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Women Taking the Lead

The Women Taking the Lead podcast is a resource for women leaders, allies, and organizations looking to promote more women into senior leadership. Episode formats include specific leadership challenges, "on-air" coaching with women leaders, and interviews with internal talent and organizational development leaders. Women Taking the Lead inspires women to overcome self-doubt and lead with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.
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Now displaying: April, 2018
Apr 30, 2018

Hello everyone and thank you for joining me. In last week’s 100% Jodi episode I talked about the book The Dip by Seth Godin. Godin describes The Dip as “the long slog between beginning and mastery.”

I have to tell you after writing and recording that episode it was like psychologically I was in The Dip in every area of my life. Has that ever happened to you?

I was catching up with a friend and talking about all the amazing opportunities that have been coming my way in my business. On paper just about everything is fantastic and I have many reasons to be grateful.

And then I ended my update with “and I am so [insert expletive] bored with my life.”

Daily the lyrics from Bruce Springstein’s song Dancing in the Dark kept running through my head and after meeting with my mastermind group at the end of last week I know exactly why and I’m going to get into that in just a bit.

What I’ve been going through has gotten me thinking about the Tolerations Detox Challenge we did at the beginning of the year and I think it’s time to bring it back again but I’m going to do it a little bit differently.

Instead of releasing the 5 challenges every other day, starting on Monday, May 7, I’m going to release one a week for 5 weeks. I heard all your feedback and it was tough to keep up with the challenges and I know many of you did not like falling behind.

With each challenge coming out once a week it will be no problem for you to identify 2 things that you are tolerating or avoiding in the area selected for that week (think home and transportation, work and technology, health and wellness, etc.). Then you’ll have the whole week to address them before the next challenge comes out.

If you are interested in joining in the Tolerations Detox Challenge for this round and getting back a whole bunch of energy before the summer begins sign up at womentakingthelead.com/tolerations to sign up!

This week is the month-end episode so that means an update on goals but as promised in the last episode I’m going give the updates and comment on whether I’m crushing the goal, if I’m experiencing The Dip, or if I’m starting to wonder if something is a Dead End.

To review, in The Dip you’re doing a lot of hard work and you may not be getting a lot of traction but there definitely is progress or you can see where your efforts are going to turn into progress. With a dead end things don’t get better or worse. They pretty much stay the same.

Goal #1 Build more strength and endurance

The original goal for strength and endurance was to do 300 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form in one session by June 30 but I completed that in February. Crushed that goal and set a new goal.

My burpee goal is now at 1000 burpees. Separately, I have a goal to do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year.

I have started incorporating pull-ups with the pull-up bands into my workouts during the week. I really shouldn’t say it’s incorporated into my workouts because the truth is I work from home so I do pull-ups whenever I think of it or feel like doing pull-ups which isn’t very often.

I don’t dislike pull-ups and I’m starting to do them more often. It’s just a new activity being incorporated into my day so I’m sure this will pick up and become a daily thing this month.

At first I could only do one or two assisted pull-ups with each attempt and now I’m up to four pull-ups with the band.

As of the day I’m recording this episode I have completed doing 500 spartan-regulation burbees (chest to ground) in good form in one workout session and by the time this episode goes live I’ll have done 525 in one workout.

The 500 burpee workout took me 1:43:49 to complete so I have to start planning my workout within larger time blocks.

Yes, doing the workout is a slog but I wouldn’t say I’m suffering through it and I’m definitely making progress. With this goal I am in The Dip but I am leaning into it and enjoying the positive consequences of doing a workout that intense on a weekly basis.

I’ve also increased the intensity of my separate strength-training and cardio workouts to support doing the burpee workouts with more ease.

Goal #4 Do a Women Taking the Lead branded full-day event in the summer or fall

In October, which is breast cancer awareness month, I will be collaborating with Emily leRoux, the Spartan Women Global Leader of Spartan Races, Inc. to do a “Burpees for Boobs” event. I am going to coordinate the event here in Maine but the intention is to have these events happening globally in October.

As I reported in last month’s update there has not been a lot of extra time to make significant progress on this goal but I am continuing to share this goal with people who are ready to take action as soon as things are in place.

I’ve got The Maine Women’s Conference coming up on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 in Portland, ME as well as some corporate workshops that need my attention but come June I’m going to be shifting my focus to this event.

Side note: If you have not bought your tickets for The Maine Women’s Conference you can purchase your ticket at themainewomensconference.org. We have Caroline Paul and Maysoon Zayid as keynotes, there will be two panel discussions and I will be one of 12 breakout session speakers. I’ll be talking about one of my favorite topics: How to Grow and Leverage Your Network with Ease!

Again, go to themainewomensconference.org to buy your ticket and I’ll look forward to seeing you there.

I keep reminding myself each week as I do my burpee workout that the preparation to do 1000 burpees at the Burpees for Boobs event in October is the work I am doing to prepare for that event, for now.

For this goal I have not made enough progress to hit The Dip or a dead end so I have no commentary here.

Goal #3 Increase profitability in my business

Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year.

March’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $2854.72. That is better than February’s profit of $493.82 but still far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000. Some of my largest business bills come due in February and March and that is past now so I’m looking forward to seeing what the next few months bring.

Am I experiencing a dead end in this area? No.

This is what the slog looks like. I am making progress. The work I am doing is making an impact and I am getting more inquiries for training and coaching. It just takes time and consistent effort to get to the tipping point.

I have been reviewing and tweaking the strategies I have for increasing the profits in my business that may not be getting the traction that I hoped for.

I am continuing to offer the Energy Leadership Assessment, strategy sessions and private coaching. I also will be running a group program over the summer around transforming who you are in your career and business so you can start getting traction and hitting your goals with ease.

I have also been spending more time talking about the corporate trainings during my BNI meeting and in the networking coffee dates I’ve been having. The word is getting out so now my job is to continue to spread the word and create a landing page for the corporate workshops I offer on my website.

Goal # 5 Outsourcing

Goal: (contingent upon profitability goal) to outsource social media content creation and email inbox management.

If any of my goals feel like a dead end this is the one because it’s based on my profitability goals and I haven’t hit my target on that goal yet.

Something I also didn’t plan for well was figuring into my profitability goal the fact that my business expenses would go up at first to pay for more virtual assistance as I brought in more money. I may start sharing my profit number with and without the expense of outsourcing to show more progress.

Goal #2 Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man

In relationships I am not looking to be the best in the world but there are dips and dead ends in relationships that I am becoming more familiar with.

I need to be open-minded and recognize when the work is to stay open-minded and compassionate, while at the same time be able to gauge when there is no chemistry. Or worse, when there is chemistry but the guy is not available, for whatever reason, so I’ll know when to cut my losses and move on.

I have found myself getting a little tired of the process of finding a partner, at least on the dating app.

In my exhaustion I have been questioning my goal in terms of do I need to be in a relationship or is dating casually good enough? Do I care if he’s seeing other people? Am I looking for a partner or am I okay with male attention from someone who at the very least considers my feelings.

I had even considered casually dating someone whose life wasn’t suited to the time commitment of building a relationship. I wondered if I could see him occasionally while I continued my search for a partner. We just got along so well and had great chemistry that I didn’t want to move on.

Who am I kidding? I still don’t want to move on. We had a lot of fun when we were together and I enjoyed the male attention. It is like sunshine on your skin.

The reality is though all those things are okay to start with, I ultimately want a partner, and I know I would become emotionally involved if I continue to see him, and thus emotionally unavailable to other men. It’s the recipe for disaster.

And it’s difficult to walk away from semi-good sunshine into a cold shadow once again.  That’s where the boredom started and why the song Dancing in the Dark kept popping into my head.

When I broke down my feelings and my perspective with my mastermind group last week it was pointed out to me that almost all my time and successes were coming from masculine pursuits.

I was spending hardly any time in feminine pursuits. For me this would look like singing, dancing, flirting, gardening, conversations that are not around business, politics or religion.

Flirting and having romance in my life is important and it’s not something I’m capable of denying anymore.

What I’ve also come to realize is, though there is a progression, I want someone to share my life with and I want to be a part of their life.

And where I am in the process right now, being on the dating app, takes practicing patience. I say practicing because I’ve also come to realize I am not naturally a patient person; I have to work at it.

It will also take having thick skin, not taking things personally, and consistently letting go of the past and being open to something new. It takes holding to my boundaries, being honest about what I’m looking for, keeping it light and fun, and not lowering my standards just because I’m temporarily feeling lonely.

None of this is easy. It’s as Seth Godin says, “the long slog between beginning and mastery.” It’s The Dip and I am in it. However, as the cliché goes, I am in it to win it.

Okay, that’s it for now. Again you can join the Tolerations Detox Challenge at womentakingthelead.com/tolerations to remove all the little things in your life that are zapping your energy and leaving you feeling drained by the end of the day and the end of the week.

As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead.

Zebralove Web SolutionsYour website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make!

Resources

Private Facebook CommunityChat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to DoingA simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Apr 23, 2018

I feel like it has been a while since I have personally said hello to you. I was horribly ill at the beginning of April and that messed up my production schedule a bit but I am back in full health once again and doing burpees like crazy.

In the “March update on goals” episode I mentioned that I would be talking about The Dip by Seth Godin next and I think this is perfect timing. You’ll have to let me know if this topic resonates with you right now or not but it definitely resonates with me.

“The Dip” Seth Godin explains is a natural phenomenon that occurs when you set out to achieve a goal. At the beginning it’s exciting and interesting so you have a lot of energy and it’s easy to stay engaged.

Then The Dip happens. Seth Godin describes it as “the long slog between beginning and mastery.”

The Dip is what separates the half-hearted from the committed. It is the naturally occurring obstacles (bureaucracy, administrative work, study and practice) that are unenjoyable but required to achieve the goal.

Depending on the goal some dips are longer than others. Think about med school or the career track to becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Typically the bigger the goal the bigger the dip and that’s why so few people emerge on the other end and ultimately achieve that particular goal.

If something is worth doing you will usually find a dip

Podcasting is one of those things with a relatively big dip and it’s the reason most podcasts fade after a couple of years. It takes doing a lot of work for a long time week in and week out to grow a loyal audience.

Many people go into podcasting to make money but they quickly realize it’s a marathon and not sprint and they give up before the podcast has a chance to pay off.

Seth Godin also puts forth that that successful people don’t put up with The Dip they actually seek it out and lean into it.

This has been true for me and podcasting as well. I’ve leaned into the work and as a result I’ve grown my network exponentially, I’ve become a better communicator, coach, and human being. I’ve definitely been in The Dip with Women Taking the Lead but by no means has it been wasted time.

According to Seth Godin If you’re not willing to work through the dip you’re better off not investing the time and energy to even start. You are better off investing your time and energy in something you are willing to get so good at you see a return on your investment.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started and stopped learning a second language because I love the idea of being fluent in another language. I spent countless hours to not even become mediocre because I didn’t have the staying power and the perceived benefits were not enough to get through the dip.

I now take that time and invest it in my podcast and becoming a better host, coach and community leader.

Are you in a dead end?

In his book The Dip Seth Godin also talks about another situation that can look like a dip but is actually a dead end. This is a situation where you work and work and work and not much changes; it doesn’t get better or worse. Think dead end jobs and dead end relationships.

It’s important to recognize if you are in a dead end situation so you can get out of it fast because the dead end will keep you from doing something else that would provide better opportunities and results.

There’s a stigma against quitting but the reality is successful people quit all the time; but it’s important to know when to quit. Strategic quitting can actually make you more successful (i.e. letting go of commitments that are distractions to your goals). While reactive or serial quitting can work against you.

Quitting is difficult because it’s hard to admit you’re not going to be that good at something or you’ll never have the opportunities that you hoped for.

Never stay in a dead end because you don’t like the short-term stress. Not quitting when it would be hard to quit is a bad decision.

I’ve seen this with relationships, jobs, investments, team members, marketing plans, etc. If it’s hard to quit or pivot people tend to keep on doing what they are doing even though they are not happy.

If something is not working and it’s not getting better with increased efforts deal with the short-term stress and cut your losses.

You can’t do The Dip halfheartedly

If that’s your plan you’re better off not getting started. If you want success you have to:

(1) Recognize if you are in a dip or a dead end. Are you moving forward and making progress?

(2) Having recognized you’re in a dip you have to give it your all especially when it gets stressful because that’s when the transformation takes place.

Quitting in the midst of a true dip is a waste of time and energy and is very foolish. Do the work, push through The Dip and reap the rewards and long-term benefits of sticking with it and giving it your all.

Never quit something with great long-term potential because you don’t like the short-term stress.

Next week I’m going to be giving a progress report on my goals and with each one I’m going to cover if I’m experiencing The Dip in any of them or if a goal is appearing to be a dead end.

Until then, join the Facebook group to be in community to get support and have some fun with other women who are working on their goals too. If you’re going to be in The Dip anyway let’s go through it together. Go to womentakingthelead.com/group to join us.

As always I hope this was helpful to you and here’s to your success!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

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Zebralove Web SolutionsYour website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make!

Resources

Private Facebook CommunityChat, share and collaborate with other women listening to the podcast!

Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to DoingA simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Apr 16, 2018

Anna brings her special blend of creativity and analysis, along with a commitment to excellence, to all that she does. Anna founded CreativeIQ in 2016 and leads a dynamic team partnering with clients seeking their consulting services in business and organizational strategy development, along with copywriting and communications advice. Based in a small town in regional Western Australia, Anna has rapidly grown the business to service, literally, the world.

 Anna and I discussed:

  • Delegation
  • Crisis Mode
  • Having a "foot-in-the-door" product
  • Anxiety about others' opinions
  • Applying your zone of genius to your own business
  • Clarifying systems and processes

Links

Website: https://creativeiq.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annacreativeiq
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativeiqconsulting/

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Podcast Movement is the world’s largest gathering of new and veteran podcasters, or anyone looking to start their own podcast the right way. For $50 off any level of registration, visit podcastmovement.com and enter promotional code lead.

Zebralove Web SolutionsYour website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make!

Resources

Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community!

Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to DoingA simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead

If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

Apr 2, 2018

Angela Lussier is an award-winning speaker, five-time author, two-time TEDx presenter, and CEO and founder of the Speaker Sisterhood, a network of speaking clubs that help women discover, awaken, and create their voice through the art of public speaking. Angela is the host of Claim the Stage, a public speaking podcast for women rated #1 on the inspiring podcasts list by Forbes in 2017. She is a contributor to Huffington Post and her work has been featured on ABC, NBC, Forbes, Virgin, and Entrepreneur. Her motto:  Stop waiting. Start creating.

Playing Small Moment

Angela’s most defining small moment took place in 2008, when she was employed at an executive recruiting firm. Angela’s job was very refining. She sat at a desk all day, while making calls and reading the same script. Her boss approached her and asked her to create a presentation showcasing how she stood out from the other recruiters. Angela saw this as an amazing opportunity and put together a detailed presentation. After presenting at the meeting, Angela’s boss told her they knew her creativity would be a problem. Angela struggled to fit into the box they made for her, before realizing maybe the problem wasn’t her at all.

Style of Leadership

Angela leads by example. She shares her stores to inspire and show others how she got to where she is now. Angela also shares tips and shows them the steps they could be taking to move forward. Now that Angela has a staff working for her, she makes sure to ask lots of questions and welcome their ideas so it can be a more productive space, with her team more invested in their jobs.

What Are You Excited About?

Angela will be on a speaking tour throughout New England in April. The tour will help spread the word about speaking up and asking what for what you need at home, and at work. Angela will also be promoting her new book, The Secret Life of Speaking Up Prequel: 30 Tiny Speaking Adventures.

Current Business Challenge

As CEO, Angela is often weighed down by financial worries. There is cash flow and revenue, but they are so close to not being a sustainable business. Angela has a goal, and now has a plan to get there by next year.

Leadership Practice

Angela is a creative person who tends to come up with a lot of ideas, but when there are too many ideas going at once, not much gets accomplished. Angela’s ability to focus on 1 or 2 ideas at a time, and executing them before continuing to new ideas, really helps her lead effectively.

Advice For Younger Self

Surrounding yourself with coaches, mentors and a support team, is not essentially a bad thing, but you still need to trust and believe in yourself and the things you want at the same time.

Inspirational Quote

“Stop waiting. Start creating.”

Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelalussier
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelalussier/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelalussier
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakersisterhood
Speaker Sisterhood: https://speakersisterhood.com
Website: http://angelalussier.us
My episode with Angela on Claim the Stage: https://speakersisterhood.com/2018/01/10/podcast-ep-77-4-ways-to-get-out-of-your-own-way-and-put-yourself-out-there-with-jodi-flynn/
#SpeakUpTour2018: https://speakersisterhood.com/speakup/
“The Secret Life of Speaking Up Prequel: 30 Tiny Speaking Adventures” Book: https://speakersisterhood.com/tiny/

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Care/of: Care/of is a monthly vitamin subscription that makes it that much easier for you to take control of your health routine. Each month, you receive a box with thirty daily packs personalized for you. You can adjust your pack or cancel at anytime. Plus, there's free shipping on all orders over $20. To receive 25% off your first month go to https://takecareof.com/ and enter promo code: lead

Zebralove Web SolutionsYour website tells a story about your business! At Zebralove Web Solutions, Milly and her team are going to make sure your website tells the story you want your customers to hear. Connect with Milly at zebralovewebsolutions.com to create the impression you want to make!

Resources

Private Facebook Community: Chat, share and collaborate with other women in the community!

Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to DoingA simple, step by step system that gives you the foundation and structure to take your goals and make them happen.

Subscribe to Women Taking the Lead

If you enjoyed this episode subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music or iHeart Radio and never miss out on inspiration and community!

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