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.
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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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“It could be worse.”
Website: https://spartan.com
Email: joe@spartan.com
Spartan Up Podcast: https://spartan.com/en/media/podcast/episodes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpartanRace
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!
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.
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!
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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: 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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Maggie is a prolific planner and often works in 12 week sprints.
“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.
“I run this day. This day does not run me, because otherwise, chaos will ensue.”
Website: http://www.scoopindustries.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/scoopindustries
Twitter: @magspatterson
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Diane is a firm believer in ditching the titles.
Diane would tell herself to develop a niche early on and not to wait until she has been in business for too long.
“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
http://www.taxcoach4you.com/
https://twitter.com/gardner_diane
https://www.facebook.com/taxcoach4you
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!
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.
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.
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: 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lynda would tell her younger self to listen to her gut instinct more and tune into her spiritual side.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Web: www.successfulbalancedliving.com
Email: info@successfulbalancedliving.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/successfulbalancedliving
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stephanie prides herself on being all in, in all that she does while pushing through any barriers that stand in her way.
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.
“Never allow a person to tell you no who does not have the power to say yes.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Website: http://stephaniebreedlove.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreedloveSteph/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BreedloveSteph
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
David has a book called, Courageous Conversations at Work, where he tells different stories about people and their challenging conversations, in storybook style.
“Better results require better conversations.”
http://humannatureatwork.com/
http://www.storiesthatchange.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!
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.
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.
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: 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
“We take observation into innovation.”
http://www.simonassociates.net/
http://www.andisimon.com/the-book/#onthebrink
https://twitter.com/simonandi
https://www.ocai-online.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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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: 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
http://oneclicklindsey.com
trafficandleadsmembership.com
https://twitter.com/oneclicklindsey
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: 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.
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!
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: 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.
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
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!
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: 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.
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
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: 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.
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
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: 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.
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:
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
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: 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.
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.
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: 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.
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 - jenhecht1
Let’s Get it Together, Sisters Facebook Group
WLVS 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