Ready to find your ideal coach?
Connie Steele is a consultant, author, speaker, and fellow podcast host of a show titled Strategic Momentum. Connie was a marketing executive for a tech company and made a pivot because she felt the job was no longer a fit. In this episode, Sam and Connie discuss a wide range of topics from Connie’s making a pivot moment to being a first-generation Chinese American to career mash-ups and the importance they are in the workforce. Before concluding their conversation they have an important conversation about failure and how one can turn a negative stereotypical situation into a positive one.
Transcript:
Unidentified [00:00:14] Three, two, one. Lift-off! We have a lift-off!
Sam Jayanti [00:00:19] Connie, welcome to ideamix radio! It’s great to have you here.
Connie Steele [00:00:38] Thank you so much, Sam, for having me on the show!
Sam Jayanti [00:00:42] So why are we talking to Connie Steele today? Well, she introduced me to a writer whose work I hugely admire Nir Eyal. And he’s coming up on Ideamix radio later this year. But no, really, in all seriousness, we’re chatting with Connie today because she and I share a lot in common, both in terms of our backgrounds and our motivation. I feel like we’re really motivated by the same thing, helping people and companies overcome their personal business and career challenges to unlock their success and growth. As many of you know, we achieve this with our idea mix coaching platform where we pair individuals with their ideal coaches. But Connie, in your own words, I’d love it if you tell our listeners a little bit about you and how you became a coach.
Connie Steele [00:01:33] Oh, sure! Well, I’m a future work and life expert and executive consultant, author, speaker, and podcast host of my own podcast. Just like you is your podcaster. And my podcast is called Strategic Momentum. How I even came about this path was not a linear one like many are sort of experiencing in their career today. On my original path, I was a former marketing executive in tech companies. But ten years ago, I decided to make a pivot because where I was no longer a fit. That upward trajectory in terms of what I thought I wanted, which was to be part of a C-suite team to lead a marketing function and move up that ladder wasn’t really aligned to what I knew I needed to do and my personal life, which was to be the mom that I wanted to be to my young kids. And so this context, switching of roles of needing to be that leader in a very challenging environment and candidly of an environment is quite toxic as well. And I wasn’t able to really put all my time and energy into being the leader that I wanted to be, as well as being the mom that I wanted to be. That just led me to realize, wait for a second, is this what success really looks like for me? And how do I change the trajectory such that I can start to align what it is that I feel is going to be important to me personally and professionally? Because at that point I realized my work and life were intertwined and I couldn’t separate them anymore. I wasn’t able to compartmentalize the way that I knew I would have to be successful professionally. So at that point, I pivoted and I started down an independent consulting route and focusing on marketing and business strategy, and had to figure out, Well, how I start to leverage my skills and my values in various organizations. And through this decade-long journey, I’ve always really paid attention to what makes people and companies thrive because I was trying to understand that for myself. And along the way, I launched a podcast to really dove deeper into what gets people stuck. Where do those barriers inhibit people from really creating the traction that they need? And more importantly, how do they go about doing it? Because inevitably, many of us intuitively know what the problem is. The challenge is how you practically and tactically implement them. So I really wanted to understand that because as a consultant, that’s what I knew I had to do for my clients is not just understanding the marketing problem, but it was understanding the business problem or the times or the people dynamics or the process. It was really having a holistic view. So…
Sam Jayanti [00:04:55] I want to pause you there really quickly because you’ve said so many really interesting, resonant things. You know, I think, one, people who are incredibly effective at what they do as you are deeply affected by and informed in their work by their own personal experience. Right. So you have gone through that journey as you did, which so many women go through and are such a difficult journey for so many women and many of them struggle and don’t come out the other side terms of. Being able to balance who they are, being able to balance personal and professional, and still carve out a fulfilling career trajectory for themselves. And, you know, this matters constantly, right? Because as women, I think we just face a very different and distinct and unique set of challenges and constraints that are dynamic and changing. And we’re always trying to adjust and work with those and. If there is no infrastructure and no culture in the workplace of adjusting to women in those positions, then they leave.
Connie Steele [00:06:11] 100%! And that’s certainly where I found myself ten years ago because at that time I was in a situation like many women right now who’ve chosen to leave the workforce. I had a completely virtual team ten years ago, actually, I guess 11 years ago when I joined Zoom.
Sam Jayanti [00:06:31] Wasn’t this good?
Connie Steele [00:06:33] Exactly! I didn’t have any of the tools and technology to help me on that front. And in addition to having a long commute where I had to be in the office, I had quite a long commute, an entire team that was virtual, and a very toxic environment, all of which compounded this level of stress and me not feel that I could truly be my best self and in all facets of who I was and it was incredibly scary to leave that because at that time we’re all told you shouldn’t leave a job unless you have another job. And really your option is a job. No job. Yeah, the gig economy wasn’t as prevalent as it is now. Fortunately, I had quite a few friends who were in tech who also made a pivot. Yeah. And so I had other role models, I guess, to talk to. I had a wonderful network of friends and family who could see the situation in a very objective way because I was certainly operating from pure emotion.
Sam Jayanti [00:07:43] Yeah!
Connie Steele [00:07:44] So by being able to have this important, I guess, infrastructure, as you call it, which I didn’t even think of at the time, this opportunity to talk to other people who could guide me, who could give me objective data points, and then ultimately have me lead to the right conclusion, which was this isn’t the right fit for you. You need to pivot. Yeah. And then it charged me down a different course.
Sam Jayanti [00:08:10] So you have such an interesting mix of things that you do, right? You’ve written an amazing book which will come to you a little bit later. You consult for companies. You also coach individuals as well as teams. Tell us what a typical client is like for you. What’s a typical assignment?
Connie Steele [00:08:29] You know, I don’t think there is a typical one to me, because so much of this is understanding the unique dynamics of whether it’s an individual.
Sam Jayanti [00:08:43] Yeah.
Connie Steele [00:08:43] What makes that person tick? What are those struggles that they’re personally having? What is their background? Why have they reached the point that they have and what are those important levers or experiences that they’ve had that have gotten them to that point? And so having that deep context of an individual or the company for that matter to me is so necessary to understand then what’s the right path for it. Because each person has their own story, each organization has its own unique context. Now, after working with so many different people, you see the patterns and certainly, there are similarities and themes. However, nobody ever wants to feel that they’re a cookie-cutter in any way.
Sam Jayanti [00:09:09] Sure!
Connie Steele [00:09:09] And individuals and organizations want to know that you truly understand all facets of who they are. Because when you’re able to articulate, these are the various, you know, dimensions of what is getting you stuck. But where you see those whitespace opportunities to help them move forward, then they feel that you really understand them versus being put into a box. Because none of us want to feel that we are now the same as everyone else.
Sam Jayanti [00:10:09] Absolutely!
Connie Steele [00:10:09] Going back to being. Okay, well, you’re conforming.
Sam Jayanti [00:10:12] Sure! So tell us the story. I think this would be so useful for our listeners, Connie, of a client you’ve worked with who’s achieved a result that you’re really proud of.
Connie Steele [00:10:24] Oh, geez. You know, maybe there is one that I am just talking to. And I think, you know, they’ve been to my I think I’ve just sort of mentored along the way. So this particular person has been one which they were unclear about what they really wanted to do in their life. I mean, they are so multifaceted and so talented. And I think they were struggling to identify what did what should they do next.
Sam Jayanti [00:11:03] And how old was this person?
Connie Steele [00:11:05] They were in their early forties or so.
Sam Jayanti [00:11:09] Yeah.
Connie Steele [00:11:10] I have done quite a bit, but they were feeling stuck because at this point in time they had pivoted. Or at least the rule that they had been eliminated. They had put all their blood, sweat, and tears into this job that they had. But they realized that after leaving, they felt empty, even though that role might not have been a fit. So it was, Well, what do I do next? I have this time of what I really want to do next. So, so much of it was getting to. Well, what is it that you feel are your broader goals first, first and foremost, what are the goals that you’re looking to achieve? And getting clarity on that, not just at work, but in their life. And what really came to the surface is that they felt they were stagnating because they weren’t able to create that forward progression in terms of a position perspective. They had served as a leader but didn’t have that particular title yet, and they felt that. In order to it’s really about a confidence thing. But until they were able to identify that. They weren’t able to really reflect all of who they were. So it was one clarifying what is it you’re looking to achieve. Which is, wow. The reason why I don’t go is the confidence that I’ve been serving this role, but I haven’t had that position yet. And so I’m discounting my value. So getting clarity on that. But the other piece is they had this amazing talent, which is musical, and they haven’t been able to leverage that. And so they’re wondering, will we do I stay a corporate route or do I pursue this passion? I said, Well. Why couldn’t you explore that on the side? Why could that be a side hustle? Why couldn’t you start to look at these relationships that you have, which have been in areas where you could leverage your business expertise, as well as your musical, expertize to apply those talents? And just things started to immediately click with her. And it was finally building that roadmap so she could say, Wait, what I need to do is it’s not that I don’t love what I can do, it’s what am I really striving for and what are the right environments for me. So it was building.
Sam Jayanti [00:13:41] Yeah, and it’s building that muscle memory of awareness, right, to begin to analyze yourself and what you want in that way, but then to take that with you through the rest of your time as a result of this coaching process.
Connie Steele [00:13:59] Exactly. So much of this as we don’t spend the time to analyze ourselves. By default. As many of your listeners I’m sure aware, the next step differently is, well, let me find the next role. Yes. Because that will address my unhappiness or my lack of fulfillment versus being something much, much deeper than a role will never possibly fulfill because you might not even be pursuing a role. What you want in your gut is something very different now. The trajectory that you will take may still involve moving into a role in an organization because of financial needs, but then you’re able to map out where to set that I might want to be in the longer term and parallel path such that you can achieve those longer-term objectives that you have. So that all said, for this particular client, it was about establishing that. And so since that, I know she’s had quite a few great interviews and she has started to talk to people about, you know, leveraging these musical talents that she knows a ton of people are just starting to get traction on that. And she’s feeling every day more confident about who she is because she had expressed, even though you could see it and she didn’t know how to best articulate what that was. She’s now saying, wait, you know, I bring all this value. I just didn’t know how to channel it and direct it and actually identify my own checklist to know what fits and what doesn’t.
Sam Jayanti [00:15:44] Totally! Makes total sense! Sounds like you just had a tremendous impact in helping her think through her decisions, but also then carry that decision-making structure and apply it to all of these future decisions that we always confront. And I think it’s also really interesting that you highlighted someone in their forties, right? Because I think that’s often a time when people have worked for whatever period of time. They’re certainly in the kind of cauldron of work and children or partner or family or whatever sets of issues that throws up. And it’s a challenging time. And at the same time, it’s a time when you want to step back and evaluate and. I guess, apply more thought to the next phase of your work in your personal life where you might not have quite applied as much thought between your twenties and forties. So it’s such an important time and I think there’s also a real generational evolution where when you talk to 20-year-olds today, they’re deeply aware and much more in touch with, in a sense, their own needs and where they want to end up. And I think what’s less clear to them is how to get there. But for someone in their forties, it’s this first principle question of who am I and where do I want to end up? And then planning backward from there.
Connie Steele [00:17:23] I 100% agree. Yeah, I know. When I started working, I hadn’t thought about the question of what is my purpose. What impact do I want to make in the world? That I wanted to establish a life that had fulfillment. That wasn’t the goal at the time. And the goal was absolutely about career progression, and it was much more monetary in nature. And you see this fundamental shift among those that are just entering the workforce and are in that growth phase in their thirties. It’s generational where they’ve recognized that they need to align their interests, their passions, and this desire to have an impact, to feel fulfilled because they’ve seen other generations work and toil away in something that doesn’t enable them to be their whole self. And the negative physical and mental impact that it has. So they’ve also understood that money doesn’t bring you happiness.
Sam Jayanti [00:18:37] Yeah.
Connie Steele [00:18:38] And that there is something more that they need if they’re going to be spending this much time. And that’s certainly not anything that I know I recognized until it reached a certain point where it was incredibly challenging for me and I knew that I had to make a switch.
Sam Jayanti [00:18:54] Yeah. So interesting. You made me think of it. I was having lunch with a friend recently who has had a difficult role in the sense that she’s had to restructure an organization and let a lot of people go over the last little while. One of the things she noted was that. When they offered a kind of basically a severance runway to a large group of people who were all varying demographics and backgrounds and basically said, you know, it’s a very generous severance package, but then expecting them to stay over the next six months as these transitions happened in the organization, she noted that. Anyone who was a recent immigrant or was the child of immigrants did not want to take that very generous severance package because from their perspective, sure, they could stay, but they were interested in what is my career trajectory and very focused on that and just felt like this next six months would be a waste of time because there was no career trajectory after that. You know, it was other people who were not recent immigrants or first generation who said, oh, this is amazing and we’ll stay for the six months and then kind of transition out. So, life experience and who you are and the family you come from, and the way you grew up is such big drivers of how you think about your life in terms of the personal decisions you make, but equally your career and the trajectory you’re looking for.
Connie Steele [00:20:33] 100% being a child of immigrants. I’m a first-generation Chinese American, and what was instilled in me early on was that very linear path towards career success, which should then ultimately lead to fulfillment. And along the way, I realized, wait for a second, that’s not it. But I didn’t know what it would take to find that. And you’re not necessarily aware of the different resources, because when you’re growing up as a child of immigrants, in my case, you know, it’s sort of life more scarcity. [00:21:16]There is a fear of not knowing, or not having a plan for something. So you’re searching for security and security is having a job. Even though that job might be kind of sucking some of your whole life away.
Sam Jayanti [00:21:35] Yeah.
Connie Steele [00:21:36] You don’t know how to do that self-evaluation because you have been conditioned to really define success as having a role in a respected company. And that badge is a reflection of how well you are doing in this world and for your family. So to put that aside, say, okay, that’s not going to be me anymore. It is really hard when that’s been conditioned in you for so long. All of us have fear when there’s instability.
Sam Jayanti [00:22:15] Totally!
Connie Steele [00:22:16] When we’re not sure. Where we’re going to be able to get that stability of income. Inevitably, we just want to find that first and foremost. Whereas what I do see those that are younger or really of different generations, acknowledge that they have to identify their purpose and what interests them first. And they just believe, well, I’ll find something. I know something will come along, whereas I, I know I operate from I don’t know if something will come along.
Sam Jayanti [00:22:52] Totally, totally! Connie, One of your most recent pieces of research is about the future of work. And unlike many in our field, you believe the future of work is human. I totally agree with that, by the way. And everything consequently must orient around people and teams. Tell our listeners a little bit about your research and some of your headline findings.
Connie Steele [00:23:18] Absolutely. So the research has really been predicated on understanding what workers want at a very human level and looking at it from a people, not an employee-centered way. So you as an individual, whether you are an employee of a company, whether you own your own business, whether you’re a gig worker, you’re just talent, you’re a person. And it’s about understanding what does it take to be successful in this new world of work and trying to get ahead? What are you trying to achieve and what are those key factors that drive this level of success? And the way that we define success is career progression. Satisfaction with career progress. It isn’t a marker of money title power, but are you satisfied with your forward movement? And so, you know, what we learn is that what many people obviously know right now is that people aren’t satisfied with where they are. Unfortunately, the position they have and their compensation are less than half. And inevitably that has impacted their likelihood to stay, the likelihood of recommending, or their commitment. And so know one way to get that grounding right. They’re not happy with where they are. But what is it that they’re looking for? What are their attitudes? What are their motivations? Well, really, they are looking for integration, work and life to them are integrated. And that’s so important to understand.
Connie Steele [00:24:27] They’re obviously looking for flexibility where they work, when they work, how they work, and who they work with is important, but they want to also express their individuality that they don’t define their professional success necessarily by where they work. And they also want to have this ongoing development because they do acknowledge that they have to constantly build up their skills. Yeah, [0.0s] whether it’s within their organization or even outside their organization. But one of the things that were so core to this research was to understand what are those aspects that drive fundamentally this level of success, and what makes people successful. Because as we all know, if we’re asking people for advice, you know, what does it take for me to feel successful or to move forward? What do I need to do? Whether it’s your maybe your goal to be promoted or maybe your goal may be to find that love sooner, what does it take? And we get advice from all different places. Someone says you go back to school o go take this course. Or maybe you need to learn about or switch industries or pivot. But what we learned was that planning, this dimension of planning, and there were six that we defined. But this dimension of planning has the greatest weight on one’s career progress planning. This dimension is defined by having a very clear goal and a roadmap to get there.
Sam Jayanti [00:26:33] Yeah.
Connie Steele [00:26:33] [00:26:33]And a network building that important network as well as sponsorship and mentorship. And that dimension itself is 40% has a 40% weight on your likelihood of success. And, you know, it makes so much sense that that, more than anything really drives is for progress. Because when you’re clear on what it is you’re looking to achieve and you have the relevant and necessary people to help you get there, you’re going to be able to create that necessary process, but also understand those mile markers along the way and say, Oh, wait, I learned this, I got this data point back, I’m on the right path or no. I need a pivot and I could talk to these people to help guide me along the way to tell me, Oh, wait, maybe you should actually try this or build this other skill or what have you. They’ll help you iterate and refine your plan. Certainly, cultures are another dimension, skill development, another dimension, the experience that you have, and staying current. All those are other dimensions in there. But again, where people are failing the most is planning. And also most people aren’t feeling very successful. That creates a C minus. So it’s probably not surprising given where we are
Sam Jayanti [00:27:54] No! And not surprising, but. But I think so much. The insights into where we are are really important, I think, in your research. But equally important is some of the very practical advice that you have for how to address this dissatisfaction and that happiness. Right, which is super important. I also really want Connie to tell people, our listeners, about what you call [00:28:24]building your business of you. [1.1s] The book is back there behind you, which is wonderful. What I love about what you articulate in that concept is, in a [00:28:34]sense, that you’re leaning into the narcissistic moment that is our current society. But bridging the gap that I think exists, which is connecting each of ourselves to the social and professional contexts that we live in. So tell us a little bit about that.
Connie Steele [00:28:53] Absolutely. So the book Building the Business of You first, it is about the future work from a human-centered perspective and providing really that data-driven insight as to why things are the way that they are for many people, why we have been taking this nonlinear path, and what we are looking to achieve, which is what I call a career mash-up. That career mash-up is this combination of skills, interests, roles, experiences, passions, and hobbies that we want to combine together that enables that really enable us to be our whole selves so that we can create the traction that we’re looking for because we’re not one dimensional. Right. We are multifaceted. And that career mash-up could be a portfolio career because we’re starting to see more and more of that, people pursuing side hustles or actually multiple careers, whether it’s to help manage risk since many realize that having one particular being single source could be financially challenging. But the other piece is they also say, well, wait, I can, I can now because of the optionality available, I can exercise these different interests. And I could see if I can, whether you monetize or not, but I can really express them such that it leverages a different part of themselves.
Connie Steele [00:30:13] Yeah, I think this whole concept of a portfolio career I think is so important, right? In many ways, gig work has not been for everyone, obviously, but a proportion of people turned it into a way to self-actualize in the sense that they can. You know, I think we know today that any white-collar job is not a 9-to-5 job. It’s way more intense than that. It’s a total blend of personal and professional, and it’s very hard to kind of limit the scope of that and the number of hours we spend, if not working, thinking about the work. But gig work, in a sense, has become a way for people to do a few different things that are important to their self-actualization. Right. It’s allowed them to limit the workpiece of what they do that truly works and perhaps start a passion to a certain number of hours, but then go off and do this other thing. That is a really important part of who they are.
Connie Steele [00:31:32] Right! Well, enables them to talent stack. I mean, this gets to the.
Sam Jayanti [00:31:36] That’s a great term, by the way. I love that talent stack that’s.
Connie Steele [00:31:39] Actually sourced from Scott Adams, who is the founder of Dilbert. He had coined that term and you see that in people today that they are as our research also said, if, you know, 70% of people realize that ongoing skill development is so important, then, of course, you’re going to want to exercise that in some form or fashion. And if they have maybe this hidden talent for writing or design, it’s maybe it’s something they went to school for. But in their current profession, they haven’t been able to fully leverage that. Now they can go back and actually apply in a real-world sense and get paid for it if they’d like something that they know has that’s always been a talent of theirs and see where it could take them. And ultimately, all of these different paths will coalesce into maybe even a super job. So it might not be a portfolio career that they choose, but maybe they find a role in an organization that requires a level of breath. Because we’re also seeing that the more agile you are and this broader set of skills you can bring to the table, you become a great utility player. And being that specialist actually may not be the most value add that you can provide. It’s your ability to pivot in all these different areas, but you can link them all together by being a designer and a writer, and a marketer, for example, that you’re able to bring this amazing blend of skills that can deliver incredible value and traction for an organization. Or if you’re, you know, being a business owner or a gig worker, that’s what starts to really set you apart. So the reason why I called it building the business of you in the first place, is that today in this digital world, we’re now products and services on the Web, whether we like it or not. And it’s really incumbent upon us to be the CEO of ourselves to establish that strategic plan, just like companies do, because things are constantly changing. And unfortunately, if you are in companies, we work in companies, and not all of them provide the necessary support to help guide you along your potential career trajectory. So the clearer you can be and set that roadmap for yourself, you will then have clarity on where to move towards next and to say, Wait, what I’m really trying to achieve is X versus the common trap we fall into is, well, my achievement is getting the next job, which is not really the higher order goal you’re trying to achieve in the first place.
Sam Jayanti [00:34:32] I think it’s also. In a way, individuals have acted like investors in the marketplace. Right. Like this whole idea of an efficient market where people take the newest piece of information and integrate that into their view of the stock or the market or whatever. I think individuals look at the way that companies have treated employees. There’s like this whole concept of kind of lifetime employment or career in one place has kind of gone away. Right. And they look at that and have adjusted their approach and their behavior accordingly to say, hey, I need to be agile, as you said, and have a number of different skills and a breadth of skills that I can then deploy in a number of different arenas precisely. So I don’t get locked into one thing because getting locked into one thing is never going to be a strategy for long-term success.
Connie Steele [00:35:30] Absolutely! Well, you and I know that there are going to be a whole host of jobs that are going to be coming out in 5 to 10 years that we can’t even imagine yet. So set yourself up those opportunities aren’t based on all the past experience in very, very specific industries or very, very specific roles. Because if you have no idea what they’re going to be, how could you potentially plan for that? But if you have built a breadth and an aptitude of your learning fast, failing fast, again, having that growth mindset, you’re going to be really prepared for whatever comes your way. A great actual story that I have is this woman that I had a chance to meet, and she currently works at an organization that is all about supporting. The next generation of leaders has reached their potential, too. But she had always said she was always looking for new opportunities. She’s just curious to see what’s there. And she had said she identified a role at Spotify, and it was a role related to algorithmic bias who had ever thought of a role that would be there? I wouldn’t have five years ago. And she said you know what? I felt like I could be a perfect fit for that role because her background was or is and product management. She has experience with AI and machine learning. She has a passion for DNA. And I think that that’s just sort of a personal passion she’s always had. She also loves statistics. It’s something that she took in college and she said, Wait for a second, I can bring together all of these interests, skills, and passions where I fit into that role, which I thought, this is exactly why, you know, we don’t even know what’s going to come. But if we’re very clear on where we can have value and it’s about connecting the dots, I mean, and in a broad way, because if you think about what Agile is for those who might have been in the tech world, we now have an agile way of living. So Agile development was obviously very tech-oriented before, but, you know, agile development became agile. Business is where you’re testing, learning, iterating, and trying to figure out what fits. You have some clarity on what that roadmap is or what you’re trying to achieve, but you’re always testing learning along the way. [00:38:01]Now we now have an agile way of life because of technology, and that is something that is so innate to those who are younger and who are digital natives. Because he grew up with a phone and he grew up with devices where their life and honestly now professional life are completely intertwined in that device. And they’ve added applications, taking applications off. They’ve tried different things to see if they liked it or it didn’t. So to them, that’s natural. [23.7s]
Sam Jayanti [00:38:26] Yeah!
Connie Steele [00:38:27] [00:38:27]It’s not those of us who grew up in a more stage-gait, more waterfall type of way, where it was one big release and you had to be perfect in every single stage before you launched. So when you have also that context [13.7s] [00:38:41]that it’s okay to try and the only way to learn to help you identify what works best for you is to try and we will fail it. Just accept that we will fail. But failing is a good thing. Not a bad thing. [12.5s] [00:38:54]That this is when we’re going to ultimately find what makes us happy and what aligns with what we really want to achieve in life. [9.9s]
Sam Jayanti [00:39:05] I mean, those are great parting words. Try, try and try again.
Connie Steele [00:39:11] Yes. Being here is a lot like both of us. [00:39:14]We’ve been trying and trying and experimenting to try to figure out what fits us. Absolutely. And failure is always a learning experience and you pick yourself up and you move forward again. Right. And I want to share with listeners that [00:39:30]failing doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be fearful. And it’s okay. We all are scared. [4.6s] I [00:39:36]think so many of us don’t want to show that emotion because showing fear is seen as a weakness and is negative. But the reality is that when you’re doing something that is out of your comfort zone and it’s brand new, you’re going to be scared, you’re going to feel insecure, you’re going to feel that you might fail. [20.5s] It’s this fear of failure, but we all feel this way, and the sooner we can recognize that it’s okay. That’s the only way that we learn. And really, what’s the worst that comes out of it? It’s not the world’s going to end. It’s just all right. You know, I messed up a little better. Oh, this was good. This was bad. But I now know how to improve.
Sam Jayanti [00:40:20] Yeah.
Connie Steele [00:40:21] It will help us get comfortable with this constant change that we’re facing all the time. Because the world is constantly changing. Our lives are constantly changing, work is constantly changing. So when you can accept All right, well, [00:40:36]I’m living in some element of fear every day because I don’t know. That’s okay. [4.5s]
Sam Jayanti [00:40:41] We’re constantly changing. So that’s the reality.
Connie Steele [00:40:45] Yes.
Sam Jayanti [00:40:46] Wonderful. Connie, thank you so much for joining us today.
Connie Steele [00:40:49] Thank you so much for having me! I just love these conversations and you have such an amazing podcast! So thank you!
Sam Jayanti [00:40:55] Thanks, Connie. Thanks for listening today! You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and while you’re there, please review the show. We love hearing from you! So email us at info@ ideamix.com or Instagram DM us. Our episode this week was produced by the incomparable Martin Milewski with music by the awesome Nashville-based singer-songwriter Doug Allen. You can learn more about Doug at Doug Allen music.com.
