Suzanne Chadwick  00:00

Hey, hey, lovely. Welcome back to the podcast. always amazing to have you. I hope that you had a wonderful Easter. If you took some time off, I did take some time off which was really really nice. I am allergic to chocolate just so that you know. So no, I did not eat any chocolate over the long weekend. But listen, this week on the podcast, I'm sharing something that I felt really compelled to share. I was driving back from an overnight stay in Daylesford with the kids and I was listening to Shonda Rhimes the year of yes, I have listened to that book so many times. So if you haven't listened to it, it's definitely worth it. And the reason that I say listened to it on Audible is because she is such an incredible storyteller. And the way that she tells it is just great. And I just think there's so many learning moments, so many aha's so many great things that she shares in that book. But anyway, in it, she was sharing a story about how she won an award amongst her peers in the entertainment industry. If you don't know who Shonda Rhimes is, she is the writer of like Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Bridgerton Yeah, Shondaland media is her business now. But yeah, she won an award, it was amongst her peers in the media industry. And the award was for breaking through the glass ceiling. In her industry, the thing was, as she said, is that it wasn't her that had done it. It wasn't her that had broken through the glass ceiling, it was all the women who came before her, the women who were cut and bruised, and who had fallen again and again, in order for her, and for us to have what we have today. So she was obviously sharing that, you know, 50 years ago, there would have just been men in a media room with, you know, women as their secretaries. And, you know, 100 years ago, there was no way that there would have been, there would have just been women serving the coffee and the food. And even you know, 30 years ago, there still would have been a limited number of women at the table. And it just got me thinking so much that, you know, when you hear something like that, and it may not be the first time that you've heard it, but it just kind of hits home a little bit more. And it got me thinking about all the conversations I've had with clients and in my communities, where they're either waiting for somebody else to stand up, or they're constantly questioning themselves as to whether they should be the one like, I'm not ready. You know, this isn't my fight, or this isn't for me, like somebody else needs to do it, even though there's no women sharing this message, this voice, like it's not going to be me. And I just really want to, I guess, challenge you and can I say I'm challenging myself as well, when I share this message with you. That...Are we the women that are breaking down walls? Are we the women that are supporting others to come through? Are we challenging the status quo? Are we doing things differently, and being willing to be the voice that says, you know, something? This is what we need to be thinking about? This is the kind of women I want to be supporting. And I think that we've seen it in the last 12 months in the political arena, especially here in Australia. But I just kind of want to say as women in business, which is who the majority of my listeners are. What are we doing? What are we doing to challenge what's going on in our industry? So that's what I want to talk about today. What are you waiting for when it comes to your business, your industry and what you want to do? I think that all of us have something we're waiting for. I was asking myself the question and I had to admit to myself that I've been treading water for the last 12 months with home-schooling seven lockdowns, the pandemic, I feel like I have gone into cruise control mode.

 

Suzanne Chadwick  04:34

I had a conversation with my husband the other night during Easter where I had to admit that I wasn't doing what I think I should be doing. I wasn't doing everything I could be doing. I definitely wasn't working to capacity and capacity doesn't mean burnout. It means that the time in which I am working in the business I am giving it my all and I'm doing the things that I really want to do. And so you know, is the business doing well? Yeah. The business is doing fine. You know, is it doing as well as it could? No, because I am in cruise control mode. So this has been something that I've recognised where I went into survival mode or power save mode for so long, and I haven't really come out of it. So I had to ask myself, Am I being the leader that I want to be? Am I showing up the way that I really want to? And I think that I said this on a live the other day, and I saw somebody else post about this, what does it mean to show up? And I think that when we talk about showing up, it's not just about like, are you doing an Instagram Live? Are you being visible, showing up is really stepping into your values, saying what you want to say how you want to say it, also being visible. But being that leader, like being the leader, to your clients, being the leader to your community, being the leader to your followers, you don't have to be somebody that stands on a stage and has a massive personal brand. If you want that then great. But just how are you showing up where you are right now? And you know, are you watching others and being envious of them. And I just want to say that when we are envious of other people, it's really just what we desire for ourselves. So it doesn't have to be negative. I think that it's a very negative word. But it can be a driver, and something that really helps you uncover what you truly desire. And so when you're watching others, and you're thinking, wow, like look at them, look at what they're doing, then ask yourself, well, what's stopping you from doing that? What's stopping you from being visible and showing up and sharing your values and sharing your message and what it is that you want to do? So I really want us to think about these things together. And like I said, This isn't me preaching at you or to you, this is me challenging myself, and then sharing that challenge with you. So some things that I was thinking about that you can really start to take a look at is what is really annoying you about your industry? What are the things in your industry that you wish you could change? What are the things in your industry where you've got a different opinion? Yeah, and I don't just mean small things, like what would you change about it? And how are you leading the way with that change, and you can start small, you can just start to build your message around what you want that change to be, you can start to formulate what your thought leadership is around that change. And why this is a change that you think the industry is like it's worth making. But just asking yourself that question, I think is really worthwhile. Because so often, we're just in our business, and we're working, and we're doing the do and we're doing all the things that need to be done. But when you actually take the time to step away and say, when I look at everything that's happening, what do I love? And what do I not love? what's working and what's not working? What do I want to talk about that I think is really important here, that based on what my clients tell me based on what I see based on the market, that I think is going to be useful. And that's going to help shift the dial a little bit more like I think that, you know,

 

Suzanne Chadwick  08:26

it's now a message that a lot of people use, but the whole, you know, earning or building a profitable business without the burnout is such an important thing, because we went through such a long time, where it was like hustle, hustle, hustle, the more you do, the more you get, like work all the time. You know, if you're not working all the time, then what even are you doing, and I feel like that was a very early message. And now we've sort of shifted into the more the, you know, building that profitable business without the burnout, really taking a look at what we can do during the time that we have what playing big looks like, right now in our business, if you've got young kids or if you're looking after family, or if you've just got other things that are important to you, how can you build that business, whilst not working all the time? And I think one of the things that I'm talking a lot more about as well is that whole self is making sure that we are being creative, that we are able to make the money that we are being a leader and being a thought leader and also having time for our families and our and our other pursuits that we want in life because our business is just one element of us. It's not it's one piece of the pie. And so when I coach in my programmes in Brand Builders Academy or in Amplify, I'm asking how are you having fun in your business? How are you testing and trying things? How are you making sure that you understand how the business is running so that when you're spending time on things like that, it's being really beneficial and it's helping you to grow that profitable business without you being in the business all the time? You know, how are you paying yourself? And how are you increasing the amount of money that you're able to pay yourself? How are you investing that money back in the business. And so having that whole self, and really going through that personal development phase in your business of realising you know that working all the time isn't the be all and end all in your business is so important. And I think that a lot of times, women just have a lot of guilt around, you know, not being there for their clients not being there for their family not being there for their friends. It's just like, it's okay for you to look after yourself, and give what you can to others around you as well. And so really thinking about how you want to be is a big one, what do you think people in your industry really needs support? With is another great question to ask, what can you support them with personally? Or what resources can you help them with? What is the next level of thinking you can bring to the table, and this is another big one. It's not always about giving somebody the tactics and the resources. Sometimes it's about challenging their thinking, like the gems that my coach and my mastermind have given me have not been tactics. It's been how I've thought about things, and then how I think about those things and changes what I do. But it's the thinking, and it's the beliefs, and it's the accepting of what is, you know, what I have, and how I want to work and how I want to be, those are things that have really helped me to shape my business in a really different way. And it's helped me to coach in a different way, with my clients as well. And so that thinking in that belief are two things that I actually think, are so important to your business, and I love talking about them. So much more now than what I used to talk about them. You know, I've always come from a very strategy tactics, heavy background, but now it's really about how do you think about that? And how can you think differently about it. And when you think differently, all of the new ideas will come, like all of the tactics and all of the things that you can learn will come once you believe that that is possible for you, once you think differently, that you don't have to do it this way that you've been taught, you can think about how you create something in a different way that you then teach other people. And so really starting to think about what your clients and your community needs support with and how you can deliver that differently, and how you can really let go of all of the things that are holding you back from being that leader from being that person. You know, what are you so passionate about talking about or teaching that you know, you have something unique to share? What excites you? Like I was just saying, what is fun for you? How can you have more fun in your zone of genius to attract the clients that you really want?

 

Suzanne Chadwick  13:02

And be the leader that you want to be? Because I think it's the people that are testing and trying and doing things differently? The people who are taking risks, putting themselves out there trying, you know, different models of their business. They're the ones that we see, they're the ones that are visible, they're the ones that were kind of like, that's really interesting how they're doing that. And the thing is, is that you can be that you can do that. Yeah, you can think about how would I want this to be if I was the person in my community, where somebody was leading the ideas and the and the conversation? How would I want this to look? And then how can I be the person that brings that? How can I be the person that creates that? You know, when I was talking about me before, it's so interesting, like Brooke Castillo who I talk about her a bit, she is the founder of the school, the life coaching school. And she had a three day mastermind with all of her clients the other day, and I was watching it on stories, and I was envious of as I was like, Oh my gosh, but I don't. But when I think about that, what I'm really thinking about is, I would love to have an in person mastermind with like 300 women over three days, like how incredible would that be? And so now I'm like, that's interesting that I've tapped into that desire. Yeah, that desire to have an incredible community, in person, live events, consistently supporting my clients to go to that next level. And so now I'm like, that's what could that look like for me? Is that something that I just want? Or is it something that I really want to do? And if I want to do that, what does that look like? How can I grow and build that? So really tap into the desires that you may not be acting on right now. So you might have this kind of idea of artists. I'd really love to do this. And so the question is, okay, well, what would it look like, if you did that, what would it look like? If you implemented that idea? What would it look like? If you grew that community? What would it look like if you had that event? Like, how could you bring that to life? And I think it's only when we change our thinking that it's total, anything's possible, like, we could do anything. Yeah, we can work it out, we can figure out how to do something. And so how deep is that desire? For you to be that leader? How deep is that desire for you to step into something different for you to recognise what it is that you want? And then go after it? You know, and what are the reasons that you love your industry, your community, what you think, you know, how are you being the leader that they need as well? And so sit down and work it out? What do I want? What do I believe? What would I change? What would be fun? What could be creative? Who could I work with? And if I did these things, how would it feel like, how would it feel for me to be able to do that? How would it feel for me to have a community where I had a three day mastermind? How would it feel for me to have a retreat that was big, and where I had an incredible group of women where we broke out into different sessions, and I had sessions on creativity and mindset and thought management and thought leadership and speaking and innovating and having fun, and you know, like all of these things, like, even as I'm saying this to you, I am totally just riffing, I am just saying what is coming to mind. And so just allowing yourself the space to be creative, and think of all the things and imagine and think bigger, is so worthwhile. Like I would love to know, if you just, if you just stopped thinking about what you should, or could do. Think about what would amazing look like, and just just allow your imagination to kind of run wild like, even as I'm thinking about this, I'm picturing it, I'm picturing it, somebody somewhere amazing, somewhere warm,

 

Suzanne Chadwick  17:04

where we could go for beach walks in the morning, and we could sit out, you know, on a deck by the pool at night and have conversations that are really incredible. We just like where you walk away going, Oh, my God, like that was mind blowing. Like, I feel like a different person. When I left, I came one person, and I left a different person, a person full of possibilities, a person full of ideas, and allowing my creativity to run wild and I met so many amazing people. And it was so worthwhile. And so for me, I'm like, Okay, well, how do I how do I become that leader? on a bigger scale? I feel like I've already done it to a certain degree. But also how do I get myself out of cruise control mode and start to step into being that active leader after the last few years that we've had? Yeah, how do I? How do I challenge myself to talk about things that maybe others aren't talking about? And even if they are, they're not talking about it the way that I'm talking about it, and that goes for you, too, just because somebody might have a similar message to you, just because they might be talking about things that are similar to you, doesn't mean they're saying it the way that you're saying it, doesn't mean that they're doing it the way that you would do it. They don't have your imagination. Yeah, they don't have the ideas that you might have. And so how are you bringing that to life? How were you breaking the glass ceilings, breaking down the walls, doing things your own way, not following the status quo, not following what other people are telling you what to do. I've had a couple of clients that have started working with me, they're like, but somebody else taught me this way. And that hasn't really worked for you. So you know, instead of saying we'll do it this way. My question to them is, well, what do you think would work based on your knowledge, your experience, your community, what you want to do? What would work for you, and then we map that out. And we play with that. So you have got to work out what is going to work for you, and what's going to work for your community. And I really want you to take a look and write down what kind of leader do I want to be and then work out what that is gonna look like. For me, it's challenging, it's inspirational. It's helping my clients become thought leaders, and incredible personal brands where they can be the bold voices in their industry. It's helping them get paid to speak, it's helping get them get paid for their knowledge through Amplify and building their online programmes and their group coaching programmes and becoming coaches and changing their business models. Like that's what I want to do. That's what really excites me as well and helping my clients in BBA become more profitable and understand their money and earn more and pay themselves and outsource and all the rest of it. And so really think about what kind of leader do I want to be and what is it that I'm here to challenge and what am I going to do that's different? So that was just some of the thoughts that I had this week that kind of came to me and I thought I just have to share this message with you to stop waiting, be the leader that you want to be, be the leader that your community and your industry needs. Get out of your own way, like stop thinking that somebody else is going to come and do it. It's you. It's up to you to do this. Because if every single woman said, it's not my job, someone else will do it. We would never be anywhere. So be that leader, be that person that inspires others to make the changes to do the thing. Yeah. And that's it for this week. If you've got any questions, let me know. Otherwise, have an amazing week.