Greater Than Myself

What would your life look like if you were independent of others' opinions? Just imagine!

The opinions of others are often the biggest obstacle to achieving extraordinary things. They are 95% of the time unhelpful or even paralysing. But how can we learn to ‘ignore’ these 95%? And how do we know when to actually learn from the 5%?

Today, I share the three strategies I use to deal with others' opinions to live life on my terms:

What if one LINKEDIN post CHANGED your LIFE? ✨

What if your mission, greater than you, opened doors to an abundance of opportunities? 🌍🚪

It did for Sonia.

From Warsaw to London to Silicon Valley. Join us in this lighthearted conversation with my dear friend Sonia Piorek to hear about the benefits and hardships of networking. Don’t miss it if you want to know how to:

Enjoy!

00:00 Introduction

04:22 Sonia's Greater Than Yourself

11:31 The Single Most Important Networking Incident

22:50 What Everyone Who Networks Should Know

30:46 How is Networking Different With a Mission Greater Than Yourself

38:30 How to Balance What You Say About Your Mission When You Network

41:46 How to Get Good at Networking

48:17 The Lesson That Took the Longest to Learn With Networking

50:58 Awkward Networking Moments!

54:23 How NOT to Network

56:54 Single Best Book for Sonia

Building four impact-driven companies across four sectors? Scary, right? But according to Ilona, founder of Octopus Energy Germany, fear doesn’t need to stop us.

Ilona Ludewig believes that your curiosity can be your greatest strength. Before exiting her company to join Octopus Energy, she founded a consultancy, a bilingual school, and an organic leather company.

As an impact-driven founder, whenever she encounters a problem she cares about, she dives straight into it "because someone has to."

Join us to learn how to:

Andy Shovel, the founder of the vegan meat company THIS, knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur since he was 18 years old. He didn't pay much attention to studying and started his first business while still at university. Being a successful entrepreneur seemed to be the ultimate fulfillment… until one day he discovered something Greater Than His Business.

THIS started as a 'great business opportunity,' and Andy didn't expect that animal welfare would become his life mission. A mission so unbelievably strong that now it distracts him from day-to-day work and leads him to start therapy.

Join Andy and me in this vulnerable and inspiring conversation where he shares his beliefs:

00:00 Introduction

Resources:

Michelle Li had a successful career and loved her work at Salesforce and DocuSign. But somehow, it never felt like enough: "Why would I save for my retirement if I don't know if I will ever be able to retire?" She left in search of her new "climate job" and despite her experience, struggled to find anything. She didn't yet know that she would never need to look for a job again.

Since then, Michelle founded Clever Carbon, a company educating people on carbon literacy, whose clients include the NBA (National Basketball Team) and Estée Lauder. She also started the world's fastest-growing community for women in the climate space (Women and Climate), which is followed by 10,000 passionate women and is present in 40 cities globally.

Are you scared to make a radical move in your career? Do you want to enter the "climate sector" but don't know where to start?

Join me and Michelle, who shares how she learned to bet on herself and follow her values despite the risks.

00:00 Introduction

06:22 Michelle's Vision for a Carbon-Literate World

11:10 Michelle's Personal Journey and Career Shift

13:15 The Impact of Business School and Transition into Tech

18:13 Experience at Salesforce and DocuSign

26:36 The Birth of Clever Carbon

28:18 Personal Journey Towards Sustainability

38:05 Transition from Corporate Job to Clever Carbon

43:30 The Birth and Growth of Women and Climate

46:36 Lessons Learned from Building Communities

49:45 Advice for Climate Advocates

50:34 The Book Everyone Should Read: Sapiens

Clever Carbon: https://clevercarbon.io/
Women and Climate: https://www.womenandclimate.co/
Michelle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelimba/
Book everyone should read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens

Happiness = Events - Expectations

What if we make ourselves miserable because of the unrealistic expectations we set in the world?

We all know this world isn’t always fair, and people aren’t always loving. Yet we spend hours on negative self-talk: ‘he/she shouldn’t act like that,’ ‘why is this happening to me?’ ‘I worked so hard, I should have got it…’

What if we accept the world’s ‘imperfections’ upfront and detach from our expectations about loved ones, the economy, world leaders…

Inspired by David Richo’s book, I explore my journey of accepting the 5 givens in life and the power it gave me in pursuing what I believe in without unnecessary looking back:

- Everything changes and comes to an end

- Things don’t always go according to plan

- Life is not always fair

- Pain is part of life

- People are not always loving and loyal

Join me on this journey of moving from ‘How things should be’ to ‘Who do I want to become and what do I want to create in this highly imperfect but beautiful world?’

Inspired by: The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them by David Richo.

"Doing something for someone else without expecting anything in return may well be a game-changer for your career and life.”

Driving extraordinary change involves building deep, authentic relationships with those who empower us and whom we can empower to make the impact story a reality.

In this episode, I welcome James Mitra, who, at the age of 25, decided to rewrite the narrative of the recruitment industry. He believed it didn’t have to be about 'smashing calls,' but rather about building relationships and transforming lives and businesses. Over the past decade, his company, JBM, has been disrupting the recruitment sector, while his '40 Minutes Mentor' Podcast has democratized access to career mentorship.

In this episode, James reveals why:

Join us as James dives deep into the importance of mentorship, authenticity, and building genuine connections to create a lasting impact in your career and beyond

🔗 Useful Links:

Ready for a dose of inspiration, empowerment, and gratefulness?

Today, I'm exploring one of my favorite concepts that keeps me motivated: how the actions of change-makers in the past continue to impact you and me today, and therefore why what we do matters. Let’s embark on this journey back to the 20th century to hear the stories of…

Join me in experiencing a wave of positivity towards your work and discovering your own hero-change-makers who have made a difference in your life.

For some inspiration:

What is a woman’s first thought when she finds out she is pregnant?

There are probably many, but Ryan's wife had a unique one: 'Wow, but... how will we move to Ghana now?'

But they did. They also moved to the US, the UK, and now to Kenya, all in pursuit of a passion for changing the world for the better, a passion for... WASTE.

Many young people ask, 'Can I start a family without sacrificing what I am passionate about?' Ryan Caplin and his family, guided by their faith, are a beautiful example of how 'you can have it all,' with the caveat that it doesn't always need to be both at the same time. How?

Ryan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryancaplin/

Have you ever experienced a sense of meaninglessness? Or do you possess a clear understanding of your 'why'? Do you believe that you are the one choosing the meaning of your life?

Today, I am sharing how the work of two thought leaders on this topic, V. Frankl and S. Sinek, has influenced my feelings and thoughts about my greater purpose.

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, psychiatrist, and author of 'Man's Search for Meaning' (ranked among the top 100 books of all time).

Simon Sinek, an author and leadership expert best known for popularizing the concept of "Start with Why" after his TED Talk ranked in the global top 10.

Join me in exploring our most significant 'whys' and what we can do today to define our purpose and infuse vibrancy into our lives.

What are the initial steps?

Enjoy listening!

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning