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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: June, 2018
Jun 25, 2018

In this review I have narrowed down my focus areas from 5 to 4, removing outsourcing as a focus area. Outsourcing is still going to happen and will occur as a part of my overall plan; it just won’t be something I focus on or measure for progress.

Focus area #1 Increase profitability in my business

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

With the help of my mastermind group and going through my goals review I have 4 sub-goals for this goal. These sub-goals are, in the next 6 months:

  • Have 12 new Executive Leadership Coaching clients. This is coaching that focuses on leaders within organizations to help them with their performance and happiness at work.
  • To do 10 corporate workshops.
  • Promote the DIY products that are on the website for sale
  • Do two more group programs by the end of the year.

May’s Profit and Loss report showed a net profit of $1658.40, down about 39% from April’s profit and still far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000. The good news is I have a new client, the potential for a couple more in the coming weeks and 2 corporate workshops in July so next month things should look a lot better.

If you know any ambitious overworked women who would like to make more money and achieve their goals while doing less, please send them my way. Thank you!

Focus area #2 Build more strength and endurance

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

Goal: I had updated my burpee goal to do 1000 burpees at the Burpees for Boobs event I’ll be planning to occur in October. Separately, I have a goal to do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year.

With this new review I’ll stop talking about the original goal of 300 burpees and only mention the goal of 1000 burpees going forward.

If you receive my newsletter you know I strained a muscle in my lower back putting a dish into the dishwasher and this is an injury that got worse before starting to get better so I have not been able to do my normal workouts this past week. However, I always plan a cushion. Knowing it was possible to get sick and/or injured during the 9 months I would be training I built in a 4 week cushion in case I needed to take a  break.

Pray that my back is well enough to begin training again soon and this will not be a concern.

For pull-ups I now have the reminder on my to do list every day so I’m getting them done. Starting to see some small progress and I’ll be looking to see what I can do when I’m no longer so uncomfortable.

Focus are #3 Romantic Partnership

Goal: Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man.

I am continuing to meet people, continuing with first dates but not seeing a lot of progress in this area.

While doing the goals mini-course I identified qualities that would help to take me to my goal. The ones that I specifically want to develop are being aligned, feminine, social, focused, disciplined and committed.

Then I identified the daily practices that would help me to develop these qualities. I was not completely surprised to see that many of the practices had to do with my self-care, especially sleep, a lighter schedule and transition time between meetings and activities.

This past week being injured and not feeling like my usual self, never mind feminine, it was hard to be engaged on the dating app.

When you’re sick or injured it is natural and appropriate to be focused on healing and so you need to be self-focused.

For me, it was taking so much energy to just compose messages back on the dating app it was ridiculous. And not surprising the men I matched up with were also self-focused. We had the same vibe going on; I was just pretending that it wasn’t the case for me.

My intention this summer is to take excellent care of myself so my best self and the self that enjoys being feminine and social can come forth. It’s a new strategy for this goal but it’s a good one.

Focus area #4 Live Events

Goal: Plan and execute the Burpees for Boob event in October in partnership with Marie Sola of Daughters of Change and Emily leRoux, the Spartan Women Global Leader and Global Partnerships.

In October, which is breast cancer awareness month, we will partner for a “Burpees for Boobs” event. I am going to coordinate the event here in Maine and Emily will coordinate these events globally.

Also, as a part of this focus area, though it is not technically a goal, I will continue to serve on the board for The Maine Women’s Conference to develop this start-up entity and plan the conference for 2019.

In doing the goals mini-course as a part of my review process I realized how important live events are to me. This is an area where I shine and part of the reason I chose to have workshops be a part of my plan to increase profitability in my business.

Have you reviewed your goals yet to see if they are still serving you and in alignment with your values and superpowers? Do you know what qualities will help you to achieve your goal and do you know how to apply your superpowers to get better results?

Did you not set goals at the beginning of the year and your thinking now is as good a time as any. Because now is as good a time as any. We still have 6 months left in 2018 and you can make a lot of progress in that time.

This entire mini-course is only $29. If you are interested in finding out more and accessing this mini-course go to womentakingthelead.com/goals. And as a thank you for being a listener of this podcast you can use coupon code goals10 to get $10 off.

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

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Zebralove Web 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

Create Goals that are Worthy of you: If you are done with either pursuing vanilla goals, suffering through the struggle of goals that are not aligned with your strengths, or dealing with heartbreak of an unattainable goal this course is for you!

Private Facebook 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.

Jun 18, 2018

I was thinking about last weeks episode and how it was all about getting out during the summer months to network and continue to meet people.

The following is a keynote address I delivered to the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce in January of 2016 on the power in community. Having shared it with some friends I was encouraged to re-purpose it for the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I hope you enjoy it.

It’s no secret that business owners like their independence. They like to set their own hours, be the ultimate decision maker and forge their own destinies. The same holds true for those shooting for the top levels of their organizations. They tend to be the people who want to be in the know and be the decision makers.

However, rather than a state of independence, it is a state of interdependence that has worked to grow economies and organizations.

It takes a village to raise a business

In my corporate career I was absolutely the benefactor of mentoring and partnerships. But, much like how a grammar school child makes friends, these relationships came naturally and developed through forced interaction, from working in close proximity with others.

When I started my business, however, the game changed. I had to seek out interactions and work at building business relationships.

Working for myself, there is no such thing as a forced interaction.

One of the greatest challenges my small business clients report is a sense of isolation and loneliness.

If you are a business owner most people in your life cannot understand your challenges or even your work day.

A few summers ago my sister, who lives over two hours away in Massachusetts, started a topic of conversation with the question, “you can work from anywhere, right?”

I responded flippantly with, “That’s the goal"…and "Why are you asking?

Her husband would be travelling to Kenya for a month and my sister, being a mother of 3 and a nurse who works the night shift, needed someone to spend an extensive amount of time with them through the holidays to help.

With the holidays typically being slow for coaching I agreed and scrambled to prepare to work a few less hours per day during the holidays.

Now, during this time my sister would also be hosting 8 people on Christmas Eve, 24 people for Christmas and my brother and his family, a family of 5 travelling from out of state, would be staying for six days bringing the total living in the household to 10 for that time.

After arriving I found out my sister, without consulting me, had changed her schedule so she could have the days my brother’s family would be staying off. This meant working double shifts of 3-11 and then 11-7 twice within the first 4 days of my arrival.

I was shell-shocked by the amount of work I was not able to accomplish for my business. It didn’t occur to her to inform me of the change because my work schedule was flexible and I could "get it done at any time."

I’ve joked about my flexibility in the past by saying, “this week I can work 50-60 hours whenever I want to.”

On Christmas Eve she also informed me she hadn’t been able to get any of her wrapping done yet and she was going to be up all night getting it done. Since I would be bunking with her that night due to the arrival of my brother and his family, my brain froze with that information.

I had already determined I was going to need to get up at 4 am to meet the deadlines in my business before the household woke on Christmas Day.

At 12:30 am we finished wrapping and 3.5 hour later at 4 am I woke to complete my tasks.

I kept reminding myself of the quote, “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

Sometimes that thought helped. Sometimes.

The next weekend it happened again, without consulting me two of her work shifts I had been unaware of were on the schedule requiring two double shifts in one weekend.

I kept feeling like figurative bombs were being dropped on me. I didn’t know what was going to come at me next.

It was with gratitude I returned back in Maine to happily work my own schedule but a lot of it was catch up and l think I continued to be shell-shocked from the whole experience for some time.

I tell you this story for two reasons:

  1. To underscore that most people in your life likely have no idea the blood, sweat and tears that have gone and continue to go into your business and
  2. That we all need a community to thrive.

Even with all the challenges faced, I know I made the right decision. The good experiences in Massachusetts far outweighed the bad and when I left everyone was happy, healthy and sad that I was going.

And to put it in perspective this was the same sister, when I contracted the flu and bronchitis at the same time when we were away at college, came to my room every day to help me to the bathroom, help me to eat and give me my medication.

We all help others and are helped by others in our turn

I am reminded of a poem I read in high school by John Donne.

No man is an island,

Entire of itself,

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thy friend's

Or of thine own were:

Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind,

And therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

It tolls for thee.

Soon after I started my business I was invited to a networking group. One of the members introduced me to another woman whom she thought would be helpful to me in my business. I met with this woman and she spent the entire meeting brainstorming with me on how best to get the word out about my new business.

I was so blown away and so thankful, and somewhat embarrassed that I wasn’t asking her how I could help her until the meeting was nearly over.

She replied, “When I started my business someone did this for me, now I’m getting to do this for you, and someday you’ll do this for another.”

I will never forget her generosity nor will I forget her message. The help we receive is meant to be passed on. It’s not for one it’s for all.

By lifting each other up we create an environment in which we can all succeed.

According to Vince Lombardi, “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.”

In March of 2014 Tom Post contributed two articles to Forbes Magazine based on data collected by Radius. In his articles, The Surprising Secret Behind Small Business Success and Why Small Business Communities Grow In Clusters.

Tom reports that the most hospitable locations for small businesses is “not based on their economic growth, but on factors that predict community engagement and access to resources. It turns out that small businesses tend to attract other small businesses, creating their own, distinct ecosystems."

By connecting and collaborating with one another they create an environment in which they can all thrive.

The statistics are grim for the 10 year survival rate of a new business.

Tom Post postulates that "aside from manic drive, moxie, hard work, creativity and luck" that perhaps "a sense of connectedness to a community" - local and global, on and offline - is what gives a company the edge.

Another quote I keep close by and read on occasion is by Margaret Mead. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

I’m going to offer you 6 good reasons not to go it alone that I found in an article by Jen Waak:

"Access to experts. No one person ever has all of the answers, and regardless of your ability to use Google, consulting with experts is always going to give you better information.

Pushing our limits. When working alone, it’s oftentimes too easy to give up when things get hard. By surrounding yourself with others working toward a similar goal or objective, you’ll get motivation, support, and friendly competition to push yourself just a bit further than you would have done on your own.

Support and belief. Some days those big goals just seem impossible. On those days when you most want to give up, you need to lean on your community the most. They believe in you—probably more than you belief in yourself.

New ideas. I truly believe that when you are working within a community of like-minded people that the wisdom of crowds is considerably greater than any one person working alone. Our divergent world views and lenses mean that we all approach the exact same problem in a slightly different way.

Borrowed motivation. Even on those days when your belief in yourself isn’t waning, doing what needs to get done can seem overwhelming. Look around your community and be inspired!

Accountability. If you’re an uber-responsible person, you may not want to admit to people you care about who are pulling for you that something didn’t get done. There’s nothing like having to be accountable to others to up your game."

Allowing others to help is hard, but it ultimately raises everyone’s game.

I encourage you to introduce yourself to one or two people you have not met before and find out more about them.

When you are networking in the coming week, find out what problems the other person is experiencing and ask how you can be of service to them.

Make it a goal to get out in your community and find out how you can contribute, even if in a small way.

Another saying I absolutely love is, “Many hands make light work.”

And lastly, look for the good in people. Recognize that we are all going through something and could use some compassion.

I will leave you with an African Proverb that sums it all up…

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Knowing how great it is to work in groups I considered running my group program again this summer but ultimately decided against it. Summer schedules tend to shift week by week based on vacations, events, visitors, childcare, etc. Not many people can commit to two group calls a week for 5 weeks. Instead for the summer I am offering quick-hit coaching sessions.

Quick-hit coaching sessions are 30 or 90 minute coaching sessions that allow you to get what you need to get over any humps and keep making progress in the summer without a big time or money commitment. If you've been considering coaching but the commitment has been holding you back this is a great option for you. You can find out more at womentakingthelead.com/quick-coaching.

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

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Zebralove Web 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.

Jun 11, 2018

Summer is just about here and we've actually passed Memorial Day in the U.S. which marks for us the unofficial start to summer.

You probably know all too well about the “summer slowdown” – that time of year when everyone seems to be on vacation or planning one. So big plans are tabled until fall, and unless you are in a seasonal business and this is your time of year it’s easy to feel like your business or career growth is in a bit of a slump.

Now I know not everyone listening to this podcast is in the northern hemisphere so if you are living somewhere and it's getting colder outside keep this episode in your back pocket as a future reference.

What I want to offer you in this episode is some reasons why it’s important to continue to network through the summer and some ways you can do it without feeling like you’re missing out on enjoying the gorgeous weather.

Networking in the Summer is the best!

What better time than during the longer sunny days to be face-to-face networking?

In fact, recent economic downturns have caused many shifts in how we do business. Customers today are now significantly more cautious when making decisions to buy anything, and there is a continuing – and growing – push to “buy local”.

And how does this compare to social networking - making connections with others via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or any of the many social platforms?

You might be wondering how in-person networking opportunities measure up against online social networking.

Here’s the thing: social networking is an awesome tool for your business that you can use to connect with people anywhere, anytime –virtually every successful business owner knows that. However, it is most effective as an awareness tool to be used to create more touchpoints before someone is willing to take a meeting or buy a product or service.

If you want to really accelerate your business or career growth – make more sales, hone your in-person communication skills, and even get new inspiration for your business – face-to-face networking is the answer.

Fun Networking Ideas to Spice up the Summer

1. Schedule 1-2-1 meet-ups at establishments with outdoor seating. Who said you had to sit indoors for the meeting to be more professional? Enjoy your meeting outdoors while you take in the beauty of a summer’s day. I love the idea of chatting with like-minded people in a friendly, open-aired environment.

Bonus tip: schedule these for mid-afternoon on Friday and call it your "last appointment." The pleasant meet-up and knowing you'll be starting your weekend early will motivate you to get work done in the morning.

2. Network while doing a summertime activity that you enjoy -Whether it's hiking, golfing, sailing or walking a nature trail you can network and enjoy the beautiful weather. Again, networking is not limited to sitting indoors. Let’s change our paradigm to suit the summer season.

3. Attend a conference to get involved in your field and make the connections you need to grow your business or your career. Here, you can connect with potential referral partners, joint venture partners, and connectors. This may involve travel to some cool places or at the very least get you out of your normal environment for a little while. Perhaps even be a tourist or a tour guide in your own backyard as you plan activities with other conference goers.

4. Volunteer - at fundraising walks, 5Ks, triathlons, or for any cause that resonates with you. Put some of the time you have this summer to good use by giving back to the community. Plus, you’re likely to meet a diverse group of people from all walks of life who share a common interest with you - or perhaps who will need your services or could offer you your next big opportunity.

5. Just be social! After all, it is summer – the time of backyard BBQs, endless youth & church events, annual picnics, college (and family!) reunions...you name it! Yes, these events may seem more “personal” rather than “business”, but who knows who you might meet up with?

Remember What Networking Is Not…

No matter what summer networking opportunity you decide to take advantage of, remember my #1 tip...

Don’t network specifically to “make a sale”. You are there to meet people. Is every single person you meet able to provide you a new opportunity? Of course not – but it doesn’t mean they’re not worth getting to know!

If you’re new to networking, I know how frustrating this can be. Over time, you’ll be able to polish your networking skills and reap the benefits of quality relationships.

It’s summer – use this season to your benefit by taking advantage of all the great networking opportunities that exist beyond the confines of your office. Get out there, start shaking hands and making eye contact – with real people – not with your computer screen!

Lastly, I would like to make a request. If you find value in this podcast please share it with your like-minded friends and colleagues. I am so grateful to the people in my life who shared their favorite books, courses and podcasts with me because they changed my life. And I remember exactly who shared those resources with me. Let’s continue to share the love and pay it forward.

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

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

TextExpander lets you instantly insert snippets of text from a repository of emails, boilerplate and other content, as you type – using a quick search or abbreviation. Go to https://textexpander.com/podcast and select Women Taking the Lead from the dropdown list for 20% off your first year!

Zebralove Web 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.

Jun 4, 2018

Alexa Gilmore is a vitality warrior who takes a stand for your fullest potential. As an acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, bodyworker, and coach, she takes a no-nonsense approach to the healing arts and expects positive outcomes: function rebalanced, harmony restored, resilience renewed. She welcomes guests from around the county to her clinic in Portland, Maine, where she specializes in chronic illness, women’s health, and skin disease, but her passion is to use optimal health as a vehicle for personal transformation.

Playing Small Moment

After months of seeing her maximum amount of patients each day, Alexa suddenly realized there was more she wanted to accomplish. Alexa knew that if she could get her hands on people uninterrupted for as many hours per day, magic would happen. So, why did she feel that it wasn’t possible? This helped her come to a realization about who she was and what she wants to offer the world.

Style of Leadership

Alexa starts off as a guide for her clients and patients, to help lead them back into their bodies. Then, there is a shift and she is leading the leader to help themselves. Alexa uses her enthusiasm to get her patients and clients excited about taking back power of their own body and health.

What Are You Excited About?

Alexa wants to take the information that she knows about Chinese medicine and make it mainstream. If you aren’t coming into her clinic, Alexa still wants you to know the information she has about how to take care of your body and the things you should or shouldn’t be doing to live a healthy life.

Current Business Challenge

Transitioning from a clinical space to an online space has been challenging for Alexa. She wants to stay fully present and one-on-one in her clinic, but also have time to create her online presence without feeling overwhelmed.

Leadership Practice

Alexa makes sure to carve out time each day to get some quiet time in, usually through yoga and meditation. That time gives Alexa the space she needs for her inner wisdom to come forward.

Advice For Younger Self

“Oh honey, it’s going to be okay.” Alexa would also give her younger self the book, The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer.

Inspirational Quote

"Be the first.
The first to say hello.
The first to compliment the other person.
The first to give credit.
The first to say sorry.
The first to offer to help.
The first to show up for someone else.
The first to set an example.
The first to offer hope.
The first to shine.
Be the first."
~Chris Winfield

Links

Website: http://www.atxacu.com
Website - Specifically for Skin Disease: http://www.atxskin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atxacupuncture/

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Zebralove Web 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.

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