024: The Secret to Kickstarting an Amazing Transformation

Hey, have you heard? There's a new style of CEO on the block. The modern CEO. And she is changing the way businesses are run. She's setting her own hours and her own salary. She's creating a business around what matters most to her. Freedom, family, and impact. And her corner office looks nothing like what you'd see on Wall Street. It's a kitchen t your grandma's lake house, a spacious home office, the living room floor, maybe surrounded by kids and crayons or the local coffee shop. Your business, your way. This modern CEO is here to stay. Because when you embrace your role as modern CEO, you will have more freedom, more profit, and more fun. Most importantly, you'll fall in love with your life and a business in a way you've only dreamed. Trust me, this isn't a pipe dream reserved for only a select few. You are the modern CEO. You are creating a business and life you love because a better business means a better life. You are a completely different person. Is there something that you want to change in your life? Maybe it's the way you show up with your family. Maybe it's a career change that you want to make or a shift you want to make in your business. Maybe you want to work out more. Maybe you want to pay more attention to your health, whatever that is. If there is a change that you want to make, this episode is for you. My client, in January, as we were going through a presentation, a live event we were hosting in Los Angeles, said to me, midway through that presentation, you are a completely different person. And I took that in very calmly, and I received it. And at first I was like, wait a second. Is that good? Is this bad? Like, what's going on there? I'm like, no, no, no, it's not good. It's not bad. Just take that in. And I've been reflecting on that since my client made that comment to me three months ago, just over three months ago. And she's right. I am a completely different person than I was when I met her almost five years ago. So she's seen me go through a lot of changes and a lot of evolutions. I mean, I am living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, right now, all the way from Maryland, and I spent a little bit of time in the time that I've known her living in California. And my business is going through evolutions as well. So I wanted to share with you as I've been reflecting, reflecting on some of those things that prompted me to become a completely different person because it is real. I show up differently in my relationships, I prioritize things differently. And I am reminded of some things that I want to share with you. Because while this change has been a change that's been happening over five years, there are some things that can make change happen, happen rapidly. Right? Usually change, you know, big change can take some time. I worked in change management in my corporate career for a bit, and when you're doing change management in a large organization, it becomes so evident how difficult change is for people. It's a shock to the system when there's change, but there are some things that can make it go a lot faster. And while change is definitely a. A little bit painful, it is even more painful to stay in a place that you do not belong. If you see something different for your life, if you see something bigger out there for yourself, if you see a purpose for yourself, or if you have a goal that you are working toward, reaching, and you're going to have to become a different person to get to that goal, because, no, no, no, you guys know the saying, what got you here will not get you there. So you might have to become an entirely different person to get where you are going. So I want to share with you in case you are on a journey of change and transformation as well, some of those things that prompted me to change faster than others, and some of the things I just recommend because they are powerful and some of the things are rapid fire. One of the things I know that creates instant change for me is to change my environment, to physically change the environment I am in now. You don't necessarily have to move from Maryland to California to Maryland to Ethiopia to make that change happen, right? I know just by changing my office space or changing the environment that I'm working, working in, or changing out the pillows on my sofa, that creates a different energy for me and I show up differently as a person. One of the biggest changes that we've made to our home environment lately is to bring in the Santal smell. Do you guys know about this? There's a brand of a perfumery, a boutique perfumery that is called Le Labo. And I smelled this smell a few years ago in a hotel. And I'm like, man, I really like this scent. And I had been searching for it ever since. And when I was in Los Angeles in January, when my client had said to me, you are a completely different person, I found my signature scent. Guys, I've got a signature scent now. And I hadn't bought any perfume in years because I knew what I was looking For. For. I had my. My heart and my mind and my nose set on a particular scent that was going to become my signature. And it's our family signature now as well, because they have a home scent as well. And the home scent is Santel 26. And the perfume option, or the cologne option, it's unisex, is Santel 33. So that changed. I walked. We walked back from spring break last week. I'm like, oh, my gosh, this smells like our home. And my energy, my mood, everything changed. And I shifted quickly from spring break mode back into we are home mode just because I had that signature scent and my environment was different and it was unique. So you can change, just tidy up your space, change those throw pillows, add a signature scent, light a candle, put on music, or move around the world if that is calling you like it was calling me. While changing your environment is incredibly powerful, the other thing that has been incredibly powerful for us is leveraging my how to Clone Yourself methodology. Now, this methodology takes a little bit of time, right? This evolution of how to clone yourself includes systems for your business and frankly, for your life. It includes how you build out a team, how you recruit, how you coach, how you mentor and build relationships with that team, and how you lead. But something incredible that has happened over this how to Clone Yourself experience that we use in Amber McHugh in my Amber McHugh business, as well as in my photography business. Three boudoir is that. My business partner and I, Joanna, we have been able to further elevate in our business and be more proactive and be more strategic. And we're also bringing up other leaders in our business. And you know what happens when you are collaborating and working with a team of leaders. The things you used to worry about at night by yourself are now shared. And five, six, seven leaders. Thinking about a topic, thinking about something, or working on something, you kind of divide and conquer and come up with much better solutions. In addition, things that I used to worry about, maybe responsibility has transitioned to these other leaders in our business. And now I don't have to worry about them as much because I know an incredible leader is on the case. So we're not only building a team of people with an employee mindset, but we're building a team of leaders. And that that shift in perspective, that shift in thinking has prompted massive change in how we show up and how we engage and how we do business. And it's prompted me to become a different leader. So do you want to become a different leader or maybe some Days you want to be the follower because someone else is leading. And yeah, you bet, sometimes I'm stepping into that follower role and letting someone else take the reins. And it's a beautiful thing to experience because I'm not always the person best suited to lead on a particular project. And you know, as someone who is a go getter, who is a recovering workaholic, that was a hard shift for me to make. Which is why my experience and my journey of surrender and patience over the last several years has been powerful in me becoming a different person as well. The biggest shift that surrender and patience has brought with it for me is that a shift in my thinking. And the shift in my thinking overarching. The largest number one thought that has shifted for me is no longer that I am behind, I am late. I can't do that. It's already been done. No, no, no. My new way of thinking is everything, absolutely everything is right on time. Because you can't be late for your destiny. And if you've been listening to this podcast already, you've heard me say this before, you've heard me talk about right on time thinking and the right on time way of living before, but it is powerful. And this right on time way of thinking, shifting my thoughts and thoughts are hard to change, right? Cause they get buried in our subconscious. We've got a lot going on every day. So some of those thoughts are just autopilot now so we can progress through the day with a little bit more ease. So it is hard to shift those thoughts and to shift your subconscious autopilot thoughts. And so to make that shift in my way of thinking from I'm late, I'm behind, it's already been done before, I have to think of something different and shifting to right on time, I basically had to brainwash myself into this new way of being, this new way of living, this new way of thinking. So to do that, I pop post it notes up everywhere, I write it, and weave that right on time way of thinking into the writing and the journaling that I am doing every day, day in 2019. And I integrate that way of thinking into my experiences with my clients, my friends, my family, so they can also help me reinforce those ideas. And my husband and I now have regular conversations about how things are right on time. He plays it back to me. He says it, I say it, we live it. So the pressure dissipates and we're now living in a space of greater ease and we're more open to the possibility of change because it's right on time. This shift in thinking also prompted a shift in attitude. And when your attitude changes in the way that you experience other people, everything changes, right? I heard a quote or I heard a saying recently that if you live in an. If you're an angry person, you live in an angry world. And I flip that to, if you are a joyful person, you live in a joyful world. And I caught myself recently when the kids were. We needed to be getting ready for school and they had just made a big mess.

Oh, my gosh.

You know, I had a freakout moment. Clean that up. We have to go. We just made a mess. Oh, my gosh. Right? And then I caught myself. I thought, you know, what does this matter? Is this important? No way, Jose. This does not matter in the big scheme of things. We're right on time, guys. We've got to get to school, but we're not going to be late. And you can leave that mess because it's not a priority. We'll get to it when we get to it. Right on time. And that shift in attitude of how I showed up with my children change the trajectory of all of our mornings. It could have been a quick spiral, spiral to crazy town, my crazy town, or it could have been a moment in an experience that was fine. Why am I going to worry about this? Why am I going to add this stress to our plate? We will take care of that later. And those shifts in attitude, right? One of the bigger shifts in attitude that I experienced in California, actually, when I was living in California, was to find that joy in the journey. I remember the exact moment when I decided to experience more joy. And somehow in my life, I got away from this. I've always been a happy person, right? I show up happy. But something happened in about the 2013-2016 window that was bringing me down. Like on the front, I was saying joy and I was saying happy. But something somewhere tucked in my subconscious was not joy and was not happy. And I was walking home from the beach in California, taking the long way home before I went to go pick up the kids. And I thought, I feel joy right now. And things that were tied to that were taking the long walk home, right? Taking a different route home, being present and arms wide open, right? Physically, arms wide open to the incredible possibility that there was joy in every journey. And yeah, it's not a new idea, it's not a new phrase, but the fact what was new was that I was open to it. I was now open to this idea. And I Wanted to get back to that because I knew I had had that at one time. So it started an untangling of what I needed to get back to. And part of that journey is reimagining. So my theme for the year is reimagine everything in your business, in your life, and how you show up in the conversations you have, in the words that you use. I am reimagining everything. And as I've been reimagining, I caught myself saying to friends, clients, mentors. If I would have known then, when I started my business, what I know now, here's what I would have done different. And you know what? Just last week, I realized it's not too late. Those things you keep talking about that you say you would have done, you can do those things now. So you're gonna see some changes in how we show up in our words that we use, in the experiences that we're creating. And one of those things is that we are creating a very accessible program where we can connect on a regular basis, and we can use our power to empower and inspire each other, and we can rise together. And it's one part business, because weaving through my storyline is definitely business, but it's more than business. It goes beyond that. Because a better business means a better life. And the person that is running the business, the person that is building the career that you are building, the person that is running the household and the leader of the family, there is a person behind whatever it is that you are trying to do. And this group is also going to support the person that you are becoming. And so you're going to see us talking a little bit more about this new experience called the PowerUp Collective. And it's accessible. It is an incredible community that is already taking shape and coming together. And so we'll share more on that later. But that's one of the things that I'm completely reimagining. And once we have this, aha. That. Wait a second, you know, all of those things you wanted to do, you can do them right now. So we're doing it, and we're making fast action on that, because once we came into alignment in our thinking and the way that we are showing up in life and who we want to be, where we're going, it's very easy to make those changes and transformations because you have clarity of vision and you have clarity of purpose. So if you want to check that out, go to ambermcugh.com powerup ambermch.com powerup and you can Check it out. So the other massive change that I would be completely remiss if I didn't talk about in terms of becoming a different person is how I am experiencing life. I used to spend a lot of time behind my computer. Work, family time. Work, family time. And I would brainstorm and, you know, great ideas would come when I would slow down or write. It's that idea that you pop up in the shower and you have that space to think and you come out and great ideas. Then I would have all of those things. But I'm finding that they're more and more full. Now. My life is more full. My ideas are fuller because I'm experiencing life more. I'm spending a little less time behind this computer that I love so dearly. But I'm out there showing up for people and I'm connecting with people. For example, we went on safari in Kenya, right? Whoa. Life changing experience, 100%. If you're ever going on a safari in Kenya, let me know and I'll connect you with our travel guy. Amazing. Life changing. We're spending time in Dubai. We're experiencing different cultures. We are in South Africa. We are living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I'm volunteering. I'm on the street with people, people who are transitioning from the street back into homes. And in all of that, I am seeing a different way of living. And none of that would have happened by reading a blog post or reading the news or reading a book. I want to encourage you to get out there and experience life if you want change to happen rapidly. One of the most powerful things that's happened to me, I mean, they're happening every day. But in the last two weeks, when we were on spring break, I was getting a ride from an Uber driver to a doctor's appointment while my family wrapped up and packed up our final things at the Airbnb. And as I hopped into the car with the Uber driver, one of the first things he said as he pointed to a Toyota SUV out the window was, that's the car I'm going to have. That's the car that will be my car. And I said, oh, that's awesome. Yeah, an suv. That's a good one. Is this your car? And he said, no, this isn't my car. I'm just working for someone right now, but I'm saving and I'm doing everything I can for my family so that I can be my own driver. And I was so curious about this and compelled. And he continued to share that he was A refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where we were supposed to move, but instead we moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. And he shared that he has eight kids. And I thought, man, that is a lot of kids. That's a lot of kids. For everything that you have going on, he's saving, he's doing the best he can. He's got his kids here with him in South Africa now, and his wife finally made it to South Africa with him. And I thought, gosh, like, how is this guy coping? This is a lot. Refugee from the Democratic Republic, eight kids, was separated from his family and his wife for a period of time. And he still got this enthusiasm and this. This spirit that is motivated to get. The system has not put him down. It has encouraged him and inspired him. Or maybe it was encouraging and inspiring me because he was bringing such an incredible attitude to this situation. And I asked him if he kept in touch with his family that was back in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And he said, I try my best. I try my best to keep in touch with my two sisters. They're the only two that are left. My mom died, my dad died, my brother died. That's why I have his kids with me. I adopted his kids. They all died in the war. No, I'm not from the side of the country where Kinshasa is the capital. I'm from the east, where there's always war. That's why I'm a refugee and I came to South Africa. But I'm trying my best. And he repeated over and over, I'm trying my best. We're doing the best we can. And again, he didn't say this from a place of victim mode. He said this from a place of power. And the rest of the drive was a little bit different because all I could do was honor this man who has escaped from the war. He's escaped from the place where there is always war. He's raising a family that is combined his and his brother's, and he's doing the best he can. He's trying my best. He said, I'm trying my best. We're doing the best we can. And I want to leave you on that note. If you are ready to make a change in your life, if you're ready to do something different, you don't have to make a big, massive change overnight, right? You can if you are ready for that. But remember, big, massive change can happen from the micro moves that you make, the thoughts that you have, the attitudes that you bring forward into your experiences. Change can happen from these micro experiences that you create for yourself through your thoughts, your actions, and your decisions. And with that, I will let you know that in the next episode, we are going to dive into how we make changes. The right decisions for ourselves, for our business, for our clients, for our family, to move our visions forward faster. So with that, we are going to end this podcast episode with a song. Today, I'm going to bring Harper on stage on the mic, and she's going to leave us with this song that totally describes the power that every single one of us have to create change in our lives and to become a different person should you so choose. Thanks for chatting with me. I will see and chat with you in the next episode. Take it away, Harper. Wait.

Is it on?

It's on.

I am just a child But I can't change the world it's my beating and show me that I can take care of myself this place and others too oh, I can I can make a Can make a difference Even in a small way by helping you we need a friend and sharing and matter what it means to be K To be K. That's the White song.

That was the right song. You were awesome.

Now's the White song. If you want, you do great.

You want to do another song? Love you.

Sam.