The Traveling Introvert

Primary Topic: Importance of Sleep

- Different sleep needs for different individuals

- Impact of sleep on body and brain

- Factors affecting sleep patterns (medications, children, age, illness)

- Recognizing the feeling of a restful, rejuvenating sleep

- Dealing with the challenges of life and sleep deficits

Primary Topic: Fluidity of Sleep Needs

- Understanding that sleep needs change over time

- Seasonal impact on sleep patterns (winter hibernation, summer energy)

- Aligning with the body's natural sleep rhythms

- Effects of sleep deficit on work and productivity

Primary Topic: Managing Sleep for Overall Well-being

- Dangers of relying on stimulants to counteract sleep deficit

- Importance of sustaining healthy sleep patterns

- Advocating for discovering and maintaining one's ideal sleep number

- Committing to achieving optimal sleep 90% of the time

These primary topics address the importance of sleep, the individual nature of sleep needs, and the impact of sleep patterns on overall well-being. This podcast episode provides actionable advice for recognizing and managing one's ideal sleep number for better health and productivity.

Reesa is an introvert raised in a family of extroverts.

She has had an interesting career specializing in other introverts and a dynamic life experiencing the world.

Social media links

www.LinkedIn.com/in/reesawoolfphd

www.Facebook.com/reesawoolfphd

Link to website

www.ConfidentSpeaking.com

Primary Topic: Feeling Overlooked at Work

- The disheartening feeling of not getting recognition for valuable contributions

- Reasons for feeling overlooked

- Importance of taking steps to raise visibility

Primary Topic: Identifying and Leveraging Strengths

- Self-reflection to identify unique skills and core competencies

- Positioning oneself as an expert in specific areas

- Seeking opportunities within the organization to showcase skills

Primary Topic: Communicating with Confidence

- Developing a clear and concise communication style

- Being effective in communicating achievements and ideas

- Confidence in expressing oneself verbally and nonverbally

- Importance of believing in oneself and exuding confidence

Primary Topic: Cultivating Relationships

- Building strong relationships with colleagues and leaders

- Connecting with others on a genuine level

- Actively participating in professional development opportunities

- Seeking mentors for guidance and support

- Patience, consistency, and authenticity in interactions

- Networking with individuals who recognize skills and champion for success

Primary Topic: Consistency and Time

- Emphasizing that change doesn't happen overnight

- Stressing the need to consistently apply the discussed steps over time

Primary Topic: Empowerment and Recognition

- Tips to empower listeners to take action towards gaining recognition at work

- Encouragement to make an impact and let talents shine

- It's never too late to make an impact

Primary Topic: Closing Remarks

- Thanking the listeners for tuning in

- Wishing the listeners a great week

- Providing contact information for further assistance

Primary Topic: Dealing with Negative Thinking After Making a Mistake

- Janice Chaka shares a personal incident where she thought she made a mistake, leading to negative self-talk.

- Miscommunication and misinterpretation of events led to feelings of inadequacy.

- Strategies to Stop Negative Thinking After Making a Mistake

- Acknowledge the mistake and discuss its significance as a crucial first step toward personal growth.

- Reframe mistakes as learning opportunities and building blocks for success.

- Challenge negative self-talk to avoid hindering progress and perpetuating feelings of inadequacy.

- Utilize reframing techniques to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations.

- Analyze the data to identify correct actions and areas for improvement.

- Question the framing of thoughts to determine their accuracy.

- Take a step back, breathe, and gather accurate data about the mistake to ground oneself.

- Taking Action to Address Mistakes

- Identify actionable steps to change the situation and prevent similar outcomes in the future.

- Reach out and explain what happened, the planned actions, and the responsible parties to show accountability and stop negative thinking.

- Embracing mistakes as a natural part of being human and using them to move forward on one's journey of personal and professional growth.

Each of these topics and sub-topics can be further discussed and elaborated on in the podcast episode to provide practical tips and insights for the audience.

Primary Topic: Importance of Planning Your Week

- Benefits of using Friday as a planning day

- Reflect on past week's accomplishments and areas for improvement

- Set clear goals and priorities for the upcoming week

- Unwind and recharge over the weekend

- Brain dump to start Monday with a clear head

- Advantages of using Sunday as a planning day

- Start the week with clarity and purpose

- Identify potential roadblocks and conflicts ahead of time

- Create a sense of control and reduce stress levels

- Pros of using Monday as a planning day

- Capitalize on fresh energy at the beginning of the work week

- Address urgent matters from the weekend

- Align goals and tasks with the week's objectives

Primary Topic: Effective Strategies for Planning Days

- Effective strategies for a Friday planning day

- Carve out uninterrupted time for planning

- Review ongoing projects and deadlines

- Prepare a comprehensive to-do list

- Block out time for important work in the following week

- Useful tips for a Sunday planning day

- Find a quiet space for reflection and strategizing

- Review personal and professional commitments

- Prioritize self-care activities for work-life balance

- Techniques for effective Monday planning

- Start the day early for maximum productivity

- Conduct a brief review of emails and messages

- Set realistic expectations and adjust plans and tasks accordingly

Primary Topic: Personalizing Your Planning Day

- Reflect on energy levels throughout the week

- Considering specific commitments and recurring meetings

- Aligning planning day with motivation and focus levels

- Experimenting with different days and methods to impact productivity and well-being

Primary Topic: Conclusion and Call to Action

- Encouraging experimentation with different planning days

- Highlighting the impact on productivity, mindset, and well-being

- Suggests taking time to find the ideal planning day for individual needs

Women leaders who want to eliminate imposter syndrome leverage Stacy Brookman and her confident leadership coaching to clarify their power skills and confidently command their seat at the table. She’s a women’s leadership coach, a conference speaker, and the founder of Real Life Resilience. Take the What’s Your Leadership Kryptonite? Quiz: https://www.realliferesilience.com/quiz

Social media links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacybrookman/

Link to website

https://www.realliferesilience.com

Primary Topic: Introversion and Leadership

- Definition of introversion and how it relates to gaining and draining energy

- How introversion can coexist with being an amazing leader

- Cultivation of leaders at any age and the role of upbringing and experiences

Primary Topic: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

- Work focused on helping women leaders overcome imposter syndrome

- The indicators of hidden imposter syndrome, such as people-pleasing and perfectionism

- The development of internal confidence after overcoming imposter syndrome

Primary Topic: Career Journey as an Introvert

- Starting at a corporation in the insurance industry from a low level

- Personal development and acquiring a degree while working in a male-dominated environment

- The role of imposter syndrome in the career journey

Primary Topic: Thought Ladders and Emotional Management

- The use of thought ladders as a practice to improve confidence and leadership

- The importance of managing emotions and the misconception that coaching conflicts with therapy

- Importance of understanding and managing emotions for everyone, not just those in therapy

Primary Topic: Self-Care and Recharging as an Introvert

- The preferred method of recharging: taking a bubble bath with a good book in a peaceful setting

- The role of self-care in maintaining energy levels and mental well-being for introverts

Primary Topic: Personal Philosophy and Social Media Presence

- The primary platform for networking and sharing resources: LinkedIn

- The availability of free resources such as the thought ladder guide on real life resilience.com

- Be open to messaging and provide resources to those who reach out

Primary Topic: Light-hearted Conversation

- The playful question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich

- Engaging in humor and light-hearted discussions in professional conversations

- A lighthearted end to the podcast with details about where to find more information about the guest

This comprehensive sequence captures the key topics and subtopics covered in the podcast episode. Each primary topic and its associated subtopics provide a detailed overview of the conversation between the host and guest.

Primary Topic: Importance of Balancing Work and Personal Life

- Lewis Hamilton's Experience

- Balancing work and personal interests

- Benefits of pursuing other activities outside of work

- Effect of Overwhelming Workload

- Impact on creativity and thinking abilities

- Need for diversity in activities to stimulate the mind

- Productivity and Rest

- Acknowledging the productivity of rest

- The significance of nurturing creativity outside of work

- Hobbies and Creativity

- The value of engaging in hobbies for joy and creativity

- Encouraging creativity regardless of perceived talent

- Challenging Self-Limiting Beliefs

- Overcoming childhood beliefs about creativity

- Embracing different forms of creativity

- Taking Action

- Encouragement to engage in a creative activity

- Evaluating the impact on work after engaging in a creative pursuit

Primary Topic: Importance of Having a Support System

Sub-topics:

- Having a virtual support system, especially as an introvert

- The benefits of having champions and a fan club in your corner

- The power of social proof in career advancement

- Building and maintaining reciprocal relationships for social proof

- Being a champion for others and the significance of reciprocity

Primary Topic: Expanding Your Network and Seeking Diverse Connections

Sub-topics:

- Seeking connections both within and outside of your industry

- The importance of seeking diverse perspectives and new ideas

- Engaging in non-work related activities to make personal connections and expand your network

Primary Topic: Communication and Clarity in Seeking Opportunities

Sub-topics:

- Communicating your career goals and intentions clearly

- Being open to opportunities and making your intentions known

- Reciprocity in seeking and offering support to others

These are the primary topics and sub-topics covered in the transcript that can be used to outline the content for the podcast episode.

Primary Topic: Understanding Habits

- Definition of a habit

- Components of a habit loop (cue, routine, reward)

- Importance of understanding the habit cycle

Primary Topic: Forming Positive Habits

- Starting small and building on simplicity

- Pairing new habits with existing ones

- Utilizing the power of rewards

- The impact of immediate gratification on habit formation

Primary Topic: Breaking Bad Habits

- Identifying the triggers for bad habits

- Substituting the bad habit with a healthier alternative

- The importance of consistency, patience, and grace in breaking old habits

- The process of changing how one thinks and shaping identity through habits

Primary Topic: Taking Action

- Encouragement to take the first step in forming positive habits and breaking bad ones

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor offering therapy sessions for children, teens, and young adults.

Focus on supporting children working through big feelings, adolescents navigating transitions, and emerging adults exploring identity.

Helping those who feel stuck, misunderstood, or unheard find their voice and use it with confidence.

Social media links

@larkspur_therapy on instagram

@larkspurtherapy on Facebook

Link to website

www.larkspurtherapy.com

Primary Topic: Introversion and Energy Management

- Understanding introversion and its effects on energy levels

- How introversion affects energy and connection with oneself

- Managing energy levels in relation to work and personal life

- Dispelling myths and misconceptions about introversion and energy management

- Addressing misconceptions and stereotypes in the mental health field

- Importance of individualized approaches to therapy and mental health care

Primary Topic: Career and Work Experience

- Transitioning into the mental health field

- Background and various experiences before entering the role of a licensed therapist

- The importance of previous work experiences and their influence on the current role

- The impact of diverse work experiences on professional development and personal growth

- Lessons learned from previous work experiences and their relevance to the current role and career path

- Navigating challenges and staying motivated as a therapist

- The value of taking on new challenges and overcoming fears in professional development

- Using past experiences to navigate career challenges in the mental health field

Primary Topic: Self-Care and Boundaries

- Importance of self-care and setting boundaries

- Utilizing boundaries as a way to protect and connect with oneself

- How saying "no" can be a radical act of self-care

- Recognizing the value of setting personal and professional boundaries

- Recharging and self-care practices

- Strategies for recharging as an introverted individual

- The significance of prioritizing rest and self-care in a demanding profession

- Dismissing misconceptions around taking breaks and self-care in the workplace

Primary Topic: Business and Calendar Management

- Balancing work and personal life as a business owner

- The empowerment and challenges of having control over one's schedule as a therapist

- Utilizing control over one's schedule for rest and balance

- Implementing methods to ensure rest and renewal in a busy professional life

- Navigating calendar management and rest

- The significance of taking breaks and restorative vacations

- Addressing workplace challenges and expectations regarding taking breaks and time off

- The importance of creating a supportive environment for taking breaks and prioritizing self-care

Primary Topic: Miscellaneous Light-Hearted Discussion

- Hot dog as a sandwich

- Engaging in a lighthearted discussion about whether a hot dog qualifies as a sandwich

- Exploring the idea of allowing the hot dog to exist without categorizing it as a sandwich

Primary Topic: Embracing Mindful Technology Use

- Identifying the Reasons for Device Use

- Information seeking

- Connection

- Habitual behavior

- Setting Specific Times for Tech Usage

- Establishing designated times for different types of tech

- Implementing tech-free periods, e.g., no phones at dinner or turning off notifications in the evening

- Digital Detox

- Disconnecting from digital devices

- Embracing tech-free mornings or days

- Designating non-digital activity hours

- Maintaining a Healthy Tech Relationship

- Utilizing tech in ways that enhance rather than dominate life

- Paying attention to emotional impacts of tech

- Recognizing the psychological effects of screen time on brain chemistry and mental well-being

- Setting Boundaries with Work and Technology

- Creating digital office hours

- Establishing a physical workspace to differentiate professional and personal life

- Tech and Social Relationships

- Evaluating the impact of tech on social interactions

- Maintaining meaningful face-to-face relationships

- Incorporating Mindfulness into Daily Routine

- Utilizing meditation and mindfulness practices

- Developing a balanced relationship with technology to improve overall well-being

Primary Topic: Decision Making and Confidence

- The fundamental skill of decision making

- The constant use of decision making in professional and personal lives

- Understanding the significance of the decision

- Questions to ask to understand the consequences of the decision

- Investment of time and effort based on significance

- Gathering relevant information

- Collecting data and facts

- Seeking opinions or advice from trusted sources

- Being wary of cognitive biases or misinformation

- Considering alternatives

- Brainstorming or using mind mapping tools to list all possible options

- Analyzing pros and cons of each alternative

- Weighing the outcomes based on personal or organizational priorities

- Making the decision

- Choosing the best alternative based on goals and values

- No guaranteed perfection in the decision making process

- Taking action

- Implementing the chosen choice

- Developing an action plan, setting milestones, or delegating tasks

- Assessing the results

- Reflecting on the outcomes of the decision

- Learning from unforeseen consequences

- Limiting choices

- Narrowing down options to avoid decision paralysis

- Trusting intuition

- Utilizing intuition as a powerful guide based on past experiences and knowledge

- Avoiding overthinking

- Setting a deadline for the decision if necessary

- Seeking feedback to validate the choice and gain valuable insights

- Decision making as an art and science

- Utilizing structured processes, intuition, judgment, and courage

- Equipping oneself with the right tools and mindset

- Understanding the stages of the decision making process

- Learning and refining the decision making process for increased confidence and clarity.

Primary Topic: Challenges When Hard Work Is Not Enough

- Frustration and its effects

- The temptation to quit

- Importance of reevaluation and review of goals and current strategies

Primary Topic: Building Trusting Relationships and Community Support

- The value of networking with successful people

- Importance of creating trusting relationships with like-minded individuals for mutual support

- Finding a mentor and being a mentor to others

- Utilizing the services of a professional coach to achieve goals

- The benefits of learning new methods or skills to overcome obstacles

Primary Topic: Delegating and Reducing Stress

- The realization that sometimes lack of progress is due to excess workload

- The benefits of delegating tasks to free up time and mental energy

- Hiring a professional service when necessary to handle specific tasks

- The impact of reducing stress in order to gain new insights and make progress

Primary Topic: Taking a Break and Gaining New Insights

- The importance of reassessing the current situation compared to desired goals

- The value of reducing stress to gain new insights and perspectives

- Embracing change and making necessary adjustments to move forward

Primary Topic: Conclusion and Encouragement

- Emphasis on self-care and self-assessment

- Encouragement to seek ways to reduce stress and gain new perspectives

- Acknowledgment of the importance of making changes to make progress

Primary Topic: Introduction to Self-Talk

- Definition of self-talk

- Importance of self-talk in shaping self-perception and confidence

Primary Topic: Understanding Self-Talk

- Nature of internal dialogue

- Influence of self-talk on confidence and stress levels

Primary Topic: Harnessing the Power of Self-Talk

- Becoming aware of your inner voice

- Challenging negative thoughts

- Using positive affirmations

- Keeping a gratitude journal

- Practicing mindfulness and meditation

- Seeking external feedback to gain fresh insights

Primary Topic: Impact of Uplifting Self-Talk

- Empowerment and fostering a growth mindset

- Shifting focus from shortcomings to blessings in life

- Revising self-view and building confidence through positive self-talk

Esther Avant is a health industry veteran with over 17 years of experience in fitness, nutrition, and wellness related roles. She is a certified sports nutritionist, personal trainer, wellness coach, and owner of EA Coaching, which has provided full spectrum health & lifestyle coaching since 2015.

Her mission is to help women be healthy, happy, confident, and get the most out of their lives. She knows that if more women prioritized their health, they’d be able to unleash the confidence and focus they all need to leave their mark on the world.

Esther is also an introvert, boy mom and Navy wife who has lived and traveled all over the world while running her EA Coaching.

Social media links

Grab her Weight Loss That Lasts Cheat Sheet at www.estheravant.com/cheatsheet

Find out more about her at www.estheravant.com

Connect on Instagram at www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Connect on Tiktok at www.tiktok.com/@estheravant

Listen to her podcast Live Diet-Free at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-live-diet-free-podcast/id1543658046

Link to website

www.estheravant.com

Primary Topic: Introduction and Definition of Introversion

- Guest introduction: Esther Avant

- Definition of introversion provided by Ester Avant

- Insights into the various perspectives on introversion

Primary Topic: Description of Work

- Ester Avant's role as a health and weight loss coach

- Emphasis on comprehensive wellness beyond just exercise and nutrition

- Addressing misconceptions about the industry and the struggle of professionals in the field

Primary Topic: Impact of Social Media

- Ester Avant's approach to authentic representation on social media

- Discussing the power to curate social media feeds for a healthy mindset

- Addressing how social media can fuel disconnect in the wellness industry

Primary Topic: Mindset and Career Development

- Embracing mindset-related work and its impact in Ester Avant's career

- Learning about being authentic and genuine in online presence

- Addressing the struggles and growth in developing a mindset-oriented approach

Primary Topic: Balancing Pursuits and Entrepreneurship

- Challenges of pursuing multiple interests simultaneously

- The importance of focus and strategic decision-making

- Handling the pressure and expectations while running a business

Primary Topic: Career Transition and Development

- The evolution of Ester Avant's career in the health and wellness industry

- Stints in entrepreneurship and the decision to shift back to coaching

- Emphasizing the importance of aligning passion and expertise in career choices

Primary Topic: Self-Care and Energy Management

- Strategies for conserving energy in a demanding role

- Adjusting priorities based on life phases and core values

- The significance of saying no, prioritizing self-care, and maintaining work-life balance

A former music teacher, I now find myself being a tech specialist and corporate trainer for a major insurance company. I have three amazing kids. I have been married for 15 years. I love music, sports and watching my kids be amazing.

Social media links

https://twitter.com/daveschultz74

https://www.facebook.com/minkyboodle/

Link to website

https://daveschultz743.wixsite.com/firwood-5

Primary Topic: Introduction to Dave Schultz

- Discussion on the meaning of introversion to Dave

Primary Topic: Dave's Career and Misconceptions

- Dave's current job roles as an IT tech support and practice development specialist

- Misconceptions about introverted individuals and their behaviors in the workplace

- Impact of introversion on Dave's approach to collaboration and teamwork

Primary Topic: Personal Development and Career Growth

- Dave's journey from teaching to tech support

- Challenges and insights gained from transitioning to IT

- The impact of conscious effort and self-improvement on career development

Primary Topic: Personal Recharging and Self-Care

- Dave's strategies for recharging and personal relaxation

- Balancing personal interests and downtime with work-related responsibilities

Primary Topic: Misconceptions about Teaching

- Misconceptions about teachers' responsibilities and compensation

- The constant preparation and planning involved in teaching, particularly in music education

- Challenges faced by teachers and the continuous nature of their workload

Primary Topic: A Look at Future Endeavors

- Dave's upcoming project "Figuring It Out on Firwood" to provide support and resources for neurodivergent children

- Details about the future website and its purpose

Dani Nichols is a journalist, essayist and children’s book author. Her book, Buzz the Not-So-Brave, has won several awards. Her essays are also award-winning and she has been published in The Other Journal, Oregon Humanities, Reckon Review, Barren Magazine and more. When she's not writing, Dani works a certified therapeutic horsemanship instructor. Dani lives with her husband and three young children in Central Oregon, where she's either trying a new recipe, reading a good book, riding her horse or chasing her kids from here to kingdom come.

Social media links

instagram.com/buzzthenotsobrave

daninichols.substack.com

Link to website

www.wranglerdani.com

Primary Topic: Introduction and Background

- Introduction of guest Dani Nichols

- Discussion of her work as an adaptive horsemanship instructor and author

- Her transition from journalism to working with horses

Primary Topic: Understanding Introversion

- Dani's definition of introversion as being comfortable with oneself and relying on internal guidance

- The importance of self-validation and self-directed decision-making for introverts

- Connecting introversion to Dani's career path and personal experiences

Primary Topic: Work and Career Journey

- Dani's career journey, from studying journalism to working in publishing, to becoming a horsemanship instructor and author

- The unexpected intersection of Dani's journalism background with her love for horses

- Discussing misconceptions about the journalism field and horsemanship work

Primary Topic: Writing and Authorship

- The journey of writing a children’s book about horses and therapeutic benefits

- Insight into Dani's writing process and collaboration with editors and illustrators

- The impact of becoming a mother on Dani's confidence in sharing her own stories

Primary Topic: Self-Promotion and Authenticity

- Balancing self-promotion with authenticity for introverted individuals

- Discussing the importance of finding promotional methods that align with personal values and strengths

- The impact of being true to oneself in promotional efforts

Primary Topic: Work-Life Balance

- Emphasizing the importance of part-time work and setting boundaries

- The value of sustainability and avoiding burnout in career and personal life

- Identifying favorite activities for recharging, including spending time with horses and reading

 Nital Phull, is a a Corporate Career Coach for female professionals who want to progress in their career, who have so much potential and provide heaps of value to their organisation - but are instead feeling stuck, undervalued and misunderstood.

Social media links

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nital-phull/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hi_its_nital/

Link to website

www.nital.me

Primary topic: Introversion

- Definition of introversion and common misconceptions

- Introverts as energized by solitude or close relationships

- Clarification that introversion is not the same as shyness or being quiet

- Discussion on the diverse traits and capabilities of introverts

Primary topic: Career and Work Transition

- Transition from risk consultancy to corporate career coaching

- Factors influencing the transition, including the birth of the guest's child

- Impact of personal reflection and desire for flexibility and autonomy

- The role of passion and love for coaching in the career transition

- Balancing work and personal life

- Strategies for recharging and self-care as a working parent

- Importance of managing personal time to maintain energy levels

Primary topic: Corporate Coaching and Leadership

- Misconceptions about corporate coaches

- Addressing the misconception that coaches can solve everything quickly

- Discrediting the belief that coaches cannot solve anything

- Emphasis on the need for commitment and effort from clients in coaching

- The decision to invest in coaching and personal development

- The pivotal role of personal development when taking on managerial responsibilities

- The impact of coaching in challenging personal periods

- Leadership skills and qualities

- Identifying great leadership skills, such as empowering, influence, and vision-setting

- Illustrating examples of team members exhibiting leadership qualities

- Leadership and introversion

- Discussion on how introverts possess valuable traits for leadership

- Emphasizing the strengths of introverts in decision-making and reflection

Primary topic: Self-Development and Habit Building

- Daily check-in and habit formation

- Implementation of daily gratitude practice and mindset shift

- Techniques for dealing with situations within and outside of control

- Recognition of the impact of guilt and energy management in decision-making

- Embracing core values and setting boundaries

- The importance of aligning decisions with core values

- Acknowledging the role of guilt in decision-making and energy management

- Growth mindset and self-cultivation

- Emphasizing the role of effort over talent in personal and professional growth

- Discussion on the continuous learning and experience in leadership development

Mark Wigginton understands the importance of asking quality questions and used them throughout his career as a salesperson, management consultant, trainer, and even as a jail counselor (that’s a long story). He recently retired as a Regional Vice President for Shipley Associates, a global leader in business development consulting and training. During his 20 years at Shipley, he grew his region to be the top performing in the U.S. by focusing on his customers.

A Certified Professional Coach and strategy consultant, Mark helps his clients learn the importance of customer focus, as well as how to advance the sales cycle, clarify goals and win more business! His professional training includes post-graduate studies in Business and Executive Coaching and an MS in Counseling Psychology. He is APMP certified as a Capture, Bid and Proposal Practitioner and is Shipley Business Winning certified. Mark is recognized by LinkedIn as a "Top Business Development Voice".

Social media links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/focusingonresults/

https://twitter.com/ManageYourFocus

Link to website

www.focusingonresults.com

Primary Topic: Introduction and Definition of Introversion

- Janice Chaka introduces the podcast and the guest, Mark Wigginton

- Mark describes introversion as the source of where he draws his power from in a world full of information and processing

Primary Topic: Mark Wigginton's Career and Work

- Mark discusses his transition from a career involving selling, training, and marketing to coaching and strategy consulting

- He mentions his experience in the mental health field and using his sales skills in his new role

- Mark introduces the "sales spotlight" concept, highlighting the importance of effective listening and asking insightful questions in sales and business development

Primary Topic: Misconceptions about Sales

- Mark addresses misconceptions about sales, particularly the outdated notion of needing to be visually extroverted

Primary Topic: Personal and Professional Development

- Mark shares how he transitioned from ineffective coping skills to becoming an endurance athlete, leading to positive changes in his business

- He emphasizes the importance of taking care of oneself and making healthy choices, leading to improved creativity and performance

Primary Topic: The Impact of Physical Activity on Creativity

- Mark discusses how engaging in physical activities, especially running, gives him headspace for creativity and idea development

- He highlights that mood follows action, emphasizing the correlation between movement and attitude

Primary Topic: Building Relationships Based on Values and Ethics

- Mark shares a story about maintaining ethical values by firing a customer, leading to a deep, trusting professional and personal relationship

- Janice acknowledges the importance of being authentic and working with people who share the same values

Primary Topic: Self-Promotion

- Mark provides details about his business, Focusing on Results, and how to connect with him on LinkedIn and via email

- He describes the services he offers, including sales strategy consulting and business development coaching

- Mark mentions working with individuals as they transition to the next stage in their careers or venture into entrepreneurship

Like his books, Adrian Santiago is made of a little bit of everything; The spice of the Caribbean Islands (BORICUA!); sharp edges from a childhood on the block in Buffalo, NY; some southern charm and a dose of crazy from the land of “Florida Man”; and a knack for drama born of comics punk rock music, and a love for stories.

Welcome to Books By Adrian. Here you’ll find a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, crime drama, thriller, mystery, romance and spice, with a diverse cast from all walks of life. Embark on his maiden voyage, the MYTHIC series, and discover the magic of Gaia and The Spark.

Social media links

https://YouTube.com/@booksbyadrian

https://Instagram.com/@books_by_adrian

https://TikTok.com/@booksbyadrian

https://Facebook.com/@booksbyadrian

Link to website

https://www.booksbyadrian.com

Being Introverted: "I didn't wanna go. I don't wanna go to places. I wanna stay home and watch my movies and read my books and stuff."

— Adrian Santiago [00:00:59 → 00:01:04]

Viral Topic: Self-discovery and Understanding

Quote: "I I wouldn't say it's either a positive or negative experience. It's more like, self-discovery and understanding is what it all comes down to."

— Adrian Santiago [00:02:39 → 00:02:43]

Overcoming Challenges: "It's hard. If it was easy, everybody would do it."

— Adrian Santiago [00:07:00 → 00:07:34]

The Importance of Discipline in Art: "If you're a writer, every day, you gotta sit down and get the writing done. Whether it's a half hour session, an hour, 2 hours, whatever it is. You set that goal, and you get it done."

— Adrian Santiago [00:08:47 → 00:08:57]

Viral Writing Tip: "Your 1st draft is going to be garbage. It's supposed to be because The 1st draft is you telling yourself the story."

— Adrian Santiago [00:10:58 → 00:11:04]

How to Stay Focused While Writing: "Other than having some music so that I could focus, and the music has to be lyricless just like, you know, movie scores and stuff like that, something with just instruments so that I I don't get logged into lyrics and stuff like that."

— Adrian Santiago [00:13:08 → 00:13:19]

The Power of Sprinting: "I will write for 25 minutes, and then I'll take a 5 to 10 minute break."

— Adrian Santiago [00:14:08 → 00:14:11]

Viral Topic: Inspiration from Jenna Moreci: "I was on YouTube, and I saw this author. Her name is Jenna Moreci. She has a channel on YouTube where she gives writing advice."

— Adrian Santiago [00:15:37 → 00:15:40]

Viral Topic: Finding Community as a Writer

Quote: "But once I was in, it was the camaraderie of all these authors, like helping each other out, you know, giving advice, sharing their experiences, and, you know, promoting each other and interviewing each other and all this kind of stuff."

— Adrian Santiago [00:16:50 → 00:17:00]

The power of community: "I give them a platform to share their knowledge, and that has really, really changed things for me, just being surrounded by other people who do what I do."

— Adrian Santiago [00:17:20 → 00:17:27]

Andrea Putting is a passionate explorer on a quest to uncover the secrets of creating a better life. With a background that spans both entrepreneurship and the corporate world, she has gained unique insights into finding fulfilment and purpose.

But what truly sets Andrea apart is her unexpected journey. It led to the creation of Chocolate and Coffee Day for Religious Harmony, an inspiring initiative that brings people from diverse backgrounds together over the simple pleasures of chocolate, coffee, and conversation, dismantling the barriers that divide us. This journey also gave birth to Chocolate and Coffee Breaks, an extension of that spirit of togetherness throughout the year.

She delved into Social Missions, becoming the voice behind a popular podcast and the author of two thought-provoking books: "Compassionate Prosperity: When Success is Not Enough" and "Compassionate Purpose: Discovering a Life of Fulfilment."

But the adventure doesn't stop there. As a seasoned speaker, Andrea has graced countless stages, captivating audiences with their wisdom and insights. Self-publishing opened new horizons, leading to the establishment of a publishing business, Putting Words. Her life is now a captivating and ever-evolving story, guided by a deep understanding of her own identity, strengths, and the opportunities that present themselves.

Through countless interactions with clients, Andrea was reminded that each of us possesses a story worth sharing—a story with the power to touch and transform lives. She firmly believes that by persistently sharing these stories, positive change can ripple through our world.

Andrea Putting lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and pet cockatoo. They have two adult children and two grandchildren who keep her jumping in puddles

Social media links

www.Facebook.com/AndreaPuttingSpeaker

www.LinkedIn.com/in/AndreaPutting

Link to website

www.AndreaPutting.com.au; www.ChocolateandCoffeeBreaks.com: www.PuttingWords.com; www.SocialMissionRevolution.com

Viral Topic: The Power of Introversion

Quote: "Introversion to me is about needing to have your own space and not always about jumping into things, but just to have time to really connect with who you are and what it is that you're feeling before you go out into the world."

— Andrea Putting [00:00:55 → 00:01:05]

The Power of Giving: "When we give of ourselves to somebody else, whether it's individually or as a business, our lives are so much better."

— Andrea Putting [00:02:19 → 00:02:26]

Finding Purpose and Impact: "So I do that, and that works into helping people to find that special social mission that resonates with them, whether that's a volunteering situation or whether it's starting their own social mission and the same with businesses on coming together and finding that and collaborating together maybe with other businesses on creating a social mission and finding a way they can have a greater impact in the world."

— Andrea Putting [00:02:47 → 00:03:15]

"The Journey of Self-Publishing": "Actually, I write 3 books at a time. And so I needed to publish them, but who can afford to publish their own 3 books at once? So I took the self publishing journey."

— Andrea Putting [00:03:26 → 00:03:39]

Viral Topic: Sharing Stories Over Chocolate and Coffee

Quote: "Come and have a couple. Let's share some chocolate and have a conversation. I wanna hear your story. How do you see the world? What are your experiences? What's your story. So that's a lovely little thing. It it's not about me or any money, but I love to share that with the world and hope that people embrace it so that we can get to know each other a bit better."

— Andrea Putting [00:04:08 → 00:04:26]

Viral Topic: Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

Quote: "I started my journey as an at home mother. I managed to be at home with my children right through their school life. But while I say that, I didn't just sit around and do nothing."

— Andrea Putting [00:05:30 → 00:05:40]

Workplace Satisfaction: "Why is going to work such a drag? Why are people so depressed in the workplace. Why do we get so unsatisfied with what we do?"

— Andrea Putting [00:06:51 → 00:07:02]

The Power of Volunteering: "That's probably the thing that has cemented what I do. It's standing up and putting my hand up and getting involved with people and community."

— Andrea Putting [00:08:06 → 00:08:10]

Saying No to Say Yes: "In order to say yes, I have to say no."

— Andrea Putting [00:09:37 → 00:09:41]

Finding Balance: "When we're doing those things that excite us, they're not draining."

— Andrea Putting [00:10:43 → 00:10:46]

Kellie Nissen is an author coach, editor and dragon boater with Dragons Abreast Canberra - Goanna. Canberra born, she still lives in Australia’s capital city, along with her husband, two teens and two pugs. Between work, writing, dragon boat training and pug duties, Kellie has no time to engage in any more conversations with cancer.

Social media links

https://www.linkedin.com/company/just-right-words/

https://www.facebook.com/KellieNissenEditWrite

https://www.instagram.com/justrightwords/

Link to website

https://justrightwords.com.au/

Overcoming Breast Cancer: "I need to start believing in myself and start being who I want to be and doing what I want to do and not saying yes to everything."

— Kellie Nissen [00:03:05 → 00:03:16]

Starting a New Business After Overcoming Cancer: "If you fail, you fail."

— Kellie Nissen [00:05:06 → 00:05:07]

Overcoming Challenges: "Dare tell me I can't do something. And that sort of stuck with me."

— Kellie Nissen [00:05:53 → 00:05:58]

The Reality of Being an Author: "Authors make a lot of money from their books, episode, which anybody out there who's listening and who has published a book either with a publisher or under their own steam would be like, no. We definitely we don't. We don't."

— Kellie Nissen [00:07:39 → 00:07:54]

The Cost of Book Publishing: "You get $100 worth of editing versus some proper, some real in-depth editing."

— Kellie Nissen [00:08:36 → 00:08:40]

Finding the Right Editor: "An editor who understands what you're trying to achieve I think is really, really important."

— Kellie Nissen [00:10:47 → 00:10:54]

Finding success in business with a business coach: "I didn't start working with a business coach until, I'd been I'd started the business about 3 years because f I could I actually couldn't afford a business coach. So because they're they're not cheap, but they are worth every cent you pay them."

— Kellie Nissen [00:12:28 → 00:12:44]

Overcoming Networking Anxiety: "I really had to convince myself that even now, if I go to a network meeting, I'm like, you know, what if, you know, what if I say something silly or whatever? And it's I think it's just putting yourself out there."

— Kellie Nissen [00:13:52 → 00:14:02]

Stepping out of your comfort zone: "So, I suppose, in answer to your question, on a daily basis or a weekly basis, I try to find something where I can put myself out there. So whether it's doing it's meeting with my business coach. It's going to a network meeting. It's connecting with somebody who I know might be able to help me in some way or, doing a Facebook live or something like that. That's still scary."

— Kellie Nissen [00:14:02 → 00:14:36]

Aussie Sausage Sandwich: "If you buy those, you throw away the white bread, you throw away the sausage, you eat the onion, you're probably a winner. Yes."

— Kellie Nissen [00:18:11 → 00:18:18]

Benjamin Friedman has handled finance and operations for over 20 years, leading those roles in his last six positions before starting his own company, Build Scale Grow Inc., in 2018. The company helps founders address the fears of entrepreneurship and gaps in capacity, scale quickly, and grow exponentially. His companies have had five successful M&A transactions in the last ten years.

Social media links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminbfriedman/

Book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BP9GVRPY

Link to website

https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/

Primary Topic: Understanding Introversion

- Benjamin's explanation of introversion and how he recharges

- The impact of introversion on his personal and professional life

Primary Topic: Benjamin's Work with Start-up Founders

- Providing support to start-up founders after achieving product or service market fit

- Offering holistic business consulting to identify areas for improvement

- Discussing solutions, risks, and options for moving forward

Primary Topic: Misconceptions about Benjamin's Role and Industry

- Misconception of having pre-determined solutions

- Challenges in understanding Benjamin's fractional role

Primary Topic: Benjamin's Career Journey

- Transitioning from full-time employee to a fractional role

- The role of circumstance and planning in career development

Primary Topic: Strategies for Business and Career Success

- Strategic thinking and planning for business and personal life

- Navigating social events and interactions as an introvert

- Saying no to maintain boundaries and prevent burnout

Primary Topic: Personal Practice for Recharging

- Negotiating the need for alone time with family

- Balancing personal needs with family responsibilities

Stefan G. Bucher designs and produces high-end books for corporate and private clients. 

He has designed for Sting, Whitney Houston, Jason Bentley, David Hockney, Philip Glass, Judd Apatow, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is an ADC Young Gun and has won a D&AD Yellow Pencil for book design.

In addition to scores of books, he has created custom letterforms for the main titles of the films "The Fall," “Immortals” and “Mirror, Mirror” for director Tarsem. His time-lapse drawings appear on the Emmy-award winning TV show “The Electric Company.” He designed the Blue Man Theater at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and gave life to the Saks Fifth Avenue Yeti.

Bucher is a graduate of Art Center College of Design. Following stints at Wieden + Kennedy, Modernista!, and Maverick Records, he created the Daily Monster, an online drawing series and and story-telling community that spawned a book and three popular “Monster Maker” iOS apps. 

He is the author of seven books, including the best-selling "344 Questions—The Creative Person’s Do-It-Yourself Guide to Insight, Survival, and Artistic Fulfillment” which was just re-released as an expanded edition.

Social media links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/344books/

Link to website

https://344lovesyou.com

Primary Topic: Understanding Introversion

- Stefan's definition of introversion

- The challenges of being an introvert in social situations

- Favorite ways to recharge as an introvert

Primary Topic: Stefan's Work as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator

- Overview of Stefan's work

- How Stefan has crafted his workspace to balance his energy

- How Stefan has improved his career by taking a less serious approach and focusing on helping people with his work

Primary Topic: Setting Boundaries in Work and Business

- Saying no to opportunities that don't align with his work style

- How Stefan has crafted his business to accommodate his unique work schedule

- The importance of setting clear expectations for clients and colleagues

Primary Topic: Misconceptions in the Design Industry

- Discussing the misconceptions around the design industry and the role of designers in client preferences

- The shift needed in the application of energy in the design industry

Primary Topic: Stefan's Journey in the Creative Field

- Stefan's early start in the design and creative industry

- Balancing control over working hours throughout his career

Primary Topic: Balancing Personal and Professional Life

- The trade-offs Stefan has made in his career for personal fulfillment

- The importance of support from family in pursuing a non-traditional career path

Maya Lombarts is a social introvert from Belgium. She's been living in a very extroverted culture in Cusco, Peru for seven years, where she's a professional singer, an operations manager, and a Functional Medicine Health Coach. Using her Belgian structured side and her Peruvian flexible side, she's a Left-Brained Sidekick for Creative Entrepreneurs as she helps them find structure in their business and balance in their life.

Social media links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayalombarts/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mayalombarts

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zJUm9qs5FvVXEYye5t4it

Link to website

www.mayalombarts.com

Primary topic: Introduction and Definition of Introversion

- Definition of introversion as explained by Maya Lombarts

- Personal experiences of introversion and energy levels

- Comparison of introversion to extroversion

Primary topic: Maya Lombarts' Work

- Description of Maya's work as a virtual assistant and coach

- Focus on helping creative entrepreneurs and improving work-life balance

- Integration of management and coaching backgrounds

Primary topic: Combining Different Roles

- Misconceptions about Maya's work and finding a suitable label

- Transition from corporate life to starting her own business

- Combination of different skills and backgrounds

Primary topic: Setting Boundaries and Balancing Work

- Importance of setting boundaries in managing energy levels

- Use of specific communication channels and time blocks

- Working across different time zones and managing client expectations

Primary topic: Regular Practices for Business Improvement

- Staying curious and continuously learning new systems and tools

- Personalizing the approach to clients and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach

- Balancing productivity with energy levels and using coaching skills

Primary topic: Importance of Recharging

- Favorite way of recharging: foot bath with Epsom salts and journaling

- Benefits of writing it all out as a form of processing emotions

- Early experiences with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue shaping the need for energy management

Primary topic: Working Hours and Routines

- Average daily work hours of 4-6 hours

- Flexibility in working hours and adapting to personal energy levels

- Transition from an earlier morning routine to a later start time

- Balancing introversion in an extroverted culture

She is the owner of Dirty Celebrity, a sustainable brand creates accessories from organic and deadstock materials.

As an introvert, standing outside at a booth was not for me and so I created a way to reach people without overwhelming myself. I turned to social media as a way to reach others locally.

Social media links

@Dirty_celebrity -on X, Instagram and Tik Tok

Link to website

https://www.shopdirtyceleb.com

Primary topic: Introversion and Career Conversations

- What does introversion mean?

- Need to recharge after social events

Primary topic: Yvette Estime's Career in Sustainable Fashion

- Yvette Estime's work as an accessory designer for Dirty Celebrity

- Use of vintage and deadstock materials in creating accessories

- Misconceptions about sustainability in the fashion industry

- Definition and explanation of deadstock

Primary topic: Yvette Estime's Career Journey

- Transition from data allocation job to fashion industry

- Use of data analysis and trends in her business

- Fast fashion industry's reliance on trends and production

- Importance of avoiding waste and inventory

Primary topic: Setting Boundaries and Finding Alternative Opportunities

- Importance of setting boundaries as an introvert

- Inability to participate in certain events due to introversion

- Organizing and hosting micro events to connect with interested customers

Primary topic: Recharging and Gaining Energy

- Making more products as a way to recharge and gain energy

- The cycle of creativity and recharging

I. Introduction

- Importance of thriving through life's transitions

II. Understanding the value of now

- Being mindful and present

- Focusing on the present moment

- Letting go of multitasking

- Finding humor in life's challenges

III. Embracing change and transitions

- Accepting change as a normal part of life

- Adapting and shifting gears quickly

- Making and maintaining self-care routines

IV. Building a supportive social community

- Recognizing the need for both alone time and social connections

- Building relationships with like-minded individuals

- Trusting and relying on supportive people

- Asking for help when needed

V. Thriving through difficult transitions

- Preparing for inevitable changes

- Taking the good with the bad

- Setting an example for others to thrive

Conclusion and closing remarks by Janice

I have created The World Introvert Day Career Conversations Series. It is a collection of 12 podcast episodes, that explores the career paths of introverts, providing valuable insights and strategies for navigating different industries while managing energy effectively. This series will be released on Jan 1, 2 and 3.

Primary topic: Introduction to human nature

- Importance of understanding human nature for a happier and less stressful life

- Humans as social beings and the need to interact with others

Primary topic: Memory and perception

- Memories can be subjective and reconstructed based on perceptions

- Memories can be altered by tone or the addition of words

- Different words can lead to different memory recall

Primary topic: Unconscious decision-making

- Most decisions are made unconsciously by the brain

- Unconscious mental processing plays a role in decision-making

- Study shows that unconscious decisions are made about 7 seconds before conscious awareness

Primary topic: Multitasking

- Multitasking is not effective

- Humans can only think about one thing at a time

- Multitasking is actually switching back and forth between tasks quickly

- Multitasking hinders productivity and communication skills

- AI can be useful for taking notes in situations where multitasking is difficult

Primary topic: Benefits of understanding human nature

- Changing perspectives through understanding human nature

- Development of better communication skills

- Thriving in personal and professional systems

Closing remarks and podcast outro.

Primary Topic: The Power of Root Causes

- Introduction to the concept of root causes and their connection to personal growth and success

Sub-topics:

- Explanation of how behaviors and actions are influenced by underlying factors

- Importance of self-reflection and increased awareness in uncovering root causes

- Identifying recurring patterns of behavior and moments of self-doubt

- Examining reasons for procrastination and lack of motivation

- Tracing back root causes to childhood experiences and fears of failure

- Delving deeper into personal history and exploring past experiences and relationships

- Emphasizing the need for an open and nonjudgmental attitude during this process

Primary Topic: Challenging and Reframing Beliefs

- Recognizing the need to challenge and reframe beliefs that hold you back

Sub-topics:

- Questioning the validity of current beliefs and considering healthier alternatives

- Difficulty in changing deeply ingrained beliefs

- Viewing past failures as learning opportunities instead of judgments on self-worth

- Replacing the belief that failure defines you with the understanding of growth

- Using setbacks as a part of the process and practicing self-compassion

Primary Topic: Seeking Support and Practicing Self-Compassion

- The importance of seeking support and practicing self-compassion during the journey

Sub-topics:

- Seeking support from friends, family, mentors, or coaches

- Sharing insights and progress with someone else for fresh perspectives and encouragement

- Recognizing that change takes time and setbacks are normal

- Treating oneself with kindness and understanding, similar to a good friend

- Emphasizing the role of self-discovery and growth in evolving into the best version of oneself

When his last son left home, Scott could finally decide what he wanted to do now that he had no responsibilities. He flew to Morocco. The next two years he went from Norway to Ukraine, from Ireland to Jordan and many places in-between.

The U2 song: "Still haven't Found What I'm Looking for" comes to mind. After 7 years visiting SE Asia, Mexico, Central and northern South America, Europe and Northern Africa, is he still traveling because he hasn't found what he's looking for or because he has?

Social media links

https://www.youtube.com/@bookscafe-freeebooksdotnet8010/

https://www.facebook.com/freeebooksdotnet

Link to website

www.Free-ebooks.com

Primary Topic: Introduction and Personal Background

- Introduction to the podcast and guests

- Scott Paton's definition of introversion

- Scott Paton's current location and travel experience

- Scott Paton's hobbies and interests during his travels

- Scott Paton's experience with house sitting and its benefits

Primary Topic: Misconceptions About House Sitting

- Scott Paton's experience with people's reactions to house sitting

- The responsibility and importance of caring for pets while house sitting

- Scott Paton's positive experiences with house sitting

Primary Topic: Scott Paton's Business and Work Experience

- Scott Paton's business divisions and roles

- The importance of respect and mutual values in business partnerships

- The role of competency in building a reputation and securing client recommendations

- Scott Paton's approach to taking on new projects and saying yes to opportunities

- The impact of focusing on the right tasks and delegating responsibilities

Primary Topic: Recharging and Self-Care

- Scott Paton's love for hammocks and recharging in nature

- The benefits of alone time and quietness for introverts

- Scott Paton's contrast with his extroverted mother's need for social interaction

- The presence of hammocks in Scott Paton's travel experiences

Primary Topic: Crafting a Career Based on Energy and Preferences

- Scott Paton's unintentional alignment of his career with his energy levels

- The importance of prioritizing time and energy as an entrepreneur

- Different ways people have crafted their careers to match their needs

- The intersection of art, science, and business in Scott Paton's work

Bonus Topic: Hotdogs as Sandwiches

- Scott Paton's opinion on whether hotdogs are considered sandwiches

Primary Topic: Finding Scott Paton Online

- Information about Scott Paton's website, FreeEbooks.net

- Scott Paton's role as president of FreeEbooks.net and their mission

- Contacting Scott Paton through LinkedIn for further discussions on travel, house sitting, and being an author

Closing Remarks and Podcast Outro

Primary Topic: Dealing with a month where nothing is going right

- Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted

- Difficulty finding inspiration

Primary Topic: Finding inspiration when things are not going right

- Focus on gratitude

- Difficulty in finding things to be grateful for

- Recognizing that it's not a competition

- Allowing yourself to feel emotions

- Validating negative emotions

- Managing negative emotions

- Practicing deep breathing

- Noticing the tendency to hold breath during stressful times

- Benefits of taking time to breathe

- Asking "what" instead of "why"

- Accepting that there may not be a good answer to why things happen

- Focusing on actions to create change

- Understanding that everything is temporary

- Accepting the impermanence of situations

- Finding hope in knowing that things will eventually end

- Using neutral language

- Practicing neutral thoughts and words

- Shifting focus away from the negative

- Disconnecting from social media and the outside world

- Taking a break from social media

- Avoiding isolation and maintaining connections with supportive people

- Engaging in mindfulness and activities you love

- Prioritizing self-care and relaxation

- Finding joy and inspiration in small things

- Embracing the belief that this too shall pass

- Maintaining hope in challenging times

- Keeping an optimistic perspective

Note: Each sub-topic can potentially be expanded or discussed further in the podcast episode.

Primary Topic: Thinking Like a Leader

- Importance of training and experience to become a great leader

- Understanding common qualities and behaviors of leaders

- Effectively sharing your vision

- Developing effective communication skills

- Learning about human nature and how people communicate

- Showing empathy for others

- Listening more than you talk

- Being present and actively listening

- Putting the mission first

- Focusing on the mission and sharing it with others

- Avoiding distractions and staying focused on the mission

- Setting action-focused goals

- Learning how to set goals and turn them into daily actions for progress

- Being an example

- Practicing what you preach

- Leading by example

- Engaging and connecting with others

- Taking time to listen and communicate with people

- Rolling up your sleeves and doing the work

- Being willing to do any job you ask others to do

- Maintaining values as a leader

- Being a leader that people look up to and want to follow and emulate

Topic: Ways to top up your battery during the holiday season

- Introduction to the holiday season and its impact on recharge levels

- Changes in weather and their effects

- Increased social activities and events

- Importance of maintaining daily routines

- Avoid unnecessary changes to routines

- Incorporate important self-care activities like meditation and exercise

- Maximizing exposure to sunlight

- Spending time outdoors

- Using light therapy devices in the absence of sunlight (happy lights)

- Practicing generosity towards oneself

- Avoiding burnout by treating oneself

- Balancing giving to others with self-care

- Managing expectations

- Adjusting perspectives and avoiding disappointments

- Communicating expectations with loved ones and colleagues

- Being honest about feeling overwhelmed

- Taking responsibility for communicating needs

- Discovering and addressing unrecognized expectations

- Letting go of perfectionism

- Accepting that things may not go as planned

- Reducing self-imposed stress by embracing imperfections

- Scheduling downtime for recharging

- Setting aside specific times for rest and self-care

- Preparing in advance to ensure uninterrupted recharging

- Conclusion and final thoughts on taking care of oneself during the holiday season

Scot McKay has shared bad jokes with North Korean military officers, sipped coffee at Pablo Escobar’s home (served by his maid), survived a shark attack while surfing, held his breath as the pride of lions walked by his tent, and blitzed through California canyons with his knee on the double-yellow line at 140 mph. Yet somehow, he has also been referred to as the “sane one” on Twitter by Scott Adams, of all people.

But despite once being mobbed by the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, being able to back a 30′ travel trailer into its slot on the first try, and that time he beat the World Champion at his own sport (no details provided), he’s still the most objective and down-to-earth dating expert out there.

He’s also the most fluff-free fountainhead of original content in his field, if only because that’s what seventeen years of immersive geekery on the subject does for someone.

Scot’s wife Emily is his “proof of concept”, given that she’s just as sweet as she is smokin’ hot and still gets carded at her age. But you’ll never hear her brag about any of that, only Scot.

His show The Mountain Top has also been named a Top 10 Dating Podcast by DatingAdvice.com, and a long time ago Grader.com weirdly ranked Scot the #1 most influential Facebook user in the world.

Social media links

https://www.twitter.com/scotmckay

Link to website

https://mountaintoppodcast.com

www.scotmckay.net

Primary Topic: Introversion and Personality

- Definition of introversion

- Differentiating introversion from shyness

- Introverts gaining energy from solitude

- Comparison of introverts and extroverts in social situations

Primary Topic: Career in Dating and Relationships

- Scot's background as a dating and relationship coach

- Working with clients worldwide

- Relationship-oriented approach

- Differentiating from pickup artist mentality

Primary Topic: Misconceptions about the Dating and Relationships Industry

- The misconception that clients are "lovable losers" or lack social skills

- Working with successful individuals seeking meaningful relationships

Primary Topic: Career Changes and Fulfillment

- Scot's previous careers before becoming a dating and relationship coach

- Transitioning from coaching troubled kids to the business world

- Lack of fulfillment in the corporate setting

- Desire to make a positive impact and help others find love

Primary Topic: Leaving the Internet Working World

- Scot's decision to leave the unsatisfying corporate job

- Filling his nest and building his coaching business on the side

- Reaching critical mass and leaving the corporate world for good

Primary Topic: Energy Levels and Fulfillment in Work

- The draining effect of unfulfilling work on energy levels

- Feeling like an anonymous member of a team

- The importance of enthusiasm and excitement in work

- Scot's natural curiosity and enthusiasm for life

Note: The transcript covers various topics, but the main focus is on Scot McKay's career as a dating and relationship coach, his background, and the misconceptions surrounding the industry. The topics of introversion and career changes provide context to Scot's journey and experiences.

Topic: Dealing with People You Don't Like

- Introduction to the topic

- Acknowledging that it's normal to not like everyone

- Importance of treating people with respect and humility

Topic: Strategies for Dealing with People You Don't Like

- Accepting that you won't like everyone

- Letting go of the idea that everyone has to like you

- Identifying something you do like about the person

- Focusing on the things you like to make interactions easier

- Using the things you like about the person to engage them in conversation

- Practicing assuming positivity instead of negativity

- Ignoring negative thoughts to avoid draining interactions

- Being cognizant of managing energy as an introvert

- Reflecting on personal reasons for not liking someone

- Differentiating between genuinely negative traits and personal preferences

- Considering if there's something else going on that impacts the dislike

Topic: Making Encounters Easier and Conserving Energy

- Recognizing that you will encounter people you don't like in various situations

- Implementing strategies to make these encounters easier

- Conserving energy by managing interactions effectively

Conclusion

- Recap of strategies discussed

- Encouragement to use these strategies to make interactions less stressful and draining

- End of episode message and sign-off

Primary Topic: The concept of "done lists" as an alternative to-do lists

- To-do lists

- Negative impact of to-do lists

- The never-ending nature of to-do lists

- The lack of dopamine stimulation from to-do lists

Primary Topic: The importance of recognizing and acknowledging accomplishments

- The need to realize and appreciate what has been accomplished

- Writing down everything that has been done

- The positive impact of acknowledging accomplishments

- Increased self-awareness and behavior modification

Primary Topic: Optimizing time management based on the analysis of accomplishments

- Analyzing the time spent on different tasks

- Patterns and insights from analyzing accomplishments

- Adjusting time allocation for different tasks

- Increasing conscientiousness and accountability

- Achieving the desired goals through behavior modification

Primary Topic: Identifying areas for improvement and making necessary changes

- Realizing time spent on tasks that are not enjoyable

- Identifying unexpected time allocations (e.g. emails, interaction with key individuals)

- Evaluating the impact of hired assistance (e.g. VA)

- Optimizing work processes and arrangements

- Making necessary changes for personal and professional growth

Primary Topic: Benefits of having a "done list" mindset

- Shifting focus from to-do lists to accomplishments

- Boosting mood and motivation through acknowledging successes

- Making informed decisions based on time allocation analysis

- Creating a sense of achievement and success

- Improving overall lifestyle and well-being

Primary Topic: Conclusion and call to action

- Encouraging listeners to try implementing the "done list" approach

- The potential positive impact on mood and productivity

- Emphasizing the importance of self-reflection and making necessary changes

"The Holiday Season for Introverts: 'It is only September, and yet I'm planning how to get through the next sort of 4 month season, including January.'"

— Janice Chaka [00:00:01 → 00:01:01]

"The Festive Season: What does the festive season look like for you? Maybe you're working all the way through. I definitely had a job, previously, which I kind of really enjoyed, that it was the quiet season. I still had to work all the way through because payroll. Everyone still needs to get paid, but everything else died down. And it was a great time for me to organize things, and it was a great time me to clean things up and to prepare for the new year."

— Janice Chaka [00:01:16 → 00:01:39]

Finding Balance and Prioritizing: "Knowing in advance when your days off are going to be and knowing that maybe I can only do 1 social activity during that time and prioritizing, maybe in advance. Like, who is it that you wanna spend that time with? And there some people who will energize you when you spend time with them and some will drain. So maybe trying to find a balance or planning advance who you're gonna see so that maybe one time it's someone draining and one time it's someone not draining and thinking about that in advance."

— Janice Chaka [00:01:49 → 00:02:17]

Finding Joy in Community: "Be like, this is my day that I'm gonna do this thing that brings me joy... having some pillars of stability and things that bring joy that are embedded in your calendar and embedded in your next coming months will be really impactful and helpful for you and your energy levels."

— Janice Chaka [00:03:20 → 00:03:33]

Setting Boundaries: "Yes, I have the time and energy and bandwidth to do this. Or, actually, no. I'm gonna do this thing instead because it's better for me."

— Janice Chaka [00:03:52 → 00:04:00]

Holiday Preparation: "Knowing how to diffuse situations, knowing what you will and won't talk about, knowing different topics and having conversations in mind that you would like to have or can have that are safe. Topics is also a really good thing to think about in advance."

— Janice Chaka [00:04:11 → 00:04:25]

"Achieving Career Success: 'Helping you build your brand and get hired.'"

— Janice Chaka [00:05:07 → 00:05:08]

Primary Topic: Lack of awareness about fire safety

- Lack of familiarity with fire drills

- Lack of knowledge about fire alarm sounds and protocols

- Comparison of fire drills in school and corporate environments

Primary Topic: Personal experience with a fire alarm

- Awakening to a faint fire alarm sound

- Uncertainty about the nature of the alarm

- Observing external surroundings to assess the situation

- Gathering essential items for evacuation

Primary Topic: Response to fire alarm

- Forgetting to check the door for heat before opening

- Encountering another person who also heard the alarm

- Choosing between taking the elevator or stairs

- Low number of people evacuating the hotel

- Observing others without essential items

Primary Topic: Importance of preparedness

- Planning ahead when booking a hotel

- Knowing emergency procedures and evacuation routes

- Ensuring essential items are accessible during an emergency

- Advice on having a "get out bag"

Primary Topic: Conclusion and key takeaways

- Reiterating the need for awareness and preparedness

- Emphasizing the importance of having a plan and essential items

- Encouragement to learn the sound of a fire alarm.

For over 25 years, Wayne Turmel has been obsessed with how people communicate (or don't) at work. He's the author of 15 books and has spoken at conferences and clients around the world.

Link to website

https://kevineikenberry.com/team/about-wayne-turmel/

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayneturmel/

"The Misconceptions of Introverts: 'Because we often get told, you know, when you start, describe the traits of an introvert and you get, You know, quiet, keeps to themselves, never bothers anybody. Basically, the same descriptions they use for serial killers.'"

— Wayne Turmel [00:01:48 → 00:02:03]

Viral Topic: Scariest Moments in Early Career

Quote: "The probably true answer in terms of the scariest thing is very early on in my career. This is how early on it was. We had just rolled out email to the organization, like we were trend trending leaders. And our instructors wanted access to laptops so that we could do PowerPoint presentations and answer email when we were on the road. And You would have thought that we were storming the Bastille."

— Wayne Turmel [00:04:04 → 00:04:43]

Beard Discrimination: "And even though I wore a suit and tie, they felt that the beard was unprofessional and didn't exude the right image."

— Wayne Turmel [00:06:01 → 00:06:12]

Rising through Buyouts: "During these buyouts, I kept rising in the organization, and eventually, I had reached either the as much as I was going to be in that organization or the Peter principle Caught up with me."

— Wayne Turmel [00:09:12 → 00:09:31]

Managing Energy in the Entertainment Industry: "I work pretty much like a volcano. I'm dormant, and I build up all this kinetic energy, and then it bursts out of me like a crazy person, then I am spent and need to lie dormant for another 100 years."

— Wayne Turmel [00:10:53 → 00:11:08]

"The Power of Networking: I met somebody who said, you know, You should consider, given your skill set and who you are, you should consider going into the training business"

— Wayne Turmel [00:12:41 → 00:14:22]

Finding Opportunities in Unexpected Places: "And he said, oh, you're looking for a job? Come see me next week. And I went to see him next week, and he's offering me the instructor manager position for which I was wildly unqualified, But desperate times, desperate measures, the correct answer is, of course, I can do that, And that's how I got my 1st management position."

— Wayne Turmel [00:15:10 → 00:15:32]

The Future of Virtual Work: "you know, there's a a thing here with this virtual work, and maybe I could, get to the point where I step down from a full time position. I continue to teach as needed to pay the bills and start my business, and 20 minutes later, the phone rang and I was fired. So, you know, I'm not a huge believer in signs from the universe, but that was pretty much neon."

— Wayne Turmel [00:17:27 → 00:17:53]

The Introverted Trainer: "Well, the most obvious one is that, because I'm a trainer, Because I am out there, because I speak for a living, all that good stuff that I am this raging extrovert. And, you know, there is nothing more terrifying to me after a day of being on my feet training or doing a keynote, when they say, a few of us are going to dinner. Oh. Oh, heavens. No."

— Wayne Turmel [00:18:58 → 00:19:25]

Getting Started: "I send Kevin a quick Message in Slack. Hey. I'm here. How's it going? And my day starts. That is super important for me Because I was, at the beginning, very bad about when does your day start, when does your day end."

— Wayne Turmel [00:25:43 → 00:26:01]

Primary Topic: Questions from Extroverts

- Question: Do you feel like you're missing out on social activities?

- Response: Depends on what social activities mean to the individual

- Explanation: Social activities can vary from large group events to one-on-one interactions

- Question: Are introverts just shy?

- Response: Introverts can be shy, but shyness is not exclusive to introverts

- Explanation: Introverts choose when to interact, not out of obligation

- Question: Do introverts need to change or become more extroverted?

- Response: No, there is nothing wrong with introverts as they are

- Explanation: Introverts have different needs and energy sources

- Question: Why are introverts so quiet?

- Response: Introverts may be listening, observing, or uninterested in the conversation

- Explanation: "So quiet" is subjective and compared to what or whom

- Question: Do introverts get lonely being alone so much?

- Response: There is a distinction between alone time and loneliness

- Explanation: Introverts choose to be alone for recharge, not out of loneliness

- Question: Why don't introverts speak up more in group discussions?

- Response: Several factors can influence introverts' participation

- Explanation: Need for time to process information, wait for the right opportunity, or gather thoughts before speaking up

The Importance of Having a Brand: "Whether you like it or not, people have thoughts about you and that is part of your brand...a brand is how you differentiate yourself from other humans."

— Janice Chaka [00:00:19 → 00:00:26]

Crafting a Personal Brand as an Introvert: "Crafting a compelling and authentic personal brand as an introvert can help you stand out from the competition. It highlights your unique strengths, skills, personality traits, making it easier for potential employers or people that you know to see what makes you a valuable candidate."

— Janice Chaka [00:01:05 → 00:01:23]

The Importance of Creating a Personal Brand: "Creating a personal brand allows you to showcase your unique abilities. It could be deep thinking, it could be attention to detail, it could be empathy. Emphasizing these strengths demonstrates how you can bring your own fresh perspective and valuable contributions to potential employers."

— Janice Chaka [00:02:02 → 00:02:27]

Building a Professional Network: "Part of building a brand is building a professional network. And to be fair, having a strong personal brand will attract like-minded professionals and mentors who appreciate those particular things about you because they are authentic, because they are you."

— Janice Chaka [00:03:23 → 00:03:33]

"Crafting a compelling and authentic personal brand during the job hunting search and quite frankly, before you start job hunting is a strategic approach that not only sets you apart, but ensures you are presenting your true self to potential employers."

— Janice Chaka [00:04:39 → 00:04:54]

"The Importance of Speaker Preparation: 'And all the speakers had been told in advance that they had to go to tech check, which was separate from what I was doing the day before they were speaking.'"

— Janice Chaka [00:00:39 → 00:00:46]

Importance of Adaptability for Speakers: "And so here's the thing, if you are going to be a speaker at that event, do you care how many times you've done it before? Each stage is different. All tech is different. How people set things up is different. What how the, tables and chairs might be set up is different? Who runs your Q and A is different? You might have been on stage 1000 and 1000 of times, but I'm sure that even Taylor Swift could tell you that are all stages are the same."

— Janice Chaka [00:01:04 → 00:01:37]

"The Key to a Successful Presentation: Following Instructions and Not Pissing Off Your Tech Team" : "It's not only about your slides. Things that can make or break you on stage, are following instructions, and not pissing off your tech team."

— Janice Chaka [00:02:08 → 00:02:10]

Preparing for a Successful Presentation: "I would give you a talk. The tech guys would tell you exactly how to use the microphone, because not all microphones, as you might know, all microphones are creating equal."

— Janice Chaka [00:02:36 → 00:02:46]

"Preparation for Public Speaking: 'Get your selfies in, get your photos in... when you're not actually speaking on the stage, that way you don't get someone standing in front of the camera recording while you're on stage to try and get a little best photo of you.'"

— Janice Chaka [00:03:32 → 00:03:40]

"Importance of Mutual Respect towards Tech Teams: 'Do not assume that the venue is gonna have wifi dedicated just to the computer that is going to run your slides and not to the 18,000 other people that are probably at that event. Be nice. It costs nothing to say, please, and thank you and to listen.'"

— Janice Chaka [00:03:51 → 00:04:07]

Tech Team Woes: "But just because you've spoken in lots of places, or just because you have the biggest ego, doesn't mean that the tech team can't ruin it for you, unintentionally..."

— Janice Chaka [00:04:31 → 00:04:41]

Sucheta Rawal is a former investment banker turned food and travel expert with a mission to raise

awareness of the world through meaningful travel and cultural understanding. Drawing from her own experience of traveling to 100+ countries across 7 continents, Sucheta speaks to entrepreneurs on how to break

social norms, follow their passion, be change makers, and travel sustainably. Her passion for travel shines through in her ventures. She founded Go Eat Give, a nonprofit that promotes cross-cultural understanding through travel, food, and volunteerism. She has also authored 'Beato Goes To,' a series of children’s illustrated books on travel that

inspire young readers to learn about different countries and cultures.

Social media links

https://www.facebook.com/sucheta.rawal

https://www.instagram.com/suchetarawal/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suchetarawal/

https://twitter.com/suchetarawal

Link to website

https://suchetarawal.com/

🌟 3 Key Takeaways from Sucheta Rawal's Career Conversations on The Traveling Introvert Podcast:

1️⃣ Meaningful Networking: Instead of solely seeking connections based on shared interests, focus on adding value to others and helping them succeed in their roles or career paths.

2️⃣ Meaningful Travel: When visiting a destination, don't just stick to typical tourist experiences. Instead, immerse yourself in the local culture, customs, and traditions. Make personal connections and support the local community.

3️⃣ Leadership & Public Speaking: Taking on leadership roles and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can lead to personal growth and improved public speaking skills. Getting stage time at conferences and engaging in sessions helps others remember your expertise and opens the door for further conversations.

In this episode of "The Traveling Introvert," host Janice Chaka explores the reasons why introverts often delay investing in themselves professionally and the potential consequences that arise from this hesitation. Janice discusses how many introverts struggle with self-confidence, fear of judgment, and a tendency to prioritize the needs of others over their own growth and development. This selfless mindset often leads to delayed investments in personal and professional growth, which can result in missed career opportunities, stagnation, and reduced job satisfaction. Janice emphasizes the importance of consistently investing in oneself and offers strategies for overcoming barriers and prioritizing self-care. She also addresses common reasons people back out of investing in themselves, such as self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and encourages listeners to do the necessary inner work to overcome these challenges.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

- Overthinking and fear of judgment can lead to paralysis and delays in investing in oneself.

- Waiting until a crisis occurs can lead to missed career opportunities and uncertainty about financial stability.

- Prioritizing personal and professional growth, setting aside time for self-care, and seeking mentorship are crucial steps for success.

In this episode of "The Traveling Introvert" podcast, host Janice Chaka discusses the impact of external expectations and societal pressure on introverts' stress levels. Challenging the negative stereotype of introversion, Janice emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and celebrating individuality to resist societal pressure. Strategies for navigating these pressures and prioritizing personal wellbeing are explored, such as speaking up about boundaries and needs, setting aside time for focused work, and building a supportive network.

The Impact of Societal Pressure on Introverts: "As introverts we very often face expectations from society and culture to be more outgoing or assertive or socially active, whatever those things might mean to the person saying them. This pressure can lead to increased stress levels as we often feel the need to conform to those extrovert leaning norms."

— Janice Chaka [00:00:00 → 00:01:28]

Reducing Stress: "Building a support network of like minded individuals ... can provide validation and therefore reduce stress."

— Janice Chaka [00:01:28 → 00:02:45]

The Power of Introversion: "The more that we emphasize self acceptance and celebrate individuality, it will empower introverts and other people alike to resist societal pressure."

— Janice Chaka [00:02:46 → 00:03:51]

The Power of Speaking Up: "Prioritize speaking up with your boundaries and what your needs are... And by standing up and saying that and having that recognition, you therefore make it easier for others to do that..."

— Janice Chaka [00:03:51 → 00:04:41]

"The Power of Introverts: Being an introvert is not a negative thing, and we need to crush that stereotype."

— Janice Chaka [00:04:41 → 00:04:58]

In this episode of "The Traveling Introvert" podcast, host Janice explores the significance of finding the right balance between social interactions and alone time to prevent burnout in introverts. Janice emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in recognizing personal limits and understanding energy levels. She encourages introspection and reflection on past experiences to identify strategies that work best for each individual. Janice highlights the importance of prioritizing self-care and engaging in activities that bring joy and rejuvenation. Setting clear boundaries and communicating them effectively is crucial for maintaining mental well-being. By finding the right balance and understanding energy dynamics, introverts can prevent chronic burnout and thrive in their personal and professional lives.

- Importance of finding the right balance between alone time and social interactions

- Recognizing personal limits and understanding energy levels

- Differentiating between energizing and draining social interactions

- Prioritizing alone time for restoring energy and maintaining mental well-being

- Self-care activities that bring joy, relaxation, and rejuvenation

- Assessing the effectiveness of different strategies

- Reflection on past experiences and understanding what works and what doesn't

- Flexibility and adaptability in recharging and setting boundaries

- Considering alternative methods for recharging when preferred options are not available

- Chronic stress and burnout resulting from consistent lack of proper recharge and boundary setting

- Strategies for making conferences less draining

- Spending one-on-one time with someone

- Staying at the conference hotel

- Setting clear boundaries and communicating them effectively

- Consistency and considering external factors in maintaining balance

- Differentiating between social anxiety hangover and burnout

- Understanding energy dynamics and their impact on finding the right balance

- Recognizing that not all social interactions are draining; some can actually recharge introverts

- The impact of different types of friends on energy drain or recharge during social interactions.

In this episode of "The Traveling Introvert" we explore the importance of energy management for introverts. Janice talks about how external factors can affect energy levels and lead to feelings of exhaustion and lack of concentration. Janice emphasizes the need for introverts to prioritize self-care and set clear boundaries to protect their energy. She suggests cultivating healthy habits, practicing stress management techniques, and allocating time wisely. The episode highlights the significance of regular evaluation and adjustment of energy management practices to maintain optimal energy levels and enhance overall well-being.

- Introduction: The challenges introverts face in managing energy

- Consequences of unmanaged energy: feeling rundown, lack of concentration, procrastination

- Importance of energy management for introverts

- Reflecting on energy levels and identifying patterns

- Setting boundaries and saying no to protect energy

- The impact of insufficient recharging on work-life balance

- The effects of lack of sleep and unmanaged energy on focus

- Setting clear boundaries and communicating them to others

- Cultivating healthy habits for optimal energy

- Stress management techniques for introverts

- Prioritizing tasks and allocating time wisely

- The importance of rest and relaxation

- Engaging in activities that bring joy and recharge energy

- Practicing gratitude and positive thinking

- Surrounding oneself with positive influences

- Evaluating and adjusting energy management practices

- Using the Recharge Energy Management Framework

- Continuously refining energy management strategies

- Prioritizing self-awareness, healthy habits, and effective time management.

"On this episode of The Traveling Introvert, our host Janice Chaka sits down with guest DuVäl for an insightful conversation about career and introversion. DuVäl highlights the importance of setting aside time to be alone and recenter oneself, even in the context of being married and having a dog. They explain how their spouse is understanding and supportive of their need for personal space. DuVäl also shares how they use time blocking to maintain control over their schedule, preferring structure over spontaneity. These strategies not only help with introversion but also benefit their business.

DuVäl also discusses their journey as an entrepreneur and expresses a wish to have started their business sooner. They believe their business is thriving, thanks in part to the systems and processes they have put in place to manage energy and relationships. They even share their approach to communication, including moving conversations to email to create more space and sending small gifts to show appreciation without requiring further follow-up.

As an interior architecture and design professional, DuVäl sheds light on the misconceptions about their industry, emphasizing that it involves much more than just pillows and fabrics. They explain how they make holistic design decisions and the importance of boundaries in their work environment. DuVäl acknowledges their introverted nature and the need for personal space, which is supported by their understanding team. Networking is also discussed, with DuVäl explaining their intentional approach to maintaining positive interactions while managing energy levels.

Throughout the episode, DuVäl emphasizes the significance of time blocking, culture, and reserving energy in order to successfully navigate their career and business. They provide valuable insights for both introverts and listeners interested in the world of interior design and entrepreneurship. Grab your headphones and join us on this episode of The Traveling Introvert with DuVäl!"

Guest information

DuVäl Design is a full-service interior design firm, based in Fairfax, VA. Honored by magazines as “The One to Watch'', “Hot Talent”, and House Beautiful’s Next Wave, he’s been seen in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Washington Post, and more. He currently serves on the Interior Design Advisory Council for Marymount University, as the co-chairperson for HPMKT Diversity Advocacy Alliance, and has recently launched his e-commerce furnishings site, House of DuVäl.

Topics covered in this audio session:

1. The importance of curiosity in critical thinking

- Embrace curiosity and let it guide your thoughts

- Question the status quo and challenge assumptions

2. Seeking deeper understanding and diverse perspectives

- Ask meaningful questions

- Seek diverse perspectives for discoveries

3. Being open to changing perspectives

- Responding to compelling evidence

- Value of evidence-based reasoning

4. Responding to claims about introversion

- Engaging in conversations to understand beliefs

- Providing supportive information

5. Developing good habits for critical thinking

- Continuous process and sound judgment

- Examining evidence, implications, and biases

- Stepping back and gaining clarity

6. Building a sturdy bridge analogy

- Reliable evidence, research, and logical arguments

7. Reacting to a situation in a Facebook group

- Importance of self-understanding and daily choices

- Avoiding reactive responses

8. Contact information and website

- Janice's website: thecareintrovert.com

- Assistance in building a personal brand and finding employment opportunities

9. Seeking diverse opinions and insights

- Engaging in respectful conversations

- Embracing diversity for enriched thinking and empathy

10. Reflecting and analyzing situations from various angles

- Taking time for critical thinking

11. Opportunity for growth and learning

- Developing critical thinking skills in a world of instant opinions

- Importance of good habits

12. Embracing curiosity

- Approaching situations with a curious mindset

Episode Topics:

1. The Importance of Direct Interaction:

- Facing the audience or person during communication.

2. Building Rapport through Mirroring:

- Mirroring body language for connection.

- Mirroring voice to create similarity and safety.

3. Matching Tone for Effective Communication:

- Speaking at the same pace to communicate effectively.

- Matching the tone of measured speakers.

4. The Role of Self-Awareness:

- Significance of self-awareness in communication and confidence.

5. Nonverbal Communication Elements:

- Body language, eye contact, and empathy.

6. Enhancing Nonverbal Communication Skills:

- Practice and self-awareness as essential for improvement.

7. Nonverbal Communication Techniques for Confidence:

- Learning and practicing nonverbal communication skills.

8. Your Face and Expressions:

- Using facial expressions to convey sincerity, authenticity, and active listening.

- Micro expressions and their role in revealing true emotions.

9. Effective Hand Gestures and Body Alignment:

- Proper use of hand gestures and avoiding overdoing it.

- Importance of body alignment.

10. Body Language and Introversion:

- Common assumption of poor body language by introverts.

- Improving body language to project confidence and willingness to interact.

11. The Connection between Body Language and Speaking:

- How improving body language can enhance speaking ability.

12. Voice Modulation and Body Language:

- Demonstration of voice changes based on posture.

13. Nonverbal Communication in Various Contexts:

- Importance of nonverbal communication in conveying thoughts, emotions, and intentions.

14. Focus on Body Language and Voice Modulation:

- Specific focus on body language and voice modulation as aspects of nonverbal communication.

15. Significance of Openness and Attention:

- Avoiding crossed arms to signal interest and attentiveness.

16. Eye Contact and Facial Expressions:

- The importance of eye contact and understanding potential cultural differences.

- Facial expressions as indicators of true emotions and individual expressiveness.

On this episode of The Traveling Introvert, we dive into the workplace worries people face, specifically those in leadership positions. Leaders shouldn't feel like they need to be an expert on everything, and how saying no and setting boundaries can lead to success. There's a common pressure to say yes to everything, but this can lead to a lack of time for deep work and potential failure. Personal productivity levels vary, and it's important to evaluate time availability before taking on unnecessary meetings and projects. Tune in to hear more about why saying no can be the key to becoming a successful leader.

Topic: Pressure to be an expert and compete with co-workers

- Discouraging the need to be an expert on everything

- Advice to not compete with co-workers

- Leaders should not be the only expert in a team

Topic: Importance of setting boundaries

- Saying yes to everything can lead to overwhelm and low quality work

- Preventing burnout by setting boundaries

- Evaluating time availability before saying yes to projects

Topic: Success and productivity are personal

- Personal productivity levels vary from person to person

- Success and productivity are subjective and not necessary to compete with peers

- Discouraging learning something just to appear knowledgeable

Topic: Newcomers and saying yes

- Newcomers may feel pressure to say yes to everything to compete with peers

- Saying yes can show teamwork, but can lead to failure

- Involvement in unnecessary meetings and projects can lead to more of them

Topic: Advice for leaders

- Leaders should not be overwhelmed by being the only one everyone goes to for guidance

- Leaders are there to support others in the team

- Leaders should not feel pressured to always speak first or be the hub of the team

Mike Lin began his career as a website designer in 1995. He was initially exposed to desktop publishing through his work designing concert posters as a college concert promoter. Lin preferred to work independently and utilize his introverted personality to think through projects alone. His introverted nature proved helpful in his tech career, allowing him to think deeply and work diligently.

Topics Covered in the Podcast Episode:

1. The Benefits of Exercising for Mental Health

- Exercise as one of the best things to do for mental health, especially when depressed

- Personal experience with Orange Theory Fitness studio in San Francisco

- Founder of Orange Theory Fitness, Ellen Latham, agrees that exercise is helpful for mental health

- Release of dopamine from exercise found to be more effective than past medication for depression

2. Career in Technology

- Early employee at LinkedIn

- Details about work experience and roles held

- Started a t-shirt company called Tshirtsmatter.com

- LinkedIn profile and Linktree account provided

- Experience working independently as a designer

- Refers to tech companies as Fang (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google)

- Image of techies wearing t-shirts and jeans

3. Resilience and Business Ideas

- Resilience in career and life

- Story about a call with a company that works with only five clients per quarter

- New idea for an urban camping Airbnb experience

- Company's requirement for generating $50,000 per month and spending $150,000,000 on ads

- Claims to have scaled companies

4. Orange Theory Fitness and Collaboration

- Completed 97 workouts at Orange 30 Fitness over two and a half years

- Wearing a t-shirt that says "Oranger Fitness is my drug" on 100th workout

- Plans to send photo of t-shirt to owner of the franchise in San Francisco to see if they can make it an official collaboration between their merge company, T-Shirts Matter, and Orange Fitness

- Spoken to Ellen Latham, the founder of Orange Theory Fitness

- Reception of collaboration idea as international opportunity

5. Career Trajectory

- First job with a company called Creative Internet Design in Pasadena in 1997

- Role in Adjacency, which was later acquired by Sapien

- Worked for Yahoo Shopping, Yahoo Travel, LinkedIn, and Zinger

- Worked in production design, visual design, and user interface design

- Worked mostly independently with headphones on

- Adjacency's prestigious clients like Apple, Land Rover, Nordstrom, Specialized Bikes, Virgin Music, Tag Hoyer, and Patagonia

- Bernie Deshant as a mentor during depression

- Career trajectory changed after job offer from Adjacency

Social media links

http://linkedin.com/in/mikelin

http://instagram.com/mikelin.sf

Link to website

http://t-shirtsmatter.com

On this episode of The Traveling Introvert, we explore a topic that many of us may be guilty of: procrastination. While often seen as a negative trait, intentional procrastination can actually lead to increased creativity and problem-solving skills. The link between procrastination and creativity is rooted in the incubation period, a time when the brain is in a relaxed state and works on a problem in the background. I share practical strategies on how to use procrastination to your advantage, such as taking regular breaks, switching between tasks, and setting specific times for procrastination breaks. I also discuss the downsides of unplanned procrastination, such as stress and decreased productivity. Tune in to discover how to become a master of the art of procrastination and tap into its benefits.

Podcast Episode: The Benefits of Procrastination in Enhancing Creativity

- Intentional procrastination as a tool for unlocking creativity

- Strategies that can help listeners become a master of the art of procrastination

- The guilt-free usage of planned procrastination

- Introduction of speaker Janice from thecareintrovert.com to help listeners build their brand and get hired

- Famous personalities like Leonardo da Vinci and Douglas Adams were famous for their procrastination habits

- The science behind the link between procrastination and creativity

- The role of incubation period in creativity

- Tips to maximize the incubation period such as taking a break every 90 minutes and switching between tasks

- The importance of focusing on one task at a time and avoiding multitasking

- Procrastination can lead to increased creativity while unplanned procrastination can have negative effects

- Creating specific times for procrastination can help to boost creativity without lowering productivity

- Discussion on the link between procrastination and creativity amongst famous artists, writers, and inventors

- Practical ways to tap into the creative benefits of procrastination and minimize its downsides

- Visualization techniques and mindfulness practices that can help with procrastination

- Strategies to minimize the negative effects of procrastination include setting realistic goals and deadlines, breaking tasks into smaller portions, creating a distraction-free environment, and using positive affirmations.

On this episode of The Traveling Introvert, we're exploring how to stay focused on big, overwhelming projects. I share my tips for breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable, time-bound pieces to increase productivity and motivation. I discuss the importance of prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance, and how to create specific endpoints for each step. I also talk about the benefits of taking a step back and seeing the bigger picture, including reducing stress and avoiding burnout. Don't miss out on this episode if you're looking for ways to improve your productivity and achieve your goals faster.

Topic: Breaking Down Tasks for Better Results

- Breaking tasks down into smaller pieces makes progress easier and results more visible

- Janice from the Career Introvert shares this tip to help with building a personal brand and getting hired

- Stepping back to see the overall picture is crucial for completing tasks

- Prioritize tasks based on importance and urgency

- Break each step down into smaller, specific tasks

- Focusing on the most important tasks first is essential

- Breaking down large tasks into smaller ones can increase productivity

- Doing a "brain dump" to write down all the steps needed to complete a project can help create a clear understanding of what needs to be done

- Focusing on one task at a time can improve efficiency and effectiveness

- Breaking down tasks can reduce stress and prevent procrastination

- Procrastinating too often can lead to negative consequences

- Breaking down tasks is a useful trick for tackling big projects

- Setting deadlines for each task helps create a sense of urgency and avoid procrastination

- Starting on the first task and working through each one until the project is complete is the key to success.

On this episode of the Traveling Introvert, I share tips for event organization and maintaining routines while traveling. I speak from personal experience of running a large event and highlights the importance of having someone to ensure the event organizer stays hydrated and fed. I talk about being prepared for potential delays and offers advice on having a meeting before an event to run through everything step by step. She recommends booking recharge time or activities in advance to prevent wasted time and provides insight into finding her favorite restaurants in a new city.

Topic: Preparing for an event

- Tips for organizing events and making the event organizer's life easier

- The importance of having someone to make sure the event organizer is properly hydrated and fed throughout the event

- Expecting and planning for potential delays such as people being late or traffic

- Having a meeting before any event and running through everything step by step to ensure everyone knows what they need to do

- Having a designated bag person to remind you of important timing

Topic: Maintaining routines while traveling

- Traveling and being out of routine can cause people to feel out of sorts

- Maintaining certain routines, like going for a walk or getting alone time, even while traveling

- The lack of alone time can cause people to feel cranky and lose their minds

- One should force themselves to take time for solitude and maintain their routines, even when travelling

Topic: Taking recharge time

- After an event, the speaker knew they needed recharge time and booked a hotel to be alone and also a massage

- Recommending booking recharge time or activities in advance instead of wasting time trying to find them last minute

On this episode of The Traveling Introvert, our guest shares their journey in leadership, from dealing with Impostor syndrome to networking as an introvert. They emphasize the importance of transparency in personal situations, building a supportive network, and creating space in a busy schedule for recharging. As an introvert, they value alone time but still make intentional efforts to network and lead their team. They also highlight the crucial support and resources provided by the International Association of Women for women struggling with confidence and asking for help. Join us to learn more about navigating leadership as an introvert and building a solid support network.

Megan Bozzuto is a woman who is always ready to take on opportunities that come her way. She was recently presented with a chance to help with a brand initiative and strategy for her parent company, and without hesitation, she raised her hand and took on the challenge. This move has resulted in an exciting career advancement for her while still being able to continue doing what she loves at IAW. Megan is a professional who is passionate about her work and is always eager to learn and grow.

Social media links

https://www.facebook.com/megbozz/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/megbozz/

https://www.instagram.com/megbozz/

Link to website

www.iawomen.com

Episode: Leading, Networking, and Fostering Community as an Introverted Woman

- Importance of being transparent with colleagues and managers without oversharing

- Benefits of sharing personal information with team members

- Communication skills when declining opportunities

- Accepting oneself as a leader despite doubt and overcoming impostor syndrome

- Delegating tasks instead of saying "no" directly

- Building relationships and maintaining a supportive network for nonlinear career paths

- Managing time and creating space for alone time to recharge as an introverted woman

- Strategies for successful networking, including being intentional about who to meet and where to network

- Support for women's confidence and negotiation skills in the workplace from organizations such as the International Association of Women

Note: The topics are not in chronological order and are a general summary of the episode content.

On this episode of The Traveling Introvert, I discusses the importance of transparency in job postings, pricing, and service offerings. It all started when I came across a private post from someone looking for guests on their podcast without disclosing that it was a paid opportunity. I believe transparency shows respect for people's time and leads to better client and job-seeking experiences. I also dive into the issue of complicated job application processes and the lack of information disclosed to job seekers.

Topic: Posting Salaries on Job Listings and Costs on Service Provider Websites

- Job seekers want salaries to be listed on job postings; service seekers want costs to be listed on a service provider's website

- This shows respect for people's time and helps them make decisions

- Making the process easy helps waste nobody's time, giving a good overall client experience

- The aim of the game is to give a good client or potential job seeker experience

- Lack of transparency wastes time and causes frustration

Topic: Hiring Process Efficiency and Transparency

- The hiring process should be efficient and respectful

- Complicated interview processes and lack of important information can be seen as abuse towards job seekers

- Posting salary with job description and posting shows respect for potential candidates' time and is a valuable resource

- Transparency in pricing and salary establishes trust and eliminates ambiguity, leading to efficient decision making

- Transparent pricing can lead to better fit between job seekers and employers/clients

And welcome to The Travelling introvert. Today is almost a second part to talking about deep work. I've talked about why deep work is really important, especially for introverts. But now I want to talk about strategies to help you be able to do that deep work. And deep work refers to the ability to just focus on one task, to concentrate intensely on a cognitive demanding task without distraction and interruption, allowing you to produce high quality work in less time. In the context of self development, deep work is a highly valuable skill to cultivate and use on a regular basis. When you learn to focus intensely on essential tasks, you become more efficient and effective in reaching your goals. But deep work is also about creating an atmosphere that can help you focus on that one task. And to do this, it's crucial to turn off possible distractions like social media, email, phone notifications, that a thing. But also avoid things that might take away your attention like pets, kids, and spouses. Breaking your tasks into smaller parts and setting goals will help you finish your work quickly. In addition to improving productivity, deep work leads to personal growth and development.

When you engage in deep work, you challenge your mind and expand your knowledge and skills. Achieving deep work is an essential skill that maximizes productivity and focuses on the most critical tasks. Although, don't get me wrong, it's not always easy to get into the zone and that deep flow and focus intensely on a single task. But the more often you do it, the easier you find it. And setting yourself up for success is really important. You can't just be like, I'm going to do some deep work today. Setting the environment to help you do so is hugely important. And so I want to talk about some of the things that I've done that might help. Schedule uninterrupted blocks of time. And I know that might be easier said than done. But one of the best ways to help you achieve deep work is by scheduling uninterrupted blocks of time to do it. Block off a certain amount of time on your calendar. It could be 30 minutes. No one says it has to be 18 hours. That's a lot of time. But block off a certain amount of time on your calendarand commit to focusing on a specific task during that time.

You can set aside 30 minutes, an hour, or several hours depending on the task's requirement. Also, eliminate distractions. Distractions are the enemy of deep work. To achieve deep work, you need to not have phone calls, emails, notifications. There are various ways you can do this. You can turn off your phone. Some people lock their phone in another room, put it on airplane mode, close your email and make sure it doesn't have the notifications that pop up. Some people use noise cancelling headphones if necessary. Tell your family and friends not to interrupt without a good cause. Those are the things you could do. It's really, really important that even though you are doing deep work, that you take breaks. An integral part actually of achieving deep work is by taking breaks. After working for an extended period of time, take a short break to rest your mind, recharge, bio break, hydrate. It could include going for a walk, getting some fresh air, or doing some stretching exercises. But this will help improve what you do overall over time. Don't think that this is, Oh, I have to sit at my desk for four hours. Please do not.

You should get up, take a break, give your eyes a rest at least every 30 to 40 minutes. One other thing is make sure you set a very clear goal. Setting clear goals is really crucial for deep work. Before you start working on a task, take time to set a clear goal and define what it is specifically you want to achieve. And when you're thinking about that, it has to be important that there is an end point. It can't be, work on my website. It should be more like, I want to complete all the copy for the homepage of my website. This will keep you inspired and focused and motivated throughout the tasks. But overall, all I'm talking about is developing better habits. Better habits will help you achieve deep work easier. And this might include creating a consistent morning routine, getting enough sleep, color coding your calendar, having certain days where you do deep work and certain days that you don't. All of these are just better habits to help you work more efficiently and in a way that works for you. Achieving deep work is crucial for maximizing productivity and completing tasks. Focusing on what you are doing and nothing else ensures that you can do the task well and therefore, it comes to get more and in a better way.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at thecareerintrovert.Com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

And welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I'm going to talk about deep work. And the reason this has come up is because a lot of the time I talk about how introverts need time to recharge, and back to back meetings suck, and very rarely now do we have time for deep work because we are in back to back meetings. And so I want to talk about the real benefits of deep work and what that entails, because all the time that you're these days, we're getting distracted by notifications and email and social media. And as a result, the ability to focus on a single task for, and I'm going to say the word extended period of time, but these days, I know, anything over 20 minutes has become a rare skill. However, the practice of deep work, which is the ability to focus intensely on a single task for a significant period of time, is really, really important. Okay, you have increased focus. Focusing deeply on a task when you train your mind to concentrate on one thing for an extended period, you'll improve your ability to focus on other daily tasks in your life, not just the ones that you're actually thinking about that this is going to be deep work.

And what most people, most introverts find is there is enhanced productivity. If you get the time to do deep work and get to engage in deep work, it will significantly improve your productivity because focusing deeply on a task makes you more likely to complete it quickly and accurately. And it means you'll be able to accomplish everything faster, freeing up more time and brain space for other tasks or activities. Part of that means there'll be a better quality output. Deep work really allows for this, because when you just focus on working on that single task without distraction, very importantly, without distraction, you get into a flow state. And so giving that task that attention and time that it needs to be completed, means that your work will be of a higher quality. You'll come up with more ideas because you're just concentrating on that thing and giving it thought and time. And it will result in greater job satisfactionand even recognition from colleagues or superiors. But regardless of that, you will find your quality of work will be better because of having the time to have deep, uninterrupted, focused work. And because of this, you'll probably have improved job satisfaction.

When you can focus deeply on a task, you're more likely to experience a sense of accomplishment because you're not just confetting from one thing to another thing to another thing and bouncing around like a pinball. You will experience this sense of accomplishment because you focus deeply on one task and can completely go, Yes, this is done, which in turn leads to a more positive outlook on your life. And so therefore will lead to more positive job satisfaction. Even if you don't like the job, it's okay. Also, it helps reduce stress. Deep work reduces stress levels by eliminating those distractions and allows you to focus solely on a single task. Because being distracted is stressful, so as a result, you will reduce these feelings of overwhelm or being overworked, and therefore this will improve your overall wellbeingand help, possibly, prevent future burnout. Deep work also provides strengthened creativity in problem solving. It helps you develop your creativity and problem solving skills when you allow yourself to focus on a single task. You will fully immerse yourself in the problem or the task and explore various solutions and develop innovative ideas, resulting in more effective and creative problem solving.

And there is greater learning and retention. Deep work promotes better learning and retention of information. You give your full attention to the material where you are studying or the skills you are trying to develop, and that focused attention allows for more effective learning and retention as your brain can better process and consolidate the information. And of course, there's time management because you'll get better at prioritizing essential tasks and eliminating time wasting activities and increased resilience and heightened self awareness. Because you'll be accustomed to doing a single task and overcoming distractions, you'll be better able to handle unexpected obstacles. Deep work has numerous benefits that improve your work and personal life. So just think about how that might work for you and why it's so important for you to carve out that time. Thank you for listening. This is Janice at thecareerintrovert.Com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

And welcome to The Traveling Introvert. Today, I am going to talk about some myths that I've heard around personal or self development. And I hear these a lot from organisations, I hear these a lot from humans, and so I want to just talk a little bit about them. Self development or personal development is the process of developing or improving yourself through various growth strategies, techniques, and time. When you engage in self development, you might set goals, learn new skills, and engage in personal reflection. And this helps you become a better and happier human, which overall is the point. Self development will improve your life. Through thoughtful and intentional action taking, great things can happen. You might learn how to manage stress. You might develop better decision making skills. You might develop better methods of communication. You will learn a lot about yourself. Just because you've lived with yourself for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years doesn't mean that you know everything about yourself or where things stem from. And also, we change as humans over time. You will also, in that self development phase, practice self acceptance. You might also practice self love, allowing you to gain more confidence and be more compassionate towards yourself.

Through focused self development, you probably end up accomplishing more of your goals, but in a way that you least expect it. You'll build positive relationships and develop better communication and problem solving skills. All of these traits will improve your life by allowing you to achieve more of your goals. They will assist you in making better decisions that align with your principles, your morals, and your values. So to sum it up, self development provides the necessary tools to help you grow as a human, and therefore, making your life better. But one myth is self development is expensive. And that really depends how you look at self development. You taking the time out to meditate for one minute a day t hat's free, that's not expensive. There are levels, but not all self development is expensive. Some folks will tell you that it requires expensive classes or workshops. The truth is there are many free or low cost options available. There are books, online resources, and podcasts totally related to self development. People will tell you self development is time consuming. You don't have to spend every waking moment on self development to reap the rewards. The truth is small daily habits like, for example, the meditating for one minute a day can lead to significant personal growth.

Reading or practicing gratitude or walking for 15 minutes a day can significantly improve your life over time. They don't necessarily have to be time consuming in one day. Something else I hear is, Oh, well, I don't have time for that, or That's selfish. There's so many other things that I could be doing, so many other ways that I could be making an impact. And so you might feel it is selfish, or people might tell you it's selfish to spend so much time or money, or brain power on self development. And the truth is, self development benefits not just you, but everyone around you. You could become more productive. You could become more empathic. You could become more effective with professional development and personal development and growth. Therefore, it's not just about you, it helps others. And another thing I always hear is, Well, this person did this one thing and it worked for them, so it's going to work for me. One size does not fit all. The great thing about self improvement is everyone's different, everyone's unique. So you can tailor it to meet your needs at the time. Just because your neighbour spends an hour at the gym every day doesn't mean that you have to.

A rabbit diet might work great for your co worker, but not much for you and your body type. The key is to figure out exactly what you wantand research ways to obtain that. Choose the way that best fits with you and your lifestyle. If you find it doesn't work, that's okay. It's an experiment. Pick another method and try again. Improving your self development isn't all that hard. Making small changes slowly can give you just as good, if not better results, than jumping in at the deep end. It's just individual. The first start is just getting started and to recognize that there are some myths surrounding this topic and ignoring them will help you over the overcome any misgivings so you can put yourself first. Thanks for listening. This is Janice at thecoury introvert. Com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

On this episode of The Traveling Introvert, we speak to a successful entrepreneur who runs a podcasting business. Patricia shares their journey of building their business from scratch without a strong tech background and how they manage to indulge in something they love. The conversation revolves around the importance of making connections and attending events, as well as the challenges of being an introvert, as the speaker prefers one-on-one conversations to big gatherings. There's also a discussion about the evolution of the podcasting industry and how one can get started. The episode concludes with valuable insights on self-care, the importance of taking breaks, and having conversations about the division of labor at home. Tune in to get tips on how to make connections and build a successful podcasting business as an introvert.

Patricia Q Jenkins values focused energy and giving her full attention to people or tasks at hand. She finds introversion to mean focused attention on what's important and can become overwhelmed and scattered if pulled in too many directions. Patricia struggles with large groups and the dynamic energy that comes with them, preferring instead to connect with individuals on a deeper level.

[00:00:47] Introversion = focused attention on what's important. Large groups drain energy.

[00:02:57] Self-employment as a podcast creator is satisfying but challenging, with the risk of burnout if not managed well. Building a brand and receiving recognition is an amazing feeling.

[00:04:24] Plan breaks even if you're not busy. Take public holidays off and have someone to discuss business with. Don't work on holidays.

[00:05:44] Make time for self-care and indulge in hobbies unrelated to work. Communicate with partners about division of labor at home. Attend meetups and business meetings to build connections, even as an introvert.

[00:08:46] Meeting her partner led to becoming an expat, a traveling spouse, and building a podcasting business. Meeting a kind lady while in the US who understood the expat experience was also life-changing.

[00:11:13] Person says no to many social activities, especially crowded ones, due to living in a small place and not wanting to introduce themselves to big groups. Energy levels dictate whether they attend events.

[00:12:38] The writer loves meeting new people but prefers one-on-one conversations because they can give it the energy and thought it deserves. They find it more restful and relaxing.

[00:13:54] Overwhelming experience at Podcast Movement led to seeking a quiet space in lady's bathroom.

[00:18:31] Podcast editing requires minimal equipment and misconceptions about earning exist, but friendly competition exists and entry barriers have lowered thanks to innovative software.

[00:20:47] The origin of the sandwich is unclear but it may have been invented to allow a gambler to continue playing while eating.

Topics covered in the podcast episode:

1. Limitations of Traditional Onboarding Processes

- Reliance on static resources

- Lack of consideration for individual learning styles

- Accessibility issues

- Lack of efficient search options

2. Challenges Faced by Introverts in New Jobs

- Dealing with new people, systems, equipment, and ways of working

- One-size-fits-all approach to onboarding processes

- Importance of setting clear expectations and boundaries

3. Strategies for Success in New Jobs

- Saying no to prevent overloading

- Setting boundaries and expectations

- Making an impression in a new organization

- Importance of work methods and software used

4. Challenges in Managing Change When New Employees Join

- Expectation to absorb a large amount of information in a short period of time

- Pressure to pack in many tasks during the first 100 days

"New Jobs and Introverts: Starting a new job can be extra stressful. But it can be especially hard on introverts, especially in organizations that are more extrovert leaning."

— Janice Chaka [00:00:00 → 00:00:51]

The Importance of Accessible Learning: "Very rarely do they take into account the person's way of learning, and very rarely do they make the content accessible in multiple different ways... It makes it hard to go back and digest or reaffirm something or look something up."

— Janice Chaka [00:00:51 → 00:01:41]

Onboarding: "A lot of organizations don't take into account the massive change they do really bad change management when it comes to new humans joining the organization."

— Janice Chaka [00:01:41 → 00:02:37]

"The Danger of Overcommitting in a New Job: You take on too much work. You set unrealistic expectations. You feel like you are not doing as much as you could or you should because of whatever expectations you or the organization might have upon you."

— Janice Chaka [00:02:37 → 00:03:12]

Setting Boundaries in the Workplace: "You probably don't have any deep time work, deep work time. And that can be to work or to just take in all the information that is being thrown at you. And so many times people say, oh, it's okay. We're not expecting you to know all of this, but really they kind of are."

— Janice Chaka [00:03:12 → 00:04:06]

Setting Boundaries: "Letting people very clearly know your preferred learning styles, your preferred communication styles, what that looks like, your times of working and not working, or, you know, what happens if there's an emergency or an extra project comes up, setting boundaries of not overloading yourself because you want to learn and you want to do things right."

— Janice Chaka [00:04:06 → 00:04:57]

And welcome to the traveling introvert. Today, I want to talk about new jobs. Who this? So one thing I've noticed with people in general and especially introverts is starting a new job can be extra stressful. Now, we know it's stressful for everyone. You're starting a new job, new people, new systems, new equipment, new way of working, new, new, new, new, new, new. But it can be especially hard on introverts, especially in organisations that are more extrovert leaning. And this comes across in a couple of ways and for a multitude of reasons. A lot of organisations, when they're thinking about onboarding people, they have one way of doing it, and mostly it's death by PowerPoint, or here, watch a bunch of videos, or here's a bunch of PDFs. Very rarely do they take into account the person's way of learning, and very rarely do they make the content accessible in multiple different ways. They won't have the video with closed caption and a transcriptand an audio only version that you can listen to. A lot of the time it's this way and this way only. And not everyone takes it information that way. It makes it hard to go back and digest or reaffirm something or look something up.

In fact, a lot of the times when organisations do create onboarding processes, it's very hard to just search for the specific thing that you might be needing or the question that you might have. You have to try and think the way you think the person who wrote the software or the program or the way that you're putting it together works. Not only that, a lot of the time you'll be like, Here's all your computer, here's all your staff, here's all these people you have to meet, here's a buddy, so you have a buddy system, and here's some projects for you to start working on. And a lot of organisations don't take into account the massive change. They do really bad change management when it comes to new humans joining the organisation. Yes, you want the human to be up to speed as quickly as possible. But let's be honest, we all know there's only a certain amount of information humans can really understandably take in in any period of time. And yes, they might say, Well, here's your 90 day plan or your 100 day plan. And a lot of organisations ask in your interview, like, What would your first 100 days look like?

And they're expecting you to shove 18,000 different things in there. And a lot of the time, especially if you also have imposter syndrome, you're going in, it's a new job, you want to make the best impression possible. So you'll say yes to everything. You'll attend all the meetings because the more meetings you attend, the more information you get, the more likely you're going to be able to understand everything that's going on and not be out of the loop. However, what really ends up happening is you take on too much work, you set unrealistic expectations, you feel like you are not doing as much as you could or you should because of whatever expectations you or the organization might have upon you. You have not been able to set clear boundaries of what works for you and your method of working. You probably have back to back and last minute meetings, and you probably don't have any deep work time. And that can be to work or to just take in all the information that is being thrown at you. And so many times people say, Oh, it's okay, we're not expecting you to know all of this.

But really, they are. So when you are joining an organization for the first time as an introvert, because we are just grateful for a job. This isn't an introvert thing, this isn't any one thing. A lot of the time, we end up being timid about setting expectations and setting boundaries and letting people know how we like to work and what works best for us and seeing how that works in the culture of the organisation that you're in. Letting people very clearly know your preferred learning styles, your preferred communication styles, what that looks like, your times of working and not working, or you know what happens if there's an emergency or an extra project comes up. Setting boundaries of not overloading yourself because you want to learn and you want to do things right. This is the time for you to set expectations. Stop setting yourself up to fail by taking on everything and anything and saying yes to all the meetings. You're doing yourself a disservice, and by extension, you're doing the organization a disservice. When you first start a job, it's the start of a new relationship, and so you get to set the standard of how you want to be treated.

So act accordingly, set boundaries accordingly, and communicate accordingly. Thanks for listening. This is Janice at the career introvert. Com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to The Traveling Introvert. Today, I would like to talk about perfectionism. This came up a lot in the Imposter Syndrome program that I have. People were identifying the fact that perfection was holding them back or making them procrastinate or whatever it might be. And so perfectionism can be extremely harmful. So really what you need to do is embrace imperfection so you can let go of the need- the deep seated need for perfection. And perfection is a concept that so many people strive for, whether it's in their personal lives or at work. However, any pursuit of perfection is at the very least unrealistic and damaging. In fact, it is hugely important to recognize that nobody is perfect and it is okay to make mistakes and have flaws. And so many work environments don't make you feel that that is a possibility and that causes other issues.

So I want you to talk about some of the benefits of embracing imperfection. Embracing imperfection has many benefits for your cognitive and emotional wellbeing. For example, you will lower your stress and anxiety and improve relationships because you'll focus more closely on the here and now and not on the unobtainable.

Additionally, learning to live with imperfection makes you more resilient in life and your career. You'll be much more innovative if you're not always worried about what others think or whether your idea is just perfect. By understanding and accepting that nothing and no one is perfect, you can focus more on what other important things there are in life and things that are impossible, right? So recognize that perfection is unobtainable, unattainable. You can't do it. No one's perfect. No one ever will be perfect, including yourself. No matter what your other half may or may not tell you, no matter what your cat is looking at you, saying, you're perfect because you're feeding it or giving it scriptures, right? It is vital to accept that fact. Achieving perfection is an endless and futile pursuit, leading to frustration and disappointment. Now those are not positive attributes, right?

The other thing right now is social media. Stop comparing yourself to others. It is super, super easy to compare yourself to others these days, making you feel like you are not good enough. You get to curate what is in your feed on social media, on Instagram, on Facebook, on LinkedIn. You do get to curate it. You could just have a feed of fluffy cats. That is up to you. Unfortunately, comparison is often unfair and inaccurate, which leads to negative self-esteem. It's really valuable to remember that everyone has their own unique strengths and weaknesses and that being different is okay. We're not all the same. That's just an impossibility.

Practice self-compassion. Being kind to yourself is critical. When you recognize that everyone makes mistakes, it's far easier to feel that self-compassion. So instead of criticizing yourself for your imperfections, practice self-compassion and acknowledge that everyone has flaws and you can't be good at everything. And speaking of being good at everything, set realistic goals. Perfection is an unrealistic goal. Therefore, work with yourself and set more achievable objectives. By setting realistic goals, you're going to avoid that feeling of failure or not quite being good enough when you inevitably make mistakes or don't get something done the way that you wanted it done. And all of this is to say, being part of embrace yourself, embrace what is unique about you. And part of that, because we are human, is you have imperfections. It is really important to recognize that your imperfections are what makes you unique and special. Instead of trying to hide or fix your flaws, try embracing them and work with them and see them as part of who you are you are.

When you keep these ideas in your mind moving forward, you'll begin embracing your imperfections, leading to a greater sense of self-acceptance and therefore happiness. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't work on yourself by improving your skills, but you shouldn’t, and you do not need to strive for something that won't happen. Perfection, because that is a futile waste of time and effort.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at The Career Introvert, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to The Traveling Introvert. Today I want to talk about how to move on when you've been working in a toxic environment.

So, I've had a lot of my clients recently get new jobs, which is great, and moving out of toxic environments. And they're so used to whatever toxic environment that they are in, they find it hard when they're in the new environment to reset and refresh. And so, I want to talk about some steps that can be done when moving on.

Millions of people are in unhealthy, toxic environments at work, at home, whatever it might be. And it's really interesting. There's a struggle to move on and free yourself from that negative effects of that. Basically, you're in a bad relationship. And so with that in mind, I'm going to talk about some ways that you can start letting go of that.

And the first one is acknowledging the problem. And most people have done that once they've moved. They acknowledge that their last workplace was toxic. And it can be pretty obvious, but like most issues, you need to acknowledge there was a problem before you can tackling it. So, recognizing that it was a toxic relationship and why it was toxic and why that culture was toxic is really helpful because that will help you to accept and acknowledge the issue.

Then there’s sort of setting healthy boundaries. Once you've acknowledged this, you need to figure out what you want to do differently this time around in this new environment, this new culture that you're going to be in. How are you going to set boundaries that are healthy for you? And then if those boundaries get stomped on, you know that you need to move on.

Another thing is spending time with positive humans. Sometimes when you've been around a toxic environment for so long, it's really easy to forget what it's like not to be in that environment. So enveloping or surrounding yourself with people who will support you and help you heal, spend time with encouraging people to build a positive support system as you move on from that toxic work environment into a better work environment. And part of that is taking care of yourself. Don't jump from one job to another. Give yourself a week if you can, or two weeks in between, just so you can take care of yourself, your mind and your body and your spirit. Do things that bring you joy. Get rid of all that back list of errands that you've been meaning to run, but you haven't had the chance to because you've just been so burnt out. Hey, just do nothing for two weeks. Eat healthier, drink water, exercise regularly, get enough sleep. Without taking care of yourself in the most simple and basic ways, you will not be strong enough to weather anything else that comes in your way. And you're trying to like reset your equilibrium at this point. And part of that is taking care of yourself is practicing caring and self-love. You will take care of yourself better. And now is a really critical time to focus on all your needs and your wants. So, when you get into this new environment, you know how to set boundaries and what boundaries they are. You know what to say no to, what to say yes to, what you want your ideal work day to look like. That is hugely important when you're thinking about walking into a new job. What would your ideal day look like? I know for the first three months you've got to be on board and all that stuff and things, but now is the time for you to start setting those boundaries, start letting people know and communicating about the ways that you work best and what works for you. Is it deep work? What communication works best for you? Email, instant messaging? All of that is really, really important for you to know now so that when you start your new role, you can go in and set those confidently. So, spend time doing things that make you feel good and build up your self-confidence.

For example, take that class you've always wanted or get that new haircut that you always wanted. Because building your self-confidence and then will give you that push and that confidence that when you are in that new role, you can ask for and communicate what you want.

Now, one thing, it can be really easy to be hard on yourself with letting yourself be in a toxic environment for a long period of time. But it's important to forgive yourself and move forward. Tell yourself that now that you know better, you'll do better and that's okay. You're going to take time to reflect and practice gratitude, reflect on the lessons that you've learned and know what to look for that you don't want in a new role or culture or organization, right? Let go of resentment. Anything that's bad and toxic, just let go.

You've moved on. Those are things to think about when you're moving on from a toxic workplace environment and moving on to something new.

Thanks for listening. This is Janice at The Career Introvert. Helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Sonia, Introvert or Extrovert

Introverts are people who tend to look inwards for energy and they are also the type of people who tend to think much before they talk.

Are Leaders Born or Cultivated

Leaders are cultivated. Though most people think that leaders are born it is not true. A person might have the talent and the charisma to be an effective leader but, all that has to be nurtured and trained to be the best version of that particular talent. All this is necessary to be effective.

Keys to being an effective leader

● Clarity - Be clear and provide clarity to the people you are leading. You need to be able to paint a clear picture to the people who you are leading to have effective feedback. Make sure you are not messy so that others can follow.

● Empathetic skills - Spend your time listening to the people you are leading. You need to understand what makes them motivated and what makes them tick. In this, you will be able to handle every individual differently. Leaders should be able to deal with all types of people.

● Ability to recognize great work - as a leader you should be able to recognize different individuals' work. You should be able to tell them and compliment their handy work. In most companies, people work hard and yet feel that their work goes unnoticed and unappreciated. As a leader, you should be able to handle such people and make them feel wanted.

Misconceptions in Training industries

● Training does not change people.

● Coaching people is a must In any industry.

● Both training and coaching lead to changed behavior.

Misconceptions in the consulting industry

● You do not only hire a consultant only when things get bad.

● People tend to think recommendations are the final product; it is important to know that you will still need to implement

what the consultant advised.

It is important to seize opportunities as they arise. Always be ready to use what you have at a given time. As a leader, you should learn to be overwhelmed and not show it. This is mainly important so that the people whom you are leading don't get demoralized.

Things to say no to.

● Meetings that are not worth your time.

● Underfunded projects.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonialaynegartside/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/soniagartside/

 Hello and welcome to The Traveling Introvert. I've been asked today to do an episode on travelling in a group as an introvert. It does tend to vary how big the group may be. Are you in a tour bus group? Are you in a group of friends? It is mainly assumed that introverts can't travel with groups or don't like it as much. I want to talk about some ways that can help things go smoother if you do happen to find yourself traveling in a group. It can be really interesting.

One of the things to do is to make sure that you have time and or space where you can be alone to recharge, be it that you pay extra for a room just by yourself, or that as part of the trip, you get a day where you just get to be alone, or there's a certain time of the day where everyone's always doing something, but you have a chance to slip away, whatever it might be. And if you do travel with the group, maybe you don't sit with everybody because there's nothing worse than flying and then realizing that you have to sit next to someone who's also going on the trip, who's also very excited, which is great, but then just talks the entire time, that might not be what you're looking for.

So, when you're looking into flights or rooms or that sort of a thing, try and carve out little pockets of time and pockets of space where you can recharge and or get away from it all. It's also very good if you are traveling with a group of mixed personalities where everyone doesn't have to do everything all the time. If you find that you're in a group where everyone has to do everything altogether all the time, that is probably not the group for you. You need a group of individuals that some people are super into X things, some people are into Y things, some people will just do whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it while still being part of the group.

Another thing that's really helpful to set up in advance is how payments for things are made. Payments for accommodation tend to be really easy. You're going to split it a huge amount of ways. But for example, restaurants and food, if you all are going out and there's a big group of you, say more than five and there's like 6, 20 of you, figuring out in advance, is it all going on one person's card? Is it being just split equally? Do you all eat and drink the same? Having that and knowing that's going to be the plan in advance helps you plan your money, plan what you're eating, how you just might feel about the entire situation, and then doesn't come as a surprise at the end. There's nothing worse than being with a group of people where maybe some people are bigger drinkers, or some people are more into smoking, or some people are more into lobster. For example, expensive foods than everyone else and then the person that isn't into all of that still has to pay their share. Or it's a really big group and people order, assuming other people will eat it all. So maybe they order all the entrée and all the appetizers and then split it. And one person is like, “Actually, I wasn't feeling well”, or like “I wasn't hungry”, or “I didn't eat that”, whatever it might be. And they just maybe had a starter but yet have to pay for like a three course meal plus cocktails and wine. So setting that up in advance and having a conversation and making sure everyone is okay with that is hugely important.

Also, as an introvert, if you are going on a trip with a group and you think it might be draining, book some extra time either end to prep at the beginning and at the end to decompress. So even if you come back on the Friday and then you've got the weekend to decompress, that can be hugely helpful because you might feel you need a vacation from the vacation. And the other thing is, be upfront about your needs. Communicate. Sometimes you might feel like going out with everyone and sometimes you might want to stay at home and get a take out. Whatever it is, everyone should be cool with that because you're doing you and you've set your expectations. So it's all about communication mainly and a little bit of forward planning just to make sure that you get the space and the time that you need to recharge and enjoy your vacation.

So, thank you for listening. This is Janice at TheCareerIntrovert.com. Helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to The Traveling Introvert. Today, I would like to talk about how to bounce back a little from maybe a failed business venture or a career or job opportunity. It's really difficult when you've recently experienced a business or career setback because sometimes it leaves you feeling maybe lost, overwhelmed, anxious, unsure of your next steps, and wondering if where do you go from here? Are you able to bounce back? And everyone kind of experiences this. You are not alone. Everyone on the planet experiences failures and setbacks at some point in life. That is just a part of life, but it hits harder when it's to do with the way that you make money. And it really is very natural to feel upset and discouraged when something like that happens. But understanding that the incident or the failure that has just happened is a normal part of learning and growth, and that will help you get through it and also change your perspective a little bit. And this is how to make sure and figure out if you're ready to move on and start something new. And so here are some steps that will help you get back on track and put that past failure into perspective.

Go ahead and reflect on what went wrong. Take some time to think about what might have led to that failure. What were the challenges that you faced? What mistakes or missteps did you make? What could you have done differently with the knowledge you knew then? Because don't do the hindsight is 2020 thing. And then when you reflect on what went wrong or not the way that you thought, you might start to identify patterns or areas where you need to improve if this is something that happens frequently.

Another thing you can do is get some support. If one thing is vital to your ability to bounce on back, it's having a supportive network of folks who want to and are willing to help you get through tough times and provide you with guidance and encouragement. Reach out to people you trust and talk to them about what's going on, what you're thinking. Maybe they can help you with your reflections. They might be able to offer you really valuable insights and advice, or simply provide you with the emotional support you need to get through this difficult time or be a sounding board. The next thing you need to think about is taking care of you.

After a setback, it's really easy to get caught up in negative thoughts and feelings. However, taking care of your physical and emotional wellbeing is really important, especially when you're dealing with a difficult situation. So, ensure that you get enough sleep, eat well, and engage in behaviors that help you relax and recharge so that you can go and move forward with your life.

Now, with the review that you did, learn from those mistakes and those missteps. The fact is, pretty much every failure is an opportunity for growth and learning. Try to take the lessons that you've learned from your experiences so you can apply them to your future endeavors. Use your experiences to make better decisions, and with each choice you make, you're going to become better at it.

Don't beat yourself up. Be kind to yourself. It's really natural to feel disappointed and upset after a failure, but it's important to remember that everyone makes mistakes and experiences setbacks. So be kind and don't beat yourself up over what happened. Instead, focus on the positive things you've accomplished and the progress that you have made. Use it as a motivation to keep moving forward. If necessary, take a break. If you're feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, it may be helpful to take a break from work or whatever it is and focus on other aspects of your life for a while, as long as you can afford to do it. Use this time to relax, recharge, pursue hobbies or activities that bring you joy so that you can return to yourself with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.

And look for new opportunities. Once you're ready, look for new opportunities aligned with your goals and interests. Don't fear risks and please keep trying new things. Sometimes the best opportunities come from failures. So, remember, it's okay to experience setbacks and failures. However, it is vital to learn from them and you will start again and be in a better place.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at The Career Introvert. Helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the 300th episode of The Traveling Introvert. This is Sparta? I don't know. When I started this journey, I didn't have any thoughts about where it would go or things I'd be able to do or even the thought that I would get to 300 episodes. To the point that when I hit 50, 100, 200, I didn't do anything special. They kind of like went past and I was like, “Oh, that's how many episodes I've done!”.

This one almost went past. But because I'm trying to batch a lot of episodes, I noticed, and because I also I made a hosting company, I noticed that, Oh, I've done this many episodes. I probably should do something. So I put a little call out and asked people to send me their questions. So there might be questions that they've been wanting to ask or write in about. And so I have a list of questions here. We're going to see how long this lasts that people wanted to ask. So here we go.

Question number one, how have you kept on podcasting for so long?

That is a great question because I think 300 episodes is just under two…three…no, five years? A long time. Especially as I've had an episode out every single week. And I've only had one month in there where I had adjusted reruns. And there've mostly been several episodes, apart from the past three that have had other humans that I've interviewed.

And how have I kept podcasting for so long? Because I draw a lot of the things that I talk about from life. So as long as my life keeps going and I keep meeting new humans and coaching new people and hearing about new companies and working within organizations, there's always going to be something for me to talk about. I do get paranoid that I'm repeating myself or I've already covered a topic, especially over the past couple of years when there hasn't been as much travel-related topics. So that has been interesting. I did at one point think about stopping, and I just had to kind of and that's when the episodes came out that were reruns. Then I got inspired again and carried on. That's also a reason why I batch record my episodes. I record a bunch of them and then I have a break. I don't have to think about it, or if I get inspired, I will record one off the cuff. But generally that I found has helped me keep going for as long as I have.

Also, just the way I set up the podcast to be a solo podcast for only five minutes, so I don't have to book people to talk to and arrange schedules and all of that sort of thing. And there's not too much back-end work to go with it. So how have you kept podcasting for so long? An accident? Sort of planned it. Happy that I have. But yeah, it’s definitely been an interesting journey.

Okay, next question is, where are some unusual places you have visited?

Travel one. Depends what you mean by unusual. Instead of unusual, I'm going to say one of the most unexpected places I've been to has been Sri Lanka. And this was because I ended up finding a website where you could bid on vacations. And this site isn't as popular now because of everything that's happened in the past couple of years. But it was frequented by a lot of hotels that were looking to get people to go to give reviews or just get the name and the words out there. And so it's really interesting that I did this random bid, and I was happy to do it because PayPal was an option, and I knew I could get my money back if it all went Pete Tong. And I won. I won this seven day vacation in this boutique hotel in Sri Lanka. And I'd already had a planned trip out to Asia anyway. So I was already going out in that direction. So I just had to tack this on. But not only was it a surprise that I won and that it was legitimate. Even still, when you get to the country, you're not sure what's going to happen, what to expect. And this place was gorgeous. And we were the only people in the entire place. It was, I think, no more than 10 room boutique hotel with a swimming pool and peacocks, and hammocks and private chefs and all for just two humans. And the food was amazing! And it's kind of hard to get used to sort of, they were like, “Well, you're the only ones here, so what do you want to eat?” And we're like, “I don't know. Bring us all your local dishes and we'll try them all.” I don't know what to ask for. And then you finally get into the rhythm of like, well, I could ask for this thing that I never get, or it's really difficult for me to cook. But yes, Sri Lanka was... I'm not going to say unusual, it was great. It was just unexpected.

All right, so next question. As you used to live in Mexico, what is the spiciest thing you have ever eaten?

So funnily enough, even though I used to live in Mexico, that's not where I've eaten the spiciest food. The one place that I ate the spiciest food was some random Indian restaurant in New York. I want to say Brooklyn, but I'm not 100 % sure because it was quite a while ago. I normally order the butter chicken. I'm not someone who goes for the vindaloo or the biryani. I'm pretty much a butter chicken a girl with no cilantro. I hate cilantro, so I hate coriander, so just the most basic thing possible. And got that butter chicken and it was so spicy that even with rice, you were still trying to look for milk or something else to douse the flames to the point that we didn't end up finishing the curry because it was so spicy.

All right, next question. What makes you roll your eyes every time you hear it?

You're all going to love this one. Well, you don't look like an introvert. Yeah, I hear that a lot from people who have just met me and hear what I do and then ask, “Well, why did you get into what you do?” And when I start with, “Well, I'm an introvert”, they're like, “But you don't look like an introvert”. You get the idea. That makes me roll my eyes real hard.

How comfortable are you speaking in front of a larger groups of people? Depends what you mean by large. I'm going to say I'm probably always going to be terrified because it's that nervous energy. I used to be in a lot of dance things and a lot of theatre things, and there was large groups of people. In fact, at one point I sang in the Royal Albert Hall, and huge amounts of people, you're always going to get nervous and terrified. But then once you start doing whatever it is that you're doing, that just goes away because you're in the moment and you're just doing your thing.

Let me see. What did you think was going to be amazing but turned out to be horrible?

Probably there's two organizations come to mind that I was really excited to work with and then was not by the end of it. That's a short version of those two.

How do you make yourself sleep if you can't get to sleep?

So I have the calm app and so there's a couple of meditations on there that I have saved as favorites, especially sleep ones. So, I will try and put that on and try and concentrate on it. Also, breathing exercises are things that I will do to try and get to sleep if I can't.

What life skills are rarely taught but extremely useful?

Finances, how do you deal with finances? You have this amount of money coming in, how much should you be spending on rent and food and transportation and insert all things here. Also, I don't know if it can be taught per se, but just skills of it's okay to be you, set boundaries and communicate and everything else should be okay.

This is a nice question. What brand are you most loyal to?

Our number one answer is Samsonite and number two answer is King Arthur- bakery stuff. I just got into that and oh, that's so good. And they're really good company. Owned by employees.

What is the saddest scene in a movie or a TV series?

Game of Thrones, Hodor. I'm going to go with that one that comes to mind straight away.

Okay. Last but not least, what qualities do all of your friends have in common?

They are low maintenance. That is what I will say. They are not friends who I need to message every single day. There are a couple that I end up really actually talking to almost every day. They are all dotted around the world. Majority of them use WhatsApp. Yeah, actually, those are a lot of things that they have in common. I don't know if those are qualities and they are all low maintenance. I could see them and not see them physically for years and we'd get back together and everything would be fine.

Right. Wow. Double the episode this time. Thank you for listening. This is Janice at TheCareerIntrovert.com. Thank you for helping me celebrate my 300th episode and helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Shy Introvert

This is the type of person who happens to be very quiet and thus avoids all contact with other people.

Even knowing the answer to something they would still choose not to talk since they avoid all attention.

Difference between Shyness and Being an introvert

People tend to confuse the two. The main difference is that shyness is a lack of confidence. In this case, it is important to note that confidence can be boosted or learned.

Introversion on the other hand is the people who tend to avoid other people or look inwards for their daily energy. They might be socially awkward.

Misconceptions About Introversion

A lot of people who struggle with communication believe that they were born like that and cannot change their introversion. Most of them need to know that they can work on their communication skills and later be best at what they do. You might be an introvert but that can change

Most introverts are aware of what they go through but, they are not aware that there are ways to 'fix' the issue. With time and dedication, they can turn their lives around. Of course not be Extroverts but mostly just be able to handle public speaking and such.

As a public speaker, you should realize that people will listen to you and will hold what you say, dear to them. Even if you might think that your actions and words do not influence people, keep in mind that they might affect somebody's life.

Life Lessons

● Do not be afraid to take risks in life.

● Always try harder even after failing.

● Do not be afraid to take disappointments positively.

● Learn from your mistakes.

● Do not be obsessed with making profits. Do what makes you happy.

● The first startup might not be the best for you. Learn to pivot in life.

Is a hotdog a sandwich?

Find Diana https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-robertson-skillsme/

Hello and welcome to the Traveling Introvert. Today, I'm going to talk about rest and the role it plays in helping you achieve your goals. As you work towards your goals, or your career or your business or whatever it is that you're doing these days- making the best sourdough ever, it is essential to remember the role that rest and recovery play in just your overall health, well-being, and success.

Your body and mind need time to recharge to perform at their best. Without adequate rest, you might feel tired and sluggish and unable to focus. In the long run, quite frankly, this leads to burnout and may hinder your ability to reach any goals you might have set. This is especially important if you're starting a new job because it tends to be the case where you start a new role, and they throw everything at you. They've got all these manuals that you need to look at and you've got all these PowerPoint presentations, and health and safety and paperwork, and meeting new people, and meeting new clients. And all of these things, all fire hosed at you. And you're also supposed to do your job. And never do companies put in their time for you to rest and recover. Because they assume when you go home that's what you do. Do you though?

So the role of rest and recovery, your body and mind need it. When working towards a goal, it is easy to become consumed by the drive to succeed. You may push yourself to the limit, sacrificing sleep and leisure time to pursue that singular objective.

However, this approach is not sustainable. Your body and mind need regular breaks to function correctly. Your body repairs itself during rest. One of the critical benefits of rest and recovery is that it allows your body to repair and rebuild itself. Engaging in physical activity puts stress on your muscles, bones and connective tissues.

For example, if you lift weights and exercise and ignore your body's needs, it might lead to muscle soreness, fatigue, and injuries. However, allowing your body time to rest ensures it will repair and rebuild itself, becoming stronger and more resilient in the process. Just like you're not supposed to exercise the same muscle every day, there's a reason for that. Also, rest and recovery will help increase your mental wellbeing. In addition to the physical benefits, rest and recovery are crucial for your mental wellbeing.

Constant stress, chronic stress and overwork can negatively affect your mental health, leading to feelings of anxiety, depression, burnout. Taking regular breaks allows you to relax and recharge, improving your mood and helping maintain a positive outlook. Making rest and recovery a regular part of your routine is essential to reap the benefits of rest fully. Ensure that you set aside time in your calendar for rest and relaxation and prioritize it. You can make time for whatever you need, including meditation, exercises like yoga, or simply taking a break to read a book or even listen to music. You will be more mindful regarding your needs with rest.

Listening and being mindful of your mental and physical needs is vital. If you are tired or overwhelmed, take a break. It's almost always better to take a step back to recharge rather than pushing yourself through. The more you listen to yourself and are mindful of your mind and your body's needs, the better off overall you will be. There is no doubt that rest and recovery play a huge role in helping you achieve all your goals.

We just don't think about it that way. We think about all the work that we do and the meetings that we have and the ticks we put on our To-do list. But it's rest and recovery that are real pillars. When you let your body and mind recharge, your physical and mental wellbeing improves, therefore increasing your chance of success. Take the time to learn how important it is to allow your body and mind to break.

Make rest and recovery a regular part of your routine. Listen to your body's needs. When you do, you will ensure that you are always at your best and ready to tackle whatever challenges come your way.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at TheCareerIntrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Mentioned in this episode:

300th episode

My 300th episode is coming up soon and I would love to answer your questions. Send them to janice@thecareerintrovert.com

Hello and welcome to the Traveling Introvert. So today, I want to talk about crafting the perfect daily routine for you, your needs, and your goals. So many times, we see articles, blog posts, podcast episodes-Top Five Things You Should Do To Be Successful. What are these five humans doing every morning? You got to get up at five and exercise and do something. Okay, great.

But we're all individual. We all have individual needs and goals and things we're working towards. So, creating a workable daily routine that works for you is vital for achieving your goals, right? And vital for keeping you happy and healthy. A well-designed daily routine can help ensure that you stay organized and on task. It can also help reduce stress by improving your productivity.

And I'm just going to talk about ways you can do this and things for you to think about. Some things will apply to you and some things won't, and that's okay. Identify priorities and goals. To understand your priorities, you need to know ultimately what it is you want to achieve. Ask yourself questions and be open to your answers. What are the essential things in your life?

What do you want to achieve? What would you want your obituary to say about you? Once you have this information, you can write down goals and use them as a guide or North Star when designing your daily routine. Know your energy levels. Introverts, you know how important this is. Know your energy level as well as your natural rhythm.

Plan your daily activities for when you're most alert and energetic. It is important to note that while your natural rhythm can be a factor in when you're more energetic, maybe in the morning or at night, daily habits and routines will also play a role. You can establish healthy sleep habits and a regular sleep week schedule, regardless of whether you are naturally a morning person or a night owl like myself. However, for most people, it's better to work within your true nature instead of trying to fight it.

If it takes you two hours to get going in the morning, respect that about yourself and plan accordingly. Set aside enough time-set aside time for self-care. While self-care is more than bathing and brushing your hair, if you're not giving yourself enough time to do the basics, you'll not have enough time to take it up a notch. Caring for yourself is vital for maintaining good physical and mental health. Make sure to include exercise, meditation, and relaxation in your routine along with other daily activities. Plan meals and snacks.

Proper nutrition is essential for good health and wellbeing, we all know. You wouldn't leave nutrition to chance for your kids or your pets. So why do you do it for yourself? Plan what you will consume and avoid unhealthy snacks or food. I mean, you don't have to eat healthy all the time, but say at least 80% of the time.

Consider switching out snacks for fresh fruit and vegetables and replacing fizzy beverages with filtered tap water, for example. A crunchy sliced apple can be more enjoyable than a bowl of chips. It's just most of us habitually choose cheap chips over apples. And please, please, please do not forget to schedule fun. Your daily routine should not all be about work. There should be play. Make sure to include activities that you enjoy, like reading, watching a movie, listening to a podcast, spending time with friends or family, petting your cat.

In fact, practice scheduling time to do these things- family time, friend time, you time. Schedule that stuff first and then put the other stuff into your schedule. Daily routine should be a guide, not a rigid schedule. Be prepared to adjust and adapt your routine when necessary, depending on the changing demands of your life rather than setting specific times for tasks. Some people benefit from using block schedules that allows them to be more flexible in the scheduling without sacrificing what needs to be done.

For example, if you then end up having an unexpected meeting, you can shift other tasks around in your schedule to make room for it. Track your progress. Regularly evaluate your daily routine are just as needed to ensure it is helping you achieve your goals while also keeping you happy and sane. Nothing feels quite as motivating as seeing how far you've made it towards a goal you've set. There is no doubt that a well-designed daily routine keeps you organized, reduces stress and improves productivity.

It all starts with identifying priorities and goals while also considering your natural rhythm and energy levels, plus ensuring that you remember to make time for yourself. Relaxation and fun never hurts. While you're aware of yourself and mindful of how daily activities and habits affect you, creating your daily routine to help reach your goals will almost happen naturally.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at TheCareerIntrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Mentioned in this episode:

300th episode

My 300th episode is coming up soon and I would love to answer your questions. Send them to janice@thecareerintrovert.com

Hello and welcome to the Traveling Introvert. Today, I want to talk about the power of celebrating your accomplishments and progress? This is something that I go through with my clients very frequently just because we get so stuck in the day to day of doing things that we forget how awesome we are. And so, have you ever stopped to celebrate your accomplishments and progress, no matter how small they might seem? And to be honest, if you haven't started doing it, you should start now. No time like the present.

Celebrating your successes, no matter how big or small, is a really integral part of the journey of life. Giving yourself that moment to celebrate solidifies the memory of what you have done in your mind so that you now know and will remember what success feels like. And once you know, you can bring back that memory anytime you feel stuck or overwhelmed. Celebrating accomplishments and progress can provide so many more benefits.

For example, it can boost your confidence and motivation. Recognizing and celebrating your achievements reminds you of your capabilities and reinforces the idea that you can achieve your goals. This in turn gives you the confidence and motivation you need to keep pushing forward and to continue making progress. Not only that, it keeps you focused and on track. Celebrating your progress serves as a reminder of how far you've come and the progress you still have to make.

This can keep you focused on your goals and prevent you from being sidetracked or with shiny things on losing sight of what you've been working towards. Not only that, it can help build momentum. Celebrating your accomplishments doesn't mean you need to have a big party every time. You could just take a moment and sit and acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and effort that you've put in. Noticing and recognizing how the accomplishment feels will help build momentum and make it easier to keep moving forward and easier for you to recall it at a later date when you're feeling a little low.

It can also help maintain a healthy and positive mindset. Celebrating your progresses and your accomplishments can help you stay positive even when things get tough. It will remind you of good things that happened and are currently happening and will enable you to keep that positive attitude. Not only that, it provides your mind with the memory of success. Once you have the experience of knowing what it feels like to accomplish something, even if it is small, that memory will fuel your motivation and continue pushing you along that road of progress, even when things become more complex or challenging.

Evaluating your progress feels good and that feeling will keep you going. Now those are some of the benefits of just celebrating your accomplishments and progress, no matter how big or small they are. But how do you go about celebrating if it's not going to have a big party every time? And so, I want to talk about ways that you might want to think about celebrating your accomplishments and success. I mean, the first thing is, what I tell all my clients is have a little pop that you can put on a mug or anything of that nature that you can put piece of post-it notes in and write down anytime you achieve something and put it in this particular vessel. And then when you're feeling low, you can dip into the vessel and pick out something that reminds you how good you are. And or at the end of the year, you tip it all out and read them.

But here are some other things that you can do. You can reflect on what you've achieved so far and how far you've come. You can share your accomplishments with others, whether that's through social media, a group chat in person, whatever works for you.

Treat yourself to something you enjoy, whether that be a walk on the beach, a favorite meal, a new book, or something else that sparks joy. Set aside time to celebrate with friends or family, whether it's a special dinner or a fun outing, keep reminders of your accomplishments in your space so you can think about them as you continue working towards whatever goal it is you have. So let what I've talked about encourage you to take the time to celebrate your accomplishments and progress. No matter how big or small, recognizing your accomplishments will help you stay motivated, focused, and positive as you continue on your journey.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at TheCareerIntrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Mentioned in this episode:

300th episode

My 300th episode is coming up soon and I would love to answer your questions. Send them to janice@thecareerintrovert.com

EXTROVERSION

Generally, a person who recharges or at least feels better and more composed while among other people. At the same time, it is important to note that the time one needs for themselves is also important.

Misconceptions about meditation Teachers

Most people assume that meditation teachers have every part of their lives figured out. This could not be far from the truth; it is important to note that they too are humans and are prone to anxiety and other mental challenges of life. The difference is that in some way they can deal with stress and anxiety much better than an average person.

Proving yourself as a meditation Teacher in the corporate world

Dealing with the corporate world is a bit tough since you will need to go the extra mile of having to sell your expertise and deliver what is expected of you. You will be dealing with different people from different fields. On top of this, all these people will need to feel your value. In short, they will need to see or feel value for their money.

This becomes even harder since you will be dealing with different people or different roles in a company and thus the way you handle them each time is different.

Improving oneself

You will need to be able to concentrate on one thing at a time and not get distracted by other things or chores on your to-do list. This brings about a lot of discipline in whatever you decide to do. This can be boosted greatly by self-meditation.

Breath Awareness

This is breathing in and out deeply while being aware you are doing it. This can help you calm down greatly. In case you are about to face a difficult conversation or you are straight from one, this will help you calm down greatly. This can be called micro meditation.

Advantages of Meditation

Mediation will help you sleep better; you will be more aware of when your mind is wandering off and thus help you bring your thoughts into control. It helps with the nervous system since you are more composed and less stressed.

Know your limits

Know when to say no to people and listen to your body more. You need to know your limits and get enough time to recharge. Your body needs to develop more and get some rest when you can.

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks and can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, rash, joint pain, and fatigue. If left untreated, it can cause serious health problems. It is important to protect yourself from tick bites by wearing insect repellent, long sleeves and pants when outdoors, and performing regular tick checks. If you think you may have been exposed to ticks and are experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Authenticity In Life

As a person, you need to understand that not being yourself is much more stressful than just being you and people accepting who you are. Whether you are an extrovert or an introvert you need to be more aware of who you are than who people want you to be

Is a hot dog a sandwich? (Joke)

Connect with Molly at woodhullwellness.com

Mentioned in this episode:

300th episode

My 300th episode is coming up soon and I would love to answer your questions. Send them to janice@thecareerintrovert.com

Hello and welcome to the traveling introvert. Today I want to talk about accountability. It’s come up a lot recently with some of the work that I’ve been doing with clients and some of the work I’ve been doing with organizations. And it can come from things such as people saying, no one holds managers accountable. It could be, I need to do this thing, but I have no one to keep track of. Or I have a client working on a project, and I’m the kind of person that doesn’t get stuff done, unless there’s a huge time limit, or a milestone that I need to hit by a certain date. They need that external force, that validation, that accountability. And here’s thing, the way life is set up, we get toward accountability at an early age in school and University and at work, if you work for your if you work for a company, there is external accountability, because you have a manager. But if you work for yourself, or there’s some personal stuff, it’s really kind of not as easy to get accountability. And accountability is really vital for success in life.

Being accountable requires that you take responsibility for your actions and are able to answer for their outcomes. And it’s a really, really crucial trait and thing to have, not just in your personal life, but in your professional life as well. And so today I want to talk about six ways that you can be more accountable.

Set personal and professional goals. When you have defined goals, it’s far easier to be held accountable for your actions. If you don’t have goals, it’s easy to get kind of sidetracked and go after the shiny thing, and not really accomplish what you wanted to. Having realistic and achievable goals will help you stay on track. While at the same time giving you something to strive for.

And speaking of staying on track, it’s also one thing that you can do is track your progress. That way you know how close you’re getting to said goal. Right? This will help you stay accountable to yourself and see how far you’ve come. We’re really good at setting goals and not realizing the work that we’ve done to get there and sort of looking back, and we’re viewing and patting ourselves on the back that,” hey, I’m a hit this goal at this time, but I did all of this other work towards it”. You can track your progress in any way you want. In a notebook on an app like whatever works for you, but keeping track is key.

Another thing can be, tell someone about your goals. Telling others about your goals. Trick your mind and makes it a little bit more real and help you stay accountable. And it’s really helpful to choose someone who supports and encourages you. On one hand it could also be like, it could be family member or friend, or it could be good to pick someone who is very far removed, so you feel extra accountable to them. You can join a group or a class related to your goal, so that you are also surrounded by unlike mandated people. Tell somewhat about your goal, your actions.

Another thing you can do is create consequences for yourself. Now, if you find it difficult to be countable to yourself, maybe you can create consequences for not meeting your goals. Maybe you could give yourself a set amount of time to complete a task. And if you don’t, you have to do something that you’d rather not do. Maybe run a certain amount of laps or clean something. I don’t whatever it might be, creating consequences for yourself can work for some people. So, give it a try.

Another thing to help yourself, help you stay accountable, could be to set deadlines. If you want to be more accountable at work normally, someone will set deadlines for you. A project manager, a manager, manager, whoever might be, will help set deadlines. So, in your personal life, you should also set deadlines. It works. It will help you stay on track and avoid procrastination. When developing timelines and setting deadlines, be realistic and give yourself enough time to complete the task. If you go ahead and are unrealistic with your milestone setting, or your goal setting, it will help you feel kind of unmotivated and overwhelmed, and then you won’t want to do the thing. So be careful when you are setting deadlines.

And another thing you can do is find an accountability partner. This is someone who will motivate you to stick your goals and never get off track. Choose someone who has similar goals as working towards the same thing. You can meet up with your accountability partner regularly and check in with each other and offer support.

Again, accountability is a necessary trait to have to help you sort of get things done. And so hopefully these tips have been helpful and will help you be more accountable for your actions.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at thecareerinrovert.com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the traveling introvert. Today I want to talk about living by your core values. So, here’s the thing, hopefully, if I ask you, what are your core values? You have an idea of what those might be. Your personal core values are thing that you believe are most important in life. These principles guide and dictate how you live your life and how you make decisions. Developing your personal core values is a really important exercise that can help you clarify what is most important to you. Knowing your personal core values ensures that you commit better decisions, set boundaries and help you live a far more, sort of, authentic feeling in life. And so, if you don’t know what your core values are right now, that’s OKAY. There are ways to kind of, and I’m going to talk about ways to develop and to sort of help you live by your personal core values. And these might change over time. Don’t think that because you’ve OKAY, I’ve, I’ve got core values check, and I should live by them. They may change just because of the world around your things that happen. But first thing to do is clarify what’s most important to you.

Developing your core values as an important first step. But how exactly do you accomplish this? Core values guide how you live your life and make decisions. There are many ways to develop your core values. One way is to think about what you believe in and what’s most important to you. What about, what do you stand for? What do you value most in life? Another way to think about developing your core values is to look at your past behavior. What principles have you consistently upheld in your life? Once you developed your personal core values, it’s really important to let them be, sort of north star, guide you. It’s important to live by them. And this means making decisions based on your values and setting. And setting boundaries based on your values and living in alignment with your values. This will help you make better decisions, right?

One of the benefits of developing and living your personal core values is that it will help you make better decisions. When you know what your core values are, you can make decisions based on those values. They can help you avoid making decisions that are not in line or in tune with what’s most important to you and guide you down a different path. Decision making therefore becomes much easier when you know what you stand for. When you clearly understand your core values, you can use these to guide all your decision making and any decision-making process that you create. It can help making tough choices with confidence and clarity. Not only that, it helps you set boundaries. I’ve always talked about, as an introvert, how important boundaries are. And setting boundaries help you protect yourself from people and situations. It can help you identify relationships that are not healthy for you. If a relationship is not in line with your core values, it might be time to set some boundaries, or even end the relationship. And part of this is when you’re clear about what’s important to you, you then start to breathe life into those values that are quarter you and help you avoid your living a life that feels little off a little inauthentic or out of alignment with your values. And then for living within this alignment, you’ll find more meaning of purpose in your life. When you live a life that is true to your values, you’re more like to feel fulfilled and satisfied.

Now, on the other side, living by your core values, can sometimes mean making sacrifices. For example, there may be a time where you must give something up because you want to uphold your values. This can be difficult sometimes, but it often necessary to help you live a life that is true to your values. And don’t get me wrong, not all sacrifices are equal. Some may be small, such as giving up a material possession, how the sacrifices such as giving up a relationship or a job might be far more significant. But all sacrifices require you to give up something to live by your true values and stand by your values.

Now, when you have these values and you know what they are on your crystal clear on them, there will be challenges. There will be occasions that prove difficult to uphold your values. You may be tempted to give up or cave in to pressure. But if you want to live by your values, you should be aware that these challenges will come up. They are not always negative. They can actually help you grow and become stronger. So even though challenges may be complex, they can ultimately help you lead a more fulfilling life. So just talking about that, these are ways that can support you in developing and living by your personal core values. And this, in return, were enabled you to lead a more fulfilling life.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at thecareerintrovert.com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the traveling introvert. Today, I’ve talked about Burnout in the past, but today I want to talk about why it is so common, the commonality of burnout, why almost every person that you talk to in a room will have experienced burnout in some way, shape or form, during their lifetime. And right now, more people the most probably experiencing burnout within the past two to three years.

According to dictionary.com, burnout is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. And is categorized by feelings of doubt and disinterest. But most importantly, a decreased sense of accomplishment on achieving your goals. Burnout occurs when you feel like you are unable to meet the demands of your life, and you’re not getting the support that you needed to cope and carry on. And this is a problem that generally is caused by chronic stress.

When you are under chronic stress, your body is in a constant fight or flight state. This can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, gastrointestional problems, intestinal problems. Sorry. Burnout may also lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and/or depression.

Burnout has been coming increasingly common due to the demands of the life we live in right now. You’re expected to do more and be available far more than ever before. Technology, which is great, has made this possible for you to be connected 24/7. However, due to this, you are far more likely to take on too much, too much responsibility. And, don’t get me wrong, there’s never just one factor that contributes to burnout. But I’m going to talk about some of the most common ones.

Unreasonable workloads. When you are given or have accepted, more work than you can reasonably handle, it can lead to feelings of overwhelm and then anxiety. And this sustained, so it becomes chronic, then will eventually lead to burnout. One of the other things could be a lack of control. It’s not uncommon to feel powerless in a job or life when things aren’t working out quite as planned. However, a lack of control can also lead to feelings of powerlessness and almost despair. And so, this can contribute to burnout. How long will these unrealistic expectations? What expectations are placed on you that are unreasonable, and therefore you cannot meet them? Also, there’s a flip side of that. These unrealistic expectations can lead to feelings of failure and inadequacy when things don’t work out as you thought they would, no matter if they were realistic or not.

Another thing that can lead to burnout is poor work life balance. If you’re working too much and not taking enough time for yourself, it can lead to burnout. You need to try and set up your life in a way to provide time for you to relax and recharge and not be overworked, so you can avoid and/or recover from burnout. One area that is definitely overlooked when it comes to burnout is having a lack of social support. If you don’t have a support of network of peers, or accountability buddies, or a coach, or a mental and generally all of these things, it can be really tough to manage the stresses of life or your work. And this, along with some the way it works out, can lead you to feel isolated and lonely, which can also help trigger other negative emotions. And then you go in this downward spiral. So having that lack of emotional and social support can also lead to burnout.

Then, here’s one that is very, very common in the workplace, is a lack of appreciation. It is so disheartening when you don’t feel appreciated for your efforts. And it’s possible if you are doing something and you don’t believe what you’re doing is valued, it will lead to a loss of enthusiasm and the belief that your labor is meaningless. And we all know that people leave bad managers, not bad jobs, but if you have a good manager and your job, makes you feel undervalue, you will still leave, or just be led to burnout, because you’re just tired.

Then there’s a conflict of values. When your personal values conflict with the values of your job, your organization, or your manager, have definitely had a client where their values were at odds with their manager. They just found it really hard to carry on. When you experience this conflict, it can be very stressful. A lack of value alignment will lead to a sense of a dissonance and frustration, which can lead to burnout, because you’ve always got this, this conflict happening. That is a definite stressor.

Burnout is a serious problem that can profoundly impact your health and well-being. So, if you are struggling with burnout, or think you are struggling with burnout, please seek help and support to help overcome it.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at thecareerintrovert.com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of the week.

Hello and welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I want

to talk about work, working hard. We have a habit of wanting to be always seen

as working hard. And there's a difference between being a hard worker and

always working hard.

Working hard is often lauded as like the key to success. You

must work hard, pull yourself up by your bootstrap, struggle through, keep

going. And the thing is, there is levels and working too hard can actually be very

bad for you. And there are a lot of different ways how overworking, more than

working too hard, is bad for you and can negatively affect your life. If you

want to be happy and balanced and successful, overworking isn't the way to go.

You can do it in short sprints, but for long periods of time

it's not the best thing to do because it can lead to burnout. When a person is

burnt out, they might feel like they can't keep going, or they're not cut out

for the demands of their job. However, burnout therefore can lead to

absenteeism, lower productivity and increased risk of error. If you are

experiencing burnout, take a step back and assess your work situation. You know

what?

Even if you're not experiencing burnout, take a step back

and assess if your work situation is attainable. Are you taking on too much? Do

you need more help? Are there changes that you can make to your work schedule,

or your routine, or the way you do things to help you feel less overwhelmed, so

you can recover from burnout? If you are overworked, you are more likely to get

sick.

Your immune system will eventually fail if you are

constantly working hard and putting in long hours with very little breaks or rest

or recharge time for both your body and your mind. When you don't have that

time to relax and to recharge, your body is more susceptible to illness. And so,

if you're constantly feeling run down, it might be time to assess your work

schedule. And along the lines of overworking and getting sick, you're also more

likely to get injured. If you are overworking your body when you are tired,

your reflexes are slower. And because of this, there are more accidents just

waiting to happen.

So, if you become aware that you are getting sick or hurt

more often than usual, maybe take a look and maybe it's time to cut back on

your working hours if you can. Now, along with the fact that you are more

likely to get injured and sick and feel burnout, because of all of these things

compounded, you are much more likely to make mistakes. When you are exhausted

and overworked, focusing and paying attention to detail is harder. And many

people sort of drink a lot of coffee to try and combat that. And that might

work in small doses, but over a long period of time it's just going to keep

building up. You're going to find it harder and harder to pay attention. And as

a result, you are more likely to make mistakes, not just at work, but during

your life in general.

You might be slower to make that turn when you're driving.

You might be slower to see someone. And that's how accidents happen. And we

already talked about getting sick and getting injured and so accidents, and

accidents is when you make a mistake. If you're making a lot more errors, you

are therefore costing your company money.

And so maybe it's time to rethink how much you are working.

And because of all of these things and so many other things that kind of

combine when you are overworked for long periods of time, if you are working

all the time, when do you have time to actually enjoy your life? When you're

constantly hustling, it's super easy to forget what brings you joy. So, if

you're feeling unhappy and unfulfilled, it might be time to reassess just how

much work you are taking on, and how hard you are working. No one can tell you

what your balance is.

You yourself need to find your unique balance between working

and playing and being successful and feeling happy. And it doesn't always look

like inequality on a scale, it works for you and your particular needs.

However, working too hard can and will harm your health.  So, take time for yourself. Relax and recharge

or you will end up burning out.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at thecareerintrovert.com,

helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

What Is Introversion?

This is the tendency of turning

inward more. Introverts spend most of their time analyzing what happening o

them and around them. They are more in touch with their feeling and the

feelings of others. They take time to energize and recharge in their lives.

They also need people in their lives unlike what most people think. It is only

that it is different for them. They just need a balance.

Journey into learning oneself

Most introverts at an early age,

think something is wrong with them. They tend to be extroverts only because it

does not work for them.  There is this

one point that people forget, Introverts Think then speak while extroverts

speak to think. Understanding this will make you understand more about these

two people. Introverts will tend not to note their surrounding as most of the

time they are in their heads.

Their behaviors come to them

naturally. Most books that are out there, there were written for extroverts

rather than introverts. It's not true to think that introverts generally want

to be alone.  They just do not like

excessive exposure to many people. They like a controlled environment.

Time Management

Introverts need to have order in

their lives. The best thing that they do is have a calendar and plan about what

they will be doing. This is unlike most extroverts who just wing it. The

calendar happens to bring order into most introverts' worlds in the corporate

world.

Misconception about podcasting

Most people tend to think that

podcasts are just for introverts. This is far from the truth. Podcasting is for

almost everybody.

Scary Things for an introverts

Putting yourself out there is the

hardest thing for most introverts. Introverts need to be understood more in

society. A study has shown that the number of introverts is 50% of any

population but for some reason, the actual number is shown to be lower. This

recent study just shows that introverts need to be heard more.

Find David on

quietandstrong.com

This is a bonus episode for national introvert day

Introversion

These are the kind of people who are more comfortable alone

or in a room of people who are hardly interacting with each other. As for

Angela, she might be an Ambivert which is a person who has a balance of both

introvert and extrovert. This highly depends on the circumstance or setting.

Job Recruitment

HR professionals have more to them than what we see. They

have to make decisions for the company and keep the company alive from the

sidelines. There is a misconception that HR is just for recruiting and protecting

the company.

In a company, the HR manager should be able to make

decisions based on the information got from both the company's side and the

worker's side. This is very important since in some cases there are wrongful

terminations.

Habits

Regular habits are very important in a person's life. Some

habits are hard to break but others are not even worth breaking. These habits

are the ones that help us in life, may it be meditation, reading, and more.

These habits will one way or another define who we are in life.

Angie can be found on LinkedIn at

linkedin.com/in/-angelabates.

Speaker 1 (00:01)

Hello and welcome to the traveling introvert. Today I want to talk about burnout. I know I talk about this a lot, but for this particular episode, I want to talk about the fact that burnout is not just about being stressed out. I was having a conversation with a client recently and they we're talking about the end of the year and list of stuff to do and just general stuff to do and having projects in mind and what are you going to do next year? And the usual stuff that happens around this time of year, which happens to be the end of the year, in case you're listening at some other time.

Speaker 1 (00:43)

And I mentioned that, hey, maybe you don't want to do anything for the next month because you're showing signs of burnout. And the response was like, yeah, but this is the least stressed job I've ever had. How could I possibly be displaying signs of burnout? And so there was a couple of things that were interesting. One, that because they said they were very used to being in very toxic work cultures where they were stretched pretty thin.

Speaker 1 (01:14)

Chain of all trades was the phrase used, and how they were everything to everybody and therefore they were used to being in a very stressful environment and that was a past job and now they're in a new job and it's been the least stressed they've been this job is less stressful. And so I made a statement, actually, which was stress doesn't equal burnout. I understand that you are no longer in a toxic as toxic or a different type of toxic work environment, but you are still currently in a toxic work environment. It's just a different type of toxic. You know that frog that's in boiling water and it's fine, it's fine, it's fine.

Speaker 1 (01:55)

It really isn't because it's killing the frog. The frog gets out, but it's just jumped into a pan that the water isn't boiling yet, it's still warm, it's still bad for the frog, but the frog thinks it's fine because it's not as bad as the other pot. So a lot of people get confused and think that when you're talking about burnout, it's just about how stressed and overwhelmed you are. And that's not always the case. Yes, definitely, burnout can come from stress, but burnout can come from so many other areas.

Speaker 1 (02:26)

Burnout can come from having to make too many decisions every day for an extended period of time. This is one of the reasons why moving house can be extremely stressful. It's not the fact that your moving house and going to new space that is normally joyful, but having to make decisions of do I keep something? Do I throw it away? Do I give it to charity?

Speaker 1 (02:45)

What do I do with it? Having to do that for each and every item in your house is exhausting because we only have so much cognitive function to make decisions per day. Another thing is when you are in constant conflict, even if it's microconflict, this is something that happens a lot to people of colour. They are always experiencing microaggressions, right? That can be wearing, that can grind you down, that can lead to burnout, that can lead to you feeling very angry all the time.

Speaker 1 (03:15)

Another thing could be just disagreeing with the values that you have, don't aren't in line with your manager's values or your company's values and fighting that all the time can be wearing. Having a person in your team that is always that squeaky wheel and not necessarily in a good way, that's always going behind your back or backstabbing or you're always waiting for them to say something nasty that is grinding on you and that could lead to burnout. Because you're dealing with this negative emotion constantly and fighting it, and it takes extra energy that you don't have. Burnout can come and I'm not even then talking about like a physical burnout. Burnout can come from so many different things in so many different ways that don't think that just because you're not stressed, and I'm putting this in air quotes, stressed, doesn't mean that you cannot be experiencing burnout.

Speaker 1 (04:12)

So just stop and think for a minute, oh, hey, maybe I am wicked tired, maybe I am experiencing a form of burnout and what can I do to neutralise that or get myself better? And don't think that it's just do one thing and for a week and that'll be fine. No, this is something that needs to be worked on on a regular basis and with thought and intention.

Speaker 1 (04:40)

So please move forward with your life with the intention of dissipating or getting rid of or getting better from burnout. Thank you for listening. This is Janice at The Career Introvert, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Speaker 1 (00:01)

Hello, and welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I'm gonna talk about work life blending. So I was talking with a client the other day and this this conversation happened where they mentioned that a key executive of the organisation that they work with, they were at a leadership conference conference and this particular executive was like I don't want to talk about work life balance, I want to talk about work life blending. And this particular executive mentioned that even while they're on vacation, they made sure that they took an hour a day to look at their emails this way. They felt that they continued to be in the loop and also didn't feel the stress of having to play catch up when they came back after their vacation.

Speaker 1 (00:53)

So any organisation that mentions work life blending should be a huge screaming red flag. Work life blending to the point where you are always thinking about work unless you're like you're a founder, I get that, but you're just a director of an organisation or a manager of an organisation. Work life blending should not be something that your organisation talks about at their leadership conference. To the point because then the question there's a couple of questions here because when there is work life blending and you are taking an hour or two of each day of your PTO, in some countries that means you are actually working that day. That is not PTO.

Speaker 1 (01:46)

So what happens to that extra hour of PTO? Does it go back in your PTO bank? What goes on there? Also, this probably means that you are taking your work laptop with you on vacation. You could be working in a country that you're not supposed to be working in.

Speaker 1 (02:07)

Also it could mean that you have your work emails on your phone if you have a bring your own device policy connecting to an unsafe WiFi network, possibly while you are on vacation. Doubt you were going through the company VPN, but that's a different conversation to be had. The more important conversation is if any organisation tells you that they are all for work life blending run away.

Speaker 1 (02:40)

Work should not bleed into every aspect of your life, it sets. And the fact that there's an executive saying this means now that at a leadership summit means that now all the leaders are very much like oh, so I guess I need to put work email on my phone now and respond at all hours of the day or at least as quickly as possible. But this shows an inherent lack of planning and a lot of organisations do this. They don't have a plan for what to do when someone goes on vacation. How is their workload distributed?

Speaker 1 (03:17)

What happens to their email when they come back? Is it a soft landing or a hard landing? Most people come back and they're dreading the hundreds of emails that are going to be in their mailbox. Is there a way to mitigate that? Is there a way to let people know far enough in advance that they're going to be on vacation?

Speaker 1 (03:35)

Therefore they should email somebody else having a backup, making sure that backup human is trained on whatever has to happen next. Or very much like this person's on vacation for a week, everything else is going to be on pause. So this other person isn't overloaded just because someone is on vacation. It's all about workload balance. It's a workload balance and a lot of managers and organisations don't even think about it.

Speaker 1 (04:04)

And it's something that is really, really important. Also, when people go on maternity leave, if you have maternity leave and you go, what happens? Do the rest of your team just get overloaded? Does the work get spread out and do people get extra time off? What happens?

Speaker 1 (04:17)

It's all about the planning and organisations are really good for planning about when they get work and projects, but not for when people have to need to deserve to take time off. So companies out there, I challenge you, show me your plans, what you do when people take time off, whether it's expected or unexpected, what do you have in the pipeline? What do you have as a plan, as an SOP, as a guideline for what happens when people take the time off they deserve and they need to come back and be productive for your organisation. Thank you for listening. This is Janice, at, the career introvert, helping you build your brand and get hired.

Speaker 1 (05:00)

Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the the the Traveling introvert going

to talk about workaholics. And the reason I want to talk about workaholics is

because so many of us come and live in a workaholic environment. And we might

not think about it, but you probably grew up or working in a workaholic culture

or maybe a family or even your business that you've almost self imposed on

yourself that you are now a workaholic. And what do I mean by a workaholic? And

my question to you would be when was the last time you left work on time?

When was the last time you didn't take your laptop on

vacation with you? When was the last time you didn't have your work emails on

your phone and then you were checking every time there was a ping? It is so

easy these days with the expected 24 hours access and people expecting you to

respond very quickly, that we become workaholics. And for introverts it's even

worse because part of that workaholic culture means that you do not have

downtime or recharge time or creative brain time or just time to help prevent

burnout and zoom fatigue. So thinking about your average work day or work week,

what does that look like?

One thing that some people do is every day they look at

their calendar and they try and make sure they have no more than say, two or 4

hours of meetings on their calendar. Because, let's be honest, how much are you

really concentrating if you have more than 4 hours of meetings or conversations

on your calendar? Some people go for four day work weeks, so they preserve maybe

a Wednesday or maybe a Friday morning or a Monday afternoon. So they can do

deep, focused work or just have free time for anything that might pop up. What

about vacation?

I know that a lot of people do have very limited vacation

depending on where they're living, but how can you strategically use that

vacation to get what you need as a human and what this all comes down to? And

sort of also how often do you cheque your email? How frequently do you respond

to people immediately? All of these things tend to be because we have a lack of

limits and guardrails and boundaries without limits in a fully flexible, remote

first environment, it is super, super easy just to keep on working and to be

working constantly. Not consistently, constantly, especially if you've grown up

in a school with a university, with people around you and your family and the

culture that is workaholics related.

You might obsess over your client designs, you might obsess

over your clients, you might obsess over the project that you're doing. And it

feels great until it doesn't. Because without guardrails and boundaries and

limitations, you're more than likely to work 8910, 1112, 14, 15 hours a day.

And when I say work, is it going to be quality work or is it going to be work

under stress and dress. And when you're tired, when you work these kind of

days, you're not giving yourself time to be sick, to take a break, just to

breathe, to give your eyes a rest from the screen.

There's things that we don't do. So clear limits to meetings

and work hours, helps prevent burnout, helps prevent zoom fatigue, helps

prevent you from doing harm to yourself. You need clear limits and boundaries.

Most people are way more productive and focused when they have a self imposed

boundaries, limitations, maybe even a condensed schedule. And sure, you might

not always achieve that goal of having no meeting Monday, but if you do it,

more than not, you will see the benefits.

You need to be intentional about putting in these

guardrails. You need to be intentional about setting these boundaries each

week, each day, to ensure balance and focus productivity without wasted time.

And a lot of it can be done with asynchronous sort of practises, but just

something to think about. Are you a workaholic? Thank you for listening.

This is Janice@thecareerintrovert.com helping you build your

brand and get higher. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the travelling introvert. I'm going to

do a travel episode. It's been a while, there's some less travelling going on,

but I want to talk about cruise ships. I have being on one, I'm contemplating

going on another and I have many people asking me and I see a lot of videos

also going on about well, the extroverted people will want to do all the

partying and the introverted people, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah

and generally not covering the information that you want about cruises. What I

will say is that most cruise lines do what is called sort of traditional

dining, where you are sat at the same table every night with random humans.

If that is not something that you are into for various

reasons. I recommend NCL because you can eat at any time and anywhere and or

virgin except for the Korean barbecue place because you can go and eat when you

want. Where you want and you are not forced to sit and socialise with complete

strangers who you may or may not like for the duration of your cruise. One

thing I will say about cruise ships is there a lot of hidden nooks and crannies

where you can just sit and read a book and no one will bother you or just watch

the water go by.

People may games rooms are extremely popular, definitely

made friends in the games rooms. If you are a solo cruiser, there is a lot of

cruise ships that do solo supplement. There are quite a few that now aren't and

are definitely creating environments that are really good for solo.

I've got solo surfers in my mind and I know that's not the

right word for solo travellers. And one thing that would be great if you just

want to get away and have some peace and quiet, there's definitely the spa

option within a lot of the cruise ships so you can get a day pass and you just

go and you go from hot tub to sauna to steam room to just lounging around and

that's a great recharge thing to do. And there's generally no children allowed

in those areas as well. If you are into trying different types of cocktails,

that is one huge plus point for maybe all inclusive places, but also on cruise

ships because you've already possibly bought a beverage package. You can go and

try things that you wouldn't normally try or you're not sure about or any of

the above and you can go and sit and have a cocktail or a beverage or try

something in any way that you want or take it back to your room and enjoy the

water.

I highly recommend getting a balcony just because when you

want to recharge, you get to go and you still get to enjoy being outside

without necessarily being outside with a bunch of people. Having said that,

most cruise ships are large enough that there are little nooks and crannies

where you can sit and watch the water and not interact with other humans if you

don't need to. But you also have the option of interacting with humans in a way

that you have control over, which is incredibly nice. But being able to try all

sorts of food, being able to drink all sorts of drinks and there's games,

there's arcades, there's all sorts of things to do when you want to recharge

and be by yourself and there's lots of things to do with other humans. It's

kind of like a staycation, but a floating staycation.

I've probably talked about staycations before, where you

would go and stay at a hotel, maybe in the town that you live in or maybe the

next town over if you want to get some work done or you just want to recharge

or you just want to treat yourself. And so this is a different version of that

that just happens to be floating and maybe you get to travel to a couple of

different islands while you are at it, even if you are travelling with another

human being or with a group of people. The great thing is that as long as you

have your own room, you all can do things together and then you can separate

and come back and do things in your room or somewhere else and then agree at a

time to meet, to then have dinner or lunch or games or whatever it might be. It

is great for groups of friends as well. I am definitely looking forward to I

think I'm probably going to book another one and to see how that goes.

A lot of cruise ships have a big central area that tends to

be very, very noisy. However, the Virgin Cruises, apart from being out, only

have lots of different smaller areas within one big area, how they've described

it as a yachtlike experience, but on a cruise ship. So I'm curious how that

works out. That's just a little bit of random information about cruising if you

are an introvert and or a solo travelling. So thank you for listening.

This is Janice@thecareerintrovert.com, helping you build your

brand and get hired and recharge. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the not so travelling introvert. Today

I'm going to talk about dealing with difficult people or more to the point, how

to tips for dealing with difficult people. No matter where you go in the world

world you will find difficult people and difficult to you might be what's not

difficult. For me, difficult can mean various things and while we go out in the

world and maybe we socialise and socialising is a beneficial activity that most

people look forward to, it can also come with a lot of stress as there are many

difficult people that you have to deal with out there in the world. Just about

anything you do will require dealing with humans and some of those humans will

be difficult at some point from colleagues at work to the people you cross on

the way.

While fulfilling simple everyday errands like grocery

shopping. Dealing with difficult people is frustrating, stressful and can be

downright eggsofting, so there are things that you can do to help deal with

them. And so I want to talk about six tips on how you can make it easier to

deal with difficult people. Don't have high expectations. Don't expect anything

from anyone but yourself.

You can't control others no matter how destructive or

difficult they may be. So lowering your expectations decreases your stress and

allows you to keep control where you can. If you expect nothing then you don't

need to waste your time worrying about what ifs. Stay calm and recognise the

fans. Unfortunately, some situations will require you to work with or be around

difficult humans.

Avoiding them will not work in these situations, so instead

focus on the facts and data and always draw attention to that. Don't add your

emotions to the situation and be as calm and direct as you can be. Using facts

and data to your advantage puts most difficult humans to rest as their only

trying to cause a fuss and don't have supporting facts to help. You can also

practise assertive communication. So assertive communication can be direct and

clear about your boundaries while also being respectful of the needs of others

as well.

This helps difficult humans understand that while you have

boundaries, so do other people. And so you should respect other people's

boundaries as much as you should hope that they would respect yours. Another

thing you could do is maybe find common ground. Many times there are situations

where you can find that common ground that makes it easier to cope with a

difficult human. For example, when you're completing an important work assignment,

both parties have the goal to get the work done and hopefully get to the work

done well.

So putting your differences aside and focusing on that goal

is one of the best ways that you can hope to get the work done successfully.

Another thing you could practise maybe is ignoring their demands or negative

responses. Difficult humans want to get under your skin and cause a reaction.

So don't allow this to happen. Simply ignore them and don't give them that

pleasure to gain control over you and your emotions.

Overall, their opinion or idea of you is really none of your

business or important to where your life is going. This is only a temporary

moment of your life and you have control over your body and mind not to

respond. Sometimes the best response is none at all and you can avoid defensive

and negative behaviour. Don't respond poorly. Take responsibility for the

situation and your actions and reflect on the more you reflect on that other

person's behaviour, the worse the interaction will become.

So just don't just let it go. Practise these things. Next

time you come across a difficult human, remember you are only in control of

yourself. While you cannot change the difficult person, you can control your

all reactions and responses to them. The more confidence and control you have,

the more difficult they will become.

Thank you for listening. This is Janice at

Janice@thecareerintrovert.com helping you build your helping you build your brand

and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the Travelling introvert. So I recently

did an episode on why inspiration is so important and I got messages asking, so

it's important, how do I go about finding inspiration? So here you go. I'm

going to talk about about ways that might help you find inspiration when you

need it. And the importance, as I said before, of inspiration cannot be

understated.

Inspiration spurs creativity and it is a driving force

behind any artistic endeavour. Without inspiration, we would not have the

beautiful things we have that fill our lives with joy and happiness. And while

there are different ways to find inspiration in life, it can be difficult to

pinpoint exactly what works for you or for the type of inspiration that you

need, because you might find you need different types of inspiration for

different things. And that's okay. Because of this, it's really crucial to

experiment with different avenues until you find something that suits your

needs and helps you with what you need to do.

Look for inspiration in your everyday life. Keep your

options open, and experimenting is the best advice that you will probably hear.

Inspiration is everywhere, but you need to be willing to take the time to look.

So when you're possibly staring at a blank screen and you know that you need to

write 500 words or whatever it might be, one thing you can do is take a break.

You may be so focused on your work that you don't realise that you're exhausted

or hungry or hungry or just need a bio break.

Take some time away from the computer or your work

environment. Go for a walk, read something completely unrelated and then come

back. Another thing you can do is change your environment. Getting into a new

environment will help you find new ideas and perspectives on your work. It can

also help you get away from distractions like social media or other tasks that

can take time and will keep you distracted.

I know that some people very much have an area for creative

work and an area for non creative work and an area for admin work and an area

for finance work. And they've kind of like trained or tricked their brain into

realising, oh, I'm in the creative space now, so I will be creative. It works.

Your brain loves that kind of a thing. Another thing you can do is do a

different task.

Do something completely different from what you're currently

trying to accomplish. This, again, will help your brain sort of take a rest and

in the background it's going to be working on stuff. And this can sometimes

help your brain kind of get that downtime, that ram time to figure out

something else. Find a new perspective by talking to somebody. Find someone to

talk to and ask them and talk through what your thoughts are and they'll be

able to give feedback and or find someone who inspires you and study their

process, then think about how they found their inspiration and turned it into

something extraordinary.

You could also take a risk. The truth is, risks are

essential. Creativity often comes from pushing boundaries and exploring

possibilities that can lead to new thinking and ideas. This could also mean

confronting fears and insecurities and digging deeper into personal demons and

being open to the world around them. Taking a risk, or as some people like to

say, kind of getting out of your comfort zone, can come with its own rewards.

Depending on how it's done. You can also listen to music.

Music can be a fantastic source of inspiration and also can help change your

mood. It's a wonderful way to learn how to think creatively about your everyday

habits. So listening to songs you know you love, or instrumental music for some

peace and quiet time, can be wonderful things.

Or even having certain music for certain tasks that you do.

You can also read a book. Reading can help inspire innovative ideas while also

providing insight into new topics that you might not have explored before. You

might even discover something about yourself. Along with reading a book, of

course, I'm going to recommend listening to podcasts.

It's so easy these days to go into your podcast app and put

in a word and it will bring up a list of podcast episodes from podcasts all

over the world about that topic. So it's a great way to learn a different

perspective on a different sort of topic. And obviously, I haven't explained

every way that you could find inspiration. You could find inspiration outside.

You can find inspiration like looking at different things.

There's just so much out there. It's just being open and how

that looks to you. As you can see, inspiration can come from many diverse

sources. It may seem difficult to come by, but it takes an unfamiliar

perspective, mindfulness and proper reflection to find it. Thank you for

listening.

This is Janice@thecareerintrovert.com, helping you build

your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the not so travelling Introvert. Today

I want to talk about inspiration. Every now and then I get asked about who

inspires me, why do I do the things that I do? And to be honest, I don't have a

specific, specific person in mind. There's not someone I want to be or someone

I admire per se.

And maybe it's because I don't really understand the admire

part. I don't know. But inspiration is different as far as how I find

inspiration to do the things that I do, or for new podcast episodes, for

example, or a cross stitch pattern or whatever it might be. Inspiration happens

all the time in everyday life. But sometimes we get so bogged down in the grind

of stuff and just getting through each day, you know, go to work, eat, come

home, eat, sleep, repeat that we lose the access to avenues for inspiration.

And that can be a bad thing. Finding inspiration can be the

key to success in any area of your life. It can help you develop new ideas,

overcome challenges and stay motivated. And if you don't have a way of looking

for inspiration, then life can become very stuck. Inspiration can come from

many places.

It could be a book, a movie, a song, a person. Maybe you

have a hobby that you're passionate about, or a cause that you care deeply for.

Finding ways to spark inspiration or finding things that inspire you, can help

you achieve goals in really random ways. So I want to talk about six reasons

that will help you understand why it's important to find inspiration. So let's

start with new ideas.

If you're feeling stuck, inspiration can give you the push

you need to come up with new ideas. It can help you see things from a different

perspective, maybe create or develop creative solutions to problems. Let's say

you are a writer struggling to create new ideas for stories, for a book that

you're writing. You could try reading books in a genre that you don't usually

read, or watching movies from different cultures. That could help you see

things in a new light and then come up with fresh ideas for your writing.

Having inspiration can help you overcome challenges. When

facing a difficult situation, inspiration can give you the strength to kind of

keep going. It can remind you of your goals and why they are essential to you.

If you are dealing with a personal challenge, you could look to someone who's

overcome a similar obstacle. Reading that story, watching them speak, listening

to them speak, watching a movie about them, can give you hope and ideas of how

you too can overcome that challenge.

Inspiration can help you stay motivated. Losing motivation

when things get tough is so very common. But if you have something to look

forward to, it can help you to sort of just get through those tough times.

Inspiration can give you a reason to keep going even when things are tough.

Inspiration can help you find your purpose or a purpose. If

you're unsure what you want to do with your life, inspiration can help you

discover a purpose. It can show you what is possible. Help you see the impact

that you could have on the world. Maybe your goal is to start your own

business.

When reading about successful or maybe even unsuccessful

entrepreneurs, note what it takes to repeat their success or avoid their

failures. It can give you inspiration and motivation at the same time. Also,

inspiration can help you connect with others. When you're feeling inspired,

it's so much easier to connect with others. Inspiration can help you find

common ground and build relationships.

So that's a great thing. And it can also then lead you to

help make a difference. Inspiration can help you see the potential for change.

It can show you how your actions can positively impact humans and therefore the

world. When you are inspired, you have the power to make a difference.

Say you're passionate about environmentalism. You may be

inspired to start a recycling programme at your school or workplace. Or maybe

you're concerned about social injustice. You may be encouraged to volunteer at

a local nonprofit that helps those in need. No matter what your passion,

inspiration can help make a difference.

It's what's needed when you want to achieve your goals. If

you're feeling stuck, don't give up. You will keep looking for that inspiration

and eventually it will lead you to success. But only if you give yourself time

and space to find inspiration. So that's my final thought for you.

Dear listeners, how much time do you leave every day, week

or month to find inspiration? Thank you for listening. This is Janice @thecareerintrovert.com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great

rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the Travelling Introvert. Want to talk

about guilt? Guilt comes up a lot in many different ways and one of the things

I found is it is a real driving force to what people do and why they do it. And

guilt guilt can come up in many ways that can be detrimental but.

Also can be helpful. But a lot of it is cultural.

And what you've been taught to do. And if you're a people

pleaser, this is a huge thing. It's not necessarily about pleasing people, it's

the guilt involved if you don't. So, are you guilty for no reason? Guilt is a

feeling that everyone experiences at one time or another and that is fine. It

is an emotion that tells you that you've done something wrong. But while guilt

is a normal and healthy emotion, there may be times where you end up feeling

guilty for no reason. And this type of guilt is known as irrational guilt and

is often the result of irrational thinking. And what this means is that you are

thinking about something in a way that's not based on reality. The thoughts you

are having are not a fact. There is no data supporting that information. For

example, if you feel guilty because you think you should have known better than

doing something even though you had no way to know about it, you're wasting that

emotion. You end up feeling that guilt. Alternatively, you may feel guilty

because you could have done more to prevent something from happening. As a

result, you just made the wrong choice, which may lead to anxiety and even

depression.

So we need to talk about ways to kind of look at guilt.

First of all, figure out is the guilt based on data or is it just a thought? If

it is just a thought, you need to acknowledge that guilt that you're currently

feeling is irrational. Remember that just because you feel guilty doesn't mean

you actually are guilty of anything. If you can convince yourself or point

yourself in the right direction and reframe and take a look at the data and see

that the guilt is irrational, it will be easier for you to let go of it. Write

down your feelings so you can read them out loud. Take notice of the areas that

are just thoughts and not fact and not based on data and are not realistic.

Circle them or write a note, whatever it takes to make you aware of how

irrational it is, then identify the source. Once you have acknowledged that the

guilt is irrational, it's really crucial to figure out where that is coming

from. What's in your past that might be causing you to feel guilty? Often the

source of guilt isn't even something that you should feel guilty about.

If you can identify the basis of, let's be honest, the

shame, then you'll be able to better deal with it. And sometimes that takes

time and practise, and that's okay. It's not something that will happen

overnight. This is a continual practise. Especially if you're the kind of

person who's been feeling guilty for most of your life and say you're now 2030

or 40 years old.

It is going to take a long time for you to unlearn.

That automatic a lot of the time. Feeling of Guilt one thing

you can do is try to change your thinking patterns. This means learning to

question your thoughts and evaluating whether they are based on data and facts

or reality. If you find that your thoughts are not based on facts, then you can

start to challenge them. Another thing you can do is talk it out. Another way

to overcome that irrational guilt is to find someone to talk to. It could be a

friend, a family member, a therapist, somebody that you trust. Talking through

your feelings and talking about them can help you understand them better and

might help you get answers. It is essential to take action to overcome feeling

guilty all the time. It shouldn't be a habit. And to be fair, a lot of the time

it is just because of the way that we've been conditioned. This might mean

forgiving yourself, for whatever it is you feel guilty about, or taking steps

to make sure that you don't repeat the behaviour that caused that guilt in the

first place. Taking action will help you overcome that guilt and move on. Don't

get me wrong.

Everyone struggles with guilt in some way, shape or form.

You are not alone. It is a common emotion. But there are things that you can do

to overcome it. Talking to someone about changing your thinking patterns and

with mindfulness and time, you'll learn to overcome that irrational guilt which

will help you move on with your life and your career. Thank you for listening.

This is Janice at the Career Introvert, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the the Travelling introvert going to

talk about self understanding and the reason this has come up is because

there's a common thread throughout of the questions that you see online or

through things that my clients ask me and a lot of it comes down to self

understanding. And so I want to talk about why self understanding is important.

Self understanding is the ability to understand who you are, what you want to

do and what you need to be able to do that. It's the ability to understand your

personality, how your mind works, how your body works and how your personality

and how it functions. It's examining understanding and comprehending your own

thoughts, feelings and motives along with figuring out how your body best works.

And you might think that this is a simple thing but the

truth is most people experience a lot of external pressure and outside

interference when growing up both at home and in society with families, when

you're at school, when you're at university and jobs. And this can sometimes

make you sort of deny yourself or try and fit yourself into a mould that you

think you're supposed to be in instead of trying to understand yourself better,

advocating for what you need and want and then going forth and getting that and

communicating that. Self understanding is so important for so many aspects of

your life. Not just your career, which is what I talk about the most, but

relationships in general and personal development. It is an integral part of

life because it helps you grow as a person and will be successful because you

understand yourself better.

And there are many benefits to understanding yourself

better, including improved decision making skills. When you understand how you

work and your own thoughts and feelings, you therefore can make better

decisions because you're going to be more rational and thoughtful about what

you do, because you're less likely to make your emotions get in the way. And of

course understanding yourself better equals greater self awareness goes without

saying. By understanding your own thoughts and motives you will also become

more aware of your own strengths and weaknesses which guides you and allows you

to work on improving yourself in those areas. Then there's improved

relationships.

When you understand yourself better you will find that

you'll be able to relate to others better, you'll be able to communicate more

effectively and understand where others are coming from. And this in turn will

lead to more robust and meaningful relationships with people you actually want

to have a relationship with rather than just having people in your life that

don't support and help you when needed. And because of this, studies have shown

that people who understand themselves better tend to be happier in the long run

than those who don't. And this there's no clearcut reason why, but it might be

because they accept themselves for who they are and aren't as hard on

themselves when making mistakes or different decisions. Overall, the deeper

understanding you have about your needs and your body and the way your mind

works will lead to better stress management.

People who understand themselves better are better at

managing stress, and this is because they know their triggers and then know how

to deal with their emotions in a healthy manner. So there are many ways to

improve your understanding of self. One thing you could do is try keeping a

journal where you can write about your thoughts and feelings. Make sure you

review your journal. Reading your entries will then help you identify patterns

about your behaviour to learn more about what makes you tick.

Additionally, spending time with those close friends and

family members can be helpful because they can give you feedback. Talking to

others about your thoughts and feelings can help you gain new perspectives and

learn more about yourself. So no matter what method you use, increasing your

self understanding is really important in living a happy and fulfilling life.

When you know yourself better, you can advocate for yourself and make choices

that are right for you to achieve the goals that are important to you and lead

the life that you want to live. Thank you for listening.

This is Janice@thecareerintrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the Travelling Introvert. Going to talk

about quarterly planning. And the reason I'm doing this is because it's come up

a lot both on social media plus with clients that I've spoken to. And one thing

that I'm hearing resounding against and again is that why is quarterly planning

the norm? A lot of people in different organisations find that they do

quarterly planning.

The quarter starts and then halfway through the quarter they

have to start planning the next quarter. And so their mind is never really on

what they're supposed to be accomplishing this quarter because they're

desperately sort of thinking about what the next goal is rather than

concentrating on achieving the first goal that they had set. And that's really

interesting along with the fact that. Okay. Financials tend to be quarterly and

business tend to be quarterly.

But does it have to be a set quarter when people are

thinking about. For example. Right now. If you listen to this episode in time.

It is Q Four and it's considered to be the last quarter of the year and people

are thinking.

Okay. What can I do in Q Four now? I happen to be right now

in the United States and Q Four involved, okay, all of October. That's great.

Probably half of November because Thanksgiving hits the second to last week of

November.

So people are already like trying to think of travel plans

are not really there, thinking of cooking or already starting to wind down. And

then you've got the week you come back from Thanksgiving which is catching up

with all the stuff that you didn't do and all that good stuff. And then you've

got like a couple of weeks of December and depending where other festival

holidays turn up there, sometimes holidays will turn up early or later in

December depending on what you do or do not celebrate. And then you have the

holiday season and that can start anywhere, sort of like mid December. So Q

Four, when people are planning for Q Four they're like, okay, what can I do in

the next three months?

But the reality of it is probably more like a month and a

half and you're trying to squeeze all these things in and this doesn't just

happen for Q Four a lot of the time. So at the start of the year you're

thinking, okay, I have a whole year, I have twelve months, I'm going to make

this plan. And a lot of the time we make a plan based not on really good hard

data. When we plan, we normally plan, okay, we've got three months, split that

three months up into each individual month and then into each individual week.

Like, okay, so I have 40 hours to work on Eckh.

But do you really? Because do you actually consistently work

at 100% for 40 hours a week? For most of you, I'm guessing the answer is no. So

already your math is wrong and then you're not taking into consideration days

where you don't feel 100% or days that you are sick and or days where something

comes up like the car breaks down or you get covert, like there's all sorts or

just sick. There'll have to be covered.

But these things happen. And when we make our plans, we do

not take these things into consideration. We assume that we'll be 100% working

40 solid hours for that time, and that's not doing you or anyone else any

favours. And also when we're planning and one of the time, we don't take into

consideration the time needed to recharge. Great.

I can think that I'm going to go to five networking events

per month. Am I factoring in travel, preparing and recharging from said events?

Probably not. And this is where the biggest part of where introverts make bad

decisions when they're thinking about planning in general, they don't take into

consideration, okay, when do I work at my best? What kind of tasks do I do at

my best?

And when I'm at my worst, what can I do to recharge and how

long does that take? And is that just recharging mentally or is that recharging

physically as well? So when you are planning, be it Q, four off the whole year,

trying to take more time to take those things into account is really helpful.

For example, for me, when I am doing planning, it's a case of look at the

calendar. Where are all the holidays that could possibly happen, depending on

what country?

And is it federal holidays, national holidays? Insert word

here holidays. Okay, those are blocked out in my calendar. All right, what other

holidays? Like, do I work for my birthday?

What about family members or things that I do on a regular

basis? For example, pie day not working part day. I'm making pies on pie day.

So taking those into consideration, when you are doing your planning, you

shouldn't be thinking about what do I need to do first? You should be thinking

about what things are there already that give me break, that gives me pause,

that sparks joy and helps me recharge and live my best life.

I could talk about more about this, but I'm not going to

right now. So thank you for listening. This is Janice@thecareerintrovert.com

helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the the the travelling introvert want

to talk about some habits that a lot of introverts might have. And to be

honest, most of the time they are misunderstood. Like most things about

introverts, there's a lot of misinformation out there or people make

assumptions about things. For example, if you work in an office you might want

to have lunch by yourself and your coworkers might see you as being unfriendly

or not being part of the team because you wish to recharge by having lunch by

yourself. Yet I know so many introverts tell me about how they go in their car

to eat lunch or go in their car and drive around the corner so people don't

come and knock on their window in the car.

I myself used to go and sleep in my friend's car to start

with. I used to work very close to where I lived so I would walk home, nap and

go back to work. I'd even feel better off not eating food because I napped. And

then when I worked a little further away, I would actually ask to borrow my

friends car keys because it was nice and warm and sunny so I could go and sleep

in their car for half an hour. But a lot of people see this as being rude or

why wouldn't you want to eat with the team or with other people?

It's not that we don't want to, it's just normally that is a

really good time for introverts to recharge their battery. Then there's if you

are working in remotely right now, wanting to sometimes just not have your

camera on for zoom calls, introverts and extroverts all people talk about zoom

fatigue. Do you remember the world before zoom? In the world before zoom we had

confidence calls. At no point was video a thing, right?

You'd have this thing in the middle of the table and

everyone would dial in using their phone and you would have a conference call.

Yes. The bad side was people would talk over each other but it was half as

exhausting as being on video all the time. So why is it now that people think

it's rude or you're not paying attention when you are not on video in a zinc or

it's just like being on the phone. It's almost like we've forgotten how to do

that.

It doesn't mean you're unsociable, it's just some people

will find that it is a lot of stimulation looking at all the faces or just

looking at yourself for hours on end. Then there's wearing headphones at work.

If you are in an office you might use headphones to cut out the noise to help

you concentrate and do deep work. Or just maybe you just like listening to

music. It helps you get into the groove of working more.

Again, this can be misconstrued as you not wanting to talk

to people and not wanting people to interrupt you because you're too good to

talk to everyone. But reality is probably just a really good way to help you

focus. So these are just a couple of things that we talk about when people

assume certain things about things that introverts might do to help them

recharge. Now, it doesn't make us rude. It just means that we know what we need

to keep our batteries charged and people should respect that and maybe just ask

a question, but not in a derogatory or accusing way.

Then there's also sort of like small talk and wanting to go

out for drinks after work. Yes, sometimes that might be great, but if we've

just spent 8 hours in and out of meetings around people and then you want us to

go and spend another two or 3 hours talking and drinking with people, it might

be too much. Our battery might already be drained and spending more time with

you would drain our battery further. So we don't necessarily want to do that.

And a lot of people say that this is prime, like bonding time for the team when

you're out of work and you can let your hair down and talk about to be honest,

you talk about work.

So after having 8 hours a day doing that at work, why would

you necessarily want to go and do it in your recharge stroke spare time? So

this is again one of those times where people just jump to conclusions about

what helps and works for different humans to help them just be better at work

and be better in their lives. I would love to tell listeners what is one thing

that you do in your work environment that people question or misconstrue?

Please email me at janice@thecareerintrovertcom and let me know. Thank you for

listening.

As I said, this is Janice, the career introvert helping you

build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to 

The Traveling Introvert want to talk about public Speaking speaking

skills, presentation skills. So many times I hear people who are introverts say

that they don't like public speaking speaking because they're introverts. And

it's really interesting to hear that because then it kind of perpetuates the

myth that introverts can't do public speaking, which is not the case. What

tends to be the case is that there are some levels of anxiety, of fear, of

nervousness around public speaking and possibly just not even knowing the right

tools that you might need to channel your anxiety or how to calm down or just

being confident in what you're saying that makes you think that it's because of

your introversion. But as we all know, introversion is about how you channel

and use your energy, right?

So I want to talk about ways to channel your anxiety, if you

do have that, and how to improve your public speaking skills. Now, there is no

public speaker in the world that hasn't felt nervous, some butterflies before

going out on stage because it is something that can be electrifying and

lifechanging. And you're telling people who want to listen to you about

whatever it is that you're speaking about. You are commanding that attention.

So it is only natural that you feel maybe a little nervous and some butterflies

in your stomach and that is fine.

Now, first of all, there's so much inspiration. If you need

some inspiration when you're thinking about public speaking and the type of

public speaker that you would like to be, or even just presentations or talks,

look for recorded videos like Ted Talks or that sort of thing, giving speeches

about maybe a similar topic as you. What have they used for props or visuals?

How have they arranged things? How have they even crafted their speech?

What has worked and what hasn't? And then another thing is

when preparing for a presentation or a speech, consider the wants and needs of

your audience. What problem is it that they need solving? How can you help

solve it for them? And what do they really want to hear from you?

And last but not least, actually it should be first is what

is the goal of your presentation? Why are you doing this in the first place? Is

it to make a sales pitch? Make sure that people are informed about X, Y and Z?

To let people know about a service that is available or an event like why are

you doing that?

And that will help channel some of the things that you want

to talk about. Use your body language to advantage facial expressions, gesture

and good posture all help make an impact when telling your story. Look people

in the eye, smile, walk around if possible, to give more passion and more

credence to what you are saying. The best speakers present themselves as being

friendly, confident, enthusiastic and energetic. Wow.

Well, that is the first of the podcast and I am not going to

edit it out. Practise breathing from your diaphragm instead of from your chest.

When we are anxious or nervous, we tend to do a lot of shallow breathing, and

it makes it really hard for us to get deep breaths and to be able to slow

ourselves down. So just think about breathing from your diaphragm. It really

helps if you're standing up instead of your chest to better control your voice,

the tone of your voice, the pitch and the volume.

Because what some people find is when they are nervous or

anxious, their pitch and their tone changes in their voice, which makes it more

difficult for people to understand, which helps them feel more nervous, and

then they get faster and all of those things. So stop thinking about those and

remember, take a good outline. You don't have to fully write out your speech.

And if you have slides, please, please do not read from the slides. Have some

bullet points and talk around it.

It's going to make you sound more natural because you're not

reading word for word. Engage your audience, ask questions and encourage

participation. That way they're more likely to remember what you're talking

about and not just be like, staring at the PowerPoint presentation that you

have in front of them. People love hearing stories. Stories help bring the

message home for them.

So if you can tell a good story that's related to your

speech topic, please do so. And practise. Practise again and practise some

more. Thank you for listening. This is Janice at The Career Introvert, helping

you build your brand and get hired.

Have a great rest of your week.

The word introvert has a lot of myths and misconceptions about it. In this episode I talk about the real meaning of the word "introvert"

Hello and welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I want to talk about how about the word introvert? Introvert is a word to explain how you manage your energy levels. However, when you go and look at a dictionary, like dictionary.com says a person who prefers calm environments, limits social engagement or embraces a greater than average preference for solitude, that sounds great, but then when you go and look at thesaurus.com, it's synonyms for introverts. It's got observer, okay, homebody, solitary, loner and wallflower.

And those aren't necessarily true.

In a world that is constantly moving, it can be really easy to forget the importance of taking time for yourself and for us introverts, that is especially true. It doesn't mean that you're shy or antisocial. Of course you can be both. But in the pure sense of the word introvert, it means that you manage your energy levels differently from, say, an extrovert. As an introvert, you may need more time alone to recharge after a long day or maybe a night out.

And to be fair, it is no secret that introverts need alone time to recharge their batteries. But what many people don't realise is that energy levels can also affect how an introvert functions in social situations. When an introvert is low on energy, we are more likely to be withdrawn and less engaged in conversation. On the other hand, when we're feeling energised, we may be more talkative and outgoing. So what causes these fluctuations in energy levels?

It could be anything from a poor night's sleep to too much stimulation from being around people. For introverts, it's really important to pay attention to our energy levels and make sure that we are getting enough downtime and recharge time. Otherwise we risk burning out and becoming overwhelmed by social interactions, interruptions and just not having enough me time. And so when you think about this need for managing the energy levels, that's why introverts may prefer to work independently rather than being in a team setting. This is why introverts might prefer an office where they can be closed off, where they can function and go ahead and deep dive into work than an open plan office.

Even in the cubicles, they might prefer the corner cubicle rather than the one that faces out to the career. Introvert might also enjoy having some me time after work or on weekends in order to relax and recharge. And this looks different for all types of introverts. We all have different ways how we recharge and how we manage our time. And sometimes we are more aware of our energy levels than other times.

But if you meet us when we've had back to back meetings and haven't had any chance to take a drink of water or a bio break, you're probably more likely to have a lower energy level, which will lead to us seeming less attentive or taking part less. It's not that we don't want to, it's just our battery, our energy battery has been drained. Some people say, oh, you have resting hate face on you. Well, no, I'm just tired. I'm just tired and I want to go home.

So when you think about the word introvert, don't think about it as being shy or socially anxious or not liking people. While those things might be true, they are not the pure thought about introversion. It's a word to explain how you manage your energy levels. And you, as an introvert, are in charge of managing your energy levels, not anyone else. So this is why you have to advocate for yourself.

This is why you have to learn what works for you to energise yourself. And what does deplete you. Different things will deplete you in different ways. Different people will deplete you in different ways. You are in charge.

So use that energy that you have. An advocate for yourself. Advocate for your needs. Speak out. And this is how people will get to know more.

That introvert, it's not a bad thing. It's just a word to explain how you manage your energy levels. Thank you for listening. This is Janice@thecareerintrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Bye.

Hello and welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I'm going to talk about the fact that you don't need a mentor, you need a champion. And there is a huge difference. Mentors and champions are two important figures in the professional world. Both offer guidance and support, but there are key differences between the two.

And so many times I hear people saying they need a mentor and expecting that to come for free, which is a whole other conversation. Mentors are typically more experienced professionals who take on a protégé to help them develop their skills and knowledge. That mentor protégé relationship is built on trust and mutual respect and the mentor provides advice and feedback to help their protégé grow. Champions, on the other hand, are advocates for someone or something within an organization. They use their influence to promote their protégé or project within the company.

And they work to ensure that that person has the resources they need to be successful. They already know that you can do the job and so they promote for you and fight for you. While both mentors and champions can be helpful in professional development, it's really important to know which one is right for your needs. So as I mentioned, a champion is someone who can help you accomplish your goals. So usually people have been successful in their field and are willing to share their knowledge with others.

But they tend to be people who go and be above and beyond the call of duty to help you succeed. They're the people at work who will always have your back. They're the ones who fight for you when you need it the most. Champions are the ones who make sure you get the credit you deserve and they're also the ones who help promote you within the company. So that's the difference between a mentor and a champion.

And we all need a champion in our lives in some way, shape or form. So how do you even go about finding a champion at your workplace or even outside of your workplace? Look for people who are always willing to help you'll find that a champion is someone who is always willing to sort of lend a helping hand, whether it's the project or just offering advice. Look for someone who is a strong advocate for others who are in your position. A champion is someone who will speak up for you when management isn't around.

And they'll also be your biggest cheerleader during reviews or promotions. Think about attending events like conferences, meetups or anything sort of work related or not work related, but events related to your field of interest. And start networking with people there. You may be able to find a champion among those attendees. Now, in today's working world, it's more important than ever to have a champion.

Maybe also a mentor, but a champion in your corner. A champion is someone who believes in your potential already and is willing to fight for you, whether that means helping you get a promotion or being a standing board for your ideas. Yes, they might think you need improving or in your skills, but the whole point is they already know how awesome you are. They already can see how good you are at your job or how good you might be for a different role or project or promotion. They already have that faith in you, rather than a mentor who sees your potential and is going to help you work towards X, Y and Z.

They are both useful in their own distinct and different ways. So I'd love for you to take a moment and think, who is a champion for you right now? Do you have one? If you don't have one, how can you go about finding one and how much of a difference that can make to you and your professional career?

While it's great to have a champion at work, I get it. It's not always easy to find one. But if you are lucky enough to have a champion in your life, especially at your work, cherish them and let them know how much you appreciate their support. And why not look into being a champion for somebody else, someone who needs lifting up. Having a champion in your corner at work can lower stress, help you when you're down, and give you insight into very different areas of your workplace and get you on projects you never would have dreamed of.

Thank you for listening. This is janice@thecareerintrovert.com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the Travelling Introvert. Today I want to talk about being a manager. Whether you've created this role yourself or you're new to being a manager and how you need to craft and create a peer support system. Now, you may have been a manager before, you may know everyone at your workplace, you may have been promoted to be a manager so you know everyone and you know what's going on, or you might be a new manager in a new role in a new company. Either way, you need to have a support system during the first 90 days of any new role.

It's super stressful and having a support system is beneficial in many ways, not just for the first 90 days, but for your ongoing success as a manager and a leader. Now, when you're thinking about setting up your peer support system, the idea is for you to get a system that helps you feel supported and helps you manage stress and is a go-to group of people humans that you can go to about work stuff. So, for example, I was working with someone who has crafted their own position within their job and they're the first person that's done it. They took certification and now, like the other director of Insert Bank here, they've never been director of anything in any other organization, don't have experience in this role in any organization or any other organization. So they don't know what they don't know.

While they know the culture of the company, while they know everyone that they work with, they don't know really huge gaps that they might have in their learning just because of the way certifications are made these days. They don't necessarily cover a lot of real world scenarios and nothing gives you more experience in working in different types and sizes of organizations. So this person has gone out to try and create their peer support system of fellow humans that work within her industry as well as outside of her industry, but have the same role or job title, or have had the same role and job title previously because they can help fill in the gaps of what she does and doesn't know. Not only that, having insight into other industries and other verticals and seeing how they do things will help them figure out what might be missing from their work. For example, after getting this group of peers together, she figured out that she needed a better infrastructure and policies within their workplace and also just generally software.

The company did not have software to track general things for this particular type of work. Not only that, it gives you people to go and bounce ideas off who aren't part of the work, click or don't know about the drama and aren't involved in those sorts of things. It gives you a space to learn and to grow and see how different people deal with the type of situations that you have or how they've dealt with them in the past. And everyone learns together. And so there's nothing better than having that feeling of nonjudgmental support when you are in the first throws of a new position or just when you are a little bit further along.

I want to expand your knowledge now, you can't just go ahead and get anyone when you're thinking about building a peer support system, but do think about where the gaps in your knowledge might be missing. And this is where it's a really good idea for you to kind of do a skills audit and figure out where your blind spots, your weaknesses might be. And then go ahead and find people who have skills and strengths in those areas to be part of your peer support network. This helps you take care of yourself as a manager and a leader. This shows your potential for growth.

This helps you on your personal journey. And by doing this, we will help expand your network. And it's not expanding your network because I need to do networking. It's because you want to support others who are in the same situation. As you will end up finding people who you want to mentor or you want to be part of their peer support group where you are further along in your journey than they are, when you also want to find out all sorts of industry things that you might not have known, websites to go to, pieces of software tricks and tips that you just didn't know about.

It's all about gaining knowledge. It's not necessarily about the networking and the people. It's about gaining knowledge so you can be good at your job and successful while balancing out and reducing that stress. Because you know you have people that you can go to who will answer your questions in times of need. Thank you for listening.

This is janice@thecareerintrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week and don't forget to do that skills audit. Bye.

Hello and welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I want to talk about how you can view your business as a creative project. Now, as an introvert, you may or may not see yourself as a creative person. I definitely have struggled with seeing myself as a creative person only to have creatives look at me like I'm got two heads and don't understand why I don't consider myself to be a creative person. However, you too can view your business as a creative project and this might help you tap into your creative side and help you come up with new and innovative ideas.

And so I want to talk about some tips on how you can go about viewing your business as a creative project. Whether you be a freelancer, sellerpreneur, a small business owner insert word here. So start off by defining your creative vision. And for some people that's their values. For some people it's their mission statement.

What is your creative vision? Do you want to help introverts around the world build their careers and get hired? Or do you want to stamp out imposter syndrome? Do you want to make sure that every flower has a shady spot to rest in? Whatever your creative vision is, define that.

And then as part of that, develop a plan that supports that plan and that vision. But make sure it also supports your creativity. And keep in mind your time management, your energy management and things that are important to you. For example, maybe you're about anti hustle, maybe you're about five minutes a day is enough. Whatever it might be, make sure that your plan supports this.

Then set aside time on a regular cadence to brainstorm new ideas that could be every week, every quarter, every month, or whatever works for you and your lifestyle. And then keep a journal or book or to do list or whatever it might be of your thoughts and ideas. Having a place to dump thoughts and ideas is really helpful. Some people call it second Brain. Just a way to get it out of your head and try and take on new challenges and experiment with new things.

Don't be thinking that once you try things that are the be all and end all and that's the way it has to stay, we really get caught up in thinking that once you try a thing, that's the last thing you can do and if it doesn’t work, that's the end of it. It's an experiment, it's a creative project. Another thing that's really important is don't be afraid to delegate or outsource tasks that don't support your creativity. If you are not into writing outsource to delegate it or find a way to do it differently, like voice to text. Find different ways that support your creativity so you're not being sucked into things that drain your creativity.

Also be open to feedback from others, of course, constructive feedback. And embrace change and embrace failure. As part of the learning process. Not everything is going to go right, not everything is going to go perfectly and not everything is going to go the way you think it's going to go. And that is okay.

I know someone that I work with is currently showing everyone, every time they quote, unquote fail, they might go and apply for a certain thing. They are creative, so they'll apply for certain art programs or for certain jobs or like voiceover work, and they have now taken to posting every time they don't get that role or don't get that job to help normalize that. Hey, not everything you see on my Instagram and my LinkedIn is going to be me success all the time. These are quote unquote failures. But also, like, I tried and I didn't get it and that's okay.

And I'm learning and moving on. Take time for yourself outside of your business to refuel your creativity. Be that taking time off, going to the beach, going for a massage, whatever it might be. No one is creative 100% of the time, so don't expect yourself to be either. So all of these things will help you with saying no to things that are not in line with your vision and your creative project.

And if you are currently having problems saying no, please check out the link with a worksheet that will help you in different ways to say no and set those boundaries that help you're to keep you on course with your creative project, your creative vision or life in general. Thank you for listening.

This is janice@thecareerintrovert.com helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.

Hello and welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I'm going to talk about leadership. I was talking with a client the other day and it was a group of managers who were in for some leadership training. And the first question is what makes a leader a leader? And this led to like a 45 minutes discussion and conversation between what makes a leader different from a manager or from an influencer.

Some things that came up right now is that how being a manager is considered to be old school and very rigid, and more about giving people tasks, and how a leader is like the new cool kid on the block. But people really couldn't identify what makes being a leader different. One person was like, well, a leader is someone who gets followed. People follow you if you're a leader. Which led to the conversation about, okay, so there's a bunch of people on Instagram with thousands of followers.

Does that make that influencer a leader? And they were like, well, not necessarily that's an influencer, it's a little different. Okay, so what makes a leader a leader? And they were like, okay, well, people have to trust you, all right? Don't people trust their managers?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. So there starting to be a degree of separation between what makes a leader a leader and a manager a manager. Then we started to talk about inspiration. Leaders inspire people. That's something that they all agreed on, that they are inspired by leaders, but they themselves did not feel that they were inspiring, yet they consider themselves to be leaders.

And yes, different people will inspire different types of people because not everyone inspires everybody. You will inspire someone who aspires to be like, you right, but it is a form of leadership. And then there was the question, can everyone be a leader? And they were like, huh? So then I flipped it and said, can everyone be a manager?

And they're like, no, no, no. Good. Managers gives tasks in a clear way with timeline, expected turnaround. They answer questions, they give examples of what done looks like.

They explain why it's important managers do a very specific thing. Okay, all right, so very clear definition what a manager is and very specific people can be managers, but not everyone can be a manager. Yet so many people are in management area or roles who shouldn't be there, according to a lot of people. But leaders, anyone can be a leader because anyone can inspire someone else.

And just because they don't know that they're inspiring somebody else doesn't mean that they are not a leader. Every one of us has someone that looks up to us. And it might not be everything that we do, it might be one thing that we did. That person is like, oh, wow, that was awesome. I'm inspired by that.

We might not know it. Most of the time we don't know because it's very rare someone comes up to and goes, you inspire me. And to be honest, if they did, I'm not sure how our reactions would be right. But everyone has the competency to be a leader, whether they see themselves as one or not. You're always a couple of steps ahead in your journey, whatever that journey might be.

Then somebody else, somebody will look at something you do and be like, oh, I want to do something like that. Someone will listen to something that you say and be like, oh, that really inspired me to go and do A, B, or C.

Thinking about the fact that anyone can be a leader should make you think differently about how you view other leaders and how you wish to inspire others or the people that inspire you. What do they do? What did they say? Who do they connect with? Who do they network with?

And what makes them inspiring? Why do you aspire to have certain traits of another human? So remember that it's not being a manager makes a good manager. The key trait that separates managers from leaders is to be inspiring, and you can do that by just being you. Thank you for listening.

This is janice@thecareerintrovert.com, helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.