Clarity on Fire

Are you as fascinated by assessments and quizzes as we are? (I mean, we created a quiz, so obviously we love to nerd out on this stuff!).

It makes sense that most of us are so attracted to personality tests — there's something innately satisfying and powerful about feeling understood and not alone. When you see a result you resonate with, it immediately makes you feel seen and heard, which is something every human craves.

So, in the name of understanding ourselves better and using that knowledge to pursue a life that feels good, we sat down with Leslie McDaniel, a fellow certified coach and expert on one of the most popular assessments ever: The Myers Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI.

(If you've never heard of the MBTI, or don't know your type, that's just fine! You'll likely walk away from this episode with a clear idea of your results, without having taken the assessment yet.)

We got into …

• How the MBTI came to be (it was created by two women in the 1940s!)
• What the results measure, and how to understand the 4 spectrums—Introvert/Extrovert, Sensing/Intuitive, Thinking/Feeling, & Judging/Perceiving
• Common misconceptions that people have about their results (we were guilty of some of these!)
• Why it's so important to understand your personality type, and how you can use it to pursue a life & career that feels aligned with who you are (rather than contrary to who you are!)

MORE ABOUT LESLIE

Leslie is a certified professional coach who helps INFJ women bring their vision to life. She believes that few things are more powerful than someone at ease with her strengths, gifts, and quirks as she confidently lives out her purpose.

With a unique combination of creative skills and experience, Leslie brings a multi-perspective approach to helping others with the accountability and support they need to move forward. Her knowledge as an MBTI®-certified practitioner helps INFJ women understand their personality, celebrate their strengths, and claim their potential. Leslie serves other INFJ women through individual coaching and her weekly email, The INFJ Life.

You can get to know Leslie and check out her coaching offerings on her site, and connect with her on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

GET ON THE PPVE VIP LIST!

Our twice-yearly online group coaching program, the Passion Plan Virtual Experience, is going to be opening for enrollment in about a month!

It's a 5-ish week course (with a mix of pre-recorded videos, workbooks assignments, and live Google hangouts with the two of us) that helps you figure out what to do with your life. Think of it as the "AP Life" class you should have taken in high school, but never got the chance!

If you're on the VIP list, you'll be the first to know about our early bird pricing and the handful of free coaching sessions we're going to be giving away!

Join the VIP list here.

LINKS

• Leave comments on this episode here
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

I vividly remember opening the front door of my old office building and feeling a wave of dread and exhaustion instantly wash over me.

No matter how much sleep I got the night before or what upbeat music I listened to in the car trying to start the day more positively … the moment I stepped into that building, my energy was sapped away.

I felt like a balloon with a slow leak, and by the end of the day, I always ended up completely deflated.

I'd look around that office to see everyone hunched over their keyboard, guzzling coffee to keep their eyes open, hardly noticing when someone passed by their cubicle. I was surrounded by people, but it felt like none of us were really, truly "there."

The air was stale, and the walls were grey. It felt like a building full of people who had mostly given up. The energy of that office was so heavy that I couldn't help but feel the physical effects of sitting in that space every day, and it weighed on me. It was destructive and unrelenting.

In this week's blog, I'm sharing how to improve a draining workplace OR, if that's not possible, how to recognize when it's time to leave.

GET ON THE PPVE VIP LIST!

Our twice-yearly online group coaching program, the Passion Plan Virtual Experience, is going to be opening for enrollment in about a month!

It's a 5-ish week course (with a mix of pre-recorded videos, workbooks assignments, and live Google hangouts with the two of us) that helps you figure out what to do with your life. Think of it as the "AP Life" class you should have taken in high school, but never got the chance!

If you're on the VIP list, you'll be the first to know about our early bird pricing and the handful of free coaching sessions we're going to be giving away!

Join the VIP list here.

LINKS

• Read the written version of this blog and leave comments here
• Get on the PPVE VIP list here
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

A while back, I happened upon a quote as I was scrolling through Instagram that felt like a benevolent smack in the face (if there is such a thing):

"The true joy of life is being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." –George Bernard Shaw

I mean, DAMN. That's some deep wisdom and a sick burn rolled into one!

I immediately took a screenshot and told Kristen that we MUST talk about this quote on the podcast.

So, on this brand-new side chat, we're breaking down this mic-drop moment by George Bernand Shaw and getting into…

• Why your purpose doesn't need to be impressive or seem purposeful to anyone else.
• How you can be fulfilled without needing to feel like the most significant person in the room.
• Why it's critical for you to question the common definition of concepts like "success," "enough," and "impact."
• Why living a thoroughly good life is about taking small, daily risks, rather than big, flashy ones.
• How to let go of feeling like a victim to your circumstances (and get off the endless loop of complaining).

After you listen, come leave a comment about this episode! We'd love to hear how this quote, and our breakdown, is resonating with you.

Also, next week we'll be sitting down to record the September episode of Dear Krachel. So if you've got a burning question that you'd like us to tackle, come ask us here. We're game to answer just about anything!

IF YOU LIKED THIS, YOU'LL ALSO LOVE…

• Breaking your phone addiction with Kristen Kalp
• Getting unstuck from a beige existence with Nate Otto
• Stop looking for proof of what you DON'T want

LINKS

• Leave comments on this episode here
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

Allow me to assure you: I love the world we live in.

As screwed up as it can be, and as much work as it clearly needs (I'm lookin' at you, American politics), I wouldn't trade being alive in the 21st century for any other time. (You could tempt me with a time-traveling foray to ancient Rome, though. #historydork)

The western world is decidedly imperfect, but it's hard to argue with equal rights and the opportunity to decide for myself what "freedom" means.

I also love how much I, and my fellow women, are benefitting from the really loud — and rightfully so — ongoing dialogue about equality, particularly when it comes to our pay. Feminism (which is really not a complicated concept) has been made normal, and at this point it's pretty damn sketchy if you aren't on board.

Are you sensing a "but" coming?

I'm a coach who spends most of her time helping people — the majority of them women — figure out what their passion is and how to live it through their career.

And as a female entrepreneur, I'm in circles with a lot of other women in business. So it's safe to say that I've got a front-row seat when it comes to watching women "kill it" in their careers and actively pursue "having it all."

We're a pretty loud and proud bunch, too. And unsurprisingly, we've got a LOT of names for ourselves … in the form of hashtags, obviously. Say 'em as fast as you can:

#girlboss #ladyboss #bosslady #badassladyboss #bossbabe #businessbabe #bizbabe #womeninbusiness #womeninbiz #womenentrepreneurs #femaleentrepreneur #femalefounder … you get it.

It's quite rad that there are so many women making their mark on the world, and I love that we're celebrating each other's accomplishments.

BUT … (I feel like I'm telling a huge secret here) … I don't actually want to be a #girlboss, or even a #ladyboss, and certainly not a #bizbabe.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE E-BOOK!

This blog is one of the featured pieces in our free e-book: What am I meant to do with my life? (Almost) everything we know about finding your passion and having a fulfilling career.

Download the e-book, and check out the other free e-book collections here.

LINKS

• Read the written version of this blog and leave comments here
• Download free "I'm not in it to win, I'm in it to live" wallpapers here
• Free E-Book: What am I meant to do with my life? (Almost) everything we know about finding your passion and having a fulfilling career
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

So, I (Rachel) am turning 30 in just a few days. And in true nerd fashion, I wanted to celebrate by having a deep conversation. It's a party in Ravenclaw tower, ya'll. BYOB. Bring your own butterbeer. ;)

I insisted on being the "normal person" for this month's interview, because I'm always the expert (well, at least when you hear me on the podcast ... not so sure about the rest of the time!).

Kristen came up with a bunch of questions that I didn't get to prepare for, so enjoy my spur-of-the-moment musings about …

• How I feel about turning 30. (SO many mixed feelings!)
• The best and worst things that happened in my 20s (I delve into the worst year of my life … it was a DOOZY).
• What I used to believe, and why I no longer believe it.
• Why I couldn't take a deep breath for most of my 20s, and how I recovered from crippling anxiety.
• My best wisdom for anyone still in their 20s and looking to make the most of it (in true fashion, my advice is so NOT age-specific).
• PLUS, she subjected me to a SERIOUSLY DIFFICULT lightening round of "this or that" questions like, "Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle?" and "Order of the Phoenix or Deathly Hallows?" A true Sophie's Choice situation!

Want to give me a birthday treat? If you haven't had a chance yet, leave us a rating and a review on the podcast! It'd make my day!

And after you've listened, hop on over to the comments section and tell me how this episode resonated with you, and particularly what YOUR answers would be for the lightening round questions!

IF YOU LIKED THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL ALSO LOVE…

• Emotional constipation with Joanna Platt
• How to find your tribe and grow a network with Carolyn Birsky
• Side Chat: How to figure out what to do with your life

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver
• E-Squared by Pam Grout
• The Unmistakeable Touch of Grace by Cheryl Richardson
• Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle

LINKS

• Leave comments on this episode here
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

I hardly ever share this story because, well frankly, it's not my proudest moment. But here goes…

I quit my first full-time "adult" job after only 5 weeks. I'm not a total jerk, so I did give 2 weeks notice, but that only put me there for a whopping 7 weeks total. (That was not a fun conversation with my boss, let me tell you.)

Almost immediately after starting that job, I realized I'd made a big mistake. In my impatience to get a "real" job after graduating, I said yes to the first offer I got. And on Day 1 — walking around that tiny government office, surrounded exclusively by men three times my age, sitting in subcommittee meetings about topics I can't even care enough to try to remember now — I already had an unsettled feeling in my gut that was warning me, "Uh oh, this isn't right. You don't belong here."

A few weeks in, I'd just sat through my third hour-long meeting where we debated — inconclusively, once again — whether or not to create a company LinkedIn page (seriously?? This is LinkedIn, you guys, not a strategy for world peace), when I checked my email to see that I had another job offer.

The company offering me this new job was about as opposite as you could possibly get from the one I was already at. Where my current office was small, old, stuffy, and maddeningly slow-paced, this new company was large, young, casual, and fast-paced.

A total 180-degree contrast. I figured that if I hated this place, then I'd probably love something that was the complete opposite. So I jumped at it. Yeahhh, it doesn't work like that…

In this week's blog, I'm sharing how to use what you DON'T want to figure out what you DO want.

WANT HELP WITH THIS?

We made you a FREE downloadable worksheet that will walk you through 5 steps to use what you don't want to get clear on what you do want — particularly if what you do want is a dream job (though honestly, this process applies to anything and everything).

Enter your name and email at the bottom of this page, and we'll send the worksheet straight to your inbox

LINKS

• Download our e-book: What am I meant to do with my life? (Almost) everything we know about finding your passion and having a fulfilling career
• Read the written version of this blog and leave comments here
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

Welcome to another episode of Dear Krachel, a monthly advice segment where we answer audience questions about life, career, relationships, existential angst, and anything that helps you become a more whole, fulfilled version of yourself.

On this episode, we're answering questions from:

• Alyx, whose favorite team member just quit, making her realize that she actually hates working with the rest of her co-workers. Is it crazy to want to quit a job she loves because she can't stand who she works with?
• Amber, who's tried everything and can't find a way to get what she wants (be a stay-at-home mom to her son). What do you do when you're at the end of your rope, nothing has worked, and you don't know what else to try?
• April, who's curious about how we became coaches, and wants to know if we've got any advice for people interested in getting into coaching (we totally do!).

After you've listened, leave us a comment to let us know if our advice for these three ladies resonated with you, too.

Want to submit a question for our September episode of Dear Krachel? Fill out this form and you might hear us tackle your Q!

MUDDLED AND CONFUSED?

Sometimes it's really hard to get out of your head and know how you actually feel. How can you figure out what you really want when you can't see anything clearly?

If you've reached a point where you're tired of being stagnant and confused, AND... If you want individual attention, someone to hold you accountable, and the benefit of our substantial experience focused solely on you … all so that you can make more progress in a matter of months than you'd make in years on your own, then 1-on-1 coaching may be ideal for you.

Get clear on the details and reach out to us to talk about coaching here.

LINKS

• Leave us a comment on this episode
• Outrageous Openness by Tosha Silver
• The International Coach Federation (ICF)
• The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
• Email us at [email protected] with questions about becoming a coach
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz
• Submit your question for a future episode of Dear Krachel

A while back I was catching up with one of my very first clients-turned-friends. (Random aside: This is one of the things I love about coaching. You get to connect with really cool people who often end up becoming lifelong buddies.)

In our conversation she mentioned that an off-the-cuff (and definitely not super serious) analogy I'd made had actually really helped her to see life differently. So much so that she still thinks about it to this day.

(This story involves references to horses and aliens … so don't say I didn't warn ya.)

Rae, my friend and former client, originally came to me for some relationship coaching. Even though you'd think that talking about relationships is completely different than coaching around your career or passion in life … it's really not.

You take your beliefs, triggers and deep fears with you everywhere you go and into anything that you do. What prevents someone from having a healthy relationship is often the exact thing that's getting in the way of having an awesome career.

Anyway, Rae was struggling to let go of something (particularly, a relationship with a guy) that was no longer healthy for her. I'm sure you can relate, in one way or another—you know intellectually that you'd be better off moving on (from the relationship, the friendship, the job, whatever)—but you still feel tied to it because it's all you know.

I sent her an email to help her see things differently, and it changed everything for her. I'm sharing exactly what I said in this week's blog.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE E-BOOK!

This blog is one of the featured pieces in our free e-book: What is the POINT? A jolt of hope and practical advice for anyone going through an existential crisis.

Download the e-book, and check out the other free e-book collections here.

LIKED THIS? THEN YOU'LL ALSO LOVE …

• Getting unstuck from a beige existence with Nate Otto
• Blog: Why I highly recommend selective amnesia
• Blog: You're not broken or alone (you're just ahead of your time)

LINKS

• Read the written version of this blog and leave comments here
• Free E-Book: What is the POINT? A jolt of hope and practical advice for anyone going through an existential crisis
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

About a decade ago Katie Mongelli's life fell apart—she got divorced, became a single mom, and had to move to a different state, far away from the accounting business that she had built on her own and which had become her family's livelihood.

After losing almost everything and having to start over, Katie never took her survival for granted again. For the next 10+ years she built her business back up and then some, complete with staff in multiple physical locations, and a cash flow that provided for a beautiful home and lifestyle.

But even at the height of what looked like extreme success, Katie was the most miserable she'd ever been. Up until 18 months ago she was just scrambling to keep EXISTING; the possibility of LIVING and actively enjoying her life wasn't even on the table.

To say that everything has changed in the last year-and-a-half would be a big understatement.

In this episode of the Clarity on Fire podcast we talked to Katie Mongelli, CPA and Certified Money Coach, about …

• Why conventional, "responsible" advice about money leads so many people down the completely wrong path.
• Why so many of us are viscerally afraid of our finances, and why when we worry, we tend to jump to extremes like imagining ourselves homeless.
• How she transitioned from working 7 days a week, commuting often, and rarely taking breaks to working almost entirely remote, always taking weekends off, and building in plenty of time for naps, Pilates, and time with family.
• AND how she cut WAY back on work without making less money (she even bought a second home after a year of working less!).
• How changing her approach to work also completely altered her relationship with her husband and daughter for the better (neither of them recognize her now, in a good way).
• The first steps you can take to heal your "money story," so that you can stop existing and start LIVING.

IF KATIE DID IT, YOU CAN TOO

If you listen to Katie's story, there's no doubt you'll be impressed. But she'd be the first to tell you that what she did isn't unique to her. Anyone can make a HUGE life shift that leaves them happier and more fulfilled than they'd ever thought possible—but sometimes you can't get there on your own.

Katie and Rachel worked together through 1-on-1 coaching to completely turn her life around. If you're interested in that kind of transformation, with the benefit of expert guidance focused solely on you, 1-on-1 coaching may be a great fit for you, too.

Check out more details and get on our calendar to chat about the possibility, here.

LIKED THIS EPISODE? YOU SHOULD ALSO LISTEN TO …

• Side Chat: How to work like a woman (in a world that doesn't want you to)
• Emotional constipation with Joanna Platt

LINKS

• Join Katie's month-long Facebook Live series about healing your money story
• Learn more about Katie and get info about her group coaching program
• Leave comments on this episode here
• Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column
• Take the Passion Profile Quiz

A client of mine, Isabel, feels like her life is majorly in transition right now. She's looking for a new job, applying to graduate programs, and putting her house on the market simultaneously.

All of these things came to a head at the same time this past week: She got two job offers, an acceptance letter for full-time admission to a graduate program, an offer on her house, as well as someone interested in renting her home.

Quality problems, right? But problems, nonetheless. She obviously can't accept both jobs. Nor can she take on a full-time job and go back to grad school full-time. She also can't sell her house, while also renting it out and keeping it as an investment property.

Oprah said it best: "You can have it all. Just not all at once." So Isabel has to make choices. Big choices. Choices between equally appealing options, in different ways.

In this week's blog, I'm giving you 2 specific ways to cut through the overwhelm of too many choices to get to the heart of what you really want, no matter what everyone else thinks you should do.

WANT HELP WITH THIS?

If you're overwhelmed by all of the contradictory advice from people in your life that feels unhelpful and confusing (no matter how well-meaning it is), talking to a coach might be exactly what you need.

Coaching is NOT advice — it's a proven process of helping you get clear on what YOU want, based on your goals, values, and unique personality, so you can make more confident decisions.

If that sounds like the kind of support you need right now, then 1-on-1 coaching might be the perfect thing for you.

Check out our 1-on-1 coaching page and get on our calendar to chat about it, here.

LINKS

Read the written version of this blog and leave comments here

Submit a question for the next episode of Dear Krachel, our monthly podcast advice column

Take the Passion Profile Quiz