The ConsciousPreneur Magazine Winter 2023

A Heartfelt Thank You

by Dr. Mary Meduna-Gross

I love to take this time of year to reflect on who I’ve been and who I am becoming. Creating this magazine is one of my top achievements of 2022. It started as a simple inspiration to validate, inform and inspire You, the ConsciousPreneur, so that you have the support and tools you need to expand your impact.

Of course, I didn’t achieve this alone. I am eternally grateful to all of the contributors who share their wisdom and to the hundreds of people I’ve connected with this year who share my passion and support me in countless ways.

I’m grateful to you, the subscriber, for contributing to this mission by giving feedback and encouragement to me and the contributors. I also appreciate that you share this resource with your colleagues, so that no one has to feel like they are building a business alone.

I am especially grateful to Christina Springstead, Noe Paredes, and Kwik Signs for working with me to design this beautiful publication. Although the content would be powerful even if it was a Word document, I have come to appreciate how design enhances our experience with the content. I may not be able to articulate how this happens, but I know it when I feel it, and so do you.

And finally, I will not miss this opportunity to express my gratitude to Taylor Ramezan for supporting me, my projects and my clients with such openness and grace. Taylor, thank you for for inviting me to challenge my own assumptions and for reminding me to give myself grace. You help me grow every week!

Confidence develops as we gain experience

Now, I invite you to reflect on your

achievements in 2022, acknowledge the people who have helped you grow and create such a compelling vision for yourself and your business in 2023 that you will continue to take inspired action, even when it gets challenging. When you have clarity on your vision, what support or resources will you give to yourself to make achieving this vision the most joyful experience you’ve ever had?

Then, let us know what resources and support you are looking for. Use this link to make suggestions for content and to let us know what would make this magazine experience even more valuable for you.

Here’s to expanding your impact in 2023!

-Mary

Link to the feedback form: Click Here You can contact Mary at: Mary@BlueBambooLeadership.com or visit at BlueBambooLeadership.com

A Heartfelt Thank You by Dr. Mary Meduna-Gross Passion, Purpose, Profits by Christina Springstead

5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me by Lisa Condon

The Business of the Law of Attraction by Royce Amy Morales

Recover, Restore, Refocus by Brian Decastro

Inspired by Dual Purpose Value by Mindy Flanigan

How your Talents impact Who you Are, Your Decisions, & your Business by Elvira Marie Chang

Leveling Up: The Key To Successful Consciouspreneurship by Dr. Mary Meduna-Gross

Get Organized & Achieve Your Goals for 2023 by Jessica Terenyi

Family & Business: A Shift In Mindset by Juliet Marciano

99 Ideas to find The One by Wolfgang von Geramb

PASSION, PURPOSE, PROFITS

by Christina Springstead

Passion, Purpose, and Profits

By Christina Springstead, certified Master Profit First Professional

Have you ever had one of those moments where you realize that the one thing you have been working so hard to achieve is exactly what you don’t want??? Growing up in low-income housing and being raised by a single mom who had become obsessed with the impact of money on daily life made the idea of an unknown paycheck or having anyone else’s financial well-being in my control seem like the worst nightmare I could imagine. Instead of lofty entrepreneurial dreams, my ultimate carer goal was to be the righthand person of a business owner who would let me run the show while not being micromanaged.

I started laying the foundation to reach that goal early in life. I got my first job at 12, a second job in high school, became a member of my local Business Professionals of America chapter, and focused on always asking for more to do and learn. After graduating high school, I enrolled in the accounting program at my local junior college. My enrollment in the program was shortlived. After a few terms, I was convinced I did not want to sit behind a desk 24/7, crunching numbers; I wanted more excitement but didn’t know what that was. So I dropped out of college and started working full-time as I started the journey of self-discovery and looking for clues to what career would bring me purpose.

Fast-forward 16 years and a few ca-

reer changes, I landed my goal job!

From 2010 to 2020, I ran a local sign shop as if it were my own. I established a fantastic relationship with the owner, who afforded me precisely what I was looking for, the ability to run the show without being micromanaged.

In return, she got someone dedicated to running the business with the same care and zeal she needed to free her to focus on other professional pursuits.

In 2019, my professional goals had grown, and I was ready to pursue business ownership. I approached the owner of the company I had been running in Quarter 1 of 2019 to purchase her business. The conversation went well, which led to talks and plans to transition ownership.

Little did I know just a few months later, the devastating and unexpected news of an employee’s passing would change everything! During a week of late nights, to keep up with our professional obligations, an employee and I conversed one night! We talked about the stress of being human and running a business with hard deadlines: the emotional toll and the professional obligations. In the middle of this conversation, I heard a voice in my head say, “This is not what you want. You do not want to be doing this for the rest of your life. This is not what is planned for you. It is time to refocus and grow what you’ve been growing already!”

I was so confused. What in the world does that mean? I had been doing this for a decade. I gave blood, sweat, and tears to this business when it wasn’t mine! How could this not be where I was headed? And then I paused to process.

I paused to recognize that while running this business for the last decade, I had a been laying the foundation for what was truly meant for me. I had built a bookkeeping side gig for small businesses over numerous years. I had been gaining clients resulting in little personal or family time, but my motivation to learn more was at an all-time high. A few months earlier, I stumbled across the book Profit First,

.....a solid entrepreneurial foundation!

where my passion and desire to help others exploded. It exploded because I KNEW that if I had read this year’s prior, I could have saved a ton of sleepless nights and days agonizing over cash flow!

My name is Christina, and I am the CEO and Founder of Springstead Solutions LLC, a company born from a passion and a purpose to help small business owners build a solid financial foundation. This is such a wild plot twist from where I started; as far back as I could remember, there was never a day that I wanted to run my own business. Today, I am so fulfilled in life, knowing that I am leading from a place of conscious intention, bringing my talents forward to help others, without hiding behind my fears from my childhood.

If you are unfamiliar, Profit First is a dedicated cash flow system that has you consciously put your profits first! It doesn’t focus on putting your profits first because money is the end-all, be-all goal, but it puts them first to en-

sure your business can sustain itself, allowing you to serve and give back for years to come!

What I didn’t mention about the company I was running was that they were severely affected by the 2008 real estate crash. Many years running the business were spent digging them out of the cash flow crisis that resulted from the market crash! Those sleepless nights were directly related to cash flow issues and being able to honor our financial obligations. I knew that if the stress intensity was alarming for me running a business, it had to be worse for business owners. I couldn’t

stop thinking about how many companies could avoid such professionally traumatic scenarios if they could partner with financial professionals who could walk them through setting up processes and procedures like Profit First to avoid common financial pitfalls that can ultimately cause a business to fail.

That is when it all became clear! I had found my passion and my purpose! A true, soul-fulfilling purpose that was exciting and terrifying!

Which meant it was time for me to venture out of the protective arms of a W2 job and into the unknown of entrepreneurialism. I reached out to Profit First HQ and dove head first into certification to help as many small business owners as possible with this proven system! As part of the certification, I had to launch Profit First into my business and was held accountable by the Profit First team. And thank goodness I did, because right in the middle of my certification training, Covid arrived on the scene.

Growing up with a scarcity mindset around money, I was quickly triggered! However, I dug in and committed to the process. The accounting industry blew up during Covid, and I was consistent with my allocations!

Fast-forward to today, I have invested heavily in professional training to provide the best bookkeeping services we can, have a dedicated staff including a full-time Success Manager and parttime bookkeeper, and have a dedi-

Passion is about what I love.

Purpose is why I love it.

Terri Maxwell

cated outsourced team for business elements such as social media and IT, all completely debt-free. I contribute the growth and ability to purposefully build my company to the Profit First system.

In addition to my success, I have several client success stories and know of several others who used Profit First, including Mary Meduna-Gross, co-founder of this magazine! If you are in business and are looking for a way to consciously take charge of your finances, I invite you to connect with me and learn how you can take this proven system and use it to accomplish your personal and professional goals!

A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE PROFIT FIRST SYSTEM...

THE PROFIT FIRST FORMULA

The GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) formula for determining a business’s profit is Sales – Expenses = Profit. It is simple, logical, and clear. Unfortunately, it’s a lie. The formula, while logically accurate, does not account for human behavior. In the GAAP formula profit is a left over, a final consideration, something that is hopefully a nice surprise at the end of the year. Alas, the profit is rarely there and the business continues on its check to check survival.

With Profit First you to flip the formula to Sales – Profit = Expenses. Logically the math is the same, but from the standpoint of the entrepreneur’s behavior it is radically different. With Profit First, you take a predetermined

-

Terri Maxwell

percentage of profit from every sale first, and only the remainder is available for expenses.

PARKINSON’S LAW

Author and historian C. Northcote Parkinson theorized that our demand for a resource increases to meet the supply of it. That is why when we are given two weeks to do a project it takes two weeks, and when we are given eight weeks to do the same project it takes eight weeks. That is why when given $1,000 to complete our work we get it done with $1,000 and when given $10,000 to complete the same work, it takes $10,000. Profit First makes Parkinson’s Law an asset. By taking profit first, the money available for expenses lessens, and we are forced to find ways to get the same things done for less money.

BANK BALANCE ACCOUNTING

Most entrepreneurs don’t have the time or gumption to read the different accounting statements necessary to manage the financial aspect of their business.

Theoretically, you should review and correlate your Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement monthly (or more frequently), but few entrepreneurs do. Most resort to “bank balance accounting,” where we check our bank balance every day and make financial decisions based upon what we see.

Per Parkinson’s Law, we consume what we see in our bank account. Prof-

it First encourages the entrepreneur to continue “bank balance accounting” by first allocating money to profit (and other accounts) so that the entrepreneur sees the actual portion of deposits that are available for expenses and they automatically adjust their spending accordingly.

DON’T CHANGE HABITS, LEVERAGE THEM

Many entrepreneurs try to force themselves to become better at accounting and to become more disciplined in their fiscal management by pure willpower. But just like a muscle, willpower can be drained. And in a moment of financial stress or bigger than expected expenses the entrepreneur will break their own fiscal rules and spend the money they have.

The Profit First principle does not try to change your habits (that is nearly impossible to do), Profit First works with your existing habits. By first allocating money to different accounts, and then removing the temptation to “borrow” from yourself, your business will become fiscally strong and you will benefit from regular profit distributions.

What does this all mean? It means with the right processes and formulas, you can find confidence in knowing that your finances are handled and you are consistently getting paid. The most fulfilling part of my work is in helping my clients take their dreams and turn them into reality, which means they have to be profitable to make it a reality. This is where my team comes in. If you find yourself in the position of wanting to focus on being the visionary in your business, doing what you love, and what you love isn’t bookkeeping, let’s explore how Springstead Solutions could help you become permanently profitable. If this is just what you’ve been looking for, Email me at HELLO@SPRINGSTEADSOLUTIONS.COM

“…entrepreneurs feel a connection to a deeper part of themselves, and their decisions become more mindful, or more conscious. They care deeply about their employees and customers. As they make mon

ey, they want to give back to their community in meaningful ways.”

5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me

Lisa Condon

Let’s face it, we are entrepreneurs long before we actually launch our business. We spend countless hours wondering, “what if” or “If only” or the dreaded “once this is finished, then I can.” But then the right time comes. The universe aligns with our courage, and we make the leap to become part of the 16%, which is the percentage in the U.S. population of whom are entrepreneurs. It is then that we realize the hours we put in for the thinking and planning are no competition for the hours we put into the actual business. It truly, though, is a labor of love as being an entrepreneur takes passion and heart. Every. Single. Day. I was always an impassioned entrepreneur at heart. I was 7 years old when I decided I was going to have my own yard sale. I walked around my bedroom, looking at the things I no longer wanted or needed. I begged my parents to give me items to sell. That historic Saturday morning, I got up early, set everything out on the card tables my parents had set up for me, change in place, and waited. My first customer bought the only thing my Dad offered to let me sell. A plunger. Used. For $.50. I never forgot that moment, because in that moment several things happened. I got my first sale. I saw the pride in my Dad’s eyes as well as the smirks on both my parents’ faces. Most importantly, though, I was so happy to have what the other person needed. The man who bought it told me that it was the only thing he was out looking for that morning. And he found it with me.

Fast forward to 2007, the year I realized that it was time to lean into the heart of that 7-year-old firecracker. That started my thinking stage of entrepreneurship. It wasn’t until 2009, however, that I launched my business. It was exhilarating. I was my own boss calling the shots. I worked the hours I wanted to. Truthfully, it was hard. And boy, were there a lot of days of selfdoubt; as I had been an executive climbing that corporate ladder. I left a very well-paying career because I knew in my heart, I was meant to be doing something more. I also didn’t know what I didn’t know, and therefore, didn’t know the questions to ask. This is what I am passing on to you. Whether you are a first-time entrepreneur, pivoting your business, or launching your tenth business – these are the top five things I wish someone had told me, and even now, remind me about.

1. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. I think we hear this at least once throughout our professional career; but we forget that it pertains to us. Know where your zone of genius and passion collide and work in that space. We all can do a lot of things. For example, I can create social media posts by scouring Canva for the right template, updating the text, figuring out video, etc. It is not what I love, and therefore; not where I want to put my time. I have found an amazing social media manager that I hired to do this work. It gets done faster, she gets work, and the clients get the best of both of us. Find others you trust to fill in the gaps. Pay for their valued services or refer to them. This will give you the opportunity to focus on what you love and keep you in inspired.

Work life balance is actually work life boundaries.

2. Work life balance is actually work life boundaries. This was an “aha” moment for me. People talk about work life balance and that we all need to find it, so we don’t burn out. As entrepreneurs, we work long hours and often, we love it. Burn out typically comes from spending time on the things that don’t bring you joy. The reason is simple. When you don’t want to do something, you procrastinate, and it takes ten times more energy to get motivated. You then get in the spiral of a dreaded deadline along with all the other things you need to accomplish. What you really need is defined boundaries on the work you want to do and who you want to work with. By defining these two boundaries clearly, it allows you to thrive during the hours you work, giving you energy for the times you aren’t. Set a schedule, plan your days, and stick to it. From structure comes spontaneity, my friends.

3. Remembering your “Why” helps you stay grounded. Every year, since I was first introduced to it, I read Simon Sinek’s book “Start with Why.” I do this, as I tend to get ideas and want to do all the things as the months tick from the New Year into Spring and ultimately into Summer. I love to get inspired and then my proverbial idea cup often overflows. So, I must scale back. Taking the time to remember why I started my company, why I chose the entrepreneurial path, and why I am in the place I am today provides me a reminder of the foundation from which I wanted to build.

4. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely, find your people. It doesn’t matter where you live, if you are an entrepreneur that works from home, it gets lonely. You sit at your desk for hours, and while you may be talking to clients or even remote team members, you don’t get to have the old water cooler talk. My cats are my co-workers. My covid puppy added a whole new energy to my workplace in 2020, but that’s another story for another time. The best thing I ever did

was find a group of people of whom I could trust with business and life conversations through a small group mastermind. I have an international networking group that I stepped into headfirst and make time to connect with people across the world. I make it part of my schedule and each month allot a certain amount of time to make these connections. I didn’t do this until about 10 years into my business. Now, I can’t live without it. The insights and comradery let you know that you are not alone in this journey.

5. Celebrate everything. As an entrepreneur, you are not getting an employee of the month award, recognition during your annual review, or any of the ways you get kudos through being an employee for a business. There is no one to high five when you made a difference in the life of a client or made that huge sale you had been working on for months. You must find ways to celebrate the wins, no matter how small, often. It takes practice and it may feel awkward at first; but only you know what you have gone through to get you to the place you are now. Take the moment and enjoy what you’ve accomplished. Get yourself an ice cream

cone. Do a cartwheel. Give yourself a sticker. Whatever it is that will remind you how amazing you are.

Congratulations on your amazing entrepreneurial journey. We are in this together.

Lisa Condon is a lover of life, adventurer of spirit, and cultivator of collaboration. She thrives on helping businesses find their heart and people discover their passion. Professionally trained as a Six Sigma Black Belt and Scrum Master, Lisa integrates tried-and-true processes into all the work she does through Lisa Condon Enterprises.

You can contact Lisa by email at, Lisa@LisaCondon.com or phone at 802.338.1512

The Business of the Law of Attraction

Royce Amy Morales

As a conscious business owner, are you a dedicated practitioner of the Law of Attraction, trying to harness the power of positive thinking? Is it often challenging to confidently believe in this thoughts become things technique? During these last few tumultuous years, has it been tricky to sustain or even locate a flow of optimism?

Add to that a slew of inner programmed obstacles that have you believe that success is impossible. Those deeply held notions are subconsciously running you, dictating that nothing will help your business prosper, especially something as minimal as changing your thoughts.

With fear and negativity infecting your every direction, trusting you will attract what you need and keep your business thriving, can be a struggle. Plus, it’s one thing to rely on the Law of Attraction to manifest small things like parking spaces, quite another when your livelihood, employees’ paychecks and business survival literally de-

The Law of Attraction is a practice based on the Universal Law of Energy that states it is thoughts, your habitual and predominant mental attitude, that attract positive or negative experiences and conditions into your life. It espouses that shifting the message of your thoughts can improve health, finances, relationships and life in general.

LOA stems from a metaphysical truth that like attracts like and it claims several centuries of history. In the last few decades, there has been a surge of interest in the subject with several

books and films uncovering the concepts and coining the term manifestation.

The commonality in the various modes of teaching is the idea of “mind over matter,” spirit over physicality, teaching that anything is possible.

Applying this energetic Law in your business is just as important as utilizing any other success tool. Perhaps even more so.

How Does it Work?

Knowing how Law of Attraction works helps you utilize it effectively.

The first thing to know is that LOA is not about sitting around wishing and hoping. It is about being. To quote Wayne Dyer, “Manifesting is not about attracting what you want. Manifesting is an awareness and an understanding that you attract what you are.”

To understand this deeper, the manifestation process follows the unalterable universal order of how life works: Be, do, have.

The be level sets the stage for taking action (do) with the ulti-

The Law of Attraction is about believing that anything is possible

mate result of having.

Many people reverse this order and wonder why their desires don’t happen. Like purchasing toe shoes (have), then taking ballet lessons (do) but never feeling like a dancer inside (be).

The being part consists of what you believe about yourself, others and the world, consciously or subconsciously. Those subconscious thoughts, automatic judgments and attitudes you hold based on your inner programming are what is affecting you in the strongest ways.

Most significantly, your inner belief as to how much you truly deserve, what you can allow yourself to envision receiving is ultimately what you attract, no more, no less. That notion is in charge of self-sabotage. Noticing your flow, or lack of flow of money will help you discover deservingness issues and programmed beliefs about having to struggle.

The being level is also your spiritual aspect that knows your purpose, why you are here, what you have chosen to contribute to this life. It is the authentic intention of your conscious business.

The doing aspect of this order is important as well. Actions you take need to come from a pure place of listening to intuition, your spiritual, heart-centered knowingness rather than desperately, hastily, frantically, fearfully moving toward something.

The Practice

LOA instructs you to simply reframe negative thoughts and words into positives, state affirmations and use creative visualization techniques. It is even more important to be mindful. Notice those instant doubtful thoughts that go counter to what you are affirming or visualizing to help you get in touch with your self-limiting beliefs.

Rather than ignoring those negative thoughts, recognizing them and not buying into them busts their power. That will naturally start shifting you into empowered, possibility thinking, trusting you can manifest whatever you desire.

When using affirmations, state what you want as if you already have it. Writing them down in a journal adds more sensory power to what you are requesting. Adding an addendum at the end of an affirmation -- I ask that this or something better be received -- opens the door to manifest what you deserve, which you may not even be aware of.

A caveat about using LOA is to never attempt to manipulate others with what you are affirming. Keeping your manifestation thoughts directed strictly about yourself, or as general as possible, is imperative.

Here is the difference: “I deserve to attract new customers that appreciate and purchase my merchandise effortlessly” versus affirming that “Susie Jones is coming in today and

The Law of Attraction is not about sitting around wishing and hoping.

will make a thousand-dollar purchase and tell all her friends about my business.”

Subconscious Reflections

Even if it looks like the Law of Attraction didn’t work, it did.

The Universe is a “Yes Machine,” agreeing with the often-subconscious inner fabric of your beliefs, thoughts and expectations. In other words, what shows up is a perfect match that reflects your true, yet often denied, intent.

What do you really intend? Be honest with yourself.

If you desire something yet subconsciously expect something else, this inner duality will manifest the stronger of the two thoughts, your expectation being the winner. In other words, even with positive thinking, if a deeper part of you expects things to go wrong, they will.

The Law of Attraction is a powerful tool to help expose your hidden beliefs. Notice them, without suppressing

what comes to mind. Identify and acknowledge the negative thoughts that arise, do some inner delving to locate where they come from, and choose to not give them power by believing they are true. They are simply False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR).

Use those spontaneous thoughts as springboards to help you discover why you are thinking that way, what is being triggered. This allows space for negativity to not be suppressed which can be the cause of other problems to manifest.

Be Your Highest Self

The best way to practice the Law of Attraction is to consciously choose to come from a loving place each day. Situations have been put in your life because your higher consciousness knows you chose to be here to resolve them. Taking positive action with the intention of cleaning up areas that keep repeating can shift stuck situations. Doing this will help you truly believe you are worthy of life’s good, and life will deliver. It’s the Law.

For example, you are noticing that no matter who you employ, or what security system you install, money keeps going missing from your cash drawer. Repetitious events that push your buttons are clues to do some inner delving. Ask yourself what is being revealed to you about your own level of integrity. Were there times you stole money, even a small amount out of your mother’s purse? Maybe you took something that did not belong to you? Cheated on your taxes? Trust whatever thought or memory comes to you.

Based on those past events you may be living from a subconscious belief that you can’t trust yourself. Your employees stealing money are manifesting your belief so you can recognize it in yourself and resolve it.

Looking at what is being mirrored to you is a powerful way to shift your thoughts from the roots. And, often by doing that, things shift around you. Sometimes instantly.

Actions you take need to come from a pure place of listening to intuition

To feel resolved with what you have remembered about yourself, it’s important to take action to make amends in some way. You can do this symbolically such as giving money to a stranger, donating to a cause, telling the cashier that she gave you too much back in change rather than quietly slipping it into your pocket.

Of course, putting money back in your mother’s purse and paying what you owe the IRS is a direct way of cleaning things up.

Trust what you need to do to balance things out and watch what happens! Without expectations, of course.

Final Thoughts

Remember: The Law of Attraction is about believing that anything is possible; nothing is too big (or small) to request to the intelligent, responsive Universe of energy. But the key is feeling deserving.

Don’t lose faith! Challenges are simply bigger opportunities to discover more about yourself. Believe, trust and deserve! The term Law of Attraction has a long history. It first appeared in print back in 1877 in a book by the famous Russian occultist Helena Blavatsky. She described an attraction power that exists between elements of spirits. It was discussed at length by others, ultimately creating the metaphysical movement called New Thought.

A Detailed History About the Law of Attraction

The Universe is a “Yes Machine,”

In the 20th century there was a surge of interest in the subject. Several books were written about the power of thought, with two of the best-selling books of all time: Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hill and The Power of Positive Thinking (1952) by Norman Vincent Peale. You Can Heal Your Life (1984) by Louise Hay and the Abraham-Hicks material is based primarily around the Law of Attraction.

In 2006, the concept gained wide exposure with the film The Secret which a year later was developed into a book of the same title. They both gained extensive media coverage, inspiring a generation of seekers eagerly practicing it. This coined a new term: Manifestation. In 2010 a film sequel followed called The Power, that explained that the Law of Attraction is really the Law of Love.

Many of these New Thought concepts were rooted in ideas that came from various philosophical and religious traditions. In particular, it was inspired by Hermeticism (300 B.C.), a philosophy from the ancient Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth that explained alchemy and magic.

It was also influenced by Transcendentalism, Hinduism as

well as some verses from the Bible (“…whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” – Mark 11:24).

The commonality in each teaching is the idea of “mind over matter,” spirit over physicality, knowing that anything is possible.

ROYCE MORALES BIOGRAPHY

Royce Morales is the founder of Perfect Life Awakening, a spiritually-based program that helps you transform from triggered to empowered. These inner-awakening classes and private inner journey clearing sessions shift and resolve subconscious, disempowering, programmed beliefs by getting to where they originated. She is the author of three books about her teachings, all available on Amazon. Royce hosts a monthly radio show “Listen Up with Royce Morales” on www. healthylife.net the fourth Monday of every month at 9:00 a.m. PST.

For more information, go to www.RoyceMorales.com or email Royce at LvsreaL@aol.com

Recover, Restore, Refocus!

Lessons from Another Cycle of Burnout

Brian DeCastro

RECOVER. RESTORE. REFOCUS!

Lessons from Another Cycle of Burnout

Just recently, I received a dose of the latest seasonal flu. As a coach, I tend to always look for silver linings when injury or illness occurs. I have found that this was an opportunity to take a step back, acknowledge my self-care needs and learn the lessons required to press forward on my mission as my health gets restored.

This experience was once again a humbling reminder of my mortality and occasional neglect of my own health performance needs. So, I opened my journal around Day 3 and started writing down the lessons and reminders I have gained from being ill this time around.

I have ended up with a very long list, so I decided to narrow it down.

Here are my TOP 5 lessons:

1. SCHEDULE time to regenerate. If you don’t block out the time, NOBODY is going to block it out for you. Back when we were young adults working a summer job, we had a supervisor telling us to take our break, because if we didn’t, we would lose it. When we were in school, a bell would ring and we would just get up, grab a snack and go outside. As entrepreneurs, WE need to implement these break times and stick to them or else we will often just work right through and pay the consequences.

2. HONOR your recovery time. Taking a break means, removing ourselves from the work, changing the environment or mindset, getting some air and space etc. It does not mean, leave

the desk and grab your mobile device and continue working in a different location. We all need what we need to recover. Some need conversation with others, some need to be removed from others. Some need to be outside, some may need a nap. Establish what is important for you at the time to regenerate and honor it! This will go a long way.

3. LISTEN to your body. When you step away from your work, just observe. How does your body feel? Where do you feel it? Perhaps you may need to eat, or hydrate or need to shut your eyes for a few minutes. Just take a moment and ask your body what it needs from you to keep performing at its best. Some do better on eating less food during busiest work hours. Some may not be able to start without a big breakfast. Establish what your body needs to perform by asking. The answer may not always be the same.

4. Just LET GO. In the gym world it is important to remember that it is not just the work we do with the weights that is important but also the space between the sets and reps that makes all the difference. In a 45 min workout, one would be surprised how much of that time may be spent resting over working. The rest in between

sets is critical for performance. This applies as well to our mental capacity and creativity. Leaving the desk, walking away, losing yourself a little in some unrelated activity can refresh your mind and allow opportunities for inspiration or critical thinking to be restored. Often, your most difficult problems may be solved this way.

5. Remember WHY. We may feel spiritually called to our work, but every so often we can get so caught up in the ‘doing of things’, we forget to ‘BE’ in the moment and remain present to the task at hand, the role we play, and what we contribute to the world. When we get too stuck in the hamster-wheel of life, we can sometimes build resentment in the hard times and lose touch with so many things we need to be grateful for. Moments of gratitude, treating yourself to social connection after work to celebrate the day, or simply planning a weekend away allows us to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Balance is also key!

Hopefully, these may resonate as helpful reminders. We are living BEINGS, inside of physical bodies that need care and maintenance in order to keep up with the amazing work we have to offer the world. Even when we run our bodies down, neglect rest and

eat less than optimal foods, our body will STILL TRY to do its best. Imagine if we gave it what it needed, what more could we be able to create and experience.

Here is to you, your mission and YOUR BODY! Keep doing the good work.

Heal. Love. Serve.

Brian DeCastro

has been an active professional in the health and fitness industry for 20 years. He helps his clients, break free from barriers that prevent them from aligning and acting on their most meaningful goals. By blending the fundamentals of fitness and lifestyle design, with coaching and Reiki healing, he offers a holistic approach, so that a deeper level of lasting fulfillment is more greatly achieved.

For more information, questions or feedback contact:

Brian DeCastro, Holistic Coach and Reiki Master

brian@thedomesticathlete.com LinkedIn

www.thedomesticathlete.com

SCHEDULE time to regenerate. If you don’t block out the time, NOBODY is going to block it out for you.

Inspired by Dual Purpose Values

Mindy Flanigan

Keep your Company Values current to Keep Your Culture Thriving

Mindy Flanigan, PHR, SHRM-CP, Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer Inspiring HR, LLC

Have you ever heard the phrase that life really begins at 40? I didn’t know what that meant until I lived it. Now I find myself in my early 50s looking forward to learning and growing every day. Why didn’t’ I really love to learn until 40? Enter entrepreneurship.

If you are struggling with a sense of mis-alignment or unable to articulate and plan for your desired workplace culture, look inward. Maybe you are struggling with what I call “leading with authenticity”?

I’ve been told that consciousness is looking inside your own heart and soul; understanding who you are and then living what you value. I hope that sharing a bit of my story will inspire you to regroup, plan ahead and consider the power of values and a shared sense of purpose.

My HR career journey it not “typical.” I’ve had what I feel is the rare privilege of working in environments that offered diverse learning opportunities and being around great people to learn and grow from. I don’t think I’m meant for a classroom, and I don’t sit still long enough to read books. My best learning was what I could soak up from others, personally and professionally.

I founded an HR consultancy for small businesses. Inspiring HR does the things that small business lead-

ers need to do, but don’t want to do, don’t know how to do, or don’t have time for. They tend to just live with that nagging feeling of wanting to solve or improve but haven’t yet found that preferred to hiring and retaining the best possible talent. All while finding the time to stay compliant with federal and state labor laws. If you have team members in multiple states, not an easy task.

We also consult on the “bigger picture” needs: like fostering a thriving culture.

Values are essential to maintaining and encouraging a thriving culture. But for many, the values are wallpaper in the lobby or live only on

the website.

I hope after reading this, you’ll consider the significance of your own values and reflect on if they can easily be paired with or translate to company values. It can be the difference-maker in reaching your strategic goals.

What ConsciousPreneur means for me.

I could never play poker. I wear my heart on my sleeve, believe in transparency and yearn for organization, alignment and simplicity. This would explain how I fall in love with an idea, phrase or culture that serves dual or multiple purposes. And I have come to better understand and embrace

where I may fall within the definition of a ConsciousPreneur, particularly if I look at my top motivators.

My Motivators Assessment (highly recommend this test) would tell you that I am a Builder and a Caregiver and developing others, purpose, money, impact, family and teamwork are among my top motivators.

My motivators have paired themselves with what I have learned most from others:

How to lift people up, the value of being dependable, the positive effects of being coached and coaching others. Beginning with the end in mind (that’s vision!), finding and living my why, playing the infinite game, embracing manage up and leading with authenticity.

Leading with authenticity is the business owner I want to be and it certainly led to where Inspiring HR landed today; dual-purpose values. The marriage of my personal motivators and values with Inspiring HR’s values sits front and center as I reflect on the journey to becoming a ConsciousPreneur. I must know myself to be able to lead authentically and keep learning from others. Personal development is most definitely an infinite game.

Finding your “starter” values and Reflecting is wonderful.

It affirms what you sensed then and know now. It carries to more learning and growth. I find purpose and meaning in the work and those I serve or am a caretaker of. I started out with purpose that had more to do with my family but with a heart-centered approach in my love of work, belief in the value of my profession and making a difference for a community ; I had always enjoyed serving those who chose to work with me and small businesses.

Consciousness is looking inside your own heart and soul

At first, I needed remote work to work, for me. Then I was inspired to create remote work opportunities for others. But what was I willing to do and put in place, that was a rallying cry for those that joined our mission – team members and clients? And how could I make that rallying cry or common purpose check some of my most important gut instinct boxes: Alignment, simple and leading authentically?

I read the book Traction, implemented the EOS system and was able to turn values we had already embraced into a roadmap. A promise of how we would deliver services and make our client feel. This meant evaluating team member performance on those values. Up until October 2022 those values were Simple, Understandable, Relevant and Empowering.

While I grew, so did the business Fast-forward from 2009 to present day and these values no longer fit. Why?

I encourage all leaders to first define and then periodically review their company values. Most businesses are not stagnant so your values can and should absolutely get an upgrade

from time to time. Playing that infinite game means periodically assessing if the values are still the best representation of the people and culture you want to foster.

I am not the same leader then as I am now. We are not the same then as we are now and we needed more. I am just as passionate about exceptional client service but equally as passionate about the employee experience, our own culture and ensuring that Inspiring HR remains a great place to work. Enter alignment and the power of dual purpose! The roadmap became this: How do we make our team members feel, so that those feelings find their way to how we work and how our clients feel?

Our long overdue company retreat just took place. It was the first time many of us had been together since the pandemic and an opportunity for us to reflect on our company’s values and ask: do they best represent the kind of company we are today? With everyone’s motivators assessments in hand, I facilitated a discussion and together we developed new values. True to my passion for keep it simple to make it memorable, we devel-

oped a new acronym for our values: CURES. At Inspiring HR, we: Caretake, Understand, Relate, Educate and Simplify.

Company Values: Keep Them Simple and Make Sure They’re Relevant

I knew, or at least sensed, that I wanted our values to help guide hiring, coaching and retaining the right people. But then I realized they should also define our culture and provide a baseline for how leaders want those that report to them to feel.

Easy to remember means easier to commit to and live by. Single words that serve that dual purpose internal culture and external client service. How we want you to feel about being on our team, how to make other feels; co-workers and clients. In other words, your company values need to be living, breathing tools for driving your business forward. If your employees only read your values during their annual performance review, your values are not living up to their full potential.

Work Your Company Values, So They Work For You

Your company values do you no good if they are locked away in an employee handbook and never used. If you love them and believe in them, live them. Put them in every effective place you can think of within your

business. Website, Job Postings, Job Descriptions, Handbooks, Performance Evaluations, Meeting Agendas – to name a few. Commit to catching people doing things well. We are “high-fiving” employees who live the values regularly, and we encourage our employees to celebrate each other. This is a critical element of a thriving culture where the right-fit employees want to stay and participate.

It’s easier to manage people when everyone has a shared language for success. Make your vision and your values important rallying cries. Decision-making is so much easier when values are known and get committed to memory. As the saying goes, you want everyone rowing in the same direction. Your values are like the coxswain on the boat, navigating the

company in the right direction.

Mindy Flanigan loves simple. After 20 years of working in the HR Outsourcing Industry, she grew impatient and concerned about the stigma that small businesses had about Human Resources: HR was too complex. Mindy was inspired to change that and saw an opportunity to un-complicate the complicated.

In 2007, she founded Inspiring HR to specialize in employee management basics for small businesses and is committed to CURES for her team and their clients. At Inspiring HR we Caretake, Understand, Relate, Educate and Simplify.

You can contact Mindy at 804-715-1920 or inspiringhr.com

Consider the significance of your own values and reflect on if they can easily be paired with or translate to company values. It can be the difference-maker in reaching your strategic goals.

Get Organized and Achieve Your Goals for 2023

The new year is upon us, and now is the time to get our home offices in order so; we can set ourselves up for success in achieving our goals for 2023. Is this possible? Absolutely! Is it complicated and time-consuming? No. All of us are capable of being organized. The key is to carve out time to follow the step-by-step process to get your home office in order and then maintain it daily (yes, I promise you can do this).

WORKFLOW

Think about the way you movethrough your home office. What are the things you need to have at arm’s length? What are the things that you can store further away? Now, let’s take a closer look at your desk, as this serves as your main stage for the day.

Keeping your desk clutter-free requires creating spaces to store things. For example, your desk might have drawers. Those drawers could hold essential office supplies contained within drawer organizers. Keep the surface of your desk clear by taking control of the space. Papers and notebooks can be stored nearby on a shelf or a cart using filing bins/boxes.

Don’t forget to set your goals for your home office. Your ultimate goal may be to achieve order in your home office. How do you chip away? Set smaller goals. Take action through the following step-by-step process: sorting & purging, organizing, and laying out your home office.

Grab your camera and start with your before photo, so you can track your progress.

SORT & PURGE

Ah yes! The great sort & purge. You may be feeling overwhelmed by all the things surrounding you in your office. The first thing I need you to do is pause and take a nice deep breath in through the nose and slowly exhale through your nose. Start with one corner of your office.

Grab a small pile, put like items with like items, and then review. Ask yourself, what needs to stay? What needs to go? Keep moving through your office in a clockwise manner tackling one small pile at a time. Still, feeling overwhelmed? Set a timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off step away to clear your mind and reset.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself through this process. Grab a hydrating drink and a fuel-filling snack. This process can be draining so it is im-

portant to keep your energy flowing!

GET ORGANIZED

Congratulations! You have completed the sort and purge. Now it is time to get organized. Taking into consideration what remains, does everything have a home or do you need to create a home? You don’t always have to buy organizing components. You can oftentimes repurpose what you have, so get creative.

Don’t overthink the process of organizing, simply do! Organizing does not equal perfection. Organizing equals a system that works best for you and your home office. This space is yours. Take ownership of it. Don’t let it own you.

LAYOUT YOUR WAY

Woo hoo! You have completed the process of organizing. Now for the final step - layout. Have fun with your

home office layout by making it your own. There is no right or wrong way to layout your home office. Add some cute and inspiring decor to create an uplifting and exciting environment.

You want the way you feel in your environment to encourage productivity. What makes your feel good? What makes you feel not so good? Be honest with yourself. Are you simply not feeling creative? Look for inspiration from others. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. That is why we are so blessed to be surrounded by so many unique entrepreneurs who offer a variety of support and resources.

Don’t be defeated. If you feel at a loss with your space, it is okay to stop and ask for help. We are all super entrepreneurs, and we feel like we can do it all, but in reality; we are all human, and sometimes...we need help. Bringing a friend or fellow entrepreneur on board with the process can be encouraging, inspiring, and fun. Share ideas and create memories together

through the process.

CELEBRATE & MAINTAIN

Take a moment to celebrate the small wins along the way because the small wins accumulate to achieve your ultimate goal. Take that after photo, so you have a reference point. Post it nearby. If you ever find yourself overwhelmed with your space, you have proof that you have taken ownership of your space, and you can do it again.

Now you may be asking, “How do I stay organized?” It’s simple. Staying organized requires discipline through maintenance. “What does that mean?” This means you are in control of your space.

You can choose to carve out time to clear your desk at the end of the day, or you can choose to let the space resort to clutter. Remember how far you have come in this process. Keep the momentum going. We all feel better when our spaces are neat and tidy.

Let’s review the process: consider your daily workflow, sort & purge, organize, and layout. The mastery of these skills can lead you to great success beyond your home office and throughout other spaces in your home. I encourage you to take action today. One small step towards an organized home office and a successful system is one small step into the greatest version of yourself. Set the example by being the example.

Jessica Terenyi is the Owner of JK Organizing LLC.

As a Professional Organizer and Coach, she helps her clients declutter their homes and minds so they can live life more effectively and efficiently.

Find out more at www.organizinghomesandlives.com

You want the way you feel in your environment to encourage productivity.

BLUE BAMBOO HELPS PEOPLE OVERCOME THE INTERNAL BARRIERS HOLDING THEM BACK.

F i g u r i n g o u t w h a t y o u R E A L L Y w a n t

F a i l i n g t o a c t w i t h o u t a n e x t e r n a l n e e d B e l i e v i n g y o u ' r e w o r t h y o f t h e d e s i r e d r e s u l t L e t t i n g g o o f n e g a t i v e e x p e r i e n c e s i n y o u r p a s t

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

" B e f o r e w o r k i n g w i t h B l u e B a m b o o , I h a d a p a t t e r n o f h o l d i n g s o m e t h i n g b a c k i n p u r s u i t o f m y b u s i n e s s g o a l s W e w o u l d i d e n t i f y a b i g g o a l o r c r i t i c a l o b j e c t i v e , a n d e v e n w h i l e t r y i n g t o r a l l y m y t e a m , I f e l t l i k e I w a s t r y i n g t o c o n v i n c e m y s e l f i t w a s p o s s i b l e

U l t i m a t e l y , I c a m e t o u n d e r s t a n d h o w p a s t e x p e r i e n c e s i n m y l i f e w e r e c a u s i n g m e t o b e h a v e i n t h e p r e s e n t . I w a s r u n n i n g m y l i f e w i t h ' o l d c o d e ' W h a t o n c e k e p t m e s a f e w a s n o w h o l d i n g m e b a c k

T h a n k s t o B l u e B a m b o o , I ' v e c o m e t o p e a c e w i t h t h e p a s t a n d a m f i n a l l y p u r s u i n g l i f e a t a m u c h h i g h e r l e v e l I h i g h l y r e c o m m e n d B B L e a d e r s h i p "

D A N S T E W A R T

S e r i a l E n t r e p r e n e u r & P r e s i d e n t o f H a p p y G r a s s h o p p e r

99 Ideas To Find The One

Wolfgang von Geramb

It was 7 a.m., my phone rang, and I saw a missed call from my banker. I knew this must be urgent if he contacted me at this hour. I listened to the voice message that there is an irregular transaction on my bank account, “please call back immediately” he said. Without hesitation, I looked at the bank notification on my phone and smiled… This is it; the transaction is done. After 13 years of building my creative empire, servicing clients on an international scale, and working with a great team by my side as the Managing Director, I finally sold my company.

You might be wondering, if your company was thriving and on an international level, why give that all up? I sold it because I was DONE. I was done with marketing. Done exploring all the company roles, and done doing what wasn’t meaningful anymore at the time. I was an Action-Driven

Entrepreneur, but no longer feeling it. I ignored the inner voices, and finally took the big step to sell and start a new chapter…it was time.

I was an Action-Driven Entrepreneur, but no longer feeling it. It was time to sell and start a new chapter.

I always thought it was meaningful to work for great people, and I still do. Looking back, one day, I was in a strategy meeting with a client discussing the best market for their services. Their goal was to serve more clients in the field of sustainability, but they argued that more money could be made by selling alcohol and cigarettes. They agreed and chose to continue on this path. At that moment, I felt conflicted and remembered feeling so detached from myself and these people. Afterwards, I looked at our clients’ companies, and most were not scoring great in their people-profit-planet balance. Are we supporting the right people? I knew

the journey was drawing to a close, and I was about to start walking a new and meaningful path.

“This was the moment to follow my journey to the second mountain.”

I was happy, proud, and relieved. I had enough money in the bank, all the time in the world, and I was young enough to do whatever I wanted to do. Then, the first shock hit when I came home after carefully transitioning the company to the new owners. “Hey, I’m home, home for good after all that time…working!” My son replied, “Congratulations Dad, but you’ll need to find other playmates, as I am busy with friends, sports and school.” My wife looked at me with a peculiar look and said, “Your son is right. I have my job, horse, and the kids, but you are welcome to take over the cooking.” And so, I did.

“99 ideas to find the one.”

I thought I would feel different after selling the company, but after the excitement of the negotiation, notary, and farewell of the exit had died down, it was quiet. This is where I

I thought purpose came easier after an exit, but it took me 99 ideas to find the one that really excited me, was important and daunting enough.

learned to listen to my heart.

After leaving your big love, the next person you meet is like a trespasser, it’s unfair, but they cannot compete. I explored many things, and it took me 99 ideas to find the one that really excited me, was important and daunting at the same time. Today I am more excited than scared and feeling like an Action-Driven Entrepreneur once again. During the first 99 days, I met with entrepreneurs…99 entrepreneurs to be exact. I listened to them and couldn’t resist co-creating new ideas with them.

Three weeks after the exit, I shared the news over dinner; “Hey, I have a great new idea.” My family was surprised that I wanted to start something new so soon. Everybody listened intently with curiosity, and they were nodding and commenting on all that I shared. It was great fun to discuss with my family.

Overnight, my brain resetted. The idea that I shared with my family didn’t seem relevant anymore but I had a new idea, so they listened and were less engaged. Suddenly, my brain resetted again and at the next family dinner, my wife wittily brought in a chalkboard saying, “Catch of the Day.” “So, honey, what’s the next new amazing idea?”. I scootered, “Musicalizer, a service…” but before I could finish, she stopped me and wrote “Musicalizer” on the board and said, “enough ideas for today, let’s eat.”

The years that followed were quite restless, mostly exploring chaos and testing transforming ideas. I was keen to explore it all. I became president of the Entrepreneurs Organization in Hamburg, went back to learning and trained as a mindset master coach in NLP. I studied experience and organization design, visited Africa, Middle East and Asia, supported many entrepreneurs in preparing their companies for sustainable growth in a meaningful journey.

The most meaningful thing was joining the Startup-Bus-Africa, a tech startup road trip supporting 35 founders in building impact-driven ventures. Being a mentor, while traveling the region, was transformational. But also seeing the inequalities as a female founder to get further support was shocking to me.

I began to see repeating patterns in female entrepreneurs that were preventing them from unlocking their purpose. These women were purpose-driven female entrepreneurs in a growth phase to balance life, impact, and success, but they had insecurities and concerns with growth leadership and scaling their company. I said we need to find a way to support these entrepreneurs to build confidence within themselves and their teams to take the next step and overcome challenges and growth doubts.

Today, my team and I at the Second Mountain support female entrepreneurs through this transformational journey. We overcome periods of resistance and explore the chaos to find their transformational idea and,

once implementing it, they reach the top of their second mountain feeling aligned.

It took an exit from a company that I had for over 13 years and 99 ideas to get to my second mountain. It was a journey from the old status quo to my new status quo. From feeling trapped, to being whole again.

Do you feel inner resistance? Crave for your next big idea? Maybe it’s time to take out the chalkboard and write down all your ideas. You can start your transformational journey at ANY point. You have the power to take that first step, one that will lead you on a journey filled with purpose and growth.

About Wolfgang

Wolfgang von Geramb

The Life & Business Strategist lives in Hamburg, Germany with his wife and two kids, dog and a horse.

wolfgang@thesecondmountain.com www.TheSecondMountain.com

Elvira Marie Chang

My path towards becoming a ConsciousPreneur was unexpected. In fact, I had a successful, longterm corporate career and never had any interest in creating my own business. But approaching 40, I was dissatisfied.

My boss knew it and was even willing to create a new role for me, but something bigger was bubbling up within me. I felt like life was giving me a choice – either: a) continue in my current organization grasping onto security and stability out of fear or b) walk away trusting that life would guide me and that my next steps would unfold. Ultimately, I felt like life was asking me: “Who do you want to be?”

It turned out that I wanted to be someone who trusts life. My path led me to Gallup’s CliftonStrengths Assessment (formerly known as StrengthsFinder), and it’s allowed me to create a life where I help others explore their natural Talents, develop their Strengths, and celebrate their Individuality.

Now before you think: “Oh, an assessment”, let me stop you right there. It’s

tempting to take an assessment, skim the results, think: “Oh, that’s interesting”, and then just toss the results off to the side. Most people who’ve talked to me about their experience in taking the assessment have done just that. They’ve completely missed out on the power, depth, and insight of this tool.

It’s a very different experience to really dive deep and explore how your results show up in your life – affecting how you do things, your perspectives, your decisions, and even your relationships. And I don’t just mean at work – It impacts you at home, with family, friends, strangers, in your hobbies, community, and even in your life’s goals and vision.

What the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment Reveals

The CliftonStrengths Assessment identifies your predominant Talent Themes. But Gallup doesn’t define Talent as you or I might define it –such as being talented in art, music, or even athletics.

Gallup defines Talent as “a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling,

or behavior that can be productively applied.” So, these Talent Themes are patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that influence how you build relationships, influence others, process information, and get things done.

After 40 years of research, Gallup narrowed their findings down to 34 Talent Themes. So, when you take the assessment, your results identify your predominant patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. The chances of someone having the same Top 5 CliftonStrengths results as you in 1 in 33.4 million!

To put that into context, suppose you’re sitting in Wembley Stadium in London. At full capacity, Wembley Stadium seats 90,000 people. If each person represented a unique Talent combination, it would take 371 fully packed Wembley Stadiums for someone else to share the same Top 5 results as you.

Does this start to give you an idea just how unique your Talent combination is? And your CliftonStrengths results solely identify your patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Now, further combine that specific Talent combination with your experiences, interests, and desires – you start to appreciate just how unique you are!

How CliftonStrengths impacts you as a ConsciousPreneur

As a ConsciousPreneur, you likely value each person’s Individuality. But what about your Individuality? How deeply have you explored how your personal wiring is impacting your business?

If you identify as a ConsciousPreneur, it’s not just about profit for you. Your work is likely deeply personal, reflecting your values. Let’s look at just some of the ways your Talents could flavor how you do what you do or inadvertently, could be hurting

you. (For some of these factors, I’ll include CliftonStrengths Talent Theme examples.)

• Your Purpose/Mission: What drives you to do your work? Is it an idea, a cause, or vision? It could be that you have either the Belief, Significance, or Futuristic Talent Themes driving you. Or, instead of ideas, are you inspired to help people? Maybe you’re more motivated by Relationship Building Themes like Harmony, Developer, or Includer.

• How You Work with Others: Do you prefer to work alone or as part of a partnership or team? Some people focus solely on goals, objectives, and tasks and don’t get as invested by the people they’re working with or for. Others are more people-oriented and motivated by their interactions with others. Are you inclined to have a large, broad network of contacts (Woo) or develop closer relationships with a few (Relator)?

• How You Promote your Work: How have others heard about your work? Is it through personal referrals – either through relationship building or word of mouth due to the quality of your work? Or do you actively promote your work creating media and materials? What’s the voice in those pieces: Storytelling (Communication),

Aspirational (Maximizer), or Educational (Learner)?

• The Audience and Clients You Attract:

As a ConsciousPreneur, your voice and values seep into your work. Your clients and audience are drawn to you because something in your messaging and the quality of your work resonates with them – whether an idea they believe in, a goal they’re inspired to achieve, or a quality they want to embody. By knowing your Talent Themes, you can get clearer in identifying what those qualities are and how to intentionally share them to better connect with your clients and audience.

• Your Needs: It’s easy to get caught up in what you believe you should be doing, or comparing yourself to how others accomplish things, but does that take your personal wiring into consideration? Some may thrive on a structured routine (Discipline), where others may find that exhausting, preferring variety and spontaneity (Adaptability). Each Talent Theme thrives under different conditions. It’s critical for you to understand your specific needs (different than anyone else’s) so you can ensure your work satisfies them and refuels you.

• Your Challenges: If you look at your challenges, you may be tempted to blame them on your weaknesses, focusing on fixing them to improve. But in Strengthbased Thinking, that’s the exact opposite of what you want to do. Knowing your Talents actually gives you insight and more options on how to address your challenges. It’s possible that you’re misusing or misdirecting your Talents, and it’s just a matter of tweaking your approach. Or, you can explore other options like partnering with others to balance how you’re using your Talents.

Your patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving are so natural to who you are that you likely don’t recognize them, you take them for granted, and you expect them to be equally natural to others. In doing so, you undervalue yourself, your contributions, and you underestimate your opportunities. You fail to recognize your edge and what differentiates you.

This article is just a taste of the clarity that your CliftonStrengths results can give you. But it’s not enough to know what your results are. What matters is what you do with your results, and how you explore them to gain insight on how to successfully create your life and business in a way that fulfills your vision of who you want to be.

Elvira Marie Chang is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach based in Boston, MA.

She works with Individuals, Teams, and Organizations, helping them identify, focus on, and effectively leverage their Talents, Strengths, and Individuality. Her CliftonStrengths-based Talents in Action online course, focusing on Strengths-Based Thinking, is available now for Teams and Individuals. You’re invited to learn more at ElviraMarieChang.com or you can email Elvira directly at ChangE@ryvercoaching.com

Leveling Up: The Key To Successful Consciouspreneurship

Dr. Mary Meduna-Gross

Success is based on how much joy you

We have been designed to “level up” by creating new results through the expression of our talents and gifts. Unconsciously, we are always looking for ways to grow, make things simpler, and to solve new challenges.

As a child, you leveled up from sitting to crawling, from walking and running, all without requiring external reinforcement. You explored, experimented, and took your falls because you were internally motivated to be more mobile. Academically, you leveled up from letter recognition to decoding to comprehension to written expression because you recognized the value of receiving and sharing information. Socially, you’ve grown from a small group of peers to larger groups that may include people you do not know. At work, you started with entry level responsibilities and advanced to positions with more responsibility.

Confidence develops as we gain

experience and expand our comfort zone. As our confidence grows, we start to imagine what we can do with our newfound freedom. We explore new environments and engage with new people who have new ideas. This is how we test to see what feels right for us.

You might be wondering, if we are designed to expand, were we also designed to stay small? I think we were. We were listening when our caregivers told us that we could’ve done better; when we were told to be seen, but not heard; or when we were told that we had to figure things out for ourselves. These micro-rejections hurt, even if we couldn’t admit the pain at the time. We used this pain to create core beliefs designed to prevent us from feeling the pain of these micro-rejections again. We conclude that the pain of staying small is better than the pain of experiencing rejection again.

We have two competing systems; one designed to keep us growing and expanding and one to keep us small and safe. You may not be aware that you get to decide which system you will lean into. Here are four options to consider.

1. You ignore it. Somewhere along the way, you decided that this gap is never going to be satisfied. So, you put your head down and focus on surviving.

For those who have experienced trauma, it is not uncommon to conclude that having your needs met is not an option for you. Therefore, you probably don’t even think about what you want; to do so would only compound the pain of not having it.

You have learned how to survive, and you do not deviate from these survival programs, even when these programs keep you in a survival state.

Success is based on how well you are surviving.

2. You wish it were different. Part of you can not completely give up on expanding, it is human nature to grow and expand. When you stop growing and expanding, you fall into survival mode. Technically, not dead, you are not really living, either. You believe your experience is created by others, so you wait for others to change so that you can be happy.

If you have experienced systemic racism or sexism, or any other experience of being told consistently that you do not have innate value, that your value must be demonstrated and demonstrated often, you may begin to conclude that you have already been given enough. You have been conditioned to believe that to desire more is selfish, unhealthy or even, unholy.

Your best hope of getting your needs met is by having others make decisions or take actions that will benefit you. Therefore, you may strive to please others in an attempt to earn favor with them so that at some time in the future, they may be more willing to help you get what you need.

Success is based on how others regard you.

3. You lean into your work ethic values. The Puritan work ethic is woven into nearly everything we believe about ourselves, especially as entrepreneurs. This work ethic tells us that if you don’t have what you desire, you haven’t worked hard enough to get it; you haven’t earned it. If you happen to have any limiting core beliefs about your worth or your capacity, the fact that you are ‘struggling’ to get what you want is powerful evidence that you don’t deserve what you want.

Since this work ethic is so valued by our culture, you can leverage being busy as evidence of your worthiness. Even if you don’t create what you want, at least others can see how hard you worked in the effort.

Success is based on how busy you are.

4. You take ownership for your experience. Taking ownership of your experience may be foreign to you. We have been conditioned that life is happening to us, therefore we need to defend ourselves, and occasionally, the best defense is a good offense. If I can put you down before you can put me down, I win. This creates a condition where we have to compete with everyone for everything. If you grew up with siblings, you know what I mean.

Taking responsibility for your experience makes no sense if you believe that life is happening to you. After all, as the victim of the circumstances you cannot be held responsible. From this perspective, taking responsibility means that you are ‘blamed’ for all the undesired outcomes you’ve experienced in your life.

However, taking responsibility is about taking a closer look at your experiences and exploring the emotions and the stories that justify how you respond to people and events. It means that you are willing to commit to developing self-awareness and

even more importantly, developing a healthy relationship with yourself. From this foundation, you realize that life is happening FOR you and from this perspective, anything and everything can be created.

Success is based on how much joy you feel.

None of these options are “wrong’. They all serve a purpose depending on our experiences. After experiencing a loss or disappointment, it is often necessary and appropriate to withdraw for a while as you allow the pain to move through you. An option only becomes a barrier when we get stuck and convince ourselves that there is nothing we can do to improve our situation.

Making a conscious decision about how we want to be is the first step. Once you make a commitment to yourself to take ownership of your experiences, you’ll find yourself falling into old patterns of thinking that may pull you away from taking ownership. This is also part of the process of leveling up. Connecting with others who have been on this journey and who are willing to walk alongside you is critical to staying aligned with your commitment.

If you are looking to connect with like minded people on this journey of personal growth and development, schedule a call with me. Email mary@bluebambooleadership.com or visit bluebambooleadership.com to schedule.

Dr. Mary Meduna-Gross is a transformational leadership coach, specializing in shifting clients out of pain and struggle and into joy and creativity. Her expertise in both leadership and systems allow individuals and teams to become joyful, efficient, and profitable.

Family & Business:

A Shift in Mindset

Juliet Marciano

I often hear from struggling parents, “I didn’t realize how hard it would be to run a business and a family!”

As a conscious-preneur, you’re dedicated to making the world a better place, nurturing relationships with those you serve and work with, and committing yourself to a life-long process of growth and self-discovery. Yet often the demands of being an entrepreneur can affect your relationship with your children and your parenting experience. These are the aspects of your life that you may cherish the most and offer you the greatest opportunities to develop and share those same conscious-preneur qualities.

If you don’t parent with intention, you may find yourself leading a business that decreases suffering and improves the world but leaves those you love the most feeling neglected and unimportant. Many of the practices that allow you to lead

your company in a conscious manner can also help you to lead your family to thrive!

It starts with a mindset shift.

You can decide where you focus your attention, which thoughts you pay attention to, and the way you view challenges and life experiences.

You can choose to consider different perspectives, especially those of your children. You can view life with a strengthbased and positive-focused approach. Rather than focusing on weaknesses and deficits, focus on strengths and explore the potential to develop them

further. One of the greatest joys of parenting can be sharing with your children the process of discovering and nurturing their gifts and interests.

Instead of focusing on what you believe are the negative aspects of experiences, examine the aspects that went well, and build on those. The experiences you viewed in the past as challenges or failures now become opportunities to gain information. Realize that in each moment, you’re witnessing only a small aspect of your life and a finite point in time. View your parenting experience as an adventure that you’re going on together with your child, for as long as both of you are fortunate enough to be here. This journey of discovery is exciting and full of promise with infinite possibilities. You can’t tell how the journey will end based on where you are at any one point, and you won’t know how it ends until it’s over.

Like most parents, you may have had expectations of what kind of parent you would be, what kind of children you would have, and what your parenting experience would be like. Usually, those expectations are

You can be intentional about your time with your children by creating a transition between your workday and your parenting time.

based on your experiences as a child and the conditioning of those experiences, society, and your culture. Many of those expectations are unrealistic and unhealthy and may lead you to react unknowingly and unconsciously based on factors of which you are often unaware! You’ll make judgements of yourself, your children, your family situations, and your life. Instead, you can develop the awareness to notice what is happening and approach each moment with your children without expectations or judgment. Welcome and embrace the discovery of this “being” and be grateful for the time you are together.

What is the value of releasing your expectations and your attachment to your own ideas

about how your children and your life “should be”?

Imagine how different life would be if, in those experiences that don’t match your expectations or your preferences, you choose to believe that this is the way it is meant to be. You can trust in that belief, ACCEPT and EMBRACE every moment without judgement as it unfolds, and participate in your parenting experiences with an open mind and an open heart. Some of the most challenging parenting moments can offer some of the most wonderful opportunities to learn about yourself and your children, build and maintain connection with them, and model and teach important life skills to them.

Mindfulness and a meditation practice can not only help you to calm your nervous system but also help you to develop the skill of becoming more aware of your thoughts and bodily sensations. You’ll notice when your attention is leaving the present moment, when you’re distracted by your thoughts, or when you’re making judgements. You can then gently guide your attention back to the present moment, release the judgement, and thoughtfully respond to situations.

You can be intentional about your time with your children by creating a transition between your workday and your parenting time. End phone calls and email sessions, shut off your

computer, and put away your phone. Taking a few minutes to walk, meditate, or perform breathing exercises can reset your nervous system, get you to a place of calm, and allow you to be fully present when you see your child. Greeting your children in a calm manner, free of distractions, sends a message to them that, in that moment, nothing is more important to you than them and your time together.

When reuniting after school or time apart, spend twenty to thirty minutes with your children, giving them your full attention and the opportunity to reconnect. If your children welcome physical touch, you can hug them, put a hand on their shoulder or back, or hold hands. Making eye contact, sharing stories, or engaging in physical play or activity is a great way to reconnect. If you have household chores or duties, let them wait for a few minutes and after the recon-

nect time, you may be able to offer your child an opportunity to assist or “help” if you want.

One of the more appealing aspects of being an entrepreneur is the possibility of setting your own work schedule. Yet we often find ourselves extending the workday into the night and the work week into the weekend. Your children and you deserve and need some time that is “Family Time” and free of interruptions and the demands of work.

If you must rearrange your schedule or work hours, try to do it in a way that still lets you have some protected time with your children and some time for yourself. Always factor in time for your own self-care which can be as simple as healthy eating and sleep habits, going for a walk, or meditating. Put your self-care activities on your calendar and honor those appointments.

As a conscious-preneur, you

can make a lasting positive impact in the world. Nowhere is that impact more deserved and powerful than at home with your own children!

Dr. Juliet Marciano is The Mindset Coach for Parents. A PCI Certified Parent Coach®️ and retired pediatrician, Dr. Juliet has dedicated her life to helping parents become the calm, conscious, connected, and confident parents that their children need them to be. Juliet works with parents around the world who are facing family challenges including divorce or parenting a child with a physical, mental, behavioral, emotional, or learning difference.

You can learn more and schedule a consultation call at julietmarciano.com.

ACCEPT and EMBRACE every moment without judgement as it unfolds

here.