She Who Wins

Are you still holding off on pursuing your passion project? Listen to this episode and take this as a nudge from the universe that it’s time to do it! Joining us today is Carrie Vee, a professional speaker, author, podcast host, and certified transformation, forgiveness, and grief coach. Carrie is a Toastmasters semifinalist in the 2020 World Championship of Speaking.

Carrie’s brother died after losing a three-year battle with colon cancer in 2020. Three months after his death, he left her a message in her dream: life is short, choose wisely.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[08:33] You Are Never Too Much!

A lot of us grew up with messages that we have to make ourselves small because the world isn’t ready for us. We’re told we’re too much and that we shouldn’t take up too much space, or the world’s not ready for our energy. But we’re never too much.

Carrie shares her experience at the camp where she ended up getting lambasted for being too loud. That one comment from one person that day was enough to shut her voice for two decades. Finally, one day, she decided to turn those words into something positive – start a podcast, write a book, get on stage, and use her voice the way that God designed her to be. It was a conscious decision to begin to step into her power.

[21:24] It’s The Journey, Not the Destination

Carrie saw how her late brother would drag himself through the doors just so he could do something. And he taught her how to live while he was dying. One of the lessons she got is that it’s never about the destination, but it’s the journey.

[24:49] Morning Routines to Incorporate into Your Day

Express gratitude first thing in the morning. Then pray and say what is the one thing you can do today, the one thing that will move your business forward, the one thing you can do to make your family more loved, and the one thing you can do to experience joy? Whether it is faith or the universe, or whatever it is you believe in, ASK. Because it’s willing to deliver, but it’s not going to deliver if it doesn’t know what you want.

Resources Mentioned:

www.coachcarriev.com

If you’ve been dreaming of writing a nonfiction book but don’t know where to begin, check out www.activateauthor.com and learn how you can complete a book manuscript in only 90 days.

If you’re trading time for money then this is an episode for you! Today, my friends Erin Hatzikostas and Nicole Licata are taking over my podcast with a fun, engaging chat about getting paid for the brilliance of your mind rather than the minutes that you clock in.

Erin and Nicole are hosts of the “b Cause Work Doesn’t Have to Suck” Podcast where they explore authenticity in work – and in play. They are lifelong friends and complete opposites. Every conversation they have will make you laugh and perk up with their sparks of wisdom.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[33:56] Understanding the Value of Your Time

If you value your time now it’s going to pay dividends in the future. In all the time you’ve spent to this point, you’ve built up a lifetime of expertise, and you’ve built up a lifetime of knowledge and learning. You’re putting that into your passion – your products or services and your talks, or whatever that looks like. And so when you go to deliver those, you’re delivering a lifetime of learning. You have to hold firm on its floor value. They’re not paying for your minutes. They’re paying for your lifetime knowledge. And so sometimes, you have to hold steady on the value of your time.

[49:16] Learning to Be a Better Leader

If you feel like you’re being limited or undermined, go find a new environment where you can live your truth and speak your truth. There’s a better way to be a leader and create a better culture altogether. A lot of it has to do with how we value ourselves. You don’t even have to start big. It starts with reflection and awareness. Once you have that, asking for what measures up to your value comes easier.

Resources Mentioned:

If you’ve been dreaming of writing a nonfiction book but don’t know where to begin, check out www.activateauthor.com and learn how you can complete a book manuscript in only 90 days.

www.bauthenticinc.com/unstuck

www.bauthenticinc.com/podcast

Being a high performer doesn’t mean you’ve got it all figured out. There are still times when there’s so much on your plate that you start to question why you’re doing all this and where your passion really lies. As entrepreneurs, we all have those moments – and sometimes, it helps to face our own selves with all honesty, vulnerability, and authenticity.

Joining me in today’s discussion is PR expert, Whitney Lee, as we talk about the struggles, sacrifices, joy, and freedom of being a high performer. Named one of the five most dynamic women leaders ruling the industry in 2022, Whitney is a force in the public relations industry. She has over a decade of experience in strategic storytelling and earning media coverage through social media, PR, email, marketing, and more.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[10:07] Are High Performers Extroverts?

Just because you’re a high-achiever doesn’t mean you are an extrovert or continuously seek people around you. It’s more about surrounding yourself with accomplishments and continuing to move the ladder.

[15:06] Handling Business and Relationships

Often, the business comes first before the relationship, and if the other person doesn’t get it, then they’re going to constantly feel like they’re not getting enough of you. But when you’re both business owners in a relationship, there’s a better understanding of what it takes to be in that space. Otherwise, they’re not going to understand the stress and the things that keep you up, which you can’t just turn off anytime. From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. In the same way, from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it to someone who’s not an entrepreneur or an authority, and they’re just not going to get it. When it comes to balancing life, there are only so many hours in the day so you have to figure out what your priorities are and just guard your time on everything else.

[25:11] How to Get Started with Your Business

Figure out the basics and just start. Break through all the noise by just figuring out the things you need. You can spend all this time doing tasks and never really moving forward in any way. Therefore, figure out the things that make something happen versus all the busy work you’re doing that is satisfying your brain but not actually moving the needle forward. If you really want something, write down every step that is required to do that and just work backward.

Resources Mentioned:

https://truestorypr.co/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-lee-sociallee

If you’ve been dreaming of writing a nonfiction book but don’t know where to begin, check out www.activateauthor.com and learn how you can complete a book manuscript in only 90 days.

Writing is not just a creative process, but an emotional process as well.  The more you have the tools to work through the emotional aspects of the writing process, the more successful you’re going to be in getting those stories out into the world because the audience can feel you. The question is, how do you get your manuscript published?

Joining us today is Cynthia Merrill, editor and writing coach by profession – but a writer at heart.  Since 2018, Cynthia has helped writers polish their manuscripts and find a publishing path that fits their goals. If you have ever dreamed of publishing a book, then this episode is for you!

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[07:18] Tapping Into Your Creative Space

If a certain writing technique works for you, then it works for you. If not, either you don’t understand the tool well enough yet so you have to learn a little bit more, or you can just abandon that. But you can’t force yourself to be sitting the whole day writing. Instead, find a way to make it more organic, something that genuinely lights you up and helps you access that creativity without trying to shove yourself into that rigid space.

[11:58] Publishing Options

If you have a book you want to get out in the world, slow down and look at your options seriously. Be honest about what you want. If you do not want to play the waiting game and if it’s going to drive you insane to wait to hear back from agents or wait to sell it, then it’s okay to go a different route.

[26:38] The Emotional Process of Writing

Writing is such an emotional process that when you have writer’s block, it usually isn’t because you’re out of ideas or you aren’t capable, but usually, there’s some emotional root to it. Tackling a creative project is therefore a great way to learn about yourself. Figure out what your critic sounds like and when it comes out the most.

Resources Mentioned:

www.cynthiamerrillediting.com

@cynthiamerrillediting

If you’ve been dreaming of writing a nonfiction book but don’t know where to begin, check out www.activateauthor.com and learn how you can complete a book manuscript in only 90 days.

Dating is daunting, much less reentering the dating world in midlife. In today’s conversation, we’re joined by Jennifer Hurvitz, a relationship expert, dating coach, author, and podcast host. Known for her no-nonsense approach to all things relationships, Jennnifer is proud to say she has made quite the career out of disastrous circumstances, her own divorce included. With two boys now off to college, she’s beginning her next phase in life–empty nesting. Her latest book is called Midlife Priceless!: A Dating Coach’s Guide to *Finally* Doing Relationships Right.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[05:06] Midlife Dating is Hard

In midlife, a lot of us are coming out of either a breakup of a long-term relationship or a divorce or were widowed. Plus, a lot of us come with baggage so it makes dating so hard and much different than when you’re in your 20s or 30s.

[06:41] When is the Right Time to Start Dating?

It’s not so much about knowing when you want to start dating again, but about your why. Why do you want to start dating? Maybe you want a casual relationship or you’re looking for friends with benefits. Maybe you’re in it for the long term, or you’re looking for a long-distance relationship. Know your why and then start getting out there.

[08:07] How to Be Date-Ready

You have to know who you are to be able to show up on that date and feel good about yourself. If you’re comfortable with who you are, and you feel like you’re ready to get out there and put yourself out there then go ahead. But if you want to lose weight first, then do it for yourself, not for anyone else, because there’s a guy out there that likes those 10 pounds on you.

[09:23] How to Find a Quality Match

Dating takes practice. You have to be intentional about your dating. Don’t expect much on your first date.  Make a list of every single thing you’re looking for and break it down to the five most important ones. Jennifer recommends dating apps like OkCupid or Bumble. But it’s not really about the app you use, but how you use it. Invest in the app so you can get value from it. Then get in person as early as possible because everything is different in person. The longer you wait, the easier it is for things to get screwed up.

[21:14] The Theory of Dating for Now

Meet as many people as you want. Once you connect and you both decide you’re going to go on a second date, put all your eggs in the basket. Invest in that one person for now. If you’re not investing in one person and you’re constantly looking for the next person that walks in the door, you’re never going to give that person a chance.

Resources Mentioned:

Midlife Priceless!: A Dating Coach’s Guide to *Finally* Doing Relationships Right

www.jenniferhurvitz.com

OKCupid

Bumble

Match.com

If you’ve been dreaming of writing a nonfiction book but don’t know where to begin, check out www.activateauthor.com and learn how you can complete a book manuscript in only 90 days.

As a leader, you have to master yourself first before you even think about scaling. Your business growth is 100% a reflection of how much you’re willing to grow individually. That’s why investing in mentorship is so important in helping you accelerate to newer heights, both personally and professionally.

In today’s conversation, we’re joined by Kareen Walsh, a startup advisor and investor, serial entrepreneur, executive coach, author, and healer. Kareen is the CEO and founder of a seven-figure boutique consulting and coaching company, and she has 17 years of entrepreneurial and executive experience.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[10:23] Why Invest in Mentorship

When you stop growing personally then your business will also stop growing. It’s a reflection of you as a leader of that business. Investing in advisory, mentorship, and getting into rooms of mastermind groups helps you accelerate. It allows you to grow together and learn from someone who has gone before you.

[14:04] What to Look For in Mastermind Groups

[22:59] The Power of Leverage

Leverage the room you’re in. A lot of people pay to be in these rooms just to have access to the name but they’re not doing any of the connected work to get the value back. When you’re investing, look for the return on that investment. Think about the value of your investment, instead of how much it cost you to invest. It’s a shift in the energy that flows back to you when you talk about your own money.

Resources Mentioned:

If you’ve been dreaming of writing a nonfiction book but don’t know where to begin, check out www.activateauthor.com and learn how you can complete a book manuscript in only 90 days.

Unleash the Power Within

Date With Destiny

We all have those moments of failure in our lives where we got fired, got rejected, or lost a business. And sometimes, that can be discouraging. It’s easy for self-doubt to creep in and get consumed by your fears. How do you gain the confidence to get back on your feet and reclaim your worth?

In this episode, Heather Monahan joins us to talk about creating confidence and overcoming your villains through the three-step process of belief, action, and knowledge. Heather is a two-time bestselling author, a top 50 keynote speaker in the world, a podcast host of Creating Confidence, and a TEDx speaker.

Having successfully climbed the corporate ladder for nearly 20 years, Heather Monahan is one of the few women to break the glass ceiling and claim her spot in the C-suite. And like some of the most successful people such as Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and  JK Rowling, Heather also got fired from her job – but that failure became her catalyst for success.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[03:31] Invest in Yourself Now

Heather was highly successful as a revenue generator, and just three weeks after she was named one of the most influential women in radio, she got fired for no reason. The key takeaway is that you have to Invest in yourself because that will stay with you forever. It doesn’t matter if you get fired, change companies, or start a side hustle, investing in yourself will go wherever you go. It’s the smartest investment you can make, even smarter than any real estate acquisition because it’s telling you that you’re worthy and you’re worth more because you’re building your competence. There is no shame in getting fired. Some of the most successful billionaires in the world had been fired. And that was the catalyst for their greatness.

[12:02] Step Into Your Fears

Challenge the beliefs you’re holding and drop the label you were hanging on to. Those beliefs and labels have been limiting you for too long. Step into your fear and you’re only building the confidence within yourself.

[17:10] Elevating Your Personal Brand

Elevating your personal brand shines a light on who you are and it allows people to get to know you before you actually face them. It’s pulling and attracting opportunities to you, instead of you chasing opportunities.

[20:52] How to Overcome Your Villains: The 3-Step Process

Resources Mentioned:

Confidence Creator

Overcome Your Villains

Podcast: Creating Confidence

Website: https://heathermonahan.com/

Go to www.activateauthor.com and make your dream of writing a book come true!

Do you find it difficult to show up? A lot of us tend to lean on this all-or-nothing mindset and we have this “go hard or go home mentality.” It’s all a matter of tweaking that kind of mindset. It doesn’t matter how much of yourself shows up, what matters is that you at least show up, because we all have our good days and our bad days.

In today’s conversation, Christa Doran, owner and founder of Tuff Girl Fitness in Hamden, Connecticut, joins us to talk about life and success, grieving and death, living the best version of yourself, and what success should really look like.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[03:17] Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work

There’s this illusion that when we change our bodies a certain way then we’ll be happy. But that’s only a lie that a billion-dollar industry sells you. You can create change whenever you want. You don’t have to wait for the new year. Christa suggests setting the bar as low as you can. Set goals one at a time and once you achieve those goals, you can now layer them on. Show up, bring what you can, and let it be enough.

[09:54] Mastering the Art of Saying No and Setting Boundaries

Our society has vilified the word ‘lazy’ but there is nothing wrong if there are days you simply choose to not do anything. You also deserve to rest and feel good in your body. After all, nobody’s going to really care about how much you’ve achieved because those are mere expectations you have put on yourself. So learn to say no and set boundaries to protect your well-being and only say yes to the most important things.

[19:36] Dealing with Grief and Pain 

People want to fix the pain a grieving person is feeling and that’s uncomfortable. Instead, a better way to show your support to someone grieving is to simply bear witness to their pain. When you sit with somebody in pain, you’re making space for them to be in the process, and to feel and express. Don’t try to fix it and instead just support them with your love. Because the only thing worse than going through that is going through it alone.

[22:26] Decide What Success Looks Like

The true measure of success is not how many cars you have or how many houses you’ve invested in. It’s not whether you’ve written a book or you’ve cured cancer. The true measure of success is what brings you ultimate joy. And in order to do that, you have to prioritize yourself. Again, that means saying no to certain things and setting boundaries and saying yes to the most important things. If you don’t prioritize yourself, nobody’s going to help you do that. You have to care about yourself more than anybody, otherwise, everyone suffers.

Resources Mentioned:

IG: @christadoran and @tuffgirlstrong

You’ve probably heard people saying that couples could never work together. Sure, at times, there may be friction and challenges along the way, but imagine sharing both a life and a business together —that’s sweeter, more fun, more intentional, more secure, and double the power!

About a year and a half ago, my husband retired after a long career in law enforcement, and I needed to hire someone. He wanted to get out of doing what he was doing after so many years. This seemed like a perfect fit, so we dove into this new venture of working together. And so far, it has been awesome.

Today, Laura and Richard Behney join the conversation to talk all about having a successful and healthy marriage – and possibly one where you’re working next to your spouse on a regular basis. Married for 30 years, Laura and Richard have become the experts on “couplepreneurship.” Through their brand, The Couplepreneur Life, Laura and Richard coach husbands and wives who own businesses together to help them bring back passion, unity, and adventure into their lives.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

[04:32] Prioritizing Your Marriage as a Couplepreneur

When you’re running a business as a couple, you’ve got to put your marriage first in order for things to work in your business. Prioritize your marriage and the rest will just fall into place. Planning your dates and your time together forces you to focus on each other and get excited about date night just like you did when you were boyfriend and girlfriend.

[10:23] Ways to Reduce Conflicts

Go schedule planning meetings every week. Go somewhere outside of the office where you can relax and then talk about big-picture stuff. Whether that’s strategy, what happened last week, or your targets, going over those kinds of things can change your business tremendously.

[16:28] Finding the Power in Working as a Couple

When you’re in business as a couple, it’s no longer just “my” business, but it’s “our” business. It’s no longer “me” but a “we.” There’s power in shared experiences because you are sharing each other’s day. By working together, you’re bringing in both your passions together and it feels more intimate and more secure because you’re fighting the fight – together.

[25:25] Some Tips for a Successful Couplepreneur Life

If you’re in business as a couple, never allow a third person, such as a key employee, to get in the way of your marriage, your business, and your authority. Another common mistake among couplepreneurs is not hiring soon enough. Couples may feel they can do everything on their own or they feel like nobody’s going to be able to measure up to the way they’re doing things. But you’ve got to invest in people to help you with the business.

Resources Mentioned:

www.thecouplepreneurlife.com

IG: @thecouplepreneurlife

Get ready to evolve into your best-self as Kristen Hartnagel, brand strategist and CEO of Evolve Now! shares some ways you can evolve into the most awesome and most authentic person you’re bound to be.

Kristen has worked with New York Times bestselling authors, award-winning talent agents, celebrities, as well as billionaire influencers. As a keynote speaker, professional singer, and business coach, Kristen helps you evolve into the next level of greatness in your business and in your life.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights: 

[04:46] The Coherence of Your Mind and Heart

The brain’s function is to think thoughts while the heart is responsible for what’s called gut feeling. Some people refer to it as intuition, others call it the spidey senses. But it’s that heightened awareness telling you to pay attention. When both your heart and your head are coherent, you become more open. You can function better and you can access information better. Pay attention to what it feels like to be in coherence. The more you do that, the better you’re able to access your best self and you’re able to show up in a more authentic way.

[09:59] How to Start Making Changes in Your Life

We can all shift wherever we are to something better. Even if you’re a glass-half-full kind of person, it too can evolve into something even better. It all starts with this awareness that you are not the thoughts that you’re thinking.

Kristen has a three-step process to get into a new habit of not reacting, but more responding:

[15:40] What High Performers Have in Common 

High performers focus on what they can control. They don’t spend their energy on what went wrong. They’re not spending a lot of time trying to fix the past or obsessing over the future. Instead, they’re just in the now. They stay in that higher vibration of the positive what-ifs, instead of the negative what-ifs.

[22:47] Ways to Evolve into Your Best Self

Have a playful energy about what is next. When you’re in the midst of something you don’t like, instead of trying to analyze what you’re going to do, instead, throw up your hands and say you can’t wait to see what’s next. Every contraction is followed by an expansion, and every expansion is followed by a contraction. So don’t just hold on to the high, or you’d be upset when the low comes. You don’t have to react to what is bad. Instead, put your sights on what is good. If you’re someone who doesn’t know what you want, get in touch with how you want to feel. If you can tap into that, then you’re just going to create more experiences that will bring you more of that.

Resources Mentioned:

www.kristenhartnagel.com

www.brandbuildersgroup.com

Breaking Through Belief Barriers Webinar

www.heartmath.com