The Uncommon Leader Podcast
Nov. 19, 2024

Be Bold Today!! Unleash Your Potential, Master Your Mindset, and Achieve Success

Join me on the Uncommon Leader Podcast as Leigh Burgess, a trailblazing entrepreneur and author of "Be Bold Today," shares her empowering story of transformation from corporate burnout to entrepreneurial triumph. Leigh discusses the pivotal moments that shaped her journey, including her childhood experience as the only girl on a boys' soccer team, which ignited a lifelong commitment to boldness and perseverance. Offering more than just a survival guide, her book serves as a beacon for those looking to overcome obstacles and unlock their potential. Dive into a conversation that promises to redefine how you view commitments and bold decision-making.

Leigh and I engage in a thought-provoking discussion about the emotional and physical costs of high-stress environments, revealing how these pressures can be catalysts for transformative change. Sharing real-life stories of individuals who made bold leaps from unfulfilling roles to rewarding new ventures, we illuminate the importance of crafting a structured plan and the impact of supportive coaching. Discover how thoughtful, pragmatic decisions aligned with personal values can radically transform both personal and professional landscapes, leading to unparalleled success and satisfaction.

As we wrap up this enriching episode, the focus turns to the power of community and shared wisdom. Encouragement to reflect on personal experiences and influences highlights the importance of understanding our own stories in shaping our journey. Leigh and I urge listeners to spread boldness by sharing these insights with others, while also inviting feedback to help grow our community of uncommon leaders. This episode is a sincere call to action for anyone ready to embrace boldness as a catalyst for meaningful change.

Thanks for listening in to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple podcasts, or rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen.

Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team)

 

Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!

Connect with me

Chapters

00:00 - Be Bold Today

07:47 - Personal Growth and Bold Decision Making

21:07 - Embracing Boldness in Daily Life

30:15 - Uncommon Leader Podcast Growth Community

Transcript

WEBVTT

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It's just really about you know, being understanding, not taking action, actually, because I think sometimes we think being bold is adding more to our plate, when it actually is taking on less, and maybe getting some things off of the plate that aren't adding value to your life or your business or your relationship.

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Hey Uncommon Leaders, welcome back.

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This is the Uncommon Leader Podcast.

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I'm your host, john Gallagher.

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In today's episode, I'm thrilled to be joined by Leigh Burgess, an accomplished leader, entrepreneur and now an author With her book.

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Be Bold Today.

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Unleash your Potential, master your Mindset and Achieve Success Hitting the Shelves.

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Leigh shares her journey from corporate burnout to entrepreneurial success.

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In this episode, we will discover the practical framework Lee developed for overcoming obstacles and achieving personal and professional growth.

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Through stories of resilience, continuous learning and strategic decision-making, lee provides some invaluable insights for anyone looking to take bold steps in their own lives.

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Don't miss this enlightening conversation and be sure to check out Lee's book for a deeper dive into her transformative approach to living boldly.

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Let's get started.

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Lee Burgess, welcome to the Uncommon Leader Podcast.

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Great to have you on the show, looking forward to chatting with you about your book today.

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You got a big old copy of it behind your shoulder there, but first I just want to ask how you're doing.

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I'm doing well.

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I think I'm just right left, right, left, keep moving forward.

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And, you know, very, very close to pub day, which is 39 days away, so a lot going on and excited about it, not complaining about it, just really kind of keeping the energy up and moving forward.

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Yeah, as we record this, I know you're going through that tour right now and that can be a lot of fun.

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And then you remember, like what did I say on that podcast?

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What'd I say on that episode?

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I'm sure that's there.

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you know as we, as it's right, that too, as we released this episode, though, uh, it is on the day that your book releases.

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So, uh, I'm excited about about that for you, and I know you're excited about it as well.

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These days between the interview and when that releases are going to go by fast.

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I'm sure there's no doubt about that.

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I'll start you off with the same question I always start off all my first-time guests on the Uncommon Leader podcast.

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Tell me a story from your childhood that still impacts who you are today, as a person or as a leader.

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Yeah, that's a good one.

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I think there's lots of things.

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I think I I you know one of my boldest moments, I think, was in second grade when I was on the boys soccer team.

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There wasn't girls sports at that time and my mom knew I wanted to play soccer.

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I tried ballet but was really bad at it.

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So she's like, let's try, let's try a sport, and so not that ballet is not a sport, but it wasn't a sport for me and so I think I went out on that field not knowing I wasn't supposed to be there, and my mom kind of did that throughout my life, kind of putting me in spaces that maybe you know, from a sense of the society or culture or safety or expectation that you know girls don't play with the boys and there were four girls that actually were in the league but I went all out.

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I would get laid out on the field.

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I love soccer very much and at one point my mom got called over and I remember it because you're in second grade, you remember these things and they said she needs to play like a girl, she needs to play much softer or she's going to get hurt.

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They were concerned about my safety.

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And my mom says she's going to play, just period.

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And I just remember that and for me I guess I just kind of have taken that thread through the rest of my life, like I'm just going to play, I'm just going to show up, I'm going to do my best, I'm going to share my voice and what I feel.

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So I think that has really kind of pulled me into some of the places as I've gone through a lot of my career in the corporate world and having a voice and feeling like it was welcomed and I think, being an entrepreneur, it's another level of leadership that I'm using that boldness as well.

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Oh, you have absolutely had to use that and it comes out certainly in the story behind your book.

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We're going to get into the framework of it, but the title is Be Bold Today, Unleash your Potential, Master your Mindset and Achieve Success.

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So who did you write this book for and why did you write it?

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Why now?

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Yeah, I think it was really written by me for me.

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It's what I used to help me figure out what's next after I quit, without a plan in the middle of 2020.

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So I got to a point in my corporate career where I just ran, ran, ran really hard and ignored all the warning signs of you need to slow down, you need to not do that, you need to do more or less of this, and I just was in complete burnout and didn't even know what to name it.

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We talk about it now much more than we did four years ago and it is definitely a part of your mental health, your physical health.

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You know, just about every level of health of mine was just deteriorated and I didn't have any other choice but to just change pretty quickly at that point and I didn't know what to do and I'm usually an A through double Z planner and I didn't have a first step, second step.

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I love to follow a process and I'm all about acronyms.

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It's actually how I've learned a lot of the things in college and high school and middle school.

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I was acronyming everything to remember it and to be able to figure it out for the test.

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So created that, but really what I had to dig into first and to heal and nurture myself, because it wasn't just like jump back in because I was that burnt out.

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I needed to really work on my belief system, and that's why it starts with the B, and so my belief is really where I spent a lot of time with myself, with my coach, and really started to dig into some of the things that I didn't even know were.

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There were some shadows, some things that were possibly able to, you know, boost me forward that I maybe wasn't leveraging as much, and then maybe some things like negative self-talk, some negativity or not feeling enough that were holding me back.

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And then, you know, going into ownership, learning and design.

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Really, it just, for me, kind of flowed through the process that I took.

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I like that.

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I mean again, and even if we took a step back prior to that, you mentioned well, first of all, it'd be bold to make the leap out of the corporate world.

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I was given a little bit of a runway in terms of some of that change.

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I mean, 2020 had changed for a lot of folks.

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Yours might have been a little bit different in terms of COVID and how it changed.

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I worked in health care as well.

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Couldn't get in hospitals and clinics to do the consulting work that we wanted to, so eventually we ran out of work, but the bold step that you made is ultimately to step away from it and learn.

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Prior to that, you mentioned the word burnout a different B, but the word burnout.

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What were some of the symptoms that you were experiencing that told you that you were burning out?

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That might help others.

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You mentioned that you wrote the book for yourself, but that might help others realize that they might be experiencing burnout.

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Yeah, I think, over probably a period of three years is as I look back, I started to not be aligned with my values, and that's probably the first one meaning like so family time, health, moving, you know being outside, not being at your desk, you know really having presence in your life?

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I really saw that start to, you know, thinking of a downslide that really just continued to downslide.

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Where it ended up in the middle of 2020 is I was working easily 17 hours a day and that is not healthy.

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On so many levels.

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I gained a lot of weight.

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So I gained 67 pounds that I had lost back, plus then some.

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I lost half of that now.

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So, and on my, you know, healthy journey back to me, and I think that was a big thing and that really stemmed from not moving and being at my desk and that period of time there was just so much going on and wanting to help and feeling this huge sense of responsibility.

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So I think my relationships and presence you know, not eating or moving and being healthy and then I think the other things is like small things started to irritate me more than they normally would, because I am normally a go with the flow we'll figure it out and I just was just not me.

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And so I think I just really got to a point and I was in a meeting and I was advocating something was happening and I just felt very strong about it and it was a very tense time in general for healthcare and some of the things that we were trying to do.

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And I walked out of the meeting and my vessel in my eye had burst.

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So I looked in the mirror and I was like you can't do this.

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So, from the blood pressure and just being like stressed out, like you know, my body was telling me you've got to make a change.

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So I felt like that was a sign.

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Well, I think you know again, and as I think about it, one of the things that I often think, it's that decision at the start, whether it's a sign or not, but it's ultimately the pain of remaining the same where you are is greater than the pain of the actual change itself.

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Being bold and making a leap into doing something for yourself, and you finally had reached that point where that pain to stay where you were was greater than any change you were going to have to do to be more successful, even in your last step in terms of designing that life, even in your last step in terms of designing that life.

00:09:22.527 --> 00:09:29.110
But I often think about that because I went through a fitness journey myself back in 2017.

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You know the 80 pounds.

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You mentioned the 67 pounds.

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I don't know why it is that stress generally ends up adding weight, and maybe it's like that stress eating the peanut M&Ms laying around or whatever that is but it's like the hardest thing, yeah, late night eating.

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Certainly, if you're working 17 hours a day, the fitness space doesn't allow you to get your exercise time in.

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Or your sleep, realizing, as we move up into more wisdom years, that sleep becomes even more and more important.

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I appreciate you sharing kind of what you went through and I'm sure those that you work with now you're able to help them recognize when they feel some of those things as well, your opportunity to help others with this book.

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And you mentioned before we hit the record button that there are stories of success that are inside of your book as well.

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Do you have a favorite story of helping somebody else?

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That's been a journey for them, based on using your framework, that they feel really good about and they ultimately you feel good about as well.

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Sure, yeah, there's a lot of stories.

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I think one that just came to top of mind as you were asking.

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The question is, you know, obviously everyone's bold journey is personal.

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So what I did I don't recommend, honestly, you know, because I got to a point of no return and my cost of inaction was really, you know, so high that I had to take action.

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So I like when people learn it sooner and they have a process or plan and they have a runway that's longer.

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But what happens, I think you know, in the example I have, is you know, someone was in a space within an organization where they weren't aligned with their values.

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They felt they couldn't, you know, go to the next level or maybe go at the same pace that they wanted to go.

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They felt that they weren't as valued and leadership had changed quite a bit and they began to create that plan to exit.

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And 99% out of all the people that I've worked with, all the women, all the organizations, once you write it down, once you make that plan, I always warn them, you know.

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You say this is going to take two years, it's probably going to speed up, right?

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You're going to start going right left, right left, like I've talked about.

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You know you're going to move forward into this and then you're going to be like, okay, that gave me some confidence.

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Now I feel more agency.

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I'm going to take the next bold step and I saw someone really progress extremely quickly through their plan.

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Where they had planned to do it over a year and a half, they ended up doing it over six months, which is one of, like I would say, the premier cases I have of someone actually starting their business, leaving the corporate world.

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That was their example and really kicking it off and then digging in and doing the work which any year of any role is.

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First year is hard, but I think the first year as an entrepreneur for me the first 365,.

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There's a book title I think it's really interesting how much you dig into certain parts and you uncover pieces of yourself that you didn't know you needed to work on, or maybe you didn't even know were there in the sense of tenacity and resilience.

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So that's probably my example.

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Just, someone really went through it very quickly and they are now, you know, a regular six-figure contract individual and very, very happy, and they've also taken the different pieces and parts of the framework and placed it into other areas of their life, like their relationships and what they're curious about outside of work, which is a nice alignment too.

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That wasn't there.

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It's so cool when it can overlap, when you can use those frameworks at both to be successful in business or in work and in life as well, because the steps really are.

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As you mentioned, you're a process person.

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The steps to personal success or organizational success can be very similar and if we follow that process, we have the likelihood of success.

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You mentioned in an earlier response as well you used a coach through this.

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So how did a coach help you and what's your advice to folks in thinking about utilization of a coach as well?

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Yeah, so I've used coaches throughout my career.

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I think you need different kinds of coaches at different points in your life, personally and professionally.

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I was looking for one who looked at me as a whole person, so not just my title, not just as an executive, no-transcript, start sleeping normally and actually see sunlight and not have a vitamin D deficiency.

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You know like I just needed to get out there, and so I really, you know, started looking for a coach around November and had already really started to create funnels and ideas.

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I think that's one of the things, too is I really had this freedom of thought and innovation and that I'd never not that I wasn't, you know, able to think or, you know, innovate within healthcare, but my particular field, which is clinical research, it's very much black and white of what to do and not to do.

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Research itself is innovative, but the ops and admin around it are very defined, and so for me, it was like ability to use pieces of my brain that had not been turned on in a while and the lights were on and not every idea was a good idea now, but they were out there.

00:15:06.148 --> 00:15:10.873
I love that when you think about going through the steps of believe, own, learn design.

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You talked about those.

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You know the ones that I highlighted, just in terms of reading about it myself, is, on the learn side, embrace continuous learning.

00:15:18.205 --> 00:15:26.590
So how do you embrace continuous learning and there's a bit of mindset in there as well but also, again, the continuous growth as a leader.

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Yeah, we hear a lot about growth mindset right, and fixed mindset, and Carol Dweck she's still impacting us today with research that she did many, many years ago.

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But I think the key thing with the growth mindset is understanding when you're getting stuck and knowing the signs to when you might be in this fixed place of thought.

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So an example of that for me would be when I was thinking, when I'm in this career, what I'm supposed to do, what's been prescribed as the next step and the next step, how you get promoted and get the titles and all that, I really had a fixed mindset about what was possible.

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I never thought about being an entrepreneur, I never thought about doing things on my own.

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It seemed very unstable, it seemed extremely risky and I'll use the word I felt selfish.

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So I felt like who am I to just do that, just try something with so much depending on me, my family and in our livelihood, et cetera, and it didn't feel right.

00:16:25.149 --> 00:16:28.423
So, like I, that was a fixed mindset, for sure.

00:16:28.524 --> 00:16:37.476
So why I have that one is I'm a big time learner myself, in the sense of just wanting to like soak up as much as I can, read as much as I can and have as much context.

00:16:37.476 --> 00:16:48.602
But putting it into action is really, really important and making the data and the inputs usable, but still trusting your gut, and it's hard to kind of.

00:16:48.602 --> 00:16:49.985
You know, is it a 50-50?

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, is it a 90-10?

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And unfortunately it's a.

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It depends asterisk.

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So you can't like tell someone you know well what you know.

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You know some exact algorithm of how to use your mindset and in that learning phase and with your growth mindset.

00:17:04.973 --> 00:17:17.785
But I think it's more notable to realize when you're in that fixed mindset which I'm usually not, but that was an example of something that kept me in the role or kept me in the space I was in much longer than I probably needed to be.

00:17:18.615 --> 00:17:25.554
I like that because, again, well as much as again, as coaches and consultants, we'd love to have the matrix that shows exactly when to make those decisions.

00:17:25.554 --> 00:17:29.526
Right, Right, you know, the risk is totally eliminated and we won't have any risk.

00:17:29.775 --> 00:17:30.998
And that certainly would be.

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When somebody figures that out, much like Dweck and her research on mindset, we're going to make a lot more money than we do now, but until that happens, we're stuck with having to use our gut to make some decisions at times as well, given all the information that we have Now.

00:17:46.582 --> 00:18:02.961
You touched on this a little bit with regards to recognizing when you're in a fixed mindset, and so that was one of the specific questions I wanted to ask you, because you think about where you were back in 2020 and the feeling that you had the recognition of the burnout that you had.

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How are you intentionally reviewing or reflecting to ensure that you're not sliding back into that space?

00:18:13.780 --> 00:18:18.555
How do you make sure that you're assessing all the time whether or not you're being too bold, maybe?

00:18:19.156 --> 00:18:24.407
Right, yeah, I think for me burnout it doesn't end just because you leave a job.

00:18:24.407 --> 00:18:29.664
It's what you were doing, it's what you were, your habits that you had created.

00:18:29.664 --> 00:18:48.061
And so I think you know I really hone in on my habits, because if I'm sitting at my desk and I haven't gone outside in five days, like literally gone out the door, I think it's probably a time to kind of step away and do something different and reset and realign my habits.

00:18:48.061 --> 00:18:51.096
So I think I really hone in on what I'm doing.

00:18:51.096 --> 00:19:00.962
That kind of got me to that place of burnout, which for me, was that being at the desk, Because in any role most likely, but really as an entrepreneur you could work 24 hours a day.

00:19:00.982 --> 00:19:06.069
Really as an entrepreneur, you could work 24 hours a day and I feel like I needed to manage myself.

00:19:06.069 --> 00:19:18.576
And so, from that perspective, I think the other thing that comes into mind when it comes to recognizing when I'm in a fixed mindset am I doing the same thing over and over and it's not working, but I keep doing it.

00:19:18.576 --> 00:19:21.817
And I know that's called insanity, but a lot of us do it.

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I was doing that in my role, where I was.

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Just what worked in the past when I got to these situations was I took on more responsibility.

00:19:29.423 --> 00:19:33.005
I took more in air quotes, control of the situation.

00:19:33.005 --> 00:19:40.349
I tried to fill the gaps that existed with my time, my effort, like if we didn't have a team member, I'll do it, you know.

00:19:40.349 --> 00:19:52.443
So those things all worked before in some form or fashion, but now they were actually adding to the fuel of the fire, of the burnout, and I just kept doing them over and over and over.

00:19:53.115 --> 00:19:56.682
And I'm not sure if you know what happened to me in that month.

00:19:56.682 --> 00:20:06.563
If it had not happened to me you know the situations, the conversations, my eye I don't know if I would have I would have kept trying because I actually thought I could succeed.

00:20:06.563 --> 00:20:09.076
I, you know, I didn't think I could fail Like I.

00:20:09.076 --> 00:20:12.266
You know, if I try hard enough, I'll succeed, because that had worked in the past.

00:20:12.266 --> 00:20:28.339
So when you're doing something over and over and you're still like something's got to give, like maybe it's, you need to like step back and what's got to give is you're stuck, and you're stuck in a fixed mindset right now about whatever it is you're working on and need to kind of think about how do you transition or pivot to the growth side.

00:20:29.805 --> 00:20:32.996
Hey listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share something special with you.

00:20:32.996 --> 00:20:40.962
Many of the topics and discussions we have on this podcast are areas where I provide coaching and consulting services for individuals and organizations.

00:20:40.962 --> 00:20:50.226
If you've been inspired by our conversation and are seeking a catalyst for change in your own life or within your team, I invite you to visit coachjohngallaghercom.

00:20:50.226 --> 00:20:54.305
Forward slash free call to sign up for a free coaching call with me.

00:20:54.305 --> 00:21:02.343
It's an opportunity for us to connect, discuss your unique challenges and explore how coaching or consulting can benefit you and your team.

00:21:02.343 --> 00:21:05.082
Okay, let's get back to the show.

00:21:07.715 --> 00:21:14.499
Yeah, I love that as a formal kind of review process, whether it's a weekly check-in with yourself, a monthly or even quarterly.

00:21:14.499 --> 00:21:26.770
Formal that says what have I done in the last three months, how many times have I gotten to the gym to understand if I'm taking care of my fitness, or even these silly things that track how many steps we have in a day.

00:21:26.770 --> 00:21:51.612
And understanding what we're doing and ultimately allowing us to adjust is very important and, to your point, especially on the entrepreneurial side, taking the time to do that often feels like a chore, but the gift that is what can come out of that reflection, so that you don't go back to where you were, is very important, that stickiness that keeps you, if you will, in the space of being bold and going forward.

00:21:51.612 --> 00:21:53.142
Your book has come out.

00:21:53.142 --> 00:21:54.920
Folks are going to read it.

00:21:54.920 --> 00:22:01.127
What do you want them to feel and what do you want them to do after reading your book?

00:22:02.335 --> 00:22:07.307
I want them to feel inspired and see the power of possibility when they believe in themselves.

00:22:07.307 --> 00:22:18.682
I want them to understand and to do what is right for them, because it's a very personal journey, and I think there's a myth about being bold.

00:22:18.682 --> 00:22:23.363
There's five that I talk about in the book, but one of them is you know, it's too late to be bold.

00:22:23.542 --> 00:22:35.159
I've already, you know I was in a career almost 25 years, and you know I had achieved C-suites and greater success, and you know greater responsibility and six figures here and there.

00:22:35.159 --> 00:22:45.156
You know so, like by all the external signs, I was successful, but I think internally I was misaligned with my values and I wasn't doing what I wanted to do.

00:22:45.156 --> 00:23:01.343
So I was 48 then, and so it's usually not the time that someone makes a leap like that, but I'm finding more and more people particularly around that age and my understanding of even our happiness curve at 47 and 48 dips.

00:23:01.963 --> 00:23:06.078
And they call it a midlife crisis, but I think it's more like a midlife awakening.

00:23:06.078 --> 00:23:09.510
I'm not sure if it's midlife anymore either for some of us.

00:23:09.510 --> 00:23:14.423
So I think, certainly for the future, maybe for us, but for our kids, no.

00:23:14.423 --> 00:23:21.207
So I think it's just kind of seeing the possibility and realizing that it's not too late and you can take a small step.

00:23:21.207 --> 00:23:45.681
It doesn't have to be such a big step like I took, which is another myth of being bold is that it's always big and loud and, you know, social media level and no, a lot of my boldest moments actually are very quiet and they're my own and they're personal and they happen probably between my ears, in the sense of what I need to do and how I need to move forward, or they happen in smaller groups, where actually I get powered up as an introvert, as much smaller groups and being able to do that.

00:23:45.681 --> 00:23:50.182
So I think those are two things that I think really correlate with what people think it is.

00:23:51.205 --> 00:23:59.798
And I think the last thing I think sometimes bold gets a bad rap, meaning that it's, you know, a myth, that it's thoughtless and that you just jump and you don't look.

00:23:59.798 --> 00:24:08.836
It is one of the most pragmatic things that I've ever done, because it wasn't just like I went in the office that day and quit my job Like I had talked about it with my family.

00:24:08.836 --> 00:24:15.538
We had looked at our finances, we had said, you know what's, what is the cost of inaction at this point you know, and I'd done.

00:24:15.538 --> 00:24:18.942
You know the things like to look for a job and do those things, but nothing was hitting.

00:24:18.942 --> 00:24:24.250
So I think sometimes you know when you hit a wall like you should stop running into it.

00:24:25.155 --> 00:24:26.200
Oh, love that.

00:24:27.163 --> 00:24:27.894
Right so.

00:24:27.894 --> 00:24:38.778
I think for me, it was just realizing that just a small step, although mine was large you can just take a step toward your goals and that's all you need to define is the next step, not all 100.

00:24:38.778 --> 00:24:38.960
Right?

00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:40.339
Love that.

00:24:40.339 --> 00:24:42.902
And even just again to your point, those small steps.

00:24:42.902 --> 00:24:52.147
While bold does come across as big and it should be big there's still a process that you utilize, going through that you mentioned.

00:24:52.147 --> 00:24:55.410
You're a reader as well, and that goes along with the learning and the growth mindset.

00:24:55.410 --> 00:25:03.535
Is there a specific book that you've read, maybe in the past couple years, that has had a specific impact on you and maybe even on your writing style?

00:25:03.535 --> 00:25:04.515
Tell me about your writing style.

00:25:05.056 --> 00:25:05.816
Yeah, definitely.

00:25:05.816 --> 00:25:08.136
I don't know if he's impacted my writing style.

00:25:08.136 --> 00:25:14.701
So Ryan Holiday is someone that I've definitely started just kind of going through, and he gets a book out a year, I think.

00:25:14.701 --> 00:25:27.828
So I haven't been through them all, but I think one of them, most recently, was just about being still, because I think one of the false, negative beliefs I have about myself is that I'm not enough.

00:25:27.828 --> 00:25:34.147
I need to do more, I need to add more to the plate, I need to, you know, be more successful.

00:25:34.409 --> 00:25:39.586
And I think just believe it or not, I figured out where that may have come from at 52.

00:25:39.666 --> 00:25:42.032
And I didn't realize it until probably this year.

00:25:43.039 --> 00:26:17.480
And for me, I've just been trying to fill the gap, I think, and that, I think, goes back to when I was six and my brother was 11 and he passed away unexpectedly and I just wanted my parents to be happy and I didn't want them to ever be sad, and so I think, even as a six-year-old although no one asked me I just was always like doing my best and, you know, not performing, but like wanting them to never have to worry, be sad or be upset, and so that meant filling the gap and doing as much as I could, which I then pulled into my career, which worked for a while but ultimately led to burnout.

00:26:18.021 --> 00:26:23.310
And so in his book, most recently it's just really about you know being understanding.

00:26:23.310 --> 00:26:38.863
Most recently it's just really about you know being understanding, not taking action actually, because I think sometimes we think being bold is adding more to our plate, when it actually is taking on less and maybe getting some things off of the plate that aren't adding value to your life or your business or your relationships.

00:26:38.863 --> 00:26:50.990
And so for me that's impacted a lot and just enjoy kind of reading about the stoic way of life, and it's something I didn't know a lot about and just started to really pick up on his stuff.

00:26:52.000 --> 00:27:00.714
Aggressively saying no to new opportunities that are certainly cloaked in the fear of missing out.

00:27:00.714 --> 00:27:07.346
What's an opportunity you've said no to in the past six months boldly and said, nope, not going to do that Traveling.

00:27:08.709 --> 00:27:31.032
So, even though I do do a lot of traveling, I think what I travel for is very important, because I'm choosing again to be away from my home, away from my family, my dogs, where I want to be, my values, and so that is a thing for me that I have to pay attention to, because I think sometimes I would inconvenience myself for someone else's convenience.

00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:32.903
Oh, it works on this day for me.

00:27:32.903 --> 00:27:37.105
Oh well, I can move three meetings and not be here for that, and, yeah, I can make that happen.

00:27:37.105 --> 00:27:48.425
That's how I used to be, and I think there's some people pleasing in that, for sure that I'm again just kind of like figuring it out and things people see, but you don't see it, so you don't act on it.

00:27:48.425 --> 00:27:54.510
But I think that's definitely a choice I make of where am I going and why am I doing it and what's the impact.

00:27:54.510 --> 00:28:02.170
And it's not always I only go if I get paid or I only go if I buy books, because I've done plenty of things where there's no guarantee of either.

00:28:02.170 --> 00:28:13.891
I just want to have scale of message and I really want people to hear my story so that they can, you know, take whatever they can take from it and apply it to their next step in their bold journey.

00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:20.204
Well, I appreciate you sharing that story with us and the listeners of the Uncommon Leader podcast today.

00:28:20.204 --> 00:28:26.292
Where folks, where can folks learn more about you, lee, and as well as find your book?

00:28:26.292 --> 00:28:27.363
Where do you want to go to get your book?

00:28:28.003 --> 00:28:33.144
Yeah, so my website's the best place and then you can pick wherever you prefer to buy books.

00:28:33.144 --> 00:28:41.500
I always encourage people to shop local bookshoporg your local bookstore and then, if you don't have any other choice, you can pick wherever you'd like to.

00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:50.406
But I think you know from that perspective, my website has everything there a little bit more about me and the things that we do in Bold Industries Group and I'd love for everybody to pick up the book.

00:28:51.549 --> 00:29:00.748
It's a great way to start off the new year too, you know, from the perspective of ending the year and beginning, you know, your bold year for you in 2025.

00:29:01.631 --> 00:29:06.284
Love that and I'll make sure to put a link in the show notes to your website and to bookshoporg.

00:29:06.284 --> 00:29:10.073
I like that in terms of the local bookshops, in terms of putting that in there.

00:29:10.073 --> 00:29:13.126
So, okay, I I get one more question for you.

00:29:13.126 --> 00:29:16.682
You get the final word here and I'm going to give you a billboard.

00:29:16.682 --> 00:29:18.404
You can put that billboard anywhere you want to.

00:29:18.404 --> 00:29:22.373
What's the message you're going to put on that billboard and why do you put it there?

00:29:22.373 --> 00:29:23.736
It's probably going to be be bold today.

00:29:23.736 --> 00:29:24.617
Consider it's on the back.

00:29:24.617 --> 00:29:27.905
But you can't say be bold today, that's everywhere, yeah that's everywhere.

00:29:27.986 --> 00:29:30.070
Yeah, that would be the first right.

00:29:30.070 --> 00:29:30.740
No, I think.

00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:47.637
For me, what came to mind as you're talking is and it's not my quote it's to begin begin, meaning you have to take that first step, and that kind of encompasses the whole framework your belief, your ownership, what you've learned and how you're going to design your life really is all encapsulated in that first step.

00:29:47.637 --> 00:30:00.294
So, whatever it is whether it's learning or being curious or thinking through something, whether it's just writing it down, telling it to someone, taking a class, googling it take the first step and to begin begin.

00:30:01.279 --> 00:30:02.983
Love that To begin begin.

00:30:02.983 --> 00:30:07.753
Lee Burgess, thank you so much for sharing with us on the Uncommon Leader Podcast.

00:30:07.753 --> 00:30:10.229
Wish you the best in the book launch and going forward as well.

00:30:10.861 --> 00:30:11.925
Thank you so much for having me.

00:30:15.141 --> 00:30:17.890
And that wraps up another episode of the Uncommon Leader Podcast.

00:30:17.890 --> 00:30:19.065
Thanks for tuning in today.

00:30:19.065 --> 00:30:26.534
If you found value in this episode, I encourage you to share it with your friends, colleagues or anyone else who could benefit from the insights and inspiration we've shared.

00:30:26.534 --> 00:30:33.165
Also, if you have a moment, I'd greatly appreciate if you could leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform.

00:30:33.165 --> 00:30:41.041
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00:30:41.041 --> 00:30:44.006
Until next time, go and grow champions.