What happens when we redefine success on our own terms? Join us as we sit down with Jada Willis, an inspiring executive leadership coach and CEO mentor, to explore her transformative journey from HR to becoming a sought-after leadership strategist. Jada opens up about the importance of addressing both personal and professional aspects of leadership, highlighting how a growth mindset can drive not just business success but also personal fulfillment.
Throughout our conversation, we dive into the evolving concepts of identity and success. Jada shares personal stories and insights, shedding light on how breaking away from societal and familial expectations can lead to a more authentic path. You’ll hear about the value of showing up as your best self, the power of persistence, and the blend of luck and preparation in achieving your dreams. Together, we uncover the importance of self-discovery and setting feeling-driven goals, even when faced with uncertainty.
In the final segments, Jada discusses the nuances of leadership, emphasizing intentionality and the importance of tough conversations. We talk about the pitfalls of over-serving and people-pleasing, and how genuine care for team members as holistic individuals can unlock their full potential. Through practical advice and Jada’s energetic approach, this episode provides a roadmap for anyone looking to enhance their mental toughness, achieve their goals, and find long-term success and fulfillment.
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Episode Chapters:
(0:00:10) – Unleashing Potential (0:08:29) – Defining Identity and Success (0:19:31) – Navigating Success and Finding Purpose (0:33:05) – Embracing the Growth Mindset (0:37:23) – Mapping Your Authentic Path to Success (0:50:31) – Developing Growth Mindset Through Authentic Leadership
Listen in as we talk with the versatile and creative freelancer, Eva Foussat, who shares her fascinating journey from being a poetry-writing teenager to becoming a sought-after freelance designer. She tells us all about how she started her freelance career after a successful run as an in-house designer. She also gives us a peek into how she managed to stay afloat during the 2020 pandemic despite not qualifying for small business loans, a testament to her resilience and adaptability.
In the second part of our discussion, Eva, who also serves as the president of AAF of the Midlands, speaks candidly about her efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion within creative professions. She highlights her mission to incorporate a diverse range of people and subjects in their programs. She gives us an insight into the challenges and joys of balancing work and family responsibilities while running a business. Sharing from her personal experiences, she discusses the significance of setting boundaries, managing schedules, and staying disciplined. She also talks about navigating through busy seasons and the pros and cons of taking on retainer work.
Eva is an award-winning creative director who has been working in the Columbia, SC area for more than 20 years. From brand launches to copy editing, healthcare to roller derby, on the web and etched (literally) in stone, she has worked on it all!
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Chapter Summaries:
(0:00:10) – Transitioning to Freelancing (0:06:53) – Navigating Freelancing and Parenthood in 2020 (0:16:38) – Diversity and Inclusion in Creative Professions (0:26:17) – Partnerships and Diversity in Advertising (0:37:52) – Balancing Work and Family Responsibilities (0:44:59) – Insights on Freelancing and Non-Profit Work
Have you ever wondered how to gracefully juggle leadership roles without losing your authentic self? Curious about how to keep that spark alive in your personal life without dropping the ball at work? Grab a chair, sit back, and join us as we navigate the thrilling yet challenging terrain of balancing leadership and personal life. We approach this intricate subject with insights on different types of leadership, highlighting the importance of leading with less ego, while also emphasizing the significance of resilience and working through problems.
As the conversation unfolds, we tackle the art of maintaining authenticity and transparency as a leader, striking a balance between being open and strategic. We dive into the essence of self-care amidst our busy schedules, underlining the importance of carving out time for oneself. We share our intriguing concept of ‘no zero days’, stressing how the simple act of completing one task daily can supercharge your productivity.
1) How do you stay motivated as a leader, especially when things get tough?
2) Can you discuss the importance of being open and genuine as a leader?
3) How do you manage your personal life alongside your work responsibilities?
4) How does self-care impact your ability to lead effectively in both personal and professional aspects?
5) Any practical tips for fitting self-care into a busy schedule?
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Chapter Summaries:
(0:00:01) – Balancing Leadership and Personal Life Leadership, motivation, understanding problems, staying motivated, different types of leadership, and leading with less ego discussed.
(0:07:34) – Hope, Resilience, and Embracing Challenges We discuss building resilience, having a vision, and the power of hope to make life easier.
(0:17:43) – Navigating Authentic Leadership and Transparency Authenticity, relationships, and understanding are key to balancing openness and strategy as a leader.
(0:30:27) – Managing Work and Personal Life Managing work and personal life, ‘no zero days’, discerning vital few tasks, and being open and genuine as a leader.
(0:39:40) – Self-Care for Busy Schedules We emphasize carving out time for self-care, Benjamin Franklin’s morning routine, balancing work and personal time, and investing in quality time with loved ones.
(0:46:06) – Time for Self-Care and Work-Life Balance Balancing work and personal life, prioritizing self-care, creating a life of wellness, managing calendars, and freeing up time.
Great conversation with someone who is passionate about helping others in a way that both addresses real world needs and feeds their soul. You can really do both and strive to be the very best you can be both operationally and personally. Erinn is an inspiration to me after our conversation and I think you’ll be inspired as well after this episode.
Erinn Rowe serves as CEO of Harvest Hope Food Bank, managing the organization’s operations through its three locations in the Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate of South Carolina. Prior to joining Harvest Hope, Erinn worked with Bank of America for 10 years as the Senior Treasury Sales Analyst for Commercial Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In this role, Erinn and her team worked with companies that had revenue ranging from $5 million to $2 billion annually, proactively providing relevant insights and integrated financial solutions to help those companies succeed. Before banking, Erinn owned and operated a franchise of Young Chef’s Academy, a children’s cooking school which promoted healthy eating and skill-based learning for kids and adults of all ages. Erinn and her family live in the Midlands of South Carolina.
I‘ve been trying to think about the idea of Sincerity. Specifically how sincerity relates to being a leader. You can talk all day long about what you’re going to do, but until people see you doing it, they won’t believe you.
Or believe in you…
Have you ever heard of the term “lead by example?”
Leading by example is surely the best way to be a great leader. But to do that you have to be truly sincere in your belief in what it is you’re doing…
There is a great story about sincerity — as it applies to Leadership from the book Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield.
The book is about Spartan warrior culture. He tells the story of King Leonidas and his 300 spartans who fought and died defending their homeland against what is said to have been thousands and thousands of Persian invaders.
There is a chapter about a lesser known part of the story; when the king and his army of 300 arrived at the spot where they would be having the battle the next day, there were remnants of what was once a defensive stone wall or battlement. The King ordered his men to rebuild the wall as quickly as they could so they could use it for themselves.
These guys knew that the overwhelming size of the invading Persian army, which numbered in the millions against the Spartans’ 300, would be rendered useless, because the width of the land at the pass of Thermopylae was much smaller, and would only allow a small portion of the Persians to present themselves at once time — thus the Spartans would be able to match man for man at any given time the Persians’ numbers. The trouble was there used to be a wall there, but it had been destroyed in a previous battle unbeknownst to the Spartans.
His captains and sergeants began to discuss and plan on the best way to rebuild it. One said that the wall should be as tall as two men, one said that it should be short but wide, while another argued that it should have firing positions for their bowmen. Meanwhile all the other Spartans just sat around and watched their leaders argue and fight over the “best” way to do it…
In seeing his men in disarray and lacking clear leadership, King Leonidas himself walked over to one of the piles of rocks and just started picking them up and pilling them back up to form a wall. When his Spartans saw what he was doing, they all cheered “AROO!” (which is the Spartan war cry) and they all fell into the work right along side their king. Every last one…
King Leonidas never stopped, even when he saw his men working and as the pile started to resemble a real wall he said to them;
Nothing too fancy, men. For a wall of stone will not preserve us, but a wall of warriors shall.
If you truly believe in what you are doing then show those around you that you sincerely believe it is the right way to do it by acting on it instead of just talking about it.
Aim to inspire first and you will win the battle whatever it may be.
This is that great passage about leadership from the book Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfieldso you can read it as written here. It picks up a rather crucial moment when the 300 lead by King Leonidas arrive at the famous pass of Thermopylae known as the “Hot Gates”.
Simultaneously work was begun on rebuilding the ancient Phokian Wall which blocked the narrows [of Thermopylae]. This fortification, when the Spartans arrived, was little more than a pile of rubble. Leonidas demanded a proper battle wall.
A wry scene ensued as various engineers and draughtsmen of the allied militias assembled in solemn council to survey the site and propose architectural alternatives. Torches had been positioned to light the Narrows, diagrams were sketched in the dirt; one of the captains of the militia produced a drawn-to-scale blue-print. Now the commanders began wrangling. The wall should be erected right at the Narrows, blocking the pass. No, suggested another, better it would be set back fifty meters, creating a “triangle of death” between the cliffs and the battle wall. A third captain urged a setback distance of twice that, giving the infantry room to mass and maneuver. Meanwhile the troops loitered about, offering their own sage counsel and wisdom…
King Leonidas simply picked up a boulder and marched to a spot. There he set the stone in place. He lifted a second and placed it beside the first. The men looked on dumbly as their commander in chief, whom all could see was well past sixty, stooped to seize a third boulder. Someone barked: “How long do you imbeciles intend to stand by, gaping? Will you wait all night while the king builds the wall himself?”
With a cheer the troops fell to. Nor did Leonidas cease from his exertions when he saw other hands joined to labor, but continued alongside the men as the pile of stones began to rise into a legitimate fortress. “Nothing too fancy, brothers,” the king guided the construction. “For a wall of stone will not preserve us, but a wall of men.”
What I find most inspiring is that leading isn’t about telling people what to do, being the one in charge, or simply authoring all the plans. It’s about doing first so that others can see and learn.
Setting the example for your team. Keeping the bar high, by your own personally displayed example of work and ethics. It is one thing to have a ton of experience and share that with the people you work with or work for you but it’s another thing entirely to sit back while others labor and toss out direction without the implication that you are willing and able to dig in too.
