Author Andrea Flack-Wetherald, author of “The Funny Thing About Forgiveness,” returns for the second part of this conversation. We discuss the importance of staying present to avoid shame and relapse when trying to change behavior. Andrea also emphasizes the concept of “listening hygiene” and the need to prioritize self-care.
Andrea’s online community, Mindful Improv Community, and her new YouTube series, “Bad Advice for Cool People,” promotes mindful thinking to make the world a braver, kinder place. Trust the process, prioritize self-care, and maintain a sense of humor along the way.
With humor and empathy, the episode reminds listeners to prioritize self-care and give and receive everything as a gift.
Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
Andrea Flack-Wetherald shares her insights on forgiveness and the importance of improv in everyday life. According to Andrea, forgiveness is often overlooked as a soft skill, but it is crucial for personal and professional growth. She explores intentional growth from pain rather than absolution, analyzing what causes pain and asking empowering questions rather than perpetuating a story of resentment and shame.
Flack-Wetherald also shares the core five principles of mindful, improv thinking: choosing curiosity instead of judgment, honoring your scene partner, staying in the present moment, listening beyond your comfort zone, and receiving everything as a gift. These principles can be applied to personal and professional relationships to improve communication and understanding.
Andreas’s message of forgiveness and improv thinking is timely and relevant in a world where fear and uncertainty seem to be increasing. By choosing curiosity, staying present, and listening beyond our comfort zones, we can improve our communication and understanding with others, and grow both personally and professionally. As Andrea states, “We are just as much a part of the world we aim to make better as anybody else is.”
Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
The “nevers” became my opportunities once I chose to consider them.
Why do we say “never” first?
Youth and inexperience
Lack of confidence
Easy is easier
No guidance
Fear is paralyzing
My “nevers” included:
Never – going to use my accounting degree
Never – going to be a CPA
Never – going to be the employer, content with being an employee
Never – going to merge
My “never” became “Maybe, OK, Probably” and finally “Yes” due to influencers and facing my challenges.
What are your challenges?
Do you value who you are – no one will ever value you as much as YOU
Are you leveraging your uniqueness?
Are you paralyzed by fear?
When and how you do say NO – that is not a never!
“Nevers” just may be your opportunities. Be more aware of the people in your life. Ask more questions versus acceptance. No one will value you more than you. Paralyzed by fear, you will miss your moment. Leverage your uniqueness, it is your journey.
Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
We’re in a new year again, and we just need it to be easier, right?
Many business owners have felt that they can’t move forward because they’re paralyzed. When you’re paralyzed, it means you can’t move. But if you’re a business owner or in business, you aren’t meant to be still, you aren’t meant to be not able to move. So you live in that fear.
But we can’t do that. We have to get to what’s driving the fear.
I’ve put it into a few categories in this episode. I’m sure that there are other things that you could add to it, but you really need to address these things.
This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social, and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
So many people think success is they’ve made it to the C-suite.
The C-suite is not the only success that is out there in your career in business, so I want to talk about that in this episode.
What might be a better definition of success? How about this (not mine, but well worth sharing) – “Put your heart, your mind, your intellect, and your soul, even into every small act.”
That is a secret of success. Anything that you do in life, give it 110 percent.
My idea of success has changed a lot over 55+ years. Success depends upon the season you’re in. Your 20’s are different than your 30’s, and different than your 40’s, and different than your 50’s. Every season has been different for me (and will be for you), so success looked different in every season (and will be for you).
I enjoyed my career more, I think, because I wasn’t always shooting for being number one.
Being number one is not for the weak. It’s a tough place to be. I still had success because I had a different impact, and influence, and most importantly, I enjoyed and seized the moments in my life outside of the corporate four walls.
USC is where he attended. He talks about his success, of course, with all humor involved. He talks more about his 16-year marriage, his boys, his charity. He talks very passionately about the USC family, but he really talks about his journey getting there.
He doesn’t start out by saying, “I was on Saturday Night Live.” He doesn’t talk about, “I’ve made all these movies.” He’s just happy with other things besides being the number one, and all the different things that come along with that.
We can’t all be in the C-suite.
Many of us, first of all, are not meant to be there; we’re not leaders. The good news is you can enjoy success outside of the C-suite.
By the way, top leaders need followers. We can learn from them, and probably we have similar characteristics.
How do we learn from those in the C-suite?
Ask yourself “What does a C-suite person do? What is their success?”
They prioritize. Because when you are number one, you cannot do everything. We can do that (prioritize) in any situation. They get to the point. They drill it down. They make a decision. They go forward. They probably ask a lot more questions. They get a lot of good advice from all around them.
Decisions have impact, so those in the C-suite have to make good ones, because there’s a lot of people relying on them. Trust is at the core of everything with a successful C-suite person. If you don’t have that team and support, you can’t do it.
We all have different career goals to achieve success. There’s nothing right or wrong, and success is measured differently by all of us.
Unfortunately, we tend to obsess over our goals and our career. Most of us do. All the career goals and the success you have, whether you’re in the C-suite, or you’re just going to occur in your own world. All of those goals are valid. So, no matter where you are, focus on yours, and stick to yours, and not to others.
Here are some definitions of success that you should not ignore.
Success is always doing your best.
Success is learning that you sometimes have to say no and really being careful when you say yes.
Success is learning.
Success is understanding you cannot keep what you don’t give away.
Success is overcoming fear.
Success is being loved and loving back.
Success is standing your ground when you believe in something.
Success is not giving up.
Success is never letting a disability hold you back and understand that you control your destiny.
Success goes way beyond the C-suite.
Ultimately, you define success, and you enjoy it. Have a good journey, and don’t be consumed in the destination, especially to the C-suite.
This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt” – William Shakespeare
Self-doubt is fed by your inner voice and, of course, is self-inflicted.
This podcast is very personal, which is probably why it took me a while to write it.
If there’s one struggle that I have had in life, it is probably self-doubt. The continual questioning that ends up paralyzing me, which results in me doing nothing and not going forward.
The first step is to tackle the inner voice that is feeding and fueling your self-doubt. You’re the key to controlling that. Here are a few things that I came up with that have worked for me.
Stay strong and be resilient even in the tough days, in your rough times. Handle criticism and the negative people who lash out at you in a more understanding and level-headed way.
Stop dragging yourself down by always comparing yourself to other people and their lives. Oh, yes, the comparison game.
Become more assertive by simply saying no. We don’t do that well, do we, ladies? Say no to things that are going to add to your self-doubt, or take away confidence, or take from you moving forward.
Replace perfectionism with healthier and happier habits.
Talk back to your own inner critic. Have a two-way conversation now in your head. Talking back is okay, because sometimes you got to shut it down.
Find your most important dream and set your goals.
Work hard. Play hard. And your success should be celebrated. You deserve it, because you earned it. It’s okay.
This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
It’s your identity expressing itself. It’s your personality, and it’s your individual message to the world.
I believe that there is power in that feminine voice, and it’s missing in too many conversations. From the business environment – your office, the marketplace, the boardroom, to politics, and in our homes. If we are there, it’s so crucial that the voice is heard.
In this episode, I hope to help you to move forward in owning your voice, and claiming that power.
Of course, if it’s only for the greater good.
You first have to recognize you probably have something valuable to say. You have to be strategic, though, about what you say and when you say it. Don’t speak for the sake of speaking. Be sure that you speak thoughtfully, in an engaging manner, when you want to be heard.
Words really matter.
People’s perception and how they’ve heard you is your of choice of words. Speaking isn’t just saying what you want. Speaking isn’t just having your voice. Words matter to make things happen.
You must be willing to speak up when something goes against what has a deep value for you. Silence in those moments really talks about your character. And be prepared for possible backlash when you do. Criticism comes with being a leader, regardless of your gender. The labels, and the name-calling have very little to do with you, personally. It’s really about how uncomfortable you’re making some people. Don’t take it personally, and just move on.
When you’re finding your voice, it’s one step at a time. Slow and steady.
This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
It’s everywhere; books, coaches, seminars on the why, the what, the who, and the how.
It’s really, in my mind, almost overkill. But the sad truth is, with all of that help, we are desperately looking for leadership that is authentic.
In our society, in politics, to corporate America, to education systems, within our homes, within professional organizations, authentic leadership is really tough to find.
Authentic leadership works on the principle that leaders can prove their legitimacy, their credibility, by nurturing sincere relationships with whomever they’re leading. Notice I did not say “I am the leader, follow me!” It isn’t about the title. It really is nurturing sincere relationships.
How do you do that?
An authentic leader encourages their followers to be more open. They appreciate their support in the success of the organization. When you want to be an authentic leader, it’s pretty tough. It’s a pretty high standard, and it takes a while to do.
This is something you have to be pretty intentional about. If you are a true authentic leader, you’ll have certain characteristics. You probably can’t have all 10 that I’ve come up with, but you’ve got to have some of these, or you’ve got to be working on them.
Self-awareness
Integrity
Vision
Focus On Long-term Results
Listening Skills
Speaking Carefully
Transparency
Consistency
Drawing On Experience
Sharing Success With Your Team
This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
Networking is about knowing more people. Something amazing happens when you network and connection happens. That is the moment of success because….connecting is about knowing people more.
What is your goal when you network? When you make connections?
Most connected people are often the most successful. Statistics support that statement. When you invest in your relationships — professional and personal — it can pay you back in dividends throughout the course of your career. The key word was “Investment”. That means you are going to give or put forth effort and resources FIRST, then ROI.
Who is the goal for you in networking and connections?
The what determines the who. Most importantly – figure out who matters. Sometimes you have to network with many to find the few solid connections. Think about the relationships you have right now that started with a person you met one year ago, five years ago, 20 years ago. How you network to make true connections is key.
Frank Agin, the President and Owner of AmSpirit, is just simply the best at networking and connecting. I have learned so much from him over the past 19 plus years. The number one thing I learned? Networking is more about connecting and engagement than to “know” everyone or be known. I am so thankful to have him as a guest on this podcast.
Are you networking, or are you connecting. There is a difference—make sure you know.
This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.
With a successful 10-year career with an established furniture company under her belt, Darla King left her position with an offer to partner in a new start up company. One year later, the partnership had yet to materialize and Darla knew a decision needed to be made. Seeing opportunity in her circumstance, Darla and her husband formed King Business Interiors in November 1998. I was fortunate to have Darla in studio to get her story about growing the business, as a family-owned business, and for our purposes, a woman-owned business. In this episode we cover a lot ground, including:
What Darla has learned from being a family-owned business
What the biggest challenges are as being a family-owned business
What the biggest challenges (and dare we say, advantages) are as a woman-owned business
The importance of registering as a woman-owned business
Why women need to help women
What challenges and mistakes she made along the way
Why giving back is so important, and how King Business Interiors does it right
This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.