Women Taking the Lead

Were you one of the people who, when the pandemic shut downs began, took a step back to reflect on how you were living your life; checking in to see if you were on the right track?

If you didn't like what you were seeing, you've probably been doing some research to see what changes you could make and how to make those changes. From there, the next natural step is to get into action.

When the pandemic began, I redid a series on the Cycle of Change and completed 3 of the 4 phases that make up the Cycle of Change. The phases I covered were: The Toss-In Phase or the ending of a cycle, The Shuffle Phase which includes deciding what you want to do next, and The Deal Phase when you decide what strategy you'll utilize in the next phase.

The timing did not feel right to cover the final phase back in the spring but I am feeling it now.

In this episode, we're going to cover the fourth and final phase of the cycle of change, Play the Game.

Hi, I'm Jodi Flynn and welcome to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. I'm an executive leadership coach, author, speaker, workshop facilitator and I have the joy to work with women leaders who want to hone the skills they'll need to thrive in Senior Leadership. I know I've met a woman I would love to work with when we start having a few laughs about our tendencies toward perfectionism and people pleasing.

Originally from Massachusetts I have been living in Maine for the past 18 years. Thanks to the beauty of technology I've been able to work with women all over the world. If you have a device and Wi-Fi we can work together.

I do individual coaching as well as workshops and team retreats. I am currently in the processes of taking my coaching system and turning it into an online course for those who prefer a Do-It-Yourself model of learning.

I am the current President of the board for The Maine Women's Conference and I am a Curriculum Partner for a Women's Leadership development program through Real Women Collective Action (RWCA).

I spend my free time catching up with friends and family, FaceTiming my boyfriend who lives in Virginia, working out and watching the Great British Baking Show.

Play the Game (Action!)

"Play the Game" is an exciting and mostly positive time during the Cycle of Change when you are all-in to live your dreams and reach new levels of success, fulfillment and well-being.

Whereas in previous stages you were either reflecting on the past or imagining the future, this phase is about being fully in the moment.

You are living the strategy and the plan you created in The Deal Phase.

It is a time of action but the amount of action you will take in this phase is based on your personality, how clear you are on your goal, how feasible your plan is and how much support you have.

That's why The Deal Phase is so crucial to set you up for success in this phase, though most plans will work if you can only get out of your own way.

What that means is in the Play the Game Phase it's important to manage your inner critic, which always comes to life when you are doing something new, big or scary. This is where self-doubt can start to plague you and if you allow it too much power you will unconsciously begin to self-sabotage.

Know that it is natural and normal for your inner critic to try to have a field day with you. Change the perspective that hearing your inner critic is a bad thing. Rather, hearing your inner critic means you are playing full out and that's a great thing.

If you are able to manage your inner critic you will, for the most part, feel harmonious, optimistic, determined and fully alive.

If you are able to remain flexible you will be able to pivot and adjust if things don't go according to plan. Let's face it, things rarely go exactly according to plan so it's important not to get too attached to the plan or judge yourself and others too harshly for not expecting the unexpected.

Things may not go as planned but you are 100% in.

While this stage is usually associated with wins and success, it can also be the setting for disappointments, setbacks, and new challenges. You can probably look back on times in your life where the Play the Game Phase of the Cycle of Change did not go well.

If this is happening to you right now it's important not to judge yourself too harshly. Look on what is happening as a valuable lesson that you can examine and learn from so you go into the next Cycle of Change stronger and wiser.

Place your focus on what is working and what is not working without judgment and you'll be able to make adjustments and pivot pretty easily because you won't be heaping the past and emotion on the situation. Remain nimble and empowered by staying curious and looking for opportunities no matter what is happening.

Being Fully in the Moment

People typically love this phase the most out of all of the four phases and wish it would continue on like this indefinitely, or better yet, for the rest of their lives.

Although that sounds great, chances are if you are still open to growth and being your best-self, you will be back in the Toss In Phase and the cycle will begin once again. It doesn't mean you've backtracked, it actually means you are moving forward, even though it may not feel like it at first.

For instance, have you ever hit a time in your life when you want to stay in action because being in action makes you feel productive? However, if you are not regularly taking time and a step back to reflect on the goal and your progress, and making sure you are using the best strategy you will limit your own progress.

Every phase of the Cycle of Change is important and requires your participation, even if participating looks like sitting idle and looking out a window or writing in a journal. Powerful things are happening internally that will increase your chances of success the next time you find yourself ready to Play the Game.

What phase of the Cycle of Change are you currently in, in regard to your career? I'd love to hear from you. Send me a note at [email protected] or comment wherever you see a post for this episode.

Also, please share this episode with anyone in your life whom you think could benefit from it. Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways for us to find the resources we need to make changes in our lives.

As always, I hope this was helpful to you and here's to your success.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Zebralove Web Solutions: Your 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

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

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!

Cara Macklin, a multi award-winning entrepreneur and business success coach has been recognized for her achievements including Women in Business Outstanding Innovation, IoD finalist Director of the Year for Innovation, Women in Business Young Business Woman of the Year and Northern Ireland's Top 40 under 40 and has been featured on BBC, Thrive Global, TedX, and in 2021 on FOX TV

Both an entrepreneur and coach, Cara's journey began at 5 years old, growing up in her family business where her education began around the kitchen table… Starting her first business at 15 and spent over 15 years as a Director in the family business an award-winning healthcare & hospitality group which grew from 3 businesses with 250 employees to 7 businesses and 600 employees. She disrupted the elderly healthcare industry in Ireland creating the first 'Lifestyle Care Home' cited by IoD chairman as a 'world class concept.'

Cara left her family business and founded Caram as a Visionnaire Success Coach to elevate dynamic leaders ambitious to do things differently and achieve even more, through her unique blend of business acumen, creative thinking, and success mindset.

In this episode Cara and I discuss…

• Cara's work as a visionnaire success coach
• The biggest challenges leaders have when working on the future vision and next level of the business
• Cara's success in working with teams to disrupted the elderly healthcare industry in Ireland.
• Steps you can take to tap into your creativity to create a vision of success for you.

Links

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://Caram.org.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caramacklin/

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register.

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!

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

Linda Fisk is a multi-award-winning leader, keynote speaker, author and university professor dedicated to amplifying and extending the success of other high-caliber business leaders. Linda serves as the CEO of Collective 54, the only national peer advisory network for owners of professional services firms, focused exclusively on growing, scaling, and maximizing firm valuation. As CEO, she accelerates the success of Collective 54's members, enabling them to live their most meaningful lives.

Prior to leading Collective 54, Linda was the global head of brand marketing, public relations and communications at Susan G. Komen following a 5-year executive leadership role at YPO, where she developed her passion for bringing leaders together to solve problems. Linda forged a career as an entrepreneurial and forward-thinking marketing leader on the cutting edge of customer acquisition, retention and loyalty.

Linda has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology and has written extensively on the subjects of social comparison, depression and anxiety, subjective well-being and personality theory, with a focus on relating scientific research to commonly understood concepts. Currently, Linda is interested in the psychology of influence, persuasion and negotiation.

In this episode Linda and I discuss...

• The power of partnerships
• Core values or principles of an effective partnership
• Examples of unlikely yet successful partnerships
• How to know if a partnership will benefit you and your goals
• The power of peer advisors and collective wisdom and expertise

Links

Website: https://www.collective54.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindafisk

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register.

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!

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

Hello there! Before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing is coming soon in Audible!! I'm crossing my fingers that it will be available by September 18 because that is my 10-year anniversary of being in business. It would be something special to be able to talk about both of these events simultaneously.

Stay tuned on more information about the book.

This episode is dropping on the US holiday of Labor Day so if you are listening to this episode, I hope you have had a chance to take some significant downtime this weekend.

And downtime is the topic of this episode of Women Taking the Lead.

I recently shared an article I found on The Daily Muse titled, "Yes, You Should Still Take Time Off Work During COVID-19—Here's How to Make the Most of It" by Regina Borsellino.

The post was liked and commented on across platforms it so I knew it was hitting home. I got the feeling we needed to talk more about this.

The article made a case for why you should take time off during COVID-19, for both personal and professional reasons. It also contained 6 tips to help you make the most of your time off. It's all about setting yourself up for success.

Self-care lays the foundation of the work I do with my clients. Just recently I was meeting with a new client and she was very wound up by a lot of things that were going on at work and was near her wits end.

Our next meeting was the week after she came back from a week off and the difference was astounding. The circumstances at work were no different, but she was able to see things from a new perspective and felt that resolving these issues was very doable.

She also talked about feeling lighter and more productive. The time away had helped her to crystalize her thoughts about how to take better care of herself.

That week off gave her an opportunity to stop focusing on the problems she was facing and as a result, brand new solutions started presenting themselves to her. I want to underscore that – by intentionally putting the problems to the side and relaxing, her mind started to formulate solutions to the problems without her putting any effort into solving those problems.

I also had an experience with a friend this past week that also underscored the need we have for rest. My friend has a lot going on in her life right now. She is getting pulled in many different directions, is up against some big deadlines and there was a lot of work to be done.

She texted me a week ago because her anxiety had spiked and she was in a really bad place. I did what I could to support her in the moment but I was really worried about her for the rest of the day.

When I checked back in with her that evening, she reported that she had laid down in the middle of the day to catch her breath and wound up sleeping for 2 ½ hours. She slept so soundly she woke up in the same position she fell asleep in.

Her anxiety was gone and she accepted she was just going to have to take everything one step at a time and do what she could. She called me a few days later to let me know the biggest project with the hard deadline was completed a day ahead of schedule.

She's taking a break before she dives into the next project.

We think we need to be a non-stop superwoman but the fact is we need to stop periodically to take care of ourselves to be at optimal.

There is a principle of diminishing returns that you'll want to be aware of. In the realm of productivity, it states that there is a point at which the same investment of resources will yield fewer results.

For example, you may be able to complete four reports every hour. However, if you continue to work at that pace without a break you will reach a point when you are no longer able to produce four reports an hour. And if you continue, your output will continue to diminish.

We need to take breaks to stay productive. And as was shown in the case of my friend, we need to take breaks to maintain a stable mood and confidence in our abilities.

If you find that you are pushing yourself too hard, ask yourself what is the story you are telling yourself that is preventing you from taking a break?

The story can take on many variations. It could be you see other people appear to be working harder than you are so feel like you're not doing enough. It could be that you feel you must keep working because there's no way it's all going to get done if you rest.

You may be afraid that you'll lose your motivation for good if you slow down for a bit. Or, you're afraid your business will tank or your job will be at risk if you don't keep going full speed.

I'm not going to tell you your story is true or false. I am asking you to challenge your story to see if it's really true.

And, what could you gain if you took some of the pressure off yourself and allowed yourself to recover and re-energize after all the work you've put in thus far?

And if you lead a team, remember what you do sends a louder message than what you say. You may say you want your people to take breaks and fully unplug when they are on vacation. But if you don't do it, they will think that your words are only words, and that you expect of them what you model.

Lastly, here is an Instagram post from a colleague of mine, Elizabeth Ross Holstrom. She is the founder of Mindful Employer, and supports companies who are creating or would like to create mindful and conscious work environments. This post is a picture of cards she's created to give some ideas for what you can do to renew yourself if you are taking a break – whether it's one minute, three minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or more. Check them out and if you'd like them for yourself or your company get in touch with Elizabeth!

Stay tuned for Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing in Audible. Subscribe to this podcast on your favorite platform or sign up for my messages through the Women Taking the Lead website. Pretty soon you'll be able to get Accomplished in print, kindle and now the audio version! This book is based on my Accomplished coaching system, and the accompanying worksheets will help you develop your own personalized care plan so that you are regularly renewing your energy and doing the things that satisfy and fulfill you.

As always, I hope this was of value to you and here's to your success.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Zebralove Web Solutions: Your 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

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

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!

Malinda Gagnon specializes in launching and growing products and companies, and has 20 years of experience in business strategy and digital communications. She is the CEO and Founder of Uprise Partners, a consulting and investment firm specializing in engineering, IT and marketing. At Google, she was a founding team member of the advertising technology organization in Cambridge, MA. At WPP/GroupM, the world's largest media investment organization, she founded and led a digital consulting practice, as well as the Product Management and Technology group. She has advised clients such as Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Volkswagen, Unilever, Land Rover Jaguar, Allergan, Walmart and many others. She is also a mentor for MassChallenge and Techstars.

In this episode Malinda and I discuss...

• Her journey working in male-dominated fields and what made her successful.
• How we are multifaceted and can draw on feminine and masculine energies/approaches to respond to what's needed in the moment.
• What instigated the transition she made to owning her own business.
• How she managed recently to loosen up and take herself less seriously.

Links

Website: uprisepartners.com

Podcast: datamyths.com

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register.

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!

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

Meredith Bell has been an entrepreneur since 1982, and she's an expert in helping companies develop the people side of their business. Meredith is co-founder and President of Performance Support Systems, a global software company based in Virginia. Meredith heads up marketing and sales for the company. Over the years, she's served as an informal mentor and coach to the coaches, consultants, business owners and human resource professionals who use their products. One of her strengths is creating strong, long-term relationships. Meredith and her business partners have worked together for 25 years, and many of their clients and resellers have done business with them for 20 years. She understands what's required to build the loyalty and commitment that lead to repeat business and referrals.

Playing Small Moment

Meredith's playing small moment happened when she was bullied by a possible client to lower her price, and because she wanted the client's business she gave in and lowered her price. She says she would not handle the incident the same way today.

The Wake Up Call

Meredith had a wake up call when she found herself ignoring her inner critic, telling her she wasn't important enough to take a certain action. She acted quickly before there was time to second guess herself. She realized there was nothing wrong with being bold.

Style of Leadership

People sense that Meredith cares for them. She pays attention to what people are saying and not saying. She lets them know she is there to serve them.

What Are You Excited About?

Meredith is excited about her new online coaching system, Strong for Performance. It applies to those who are developing leaders. It excites her every day to see people motivated and inspired.

Current Business Challenge

Meredith finds it challenging to get the word out about her new product as quickly and as grand as possible.

What Does Your Business Support System Look Like?

Meredith's business partners have supporting skill sets that help make everything work. She also benefits from outsourcing and automation tools.

Leadership Practice

Listening deeply to people when they are talking is Meredith's effective leadership practice.

Book to Develop Leadership

Straight Line Leadership by Dusan Djukich

Advice For Younger Self

"Have more fun. Be less serious and lighten up." And, "Make more bold requests."

Inspirational Quote

"How can I serve this person so powerfully that they never forget this conversation for the rest of their life?" ~ Rich Litvin

New Book:

Connect with Your Team Special price for Kindle is just $.99 during launch week only (August 3-9). https://amzn.to/3jL0pEI

Links

Website: http://www.strongforperformance.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/meredithmbell

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithmbell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeredithMBell

Free Gift:

Support Coaching videos and ebook: http://prostarcoach.com/coachingebookandvideos.asp

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Zebralove Web Solutions: Your 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

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

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!

Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and immediately you dread having to get out of bed?

Before your feet touch the floor a list of things you really don't want to tackle start floating through your mind. Or, you recall a recent interaction that didn't sit well with you and you feel those feelings all over again.

Your mood is heavy, but you're determined to make it a good day. So, you start the coffee, turn on the shower and focus on positive things. You pick up some steam and before you know it, you're on with your day until…

…it's mid-morning and you're already excited for your lunch break.

Even though you're trying to remain positive, your nerves are on edge and you could use the time away. You have lunch and are able to breathe a little easier while plotting how you'll make it through the rest of the afternoon.

But your energy never fully returns and you pull yourself through each meeting or task as if you are hiking up a mountain. Before the end of the workday, you've given up on being productive and you move on to the typical distractions: Facebook, videos, the news, etc.

If you've been seeing too many of these days lately, don't lose hope! There is a solution. But like most remedies, it will take a little work to see actual results.

Your energy is consumed by the things you tolerate

Your energy is impacted by more than just your diet, sleep, exercise and aging. It is also impacted by how closely you live according to your values and the life you want to be living.

If you are putting up with or avoiding something in your life that goes against your values or the life you want to live, you use a lot of your energy to be "okay" with it.

The things you tolerate weigh you down, and it takes a substantial amount of energy to put up with things that annoy you. It also takes energy to avoid addressing nit-picky problems you wish would just go away on their own.

Often times this looks like saying "yes" when you really want to say "no." Spending time with negative people, listening to gossip, being taken for granted, or putting up with people who are unreliable - these are all things that you may be tolerating.

Tolerating can also look like avoiding a noise that your car is making or when the check engine light goes on. It could be a bodily pain that needs to be checked out or an appliance that doesn't work as well as it used to.

You might be avoiding your finances, your health or your relationships, even though they need your attention.

The danger of letting things go

Imagine you are holding a beach ball under water. If it's deflated, this is no problem. You could hold it under the water all day with hardly any energy or effort being used.

Now imagine that for each thing you are tolerating you blow one puff of air into the beach ball. Again, no problem if you're only tolerating a few things.

However, chances are you are tolerating more than a few things. Chances are you may be tolerating a hundred or hundreds of little things without even being consciously aware of it.

What makes the things we tolerate so insidious is that, when you look at each one individually, it's not that big of a deal. So, you dismiss it and it remains.

You do this to countless things throughout the day and the busier you perceive your life to be the more tolerations build up because you tell yourself it's not that big of a deal or you'll deal with it later.

Slowly, over time, that beach ball gets bigger and bigger. And it starts taking an enormous amount of energy to get through the day holding it underwater and pretending it isn't there.

Until one day, something comes along that demands energy you have been giving to the beach ball. It could be the figurative straw that broke the camel's back or it could be something big.

Suddenly, you don't have enough energy to keep that beach ball underwater and it shoots out of the water and you lose it! You don't have the energy to tolerate those things anymore and you wonder why you've put up with them for so long.

If someone happens to be in close proximity to you when this happens, they will likely be the unsuspecting victim of your wrath – which you will later regret and apologize for.

How to keep tolerations from creeping in

To prevent the blow up, first and foremost, be vigilant.

If something doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you. When you address things in the moment, you're able to do it calmly and in a matter-of-fact manner. This keeps the interaction or transaction low drama and thus quick and easy.

Also, watch for when you try to convince yourself something isn't a big deal and so doesn't need to be dealt with or dealt with right away. Tolerations, individually, are typically not that big a deal so don't let that be an excuse to avoid it.

If it's something that will become a big deal if it is repeated indefinitely, it's a big enough deal to address the first time it happens.

If you can't deal with it immediately schedule when you are going to deal with it. Don't say you'll deal with it later with no plan to do so.

A couple times a year I do a Tolerations Detox.

This is a process I take my clients through to help them address and remove the things they are tolerating and avoiding in a simple and non-threatening manner, so they can maintain a high level of energy, confidence and motivation.

I've seen this process work time and again. My clients make simple changes and find themselves flooded with the energy that has been missing for months or even years. With this sudden flood of energy, they start rearranging their offices, cleaning out their garages, or tackling other projects that have been neglected for some time.

I've had several people tell me going through the process of the Tolerations Detox was life changing and removed huge burdens from their minds.

The Tolerations Detox is a process that address 5 different areas of your life and I am making one area available for you to try out.

Just go to HERE to sign up to access how to address the things we tolerate in the area of Work and Technology.

Now, you may be aware you're putting up with some things around your work but you'll be surprised at some of the smaller things that can be easily addressed, giving you more energy to get through the day.

I invite you to start your Tolerations Detox by signing up at https://womentakingthelead/workandtechnology.

And as always, reach out to me at [email protected] with any questions or comments you have.

Life is going to feel so different when there are fewer things you are putting up with. Imagine where you could put that excess energy.

As always, I hope this was of value to you and Here's to Your Success!!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Zebralove Web Solutions: Your 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

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

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!

Carolyn Delaney is the heart and soul behind Journey, an inspiring magazine devoted entirely to the Recovery Community in Maine. As founder and publisher, she leads a diverse team of 30 volunteers who are called to take positive actions to combat the current climate surrounding addiction – keeping the content hyper-local by sharing local stories, resources & services.

As a woman in recovery, Carolyn knows firsthand how large the ripple effect one can have on their family and community, and the importance of support throughout the process. With decades of experience in technology leadership which started with Desktop Publishing in the early 90s, Carolyn is able to combine her skills, expertise, and personal experiences to offer a magazine that supports the message that Recovery is possible.

With a grateful heart for how life has blessed her Journey to Recovery, she wants to give hope to those who struggle, and hope to those who love people who struggle. Carolyn and her team's mission is to shine a light on Recovery, and what freedom from addiction looks like in our state of Maine. Her vision is to create a platform for celebrating recovery, and amplifying a message of hope, empowerment and connection. Along with others who wish to remain nameless and anonymous, the Journey team is made up of kind, caring and compassionate people what want to make a difference.

In this episode Carolyn and I discuss...

• Starting a business without knowing how to be a business owner
• The stories we make up in our heads which we then project onto others, causing us to play small and hold ourselves back
• What is actually going on when you're afraid of success and why self-sabotage will potentially kick in
• The growth that has occurred since Carolyn has read the book Accomplished and how the benefits continue to ripple out
• The mission of Journey Magazine and why this is important for everyone

Links

Website: https://www.recovery-journey.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recovery.journey.in.maine/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/journeymagazine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recoveryjourney2/

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Zebralove Web Solutions: Close your online marketing skills gap, learn how to remain relevant in a quickly changing marketplace, and get ongoing support in promoting your businesses online. Stay ahead of the game by signing up for these Digital Marketing Forum. Go to womentakingthelead.com/zebraworkshops to register.

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!

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

Nicole Burgess helps introverted, high achieving, and/or highly sensitive women be exactly who they are meant to be. She is an empowerment and leadership coach for introverted and sensitive women and the host of the soul-filled sisterhood podcast. Her dream is to create a sisterhood, one sister at a time, with women around the world supporting each other in achieving their heartfelt desires and creating more inclusion, so that together we take the lead in our own lives.

In this episode Nicole and I discuss...

• The highly sensitive and high achieving woman.
• The traits of a highly sensitive person (HSP).
• The #1 issue Nicole hears from her HSP clients and why they seek coaching.
• What creates stress for an HSP and what you can do to mitigate that stress.
• Some ways to be more empowered in a chaotic world.
• Managing the expectations of those who do not understand if you are an HSP.

Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleBurgessCoaching/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleburgesscoach/

Website: www.nicoleburgesscoaching.com

Free webinar: 5 Steps to end overwhelm and live balanced, connected and calm as an HSP women entrepreneur: https://nicoleburgesscoaching.com/endoverwhelm

Dr. Elaine Aron's self-test, Are You Highly Sensitive?: https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/

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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!

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

This episode shares my quick reflections on the racist and political events of May/June of 2020.

I am reaching out to my community in the hopes that I can ease overwhelm, validate the swirling emotions many of us are feeling and offer some resources to begin actively being antiracist everyday.

The First Steps You Can Take

Sign petitions and donate:

Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com/

Change.org: https://www.change.org/

Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org/

Next, Educate yourself

Films:

Just Mercy: https://www.justmercyfilm.com/ (currently free on many platforms)

Neflix Original, 13th: https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741

Books:

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad

Please consider buying your books from black-owned businesses: https://afrotech.com/10-black-owned-online-bookstores-to-support-while-at-home

Other podcast episode for white women:

Speaking Your Brand, The Work of Anti-Racism as White Women with Carol Cox and Diane Diaz: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-of-anti-racism-as-white-women-ep-175/

Massive Resource list

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR2mUzWm1BXxQZ-pV-zxzvR8J16Zipi2h5H1P8bz5kMOeO6bGnwJOEYP6Vo

Articles on how to be an Ally:

For Our White Friends Desiring To Be Allies, https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies?fbclid=IwAR21Gm97ZmSRSAp0MST1ZPbfOaulK0VDlaT10N9Aot3dQy-80e_59hJNBxU

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice, https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

The Great Unlearn (Patreon): https://www.patreon.com/thegreatunlearn?fbclid=IwAR1KwfHB2ZdujGv9FrxfY9BlBAD1VixReHoyq-7Z8MazHkvkpfC18Gr0irw

Other resources:

The Center for Transformation and Change: https://drkathyobear.com/

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

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