May 22, 2025
Bloom Boldly: Cultivate Courage, Clarity, and Community with Julie Webb
Blooming requires more than ambition. It takes courage, intention, and a little dirt under your nails. In this episode of Loud & Lifted, Julie Webb, founder of JMW Collective and long-time advocate for women in leadership, invites us into the garden of growth. We explore how to lead with clarity, build a values-rooted foundation, and create communities where women can thrive without shrinking. This is your permission slip to pause, reflect, and lead from the inside out. So you can bloom boldly, and fully on your own terms.
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Welcome to Loud and Lifted. I'm your host, Betsy
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Hamm, and today we're getting professionally
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powered with Julie Webb, a powerhouse in the
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insurance industry as a leadership consultant
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and founder of JMW Collective. Julie's on a mission
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to help women lead with more courage, connection,
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and clarity, not just in insurance, but in every
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room that she walks into. From launching her
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own agency to championing women in business through
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networks and masterminds, Julie is the kind of
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leader who shows up with both strategy and soul.
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She also goes back in big ways supporting the
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next generation through Girl Scouts, Girls on
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the Run, and more. In this conversation, we talk
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about cultivating courage, taking up space, and
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building a career that actually fits your life.
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So get ready to bloom. Welcome, Julie. Thanks
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for having me, Betsy. Happy to be here. You and
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I only met recently. Well, actually, we met a
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while ago. And then we just were sort of reunited
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recently at an event. And I heard you speak.
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You did an amazing job. And I was like, we need
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to talk at the podcast. This is such a great
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concept. But let's start with you and your story
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and how you ended up where you are today. Yeah.
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Yeah. And I'm so glad that we reconnected. And
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my story. Gosh, how much time do we have, Betsy?
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The highlight reel. I'll give you the highlight
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reel. Yeah. So I've always worked in insurance
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and like so many women in insurance, really all
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of us, we usually fall into insurance. No one
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really grows up thinking, I want to be an insurance
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agent unless they've got someone in the family
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that's in the business. So I fell into insurance
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because I thought I was going to go and work
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for a nonprofit and save the world. And that
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was really because making a difference was important
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to me. And when I realized that I couldn't pay
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my student loan debt back after college on a
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nonprofit salary, I had to pivot. and I found
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insurance. And more specifically, I found a leadership
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program in insurance. And that's important because
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I was listening to one of your other podcast
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episodes and you were talking about how you have
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taken lessons that you learned from a woman very
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early on in your career and still apply them
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today. And I feel the same way about my first
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career out of college. It was very... focused
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on learning not just insurance, but leadership.
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And I've carried that with me some 20 years later.
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That's awesome. And so I've been in the industry
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for 20 years. I tried to leave twice unsuccessfully,
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and it just kept sucking me back in. And then
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a little over a year ago, I just had this restlessness
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inside of me to do more. I like to say I was
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always dancing around the edges of women's leadership.
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I just was at a point where I wanted to go all
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in on it and dedicate the foreseeable future
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of my career to helping women get into higher
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levels of leadership. And to your point, more
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importantly, as you mentioned in the opening,
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finding a career that aligns with who they are
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and what their values are. And that was a little
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over a year ago. And I haven't looked back. And
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it's been a great ride so far. And I'm excited
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about what the future holds. Oh, I love that.
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And it's funny because you mentioned wanting
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to do not fluff it in the very beginning, which
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I would think was driven by wanting to help people,
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right? So that was sort of your driver. And now
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here you are in a different capacity, being able
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to help people. Yes. Yeah. And I found that.
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And insurance as well, you know, insurance gets
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a bad rep. It really, if you think about it,
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it's really a helping industry, right? It's helping
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people, you know, put their life back together
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when sometimes the worst has happened. And so
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I found that drive to make a difference as an
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insurance agent. And you're right now. I find
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it even more in helping women be better at. being
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an insurance professional or banking professional
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or whatever it is, but that's what fills my cup
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now. I love that. So when you work for another
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company, there's good and bad, of course, but
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one of the good is that you have a consistent
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paycheck, right? You know that you're going to
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get paid. There's that stability there, consistency,
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and then you decided to go out on your own, which
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is risky and not always sure how it's going to
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work out. and not always consistent. So how did
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that feel and what made you decide to take that
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leap? Yeah, it was scary. It felt scary and it
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still feels scary some days. I would share a
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couple of things though that helped me make the
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transition. And the first is I'm very fortunate
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that I I am partnered with someone who is supportive
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of my ambition and has the stable job with the
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benefits and the salary. And so I don't want
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to discount that because that is important and
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something that I'm fortunate to have. What I
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will say, what I could control when I decided
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to go out on my own was One, doing research ahead
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of time. So proving demand for this idea I had
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to lift up women in leadership, I had probably
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a dozen or so conversations with executives in
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the insurance space that I knew saying, hey,
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here's what I'm seeing. Are you seeing the same
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thing? Is this something that you would invest
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in? And so it was important to prove demand before
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I went out and launched this business. And then
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the other thing I would share is I lined up a
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lot of different revenue sources and I would
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recommend this to anyone who's thinking about
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going out on their own and even starting some
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of it before you make the leap, right? So like
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I commented on my blazer. So it's a cabi blazer.
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And so I've been a cabi client for almost a decade.
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And so when I was thinking about going out on
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my own, I thought, Well, I wonder what it's like
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to be a stylist and could that be an additional
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revenue source for me? And so I researched it
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and the more I learned, the more I loved. And
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so I signed up to be a cabbie stylist and I'm
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enjoying it. I love the fashion, but I also love
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the community, which I know we're going to talk
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about later. So I do that. You know, insurance
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is like a profession, just like accounting or
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the legal field. And so you have to do continuing
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education every two years. And so I teach some
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of those classes now. And so that's another revenue
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source that comes into my business in addition
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to the consulting and the coaching and the speaking
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that I do. That's great. That's a really great
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point is having alternate revenue streams is
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important. Yes. Because when basket gets a little
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challenging. Yeah. Yeah. So it's, you know, if
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one thing's not performing at the level that
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I want it to, it's like, it's okay. I've got
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this other piece that I can rely on. Yeah. And
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hey, being a stylist, that's just an added bonus.
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So you'll always have cute clothing too. This
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is true. Yes. I like that idea. I like that idea.
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And I will say talking about collars and details
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of a shirt are a lot more fun than No offense
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to my friends in insurance, but premiums and
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deductibles and coverage limits. I'm sure they
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even have to agree with you on that. Yes. But
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it's funny, we've only done a couple episodes
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and there's already these themes that this women
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are all saying with very different backgrounds,
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different points in their career. But you know,
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Margaret from Three Little Birds talked about
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having to have that support at home. Hers was
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also her husband. So like making sure you have
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that support and continue to build out your circles.
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Because I think, you know, I even go through
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my career, a lot of my opportunities came from
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just people I knew and people reaching out. So
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when we talk about that power of a circle and
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strength, and that's probably benefited you is
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you have these connections, you have these relationships
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with people. So it helps to make it at least
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easier to be able to move forward. Yeah. Leadership
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and entrepreneurship can be really lonely. Very
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true. And you're right. The community is so important.
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And I'll just share a little story that has sort
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of come full circle for me. When I started the
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insurance agency, back in March of 2020. And
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I always like to say yes, that March. I had left
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a very collaborative environment. I was leading
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an agency network where I was interacting and
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networking with agents and insurance company
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folks from across the country on a regular basis
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in person. And then I went and started this agency
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and I was all by myself and COVID happened. I
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was like, what have I done? Where are my people?
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And so for me, I found this mastermind group
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through my network. And it was a virtual masterminding
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group for women who were agency leaders. And
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so there were 10 of us and we would meet monthly
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on a virtual platform. And these were the women
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that I could go to when I said. when I would
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say like, you know, you never are going to guess
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what happened today. And they're like, Oh, yeah,
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been there, done that, got the t shirt. And so
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that was my circle for three years. And when
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I went out on my own, you know, I was talking
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about different revenue streams, the woman who
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leads that came to me and said, hey, why don't
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you facilitate some masterminds for me? And so
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now I'm able to facilitate a group of women who
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were in the same shoes that I was in, you know,
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not so long ago. And so it's really been a full
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circle moment for me. And it just, again, reinforces
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the importance of finding a community. You don't
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have to do it alone. And frankly, it's more fun
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to do it with a group. I totally agree. Do you
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have any tips or best practices of how to help
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build that out? Did you just happen to fall upon
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those groups, especially when you weren't running
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out and having coffee at that time? Right. How
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did that happen? Yeah. I think if you're intentional
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about it, you will find them, and especially
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now. I mean, that was five years ago. In 2025,
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where we are now, there are so many groups, especially
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for women, whether it's locally or on a national
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scale. And so if you just Google or Ask Chat
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GPT, here's what I'm looking for from a women's
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group. What's out there? I'm sure you'll get
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probably a dozen responses, right? And if you
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don't find what you're looking for, what I would
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say is start your own group. And just start small.
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You know, if you're looking for other female
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entrepreneurs, find one and just say, hey, would
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you like to go to coffee with me? And chances
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are, if you say to her, I'm looking to start
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a group and here's what I'd like to get out of
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it, I bet she'll say yes. So, you know, communities
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are really having a moment right now. So I'd
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be surprised if you couldn't find one that meets
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what you're looking for. But if you don't just,
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you know, start your own. Yeah. Oh my gosh. And
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you're just going into Satine's episode that
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we've just recently dropped where she's in the
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restaurant industry. And granted, yeah, she had
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the company behind to help that. But she said
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the same thing if it's just asking somebody to
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coffee and starting those relationships. And
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I'll tell you, LinkedIn is amazing for this.
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Oh my gosh. Yeah. I've used it. Throughout my
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career and especially even when I took on a new
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role and I wanted to know whether CEOs in the
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restaurant industry, I just started looking for
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them on LinkedIn or I'd pick a brand. I would
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message them and like nine times out of 10, I
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got a response. and I had a call. And it's awesome
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that some of those relationships continued for
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years and people I still talk to. And it was
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all just because I sent a random message on LinkedIn.
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And some people I've met in person at conferences
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through the years. Others, it's just been a phone
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call, maybe a Teams meeting, but you just got
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to reach out and got to make the effort for sure.
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Yeah, yeah. And be intentional about it, even
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if it's just like, I'm going to reach out to
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one person a day and make it genuine, right?
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Make it you know, I'm sure we all get those sales
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pitches on LinkedIn. Take the time to mention
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something personal about that person. And like
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you said, you can get so much information from
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LinkedIn. And to your point, I bet they will
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say yes. Yep. Yeah. And you don't know if you
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don't try and you might get a few notes, but
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for the most part, people are just, they want
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that relationship and connection too. So I think,
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I think LinkedIn's a great tool. If you don't
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know where to start, I would say go to LinkedIn.
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Yeah. Or, and then start with us because you
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and I will say yes. If you reach out to either
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one of us on LinkedIn, I guarantee you'll respond.
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You can warm up with us. Absolutely. I heard
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you talk recently about cultivating the courage
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to bloom, and I love that. We're in that time
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where the grass is green, the flowers are starting
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to bloom. It's a perfect time, I think, to talk
00:13:17.620 --> 00:13:20.740
through how you visualize this and how we can
00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:23.539
help other women think through this for themselves
00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:29.100
too. Yeah. It was a really fun exercise for me
00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:33.500
to put together. And it was a beautiful event
00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:35.600
that a mutual connection of ours put together
00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:39.259
at a lovely spot. And just like today, it was
00:13:39.259 --> 00:13:42.360
raining. And even though it was rainy, we were
00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:46.240
all commenting on how to bloom flowers need rain,
00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:49.039
right? So it can't be roses and sunshine every
00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:53.000
day. But when she asked me to open this event
00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:55.700
that she was having, this women's event, and
00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:58.580
that the theme was, I think the theme was bloom
00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:05.100
babe. And so I thought, you know, how can I tie
00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:07.159
my message and what I talk about a lot, which
00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:10.100
is values and leaning into your experience and
00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:13.399
protecting your energy? How can I translate that
00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:16.399
into this blooming theme? And this idea of a
00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:19.750
flower came to mind for me. And I'll run through
00:14:19.750 --> 00:14:21.909
it just at a high level and then I want to dive
00:14:21.909 --> 00:14:23.889
into a couple of the pieces that I think would
00:14:23.889 --> 00:14:27.840
resonate with your audience. So flowers start
00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:30.519
with roots, right? And it was funny because at
00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:33.600
the event I asked everybody to draw a flower
00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:37.259
and very few people included the roots, right?
00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:39.120
Because when we think of a flower, we don't always
00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:40.759
think of the roots because they're below the
00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.700
surface and we don't see them. But to me, that
00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:45.860
is one of the most important parts of the flower,
00:14:45.860 --> 00:14:48.179
right? And just like it is for the flower, it
00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:50.940
is for us too, because I liken the roots of a
00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:54.299
flower to your values. So what grounds you when
00:14:54.299 --> 00:14:57.080
the wind picks up, right? Then of course, those
00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:59.519
roots are in the soil, and I liken that to your
00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:02.399
environment. You know, what mindsets, boundaries,
00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:05.600
energy sources are feeding you or depleting you,
00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:07.639
and how do you get more of what's feeding you
00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:10.600
and less of what's depleting you? And then you
00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:12.879
move up to the stem, so now we start to see the
00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:16.419
flower, right? So the stem I liken to your courage.
00:15:16.980 --> 00:15:20.580
And I'm a big Brene Brown fan, and she talks
00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:24.100
about having a strong back. and a soft front
00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:28.019
and couples those two things with a wild heart,
00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:32.080
which I think is so beautiful. And the wild heart
00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.679
really links back to courage because here's a
00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:37.960
little linguistic, I think that's the right word,
00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:41.200
lesson for you. The root of the word courage
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:45.299
is the word core, which means heart. Oh, I did
00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:48.200
not know that. Yeah. And so it takes heart to
00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:50.200
have courage, right? And to build this strong
00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:52.909
stem. So then of course, you know, everybody
00:15:52.909 --> 00:15:55.389
thinks of the flower and that's really your purpose
00:15:55.389 --> 00:15:57.909
You know, what do you want the world to see from
00:15:57.909 --> 00:16:00.590
your bloom? And then you can't forget about the
00:16:00.590 --> 00:16:02.169
garden and that's what we've already been talking
00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:05.549
about Which is your community and just like flowers
00:16:05.549 --> 00:16:09.970
we grow better together. And so a high level
00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:13.240
that's what That's what I came up with. And I
00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:16.120
think it resonated with the women that were there
00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:19.500
that day. And I hope everyone took home their
00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:22.720
flower, their picture, and posted it somewhere
00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:26.220
to remind them of all the great pieces that make
00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:29.000
who they are. And to your point, it's pieces.
00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:32.340
I think sometimes we get hung up on just the
00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:34.740
top of the pretty part of the flower. And especially
00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:36.460
with social media, it's really easy to think
00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:38.789
like, oh, look at that. beautiful flower. They
00:16:38.789 --> 00:16:41.549
have everything together, not realizing the time,
00:16:41.669 --> 00:16:44.289
the effort, the roots, watering it and taking
00:16:44.289 --> 00:16:47.070
care of it in sunshine that goes into making
00:16:47.070 --> 00:16:50.750
it look beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. And I'll just
00:16:50.750 --> 00:16:52.789
go back to the roots because, and I know we wanted
00:16:52.789 --> 00:16:55.210
to talk about that a little bit more. You're
00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:56.909
right. Because, you know, I shared with you,
00:16:56.909 --> 00:17:00.809
first jumped on how I transitioned from corporate
00:17:00.809 --> 00:17:05.059
to entrepreneurship. And You know, that was a
00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:08.819
really quick explanation, right? And what I didn't
00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:12.019
share was like you said, like it was sort of
00:17:12.019 --> 00:17:15.019
like the shiny version of me leaving my corporate
00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:17.640
job and going into entrepreneurship. But what
00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.059
we didn't talk about is like just what you don't
00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:22.779
see on Instagram or LinkedIn or Facebook or wherever
00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:27.240
is, you know, the burnout that I experienced
00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:32.680
before the like sleepless nights, the stress.
00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:37.680
and just the wondering of, you know, what's next
00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:41.359
for me from a professional sense, you know, and
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:43.240
that's, you know, that restlessness that I talked
00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:46.319
about earlier about wanting just to do more.
00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.799
And the way I got really clear on that was at
00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:54.940
first I thought, well, I'll just find, you know,
00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.400
I'll find my purpose in another corporate job.
00:17:57.660 --> 00:18:00.259
you know, and maybe it'll like I mentioned to
00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:03.220
you, I tried to leave insurance twice. This was
00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:06.759
my second failed attempt. And you know, I thought
00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:09.539
I would, you know, go work for an organization,
00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:12.200
you know, focused on women's leadership or leadership
00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:16.349
in general. And The more I looked, and first
00:18:16.349 --> 00:18:18.930
of all job searching, I love LinkedIn, but job
00:18:18.930 --> 00:18:22.309
searching on LinkedIn is like the worst. It's
00:18:22.309 --> 00:18:25.529
like soul sucking. But I just wasn't finding,
00:18:25.750 --> 00:18:28.250
I wasn't finding what I was looking for in another
00:18:28.250 --> 00:18:32.430
corporate role. And that's when I took a step
00:18:32.430 --> 00:18:35.640
back and said, okay, I've got to really... look
00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:38.160
at what is important to me, not what's important
00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.160
to the company I work for now, what's important
00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:44.759
to me. And so I worked with a coach to get really
00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:49.359
clear on my own values. And I realized that the
00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.420
things that I value are relationships, trust,
00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:54.240
making a difference, which I've said a couple
00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:57.579
of times now, growth. I love to read and learn
00:18:57.579 --> 00:19:02.799
and always expand. my horizon, my viewpoints,
00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:06.279
my knowledge. And then my last value is courageous
00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:10.440
authenticity. And I love that word courageous
00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:13.779
again, because of the core and the heart. And
00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:16.900
I love the word authenticity, but it gets overused.
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:20.759
So courageous authenticity is important to me
00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:23.519
because it means not just showing up as yourself
00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:27.880
when it's easy, but also when it's hard. What
00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:30.420
I would say is once I got really clear on those
00:19:30.420 --> 00:19:33.039
values, it made things a lot easier for me. It
00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:36.380
made decisions a lot easier for me. It made deciding
00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:38.420
what I was going to do next a lot easier for
00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:41.380
me. It made like when you asked me to jump on
00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:43.819
this podcast with you and you were sharing with
00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:46.640
me that it's all about lifting up other women
00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:49.720
and finding community. I look at my values and
00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:52.359
relationships as one of my values. And so that's
00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:56.480
a yes, right? And so that was so helpful to me.
00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:00.960
that I coach and I talk a lot about that when
00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:05.079
I do workshops on coaching with women is I help
00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:06.880
them get really clear on their values because
00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:11.220
I know how freeing it was for me. And I just
00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:13.279
want to share that with as many women as I can.
00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:15.140
Now, that's such a great point. And it's something
00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:17.279
that we probably don't pause and think about
00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:19.420
until somebody literally ask you as you're saying
00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:21.180
that it's like flying through my head. Like,
00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:23.660
what would I say are mine? Like, what am I looking
00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:25.700
for? And sometimes I think we're quick to know
00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:28.410
what we use. don't want, right? Yeah. And start
00:20:28.410 --> 00:20:31.589
to get there by ruling things out. But to really
00:20:31.589 --> 00:20:34.650
be intentional and sit there and figure out what
00:20:34.650 --> 00:20:38.170
values you have and what you need to be fulfilled
00:20:38.170 --> 00:20:43.430
is a huge opportunity to really get clear on
00:20:43.430 --> 00:20:45.509
how you're going to spend the rest of your career
00:20:45.509 --> 00:20:48.970
or next year or whatever it is. Yeah. That's
00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:51.450
huge. Yeah. And you know, there's a lot of, I
00:20:51.450 --> 00:20:55.400
have a list that I use, but If you just again
00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:58.500
search online for a list of values, you'll find
00:20:58.500 --> 00:21:01.099
words to at least start like percolating ideas
00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:05.039
for you. And you said something that was really
00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:08.160
important. I just want to reiterate is pausing.
00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:12.099
We get, especially women, we get so busy and
00:21:12.099 --> 00:21:14.759
busy is a four letter word to me. We just like
00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:17.319
keep going, going, going. We never give ourselves
00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:20.519
the gift of pausing to just like sit, even if
00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:23.670
it's just for a minute. And so that's one of
00:21:23.670 --> 00:21:25.890
the gifts that I like to think that I give women
00:21:25.890 --> 00:21:28.930
when I do these workshops is we actually, you
00:21:28.930 --> 00:21:31.869
know, during the workshop we get quiet and we
00:21:31.869 --> 00:21:34.789
pause and we just sit and think and it's uncomfortable.
00:21:35.769 --> 00:21:39.359
Right. So valuable. Especially doing it in a
00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:42.400
group, I'm sure. I think you have that pressure
00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:43.759
of like, well, what are they going to say or
00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:45.559
are they going to do? But even taking that time
00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:48.119
on your own to really think about it, no one's
00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:49.299
looking over your shoulder, no one's judging
00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:51.720
you, and there's no wrong answers. Everyone's
00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.720
going to have a different list, which is great.
00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:57.279
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And that's the nice thing too,
00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:00.640
I think, about being in groups of women is that
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.880
you don't have to explain yourself. And I've
00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:06.599
done this exercise several times and I've never
00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:11.910
had someone be too uncomfortable or not comfortable
00:22:11.910 --> 00:22:14.910
enough to share. Right. Yeah. Because we all
00:22:14.910 --> 00:22:18.049
have similar thoughts. I think we're a little
00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:20.950
different. But yeah, to your point, I mean, we
00:22:20.950 --> 00:22:24.650
all minimize the stress and the anxiety and the
00:22:24.650 --> 00:22:26.650
sleepless nights of whether it's because you're
00:22:26.650 --> 00:22:29.390
changing careers or going for promotion or just
00:22:29.390 --> 00:22:32.569
a lot of times the higher up you go, the more
00:22:32.569 --> 00:22:34.410
stress you're under and people don't realize
00:22:34.410 --> 00:22:36.009
that they think, oh, I want that bigger title
00:22:36.009 --> 00:22:38.170
or the bigger, the bigger title means bigger
00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:41.490
responsibilities. And, and that can be very overwhelming
00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:44.009
for, well, I think everybody just set various
00:22:44.009 --> 00:22:46.109
times. So I was trying to keep that to the minimum,
00:22:46.109 --> 00:22:49.049
but you know, it's not going to always be sunshine
00:22:49.049 --> 00:22:51.109
and roses. We're going to have the rainy days,
00:22:51.349 --> 00:22:53.390
hopefully no tornadoes, hurricanes, like nothing
00:22:53.390 --> 00:22:56.349
natural disaster, but can stick to stick to the
00:22:56.349 --> 00:22:59.210
rain and the wind. Then that's just part of life.
00:22:59.650 --> 00:23:03.779
Yeah. Well, and you know, you have to. I don't
00:23:03.779 --> 00:23:07.880
wish burnout or chronic stress on anybody, but
00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:11.700
you do have to experience the bad days because
00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:14.460
that makes the really good days all that much
00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:16.799
better. Yep. That's such a great point because
00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:18.400
you're going to go through life where you have
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:20.539
those bad days or maybe you have a bad boss.
00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:23.440
I've had some of those and sometimes you learn
00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:26.940
just as much from the bad as you do the good.
00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:29.960
It's just what you can learn and how you can
00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:35.480
grow. Absolutely. Can we share your flower online?
00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:39.980
Oh, yes, please. Maybe we'll make that little
00:23:39.980 --> 00:23:42.980
activity where once people see your visual and
00:23:42.980 --> 00:23:45.279
I'll share mine too. I need to redo mine. I got
00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:47.599
to be honest. When I did it at the event, first
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:49.500
I was way too small and I'm not a good artist.
00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:52.559
So I might cheat and have my artististic daughter.
00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:58.259
There you go. Using your resources. Using my
00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:00.579
resources. Yep. Yep. But at least I know. Yeah.
00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:02.140
I started off too small. You're right. I didn't
00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:04.460
have the roots. I was just this little circle
00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:06.380
that you probably learned to draw a flower in
00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:08.140
when you're in like second grade. That's my flower.
00:24:08.339 --> 00:24:11.799
Yeah. As we grew growing and I had to pivot.
00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:16.299
Yeah. So what other advice do you have when it
00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:18.859
comes to cultivating courage? Those, I think,
00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:21.799
are two words that go together. If someone's
00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:24.319
struggling with that, how do you get them to
00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:26.319
feel a little bit more comfortable? You're going
00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:28.299
to feel uncomfortable, but how do you continue
00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:30.960
to cultivate that courage to make a change or
00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:34.240
to grow? Yeah, that's a really good question.
00:24:34.920 --> 00:24:39.420
For me, it's practice. It's practice, and then
00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:41.640
it's also like what I was mentioning earlier.
00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:46.240
So I'll share part of going into business for
00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:51.859
yourself is being in sales. And what I love to
00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:55.859
do is deliver the content that I create and create
00:24:55.859 --> 00:24:58.920
that content. Sales is not my favorite part.
00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:01.720
And so for me, I have to be really intentional
00:25:01.720 --> 00:25:06.119
about that and cultivate courage to keep asking.
00:25:06.859 --> 00:25:10.140
And one of the lessons that I learned in my first
00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:12.880
year of business and I'll probably keep learning
00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:17.920
it until the last day, is that I'm not for everyone.
00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:22.720
Sure. And that's OK. I think when you first go
00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:25.420
into business, it's easy to have this scarcity
00:25:25.420 --> 00:25:29.200
mindset, where if I don't say yes to every opportunity
00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:32.000
that comes my way, there might not be another
00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:36.240
opportunity. And I'm trying to. reframe that
00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:39.900
scarcity mindset into an abundance mindset and
00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:42.700
say that there's enough business to go around
00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:46.779
and by going back to my values and getting really
00:25:46.779 --> 00:25:50.579
clear on what it is that I, when I say I want
00:25:50.579 --> 00:25:52.559
to make a difference, like what does that mean?
00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:56.200
And making sure I'm bouncing opportunities off
00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:59.400
of those values before I say yes. But again,
00:25:59.660 --> 00:26:01.920
to get those opportunities, you have to be really
00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:06.250
intentional about prospecting. And so it's, I
00:26:06.250 --> 00:26:09.109
would say, intentionality and practice is what
00:26:09.109 --> 00:26:12.029
will cultivate that courage in the long run.
00:26:12.430 --> 00:26:14.950
That's great. And just to recap, and again, we'll
00:26:14.950 --> 00:26:18.569
share this in a visual too, but the roots are
00:26:18.569 --> 00:26:22.230
your values. Soil is your environment. Stem is
00:26:22.230 --> 00:26:26.029
your cord. Flower is your purpose. And the garden
00:26:26.029 --> 00:26:29.779
is your community. Yes. Yeah. Love that. So this
00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:31.759
is a great opportunity. You can take those, break
00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:34.380
those down and think about that, and then draw
00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:37.480
your flower. And again, it's not just about the
00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:39.500
top that's pretty, it's everything that's around
00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:42.839
it in the garden. Yeah. What do we do if there's
00:26:42.839 --> 00:26:49.779
weeds? So they they grow in the soil and so I
00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:52.059
would consider them. Those are those people We've
00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:54.279
got a you know, pluck out or things we've got
00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:57.960
to pluck out and do less of right? Right, but
00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:00.400
only it were as easy as pulling a weed, right?
00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:04.819
We're paying somebody else to do it or your husband.
00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:09.079
This is true. Yes That's great. Well, that's
00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:10.920
awesome. This is such a great exercise I think
00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:13.460
for people to go through and like you said taking
00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:16.759
that pause and just really thinking about your
00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:19.299
values is such a great thing for every woman
00:27:19.299 --> 00:27:21.359
to go to no matter what part of your career and
00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:23.420
whether you're just starting off or been doing
00:27:23.420 --> 00:27:26.019
this for 20, 30 years. We all need that pause.
00:27:26.940 --> 00:27:29.180
Yes. Yeah. And it's one last thing I'll share,
00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:32.940
Betsy, is when you think about stress, it's important
00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:36.480
to complete your stress cycle, right? And that
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:41.359
means you have a stressor You have the flight
00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:44.059
or fight response and then you come back to this
00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:46.559
neutral state and so often in this world that
00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:48.680
we're living in we don't get back to that neutral
00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:51.720
state but one of the ways to help complete that
00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:55.640
stress cycle is actually creativity and So I
00:27:55.640 --> 00:27:57.980
think this exercise not only helps you get clear
00:27:57.980 --> 00:28:00.980
on your values but it's also a creative outlet
00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:03.119
and like you said like when was the last time
00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:07.230
you just like sat down and drew a flower. So
00:28:07.230 --> 00:28:09.630
use it for that, too. Oh, that's awesome. I love
00:28:09.630 --> 00:28:11.569
that. Julie, thank you so much for being here.
00:28:11.930 --> 00:28:14.130
I enjoyed this conversation. And I know the listeners
00:28:14.130 --> 00:28:16.130
are going to enjoy this exercise. So thank you
00:28:16.130 --> 00:28:19.150
so much for sharing your wisdom. And how can
00:28:19.150 --> 00:28:20.829
people find you if they want to reach out more
00:28:20.829 --> 00:28:23.509
information about your leadership opportunities?
00:28:24.250 --> 00:28:26.369
Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you for having me on.
00:28:26.529 --> 00:28:29.630
I enjoyed the conversation as well. As we mentioned,
00:28:30.049 --> 00:28:34.259
LinkedIn is the best place to find me. I also
00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:40.339
have a website jmwcollective .com and I'll share
00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:43.140
my link tree with you also because that has all
00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:46.619
the links to, I do a newsletter that I love to
00:28:46.619 --> 00:28:49.859
share on a monthly basis and the link to my cabi
00:28:49.859 --> 00:28:53.059
site, all the links. So yeah, if you can't find
00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:56.160
me, you might be doing something wrong. Awesome.
00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:58.099
Thank you. And we'll make sure we share all that
00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:00.799
as well. So thank you so much. Julie just dropped
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:03.759
wisdom rooted in real world grit and grace, whether
00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:05.579
it's launching a business, mentoring the next
00:29:05.579 --> 00:29:08.359
generation or tearing down outdated expectations.
00:29:08.660 --> 00:29:10.500
She reminds us that professional growth starts
00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:13.339
with personal courage. So if you've been waiting
00:29:13.339 --> 00:29:16.519
for permission to lead or start something new,
00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:19.680
this is it. Start the conversation, build a community
00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:22.400
and design the future based off of your values
00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:24.980
that you want to be part of. If you like this
00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:26.940
episode, please share it with a friend. Let's
00:29:26.940 --> 00:29:29.160
continue to support each other in cultivating
00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:30.240
the courage to bloom.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.419
Welcome to Loud and Lifted. I'm your host, Betsy
00:00:02.419 --> 00:00:04.000
Hamm, and today we're getting professionally
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.839
powered with Julie Webb, a powerhouse in the
00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:09.039
insurance industry as a leadership consultant
00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:12.960
and founder of JMW Collective. Julie's on a mission
00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:15.419
to help women lead with more courage, connection,
00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.199
and clarity, not just in insurance, but in every
00:00:18.199 --> 00:00:20.600
room that she walks into. From launching her
00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:23.039
own agency to championing women in business through
00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:25.719
networks and masterminds, Julie is the kind of
00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:28.420
leader who shows up with both strategy and soul.
00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:30.980
She also goes back in big ways supporting the
00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:33.060
next generation through Girl Scouts, Girls on
00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:36.100
the Run, and more. In this conversation, we talk
00:00:36.100 --> 00:00:39.399
about cultivating courage, taking up space, and
00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:42.359
building a career that actually fits your life.
00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:54.619
So get ready to bloom. Welcome, Julie. Thanks
00:00:54.619 --> 00:00:57.950
for having me, Betsy. Happy to be here. You and
00:00:57.950 --> 00:01:00.990
I only met recently. Well, actually, we met a
00:01:00.990 --> 00:01:03.509
while ago. And then we just were sort of reunited
00:01:03.509 --> 00:01:06.409
recently at an event. And I heard you speak.
00:01:06.590 --> 00:01:08.310
You did an amazing job. And I was like, we need
00:01:08.310 --> 00:01:10.469
to talk at the podcast. This is such a great
00:01:10.469 --> 00:01:13.870
concept. But let's start with you and your story
00:01:13.870 --> 00:01:17.209
and how you ended up where you are today. Yeah.
00:01:17.450 --> 00:01:21.209
Yeah. And I'm so glad that we reconnected. And
00:01:21.209 --> 00:01:25.120
my story. Gosh, how much time do we have, Betsy?
00:01:26.379 --> 00:01:29.859
The highlight reel. I'll give you the highlight
00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:33.519
reel. Yeah. So I've always worked in insurance
00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:38.060
and like so many women in insurance, really all
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of us, we usually fall into insurance. No one
00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:43.980
really grows up thinking, I want to be an insurance
00:01:43.980 --> 00:01:46.219
agent unless they've got someone in the family
00:01:46.219 --> 00:01:49.599
that's in the business. So I fell into insurance
00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:51.879
because I thought I was going to go and work
00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:55.019
for a nonprofit and save the world. And that
00:01:55.019 --> 00:01:58.099
was really because making a difference was important
00:01:58.099 --> 00:02:01.459
to me. And when I realized that I couldn't pay
00:02:01.459 --> 00:02:04.260
my student loan debt back after college on a
00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:07.250
nonprofit salary, I had to pivot. and I found
00:02:07.250 --> 00:02:10.629
insurance. And more specifically, I found a leadership
00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:14.189
program in insurance. And that's important because
00:02:14.189 --> 00:02:16.710
I was listening to one of your other podcast
00:02:16.710 --> 00:02:19.409
episodes and you were talking about how you have
00:02:19.409 --> 00:02:22.449
taken lessons that you learned from a woman very
00:02:22.449 --> 00:02:24.650
early on in your career and still apply them
00:02:24.650 --> 00:02:27.810
today. And I feel the same way about my first
00:02:27.810 --> 00:02:31.159
career out of college. It was very... focused
00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.759
on learning not just insurance, but leadership.
00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:36.879
And I've carried that with me some 20 years later.
00:02:37.240 --> 00:02:40.780
That's awesome. And so I've been in the industry
00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:43.960
for 20 years. I tried to leave twice unsuccessfully,
00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:46.879
and it just kept sucking me back in. And then
00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:51.340
a little over a year ago, I just had this restlessness
00:02:51.340 --> 00:02:55.599
inside of me to do more. I like to say I was
00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:58.819
always dancing around the edges of women's leadership.
00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:04.000
I just was at a point where I wanted to go all
00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.099
in on it and dedicate the foreseeable future
00:03:08.099 --> 00:03:13.259
of my career to helping women get into higher
00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:17.340
levels of leadership. And to your point, more
00:03:17.340 --> 00:03:19.360
importantly, as you mentioned in the opening,
00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:23.219
finding a career that aligns with who they are
00:03:23.219 --> 00:03:26.810
and what their values are. And that was a little
00:03:26.810 --> 00:03:30.430
over a year ago. And I haven't looked back. And
00:03:30.430 --> 00:03:32.710
it's been a great ride so far. And I'm excited
00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:34.949
about what the future holds. Oh, I love that.
00:03:35.129 --> 00:03:36.569
And it's funny because you mentioned wanting
00:03:36.569 --> 00:03:38.849
to do not fluff it in the very beginning, which
00:03:38.849 --> 00:03:40.969
I would think was driven by wanting to help people,
00:03:40.969 --> 00:03:43.729
right? So that was sort of your driver. And now
00:03:43.729 --> 00:03:46.330
here you are in a different capacity, being able
00:03:46.330 --> 00:03:50.210
to help people. Yes. Yeah. And I found that.
00:03:50.490 --> 00:03:52.949
And insurance as well, you know, insurance gets
00:03:52.949 --> 00:03:56.629
a bad rep. It really, if you think about it,
00:03:56.629 --> 00:03:59.750
it's really a helping industry, right? It's helping
00:03:59.750 --> 00:04:01.990
people, you know, put their life back together
00:04:01.990 --> 00:04:04.830
when sometimes the worst has happened. And so
00:04:04.830 --> 00:04:07.949
I found that drive to make a difference as an
00:04:07.949 --> 00:04:11.990
insurance agent. And you're right now. I find
00:04:11.990 --> 00:04:16.439
it even more in helping women be better at. being
00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:18.759
an insurance professional or banking professional
00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:21.439
or whatever it is, but that's what fills my cup
00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:24.180
now. I love that. So when you work for another
00:04:24.180 --> 00:04:26.720
company, there's good and bad, of course, but
00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.000
one of the good is that you have a consistent
00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:30.839
paycheck, right? You know that you're going to
00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:34.699
get paid. There's that stability there, consistency,
00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.600
and then you decided to go out on your own, which
00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:42.060
is risky and not always sure how it's going to
00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:44.879
work out. and not always consistent. So how did
00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:47.279
that feel and what made you decide to take that
00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:51.379
leap? Yeah, it was scary. It felt scary and it
00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:57.199
still feels scary some days. I would share a
00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:01.000
couple of things though that helped me make the
00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:05.540
transition. And the first is I'm very fortunate
00:05:05.540 --> 00:05:09.040
that I I am partnered with someone who is supportive
00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:17.199
of my ambition and has the stable job with the
00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:20.519
benefits and the salary. And so I don't want
00:05:20.519 --> 00:05:23.639
to discount that because that is important and
00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:26.339
something that I'm fortunate to have. What I
00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:29.220
will say, what I could control when I decided
00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:33.350
to go out on my own was One, doing research ahead
00:05:33.350 --> 00:05:37.310
of time. So proving demand for this idea I had
00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:41.230
to lift up women in leadership, I had probably
00:05:41.230 --> 00:05:44.209
a dozen or so conversations with executives in
00:05:44.209 --> 00:05:46.709
the insurance space that I knew saying, hey,
00:05:46.930 --> 00:05:49.129
here's what I'm seeing. Are you seeing the same
00:05:49.129 --> 00:05:50.930
thing? Is this something that you would invest
00:05:50.930 --> 00:05:53.550
in? And so it was important to prove demand before
00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:57.410
I went out and launched this business. And then
00:05:57.410 --> 00:06:00.720
the other thing I would share is I lined up a
00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:04.060
lot of different revenue sources and I would
00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:06.379
recommend this to anyone who's thinking about
00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:08.759
going out on their own and even starting some
00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:12.240
of it before you make the leap, right? So like
00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:16.360
I commented on my blazer. So it's a cabi blazer.
00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:19.819
And so I've been a cabi client for almost a decade.
00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:21.920
And so when I was thinking about going out on
00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:24.139
my own, I thought, Well, I wonder what it's like
00:06:24.139 --> 00:06:26.740
to be a stylist and could that be an additional
00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:30.100
revenue source for me? And so I researched it
00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:31.959
and the more I learned, the more I loved. And
00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:35.420
so I signed up to be a cabbie stylist and I'm
00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:38.579
enjoying it. I love the fashion, but I also love
00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:40.420
the community, which I know we're going to talk
00:06:40.420 --> 00:06:45.310
about later. So I do that. You know, insurance
00:06:45.310 --> 00:06:48.189
is like a profession, just like accounting or
00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:51.730
the legal field. And so you have to do continuing
00:06:51.730 --> 00:06:54.949
education every two years. And so I teach some
00:06:54.949 --> 00:06:58.110
of those classes now. And so that's another revenue
00:06:58.110 --> 00:07:00.670
source that comes into my business in addition
00:07:00.670 --> 00:07:02.850
to the consulting and the coaching and the speaking
00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:05.449
that I do. That's great. That's a really great
00:07:05.449 --> 00:07:08.350
point is having alternate revenue streams is
00:07:08.350 --> 00:07:10.189
important. Yes. Because when basket gets a little
00:07:10.189 --> 00:07:13.629
challenging. Yeah. Yeah. So it's, you know, if
00:07:13.629 --> 00:07:15.389
one thing's not performing at the level that
00:07:15.389 --> 00:07:17.529
I want it to, it's like, it's okay. I've got
00:07:17.529 --> 00:07:20.329
this other piece that I can rely on. Yeah. And
00:07:20.329 --> 00:07:22.290
hey, being a stylist, that's just an added bonus.
00:07:22.389 --> 00:07:24.810
So you'll always have cute clothing too. This
00:07:24.810 --> 00:07:28.949
is true. Yes. I like that idea. I like that idea.
00:07:28.970 --> 00:07:32.009
And I will say talking about collars and details
00:07:32.009 --> 00:07:34.480
of a shirt are a lot more fun than No offense
00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.480
to my friends in insurance, but premiums and
00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.199
deductibles and coverage limits. I'm sure they
00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.540
even have to agree with you on that. Yes. But
00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:44.600
it's funny, we've only done a couple episodes
00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:47.509
and there's already these themes that this women
00:07:47.509 --> 00:07:49.610
are all saying with very different backgrounds,
00:07:49.829 --> 00:07:51.610
different points in their career. But you know,
00:07:51.769 --> 00:07:53.389
Margaret from Three Little Birds talked about
00:07:53.389 --> 00:07:56.129
having to have that support at home. Hers was
00:07:56.129 --> 00:07:58.470
also her husband. So like making sure you have
00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:01.029
that support and continue to build out your circles.
00:08:01.470 --> 00:08:03.089
Because I think, you know, I even go through
00:08:03.089 --> 00:08:05.850
my career, a lot of my opportunities came from
00:08:05.850 --> 00:08:08.850
just people I knew and people reaching out. So
00:08:08.850 --> 00:08:11.410
when we talk about that power of a circle and
00:08:11.410 --> 00:08:13.870
strength, and that's probably benefited you is
00:08:13.870 --> 00:08:16.129
you have these connections, you have these relationships
00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:18.870
with people. So it helps to make it at least
00:08:18.870 --> 00:08:24.089
easier to be able to move forward. Yeah. Leadership
00:08:24.089 --> 00:08:27.970
and entrepreneurship can be really lonely. Very
00:08:27.970 --> 00:08:31.769
true. And you're right. The community is so important.
00:08:31.870 --> 00:08:35.789
And I'll just share a little story that has sort
00:08:35.789 --> 00:08:39.649
of come full circle for me. When I started the
00:08:39.649 --> 00:08:42.970
insurance agency, back in March of 2020. And
00:08:42.970 --> 00:08:47.769
I always like to say yes, that March. I had left
00:08:47.769 --> 00:08:51.990
a very collaborative environment. I was leading
00:08:51.990 --> 00:08:54.769
an agency network where I was interacting and
00:08:54.769 --> 00:08:57.190
networking with agents and insurance company
00:08:57.190 --> 00:08:59.870
folks from across the country on a regular basis
00:08:59.870 --> 00:09:02.970
in person. And then I went and started this agency
00:09:02.970 --> 00:09:07.519
and I was all by myself and COVID happened. I
00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:10.559
was like, what have I done? Where are my people?
00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:14.980
And so for me, I found this mastermind group
00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:19.720
through my network. And it was a virtual masterminding
00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:22.440
group for women who were agency leaders. And
00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:24.679
so there were 10 of us and we would meet monthly
00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:28.059
on a virtual platform. And these were the women
00:09:28.059 --> 00:09:30.659
that I could go to when I said. when I would
00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:32.379
say like, you know, you never are going to guess
00:09:32.379 --> 00:09:34.139
what happened today. And they're like, Oh, yeah,
00:09:34.259 --> 00:09:37.440
been there, done that, got the t shirt. And so
00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:40.860
that was my circle for three years. And when
00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:42.720
I went out on my own, you know, I was talking
00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:44.940
about different revenue streams, the woman who
00:09:44.940 --> 00:09:48.500
leads that came to me and said, hey, why don't
00:09:48.500 --> 00:09:51.559
you facilitate some masterminds for me? And so
00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:55.279
now I'm able to facilitate a group of women who
00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:57.840
were in the same shoes that I was in, you know,
00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:00.580
not so long ago. And so it's really been a full
00:10:00.580 --> 00:10:03.960
circle moment for me. And it just, again, reinforces
00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:07.179
the importance of finding a community. You don't
00:10:07.179 --> 00:10:10.639
have to do it alone. And frankly, it's more fun
00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:13.639
to do it with a group. I totally agree. Do you
00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:16.220
have any tips or best practices of how to help
00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:18.500
build that out? Did you just happen to fall upon
00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:20.940
those groups, especially when you weren't running
00:10:20.940 --> 00:10:23.320
out and having coffee at that time? Right. How
00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:28.360
did that happen? Yeah. I think if you're intentional
00:10:28.360 --> 00:10:30.860
about it, you will find them, and especially
00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:34.220
now. I mean, that was five years ago. In 2025,
00:10:34.519 --> 00:10:37.580
where we are now, there are so many groups, especially
00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:40.840
for women, whether it's locally or on a national
00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:44.759
scale. And so if you just Google or Ask Chat
00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:47.960
GPT, here's what I'm looking for from a women's
00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:51.159
group. What's out there? I'm sure you'll get
00:10:51.159 --> 00:10:54.320
probably a dozen responses, right? And if you
00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:56.600
don't find what you're looking for, what I would
00:10:56.600 --> 00:11:00.840
say is start your own group. And just start small.
00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:03.700
You know, if you're looking for other female
00:11:03.700 --> 00:11:07.919
entrepreneurs, find one and just say, hey, would
00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:11.000
you like to go to coffee with me? And chances
00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:13.320
are, if you say to her, I'm looking to start
00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:16.000
a group and here's what I'd like to get out of
00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:19.740
it, I bet she'll say yes. So, you know, communities
00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:21.659
are really having a moment right now. So I'd
00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:24.519
be surprised if you couldn't find one that meets
00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:26.960
what you're looking for. But if you don't just,
00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:29.570
you know, start your own. Yeah. Oh my gosh. And
00:11:29.570 --> 00:11:32.110
you're just going into Satine's episode that
00:11:32.110 --> 00:11:34.610
we've just recently dropped where she's in the
00:11:34.610 --> 00:11:36.789
restaurant industry. And granted, yeah, she had
00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:38.750
the company behind to help that. But she said
00:11:38.750 --> 00:11:41.070
the same thing if it's just asking somebody to
00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:44.250
coffee and starting those relationships. And
00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:47.610
I'll tell you, LinkedIn is amazing for this.
00:11:47.610 --> 00:11:50.259
Oh my gosh. Yeah. I've used it. Throughout my
00:11:50.259 --> 00:11:52.200
career and especially even when I took on a new
00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:54.299
role and I wanted to know whether CEOs in the
00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:56.320
restaurant industry, I just started looking for
00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:58.539
them on LinkedIn or I'd pick a brand. I would
00:11:58.539 --> 00:12:01.659
message them and like nine times out of 10, I
00:12:01.659 --> 00:12:04.450
got a response. and I had a call. And it's awesome
00:12:04.450 --> 00:12:07.049
that some of those relationships continued for
00:12:07.049 --> 00:12:08.809
years and people I still talk to. And it was
00:12:08.809 --> 00:12:11.769
all just because I sent a random message on LinkedIn.
00:12:11.889 --> 00:12:13.990
And some people I've met in person at conferences
00:12:13.990 --> 00:12:16.269
through the years. Others, it's just been a phone
00:12:16.269 --> 00:12:18.929
call, maybe a Teams meeting, but you just got
00:12:18.929 --> 00:12:20.870
to reach out and got to make the effort for sure.
00:12:21.269 --> 00:12:24.289
Yeah, yeah. And be intentional about it, even
00:12:24.289 --> 00:12:26.049
if it's just like, I'm going to reach out to
00:12:26.049 --> 00:12:28.970
one person a day and make it genuine, right?
00:12:29.090 --> 00:12:31.740
Make it you know, I'm sure we all get those sales
00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:35.139
pitches on LinkedIn. Take the time to mention
00:12:35.139 --> 00:12:37.559
something personal about that person. And like
00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:39.399
you said, you can get so much information from
00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:42.620
LinkedIn. And to your point, I bet they will
00:12:42.620 --> 00:12:44.879
say yes. Yep. Yeah. And you don't know if you
00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:46.600
don't try and you might get a few notes, but
00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:49.080
for the most part, people are just, they want
00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:51.639
that relationship and connection too. So I think,
00:12:51.639 --> 00:12:53.039
I think LinkedIn's a great tool. If you don't
00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:54.799
know where to start, I would say go to LinkedIn.
00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:57.539
Yeah. Or, and then start with us because you
00:12:57.539 --> 00:13:00.620
and I will say yes. If you reach out to either
00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:02.700
one of us on LinkedIn, I guarantee you'll respond.
00:13:03.259 --> 00:13:06.740
You can warm up with us. Absolutely. I heard
00:13:06.740 --> 00:13:09.539
you talk recently about cultivating the courage
00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:12.360
to bloom, and I love that. We're in that time
00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:14.799
where the grass is green, the flowers are starting
00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:17.620
to bloom. It's a perfect time, I think, to talk
00:13:17.620 --> 00:13:20.740
through how you visualize this and how we can
00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:23.539
help other women think through this for themselves
00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:29.100
too. Yeah. It was a really fun exercise for me
00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:33.500
to put together. And it was a beautiful event
00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:35.600
that a mutual connection of ours put together
00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:39.259
at a lovely spot. And just like today, it was
00:13:39.259 --> 00:13:42.360
raining. And even though it was rainy, we were
00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:46.240
all commenting on how to bloom flowers need rain,
00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:49.039
right? So it can't be roses and sunshine every
00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:53.000
day. But when she asked me to open this event
00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:55.700
that she was having, this women's event, and
00:13:55.700 --> 00:13:58.580
that the theme was, I think the theme was bloom
00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:05.100
babe. And so I thought, you know, how can I tie
00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:07.159
my message and what I talk about a lot, which
00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:10.100
is values and leaning into your experience and
00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:13.399
protecting your energy? How can I translate that
00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:16.399
into this blooming theme? And this idea of a
00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:19.750
flower came to mind for me. And I'll run through
00:14:19.750 --> 00:14:21.909
it just at a high level and then I want to dive
00:14:21.909 --> 00:14:23.889
into a couple of the pieces that I think would
00:14:23.889 --> 00:14:27.840
resonate with your audience. So flowers start
00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:30.519
with roots, right? And it was funny because at
00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:33.600
the event I asked everybody to draw a flower
00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:37.259
and very few people included the roots, right?
00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:39.120
Because when we think of a flower, we don't always
00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:40.759
think of the roots because they're below the
00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.700
surface and we don't see them. But to me, that
00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:45.860
is one of the most important parts of the flower,
00:14:45.860 --> 00:14:48.179
right? And just like it is for the flower, it
00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:50.940
is for us too, because I liken the roots of a
00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:54.299
flower to your values. So what grounds you when
00:14:54.299 --> 00:14:57.080
the wind picks up, right? Then of course, those
00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:59.519
roots are in the soil, and I liken that to your
00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:02.399
environment. You know, what mindsets, boundaries,
00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:05.600
energy sources are feeding you or depleting you,
00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:07.639
and how do you get more of what's feeding you
00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:10.600
and less of what's depleting you? And then you
00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:12.879
move up to the stem, so now we start to see the
00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:16.419
flower, right? So the stem I liken to your courage.
00:15:16.980 --> 00:15:20.580
And I'm a big Brene Brown fan, and she talks
00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:24.100
about having a strong back. and a soft front
00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:28.019
and couples those two things with a wild heart,
00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:32.080
which I think is so beautiful. And the wild heart
00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.679
really links back to courage because here's a
00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:37.960
little linguistic, I think that's the right word,
00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:41.200
lesson for you. The root of the word courage
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:45.299
is the word core, which means heart. Oh, I did
00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:48.200
not know that. Yeah. And so it takes heart to
00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:50.200
have courage, right? And to build this strong
00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:52.909
stem. So then of course, you know, everybody
00:15:52.909 --> 00:15:55.389
thinks of the flower and that's really your purpose
00:15:55.389 --> 00:15:57.909
You know, what do you want the world to see from
00:15:57.909 --> 00:16:00.590
your bloom? And then you can't forget about the
00:16:00.590 --> 00:16:02.169
garden and that's what we've already been talking
00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:05.549
about Which is your community and just like flowers
00:16:05.549 --> 00:16:09.970
we grow better together. And so a high level
00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:13.240
that's what That's what I came up with. And I
00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:16.120
think it resonated with the women that were there
00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:19.500
that day. And I hope everyone took home their
00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:22.720
flower, their picture, and posted it somewhere
00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:26.220
to remind them of all the great pieces that make
00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:29.000
who they are. And to your point, it's pieces.
00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:32.340
I think sometimes we get hung up on just the
00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:34.740
top of the pretty part of the flower. And especially
00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:36.460
with social media, it's really easy to think
00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:38.789
like, oh, look at that. beautiful flower. They
00:16:38.789 --> 00:16:41.549
have everything together, not realizing the time,
00:16:41.669 --> 00:16:44.289
the effort, the roots, watering it and taking
00:16:44.289 --> 00:16:47.070
care of it in sunshine that goes into making
00:16:47.070 --> 00:16:50.750
it look beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. And I'll just
00:16:50.750 --> 00:16:52.789
go back to the roots because, and I know we wanted
00:16:52.789 --> 00:16:55.210
to talk about that a little bit more. You're
00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:56.909
right. Because, you know, I shared with you,
00:16:56.909 --> 00:17:00.809
first jumped on how I transitioned from corporate
00:17:00.809 --> 00:17:05.059
to entrepreneurship. And You know, that was a
00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:08.819
really quick explanation, right? And what I didn't
00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:12.019
share was like you said, like it was sort of
00:17:12.019 --> 00:17:15.019
like the shiny version of me leaving my corporate
00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:17.640
job and going into entrepreneurship. But what
00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.059
we didn't talk about is like just what you don't
00:17:20.059 --> 00:17:22.779
see on Instagram or LinkedIn or Facebook or wherever
00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:27.240
is, you know, the burnout that I experienced
00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:32.680
before the like sleepless nights, the stress.
00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:37.680
and just the wondering of, you know, what's next
00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:41.359
for me from a professional sense, you know, and
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:43.240
that's, you know, that restlessness that I talked
00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:46.319
about earlier about wanting just to do more.
00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.799
And the way I got really clear on that was at
00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:54.940
first I thought, well, I'll just find, you know,
00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.400
I'll find my purpose in another corporate job.
00:17:57.660 --> 00:18:00.259
you know, and maybe it'll like I mentioned to
00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:03.220
you, I tried to leave insurance twice. This was
00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:06.759
my second failed attempt. And you know, I thought
00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:09.539
I would, you know, go work for an organization,
00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:12.200
you know, focused on women's leadership or leadership
00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:16.349
in general. And The more I looked, and first
00:18:16.349 --> 00:18:18.930
of all job searching, I love LinkedIn, but job
00:18:18.930 --> 00:18:22.309
searching on LinkedIn is like the worst. It's
00:18:22.309 --> 00:18:25.529
like soul sucking. But I just wasn't finding,
00:18:25.750 --> 00:18:28.250
I wasn't finding what I was looking for in another
00:18:28.250 --> 00:18:32.430
corporate role. And that's when I took a step
00:18:32.430 --> 00:18:35.640
back and said, okay, I've got to really... look
00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:38.160
at what is important to me, not what's important
00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.160
to the company I work for now, what's important
00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:44.759
to me. And so I worked with a coach to get really
00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:49.359
clear on my own values. And I realized that the
00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.420
things that I value are relationships, trust,
00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:54.240
making a difference, which I've said a couple
00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:57.579
of times now, growth. I love to read and learn
00:18:57.579 --> 00:19:02.799
and always expand. my horizon, my viewpoints,
00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:06.279
my knowledge. And then my last value is courageous
00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:10.440
authenticity. And I love that word courageous
00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:13.779
again, because of the core and the heart. And
00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:16.900
I love the word authenticity, but it gets overused.
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:20.759
So courageous authenticity is important to me
00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:23.519
because it means not just showing up as yourself
00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:27.880
when it's easy, but also when it's hard. What
00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:30.420
I would say is once I got really clear on those
00:19:30.420 --> 00:19:33.039
values, it made things a lot easier for me. It
00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:36.380
made decisions a lot easier for me. It made deciding
00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:38.420
what I was going to do next a lot easier for
00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:41.380
me. It made like when you asked me to jump on
00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:43.819
this podcast with you and you were sharing with
00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:46.640
me that it's all about lifting up other women
00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:49.720
and finding community. I look at my values and
00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:52.359
relationships as one of my values. And so that's
00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:56.480
a yes, right? And so that was so helpful to me.
00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:00.960
that I coach and I talk a lot about that when
00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:05.079
I do workshops on coaching with women is I help
00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:06.880
them get really clear on their values because
00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:11.220
I know how freeing it was for me. And I just
00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:13.279
want to share that with as many women as I can.
00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:15.140
Now, that's such a great point. And it's something
00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:17.279
that we probably don't pause and think about
00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:19.420
until somebody literally ask you as you're saying
00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:21.180
that it's like flying through my head. Like,
00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:23.660
what would I say are mine? Like, what am I looking
00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:25.700
for? And sometimes I think we're quick to know
00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:28.410
what we use. don't want, right? Yeah. And start
00:20:28.410 --> 00:20:31.589
to get there by ruling things out. But to really
00:20:31.589 --> 00:20:34.650
be intentional and sit there and figure out what
00:20:34.650 --> 00:20:38.170
values you have and what you need to be fulfilled
00:20:38.170 --> 00:20:43.430
is a huge opportunity to really get clear on
00:20:43.430 --> 00:20:45.509
how you're going to spend the rest of your career
00:20:45.509 --> 00:20:48.970
or next year or whatever it is. Yeah. That's
00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:51.450
huge. Yeah. And you know, there's a lot of, I
00:20:51.450 --> 00:20:55.400
have a list that I use, but If you just again
00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:58.500
search online for a list of values, you'll find
00:20:58.500 --> 00:21:01.099
words to at least start like percolating ideas
00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:05.039
for you. And you said something that was really
00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:08.160
important. I just want to reiterate is pausing.
00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:12.099
We get, especially women, we get so busy and
00:21:12.099 --> 00:21:14.759
busy is a four letter word to me. We just like
00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:17.319
keep going, going, going. We never give ourselves
00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:20.519
the gift of pausing to just like sit, even if
00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:23.670
it's just for a minute. And so that's one of
00:21:23.670 --> 00:21:25.890
the gifts that I like to think that I give women
00:21:25.890 --> 00:21:28.930
when I do these workshops is we actually, you
00:21:28.930 --> 00:21:31.869
know, during the workshop we get quiet and we
00:21:31.869 --> 00:21:34.789
pause and we just sit and think and it's uncomfortable.
00:21:35.769 --> 00:21:39.359
Right. So valuable. Especially doing it in a
00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:42.400
group, I'm sure. I think you have that pressure
00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:43.759
of like, well, what are they going to say or
00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:45.559
are they going to do? But even taking that time
00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:48.119
on your own to really think about it, no one's
00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:49.299
looking over your shoulder, no one's judging
00:21:49.299 --> 00:21:51.720
you, and there's no wrong answers. Everyone's
00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.720
going to have a different list, which is great.
00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:57.279
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And that's the nice thing too,
00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:00.640
I think, about being in groups of women is that
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.880
you don't have to explain yourself. And I've
00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:06.599
done this exercise several times and I've never
00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:11.910
had someone be too uncomfortable or not comfortable
00:22:11.910 --> 00:22:14.910
enough to share. Right. Yeah. Because we all
00:22:14.910 --> 00:22:18.049
have similar thoughts. I think we're a little
00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:20.950
different. But yeah, to your point, I mean, we
00:22:20.950 --> 00:22:24.650
all minimize the stress and the anxiety and the
00:22:24.650 --> 00:22:26.650
sleepless nights of whether it's because you're
00:22:26.650 --> 00:22:29.390
changing careers or going for promotion or just
00:22:29.390 --> 00:22:32.569
a lot of times the higher up you go, the more
00:22:32.569 --> 00:22:34.410
stress you're under and people don't realize
00:22:34.410 --> 00:22:36.009
that they think, oh, I want that bigger title
00:22:36.009 --> 00:22:38.170
or the bigger, the bigger title means bigger
00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:41.490
responsibilities. And, and that can be very overwhelming
00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:44.009
for, well, I think everybody just set various
00:22:44.009 --> 00:22:46.109
times. So I was trying to keep that to the minimum,
00:22:46.109 --> 00:22:49.049
but you know, it's not going to always be sunshine
00:22:49.049 --> 00:22:51.109
and roses. We're going to have the rainy days,
00:22:51.349 --> 00:22:53.390
hopefully no tornadoes, hurricanes, like nothing
00:22:53.390 --> 00:22:56.349
natural disaster, but can stick to stick to the
00:22:56.349 --> 00:22:59.210
rain and the wind. Then that's just part of life.
00:22:59.650 --> 00:23:03.779
Yeah. Well, and you know, you have to. I don't
00:23:03.779 --> 00:23:07.880
wish burnout or chronic stress on anybody, but
00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:11.700
you do have to experience the bad days because
00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:14.460
that makes the really good days all that much
00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:16.799
better. Yep. That's such a great point because
00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:18.400
you're going to go through life where you have
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:20.539
those bad days or maybe you have a bad boss.
00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:23.440
I've had some of those and sometimes you learn
00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:26.940
just as much from the bad as you do the good.
00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:29.960
It's just what you can learn and how you can
00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:35.480
grow. Absolutely. Can we share your flower online?
00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:39.980
Oh, yes, please. Maybe we'll make that little
00:23:39.980 --> 00:23:42.980
activity where once people see your visual and
00:23:42.980 --> 00:23:45.279
I'll share mine too. I need to redo mine. I got
00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:47.599
to be honest. When I did it at the event, first
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:49.500
I was way too small and I'm not a good artist.
00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:52.559
So I might cheat and have my artististic daughter.
00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:58.259
There you go. Using your resources. Using my
00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:00.579
resources. Yep. Yep. But at least I know. Yeah.
00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:02.140
I started off too small. You're right. I didn't
00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:04.460
have the roots. I was just this little circle
00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:06.380
that you probably learned to draw a flower in
00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:08.140
when you're in like second grade. That's my flower.
00:24:08.339 --> 00:24:11.799
Yeah. As we grew growing and I had to pivot.
00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:16.299
Yeah. So what other advice do you have when it
00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:18.859
comes to cultivating courage? Those, I think,
00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:21.799
are two words that go together. If someone's
00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:24.319
struggling with that, how do you get them to
00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:26.319
feel a little bit more comfortable? You're going
00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:28.299
to feel uncomfortable, but how do you continue
00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:30.960
to cultivate that courage to make a change or
00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:34.240
to grow? Yeah, that's a really good question.
00:24:34.920 --> 00:24:39.420
For me, it's practice. It's practice, and then
00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:41.640
it's also like what I was mentioning earlier.
00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:46.240
So I'll share part of going into business for
00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:51.859
yourself is being in sales. And what I love to
00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:55.859
do is deliver the content that I create and create
00:24:55.859 --> 00:24:58.920
that content. Sales is not my favorite part.
00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:01.720
And so for me, I have to be really intentional
00:25:01.720 --> 00:25:06.119
about that and cultivate courage to keep asking.
00:25:06.859 --> 00:25:10.140
And one of the lessons that I learned in my first
00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:12.880
year of business and I'll probably keep learning
00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:17.920
it until the last day, is that I'm not for everyone.
00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:22.720
Sure. And that's OK. I think when you first go
00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:25.420
into business, it's easy to have this scarcity
00:25:25.420 --> 00:25:29.200
mindset, where if I don't say yes to every opportunity
00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:32.000
that comes my way, there might not be another
00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:36.240
opportunity. And I'm trying to. reframe that
00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:39.900
scarcity mindset into an abundance mindset and
00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:42.700
say that there's enough business to go around
00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:46.779
and by going back to my values and getting really
00:25:46.779 --> 00:25:50.579
clear on what it is that I, when I say I want
00:25:50.579 --> 00:25:52.559
to make a difference, like what does that mean?
00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:56.200
And making sure I'm bouncing opportunities off
00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:59.400
of those values before I say yes. But again,
00:25:59.660 --> 00:26:01.920
to get those opportunities, you have to be really
00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:06.250
intentional about prospecting. And so it's, I
00:26:06.250 --> 00:26:09.109
would say, intentionality and practice is what
00:26:09.109 --> 00:26:12.029
will cultivate that courage in the long run.
00:26:12.430 --> 00:26:14.950
That's great. And just to recap, and again, we'll
00:26:14.950 --> 00:26:18.569
share this in a visual too, but the roots are
00:26:18.569 --> 00:26:22.230
your values. Soil is your environment. Stem is
00:26:22.230 --> 00:26:26.029
your cord. Flower is your purpose. And the garden
00:26:26.029 --> 00:26:29.779
is your community. Yes. Yeah. Love that. So this
00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:31.759
is a great opportunity. You can take those, break
00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:34.380
those down and think about that, and then draw
00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:37.480
your flower. And again, it's not just about the
00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:39.500
top that's pretty, it's everything that's around
00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:42.839
it in the garden. Yeah. What do we do if there's
00:26:42.839 --> 00:26:49.779
weeds? So they they grow in the soil and so I
00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:52.059
would consider them. Those are those people We've
00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:54.279
got a you know, pluck out or things we've got
00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:57.960
to pluck out and do less of right? Right, but
00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:00.400
only it were as easy as pulling a weed, right?
00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:04.819
We're paying somebody else to do it or your husband.
00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:09.079
This is true. Yes That's great. Well, that's
00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:10.920
awesome. This is such a great exercise I think
00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:13.460
for people to go through and like you said taking
00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:16.759
that pause and just really thinking about your
00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:19.299
values is such a great thing for every woman
00:27:19.299 --> 00:27:21.359
to go to no matter what part of your career and
00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:23.420
whether you're just starting off or been doing
00:27:23.420 --> 00:27:26.019
this for 20, 30 years. We all need that pause.
00:27:26.940 --> 00:27:29.180
Yes. Yeah. And it's one last thing I'll share,
00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:32.940
Betsy, is when you think about stress, it's important
00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:36.480
to complete your stress cycle, right? And that
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:41.359
means you have a stressor You have the flight
00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:44.059
or fight response and then you come back to this
00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:46.559
neutral state and so often in this world that
00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:48.680
we're living in we don't get back to that neutral
00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:51.720
state but one of the ways to help complete that
00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:55.640
stress cycle is actually creativity and So I
00:27:55.640 --> 00:27:57.980
think this exercise not only helps you get clear
00:27:57.980 --> 00:28:00.980
on your values but it's also a creative outlet
00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:03.119
and like you said like when was the last time
00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:07.230
you just like sat down and drew a flower. So
00:28:07.230 --> 00:28:09.630
use it for that, too. Oh, that's awesome. I love
00:28:09.630 --> 00:28:11.569
that. Julie, thank you so much for being here.
00:28:11.930 --> 00:28:14.130
I enjoyed this conversation. And I know the listeners
00:28:14.130 --> 00:28:16.130
are going to enjoy this exercise. So thank you
00:28:16.130 --> 00:28:19.150
so much for sharing your wisdom. And how can
00:28:19.150 --> 00:28:20.829
people find you if they want to reach out more
00:28:20.829 --> 00:28:23.509
information about your leadership opportunities?
00:28:24.250 --> 00:28:26.369
Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you for having me on.
00:28:26.529 --> 00:28:29.630
I enjoyed the conversation as well. As we mentioned,
00:28:30.049 --> 00:28:34.259
LinkedIn is the best place to find me. I also
00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:40.339
have a website jmwcollective .com and I'll share
00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:43.140
my link tree with you also because that has all
00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:46.619
the links to, I do a newsletter that I love to
00:28:46.619 --> 00:28:49.859
share on a monthly basis and the link to my cabi
00:28:49.859 --> 00:28:53.059
site, all the links. So yeah, if you can't find
00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:56.160
me, you might be doing something wrong. Awesome.
00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:58.099
Thank you. And we'll make sure we share all that
00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:00.799
as well. So thank you so much. Julie just dropped
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:03.759
wisdom rooted in real world grit and grace, whether
00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:05.579
it's launching a business, mentoring the next
00:29:05.579 --> 00:29:08.359
generation or tearing down outdated expectations.
00:29:08.660 --> 00:29:10.500
She reminds us that professional growth starts
00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:13.339
with personal courage. So if you've been waiting
00:29:13.339 --> 00:29:16.519
for permission to lead or start something new,
00:29:16.940 --> 00:29:19.680
this is it. Start the conversation, build a community
00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:22.400
and design the future based off of your values
00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:24.980
that you want to be part of. If you like this
00:29:24.980 --> 00:29:26.940
episode, please share it with a friend. Let's
00:29:26.940 --> 00:29:29.160
continue to support each other in cultivating
00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:30.240
the courage to bloom.
Founder
Julie Webb has two decades of diverse insurance industry experience holding various leadership positions during that time. Most recently, she was the Principal at MPB Insurance, a scratch independent agency she started in March of 2020 (yes that March!). Prior to that, she was the Regional Vice President for a large insurance agency network with responsibility for the Mid-Atlantic territory. She began her insurance career with GEICO in a Leadership Development Program where she ultimately built and led a regional sales and service call center in Buffalo, New York. Julie holds both her CIC and CPCU designations and is a proud graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where she studied business. A strong advocate for women in insurance, Julie led the Women’s Leadership Network at MPB and founded a local chapter of the Women’s Business League to provide a space for professional women to network and grow together. In addition to this, she serves as the Board Chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South-Central PA and enjoys volunteering with Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, and Junior Achievement. In these roles, she’s committed to helping younger generations reach their full potential (and sprinkling a little bit of insurance awareness on top, too!). It's her advocacy work that led her to found JMW Collective, a leadership consulting practice focused first on the insurance space. Through group and individual coaching, workshops, and speaking engagements, Julie is on a mission to empower organizations and leaders to design a thriving industry that is profitable, in…Read More