Out of Comfort, Into Courage — with Jen Belongia-Barak

She moved her whole family to Austria, a 13-month-old and a 4-year-old, for a global role. That one leap changed how she leads. Today, comfort zones, courage, and what actually keeps your team steady when things shift. Welcome everyone to the NeuroLeadership Edge, real talk for bold leaders who want to master their mind and own their voice. I'm your host, Claire Hayek, NeuroLeadership Coach, ex-engineer, lifelong musician, and the founder of Mind Soul Purpose Team Building. We're going to keep it fun, light, conversational, and definitely keeping it human. So, here's what we're going to talk about and what you'll walk away with. You're going to have a simple way to turn I don't belong here into momentum. A quick change tool so your team doesn't spin out when things move really fast. And I'll share one small comfort zone rep you can try this week. So today, we're talking about stepping outside your comfort zone on purpose and what that does for your leadership. Let's welcome today's guest. Jenn Belongie-Barrick. Jenn Belongie-Barrick is an accomplished business storyteller with hands-on experience defining and driving global strategies to increase brand awareness and strengthen category leadership. Leading with kindness, leveraging transferable skills, and routinely leaving her comfort zone have been the central elements of her success in building and managing marketing teams in a wide variety of business sectors around the world. By removing fear and stress from the workplace dynamic, Jen unlocks the full creative and strategic potential within her teams, ensuring a high level of performance standards while realizing sustained engagement to exceed brand building and marketing goals. She is Superwoman Superstar, Jen. How are you doing?

It's good. Thank you. Thank you, Rina. Wonderful introduction. I appreciate it.

Welcome to the podcast. Welcome to the show. I'm thrilled to have you. So tell us, I mean, tell us all about that high-pressure moment.

Yeah.

But really shaped why, you know, shaped who you, how you lead today, and most importantly, shaped this whole episode, right?

So yeah, it was, it was a huge opportunity for myself and my family, but it was a huge leap and it was a huge risk. We were comfortable living in the Naperville suburbs and it was an opportunity of a lifetime. And so we decided to pack up, sell our home, get on a plane and move to Austria.

Walking?

Yeah, just like that. It was pretty fast actually. And we moved quickly. Um, once we said yes, It was everything fell into place and we got on that plane. It changed everything. So going and moving somewhere where you don't speak the language, where the culture is different. So understanding schooling, understanding— it was so much more than just understanding, taking in a new team and a new role. It was understanding the language. It was understanding the schooling. It was understanding the healthcare, especially when you have young children. And so you have to make sure that, you know, you're meeting all of their needs. And so that part of it was a huge change. And then stepping into the role, it was stepping into a team that had so much opportunity, but the role and the team weren't quite defined. And so there was, there was a lot coming at me, to be honest. Biggest lesson that I had to learn was that my environment was not going to change around me. for me, but I had to change to fit in the environment. And yeah.

Yeah. So tell us, I am so curious. So you get to Austria. What did the day-to-day look like? I don't know, the first couple of days, maybe the first 2, first couple of weeks, the language, the schools, the basics. I mean, a lot of people move. It's not like, oh my God, she moved, you know, but Still, with 2 kids, young, very young kids, big job. It's a lot. And it does take a lot of courage and you need to be comfortable being out of your comfort zone, right?

Yeah.

So tell me, what did it look like for you?

Well, when I first, when we first moved, it actually was me who moved first. So I moved alone and that was probably the biggest thing because I had about a month before my husband and kids We're moving over. And so in that month, I had to set up the team. I had to figure out how to get to the office. I remember walking to the office because I figured I could use my phone and it looked like it was easy to walk. It took 45 minutes. I took about 3 wrong turns because you don't speak the language, right? So you're trying to figure it out. But it also was finding a home. Because it was really important to me that they were moving, that the kids weren't moving one place and then having to move another place. And so really finding that home for us. And so it was figuring out where we're going to live, what were— where were the neighborhoods to even live with the school and the public transportation, because we weren't going to have a vehicle. And so how were we going to get around? Sales Salzburg, Austria. And so finding that right place, and it was really talking with other expats, talking with, figuring out, meeting new people in the office. And it was about listening, and it was a lot of listening.

Right.

That was the same thing for the team. I was walking into a team who had been kind of set doing the same thing over and over. They had been operating on their own. And really listening to what were the challenges that they were facing, understanding my new boss, who I knew but didn't know that well. So what, what were those expectations? And what was the true opportunity here? Because it was something new.

Mm-hmm.

It was a role that had traditionally handled corporate Communications, which was a small, but within Red Bull, but then there was Red Bull Media House, which was becoming a super powerhouse brand. So how do we grow the team and reposition the team to match that super powerhouse brand?

But like, what was going through your head? Everything's new, everything. What was going— how were you— what was going through your mind?

Yeah, every—

were you like, oh my God, this is the opportunity of my life, I'm, I'm loving this challenge, I'm excited, I can't wait? Or was it more like fear? Was it overwhelm? How would you describe it?

I would say it was all of that. There was definitely fear, um, and just fear, am I choosing the right place to live, right? Um, there was overwhelm because there was So much that needed to be done, especially in that first month. And also when I looked at the team and the opportunity, there was excitement because there was excitement about living in Europe and giving my kids the chance. And, you know, we were getting the chance to live in Europe and to live a different lifestyle and to give them the world.

Yeah.

And with the opportunity, the opportunity excited me because it was a whole new challenge. It was a new team. Like I said, and it was definitely different cultures. And so it was, you know, I'd walk into the office and on average there was 3 different languages being spoken.

Wow.

And so you were constantly engulfed in that global feeling and understanding that, you know, you were one person with this huge opportunity, with this team that was relying on you. To help guide the ship forward. And we're looking to you to do it.

Right. Yes.

Yeah. So all of it, all of it.

Yeah. Did you ever feel that, you know, not belonging, um, at all at the beginning, or is that—

Yeah, every day. Every day.

Okay.

You, you really, um, like I said, it was all about once you Once I could understand that my environment wasn't going to change around me and that I really needed to change and that, you know, going to my leadership style, right? Once you learn that, you learn that it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. It is just a let's look at each individual and understand who they are and understand where they come from because it's a global team. Well, my team was also from all over the world. They were not from Salzburg, Austria. We were a group of expats.

Right.

And so understanding that I felt like I didn't fit in and realizing that they probably felt the same way. And so I needed to really break it down and understand them and learn them as individuals, understand their strengths, understand their fears, understand that they also didn't feel like they fit in. So how could I make them Understand that as at least a part of our team, they fit. They were there.

And I bet that really, I'm assuming, I mean, you know, you speak from experience here that this really helps you or helped you in a way lead new team members. Yeah. Whether they're from a different country or just new period to the organization. Having lived that Shocking change. It's huge. It's a big change that everything— I don't know, am I assuming, or whatever?

You're, you're easier after that.

I did. I moved to Austria, my 2 young kids, and I had to walk, and I had to find a house, and I had to— this, that. I could do anything now. I'm good. My brain is, is totally, uh, rewired. For, you know, for anything, for any change, you know, I survived that.

100%, 100%. And it also taught me 2 things, one of which too is that you are correct, that, that fear that I felt going in and not feeling like I fitted, not feeling like I belonged, that fear, that not feeling like I belonged in that country. When we took our kids to the school, we had to get a translator because the school wouldn't speak English to you. So you had to have a translator who who translated what was the curriculum for your child, what were the expectations for your child. All of those things had to be done through a translator. Same thing for medical appointments. So our medical appointments, we had to have a translator to help us to understand what was going on with the kids.

Wow.

And so, yeah, but it helped me realize that that's the same feeling when somebody steps into an organization for the first time. And that fear of not belonging, not knowing people within the organization yet, not necessarily understanding the culture of the organization, because every organization has one.

Absolutely.

Also helps me from a hiring perspective when I'm looking at people for my team, that understanding that I'm not necessarily looking for somebody who would fit in, that I'm actually looking for somebody who's going to challenge and shake things up, right? That like the person who has the experience and say, you know, when I was in telecom, that the person who has experience in telecom maybe isn't the right person. Because those people who don't, who are different, the people who don't necessarily always your classic hire, are the same people who can come in and can help you transform things.

I mean, it opened you up for sure. I think it's, I mean, from what I heard, it sounds like an amazing experience. What a rich way to fast forward your growth as a leader and really being in the field and being thrown into the void. And some of us are scared to make that plunge. And I hope that listeners may be considering something like that. can be inspired by your story and basically just dive in if it feels right. If it feels like the right thing, you know, in your gut feeling, you need to do this, not to be paralyzed by fear and uncertainty. And which is normal, by the way, from neuroscience perspective, because, you know, I had to say a couple of words about neuroscience here is that your brain doesn't like uncertainty, doesn't like things it's not familiar with. It just signals this is danger.

Yeah.

And so, it's gonna try to sabotage you in every single way It can so you don't move forward. It's trying to protect you. It really is nice. We love our brains. It's trying to do. But when it's not working for us and we're not mindful of what's happening and we just fall into that trap and let it manage us, then there's the problem. That's the lack of mindfulness. That's a lack of mental fitness. And this is not taking control of your life and your decisions. So, it's not about not listening. It's about just being mindful of what's happening. And just turning down that dial and being able to follow your instinct and knowing what's right for you. This is not a fear-based decision. One little tool here, if I can share with our listeners today, is I call it the 3-point change brief. So if it's something going on, you're not certain about it, you just label it. I'm always talking about labeling. The minute you label something, it just— the whole fear, anxiety, Self-doubt, spiraling down, stress goes away. Just name it. You know, what's not changing? Okay, there's a lot changing, but what is not changing? This puts us back into our prefrontal cortex. We're not freaking out. We're not going in our amygdala. And what is changing? Let's put a label on that. And where do I go for help? And that's exactly what you did. You went for help. And it just takes minutes, right? Mindfulness, 3 minutes. It calms people fast. You just— now you're thinking properly. You're really in your brain CEO, in your prefrontal cortex. So, you can just manage this change better. So, you're not paralyzed by fear and anxiety, etc. And this whole uncertainty drops because it's not all uncertain. There's things I know.

Right.

I know where to get help. I know this is not changing. Okay, well, there's an element changing. So, it's not all exaggerated into, this is a total new thing. Everything is different. So, it's interesting how that works. You kind of trick your brain or you just calm it down. You're like, hey, we got this.

That actually is the best advice my boss when I was there, she gave to me. I'll never forget it. She said, be as confident in what you do know as what you don't know. And I always hang on to that, stepping into every different uncomfort. So it's exactly what you said. It is, okay, I may not know telecom, right? But I know marketing and I know communications and those I've got. So focus on what I have and be okay and confident not knowing telecom and seeking help From subject matter experts to help get me up to speed on it.

There you go. There you go. I love how this is coming together. And by the way, whoever's listening, this was not rehearsed. I swear. And out of transparency, everybody listening here, this is how it works with the NeuroLeadership Edge. I meet with guest leaders and we have a conversation and I get to know them. And Jen, you could be the witness. And usually, the conversation goes a certain direction because we're talking about the career. And then somehow, it turns into something more human and personal. And then the layers start peeling off. And now, the true authenticity of the leader shows up. I mean, you know, we're warming up. And then there's the magic. And that's where the story unfolds. And we're like, this is what we need to talk about. This is where you add value. And I'm always amazed because Because everybody's like, I don't have a story. I'm not that special. I'm like, trust me, you are. You just don't know it yet. You don't— you're not putting value on what you know. Other people can read your label. You can't read your own label. That's my 2 cents. But anyway, back to you, Jen. So, tell us what kind of mindset shift changed things within your leadership, changed how you show up. Anything you want to share with us on that?

Yeah, I think it goes back to what I said, is that, that environment, that shift of understanding that the environment around you isn't going to change. And when you change what you do, what you change— the biggest thing I changed was really listening, is really listening to what was happening around me, really listening to the people around me so that I could revise maybe how I was saying things. Revise my approach, revise my leadership style based on that individual. Before that, it had really been a one-size-fits-all, whether or not I like to admit it. It was. But because being in a situation that was so incredibly different, it made me take steps back. And it made me just spend the time getting to know individuals from the bosses, from the leadership team, Down to my team, right? Everybody within the organization and doing a lot more listening than talking.

I find this, there's always this common thing that a lot of our guest leaders say, because I think they're very special because they come on my show. No, I'm kidding. Everybody's special. Okay, just joking around. Is the fact that they all stress the Yeah. And I cannot stress this enough, active listening. And these are the leaders that understood human connection, that understood how to mirror somebody, how to feel empathy towards somebody. You just need to listen and not anticipate that answer or what you're going to say next.

And you're just completely—

your eyes are empty. And I'm sure you've noticed this. I mean, we've all met people where No judgment. You know, sometimes people are going through something in their head. I mean, they're probably panicking over something going on in their personal life. Who knows? Right? And you're talking to them and you see that empty look, right?

Yep.

And so this is the perfect example of how not to listen. Then you see fully engaged, somebody really present, whether it's on screen or in person. And They're mirroring your moves.

Yeah.

They're being empathetic. Everything about their body language and their face. And it's not— nothing's rehearsed. They're just listening. It just all comes naturally. And the other person feels it. So, they drop down their guard. Now, they feel more open. They communicate better. They feel psychologically safer. Everything gets better. Listening is such an Underrated thing that, you know, we should learn more in school. And even, even like kids should learn in school, right?

I agree with you so much, to be honest. When I was in, I can't tell you how many rooms I was in where they were speaking German, and I do not speak German. And so that listening, that listening isn't always for what they're saying. To your point, it's listening to their body language. So because I didn't understand the language. You start picking things up, but I could actually pick up what they were saying based on the body language.

Interesting.

And I could grab enough words to kind of start to piece things together and the body language. So I really had to become tuned into that body language. So I knew, all right, they're discussing X, Y, and Z topic that is a hot topic, so I better be prepared. And I was watching how are they reacting to it. It also was a sense of really needing to Watch. And this I continue to this day, watching the room. When people talk about reading the room, really need to read the room because what you're saying, you may need to couch it differently, pivot, because you can see those reactions. And especially if you're pitching for something like budget, right?

Right.

You're asking for additional money. You see, you're reading the room and they're not buying what you're saying. You need to pivot that because clearly what you're saying is not resonating with them. And so it does, it really allowed me for that deeper. So yes, on that, active listening is not just about the words coming out of people's mouths. It's about the body language that's not being said.

And I bet that really helped you being in an environment where you couldn't understand the language. That really helps you pay attention even more and practice even more. detailed active listening. It's all such a gift. What a great way to grow. It sounds like it was an amazing experience from what I hear. Share with us some words of wisdom, something that you wish leaders understood more nowadays. It's not an easy time. There's a lot of disruption. There's a lot of chaos. There's a lot of change. There's a lot of uncertainty. We're trying to figure it out, still trying to figure it out. We're just trying to manage and navigate through it. What is your advice to leaders that are going through that right now?

I'd say the 2 biggest things are be authentic and be transparent. And I know that's probably said a lot, but it's more important than ever. People need to hear from leaders. They need to hear authentic what really is happening. And it needs to be transparent communications. It really does. And sometimes you don't have the answer and it's okay. And that's back to the transparency. I don't have an answer for you right now, but understand we're doing X, Y, and Z. Understand these are the macro conditions that we're all living in. So there are ways of answering it and you have to, you can't hide.

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more, actually. So let's dive right into my rapid-fire questions. So 30 seconds.

replies.

No stress, really. You want to elaborate a bit more, it's all good. Ready?

Yeah, I'm ready.

So first time— sorry, first sign your team is in fear and is not focused.

Yep. Usually the first sign that you're going to see is lack of response, lack of engagement. So even in a meeting, you'll see them not speaking, not volunteering, not offering up information, only agreeing with what you're saying.

Writing down, right? Yep.

Yep.

All right.

Pull in. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. So do you have a ritual that you just have to do where you won't skip when the pressure is really high?

Writing. Journaling. I need to write. So when the pressure— okay, break everything down into one thing at a time that I need to do. And journaling, you got this, right? And then just taking— and I think probably it's breaking it down into everything, and then it is those affirmations of reminding yourself You can do this. You've done this before. You'll do it again. Yeah.

This is really great because I often talk about the thoughts, being aware of your thoughts. Because if you're overwhelmed, if things are just really high pressure and you're going, I can't do this. I don't have time. This is going to fail. Well, guess what's going to happen? It is going to fail. You're not going to have time. Your brain, your RAS will focus exactly on all these things you're telling your brain to focus Yep. So positive affirmations, it actually goes a long way scientifically in your wiring when you're thinking positive, or just even if you're lying to yourself and like doubting a little bit, just keep saying it and you will believe it. And then the brain will follow. And then all of a sudden you start seeing all the good stuff and going, oh, I can do this. This is not as bad as I thought it would be.

100%. And understanding that like sometimes you do fail. And that's okay because you can learn from failure.

Absolutely.

It's totally okay. You can pivot. The thing is, all right, just paying attention. This isn't going well.

I got to pivot. Exactly. And it's always finding that gift. I always say that. Find the gift. Like this happened. Thank God this happened because now I know how to do this better. This taught me that if this didn't happen, if I didn't fail doing this, I wouldn't be able. I wouldn't be ready. to do this thing that is way more difficult.

Yes.

Always a gift. There's always a gift in a challenge. All right, third and last question. A book, a podcast, or a talk that rewired how you lead?

Let Them. Mel Robbins, Let Them. That's the most recent one that I've just read. And it's just such a great book. And it's such a great reminder that it is about them and it's not about you. And back to talking about even that really listening, When you can understand that it's about them and it's something that's going on with them, it helps you to not react, but rather to be able to take in the information. Okay, like, we can handle it this way.

Yeah, and let it slide right off.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Not bother you as much.

Because that takes way too much energy, and energy is important to hold on to and nurture and take care of, right? Thanks so much. So, here's the listener challenge. As you all know, I always share one. For this week, I want you to write 3 steps. You know, kind of look at your comfort ladder and write like a small comfort level, medium, and a bold. And just do step 1. Just start with a small, the comfort ladder. So, something obviously puts you out of your comfort zone. That's what it means. I know it looks counterintuitive the way I put it there. But, you know, A small step that puts you out of your comfort zone. But it's small. It's not like way out of your comfort zone. And then, just tell somebody you trust about it. Accountability really makes it real and makes it less taboo. And keep doing it. Try a medium and a bold one when you're ready. But just keep going. So, taking the steps is the way to practice that outside the comfort— being comfortable outside the comfort zone. Jenn, it was such a pleasure having you. Anything else you want to share with our listeners today?

No, thank you. Just thank you for having me. This was great getting to talk about it. And I guess anyone, step out of your comfort zone. Again, be as confident in what you don't know as what you know, and you'll be all fine.

I love that. I love that. Thank you so much for joining me. And as always, people can subscribe and follow. Share this with one leader that needs to hear this because this is what this podcast is all about, really adding value and bringing the real people With real experience out there that maybe you could, when you're listening to them, go, it might make you realize, oh my God, this really helped me. I had no idea somebody's gone through it. And you know, it's not so bad. Do share it with anybody you feel that needs to hear this today and that is probably hesitating and being paralyzed by fear. And do scan the QR code that you see on the screen or check the comments for the link. to how to connect with me. On that link, you'll see upcoming webinars, masterclasses. There are the podcast links and all kinds of free resources that you could use. I'm here to add value. And I'm thankful to have great guests like Jen join me today and add even more value. So, thank you again, Jen, for joining me. Everyone lead boldly. Stay human and find that gift. Find that gift. Thank you. Out of that challenge and just take one small step outside your comfort zone this week. Don't forget, right? And do share it with us. Tag me or tag Jen and tag both of us. Would love to hear from you.