Girl Finance also inspires women to pursue their dreams of financial independence in order to live life on their own terms. Playing Small Moment Bola attended a meeting at work with a senior VP. Though in her head she had so much to say, she actually didn't say anything for the whole hour. After the meeting had concluded, the executive pulled her aside and told her if she didn’t speak up people would not realize her potential. Bola realized that she can be successful at doing what she puts her heart into. She just needs to quit thinking the WHAT IF. The Wake Up Call Bola’s wakeup call was when she had her twins; she realized she needed to pursue her dreams. Bola wanted to make sure she left a legacy her children would be proud of. She told her fear that she was going on a journey and fear could come along for the ride, but that it was going to need to take a back seat because she was the one in charge now. Style of Leadership Bola does well when she is motivated to be her best. She is a motivational leader. Bola is very good at helping people to realize how capable they are and how much power they have. What Are You Excited About? Clever Girl Finance is seven months old. Bola is working on a weekly business planner for women, to help them plan out their business goals, visions, business tasks, and business finances. She is focusing on small business owners, entrepreneurs, and women who are launching their business part-time or full-time. Leadership Practice Affirmation and To Do lists make Bola a better leader and business owner. Book to Develop Leadership Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel Advice For Younger Self Bola, do not be afraid! Do not worry about fear of failure and fear of what others think.  Inspirational Quote “We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” ~ Oprah Winfrey Interview Links Web: Clevergirlfinance.com Email: info@clevergirlfinance.com Instagram: @Clevergirlfinance Facebook: Facebook.com/Clevergirlfinance   https://womentakingthelead.com/bola-sokunbi/

Lee Gaitan is the author of two books, including her most recent one, My Pineapples Went to Houston—Finding the Humor in My Dashed Hopes, Broken Dreams and Plans Gone Outrageously Awry. Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, Erma Bombeck, Mothers Always Write, Better After 50, The Good Men Project and many others. Playing Small Moment Lee was really lost and desperate when everything came to a screeching halt. She felt like she had to go back thirty years. Lee was feeling ashamed and embarrassed that she lost everything in her life due to a man. Lee had to sell everything she owned just to be able to afford a run down apartment. She had to work five jobs just to get back on her feet again. One day Lee burst into tears thinking she was never going to get to walk on the path she was on before everything hit the fan. The Wake Up Call One of Lee’s aha moments was when she was at a marketing session for teachers. The keynote speaker sought her out at the break and told her she should be speaking professionally. Little by little she started connecting with like-minded people. She realized at that moment that she was fully back to life again. Lee dusted her self off and got back on the path. She hasn’t stopped writing since. Style of Leadership Lee’s style of leadership is relationship oriented. She relates to people and always empowers them. Lee never takes anything or anyone for granted. She also uses humor as a helpful breaking point for tension. What Are You Excited About? Lee has a story in the book called Feisty After 45: The Best Blogs of Mid-life Women. She is also being featured on a website called Next Act for Women, and is also doing a mini re-launch of her book, My Pineapples Went to Houston, by giving a 21st century spin on it. Leadership Practice Assessing herself honestly and taking inventory is Lee’s leadership practice. She has learned to outsource as she realized her time is better spent on her core strengths. Different does not mean ‘less than’. Book to Develop Leadership You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay Advice For Younger Self Don’t hold yourself back! Lee would do this to make sure she wasn’t outshining others. Distinguishing your light doesn’t help them light theirs. Inspirational Quote “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” ~ T.S. Elliot Interview Links http://www.leegaitan.com/ https://www.facebook.com/mypineappleswenttohouston https://www.twitter.com/LGPineapple http://www.pinterest.com/leegaitan http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/lgaitan7   https://womentakingthelead.com/lee-gaitan/

What Nearly Toppled Me I did my first live webinar for Women Taking the Lead last week and I’m glad it’s done. Don’t get me wrong. It was awesome. It was amazing. And the size and scope of it nearly toppled me. And, now I know I can do it again. The foundation has been created and each time I do a webinar it will be easier and I can identify ways to tweak it a little bit to constantly be improving. Stretching to Accomplish New Things is Good I was reflecting on this experience prior to doing the webinar while I was home visiting for Easter. I was trying to not to let the work and worry of the webinar interfere with the celebration. Honestly, what gave me a little peace was the thought that it’s meant to be like this. Am I supposed to stress myself out with each new thing? No. I can see in retrospect some things I could have done to spread the work out more and to support myself. But I (and you), if we want to live amazing lives, we have to find opportunities to stretch our current abilities. This is one of the ways in which we grow. Sometimes life throws things at us and we’re forced to grow, whether we’re ready or not. But for the most part we have a choice in the areas we want to grow and how fast we want to grow. How To Support Yourself While You Stretch For myself, I’m a big fan of the Slight Edge philosophy; doing little things every single day to get just a little bit better. For the webinar, when I wasn’t rushing at the end, I was watching a couple short videos each day and working on one or two slides at a time. When I had to learn new software I would give myself more frequent and longer breaks because that is not my strong suit. I can learn new technology, and have a lot of fun with it once I do, but learning it takes effort and concentration. It’s not intuitive to me and frankly it makes me nervous at times. But I do it, I take it slow, and I celebrate when it’s done. I’ve got some steps you can take to just get started and feeling more comfortable stretching yourself in a new area. Keep in mind, though I’m going to have you set a goal, the focus in these steps is not the goal, the focus is on mindset and forming new habits that will support you in attaining any goal. Here are your steps: Identify something you want to accomplish Something. Anything. Think of the life you’d rather be living and identify something you can start working towards now. Set a date by which you can reasonably accomplish this Don’t make it too tight. Life happens and you don’t want to blame life events for the reason you didn’t hit your deadline. And not too far out either. Remember, the deadline provides motivation. If it’s too far out you won’t make this a priority. Identify an easy daily practice you can put into place  This will support you in working toward your goal. It should take no more than 20 minutes a day though somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes is ideal. Get Someone In Your Corner Who can you count on whom you can check in with, and that you feel comfortable being honest with, about your progress? That’s your accountability partner. Ask them if they are up for the task. Get started Don’t put it off. There’s no better time than now. Of course there will be other things you will have on your to do list to accomplish this goal but you need to look at this daily practice as the foundation. It will keep you on track and moving toward your goal even if life gets crazy. Here’s an example from my life. Identify a goal. I want to begin building a team this year and I know it’s going to start with a virtual assistant who can help me with tasks around the promotion of the episodes of Women Taking the Lead. Something that needs to happen first is getting sponsors for the podcast. This, like the webinar, is new and definitely out of my comfort zone but I know I can do it. I’ve got the media kit ready to go and I know other podcasters who have sponsors so I know I can ask them any questions as they come up for me. Set a date. I think it’s very reasonable that I could have my first paid sponsor within 30 days. Daily practice. A daily practice would start with making a list of brands that I think align with my mission and would benefit from being my sponsor. I’m looking for a win-win! Once that is done my daily practice would be to send 2 customized emails to potential sponsors. Accountability partner. I already have an accountability partner, Kim, whom I check in with every Monday at 9 am. Getting Started. Today, I’m going to spend 15-20 minutes researching companies that share my mission and that my audience would love. Tomorrow, I’ll create an email template that I’ll customize to each company that I reach out to so I’m not recreating the wheel so to speak with each email I send. Now it’s your turn. Go through the steps until you have your foundation and you are ready to start. If you find getting started difficult start with something fun or light to ease into the process and get used to it. What do you want to accomplish this year?   https://womentakingthelead.com/accomplished

Margaret Hasna Kelsey is the Founder of Wave of Insight, which offers conscious leadership coaching and consulting, and she has authored Wave of Insight's Poetry and Prose on Facebook, with a global following of 25,000+. She’s mother to a 7-year-old boy, whom she adopted from Nepal. When asked what she loves most about working with individuals and groups, she'll tell you, "Watching that aha moment when true transformational learning takes place.” The Wake Up Call While Margaret was married and in the process of adopting, she realized her husband didn't want a family. She had to ask herself if she was going to be able to adopt and raise a family on her own as a single woman. Margaret had to assess whether she was limiting herself or she was being limited by an outside force. Style of Leadership Margaret’s leadership style stems from a few different places. She pays attention to which part of her is growing the most now, and which part needs to grow the most, and then she watches for which parts regress at that time. Margaret learned from a past mentor that patience is highly important as a leader and she emulates that in her life. What Are You Excited About? Margaret is putting together an online gallery so people can purchase different mediums of the artwork. She loves being able to see analytics that tell her when her artwork is shared or made as profile pictures and ultimately seeing her work resonate. Leadership Practice Meditation and any kind of mindful practice, which provides Margaret with the opportunity to put space between her and the things that ‘suck’ her in. Book to Develop Leadership Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears, by Pema Chödrön Advice for Younger Self Never take anything too seriously. Life is really here for enjoyment, it’s here for the exploration and the experiences. Don’t take it all too seriously. Inspirational Quote “ONG NAMO GURU DEV NAMO” Ong is "Infinite Creative energy in manifestation and activity". Namo is "Reverent Greetings" implying humility,  Guru means "Teacher or Wisdom." Dev means "Divine or of God." “I call upon the Divine Wisdom, and Self-knowledge that is within us.” “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” Interview Links http://www.waveofinsight.com/ https://www.facebook.com/waveofinsight/ http://waveofinsightgallery.com Email: mhkelsey@waveofinsight.com   https://womentakingthelead.com/margaret-hasna-kelsey/

Adrian Granzella Larssen is editor-in-chief of The Muse, a career platform that helps millions of people find and succeed at their dream job. A nationally recognized career expert, she helps Millennials navigate career changes and job searching in the digital world. She has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Real Simple, Money, Fox TV, and MSNBC. Playing Small Moment Adrian played small from the very beginning. She took her first job right out of college, just to have a job. Though she learned a lot from that job, it wasn't exactly what she wanted to pursue. The Wake Up Call Adrian had a great job and worked with great people, but realized that her 16 year old self would be totally bummed about who she had become. Style of Leadership Adrian only hires people she can really trust and believe in. What Are You Excited About? Adrian is excited about Coach Connect, which launched last year. Coach Connect is a place where you can book time with coaches to enhance your skills, improve your launch and acquire new strategies. Leadership Practice Spending time with people outside of her team helps Adrian get a broader look of the company she works for. Book to Develop Leadership The Five Dysfunctions of A Team, by Patrick Lencioni Advice For Younger Self Adrian would tell herself that you don't have to have it all figured out by the time you graduate, or ever. You have to keep moving forward, but not in the same direction. Inspirational Quote “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” ~ Adrian Granzella Larssen Interview Links http://www.themuse.com/advice Twitter: @adriangranzella Instagram: @adriangranzella   https://womentakingthelead.com/adrian-granzella-larssen/

Becky is an entrepreneur who loves design and believes that building a company should be fun. She started her first company, iBec Creative in 2006 - the day after she graduated from University of Southern Maine. She taught herself web development, design and digital marketing and was able to grow her company by bootstrapping. She currently has 14 amazing, kind, and talented full-time employees and 150 happy clients around the country who are growing their businesses.  Becky's honored to be featured in Business Week's Top 25 Entrepreneurs 25 and Under, awarded Small Business Administration's Young Entrepreneur of the year, and a recipient of the Stevie Women in Business Award. Playing Small Moment In 2008, Becky learned about Make Mine a Million, and she wanted to be on that list to make a million dollars. She learned that she needed to pay herself for the hard work she was doing on her own business. Becky also learned how to be a manager, and how to not let her shortcomings affect the business. The Wake Up Call Becky had an opportunity for a design intern to come in and work 40 hours a week for 2 months without being paid for school credits. Once she realized how much better it was to delegate, she was so relieved. Style of Leadership Becky is always striving for harmony, whether it is her team or clients. She is always making sure everyone is getting along and there is open communication. What Are You Excited About? Becky is excited about an ongoing project that tracks digital advertising and gives clients the opportunity to improve their methods. Leadership Practice Staff Meeting Agenda every week, rating the last week with peers, an individual gets a guitar award for going above and beyond. Book to Develop Leadership A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Managing Ourselves, by Ari Weinzweig Advice for Younger Self Trust your gut and remember that your business is a reflection of you. Inspirational Quote “Everything you do counts.” ~ Becky McKinnell Interview Links ibeccreative.com   https://womentakingthelead.com/becky-mckinnell/

Stephen Woessner is CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the brilliant Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, The Small Business Owner’s Handbook to Search Engine Optimization and Increase Online Sales Through Viral Social Networking. His digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Inc. Magazine and more. His agency blends education in very transparent ways for clients. A Women Who Has Influenced Your Life Stephen’s Grandmother, Julia, is a woman who has influenced his life. She was from Greece and her grandchildren called her Yia Yia. She worked side by side with her husband, raising 4 children and 10 grandchildren, while running their own restaurant. Yia Yia came to the US when she was 5 years old and her mother died during child birth shortly after this move. Julia’s father didn’t know how to raise kids, so he sent them to the orphanage and went back to Greece to find a new mother for them. The conditions inside the orphanage were horrific. Julia was a tenacious woman who overcame great odds to obtain her position in life.  She was loving, caring, hardworking, and compassionate. She also taught her children and grandchildren to be entrepreneurs that treat everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve. What He Sees That Hold Women Back The impostor syndrome – we are all victims of it. Stephen says you need to have an exorcism to get it out. The issues are: societal roles, peer pressures, and the traditional values or acceptances that may make women the victim. It’s that little voice which sits on your shoulder and says ‘who do you think you are to attempt something so awesome?’ You are doing that to yourself, more than the world is. Be scared and do it anyway! What He Has Learned from Women You can be compassionate and tough as nails, at the same time.  The Necessary Changes Stephen says there are a couple of things that need to change. Women cannot get hung up on titles. Everyone within an organization can be a leader. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and acknowledge the fact that you are one. Put on your big girl clothes and be a great one! Remember, you are always mentoring 24/7/365, there is never a break whether you acknowledge it or not. Inspirational Quote “Procrastination and fear are the enemies of success; the war is long, but the battles are daily.” ~ Noel DeJesus What Are You Excited About? Stephen is excited about his daughter blossoming into an amazing nine-year-old. In the business realm, he has many projects in the works. He is writing two books: the first one focuses on strategies of how business owners can use podcasts to increase sales traffic leads and sales, which is due out in the fall of 2016. The second book concentrates on the knowledge that they have extracted from their onward nation podcasts, which is due out in early 2017. Predictive ROI launched a brand new service called Sales Generating Podcasts. Interview Links www.onwardnation.com www.predictiveroi.com http://onwardnation.com/12download/ Bob Newhart’s SNL “Stop It” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow0lr63y4Mw   https://womentakingthelead.com/stephen-woessner

After a successful career in Mutual Fund Operations as the Assistant Vice President of Corporate Quality, Jodi Flynn set off on a new adventure and founded her coaching business. Her specialty is partnering with women who experience self-doubt and feel overwhelmed to overcome stress, get organized, and start creating the business and the lifestyle they dreamed of having. Her podcast, Women Taking the Lead, inspires women from humble beginnings to overcome self-doubt and lead with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor. The podcast has hit #1 in 3 categories of iTunes’ New and Noteworthy: Business, Careers, and Society and Culture. Playing Small Moment This happened after Jodi decided to not complete her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. She was looking in the newspaper back in 2000, for a job to pay the bills. She found jobs that paid from $22,000 to $24,000 and then there was a gap. She also saw jobs that paid $30,000 and up. She played small because she ended up going for the $22,000 job, which ended up paying a lot more than the $30,000 a year jobs, since she had been promoted over five times. The Wake Up Call Jodi’s ‘aha’ moment happened when she was reading a book called a New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. He compared human consciousness to the evolution of a flower and stated that we are in a time where we as humans are experiencing a leap in consciousness. Just like the flower, the environment does not fully support it. The more people that experience this awakening, the more suitable the environment will become for more and more people to shift in consciousness. This made Jodi feel like she was on fire. She has so much energy that started flowing through her body. Jodi realized at that moment, this is why she was here. Style of Leadership Jodi is very nurturing, supportive, and naturally looks for the strengths/skills in others. She gets a thrill out of helping someone realize how capable they are. Jodi is a leader with high expectations. She is result oriented. Jodi’s favorite clients are the action takers. What Are You Excited About? Jodi is doing a free webinar called How to be Recognized and Rewarded For the Work You Do Leadership Practice Paying attention to the vibe in the room. Jodi does not make assumptions; she looks for the opportunity to connect with people. Book to Develop Leadership The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness by Jeff Olsen Advice For Younger Self Don't lose faith. Worry and despair represent symptoms of you trying to control things that you have no control over. Set your goals, do your best, find enjoyment, and trust that God is taking care of the rest. Inspirational Quote "Life shrinks, or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~ Anaïs Nin “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” ~ Helen Keller Interview Links https://womentakingthelead.com   https://womentakingthelead.com/jodi-flynn/

Heather Ann Havenwood, CEO of Havenwood Worldwide, LLC and Chief Sexy Boss, is a serial entrepreneur and is regarded as a top authority on internet marketing, business strategies and marketing. In 2006, she started, developed and grew an online information marketing publishing company from ground zero to over $1 million in sales in less than 12 months. Heather Ann is the Author of Sexy Boss - How Female Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rule Book for Money, Success and Even Sex, and How You Can Too! Heather Ann Havenwood is smart, sexy, savvy and now stepping out from behind the curtain to educate, enlighten and empower women entrepreneurs to grow or start an online business and live a fearless and fulfilled life. Playing Small Moment Heather played small when she was at an event with three of her male co-workers. Heather’s boss told her she better step up her game. She went to the conference and was selling her butt off. The CEO came up to her and asked her what she was doing. Heather was worried she did something wrong. The CEO says, you have $120,000 in sales and the guys, combined, only have $10,000 in sales. The CEO wanted to know what her secret was for selling. Heather was downplaying herself and she realized at that moment that she was good at what she did. Heather was highly focused on proving that she was worth something. She constantly felt like she needed to catch up to the boys’ club. The Wake Up Call Heather’s aha moment happened when she moved to a retirement island in Southern Florida. She realized the happy retired people were the ones who had been entrepreneurs, and the not so happy retirees had been in corporate jobs. Heather realized at that moment that she wanted to be an entrepreneur. Style of Leadership Leading a conversation is Heather’s style of leadership. What Are You Excited About? Heather is focused on one-on-one coaching. Her ideal client is the person who has been in their career or business for 15-20 years, and that has the knowledge and wants to take that information to the marketplace. She also works with people who have online businesses and want to take their message to another level.  Leadership Practice She is a listener. She takes it even one step further by recreating what she has heard and repeating it back. Book to Develop Leadership The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn  Advice for Younger Self Don’t worry, you are unemployable and it is OK! Let it go, you are an entrepreneur, which is what you are supposed to do. Inspirational Quote “Does this feed my confusion or Strengthen My Clarity?” ~ Richard Flint Interview Links www.HeatherHavenwood.com www.SexyBossInc.com Facebook.com/HeatherHavenwood http://www.amazon.com/author/heatherhavenwood http://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherannd/   https://womentakingthelead.com/heather-havenwood

Lindsey is the founder of Fearlessly Authentic Living, a graphic apparel brand for women who are not afraid to do their own thing and live a life they love. Lindsey hopes to inspire a movement in which we all live authentic lives and pursue passions that invigorate our souls. Her current obsessions include fuzzy socks and gelato. Playing Small Moment Early on in Lindsey’s college years, she wanted to start a community for women. Lindsey asked others what they thought of her idea. They said she was too young and should focus more on college. Lindsey realized she was letting others influence her. She realized there was never going to be a time that she would be ready. Lindsey decided to get started and she has been learning as she goes. The Wake Up Call When Lindsey launched Fearlessly Authentic Living, she initially received some push back. These naysayers shook her because they were challenging one of her core values, which is to be true to yourself. Lindsey came to the realization that she needed to listen to herself and quit obsessing over what others were saying. She needed to stay original and do what felt right. Style of Leadership Lindsey is an introverted person, she is a behind the scenes type gal. Lindsey believes in leading by example, which allows her to be open and vulnerable with the people she is working with. This in turn helps her to build more trust and comradery within groups and relationships. What Are You Excited About? Lindsey is starting a community for women that want to jam on the art of self-expression and learn about the power of learning the truth. She is also working on building an online hub, packed full of resources for women to go to on living an authentic life and business. Leadership Practice Everyday Lindsey starts her day by naming off her desires. She writes them down in her daily planner. Lindsey takes those desires and figures out a way to do something that will make her feel that way. This practice allows her to be more present with others. Book to Develop Leadership The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte http://www.daniellelaporte.com/thedesiremap/ What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Don’t let naysayers stop you from pursuing your dreams. Inspirational Quote “Do your thing, do it unapologetically. Don't be discouraged by criticism. You probably already know what they’re going to say. Pay no mind to the fear of failure. It’s far more valuable than success. Take ownership, take chances, and have fun. And no matter what don't ever stop doing your thing.  ~ Asher Roth Interview Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fearlesslyauthenticliving/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fearlesslyauthenticliving/ Website: http://www.fearlesslyauthenticliving.com/   https://womentakingthelead.com/lindsey-allen/

Kerry Heaps is the Founder and President of Kerry’s Network, Inc., a marketing organization that provides business-to-business marketing services. She is also the host of Strictly Marketing Talk Radio and publisher of Strictly Marketing Magazine. The magazine has recently spun off an online community for Strictly Women in Marketing, and for Women (and Men) looking to gain more media exposure. Kerry also has part ownership in other businesses in the fashion and beauty industry. Her passion is to help other entrepreneurs with their marketing efforts to continue their dream of running a successful business. Playing Small Moment Kerry realized she was playing small when she would take on clients in a desperate need, instead of waiting for the right ones to come along. Kerry would devalue herself by lowering prices or giving discounts that could hurt her business in the long-run. The Wake Up Call During Kerry’s trade-show networking days, is where she had her ‘aha’ moment. Other people were trying to lure away her members, which created an unhealthy competition. It got to the point where it would keep her up at night. She decided to go to a colleague to vent and he told her, “If you won the lottery would you still be doing these trade-shows?” She has never done a trade-show again. Style of Leadership Kerry’s leadership style is different from other women. She doesn’t sugar coat anything. She tells people the things they don’t want to hear. Kerry is sympathetic; however, if she feels you need to hear something she isn’t afraid to tell you. What Are You Excited About? Kerry has a 30-day Publicity Boot Camp. She wants women to feel less intimated, instead of talking themselves out of opportunities. Everyone is welcome, this isn’t just for women. Leadership Practice Listening is a key to being a good leader. Listen to your people and where they are having troubles. Kerry follows these rules for actively listening: be quite, have a talk one-on-one, take notes, and be open minded. Book to Develop Leadership How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WEAI4E/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1 What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Kerry would tell her younger self to trust her gut. She says if there is something in your business that you don’t feel right about, stop until your feeling goes away. Women are intuitive, follow your instincts. Inspirational Quote If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it -Bert Lance Interview Links Strictly Women in Marketing (SWIM) http://www.strictlywomeninmarketing.wildapricot.org Strictly Marketing Magazine & Talk Radio:  http://www.strictlymarketingmagazine.com   https://womentakingthelead.com/kerry-heaps/

Nikki Wetherell is a licensed Counselor in Portland, Maine. She empowers clients to find their natural strengths and overcome challenges in order to live happier, healthier lives. Nikki provides mental health and substance use counseling for adolescents with Day One in South Portland. She has a private practice in Portland with services geared specifically towards the unique needs of women, and volunteers for the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health services. Playing Small Moment Nikki realized she was playing small when she applied for a job that was out of her wheelhouse. She packed up and moved to Colorado to work with children who had lived through one trauma or another in their lives. She had to learn how to stand on her own two feet, with a 50 lb backpack on top of a mountain. She realized at the moment how strong she actually had become. The Wake Up Call While Nikki was in Colorado, she met a 13-year-old girl. One day the teenager came up to Nikki and told her the story of the horrific abuse she had been through. Nikki didn’t know how to help her at the time. She quickly realized that she was going to have to be the one to help her. The ripple effect of helping this girl back in Colorado was the wakeup call Nikki needed, which changed her whole life path.  Style of Leadership Nikki’s leadership style is all about quiet empowerment. People often have much more inner wisdom than they realize, but they are rather afraid to trust it. What Are You Excited About? Nikki is excited about her private practice, which is geared towards the unique needs of women. Leadership Practice Recognizing that she is stuck, or needs help is her way of growing, which in turn keeps her human and humble. Book to Develop Leadership Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Nikki would tell her younger self to do things even though she is scared. That it is OK to be scared and do it anyways. Embrace the fear and lean into it. Inspirational Quote You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ Eleanor Roosevelt Interview Links www.nikkiwetherellcounseling.com   https://womentakingthelead.com/nikki-wetherell/

Laura Brandenburg started an online business in 2008. In 2012, shortly after the birth of her first daughter, she landed on a mix of digital project offerings that enabled her to build a 6-figure business while working part-time from home. Now, Laura empowers women to build online businesses the ‘mom style’ way – profitable, flexible ventures that nourish your creative spirit. Playing Small Moment Laura realized she was playing small when she found out that her boss was hiring someone else to take over a third of her team. She didn’t speak up at that moment. Laura reflects on that day, thinking if she could’ve focused on what she thought was right, she would have made a much bigger impact in that situation. The Wake Up Call Laura hired a coach to figure out what was happening with her business. Her coach pointed out that her plan wasn’t leading to her goal. She wasn’t setting the proper financial expectations for the amount of people she was making offers to, which in turn was putting undo stress on her while trying to maintain her business goals. Style of Leadership Leading by example is Laura’s style of leadership. By being transparent, Laura has found it easier to connect with people. What Are You Excited About? Laura has been working on a Money Mindset Master Class Workshop. This workshop is going to be geared towards her knowledge on the taboo topic called money. Leadership Practice Laura found her leadership practice is about getting out of her own head. She takes a look from someone else’s perceptive and utilizes that information to give her a broader view. Book to Develop Leadership Playing Big by Tara Mohr   What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? The sooner you embrace that you can't please everyone, the sooner you can do more impactful creative work. Inspirational Quote Stepping into her power is Laura’s mantra. Interview Links http://laurabrandenburg.com Facebook group for momprenuers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/momstylebiz/   https://womentakingthelead.com/laura-brandenburg/

As a psychology major, a corporate executive, a coach and a Director Consultant for BNI I’ve gotten tons of training on building relationships and managing my reputation. I don’t always do it perfectly but I’m constantly learning and integrating this learning into my life and my business. Because of this training I’m also really good at identifying when others are doing things that hurt relationships and hurt their reputation. What also catches my attention is when they do these things oblivious to the consequences. I see it all the time and it is very concerning to me because I know it’s hurting those people’s opportunities to grow in their career or grow their business. People want to do business with people they know like and trust. The same is true within organizations. Managers want to promote those they know, like and trust. What I’m going to address is TRUST. I want to help you to not only avoid losing trust; I want to help you to know what you can do to build trust as well. Here are five things that will cause people to lose trust in you. I’m also doing a free webinar on How to be Recognized and Rewarded for the work you do. Go here to stay in the know on when the next one is coming up: https://womentl.com/webinar-interest Post to accompany this episode: https://womentakingthelead.com/credibility/

Marina Darlow is a project manager and a productivity expert. She views her job as helping impact-driven entrepreneurs get 10-20 more productive hours a week, stop leaking money, and prevent stress-fueled breakdowns. An engineer by training, Marina came to a realization a couple years ago that working for a conglomerate is not as inspiring as she wants her life’s work to be. Marina’s quest for inspiration brought her to found Vision Framework, a company that builds small, purpose-driven businesses from the inside, helping entrepreneurs run their companies with ease by putting effective, easy-to-use and fun (yep!) systems in place. www.womentakingthelead.com/102 Playing Small Moment Marina felt lost, having panic attacks, and was in a confused frame of mind. She signed up for a career coaching leadership program, because she wasn’t certain of her career path. The Wake Up Call On a trip to New York City, Marina realized - while lying in bed in a swanky hotel - that she had exceeded her goal. Marina was ecstatic because at that moment she realized she can create her own reality. Style of Leadership Independence with support is Marina’s style of leadership. She believes people need to learn how to do stuff on their own. She can guide, but you are the one that has to do the work. What Are You Excited About? Marina recorded a podcast mini-series with Cameron Gott. This mini-series is based on the emotional needs related to the creation of systems for global visionaries with ADHD. Leadership Practice Marina believes there are non-negotiable qualities that one must possess to be a great leader: focus, determination, and empathy. Book to Develop Leadership Rising Strong by Brené Brown Ph.D. What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Make as many mistakes as you can. Staying put, out of fear, is not OK. Inspirational Quote Change is possible. We can change our reality. Interview Links http://www.vision-framework.com/ https://visionframework.leadpages.co/appguide/ https://visionframework.leadpages.co/systemsforcreatives/   https://womentakingthelead.com/marina-darlow/

Kim Eisenberg is a Career Counselor and an Organizational Development Consultant who helps people and businesses create healthy relationships with work. She blends her expertise in corporate career services, counseling, and organizational leadership to deliver candid, strengths-based approaches to career and business development. Playing Small Moment Kim noticed her playing small moment after she first started her own business. Kim was fearful that she wasn’t making enough money, so she went out and got herself a full-time job. This job was a step down from what she was doing in the past and ended up being a complete disaster after only one month. The Wake Up Call Although Kim doesn’t like to focus on aha moments, she does remember some wake up calls. While Kim was working at the full-time job mentioned, she received high praise from one of her clients that she was coaching at the time. During this time, Kim also heard one of her research papers was being published by a peer review journal. Style of Leadership Kim has two different styles of leadership: situational and strength-based. She realized that people perceive themselves as much smaller than the world perceives them. Kim loves to delegate and feels that being the boss doesn’t mean she knows it all. Kim surrounds herself with people who have talents that she doesn’t have. What Are You Excited About? The launch of her programs geared toward woman negotiating. Kim doesn’t just mean negotiation for jobs; she is talking about all aspects of life. Leadership Practice Kim practices active listening. She believes the more substance the better. She also practices being a leader who can be in the present moment with people and not think about her own agenda. Book to Develop Leadership Body of Work by Pamela Slim Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Kim would tell her younger self that the entire world is not falling apart. Just hang in there and keep chipping away at it. Inspirational Quote No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Strive to be happy. — Excerpts from the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann Interview Links www.kimeisenberg.com https://www.facebook.com/KimEisenbergConsulting https://twitter.com/kim_eisenberg https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimeisenberg   https://womentakingthelead.com/kim-eisenberg/

To celebrate the 100th episode on Women Taking the Lead I've collected and strung together the first 100 quotes shared on this podcast by our amazing guests. https://womentakingthelead.com/100-quotes/ Sign up for this free webinar on How To Be Recognized and Rewarded for the Work You Do: https://womentl.com/webinar-interest 

Carl helps coaches to get clear and visible, and to get clients through heart-centered entrepreneurship, so that they enjoy freedom and wealth. Carl believes that clarity is crucial to business success. His mission is to help coaches build a solid business that fully reflects their vision, skill set and strengths. So they can attract the right customers. Carl has more than 20 years of experience, in marketing and communication in the UK and The Netherlands, working for major companies like Air France and British Telecom. He is also a certified life coach and motivational speaker.   A Woman Who Has Influenced Your Life Carl has been influenced by many women throughout his life. However, one person really strikes a chord with him, his mentor Jennifer Hermenes. She taught him how to sell using his heart and how to serve people not just sell them.   What He Sees That Hold Women Back Carl has noticed a trend; women seeking help and comradery from other women. He suggests you need to encourage everyone to work together and to not exclude others.   What He Has Learned from Women Working with many women in his life, Carl has learned how to use his intuition. Carl is grateful to those women that have taught him how to hone in on this skill.   What Changes Does He See That Are Necessary for Women to Step Up as Leaders? Carl says women should not be afraid to get in front of a camera and get themselves visible. He suggests recording a 30-second video on standing for what you believe in.   What He is Excited About Carl is excited about his 2nd Business, Retreat for Women in Tuscany. It’s a week-long retreat to get women out of their everyday habits and focus on how to market using a heart-centered connection. You can find more details at eatpraylearn.com.   Inspirational Quote “You can measure your worth by your dedication to your path, not by your successes or failures.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert   Interview Links www.carlbrooks.com eatpraylearn.com   https://womentakingthelead.com/carl-brooks/

What is the definition of a leader and what am I talking about when I refer to “taking the lead?” In my view a leader is not limited to the person heading up a group. It is well recorded in history that certain famous individuals became leaders, not because they sought the role. Rather, they were living according to their values and following their conscience and that inspired others to join them on their journey and they were nudged into taking authority. I remember from my corporate days learning the distinction between the position of leader and the actual leader. Though often the same person had the position of leader and was the actual leader, it wasn’t always the case. The person who had the title or position of leader was not always the person that eyes wandered to when important announcements were being made. The person the eyes wandered to, that was the person that people were actually taking their cues from. However that person responded to the announcement would influence how other people responded. So what had this person be so special? Well, they usually were really good at forming close relationships. They didn’t have to be outgoing but people had a sense of who they were as an individual and where they stood on common issues. They were responsible. Meaning they would respond to what was going on around them. They weren’t waiting for someone to give them direction. If they saw a problem they would get involved. Appropriately or inappropriately, it didn’t matter; they were somehow involved. These people had an awareness of themselves. They knew what they liked and what they didn’t like. Though they could compromise and collaborate with others they didn’t comply because they didn’t have an opinion – they were just choosing their battles and thinking about the good of the group. This awareness also extended to their strengths and weaknesses. Though we are all continually getting to know more about ourselves these individuals seemed to have a better sense of what they wanted to call attention to and what areas or characteristics to downplay. They also knew their sphere of influence. They knew who would go along with their ideas and who would need convincing and how to convince them. Sometimes these individuals could be convinced to take on the position of leader if they didn’t have it already and sometimes their preference was to lead from the trenches. In my view, someone is “taking the lead” when they are responding to what is going on inside them or around them. They are not waiting for permission to respond or to respond in a way that feels good for them - they are responding. When I first started the Women Taking the Lead podcast my thought was I wanted to inspire women to take initiative and be change makers in their professions or their businesses. But since launching my intentions have broadened. I want to inspire women to take initiative and be change makers in any area of their life they are drawn to. And here is what I know: when you make changes in one area of your life it ripples over to other areas because in order to cause change we have to change who we are being. When we change who we are being in one area we naturally take that evolved version of ourselves into other areas. If you are taking the lead in your health and wellness and are gaining confidence in that area, that will ripple into having more confidence in your finances, your relationships, your spiritual awareness and so on. If taking the lead for you means you’re going to do something about the lack of fun you’ve been experiencing lately I’m here to support you. I know that by making sure you are having more fun you’ll have more energy and enthusiasm overall that you can put toward anything you’d like. If taking the lead means you finally say no to that group or association that no longer serves you, I’ve got a virtual high-five for you. Because I know that by saying no to this obligation you’ll be able to say yes and give more of yourself to the things that are truly important to you, reflect your values and feed your soul. Here are some steps you can take to begin taking the lead in your life: Take stock of where your attention is drawn Your attention might get pulled in certain directions because you want more or you want less of whatever is getting your attention. For me, right now my fitness and nutrition keep pulling on my attention – mostly because I would like to feel tired less and have more energy. Visualize what you want How would life be if you had more of what you want and less of what you don’t want? Really imagine the details of what that would look like. How would it feel in your body? How much fun would you be having? What would you be doing with your extra time, energy or money? Set some goals Choose goals wisely and choose goals that are worthy of you. Choose goals that will take you from where you are now to what you visualized. For the example I gave above, I’m being more active and moving more. I’m getting more vegetables in throughout the day and I’m cutting back on alcohol. Alcohol for me is an energy drainer but it may not be for you. Pay attention to your body when you consume different foods and drinks Declare your intention. Don’t keep it to yourself, tell others about it. Talking about your goals out loud will make them more real and will give you some energy and momentum. Lastly, take action. Respond. Respond in a way that is true to you and honors your values. Continue to share your progress with trusted friends and partners. Now that’s what I call taking the lead in your life. Do you have a particular area in mind? https://womentakingthelead.com/leadership-title/

Entrepreneurs and executives seek the business coaching, training and keynotes of Penny Zenker for her strategic thinking and ability to transfer these skills to others. Penny is one of the very few business and entrepreneurial coaches that merges her own high level success with extraordinary coaching skills to offer motivated individuals an exceptional resource.  Playing Small Moment Penny undervalued herself after selling her IT company. She was working too many hours, so she decided to work for another Tech Company. After getting hired, she realized they wanted her to become the CEO of the company. Penny was dripping with fear and felt like she was over her head. She ended up staying with her job for longer than anticipated because her boss, who became her mentor, explained what his real expectations were. The Wake Up Call One of Penny’ wake up calls was when she ended up in a big fight with her 3-year-old. She realized she wasn’t giving him the attention and the presence he needed, because she was focused more on her work. Style of Leadership Penny has a coaching style of leadership. She comes from a place of curiosity and uses a collaborative way of coaching. What Are You Excited About? She is excited to announce that at the end of February, she is launching her new TV Talk Show, called Excellence Success. Leadership Practice Penny’s leadership practice is viewing the big picture and the whole picture by stepping back and getting perspective. Book to Develop Leadership Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Penny would tell her younger self to compare herself to the best version of herself. She has a book coming out next year called Compared to What, which speaks to this idea. Inspirational Quote Stop managing your time and start managing your energy. Interview Links http://p10app.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PennyzPerspective/ https://twitter.com/pennyzenker https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennyzenker/   https://womentakingthelead.com/penny-zenker/

Cloris Kylie is a performance coach and branding expert. She helps coaches, authors, consultants, speakers, and other service-based professionals expand their client base through the power of social media, mass media, webinars, speaking, blogging, podcasting, and networking. Cloris has been featured on television and radio, and her articles have been published on websites with millions of followers. Playing Small Moment While Cloris was on a job interview, she realized the culture wasn’t a good match. She ended up getting the job; however, when they called to make her an offer, she thought about it and said no thanks she was no longer interested. The Wake Up Call Rebranding herself was Cloris’s wake up call. She realized she needed to cater to a specific niche. This made her message less confusing to her audience. Style of Leadership Inclusion is Cloris’s style of Leadership. The sign of a good leader is, wake up and say “I’m a better person today than I used to be.” You need to take the constructive criticism, breathe through it and thank the person, and then you can begin to unpack it. What Are You Excited About? Cloris has two major things happening in her business. One is the launch of the Lead Generation Academy; the second is the two-day event she has coming up on May 21-22 called the Client Attraction Bootcamp. Both of these events are focused around how to build and own your list of contacts. Leadership Practice Get out of your comfort zone and take chances that might seem scary at the time. Book to Develop Leadership The Power of No by James and Claudia Altucher What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Give yourself time and space to think about a decision. Don’t do something you don’t want to do because you think it is something you have to do. Inspirational Quote “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb Interview Links https://www.cloriskylie.com Live event: https://myplatform.info/client-attraction-bootcamp Free eBook to expand your client base at https://myplatform.info/free-pdf-ebook Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cloriskylie Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cloriskylie LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cloriskylie https://womentakingthelead.com/cloris-kylie/

From climbing the corporate ladder to entrepreneurship, Erica Castner is not a stranger to the professional development world. She is the founder of Queen of Results Business Coaching & Consulting, a company dedicated to helping CEO moms go from "I wish I could" to "I know I can" and communicate their message with power and poise. Erica is a member of: the National Association of Professional Women, the Dress for Success SW Florida Advisory Board, the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, the Above Board Chamber of Florida, and the American Business Women's Association. Playing Small Moment When the chaos started to consume her life, Erica came to the realization that she needed to take control. The Wake Up Call Not worrying about what others think was Erica’s wake up call. We all have a story; there are good, bad, and indifferent parts to each story. You can choose to lead with only the good, but there is no grit to that. Style of Leadership Erica’s style of leadership is leading with a team mentality not a dictatorship. What Are You Excited About? Erica is launching The Queen Bee Revolution, hoping to end the worker bee mentality. Leadership Practice She asks herself three questions each night: “What are the things I did really well today?”, “What were the things I could do better?” and “What are my intentions moving forward into the next day?” Book to Develop Leadership The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? To trust herself first and foremost. What you feel in your gut, will probably work out in your favor. Inspirational Quote “You were a warrior; you go through the finish line not to it.” Robert be Apel Interview Links Website: www.thequeenofresults.com Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blog-podcast-queen-results/id964825673?mt=2 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thequeenofresults/?fref=ts Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/powermomsproclamation/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/QueenofResults

Lori believes that developing people’s true potential is the single most important job of any leader. After serving 14 years in education, she now helps entrepreneurs and new leaders build their leadership capacity so they can maximize their potential, performance and impact.  Lori has worked with top online entrepreneurs, local small business owners and highly successful professionals to provide business strategies, personal development and leadership coaching. Her mission is to change the world through leadership and influence. Playing Small Moment Lori has a track record of staying in relationships too long without realizing it was time to leave. She would recognize there had been a long lasting problem after she had stepped out of the relationship. The Wake Up Call Lori felt that she wasn’t receiving the mentorship she needed, she wasn’t being pushed to grow. Her next step was hiring a life coach. Lori’s life coach asked why she kept going to a place that wasn’t allowing her to grow, which opened up her eyes to the situation. Style of Leadership Lori creates a supportive and positive environment, but also giving it to them straight and laying out her expectations clearly. What Are You Excited About? Lori is excited about her new launch of a 14-day challenge with 14 micro-actions that leaders can take to improve their impact. Leadership Practice Lori surrounds herself with like minded people to keep up her success. Book to Develop Leadership May Cause Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? If Lori could tell her younger self one thing it would be to research scholarships and be careful with the money she invests into college. Inspirational Quote “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” - Martin Luther King Interview Links www.theleadershipinfluence.com https://www.facebook.com/theleadershipinfluence https://twitter.com/HeislerLori   If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Commitment. Committing to ourselves. It’s so easy as women to advocate and commit to others but when it comes to doing this for ourselves – we back away. Why is that? I believe it’s because we are hard-wired to take care of others. We are also nurtured to do this. We are rewarded as children for doing thoughtful things for others but not for speaking up and asking for what we need or want. We may have even had an experience where we were chastised for asking for what we needed or wanted. When I was growing up making sacrifices for others was always acknowledged and celebrated. And it should be; it’s wonderful. But there is something I believe must come first. There has to be a commitment to you and as much as I cringe saying this because of my conditioning, you have to come first. If you don’t come first everything else will suffer as a consequence. Click to Tweet! I’ve been struggling with this one. I have to be completely transparent that there is a part of me that resists commitment altogether. I sometimes joke that it’s because I’m Sagittarius. I love my freedom too much to tie myself down to too many commitments and that it’s probably the reason why I’m single. I make plans to meet up with friends for dinner and I’m really excited about it. Then the day comes and in the afternoon I get overwhelmed with the desire to just get into my pajamas at the end of the day and watch reruns of The West Wing. I feel a pang of regret that I’ve made plans for the evening but my commitment and my integrity – that I’ve given my word – wins over and instead of pajamas and TV I’m with friends laughing enjoying a good meal and I don’t regret it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always something fun that I’ve committed to and sometimes it’s just the satisfaction that I was true to my word that rewards me for overcoming any desire to be somewhere else or do something else. Making and keeping commitments, especially to yourself, will help you to keep moving forward in the direction of your dreams despite any short-lived cravings to play it small, play it safe and play it comfortable. Here are some things you can do if you struggle with making and keeping commitments to yourself: 1.     Make Sure What You Are Committing to is 100% Relevant How often have you found yourself committed to something that has no real value or meaning to you. These are the times you find yourself saying, “I don’t even know why I agreed to this?” Be very clear on what you value and what your goals are and only make commitments that are a reflection of them. Everything else is a “no.” And if you find yourself saying “yes” when you really wanted to say “no” take a look in the mirror and uncover what it was that compelled you to say yes. This can often range from a need to be liked to avoiding conflict. Just know that whatever compelled you, in that moment, you gave it more power than your values and your goals. Think about how you can handle that situation differently in the future so when it comes up again, and it will, you will be able to navigate it with more power and ease. If your commitment is relevant, if it does reflect your values and goals, it will be much easier to overcome the urges to break the commitment. You can remind yourself why this commitment is important and how it will improve your life in the long-term. 2.  Focus on What You’ll Enjoy About the Commitment I’m in a phase right now where I have gotten off-track with my workouts and I’m trying to get back to the level of fitness I was at over the summer. Over the holidays and when I was in an intense period of catching up after the holidays my workouts took a nose-dive and I knew I needed to get back into a rhythm. Knowing this would be a struggle, I committed to - at the very least - getting 10-15 minutes of cardio in everyday to start building up my endurance again. Easy, right? Wrong. Every day there was “one more thing and one more thing” that needed to get done before I could do my workout and before I knew it there wasn’t even 10 minutes to workout. Iin fact I was running late and barely had time to take a shower and get ready before I need to race out the door. When I took a look at the list of things that made up the “one more thing” they were all tasks that could have waited. I was just using them to procrastinate because I hated the reminder, when I was working out, that I was no longer as physically fit as I once was. I didn’t look forward to this and so was avoiding it to my own detriment. I made a conscious effort to change my mindset and focus on what I do enjoy about my workout: it’s 10-15 minutes just for me, I get to listen to my favorite music or podcasts, I can focus on the progress I’m making, I can enjoy the endorphin rush and the feeling of satisfaction that comes when I’m done and I can check my workout off my list. It’s not hanging over my head for the rest of the day that I skipped my simple workout yet again. 3.    Ask Others to Hold You Accountable to Your Commitment Many people resist accountability because it sounds like being taken to task and is just another way to feel bad about making and breaking a commitment. However, accountability is only meant to be a check-in and not a disciplinary hearing. It’s an opportunity to communicate the status of your commitment and make any adjustments or recommitment if necessary. Accountability is for you and not for the other person. Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before and co-host of the podcast Happier, talks often about the four tendencies when it comes to forming and keeping habits: upholder, questioner, obliger and rebel. You can TAKE THE QUIZ HERE to see what your tendency is. I’m an obliger and I’m not surprised. That means that I am motivated to make others happy. I don’t like to disappoint people so accountability works great for me. However, if your tendency is to rebel then accountability will probably not work for you. As an obliger I also have to be cautious of over-committing, which I do often, because overcommitting will cause stress, resentment and ultimately, backing out of commitments. Questioners will want to know everything about the commitment before they agree to it and Upholders will resist new commitments unless they can give 100% to it because they will give 100% and then some once they’ve committed. Know what works for you and set yourself up for success. And lastly… 4.    Choose Yourself Everyday I had a conversation with my father one day about marriage and the long haul and getting through tough times. In his wisdom my father shared that a commitment was not something you set and forget. It takes thoughtfulness, care and nurturing. He told me that he chooses my mother every day when he wakes up. He recommits himself to her every day. That’s the kind of love we need to have for ourselves as well. We need to choose ourselves every day. Every day, regardless of how you feel, you need to commit to honoring your relationship with yourself. This is how you develop self-worth and personal power. You are worth the commitment. If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community! https://womentakingthelead.com/commit-to-you/

Stacy Curtis interviews fascinating people on her podcast at WriteOfYourLife.com. Her latest project – Lifestorytelling.com, a Lifestory Laboratory (and memoir writing course) – is taking off. This life story and memoir telling project is the culmination of years working to understand the psychology and art of life story writing, and making it easy for others to write their stories. It’s valuable to trace your trouble, transcribe your tale, and transform your life. Click to tweet: .@WriteOfYourLife is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead! ▶ www.womentakingthelead.com/094 Playing Small Moment Stacy’s first husband cheated on her. After he told her he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay with her or leave, she sat by the phone waiting for him to choose her. During a memoir writing class, she realized that she had never raised her hand. Not speaking up had become her life theme. The Wake Up Call Stacy ended up in a second marriage, this time with a sociopath. She signed onto her computer for her daughter and spotted her husband’s Craigslist ad, soliciting himself to couples. Stacy’s realized that her kids would end up in similar relationships if she didn’t get up to show them how to stand up for themselves. Style of Leadership Stacy leads by encouragement. She guides people through her course by trying new things and encouraging experimentation. What Are You Excited About? Stacy is excited about her podcast, writeofyourlife.com, which gives her the chance to connect with so many different people. Her work helps her learn more about herself. Leadership Practice Grace to herself and to others. Stacy has been given grace so many times when she has failed, so she is sure to spread it to others. Book to Develop Leadership One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do by Phil Cooke What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Raise your hand! Take the spotlight; you are not responsible for other people’s feelings. Inspirational Quote “If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.” ~ Thomas Edison Interview Links http://www.writeofyourlife.com/ http://lifestorytelling.com/ Social Media Links: Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WriteOfYourLife Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/WriteOfYourLife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteOfYourLife YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WriteOfYourLife Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Writeofyourlife/posts Instagram: https://instagram.com/writeofyourlife/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacycurtis   If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Felicia Knight is the president of The Knight Canney Group, a strategic consultancy based in Portland, Maine. Previously, Knight worked in Washington, DC, where for five years she served as Director of Communications for the National Endowment for the Arts, and for the prior five years as Director of Communications for United States Senator Susan M. Collins of Maine. Before that, Felicia Knight enjoyed a 20-year career as an award-winning broadcast journalist in Maine. Playing Small Moment When Felicia found out a new male coworker was earning so much more than she was for the same job, she marched down to her boss to ask why. He responded that this coworker had a family to support, and Felicia took that and didn’t push back. She saw the question as answered. The Wake Up Call Sometime in her early 40’s, Felicia realized that she was a bonafide adult. At this point she could use the powers of yes and no. It was time for her to make the decisions for herself. Style of Leadership Felicia tries really hard not to micromanage. It was hard for her to delegate, but once she did – it was life changing. She does have a low tolerance for missed deadlines and no attention to detail. What Are You Excited About? Felicia is excited about a new enterprise called The Portland Science Center, which they are handling media and PR for, and is a very popular science museum in a great part of town. Leadership Practice Listening is Felicia’s strongest practice. She also tries to see from others’ point of view. Book to Develop Leadership Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Pay Attention. Life goes by very quickly and the average life is made-up of many small moments. Pay attention during that camping trip or that ordinary family dinner, and appreciate what is in front of you. Inspirational Quote “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” ~ Felicia Knight Interview Links www.knightcanney.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/fkk2014

Sandy Weiner, founder of Last First Date, is devoted to helping women achieve healthy, off the charts love in the second half of life. An internationally known TEDx speaker, dating coach, speaker, and workshop leader, Sandy specializes in helping women communicate effectively, set clear boundaries in relationships, and value themselves. She believes that a woman of value attracts her best partner. Sandy has contributed hundreds of articles to several prestigious publications, including the Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and The Good Men Project, and she is the dating expert at Better After 50. She is also the host of Last First Date Radio, an acclaimed show about attracting and sustaining healthy relationships in midlife. Playing Small Moment Sandy had the opportunity to do a TED Talk after discussing her love for TED Talks with a friend, but she was petrified of public speaking. She hired a speech coach and was able to deliver the speech with phenomenal affect. Sandy had to make the choice to play it small or be amazing. The Wake Up Call Sandy looked to the future of her marriage, realized that she would be alone with her husband, once the kids were older, and moved out. This was a thought that she was not looking forward to, and the more time they spent apart, the more their differences surfaced.  Style of Leadership Sandy teaches her clients to be their own coach. She says “It’s not about powering over, it’s about powering with.” Sandy believes that empowering to change is much more powerful than shaming into change. What Are You Excited About? She is re-launching Find Love Online After 40, a pre-recorded course that helps women learn how to find love online, successfully. Leadership Practice Having and accountability partner has been greatly beneficial for Sandy. They meet a couple of times a week and set small goals, then discuss their success or what they plan to do if they didn’t succeed. Book to Develop Leadership Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time, by Susan Scott What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Get more support! She tried to do it all, and lost herself. Self-care is so important, and it is essential to delegate, even at home. Inspirational Quote “Strive not to be a success, but rather be a value.” Interview Links LastFirstDate.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourlastfirstdate/

Amber Lambke is the president of the Somerset Grist Mill, LLC and its Maine Grains label, which is carried by specialty food stores and used by fine restaurants and bakeries throughout Northeastern US. She is also the executive director of the Maine Grain Alliance. Amber has worked with local business leaders and community members to successfully bring the cultivation and processing of heritage grains back to Skowhegan, Maine, which is a driving force behind Maine’s sustainable foods movement. Her efforts through the Maine Grain Alliance have generated a broader understanding and appreciation of the nutritional and economic value of heritage grains and oats, as well as their exceptional flavor. The alliance’s Kneading Conference, co-founded by Amber, now draws thousands of attendees from across North America each year and has spawned similar conferences across the country. Playing Small Moment Amber began to volunteer with an organization called, Main Street, from 2005-2007. Her mindset was focused on recruiting someone to start a business to help her town. Amber never considered that someone would be her. The Wake Up Call Amber’s wake up call was recognizing the power of a project to unite people around a common cause. Leadership has been her biggest wake up call. Style of Leadership Amber leads by example. She likes to engage in a task with her eyes wide open in order to see who else could do it before they realize it, so she can bring more to the table. What Are You Excited About? Maine Grains is now 3 years into their launch and is recognizing the increasing demand for their rolled oats. New equipment has been purchased from Germany and Amber is excited to start upping their production to reach out to new businesses. Leadership Practice Amber always tries to keep her own thoughts in check and saying the right things to herself to be stronger. Book to Develop Leadership “Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories About the ‘Great Good Places’ at the Heart of Our Communities” by Ray Oldenburg, Ph.D. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change” by Stephen R. Covey What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? Amber would tell her younger self to trust her instincts earlier. She always had a vision in business, and she didn’t know where it came from. Amber believes that everyone has intuition about where their life is headed. Inspirational Quote “You need to have an affection for place, and people and animals; and you need to have an affection for hard work and the soil and all of the things that come together to make a successful and productive life.” From: “It All Turns on Affection” by Wendell Berry Interview Links www.mainegrains.com https://www.facebook.com/Maine-Grains-110335742314892/ https://twitter.com/mainegrains

Kristie Kennedy is a motivational speaker, a personal development coach and an established author. Kristie has a rich treasury of insight and knowledge for women who are challenged in three areas: self-worth, self-starting and self-growth. She is a visionary leader, who serves as women’s beauty, business, brilliance and body image speaker with a passion for empowering individuals to live magnificently in the face of adversity.  Playing Small Moment Kristie is an artist at heart and didn’t know she could use those skills to be expressive and was often held back by her own fear. In college, she was afraid to contribute to class discussions for fear of being wrong and realized that her professor was enabling her fear and holding her back. The Wake Up Call This year has been a year of transformation for Kristie, which is pivotal for her role as an entrepreneurial leader. After being terminated unexpectedly from her spa career, she realized that she was worth so much more than what she was working for. Style of Leadership Kristie leads from within. She builds herself up with affirmations from her book so that she can be strong form the inside out. Kristie is also a firm believer in doing unto others as they would do unto you. What Are You Excited About? Kristie is pumped about her new online radio show, Massive Momentum. Her show talks about small steps with massive power and how effective you can be once you overcome your fears. Leadership Practice Journaling has been therapeutic for Kristie, ever since middle school. She journals everything internally and externally, and finds peace in it. Book to Develop Leadership “Aim for Greatness: See it, Say it and Soar!” by Kristie Kennedy “The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America's Greatest Woman Entrepreneur” by Mary Kay Ash What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? “Dear Kristie, one day you are going to wake up and realize that all of your pain was a divine oyster housing a pearl of unrevealed power.” Inspirational Quote “Success doesn’t come to you; you go to it.” Marva Collins Interview Links www.kristiekennedy.com 

John Lee Dumas is the founder & host of Entrepreneur on Fire, a top ranked business Podcast where he interviews today's most inspiring Entrepreneurs 7 days a week. An army veteran and dabbler of professions, he felt unfulfilled in his career until he hit upon his mission – to inspire and motivate would-be and newbie entrepreneurs, to keep going and to find success through all the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial roller coaster. A Women Who Has Influenced Your Life  When John first had the idea of the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast, it was just an idea. He had no clue how to start, nor did he have any background experience. John found someone in a place where he wanted to be, Jamie Tardy. He asked her for mentorship but also made sure to ask how he could add value. What He Sees That Hold Women Back  John sees a lot of women hold themselves back from within. In the military, he saw many females shy away from command, but he could not understand why, and knows he would have obeyed their orders. If you know you can deliver, you can create the results people want, that’s all they care about. What He Has Learned from Women  John has found that women are quicker at finding their voice as an entrepreneur than men; and that while some women might struggle, they often feel more comfortable being themselves. What He is Excited About Throughout 2015, John has been hard at work on The Freedom Journal, which can help you set and accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days. Inspirational Quote  “Try not to become a person of success but a person of value.” Leadership Practice  John’s main leadership practice is focusing on his morning ritual. Making sure he takes care of himself and then he can take care of fire nation the rest of the day. Focus on yourself first. Interview Links  www.thefreedomjournal.com www.entrepreneuronfire.com “Like a girl” videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhB3l1gCz2E  If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community! 

Nellie Akalp is a serial entrepreneur, small business expert, speaker and author. She is the founder and CEO of CorpNet.com - an online legal document filing service - where she helps entrepreneurs start, grow and maintain a business. Nellie shares her expert tips with readers at Forbes, Entrepreneur and Mashable and is a regular guest expert on the Fox Small Business Center. Nellie has presented a workshop at Small Biz Expo and sat down with members of Girls in Tech, General Assembly, and more, to inspire and motivate others to make their business dreams a reality. Playing Small Moment Nellie started her first business straight out of law school and right at the start of the Internet. The business took right off, as there was not a lot of competition. In 2005, the company was sold for a large sum of cash. Nellie took time off to focus more on being a mom. After her non-compete clause ran out, she realized she was too young, bored and passionate to take early retirement. So, Nellie jumped back into the game and started CorpNet in 2009, at the height of the recession. She was bombarded by competition and felt out of place with the new social media world we were in. After Nellie’s quick success in the past, she suffered from a false sense of being able to do the same thing again. Nellie had to adapt to a new way of doing things, and rethink her approach. The Wake Up Call Nellie is very public about her panic attacks, even writing about them on The Huffington Post. A year ago she went to an Intuit convention and listened to Ariana Huffington speak publicly about her panic attack. Nellie realized she was not alone, and wanted to share her experiences. Style of Leadership Nellie is not your typical CEO. She expects a ton from her team, but she is very ‘all for one, one for all’. A great big company is a result of the sum of its parts. What Are You Excited About? CorpNet is updating their CRM software into a new, more engaging platform for their clients and employees. Leadership Practice Nellie has an open door policy where any of the employees can talk to her about what is going on. There should be a balance between keeping your clients and your employees happy. Nellie always makes sure her employees are thriving in a positive environment. She focuses on the positive rather than the negative. Book to Develop Leadership “Burnt Toast: And Other Philosophies of Life” by Teri Hatcher Inspirational Quote “Make the impossible your reality and it will ultimately become your reality.” Interview Links www.corpnet.com twitter.com/CorpNetNellie linkedin.com/in/nellieakalp facebook.com/nellie.akalp If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!   

Sara Millman is an independent filmmaker and writer whose work has been screened and distributed on five continents. She envisioned backHer to enable fellow artists, activists, and entrepreneurs to grow budgets, while at the same time to support women who are rising from poverty and oppression. Sara has devoted much of her life to actively caring for people and animals. Social and economic justice has been a factor in her life from the start and Sara is especially passionate about creating and growing the backHer Rise Together Fund. Click to tweet: .@filmworks7 is sharing her story to inspire you on Women Taking the Lead www.womentakingthelead.com/087 Playing Small Moment Sara’s film was the closing night film at a London film festival. As she was sitting in the limo that was provided, she suddenly felt super anxious about the upcoming events. Throughout her whole life, Sara wanted to be seen, but now that all eyes were going to be on her, she began second-guessing her decisions. Being at these fancy parties and being treated like royalty while not being able to afford a cup of tea, Sara struggled with a prince and pauper sentiment, still feeling like an outsider who did not deserve to be there. The Wake Up Call In school, a science teacher ridiculed Sara for her veganism after her refusal to dissect frogs. Inside a closet, the science teacher came in and shoved dead kittens in her face. Sitting in the closet that day, a powerful knowing came over her and she left. Sara suddenly knew she did not have to go through that. Style of Leadership Sara seeks the leader in others; she tries to always live and work in a state of empowerment. It’s about encouragement of self-empowerment and leadership in everyone. What Are You Excited About? BackHer is a crowdfunding platform for women to fund their projects and ideas, while also helping underserved women. BackHer supports organizations that help women who are rising out of poverty and oppression. Their goal is to use crowdfunding to help women reach the next step while helping women in need get an education and the help they need. Leadership Practice Sara focuses on compassion; putting heart before ego. She tries to become more aware of the interactions she has with each person every day. Each of us deserves to be treated with respect. Book to Develop Leadership Ted Talks Why Do Ambitious Women Have Flat Heads? by Dame Stephanie Shirley How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them by Vernā Myers What Would You Change? Greenlight yourself. Don’t try to be part of the mold that doesn’t have room for you. Inspirational Quote “If you manage to stay on your path in life, you will always be at the perfect place.” ~ Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu Interview Links https://www.backher.com/ If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Christie Mims is the Founder and CEO of The Revolutionary Club, the number one destination for smart women who are unwilling to settle for anything less than career happiness.   Compassionate, caring, and a little kick-ass, Christie is here to make sure that you love what you do (note: life is too short not to love what you do). A certified professional coach and recovering consultant with a background in working for Fortune 500 companies, Christie has been there, done that, and worn those uncomfortable shoes. She has dispensed career advice for Forbes, LearnVest, Brazen Careerist, Yahoo! and many more; and she can be seen speaking at the University of VA, The Daily Muse, Women for Hire, The US Army, and at a variety of other organizations. Why is career transition so important? Christie says we treat our jobs as Disney treats love. That is not really the case, though. Your career is something that is going to span 50+ years. When you enjoy your work, you tend to live a healthier and longer life. The more we invest in our careers, the happier we are in our careers. What is the #1 thing that holds people back in making a career change? Fear holds people back. Fear of failure, of not liking your new choice of career. Most people let the fear seep in and talk ourselves out of this big change. Sometimes it is easier to stay stuck than to make a change. What can people do to overcome their fear? The best way to conquer your fears is to find a sense of community. Once you know that others feel the same and you get to talk about your fears and feel normal about it, it can help you face your fears. Also, get expert support and a plan. If you knew the answers, you would do it. So, let someone guide you towards getting over your fears. What is the career happiness revolution? When you find your passion, you are reconnecting with who you really are, which we tend to cover up by our safe jobs. When you stop following everyone else, it is a revolution. It can feel like you are shaking up your life. The revolution club is a space where people can talk honestly about their careers. She believes that if we can change the talk about work, we can change people’s lives. What are the benefits of your free program, New Year, New Career, No Fear? After taking this program, students have said they found their passion or asked their boss for a raise. People said they have never felt better in their careers. There is no better time to be thinking about your career. The economy is finally getting better. Companies are changing their structures to allow for more freedom. What is your favorite career success story? After a change in the way she thought and a career shift, one of Christie’s students is now an environmental engineer and she says she would never have had the courage to do it without the course. She did not believe it was possible. Another student is going to make more money in his own business than he is now and has a year of work already lined up. Interview Links http://www.careerhappinessrevolution.com/

Anna Lenhart is the founder of the Next Generation of Service, an online alternative career center that encourages recent graduates to start their career with a Year of Service. Anna graduated from Carnegie Mellon University.  Using her Fulbright Grant, she studied sustainable waste management practices in Namibian townships.  She has since staked a role in the San Diego community as a Salesforce and technology consultant, working primarily with non-profits and start-up companies. Anna is also an ambassador for the Franklin Project.  She loves surfing, rock climbing, and camping; and has visited 23/53 of the United States National Parks. Playing Small Moment Anna tried working with universities for funding. After the realization that it was too difficult working with universities for funding, they had to revert to traditional ways. Anna felt uncomfortable asking for donations and often came across as timid. Once she spoke to other non-profit founders, she had to change the way she approached donors and kicked up her confidence. The Wake Up Call With Anna’s unique skill set, she often gets offered full-time jobs with large salaries while she is doing freelance work. She makes sure to carefully examine her current situation before turning down a job offer. As a result, others often question her about those decisions once they learn she has turned down those large salaries.  Style of Leadership Anna has different methods depending on what/whom she is leading. She leads her construction engineering differently. In not-for-profit, she looks for very specific people that “get it”. Skill set is not as important as the passion people hold for the project you are working on. The key is to surround yourself with the right people. What Are You Excited About? Recently, they collaborated with the Positive Impact Podcast to hold an upcoming week long summit featuring successful individuals who got their start with a year of service. Leadership Practice Anna finds that she has a tendency to blurt out what she is saying, so she is trying hard to listen to everyone and hear what they really have to say. Book to Develop Leadership Rising Strong by Brené Brown What Would You Change? Anna wishes she knew when she was younger that relationships are actually the most important things you have. She wishes she had been less of a jerk as she has a competitive nature that often came between friends. Inspirational Quote “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pool of what you really love, it won’t lead you astray.” - Rumi Interview Links Next Generation of Service: http://ngsmovement.org/ Franklin Project: http://www.franklinproject.org/ Journey to Social Entrepreneurship (Upcoming Online Summit): http://journeytosocialentrepreneurship.com/

The women of my family, young and old are sharing their thoughts on leadership, love, relationships, growing up and motherhood. We are joined by Lucia and Sophia Flynn, Kerri and Vanessa Sulminski and Erin, Danya and Eiryanna Gachuma to celebrate the past year and ring in the New Year with a fun, touching and humorous episode. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Questions for the moms: Describe your daughter to me. You are raising a son and a daughter. Are there any considerations you have for your daughter that you don’t have for your son? What are the challenges you’ve faced as the mother of a daughter? What are your thoughts on raising your daughter to be a leader? What do you wish for your daughter? What wisdom would you pass on to other moms who are pregnant with a girl? Questions for the Daughters: How would you describe yourself? Describe your mom to me. What do you like about being a girl? What does it mean to you to be a leader? What are you looking forward to when you grow up? If you could change anything about the world what would you change? If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community! https://womentakingthelead.com/flynn-women-daughters/

Gayle Brown is the co-owner of Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury, Vermont. She has 15 years of experience running the family business with her husband Paul. The mill is a popular tourist destination that welcomes more than 350,000 visitors a year. She has a bachelor's degree in Geology from the University of Vermont, where she was also the captain of the 1979 ski team. Playing Small Moment When Gayle’s children were young, their bookkeeper got angry after she had simply asked for a statement. Gayle realized that the bookkeeper was manipulating her and her husband against each other. She did not want this to hurt her marriage and ended up pushing back her instinct that something felt ‘off’. Gayle remembers realizing how much manipulation took place across the years, because she was scared of losing the bookkeeper as an employee, which would have led to controversy in the business. The Wake Up Call Gayle had taken a class with successful local business leaders and she might not have had any fancy letters after her name, but realized what she had to say was just as important. Gayle and her husband did not have to run their business any other way than they intended to. Style of Leadership Gayle likes to lead by example. She and her husband are both very hands on at the cider mill, so they can set the example. Gayle also makes sure to always give someone 5-10 minutes of face-to-face time or phone calls, if there is no way to meet in person. What Are You Excited About? Gayle is excited about their hard cider project and she describes her taste profile process. She would also like to create a new taste profile with bittersweet fruit from Great Britain. They are currently working with growers to figure out what is the best fruit to grow there for cider, to help with the shortage. Leadership Practice Gayle takes 3-5 minutes a day to allow her brain to quiet the noise. She has so many things up in the air at once that it helps to have the quite for a few minutes. Book to Develop Leadership Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson What Would You Change? Gayle would tell herself that if you want something in your heart enough, and your heart and brain are connected – it’s okay if you don’t have a fancy degree – don’t let it affect what you want to go after. Inspirational Quote “Our thoughts are magnets.” Interview Links gayleb@coldhollow.com http://www.coldhollow.com/

Laura Roeder is the founder of Edgar, a new social media automation tool designed to prevent updates from going to waste. Laura began her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 22, when she quit a design job and decided to launch her first business. Since then, she founded B-School with Marie Forleo, has run successful courses of her own such as Creating Fame and Social Media Marketer; and she was named a Top 100 Entrepreneur under 30, in America. Edgar was created out of a need Laura had in her own business to more effectively manage social media – and so in 2014, Laura pivoted her business to dive into the SaaS world. Since launching in mid-2014, Edgar has hit over $150,000 in monthly recurring revenue, all the while bootstrapping the entire way. More than 3,000 customers are now using Edgar to help manage their social media. Playing Small Moment Laura always felt self-conscious, because she looked too young. She would go to various chamber of commerce events where she did not typically meet anyone close to her own age. Laura always felt like she stuck out. She attended a speed-coaching program at a conference where the coach laid into her and picked her apart – she needed to change her clothes and her voice. Eventually, Laura realized she had lived through her biggest fear and was not changed by it; she had survived. The Wake Up Call When Laura first moved to LA, she was doing social media consulting and helped her friend – an actor on Heroes – create a presence on social media. She walked home after a brainstorming meeting, realizing she didn’t fit into the mold she had created for that route. Style of Leadership Laura leads by giving ownership and letting her team truly own their projects. Most people start out by delegating but you’re still doing a lot. The way Laura leads, she has someone in charge of Customer Service and that person gets to make all the calls for their domain. What Are You Excited About? Laura is excited about Edgar, which launched a year ago. Edgar has grown super fast and they are now hiring a bunch of people. Meetedgar.com is a new approach to social media that handles your content differently than anything else out there. Leadership Practice Using a quarterly survey to ask, what should we stop doing, what should we keep doing, and what should we start doing allows employees to share their opinions on an ongoing systems. Book to Develop Leadership Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, by Hugh MacLeod What Would You Change? Focusing more time on the things she enjoys; bringing more value to her business. Inspirational Quote "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~ Annie Dillard Interview Links @lkr @meetedgar http://www.meetedgar.com

Dr. Carri Drzyzga (Driz’ ga) is world-renowned as ‘The Functional Medicine Doc’– the go-to expert on finding the root causes of health problems so you can feel normal again. She is a chiropractor and naturopathic doctor, and host of the popular podcast, The Functional Medicine Radio Show with Dr. Carri. Playing Small Moment Once Dr. Carri had rebuilt her private practice, she knew she had to write a book to get her name out there. That is when the stress set in and fear over the thought of the possibilities became paralyzing. She got on a Mastermind call and laid out all of her feelings. Dr. Carri’s group assured her it was completely normal, and told her to write one paragraph at a time. Afterward, nothing could hold her back! The Wake Up Call It was December, and Dr. Carri realized she was holding herself back and letting her excuses drag her down. She had a 3am realization that she was all-talk and no action, and felt she had to make changes right away. Style of Leadership Dr. Carri’s leadership style is still a work in progress. She tries to lead in a way that she would appreciate as a patient. Dr. Carri listens and reads between the lines and leads her team members the same way. What Are You Excited About? Dr. Carri has a new course that just came out, called Entrepreneurial Fatigue: How to Fill Your Brain and Body for Entrepreneurial Success, an at-home program designed to help the brain and body while building your business. Leadership Practice Dr. Carri makes sure to look her team in the eye and to thank them personally. Simply providing those two words, “Thank you”, it means so much to them. Book to Develop Leadership Think and Grow Rich for Women, by Sharon Lechter What Would You Change? Dr. Carri would tell her younger self to find a mentor and ask for help. “It’s ok to ask for help; people want to help you.” Inspirational Quote “Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought.” - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Interview Links www.DrCarri.com

Emi Kirschner has helped successful, joy driven executives and entrepreneurs take the leap into the healthy lifestyle they desire. As a board certified Holistic Health Coach (CHHC), she unlocks the “Why” that keeps them stuck in stress filled lives and unhealthy eating habits. Emi’s compassionate, innovative, and fun approach to coaching will harness your inner energy and transform your life. Playing Small Moment Right out of college, Emi took a job without any thought or negotiation. Soon after, she turned down a second job offer because she thought simply having a job was the goal. Looking back, she realizes she should have negotiated with her first employer, and at least considered the path that the other job could have brought. The Wake Up Call Emi had her wake up call when she decided to get a divorce, and came to terms with doing things that benefit her.  During marriage counseling, they reached a point where change was not happening and a decision had to be made.  It was the right call for her and her children to make that healthy change, and it was something that allowed her to parent the way she wanted to.   Style of Leadership Emi views herself as a mentor and a teacher. No matter who it is, she will take the time to talk to them and offer suggestions to help get to the next step. Emi believes we need more uplifting and support to help each other in this world. What Are You Excited About? Emi has a 4 Module e-course called French Fries to Foodies, launching in January. She got tired of negotiating and bargaining with her picky eaters, until she decided she was done. She created this program around that and strategies she has used. Leadership Practice Emi believes in the importance of meditating, centering and grounding. She is always open to new systems, techniques, and ways of doing things. Emi always tries to gain by learning from others. Book to Develop Leadership The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte What Would You Change? “Just do it.” Emi thinks about everything a lot, so she would tell her younger self just to do it. If you have good intention, it will all work out. Inspirational Quote “It's All Good!” “The Point of Life is Happiness” - Dali Lama Interview Links www.EmiKirschner.com https://twitter.com/empressemi https://www.facebook.com/Emi-Kirschner-CHHC-216673468399843/timeline/

Makeda Ricketts founded PinkThink, an education technology company, in 2013. PinkThink is an interest-oriented and peer-supported web and mobile platform that makes (S)cience, (T)echnology, (E)ngineering, and (M)ath education powerful, relevant, and engaging for girls. PinkThink has won numerous awards, and Makeda was recently named Maker of the Year by the International Alley Awards. On a personal note, Makeda has a passion for education and has taught in Ethiopia and Harlem, New York. Makeda graduated from Wellesley College, with a degree in Political Science and Economics. She is currently an MBA candidate at Chicago Booth, with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Playing Small Moment Makeda grew up around people with big voices, so she struggled to find her own voice and her own space while growing up. When Makeda got her first job, she was so excited to be picked for the position that she settled for the salary they offered her, even though her father had taught her not to do that. The Wake Up Call Makeda attended Wellesley College - an all women college - and she found it very empowering.  A genuine sisterhood at the College allowed students to speak up and have a voice.  It was an environment where women valued women and pushed each other in a healthy way.  There was no room for backstabbing or catty attitude, so the community spirit was engrained in them.  This environment has shaped how Makeda has lived her life. Style of Leadership Makeda has had to get more forceful in her leadership. Her approach to life has always been to ‘live and let live’. Makeda found herself giving people space to grow, learn, and do; then bringing them in at the end to see what they need. Well, that had to change so she has begun leading with conviction and remaining the ‘calm in the storm’. What Are You Excited About? Makeda is excited about PinkThink’s new product, cStyle Bracelets that are codeable and wearable, for girls. The bracelet teaches girls how to code in a stylish way, which they can control. Leadership Practice Makeda believes in leading by example. Be the best person on your team and others will want to follow in your steps. You really need to have your leadership face and be the calm, steady leader. Book to Develop Leadership The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho What Would You Change? Makeda would tell her younger self she would be fine. Just keep going because you can. Inspirational Quote “Listen to the mustn’ts. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the never-haves. Listen to the wont’s. Listen to me child. Anything can happen; anything can be.” Interview Links www.pinkthink.org Indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/cStyle facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkthinkgirls twitter: @pinkthinkgirls  Instagram: @pinkthinkgirls LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pinkthink

Hey everyone and welcome to this 6th bonus episode!!  How have you been? I’m going to start off with some exciting news for Women Taking the lead, I’m going to thank my reviewers, highlight a member of our community and then I’m going to dive into the topic for this week – It Starts with You. Okay, so some background – I belong to a community of podcasters called Podcast Paradise. There are currently has about 2300 members. I found out this week that Women Taking the Lead was nominated for a Podcaster Paradise award for “Best Interview-Based Podcast. I was blown away and incredibly honored and I wanted to be sure to thank you for listening and making this podcast so popular. You inspire and motivate me to improve as an interviewer to provide the best content for you. So Yay us! At this time I feel it the right time to start bringing on sponsors for the podcast. I want to be more creative with the podcast and try out some new things but that’s going to take more support and more support is going to take funding. If you’d like to be a sponsor of Women Taking the Lead shoot me an email. I’m at Jodi@womentakingthelead.com. More to come on that! Ratings and Reviews First let me say I am so appreciative to those of you who have left me a rating and review on iTunes. Each rating and review, each new person who subscribes to the podcast and downloads previous episodes, they make the podcast more visible in iTunes and thus easier for those like you to find it so THANK YOU. I wanted to share some of the ratings and reviews I’ve received recently: Eddie Donato – “A fantastic podcast for inspiring you to break free and have a go at doing something that makes you want to jump out of bed each morning. This is why I love podcasts - I can feed my brain positive shows like this that will make a difference in my life!” Alex B-P – “Jodi does an incredible job at creating a show with tangible takeaways and compelling insights. She asks great questions and charts a unique path with her shows. If you feel that it’s time to step up and take the leading role in your life. Needed conversation. Excited to see this continue.” If you haven’t already, I would be honored if you would go to iTunes to leave a rating and review, and next time I’ll give a shout out to you. And if you have already left a review, thank you, thank you, thank you!! Community Spotlight For the longest time, I've turned to complaining --- because I didn't know any other way to release that energy pent up by being frustrated about an outcome (or behaviour of certain people). Now that I've realised that there is always a way to channel that energy in a positive way. The main frustration that helped me put in a lot of energy in [this] project was that there are a lot of people that think that behaving like a jerk (or worse bullying others) is acceptable behaviour. But because I had come across one of Simon Sinek's talks --- I realised that one way I could help was finding ways to encourage others (that these people are likely feeling disconnected). And isn't life more fun when you do it with others? So, I created this project to bring in people who are similarly frustrated about the same things as me --- and want to do something about it. The best place to find all about the 10,000 Notes of Encouragement project is through the official page gofundme.com/10knotes) and there will be a link to learn more about me. ~ Leigh (Lay) Lim  Do you have a project that inspires and is making the world a better place? Email me Jodi@womentakingthelead.com and let me know what you have going on. I’d love to share some of these projects in my newsletter, on social media and perhaps in a future bonus episode. Topic for this week – It Starts With You When I was interviewing Alexandra Black-Paulick of the Positive Impact podcast in episode 77 she hit on a theme that I love and it was summed up in the quote she shared from Mahatma Gandhi, “be the change you’d like to see in the world.” What this quote is saying is it all starts with you. This is something I often talk about with my clients. If you want to have more peace in your life you need to take on being peaceful. If you want people in your life to be more considerate you need to practice being outrageously considerate. I was laughing with a couple of women in my BNI chapter when we gathered recently for a holiday partly. We all shared personal examples of how we on occasion do the opposite of this. For instance, it drives me crazy when other people are being judgmental. But it only drives me crazy because I’m judging them for being judgmental. Have you ever found yourself doing this? It can look like getting angry at people who are easy to anger, being intolerant of intolerance, gossiping about people who gossip, or complaining about people who complain. The list goes on… Let’s all laugh at ourselves and our humanity. Let’s take a breath. And now let’s commit to practice being what we’d like to see in the world. It starts with us. What would you like to see in the world? It all starts with you. That’s it from me for now. If there are any topics in particular you would like me to cover you can shoot me an email, Jodi@womentakingthelead.com or send a message through the website or any social media platform. I am a click away. Have a great week and here’s To Your Success!

Dr. Christine Maguire earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Providence College, and her Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, MO. She is also a Certified Chiropractic Wellness Practitioner (C.C.W.P.). Dr. Maguire is the author of HOPE 30 Tips to Overcome Cancer Naturally, and a contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul, where she highlights a patient’s story.  A long-time speaker at the Cancer Community Center and with twenty years of practice, she is in her dream job at Scarborough Family Chiropractic where she enjoys adjusting people of all ages, especially children; allowing them to experience the many health benefits of chiropractic care. Playing Small Moment After waking up with debilitating back pain as a teen, doctors told Christine that she would probably never play sports again. Losing her friends and team aspect was difficult for her. She actually believed she would never play again and felt sorry for herself. The Wakeup Call At each job, Christine found herself tolerating different things - for longer than she should have - before moving on to other jobs.  Once she realized this was happening again at her last job, she started visualizing what she really wanted to do.  Christine got the perfect opportunity, which she has found to be her dream job as she is helping more people than ever. Style of Leadership Christine leads by making closer relationships with people. She likes to give people hope and encouragement and takes the time to get to know them, whether it is an employee or a client. What Are You Excited About? Currently, Christine is excited about her book HOPE 30 Tips to Overcome Cancer Naturally, which has an easy read resource to help people heal. Leadership Practice Daily affirmations set the tone for Christine’s day, and for the future. Book to Develop Leadership The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg What Would You Change? Christine believes that setting goals is powerful for achieving success in your personal or professional life. Inspirational Quote “Everything happens for a reason.” Interview Links drmaguire@scarboroughfamilychiro.com http://www.amazon.com/HOPE-Tips-Overcome-Cancer-Naturally-ebook/dp/B00COVGZV6/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-christine-maguire-1657987  

Alexandra Black-Paulick is a business junkie at heart. Formerly working for nonprofits, she transitioned to marketing. Still feeling the pull of the nonprofit mentality, she stumbled into the world of social entrepreneurs. Inspired by individuals creating meaningful change in the world, she started the Positive Impact Podcast. This was the perfect blend of her nonprofit background, love for business and marketing outlets.  This new show elevates the work of movers, shakers and change makers creating a positive impact on the world, inspiring individuals like you and me to make our positive mark.   Playing Small Moment Alexandra and her husband relocated and were unfamiliar with their surroundings and didn’t know anyone in their area. She got a job at a nonprofit, the pay was terrible and leaving it was the hardest thing she has ever done because of her loyalty. The Wake Up Call Alexandra's husband was listening to Zig Ziglar books in the car, and he sat her down and asked how she was going to impact lives.  She struggled while mulling over that question. Style of Leadership Alexandra strives to model her leadership after her mentor. Her mentor gave her undivided attention during meetings and it was just an extra step to say, “I am focusing on you.” What Are You Excited About? Alexandra is holding a Virtual Conference in January 18-22 on Blab with Corps alumni who have moved on and become impactful change makers. Leadership Practice Alexandria uses Love Languages in her leadership. Basically, it’s a test to define how people around you perceive love. It empowers her to know how people like to receive feedback so she can implement the proper delivery. Book to Develop Leadership How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dan Carnegie What Would You Change? Looking back, Alexandra’s favorite memories were the moments she was present and enjoying her life. She would focus more on those moments and be open to possibilities Inspirational Quote “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Gandhi Interview Links http://positiveimpactpodcast.com/  https://twitter.com/impact_podcast  https://instagram.com/positiveimpactpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/positiveimpactcommunity/ http://journeytosocialentrepreneurship.com    

Lee Caraher started Double Forte in 2002 as a new kind of communications firm designed to provide the best service in the business. Previously EVP at Weber Shandwick, president and founder of Red Whistle, and VP of SEGA, Caraher has managed multiple offices and hundreds of people of all ages, and was named in the 40 under 40 by industry publication PRWEEK. She serves on the boards of KQED Public Media and Grace Cathedral, and is a member of Entrepreneurs Only. Caraher holds a BA in medieval history from Carleton College, which she finds useful every day. She lives with her husband and two sons on the San Francisco Peninsula.    Playing Small Moment When Lee worked and lived in LA, she didn’t know anyone. She worked in a place that was demeaning. Though she won many awards through them, the people she worked for diminished a lot of her work. Lee saw a lot of opportunities but everything was being second guessed. The Wake Up Call Her most recent wake up call was when Lee as sick a few years ago and kept working through it to the point she needed surgery.  During her time off, she trusted her team to handle everything.  After 3 weeks, she was feeling better but when she saw herself in the mirror, it became evident that she was a mess!  She realized then that she had to rearrange her life. Style of Leadership Lee would describe her leadership style as enthusiastically encouraging. She doesn’t feel the need to check everyone’s work; she trusts the people she hires. Her purpose is to help good people do great things. What Are You Excited About? Lee is excited about her book, Millennials in Management. Leadership Practice Taking care of herself makes her a better leader.  Lee makes sure to move around, stay hydrated and get enough sleep. Book to Develop Leadership Leadership and the Art of Conversation by Kim H. Krisco Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman The Advantage by Patrick M. Lencioni What Would You Change? Don’t pay attention to what people say about you. Inspirational Quote “And will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed.” –Dr. Seuss Interview Links www.leecaraher.com  https://www.twitter.com/leecaraher  https://www.linkedIn.com/in/leecaraher

Robyn Barnes lives in North Yarmouth, Maine, with her husband and two children, Nicholas who is 23 and Alexandra who is 18 and a freshman in college. Since returning to Maine in 1989, Robyn has managed and operated her own businesses, which allowed her to raise her children and work at the same time. Her latest adventure with co-owner Barb Brown is Carpe Diem, a wine room located in Yarmouth, Maine.   Playing Small Moment Robyn got a job at a law firm and expected to go in and take charge, but she realized that was not the case. The value of her contributions was not getting her anywhere. Robyn ended up staying at the law firm much longer than she should have. She feels like she lost a piece of herself from doing that job. The Wake Up Call When Robyn had her first son, she had a wakeup call.  She had always taken the traditional 9-5 jobs as long as they gave her a paycheck.  When her son was born, she decided she wanted it all, and she knew that she could have it all.  When she got pregnant, she wanted to work to fulfill her own needs, rather that everyone else's.  Robyn definitely had to make sacrifices to make it work.  She would stay up working until 2am and on weekends when things had to get done, to make sure her kids could stay home. Style of Leadership Robyn calls herself an extrovert and says she has a type A personality. She believes there are leaders and followers, and we need both. Robyn is a leader with an evolving leadership style. What Are You Excited About? Event planning has Robyn feeling really excited right now. Robyn loves being able to plan and bring joy to events, and she appreciates the opportunity for financial gain that is tied in with doing that job. Leadership Practice Listening makes Robyn a better leader. It’s been more obvious to her as she gets older. Taking the time to allow someone to open up brings another piece of importance to her leadership practice. Book to Develop Leadership The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz What Would You Change? If Robyn could tell her younger self anything, it would be not to take it all so seriously. Inspirational Quote “Never dull your sparkle.” Interview Links http://www.carpediemwineroom.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Carpe-Diem-Wine-Room-1540562549516400/?fref=nf

Dave Crenshaw is a master at helping business-owners triumph over chaos. He has appeared in Time magazine, FastCompany, USA Today, and the BBC News. His first book titled The Myth of Multitasking: How ‘Doing It All’ Gets Nothing Done, has been published in six languages and is a best seller in the time-management category. His latest book,  The Focused Business: How Entrepreneurs Can Triumph Over Chaos, is also a best seller in the small business category. As an author, speaker, and business coach, Dave has transformed thousands of businesses worldwide.   A Women Who Has Influenced Your Life  Dave shares how two women of the same name have influenced his life. His wife, Katherine, is an incredible leader. Dave admires her for her ability to get things done, with the gift of making people feel warm and welcomed in the process. She has a way of making everyone feel comfortable being themselves, and that has had the biggest impact on Dave’s life. The second Catherine is the founder of Defy Ventures, which aims to reform the prison system. Dave is inspired by how she always sees the best in everyone. No one wants to hire ex-convicts, so by teaching them about entrepreneurship, they are given the opportunity to take control of their own destiny. What He Sees That Holds Women Back  Dave believes women fall victim to over-commitment, and the “busy badge”. He believes women have thoughts such as: “I am going to do everything; I should be able to do everything because I am strong.” He acknowledges that women are strong, but with only 24 hours in a day, time can be a limiting factor. He sees a lot of people who have taken on the belief that ‘busy equals success’. According to Dave, busy is not success; results are success. What He Has Learned from Women  Dave has learned that—especially with women—it’s not just about making money, it’s about transforming the world. Angy Ford, who takes pride in transforming daycare, has taught him something very important: the finish line. Everyone starts their day out not knowing where it’s going to end. Just like in a race, the finish line defines where you are going to stop and allows you to better map out your day. The Necessary Changes  Dave has seen a lot of women feeling burnt out. He believes that you can do everything and that you are capable, but not all at once. It’s important to recognize your limits and make choices accordingly. When you continually say yes, you are chipping away at all of the yesses you said previously.  Dave shares that you can go into debt with time, but then you have to pay it back with interest. Inspirational Quote   “Conditioning is more powerful than discipline.” Leadership Practice  Dave’s leadership practice revolves around conditioning. He makes sure to clear his ‘physical inbox’ once a week, and ensures to tackle his unresolved points. Interview Links  DaveCrenshaw.com  DaveCrenshaw.com/freetime    If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community! 

Angie Fisher founded and created Coaching Success Systems in 2011 as a way to provide busy business owners with the full range of resources they need to accomplish their goals. What began as a part-time position became a full-time, thriving business by 2012, providing copywriting, graphic design, administrative and marketing assistance, and more, to several successful coaching entrepreneurs. As a mother of three children and an entrepreneur, Angie understands the importance of providing solutions that will help you reduce stress, grow your personal wealth, decrease overwhelm, stabilize your business during hectic times and find more free time to do what you enjoy.  Playing Small Moment Right before she hired her first team member in 2011, she took advice from mentors to create packages. The packages ended up being a disaster and didn’t fit in her. She figured out you have to be careful when you have coaches and trust blindly. The Wakeup Call Her goal was to grow her business while working her other job.  She found herself still working long hours after leaving her other job and needed to pull back.  At a networking meeting, she realized she needed to build a team. Style of Leadership Leading by example means respect, communication and taking accountability. She also practiced this in her life, not just work. Having an attitude of “we’re all in this together”. What Are You Excited About? She is working with a new coach and is excited about a new point of view. A lot of new changes, new programs and new clients. Leadership Practice Having open communication and meetings with her team. Keeping communication open, and having a project management system. All things come back to communication, and ensuring you have a good flow with everyone in your business. Book to Develop Leadership DECIDE:  The Ultimate Success Trigger, by Jim Palmer What Would You Change? To listen to her gut. Intuition is huge, and it can drive you in the right direction or keep you from moving forward. Inspirational Quote “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it...” - Wilferd Peterson Interview Links http://www.coachingsuccesssystems.com/  Free Gift: http://www.coachingsuccesssystems.com/womentakingthelead/

Lane Kennedy, is a Life Liberator & Business Igniter for go-getting, kick ass women who are ready to think bigger and get noticed! She’s been a serial entrepreneur, turned a startup into a legit business that brought in over a million dollars in sales in less than 18 months.  Spun rough sketches of lingerie into a booming business where thousands of garments were being shipped out every year. Gone off the grid to work for a non-profit in Bangkok, creating a program that served to empower women across the country and get them off the streets. She is a proclaimed...foodie, mama, fiction writer, recovering fashion model, biohacking freak and Beatles-lover. She can’t live without... yoga, meditation, prayer, music and cheese. And the longest relationship she’s had is...with her dog, Jackson, 13 years and counting! Playing Small Moment An investor told Lane that he didn’t want to hear her strategy on how to bring in money and how to be ethical n his company. She stared at him and sat down. She realized that she had become a statistic. Lane was shocked, as had heard about this but never actually experienced it. She lost her confidence in that moment. The Wake Up Call Lane's wake up call ended up in her taking an exit from the lingerie company.  Her eyes were sunken in, she was working 16 hour days and not being present in her life.  Lane had to work back into things that kept her grounded and back into her life. Style of Leadership Lane gives her people full power to execute what they’re going to do. She also makes sure not to micromanage. What Are You Excited About? Lane is excited about her second draft of her book about finding your north star. She is also passionate about upgrading your lifestyle and is working on a project that focuses on that. Leadership Practice Lane uses Slack so she can get out of her inbox and just pay attention to work. Book to Develop Leadership Pitch Perfect by Bill McGowan What Would You Change? She would tell her younger self to take it slowly. Interview Links Game Changer Society: http://thegamechangersociety.com/ https://instagram.com/gamechangersociety connect@lanekennedy.com https://twitter.com/lanekennedy https://www.facebook.com/lanekennedylevy https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanekennedy If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Mercy Nthiga likes to say, that growing up in Kenya, she did everything she “should" do. Studied hard in primary school, passed the 8th grade exams that allow a small % of Kenyans to continue to secondary school, became one of the 5% that graduated secondary school to attend university. Completing university put her in the top few percent of Kenyans. For all that, facing 60% unemployment, it still took years to find work.  That’s when she determined to find a better way for herself, and her country. She came to Houston, and scrambled through more to become a radiological technologist. Mercy has started a business to focus on genuine education of children – which Mercy perceives as essential for kids in America and Kenya.  Her business is Entertain to Educate My Child . The business is built on the realization that our children are our greatest responsibility. The mission is to maximize the time parents spend with kids as opportunities for education, and to form a community where parents support each other in our greatest calling on this planet. Playing Small Moment Mercy struggled through school, but made it a goal to finish school and go to college. She attended college in Houston and still struggled to find work. At a job that she held for 4 years, she struggled with tardiness as her daughter had to be dropped off at school before she went to work. This had not been favored, but was tolerated by management at the time. Once management changed, she was forced to choose between her job and getting daycare for her child. Style of Leadership Mercy realized that once people are bored, they tune out. She tries to make things fun, jovial and entertaining with her work. What Are You Excited About? Mercy is really enjoying Periscope. She has been doing 10-minute daily tip sessions on Periscope and has loved the interaction. Leadership Practice Thinking of who she is serving, Mercy tries looking from their point of view to help the situation. Book to Develop Leadership Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert What Would You Change? Mercy believes we become who we are because of our past, but she would tell herself not to be so willing to fit in with society. Nice girls don’t make history, so why not ruffle some feathers. Inspirational Quote “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its live thinking it is stupid.”    -Albert Einstein Interview Links Entertain to Educate My Child  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mercy.kay2 Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mercymercykay https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/magic-lessons/id1018969048?mt=2&i=348850892 If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Dr. Ellen Braaten is associate director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at MGH, and an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. She earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Colorado State University, has published four books, and is an educational leader and advocate for mental health.  Playing Small Moment Ellen was asked to start a new program to assess children with a wide variety of differences. She didn’t take on the role of a leader like she should have; she didn’t think of herself first. The Wake Up Call When Ellen’s oldest child entered middle school, she realized her daughter needed her in a different way. She had to start working part time and had to pick and choose parts of her job that were more important. Style of Leadership Ellen tries to hire good people and let them do their best. She gives them freedom and confidence to do a good job. What Are You Excited About? Ellen is writing multiple books with different partners right now and is feeling very inspired and motivated. Leadership Practice Ellen leads with empathy. It helps her understand where people are coming from. It can be an Achilles heel but it’s also very powerful. Looking at a problem through their eyes can be helpful in all partnerships. Book to Develop Leadership Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain What Would You Change? Ellen would tell her younger self: don’t worry, don’t hurry. Your career path is much longer than you think it is. Inspirational Quote “Bloom where you are planted” ~ Ellen Braaten Interview Links The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Mass General Hospital: www.mghclaycenter.org  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/massgeneralclaycenter/?ref=hl  Twitter: @MGHClayCenter  Ellen’s handle: @ellenbraaten  Google +: https://plus.google.com/101617766762117356957/videos  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdGAoFma-eEZL4ywneftIg  If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Laurie Lachance was named President of Thomas College in 2012. She is the first woman and to lead the College in its 120 year history. Before coming to Thomas, Laurie served as the Maine State Economist and is an author and speaker on the economy, leadership and education. Laurie holds an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College, an MBA from Thomas College.    Playing Small Moment As a female in a predominantly male field, and a predominantly male college, Laurie was used to being the only female. She was always questioning herself, wondering if she could really do it. Once Laurie was working for the college, she still found herself questioning her actions. Until the board asked her why she couldn’t just do it, why she was playing small. The Wake Up Call When Laurie was working for the power plant, she encountered someone who questioned her self worth and her actions. This caused her to have a lot of self-doubt and it started to affect her work. In order to regain the balance in her life, Laurie found that she had to pull back get more in tune with her life. Style of Leadership Laurie’s leadership style is collaborative. She really likes to get the insights of the people around her to come up with the best solution. It may look like it’s a sign of weakness to others, but it’s not. Laurie believes in getting the best ideas out on the table so you can move forward in the best direction. What Are You Excited About? Laurie is excited about her new Center for Innovation in Education. This new program will add teaching and learning in a proficiency level instead of age based learning and it will integrate technology into learning. This new center will also integrate the arts into curriculum, taking the country from STEM to STEAM. Laurie is hoping to transform how teachers teach in the future. Leadership Practice Laurie starts each day with inspirational message and ends each day writing 5 things in her gratitude journal. Book to Develop Leadership The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Possibility-Transforming-Professional/dp/0142001104 Live Your Dash, Linda Ellis http://www.amazon.com/Live-Your-Dash-Moment-Matter/dp/1454912227/ Thrive, Arianna Huffington http://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Redefining-Success-Creating-Well-Being/dp/0804140863 What Would You Change? Laurie would tell her younger self to focus on balance a lot earlier in life; try not to sweat it, don’t throw yourself into your work fully until you hit the wall. It’s a lot harder to come back from the wall. Inspirational Quote “Set a goal so big that you can’t achieve it until you grow into a person who can.” - Unknown Interview Links www.thomas.edu  president@thomas.edu   Social media:  @Thomas_Top_Dog https://www.linkedin.com/pub/laurie-lachance/55/526/565  Facebook.com/ThomasCollege  https://www.youtube.com/user/thomasadmissions If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Nancy Marshall started her PR firm 25 years ago. She believes in the power of old-fashioned relationship building combined with the use of technology, such as social media, email, and the web. She holds a BA from Colby College and an MBA from Thomas College. She is also certified as a Personal Branding Strategist. She has two college-aged sons, and she enjoys supporting them and their friends in their athletic and academic pursuits. Playing Small Moment While Nancy was in her mid twenties and working at a ski resort, she had an injury after surgery from pushing herself too much too soon. As she lay crumpled on the floor, she was told she would never move up as a woman. The Wake Up Call Nancy was headed on a fitness trip and broke her ankle, but didn’t want to accept it. She desperately wanted to go on the trip, and hoped she could make it through. After another fall, she ended up realizing she wasn’t taking care of herself. Style of Leadership “Enthusiastic” sums up Nancy’s leadership style in one word. Nancy wants her people to know that she supports them enthusiastically and that they have a piece of her business that they can each grow. What Are You Excited About? Nancy is thrilled about her new audio book that will be on Audible soon. She was surprised how much she loved recording it and plans to do that with other books as well. Leadership Practice Nancy participates in a national network of agencies that meets often. Networking with others inspires her and ensures that she is keeping up with the latest business trends. Book to Develop Leadership Youtility by Jay Baer What Would You Change? Nancy wishes she had taken care of her own needs: taking time off when she needed it and cutting herself some slack. Inspirational Quote “Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear it is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant gorgeous talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We are born to make the manifest, the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some us of it’s in all of us. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Maryann Williamson Interview Links www.marshallpr.com www.prmaven.com Twitter: @maineprmaven LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancymarshall If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Sara Speicher, a wife and a mom of two little ones, helps women entrepreneurs make greater impact, serve their client better. Integrating business consulting and coaching, this international best-selling author’s specialty is helping mom-business owners, who are stuck due to a change in life or shift in business, make more money, have more time and more fun. Sara, who holds an MBA degree and is a former internationally recruited NCAA D-1 basketball player (at 6’1” she still rocks her high heels), and her husband are also avid travelers. Playing Small Moment Growing up, Sara was always told not to brag, because no one cares. Well, playing small held her back. Because of the fine line between bragging and using her accomplishments for marketing and credibility, she often sold herself short. The Wake Up Call She battled Post Partum Depression, she saw an offer for a health program and it clicked that she needed to start focusing on her health and her family. It came down to feeling bad for herself or doing something about it, so she chose to make changes. Style of Leadership Sara has a combination of different leadership types. She always puts her people first, and believes heavily in leading by example. She is always open about making changes with her leadership and parenting. What Are You Excited About? Sara is excited to give another look at her business, and having more time to spend with the girls. Leadership Practice Sara relies on trusting her gut as a leader. Book to Develop Leadership Circling the Sun by Paula McLain What Would You Change? Sara would tell herself to stop thinking and start doing. Inspirational Quote “One dream could change your life.” Interview Links www.saraoblakspeicher.com If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Sheena Yap Chan is a blogger and speaker whose sole purpose, drive and passion is to help women live a better life through entrepreneurship. She continues to inspire women through her blog; by showing marketing and social media tips as well as mindset tricks that will help women take away any blocks that is stopping holding them back from greatness. She also has a podcast helping women building up their self- confidence. It’s called The Tao of Self Confidence. Playing Small Moment Sheena was working at an office, and wanted to move on to a better job with higher pay. She shared this with a coworker and he told her she was already overpaid as a woman and she wasn’t going to find a better job, that she should just be happy where she was. Sheena believed him and stayed at that job for an additional ten years. The Wake Up Call After her break-up with an ex, Sheena was feeling pretty out of it. She joined a woman’s support group and through their support and activities, she was able to heal and see her true potential. Style of Leadership Sheena leads by being the example. She believes in walking side-by-side with who you are leading. If Sheena shows that she can do it, than others will follow. What Are You Excited About? Sheena is excited about working more on her brand new podcast. Leadership Practice Sheena believes in celebrating every little thing you were able to accomplish each day. When you celebrate all of your successes, you will attract more success. Book to Develop Leadership The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod What Would You Change? If Sheena could tell her younger self anything, it would be to trust yourself more. She would ensure herself that the decisions she was making are going to a right direction. The self-sabotage us woman subconsciously practice isn’t helping us. Inspirational Quote “Behind every successful woman, is herself.” Interview Links http://www.thetaoofselfconfidence.com https://www.facebook.com/sheena.y.chan

Director of a training institute and founder of several training businesses, Becca has a PhD in clinical psychology and advanced certifications in Love Science. She is a relationship expert and is passionate about helping couples have rock solid relationships, helping men and women understand each other and develop secure attachment. As a Certified Trainer of Emotionally Focused Therapy she trains therapists around the world how have successful couple therapy practices. She is a therapist and sees couples for intensive treatment in Baja California, where she lives.  Playing Small Moment Becca speaks about having what she thought was a good job, but not having a voice and not feeling empowered. She talks about a time she stood up for herself with a driver and held him to the consequences she had laid out. The Wake Up Call Becca explains not settling for being taken advantage of at her workplace anymore so she started her own business. Style of Leadership Evolving is how Becca described her leadership style. She used to just rely solely on herself, but she has evolved and become a collaborative leader. What Are You Excited About? Becca is most excited about podcasting, Periscope and any new formats of reaching people. She loves to have that connection. Leadership Practice Becca believes in collaboration on her team, so everyone can be creative. She ensures weekly check-ins without over-managing and letting her team do their best. Book to Develop Leadership Love Sense by Sue Johnson Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker What Would You Change? Becca would tell her younger self to get help sooner for the hard things, and to ask for it. Inspirational Quote “If you can rely on others, you can do everything you dream” ~ Dr. Rebecca Jorgensen Interview Links Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/eftdoc FB: https://www.facebook.com/MindfullyMarried  Periscope: www.periscope.tv/EFTdoc  Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/DrRebeccaJorgensen   Website: rebeccajorgensen.com   Free Handout for your Listeners - Love and Leadership 
 Text: TakingTheLead to 33444    If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Cathi is an internationally acclaimed expert in the ancient art of Feng Shui. She has 20+ years’ experience consulting and teaching and has worked with over 1,000 clients around the globe. Cathi's work has helped clients increase revenue, reduce stress, resolve conflicts, build health and more. She is the host of the Feng Shui Mastery Show podcast.   Playing Small Moment Cathi believes that often our environments are dictating, they try to convince us we must stay small. She shares the start of her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 8, and tells of her experience looking after cars for fans during matches. The Wake Up Call A cancelled job in Japan to mend Cathi’s hip resulted in her wake up call. Cathi learned so much about healing while in traction. She started reading about Zen and Chinese philosophy which resulted in becoming more observant about her surroundings. Style of Leadership Cathi comes from a holistic perspective and believes in taking care of all of the elements. Her leadership style is inclusive, global and involves the five elemental balance. What Are You Excited About? Cathi is excited about her upcoming projects. She is currently creating a video for her space clearing procedures and offering all-in-one Feng Shui kits. Leadership Practice Communication makes Cathi a better leader. Being honest with herself is a very important role in her communication style. Book to Develop Leadership Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Millionaire-Mind-Mastering-Wealth/dp/0060763280   What Would You Change? Cathi would tell her younger self that even if you think you can’t do something, still go and do it. Still take those steps to that vision, no matter how much you feel you can’t do it. Inspirational Quote “A mathematical journey with geometrical intrigue.” Interview Links http://www.fengshuimasteryshow.com http://www.wealthyspaces.com https://www.facebook.com/Cathi-Hargaden-143654305651664/timeline/?notif_t=page_user_activity   If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Michelle Raber is an insurance agent and registered representative with the #1 insurance company in America. She has worked for the same company for 22+ years – starting in Maine and then moving to NY for 6 of her 10 years as a corporate employee in human resources and as a technical specialist. You can take “the girl out of Maine, but you can’t take Maine out of the girl” and after getting married in Scarborough Maine in 2000, moved to the same town in 2001. With the help of a great mentor, she made the decision to leave the Corporate world and open her own agency in Scarborough in 2003. Since opening her business, she has earned many national awards, mentored 4 coworkers to help them open their own businesses or move up within the organization and loves the work she does and the people she works with. She is happily married to Jeff for 15 years and loves to take their 2 dogs Jack and Bodie on walks on weekends. Playing Small MomentMichelle shares her experience being stuck in a situation when a client needed help with something and she wasn’t experienced in what he needed, so she felt stuck. The Wake Up CallMichelle read a great book by John Maxwell about working on your strengths. She learned that recognizing her strengths and always striving to learn would lead her to success.Style of LeadershipMichelle’s leadership style is a collaborative style. She likes to have a vision. So, she sketches out the outline and works with her team to color in the spaces. What Are You Excited About?After putting it off for years, Michelle has just taken insurance courses. Now that she has accomplished that huge task, she is going to Hawaii for graduation and to celebrate with her husband. Book to Develop LeadershipThe Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen What Would You Change?If Michelle could change anything, she would be kinder to herself. Inspirational Quote “You can have everything you want in life if you help other people get what they want.” - Zig Ziglar Interview Linkshttps://michelleraber.com/   If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

As the founder of Dating with Dignity and with more than 25 years of personal relationship and dating experience, Marni Battista has dated, was married for 17 years, divorced, and then successfully dated again (and married!) in the 21st century. Marni is a certified professional Dating and Relationship Coach and Expert, writer, and nationally recognized print and online magazine expert covering dating and relationships. Marni also has a weekly dating/relationship web show (The Dating Den) with over 2.6 million views, and she was named one of the 10 Best Women’s Dating Experts by DatingAdvice.com. Marni just published her most recent book, Becoming Irresistible, which uncovers the 3 simple steps you need to take to get high-quality, relationship-ready men to pursue you, adore you, and commit to you for life.   Key Takeaways 02:45 Marni shares what she has been doing since she was last on the show. 06:00 Do men have more confidence than women? 09:13 Marni describes Sexy Alpha Fem 12:52 Jodi and Marni discuss chivalry 16:22 Marni talks about effortlessly becoming irresistible 20:26 Jodi and Marni talk about trust and forgiveness 23:42 Marni explains the Three Keys to Being Irresistible 26:45 Being in relationship without those keys 27:29 Added benefits of learning the keys 29:42 Marni talks about her favorite quote 30:39 How to get in touch with Marni   Inspirational Quote “Don’t let fear get in the way of your biggest dream, even if your biggest dream is your biggest fear.”- Marni Battista Interview Links www.datingwithdignity.com   If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!  

Dr. Aline Potvin is a naturopathic doctor, teacher, medical muse, and healthcare advocate.  Her love of working with patients in her family health practice in Arundel, ME is only surpassed by her deep desire to educate and support families to become independently healthy, and bring that forward into building community.    Playing Small Moment After medical school, Aline moved back to Maine and worked with mentors to help her in both business and practice and feels that having mentors and coaches is very important. Recently, she found that working with certain coaches and taking their advice was making her lose her focus and vision for the values she wanted to grow in her practice.   The Wake Up Call Aline was feeling overwhelmed and fatigued, but she was also wanted to help her practice in more ways. She was walking and realized that her title was technically doctor but she really was a teacher. Aline had been conditioned to think how a doctor would normally think, but made changes to the art of her practice to help her patients in a way that really worked for her.   Style of Leadership Aline believes her best leadership quality is finding other’s natural gifts and helping them contribute to a cause using their gift.   What Are You Excited About? She has been focusing on her writing lately and finds that using writing as her creative outlet has been very satisfying.   Leadership Practice Aline’s best thoughts and reflections come from the water. She tries to incorporate any form of water to keep her balanced, whether it is walking by the lake or relaxing in a bath.   Book to Develop Leadership The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer (http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Asking-Learned-Worrying/dp/1455581089)   What Would You Change? Aline would tell her younger self not to wait too long to take her power back from wherever it was dispersed. Taking time out each night before bed to take back you power is very therapeutic.   Inspirational Quote “Unused creativity is not benign.” Brene Brown   Interview Links Website: www.arpnaturod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arpnaturod Twitter and Periscope handle: @wellnesssaid Blog: www.wellnesssaid.com YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeyUrQTtZ5FSbmUytQhdwDg   If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Susie Miller, known internationally as The Better Relationship Coach,™ is an Author, Speaker, and Coach. Susie is dedicated to helping you create better personal and professional relationships in 30 days or less! Susie equips high potential entrepreneurs and executives to reduce stress, improve communication, and most importantly, not bankrupt their relationships in pursuit of profits – so they truly can Maximize their Success! Susie has been featured in major news outlets including Forbes, Fox News, Entrepreneur, and is the bestselling author of Listen, Learn, Love: How to Dramatically Improve Your Relationships in 30 Days or Less! Susie has been married to John for 32 years, and they have 3 adult children. http://womentakingthelead.com/susie-miller/

Edie Berg has had multiple careers, including physical therapist (most rewarding), private chef/caterer/culinary instructor (awesome), and executive administrative manager (pays the bills). Briefly, she was also a pattern maker (extremely briefly), periodontal dental assistant (did not love), technical writer (really did not love). She was born in Israel, grew up in California and Western Australia, and lived in Canada and Boston. She is the mom in a blended family of her four kids and his two kids. Edie has her own podcast, the Strong Women’s club, where she brings on top-echelon women who share how they got to where they are, and how we are all members of the Strong Women’s Club! http://womentakingthelead.com/edie-berg/

Joan Sotkin is the award winning author of Build Your Money Muscles, host of The Prosperity Show, business and personal coach, business owner, and popular podcast guest. Her passion is helping people improve their relationship with money and themselves. Her sage, holistic approach emphasizes how your internal environment affects your external results and she provides great advice, based on years of learning and experience, on how to address that. http://womentakingthelead.com/joan-sotkin/

Shannon Moss is a passionate journalist who has called Maine home since 1999. A former TV news anchor, Shannon is now the owner of Code Gratitude, a mission-driven company in Maine dedicated to showing our appreciation to those who serve us every day by offering special deals and discounts from local businesses. CodeGratitude.com connects supportive businesses with the men and women in Law enforcement, Fire, EMS and Military. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, is also known for using her celebrity to spotlight and support multiple causes she believes in.  http://womentakingthelead.com/shannon-moss

Before starting her business, Val worked for many years as a school social worker in the inner city schools of Chicago.  She worked with students in crisis, providing individual and group counseling services to students dealing with abuse, neglect, violence, hunger, mental illness, and she also worked to provide immediate psychiatric hospitalization for students who were suicidal or homicidal. She is now coaching individuals who come to her from around the world. She believes that everyone is capable of living an energized and impassioned life, and she loves to make the impossible POSSIBLE.  Valerie is also a motivational speaker, the host of the Inspiration With Val podcast, and is the founder of Ryan Banks Academy, a nonprofit seeking to build the first boarding school for inner city youth in Chicago. http://womentakingthelead.com/valerie-groth/

Angie Swartz, Founder of Life Purpose Advisor, is a Life Coach and an Executive Business Coach.  Angie’s mission is to empower people to find their life purpose and to improve personal mastery through knowing themselves, incorporating daily practices and transforming their bodies.  She believes that we all know our life purpose but can’t recognize it until the time is right in our lives.   http://womentakingthelead.com/angie-swartz/

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year was celebrated on September 14 and 15. Schools are back in session. Well, I’m not Jewish and I don’t have children but this feeling of new beginnings is not lost on me.  How about you? Do you have things around you in your life reminding you to celebrate what has come to pass and prepare for what is to come?  http://womentakingthelead.com/bonus-episode-time-for-a-new-beginning

Honorée Corder been a successful entrepreneur for almost twenty years as a business coach, successful author, executive coach, keynote speaker and corporate trainer. Almost all of her books are best-sellers, including her runaway hit, Vision to Reality. Honorée's mission is to inspire and motivate people to turn their vision and dreams into their real-life reality, sharing a leading-edge process she originally created for herself, and then eventually shared with executive and business coaching clients.  http://womentakingthelead.com/honoree-corder/

JoAnn Bartlett is a Strengths Strategy Coach and a Director of Marketing. Her passion is helping people understand and apply their innate gifts so they experience more authentic, fulfilled lives.  JoAnn has crafted a life and career aligned with her strengths and she enjoys helping others navigate the challenges of their professional and personal lives more effectively.  She is also the creator of Igniting Teen Strengths, a program designed for teens and their parents to identify and utilize their talents. http://womentakingthelead.com/joann-bartlett

Jen has a BA in Political Science and has a background in social media, brand marketing, working with military families and non-profit communications. Jen is the co-founder of She Percolates. She and her co-host, Danielle, believe success is an ever evolving concept – it is different for everyone – and each iteration is valid and worth celebrating. Their mission is to introduce their audience to interesting and inspiring women who live all different versions of success.  They strive to encourage women to live out their own version of success.  http://womentakingthelead.com/jen-hatzung

Kate Braestrup serves as chaplain to the Maine (Game) Warden Service. She is the author of a novel, Onion, and several bestselling memoirs. She has written for O, the Oprah Magazine,the New York Times, More Magazine and the Huffington Post. She lives in Maine with her husband, Simon van der Ven, and their six children. http://womentakingthelead.com/kate-braestrup/

I’m on this topic because I’ve had a personal experience with this recently and so has a close friend and then when I was facilitating my local mastermind group several of the members shared that this was something they were dealing with as well. Whenever I see a trend it’s a red flag for me that this is a topic worth discussing. http://womentakingthelead.com/people-who-bring-out-the-worst/

Kendra Wheeler is a health coach, certified personal trainer, and the owner of fitGOALS Training. She loves to partner with women in their 50’s to make themselves a priority so they can retire strong and energized. She inspires her community to make changes now because we don’t know how much time we have left. She also volunteers for the Patrick Dempsey Center and Hardy Girls, Healthy Women. https://womentakingthelead.com/kendra-wheeler/

Olympian Julia Clukey is a member of the U.S. Luge team and competed in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Julia announced this spring she will continue in the sport for her 18th season in 2015. She is also a spokesperson for the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association. http://womentakingthelead.com/julia-clukey/

Marc Mawhinney is on a mission to help coaches build stronger businesses! A lifelong entrepreneur, he achieves this with his daily podcast, Natural Born Coaches and his programs for coaches, including the 6 week intensive Seize Your Niche program. http://womentakingthelead.com/marc-mawhinney/

Renita Alexander is passionate about leadership! Convinced that anyone can learn to become a better leader, she founded Leadership Unlocked, a full service, leadership development company and is a co-founder of Profit Pathway, a global education company for aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders. http://womentakingthelead.com/renita-alexander/

Today, I’ve got a few things in mind. • Give an update from last week • Thank those who left ratings and reviews • And talk a little bit about something coming up in my business: being promotable. The same qualities and behaviors that make you top of mind in the workplace are the same qualities and behaviors that make you top of mind when people are faced with a buying decision. Are you the one people would love to hire and do business with? http://womentakingthelead.com/to-be-promotable/

Kristen is known for creating a core foundation for women to develop a powerful mindset and unstoppable energy to cross any finish line with ease and confidence. Kristen empowers women worldwide to stop settling for mediocrity, overcome obstacles and live in courage while kicking fear to the curb in a fun and inspiring way. Kristen is a regular guest, community producer and TV Host of Health Matters on Rogers TV promoting living your best life. Kristen's enthusiasm and inspiring approach is both empowering and guaranteed to leave you with confidence, courage and clarity to Step out of your way & Step into your Power. http://womentakingthelead.com/kristen-owens

Chloe Thomas has been working in eCommerce since 2003, learning how to increase orders, up customer retention, and manage customer service well. She is the author of 3 books, a keynote speaker, and host of the eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast. eCommerce MasterPlan is the result of years of experience, and was created to help eCommerce business people make the right decisions as they build their own path to eCommerce success. http://womentakingthelead.com/chloe-thomas/

I’ve got another bonus episode for you today and this week we’re going to be Going over your challenge from last week Thank those who left ratings and reviews And talk a little bit about playing small in our day-to-day lives www.womentakingthelead.com/bursts-of-courage

Jodie Rodenbaugh is a Love Agent with a unique triangulation of a tragic personal story, captivating professional knowledge, and a passion for increasing the life of others by empowering their love stories. She has over 20 years of professional study in human behavior and relationships, a Master’s Degree in Diversity Education, is a certified professional coach, and a gift of seeing what you cannot see yourself. http://womentakingthelead.com/jodie-rodenbaugh/

Jessica Kupferman is a Digital Media Strategist with over 15 years of experience working in the internet marketing space. Combining a mix of creativity and business development, Jessica works with companies and small businesses who want fresh ways of selling and growing online. Jessica is the co-founder of She Podcasts and the Podcasting School for Women, as well as the host of the new show The Moneycast, which explores how to monetize podcasts creatively. She is also an inaugural member of the Academy of Podcasters. http://womentakingthelead.com/jess-kupferman/

Over the last 10 years, Melissa has evolved from managing retail locations for two prominent Fortune 500 companies to becoming a highly sought after small business expert, author, coach and speaker focused on inspiring anyone who will take a few minutes to listen. Since her mid-west upbringing in Fort Atkinson, Iowa, Melissa has never forgotten the importance of giving back and paying it forward. http://womentakingthelead.com/melissa-krivachek

Steve Kidd is a 3rd Generation minister and business coach who has actually been selling since he was 5 years old! He is the first ever male host on the eWN Radio Network with his show Thriving Entrepreneur. Steve works with his wife Kathy and together they are WeHelpYouTHRIVE.com where they help people discover their passion and release it with authority to the world. http://womentakingthelead.com/steve-kidd-2/

Lori Brooks is a business consultant and Host of the Technology = Equality Podcast. She has spent over a decade developing customized techniques to help financial agents and small business owners; optimize work flow, streamline processes and increase productivity. Lori decided to take her consulting business on full time after health issues prevented a typical 40 hour work week. She began her entrepreneurial journey as independent contractor, before starting an online blog and launching The Technology = Equality Podcast. http://womentakingthelead.com/lori-brooks/

Denise LaRosa is a wife and mother of two girls and the founder and host of Mom Talk with Denise LaRosa, a podcast designed to motivate, inspire and inform mothers. Denise utilizes her parenting experiences and background as an elementary educator with a Masters degree in education to bring mothers invaluable resources and information on parenting. Mom Talk with Denise LaRosa peaked at #2 NEW&NOTEWORTHY on iTunes and has recently landed in What's Hot. http://womentakingthelead.com/denise-larosa/

Kamala Chambers is an Intimacy Coach, Launch Strategist, Best Selling Author, and Co-Host of the Lasting Love Connection Podcast and Thriving Launch Podcast. She supports entrepreneurs and coaches through every stage of their launch and in Lasting Love Connection her work is designed to help you understand the roadblocks to self-love and identify the tools necessary to help obtain the connection you desire in your relationships. http://womentakingthelead.com/kamala-chambers

Born with Cerebral Palsy, Win Charles has defied the odds by becoming an author. Her memoir I, Win is an amazing story of how she remembers her life through the years of having a condition called CP. Competing in the Kona Iron Man Triathlon, Win Charles truly is an inspiration to many. Today Win Charles is planning on touring the country and speaking to schools and institutions to raise awareness about cerebral palsy. She is also an advocate of veterans across the world. http://womentakingthelead.com/win-charles/

Before her immersion in health and fitness, Nicole LaBonde was a professional dancer, choreographer and actor in Philadelphia and Miami. Nicole is a certified Pilates instructor through the prestigious Romana’s Pilates program. She is the creatrix of CABARRET, a dance fitness class that blends toning barre work and cardio burlesque dance- a calorie-burning, muscle-sculpting, sexy workout! She is a contributing writer on Health, Fitness and Wellness for several online magazines and outlets. http://womentakingthelead.com/nicole-labonde/

Khadija, Ali, a healer, speaker, and teacher, uses her passion for advocating for women in matters of money, prosperity, and abundance to help them transform their lives.  CEO of Khadija Coaches, LLC., she has a passion for coaching women around healing their money story. Her philosophy stems from overcoming her own personal tragedy. In 2007, she was thrust into the role of single mom of five after losing her husband to colon cancer. Practically overnight she went from having no money to managing hundreds of thousands of dollars. In less than four years, she was broke all over again. Born from her personal experiences, Khadija designed her signature program, Warrior Women Wealth: Transforming Your Relationship With Money. http://womentakingthelead.com/khadija-ali

Luanne Cameron is a successful small business owner in Standish, Maine. Before becoming a business owner she implemented three front-line operational service centers for three Fortune 500 companies, taking them from start-up to high functioning businesses. Her specialties include strategic leadership, developing a team, relationship management, motivational speaking, and integrating a diverse work group. Luanne believes in planning on living life to 110 years young and giving 110% to everything she does! http://womentakingthelead.com/luanne-cameron

Tim Roberts is the Executive Director for BNI New Hampshire, Maine, Western Massachusetts, Central and Northeast Florida.  Tim is currently the 5th largest Franchise owner in the United States with 109 chapters and over 2,700 members. Tim, and his dedicated team of 5 Managing Directors, and 30+ Director Consultants helped their members generate over 87,500 referrals $70.5 Million in take home (net) business in 2014, and over $370 Million over the past 10 years. Tim hosts the BNI and The Power of One podcast, the Success Through Referrals podcast, and with his partner Mike co-hosts the Tap Handle Show, a podcast about beer. http://womentakingthelead.com/tim-roberts/

Jodi Womack, creator of the Women’s Business Socials brings women in business together to have vibrant and meaningful connections in person and online. She also co-founded The Womack Company with her husband, Jason. Jodi delivers innovative ideas with integrity and an authentic desire to see everyone succeed. Jodi turns best possible scenarios into everyday success. http://womentakingthelead.com/jodi-womack

Deborah L. Parker is Chief Inspirer, Author and Speaker of The DPJ Training Group based in Leesburg VA. For over 15 years she has specialized in result focused programs on leadership, career and diversity management for public and private sector clients. She is also Adjunct Faculty at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville providing performance coaching and learning facilitation for senior government leaders. In her work Deborah blends experiences as an Army Reserve Officer and corporate manager with a B.A. in Sociology from the College of William and Mary plus a M.A. in Human Resource Development from George Mason University. Get inspired ▶ http://womentakingthelead.com/deborah-parker/

As an Author, Entrepreneur and Mom, Mary Kathryn Johnson has created success for over 12 years. A fall while pregnant with her second son landed her with her first book, and business, and she is now on her third business helping other Parents create their own Entrepreneurial success with her podcasting, blogging and online courses. Get inspired ▶ www.womentakingthelead.com/mary-kathryn-johnson

As the owner of two six+ figure businesses built from the internet, Rachna brings real world expertise to helping her clients use the Internet to make money more efficiently as they build their online communities. Get inspired ▶ http://womentakingthelead.com/rachna-jain/

Angela L. Walker Franklin, who became Des Moines University’s 15th president in the spring of 2011, is a native of McCormick, South Carolina and a 1981 Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Furman University, a small liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina. A licensed clinical psychologist, she completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Emory University, followed by a yearlong clinical internship at Grady Memorial Hospital. Angela L. Walker Franklin has worked in higher education for more than 20 years. Prior to her arrival at DMU, she held faculty and administrative positions at both Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Get inspired ▶ http://womentakingthelead.com/angela-franklin

Dr. Jodi LaBossiere simply and honestly, teaches women to show up in their greatness! Best-selling Author, Host on TV and Radio, Doctor of Asian Metaphysical Sciences, Reiki Master, Print and runway Model, Esthetician and Beauty Expert. Jodi arrived in America and was awarded the EB1 visa: A Person of Extraordinary Ability. She remains recognized by the USA governing body, as being in the top 1% of her field. Jodi currently works with both corporate and private clients, focusing on health and wellness. By mentoring, Coaching and giving real, practical advice, Jodi advances women towards their career and personal goals She passionately shows us all, how Getting Healthy can make you Wealthy! Get inspired ▶ http://womentakingthelead.com/jodi-labossiere

Barbara is an executive coach, professor, and workplace learning specialist. She helps professionals advance their careers through leadership development coaching and training. She is also a lecturer in the Management Communications Program at the Wharton School. She is the author of Commit to Confidence: 30 Strategies to Help Women Step Up and Stand Out. Barbara received a Master’s degree in Psychology from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a proud member of Red Sox Nation. Get inspired ▶ http://womentakingthelead.com/barbara-roche/

Christy Monson has a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Psychology from Utah State University, and an Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and Marriage & Family Therapy from University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She established a successful counseling practice in Las Vegas, Nevada. She loves to write and enjoys adding positive energy to the world. Get inspired ▶ http://womentakingthelead.com/christy-monson/

Danielle Chatay has an extraordinary appetite for solving problems and creating solutions. She has made it her mission to help womenpreneurs like her succeed by launching their dreams and growing their business. Danielle utilizes her years of education, professional and personal experience to light the path of entrepreneurship for women through her dedicated services at Give Back Genie. Get inspired ▶ http://www.womentakingthelead.com/danielle-chatay

Joel is a podcaster, a bestselling author, a seasoned media pro, and an expert in helping authors, podcasters, and content creators become known in their niche. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Joel earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech and his MBA and master's in counseling from Amberton University. His latest book, Finding your Voice, hit the #1 spot on Amazon in three categories - success, self esteem, and happiness; on the same day, in the same hour. Get inspired ▶ www.womentakingthelead.com/joe-boggess

Lara Loest is a business owner with a background in marketing communications. Her love for personal and professional exploration led her to live overseas and earn a Master’s in Women's Studies. Currently Lara resides in San Diego where is building a thriving business with her Show Notes Made Easy business. Get inspired ▶ http://womentakingthelead.com/lara-loest

Julie Austin is an award-winning author, inventor, and innovation speaker. Her patented product, swiggies, wrist water bottles, have been a NASDAQ product of the year semifinalist and are currently sold in 24 countries. Julie and her products have appeared on The Today Show, The Queen Latifa Show, HGTV, Lifetime, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX News, and the Wall Street Journal, along with dozens of TV shows, magazines and radio shows around the world. She’s been a keynote innovation speaker for corporations such as Procter & Gamble and has been featured in the books “Patently Female” and “Girls Think of Everything”. www.womentakingthelead.com/julie-austin

Christie is a career coach and Founder of the The Revolutionary Club, a coaching practice and the Forbes Top 100 website for your career. She’s on a mission to help YOU find your passion (because it beats hating your job). https://womentakingthelead.com/020

Gabriella Guglielminotti Trivel was born in Italy and studied foreign languages at the University of Turin, her home city. She is an author, speaker, and qualified Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). She has travelled around Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Antarctica. In 2012 she published a book, 'Antarctic Odyssey a New Beginning', about her adventures there. She helps women to gain confidence, authority and fulfillment in life by knowing better their body. She also helps couples improve their relationship when the cycle is a problem to find a more satisfying way to communicate and have better intimacy. http://womentakingthelead.com/gabriella-trivel/

Kim Pisolkar, CEO of Small Biz BIG Breakthrough and creator of the “Get It Done! System" is passionate about helping business leaders taking back control of their time, energy and to do list so they can have more fun, flexibility and profitability. She is a contributing author in the Amazon #1 Bestselling Book, “Women Living Consciously” and is regular contributor to the Huffington Post. https://womentakingthelead.com/018

Cathy Flynn is a proud mother and grandmother. She has been married almost 46 years to her husband Richard. They have 8 children and 11 grandchildren. All 8 children have graduated from college and are successful. Cathy, herself, graduated from college when she was in her late 40’s. Her passions are her children, grandchildren, and the Catholic Church. Her hobbies are reading, crocheting/knitting, and babysitting her grandchildren.   www.womentakingthelead.com/cathy-flynn

Rich Brooks is founder and president of flyte new media a web design and marketing firm in Portland, Maine. He is a nationally recognized speaker on entrepreneurship, digital marketing and social media.  He is a founder of The Agents of Change Digital Marketing Conference, an annual conference on search, social & mobile marketing. He runs The Marketing Agents Podcast where he interviews marketing experts from around the world on search, social & mobile marketing.  He is also a regular contributor at SocialMediaExaminer.com, the world’s most popular social media marketing blog. http://womentakingthelead.com/rich-brooks/

When Norma Yaeger acquired her New York Stock Exchange license in 1962, she didn’t know of any other women in the industry. The Stock Exchange didn’t even allow women to step foot on its floor. But having just escaped poverty in NY’s Catskill Mountains, and determined to support her children, Norma wasn’t going to let the exclusionary traditions of the financial industry stop her from becoming a stockbroker. During her long career she founded a mutual fund and two security brokerage firms that transacted millions of dollars of trades every day. She made fortunes and folded companies, all while raising five children. Persevering to achieve the work-home balance, Norma rose through the ranks of a male-dominated industry, opening the door for young women who would come up behind her. www.womentakingthelead.com/norma-yaeger

Shannon is the Founder and Client Success Officer of Dream Local Digital, a digital marketing agency that has worked with thousands of small businesses across North America. She has over 15 years’ experience in the development of successful internet products, sales and marketing strategies and has worked on the team developing successful Internet Brands such as cars.com and careerbuilder.com, and over 60 online media properties for newspapers all over the U.S and Canada. Prior to that, she spent over 10 years in media sales and sales management in Maine. Shannon is considered an expert in the field of online marketing and social media and speaks regularly at conferences on the subject. She was recently named a Digital Innovator of the Year by Local Media Association. http://womentakingthelead.com/shannon-kinney/

Jeanna Gabellini is a Master Business Coach who supports conscious entrepreneurs to double (and even triple) their profits by leveraging attraction principles, proven strategies and fun. Her top-tier private coaching and sold-out seminars have allowed committed entrepreneurs to blow past their self-imposed limits, ditch the drama of overwhelm and move into radical joy, inner peace and ever-increasing profits.   http://womentakingthelead.com/jeanna-gabellini/ 

Kelly Lundberg is a renowned entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author, who has built her cutting-edge empire from the fabulous world of fashion styling. Kelly has a best-selling book and a successful iTunes application under her Hermès (air-maze) belt, as well as a thriving business, which she now manages on a day-to-day basis along with her fashion-forward team. In her latest book, Kelly Lundberg shares her 7 Step Styling Formula™ to launch and grow your styling business. https://womentakingthelead.com/kelly-lundberg

Marcia Bennett works with professional women teaching them to be more intentional and resourceful. She provides interactive workshops and seminars on ways to use your time more effectively and stay organized. Marcia is an author and is currently obtaining a PhD in Law, Public Policy, and Administration. She wants women to achieve the desired results they seek by applying proven strategies to do so. http://womentakingthelead.com/marcia-bennett/

Former award-winning corporate manager, public advocate and home schooling mom, Maura is enjoying her Third Act as cultural journalist for the 21st century. Boston College graduate and world traveler who has pioneered her own path to success, Maura is an author, podcaster and Huffington Post contributor inspiring others to "Live Happy - Inside Out." http://womentakingthelead.com/maura-sweeney/

Carol Hess is passionate about two things – the power of words and the empowerment of women.  After 30 years in the communications industry putting the power of words to work as a writer and editor, it was time to make a shift.  Carol founded Star Polisher, an online and Maine-based business that offers workshops, private coaching, and group retreats designed to encourage and inspire women to play big and shine.       http://www.womentakingthelead.com/carol-hess  

Dr. Pei is a radio host, speaker, dentist and a business leadership and communication fanatic. She came to the US in her 20’s from China and is currently the business executive and co-host of the “ReLaunch” show. She is also a gifted endodontist (root canal specialist) and yoga instructor. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, Tae Kwon Do, and playing doggie-mom. She calls herself: a part-time dentist living a full life. www.womentakingthelead.com/pei-kang/  

Kate Erickson is the Content Creator and Community Leader over at EntrepreneurOnFire, a 7-day a week podcast that interviews today's most inspiring and successful entrepreneurs. She is the host of Kate's Take: The EntrepreneurOnFire Audio Blog and author of The Fire Path: a step-by-step guide to help you create a solid foundation for your business! Kate is passionate about helping entrepreneurs create systems and processes to promote efficiency and bring clarity to their journey. www.womentakingthelead.com/kate-erickson

Dr. Mekel Harris, a licensed psychologist, serves as a professor, practitioner, and researcher throughout Los Angeles County.  Her expertise lies in health psychology, assessment, and consultation for children with health conditions, as well as their families. Throughout the past five years, she has presented at over 25 national and international conferences targeting pediatric health issues, including grief and loss.  Personally, Dr. Harris experienced the death of her mother in December 2012; since then, she made it her mission to impact the lives of those journeying through the grief process.   http://womentakingthelead.com/mekel-harris/

Sabiha Vorajee is the Founder & CEO at High Value Woman. She is passionate about helping women tap into their innate power through utilizing the skills and talents they already have, and leveraging them in our dynamic world, so they can have the success they want, and earn the money they dream of. www.womentakingthe.com/sabiha-vorajee

Bree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres.   She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians.  You can find the links and resources mentioned in this episode here: http://www.womentl.com/bree-noble  

Josey Milner is part small town teen, part road-worthy country starlet, and starting at only 17 years old, she turned heads and changed hearts with her debut US single, “Not Pretty Enough.” The song thrust Josey into the country music spotlight, launching her anti-bullying campaign with Angels and Doves, earning her a 2013 Independent Country Music Award nomination for Promising Young Artist, a Top 10 Hottest New Artist designation, and a Number One single on the world’s first independent country music chart, Indie World.> Now, 19 and a recent Magna Cum Laude high school graduate, this CMT.com Top 20 Artist has taken her initial successes to greater heights with “Cowgirls,” which reached #1 on New Music Weekly and Top 75 on Music Row! http://www.womentl.com/josey-milner

As the founder of Dating with Dignity and with more than 25 years of personal relationship and dating experience, Marni Battista has dated, was married for 17 years, divorced, and then successfully dated again (and married!) in the 21st century. Now a successful dating and relationship coach and expert, Marni helps men and women create awareness of dating behaviors that can cause frustration and then provides a proven-successful framework to ultimately attract quality partners and get the love they deserve.  Find all the resources and links here: http://www.womentl.com/marni-battista  

Amy Clover is the force behind stronginsideout.com, a site that inspires you to overcome any kind of struggle through fitness and positive action. After struggling with depression and suicide, Amy turned it all around with the help of movement and positive mindset reframing. Now, she helps others do the same through Strong Inside Out. Find all the resources and links here: http://www.womentl.com/amy-clover

In this first episode I’m going to introduce you to the Women Taking the Lead podcast, let you what you can expect in future episodes and tell you a little be about who I am. The focus of this podcast is to inspire women from humble beginnings to overcome self-doubt and lead with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.  www.WomenTakingTheLead.com