734. Four Steps to Get Into Strategic Alignment with Kareen Walsh

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What do you need to stop doing now? We don't ask this question enough and this is where resentment builds. If we don't ask ourselves what do we need to stop doing? Because maybe we've outgrown it, maybe it doesn't fit anymore with what you've built to date. But it's distracting you from where you're trying.

Welcome to the Earn your Happy Podcast. I'm Lori Harder, founder of Light Pink, best selling author, three time fitness world champion, and I'm a crazy, multi passionate entrepreneur. My journey has taken me everywhere from being a broke waitress, barista, retails associate and personal trainer with massive anxiety and no belief in myself to later becoming a multi millionaire in love with my life. In 2007, my husband and I lost everything. We found ourselves hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. At rock bottom. We had no ideas and I had no education to fall back on. This is when I found personal development and learned everything I could about business. Not by choice, but because I realized no one was coming to save me. The conversations on this podcast are going to let you know that you're not alone and and that we all feel like we don't know what we're doing. We're going to give you the tools to help you face your fears, take action, start your business, and grow those massive dreams that are keeping you up at night. It's time to create a life that you can't hide from and put so much on the line that your higher self is forced to come out. You're going to stop waiting for someone to approve of you and you're going to anoint yourself. Because I'm obsessed about building businesses that give women a platform. I want to feature you. So if you text the word podcast to 310-496-8363, you can get your questions answered on our Q and A segment along with a shout out. And if you rate, review and subscribe to this podcast, we're choosing someone every month to get coached and featured on our show. It just might be you. So let's get started. Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. I'm so excited to talk about four steps to getting into Strategic Alignment and there is nobody better to talk about this with than Karine Walsh. She's a startup advisor, investor, serial entrepreneur, executive coach, author and podcaster. She's the CEO and founder of Revampologist, which is a seven figure boutique consulting and coaching company. She has 17 years of entrepreneurial and executive experience leading and advising industry leaders and her unique approach in her service based business has a lens on people, process and technology and a hyper focus on leadership to help businesses scale. So whether you have a business or not. Leadership skills are always something that's going to help you in every area of your life. Her clients include trillion dollar companies like BlackRock, Groupon, Broadridge to startup companies getting ready to launch. She's built her seven figure business by helping source the expertise her clients need and coaching leaders on how to align what they love with what they do and to monetize it. She believes if you're not growing, your business won't grow. And I couldn't agree with her more. She uses her books Lead with Value and be a Badass along with her podcast your Badass Journey as ways to share the methods of personal and professional growth with you. So you guys, let's get into it. I want to start talking all about the four ways that you can get into strategic alignment in, in your life and your business right now. Let's go. Karin, I'm so excited to have you on the show. Thank you so much for coming on.

Oh, my pleasure, Laurie. You know, anytime we spend together I leave so lit up. So I am very excited to be here.

Oh, that's amazing. Well, I loved being on your show and I love when we can spend time together. You guys. We have gotten the opportunity to be around each other quite a bit. Whether it's in masterminds or just different drop ins and visiting or me, you know, her coming into some light pink ideas and strategy that you have just been so generous with me in sharing. Wasn't at the point where I could have used your services quite yet, but in the future, you know, there's a lot of just you're that person.

Well, you know, in your corner, you're a corner, Laurie, as an investor in IT and like love what you're doing with light pink. I can't wait. I can't wait.

We're continuing the conversations. So you guys, if you're not catching on, she's brilliant. She is such a huge help with what we're gonna talk about today and strategy. Like you just think in such a different way than I do and I think then a lot of people who listen to this podcast because this definitely is like a. More I would say and I, I don't wanna say that for everyone but a little bit more like creative overall vision and man, do we crave people like you who can come in and be like that's great, that's beautiful. It's all up there. How do we ground it? Like, how do we get it down?

Yeah, make it happen.

How do we make it happen? And I would really say that that is your zone of genius. And you do it in such a way, you know, there's make it, make it happen people out there and then who. You can meet them and it still feels like not fully reachable or attainable. And then there's make it happen people who are very. Make it approachable and understand that maybe this is not the language or the land that you have been playing in as a founder or visionary or creator of a business. And you make it really broken down into just easy. You make it easier. Easier for us. And that's what that. That's what we all need. So excited that you're on here. I would. If you could just give an overview, a bit of your background so that people can know, you know, who we're talking to.

Yeah, sure, Laurie. And thank you for that. You know, the word easy. I actually use the word aligned because. Because I'm. I have no problem with the hard work. Like, I'll push, and anyone I'm sure listening is willing to push. It's just easier when you actually align it. And that does speak to my history of how I got to where I am today. I initially was on a corporate climb in my 20s and other people's companies and maximizing. I always tell people this, like, maximize the system you're in to become who you want to be on someone else's dollar. Right? Like, when you're in someone else's business, they're investing in you to show up. You might as well go maximize what that is. And so that's how I started.

God, I love that you just pointed that out. Sorry to cut you off, but people need to get that because it's an. There's a lot of people who say, I don't love the job. I mean, I'm like, use that opportunity. Oh, my God. Use it all before you start your own thing. Keep going.

No, no. It's so right. And it is a premise of a lot of the coaching work I've done when I work with executives who are. Feel that strain of, like, should I. Should I go into my own thing? My. My next thing? And I. I always share my journey, which was I didn't know enough yet. And I knew that I wanted skills and experience. And I felt like my 20s was all about how much skill, how much experience can I muster under my belt and get exposed to. But I hit a glass ceiling at 22. So if you can imagine my willingness, my eagerness, my energy going into the corporate world. And then at 22, I learned the best lesson I could have learned, which was never let the limitations of others become my own. Oh God, that's good, right? Because it's something that easily stop us. It's the judgment of other people or their stagnant way of being. They haven't gone further. So how could I go further and always look for that? For who you choose to work for is, are they also growing? So in that moment when I did my best and tried to work within that environment and I had a female manager at the time where I was like, look, I was hired for these things and it was like a list of five things, but I'm doing these like 30 things and I've been in this for nine months and I just want a growth path. Like where do you see this going? Because I was so young in my career and I was, I was hopeful that someone would have direction for me. But what I realized was I had to set the path and then go find the places to, to really get that experience. So when I hit that glass ceiling at 22, I resigned without what the next thing was because it was the beginning of my career. It's like, it's there. You got nothing really. You know, just all, all you have is the way you brand and sell yourself and show your willingness into the next job and then hope it clicks, right at that time, the entrepreneurial spirit for, you know, 20 year olds at that time was not as strong as it is today, which is so beautiful to see where it is today. But I do think that there are structures that that generation who's trying to go into the entrepreneurial world still needs to learn. And I personally like learning on other people's money versus over overextending my own to learn that lesson. So I did it in, in corporate America. I ended up then grabbing a job or being hired into a job that was less pay but had the potential I was looking for and I maximized. In five years I went from like a business analyst to a, basically a director of merger and acquisition operations before I was 30. And that was because I found the energy and the space and the people and the leadership that my willingness could allow me to grow into whatever I wanted. But when I hit that mark and I was making that six figure salary, I was living between San Francisco, New York and Denver. I was burnt out. I didn't have a life, it was just career, right? I was all about that ladder, trying to get financial stability and really didn't have anything in my health that I was proud of. I didn't have anything in My relationships that I was excited about. And so again I hit this threshold. I looked above me in that company and I said, do I really want to be any of these leaders here? Has my growth path here for what I want for my life. Where is it at? And I realized I don't want to be any of these people. I didn't even want to be in this industry. I was like, I just climb that ladder, very successful at it. But I was like, I think I can apply all these skills to something that actually does fill me up. But I think I also need to take care of myself too. So on the cusp of turning 30 out of the six figure job I had and all the travel expenses, everything and this sweet life, I resigned again. And I decided to just go start from zero and move myself to Colorado. I did buy a house while I still had a job because you need that for a mortgage. And then as I bought my first house, but I made sure because I'm a very financially savvy person too. I learned that in my twenties making big mistakes as well that I needed to buy a home that was if I only earned half of what I was making at that time, I could still afford it. And so it was this beautiful. Back then Denver was way more affordable than it is today and I was able to buy my house. And that was when I initiated self employment versus going into the corporate world. And that was my teaser of my first entrepreneurial experience.

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What made you so what made you first of all leap into self employment? Second of all second question to that is what were some of the things that you realized were super hard about being self employed immediately?

Yeah, so I would say the reason why I was trying to learn better about finances. I remember reading Robert Kawasaki's book and realized that self employment and cash flow management, if I got better control of that I could stretch my dollar further with the same exact skillset doing the same exact similar jobs for Other people, but I could manage my cash better. That was the first impetus of like, let me try this out. Like is this possible? The second reason of going that path was when I was shopping for jobs. Like going and applying for jobs and with all the skills now at this point I had had, what was being offered me was like, was that half salary mark because of the market I was in, the work was the same. And that didn't add up for me. Like the rewards for the effort, like it just didn't add up for me. And I initiated this energy within myself in those few years which was like minimal effort, maximum reward. What would that feel like? And so self employment was like the easy fit for that. The difficulty with that is building the relationships in a market that I was new to to hire me, you know, and luckily I'm a very connected person. You know, like you and I could have a conversation instantly. You might not even have met me yet, but we. I can vibe with pretty much anyone that that was like the hitting the pavement of having the conversation, conversation after conversation and then navigating the avenues of what is out there that I would want to say yes to. So I made some mistakes. I definitely said yes to one gig that was being an operations analyst for a hat company. And they had this like manufacturer, they were doing all the shipping and such from this office in northern Denver. And they were so shiesty like they were like the management team. Like you would not, you know what I mean? But I said yes to it because I was like, oh, opportunity and it's contract. I also felt there's a freedom with self employment and contract based work that I leveraged even today because I like to end things that are not working. Obviously I resign from two positions. Like if it's not working for me, I have to end it and move on. It's my life, right? Like, why would I spend it in an energy and with people that don't fuel me? So that was like the first kind of bad choice and ended quite abruptly when they decided to just shut down their location and move to Florida and not tell anybody. Like that's how shiesty the situation was. But I ended up telling the whole team when I caught wind of it and I was like, y' all need to take care of yourselves because what's happening?

They're going to Florida.

And then luckily, yeah, luckily then I ended up meeting, you know, the right people and getting the right engagements and still starting with a willingness. Like I always bring up that word because I feel like in today's market of. It should just be like, it should just show up for me or it should just. I should just have this. It's like, no, you have to have a willingness to try, learn from it, and then make an informed decision on what you want next. Oh, God.

There is no, there is nothing out there that you don't have to. I haven't figured it out, done how many interviews now? Over 600. And it's like, you really. I haven't talked to anyone who doesn't have to show up, ask the questions, create the relationships and put that time in. And like you had said, you know, I think you just said so many beautiful things. Whether someone wants to be an entrepreneur or stay in the career and maybe they're loving climbing that ladder right now or that's kind of. Maybe they believe that's the goal and it could be for them for sure. It's like, use every opportunity. And Karine, I love that you were talking about how when you would look for jobs, you looked at what the future potential of that job was. I think so often we look at the pay and we're like, yeah, I can do this. You know, I can totally do this job. But if you really want a job that you can grow into, you have to look at, do they have things I don't know how to do yet? Do they have things that I'm interested in in the future that could be like, okay, if I grew there, could I do this? And I don't think people look at that and then all of a sudden, in a year, they're already not happy at that job because there was no growth potential. When they thought about where they could go.

It's crazy. Yeah, I think it's. I mean, and that is the scarcity versus abundant mindset and choices in the choices you make. Scarcity and abundance is not just about your money. It's about your fulfillment factor. It's about saying, okay, if I'm going to make this decision and I'm just going to get this for this check to pay my bills. That's scarcity. Because you will always find a job where you could do something. Yeah, why not find a job that is actually gonna fill you up and help you learn something and work with great people and grow from it and then maybe go and lead within it and you know, like, that's the abundant mindset for these choices. But when we are in a financial strain sometimes and we're like, I just gotta get that next gig just to pay the bills, energy I challenge you to think a little bigger and say, I can find the job. Just know, have certainty so I can find the job to pay the bills. What else do I need in order to feel good about it? And I actually challenge myself to find that. And that way your eyes are open to actually attract it in.

Oh, I love this. And that's why I love. What we're going to talk about is you have a method to stay in strategic alignment. And as you're speaking, I'm just watching how you've always actually thought in a strategic way throughout your whole life. Then as you got older and had these experiences, you're like, strategy plus alignment is what happens, right? That's just like. That's what we forget is you can have all the strategy in the world, but if it doesn't feel great or it's not the right person or you don't even know what that means yet, you'll figure it out, but it's just not gonna work. The strategy will not bring the products, the vision, the things that you're hoping for if it's not aligned, because you won't have the energy for it, you won't. You won't be able to do it. You'll be completed. So you have four steps in this method to stay in strategic alignment, which I'm so excited about. So tell me, first of all, just give me an overview of the method and then let's go right into one.

Yeah. Okay. So I call it my. It's a retrospective exercise. And the reason why it's called a retrospective is that we focus on what is the thing that you were trying to work towards or trying to accomplish. And you assess from this point you're in right now from where you've been, like, what are the actions you have actually done? And then we plan for what you need to go. So it's got four steps to it. And the reason why this helps you get aligned actions, aligned strategy, and helps you make sure you're taking that next step forward in an aligned way is because you're actually putting a pause and assessing where you are right now. That's the number one thing when you meet doers. Laurie and I know you have a lot of creatives that listen, but you have creative people that actually do. Like, that's why they're successful in what they're doing, the doing. If we don't stop and assess, like, where we are in the doing, we become that hamster wheel in something that might not fill us up anymore.

Oh, yeah, been there Right. Been there, spent a lot of years there.

Yeah. So this exercise. Yeah. Who hasn't? We all have. Because it's a muscle. It's just kind of like that muscle. If you're over, then you overwork it and you create a strain. And that strain in our lives becomes, in our mind, in our heart, resentment and anger for showing up in it again and again and again. Right. So this tool, I recommend you do this exercise at least once a month if you can. If not, quarterly. When it comes to anything you are trying to manifest into your life, anything you're trying to achieve, leverage this exercise. So it's called the retrospective. And you basically take a piece of paper and you draw a grid on it so it has like four pieces. Question number one on the top left is what's going really well. So you and I have talked about this before, is like how we are as overachievers and like the push, push, push, forget to celebrate. This first question is all about what is going really well. Just because you're doing an assessment doesn't mean something's wrong. It just means you're trying to make it better. Yeah. Right. So the first quadrant, top left side, list out all the things that have gone really well since the last time you checked in, or since the last time, since the time you started, whatever you're going after. And you just keep listing it out, listing it out. And then you celebrate them. Right. Like, why are you proud of the fact that this is going really well and energize what's going really well in that first portion? I mean, you just spend, like, you know, five minutes on this and your energy is going to rise up because you're realizing, oh, shit, all this hard work that I'm frustrated with right now, I actually have been doing some great things. Yes. Right. So that's step number one. Okay. Step number two, top right of your four part page, is what do you need to stop doing Now? We don't ask this question enough, and this is where resentment builds if we don't ask ourselves, what do we need to stop doing? Because maybe we've outgrown it. Maybe it doesn't fit anymore with what you've built to date, but it's distracting you from where you're trying to go next. So you have to just pause and think about what do we need to stop doing? And when you do this with your teams, like any leaders listening, any entrepreneurs listening that have your teams and you do this together, it doesn't have to be just an individual exercise. I do it with large teams all the time. I did it with a group of like 40 people the other night, and it was amazing to hear everything come up, because when you hear it as a group, it's so good to hear. What do we stop doing? Right? Yep. So the stop doing list is just the things that might be, like, bringing you down or it doesn't fit. List those out. Okay, now you have identified the things going really well. What do you need to stop doing? The next question, bottom left quadrant, is, what do you need to start doing? Maybe you've accomplished enough in one arena and you now need to get a little bit more innovative of where you're trying to take it next, or what's the next step for that thing? Or something you need to learn and do. Like, the start doing question is really about innovation. It's about thinking bigger than the moment you're in right now and really asking yourself what needs to happen next. Yeah, that's good. Right? And then the last quadrant on the right hand side, bottom of the page, is for you to ask yourself of the things you just discovered about where you stand in it all. What are the top three actions you feel you can take to move the needle next so that in the next 30 days, you'll evaluate yourself against those actions towards it?

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That's good.

All right, so. So let's apply this too, because this can be applied to life, relationships, Business. Tell me about that.

All the things.

Yes, yes, tell me about that. Tell me how this can be applied to anybody in even doing this in your partnership. Maybe you do it with a business partner. All of those things. Have you done that? So I know you said you've done it in groups. Do you do this with yourself often?

Yeah, I do. So I do this in all arenas to get a quick assessment of where the hell am I, Karine, Because I am someone that you've known me for a while now. I'm a big brain, brainiac, like, all up in my head person. And then I don't know if you've done your human design chart, but I'm a manifesting generator, so I'm someone that will visualize it, do it, visualize it, do it. Yeah, but that's like a rabbit hole for me, though, too. Sometimes I don't take enough time to visualize and energize it before I start doing so. I'm working on that this year. But the point is that this exercise has got me to achieve so many things at a higher level of fulfillment because I'm checking in with myself. So, like, for example, when I wrote my first book, Might be a Badass book, when I wrote that book, I set a goal for myself for the year to have a book ready and published by the end of the year. No idea how to write a fricking book. I actually was judged a lot when I was a kid about my writing and my reading and held back. And so, like, there was a lot of doubt and judgment and criticism coming up at the beginning of this big. That was a big goal for me, for me to build. And I'll tell you that there are typos and issues in the book, but that's fine. It got done. It is messy, and it's beautiful. But when I started the goal, I set that goal, like, January 1st for 1231, to be done every month. Then I would chunk that out into smaller goals. What do I need? It would be like, okay, I need a writing coach, because I might know how to write. And I would set up my goals, and then 30 days into it, I would check in, how am I doing against this goal of writing my book? And I would assess. I'm like, okay, that coach I hired, not great. Let's find another one. You know, like, I really want to celebrate that. I wrote, like, 200 pages. So my celebration was like, I got, like, you know, 200 random thoughts down and hired a coach. And, like, things I wanted to celebrate. What wasn't going well wasn't the best coach didn't really understand my writing style. Like, what do I need to stop? I need to stop working with that person and go find someone that is right. And then in my what do I need to start doing is really time blocking. Like, I had to get better at time blocking when I was writing so I wasn't doing it in a distracted mode, things like that, right? Yes. So that was for like personal goals. And then my actions would dictate the next 30 days, which is why I do this exercise every 30 days. And it inches me towards that goal in an aligned way. I didn't sit in pressure of this must get done. I sat in action of what can I do right now to inch me towards it.

Yeah, I love that you're saying aligned as well. Because we can write all of these actionable goals and a lot of people get stuck because they'll stay with that coach, that writing coach, because they go, well, this is a writing coach. I've never had one before. This must be what it feels like. No, that's not right. Like there are other coaches who will get your vibe and it will start to flow. It doesn't mean the writing will get easier, but it will mean like the process will get easier and you'll be more excited with kind of like the, you know, the things that are coming out of what you're doing together where if you notice with your writing coach who it was probably a great person, but for someone else. Right. Not for your style. So I think that is such a huge part of, of what this exercise is doing is what I'm seeing is just bringing attention to the obstacles because so often we don't name them and we just name it ourselves. Right. Like we're the block. Well, yeah, sometimes you are, but you're the block because you're not actually naming the blocks and figuring out how to overcome them. You know, whenever I'm doing something new, and this is so huge, why I know you're successful and why I know I'm successful is because I just, I find what I'm bad at and I find what the obstacles are and I just find, just take them one by one and find how I can get support around them from someone else, hire someone or get the answer around it or get a coach or just really do some serious self work like analyzation, journaling, meditation, creating some disciplines around it, really understanding where my, you know, let's just say you're starting a food plan and you know that at 7pm you go to the refrigerator. Can you walk at that time instead like switching your habits up so, so huge. So you talk to a lot of people on strategy. You've done this with a lot of teams. You know, you've been able to just like dial people in who don't think this way. What are some of the biggest struggles when it comes to creating a strategy for people?

Well, it, you know where I always roll it up to before we get into strategy is clarity on the vision. Because what I find that where the struggle truly lives, Lori, is when they're not clear on what it is that they actually want to achieve or create or do. And then the second question I always challenge my clients with is who do you need to be to stand in that? So when you work on anything as a leader in any realm and like, because you're such a personal development junkie as well as guru yourself, like you've helped so many people face themselves to become who they truly are meant to be. I believe in order to be a leader is the next level of self development. You generally master something within yourself and you're like, I gotta go show other people and help them do the same. Right? It's that evolution. So when you're talking about building strategies first, I always work on vision first. It is the number one step. It's understanding your why. It's understanding what you truly. How many different versions of that why can be manifested into the now. And let me first understand that to get to the truth of what it is you're trying to accomplish before we jump into strategy. Because strategy is really just the high level plan of how you can many ways of how you can execute against that vision. But if we're not clear, then whatever strategy we put together is a failed one because we're just doing. Then you're just like a how to person and you're not really thinking about the full ethos of it all.

So this was always a struggle for me. It still is, even to this day. And it's funny because it comes in pieces. And now I know that you need to be patient with yourself. And it's your why can be your why can get more clear. But sometimes even in the beginning, some people might be hearing this and it's like, okay, do I need to know the full why? Like the why I'm on this planet? And that would overwhelm me, right? I'm like, I don't know, I guess I just, I just want to like speak on stages because it feels Good. And I know that I can help people. And it's kind of like digging into that. So what are some methods that you can do around. Because there's another thing, right? Like, some people get really, really. Like, they get stuck in figuring out why, and then they judge their why, that it's not a good enough why. Can you help me, like, dig into the why?

Yeah, sure. I would say give yourself some grace and simplify it. If your why, as simple as I want to feel good in everything I do every day. That's your why.

Yeah, that's a big enough why.

It totally is. It doesn't have to be your mission statement. The what you're going after is your mission statement. Your why is your essential being. It's your impact in the world. I've been working on this myself because I've had that inner voice talking to me that, oh, kind of says, karina, you're living smaller than you're capable of. Like, I have that judgment cycle in my brain all the time. And then. And so I'm like, well, what does that mean? Like, why? Why is this message keep coming to me? And then when I sit in, my true energy of why, which is to help people know that they matter and what they desire matters, and you can find a way to achieve it. Like, if I'm that conduit, like, that's why I feel like I'm on this planet, is to be that conduit, to help people really get clear on who they are, what they want out of their world, and align it in everything they do. That is my why. And it can show up in so many different versions of my execution, which is the how. So those of you who are struggling with your why, stop thinking that it has to be this, like, proverb from the Bible that, like, moves people. Yeah.

Mine was not in the beginning, you know, Are you ready for mine? This is some real basic bitch stuff here. So I had struggled my whole life. My family went bankrupt, then Chris and I lost our home, our cars, all the things. I just wanted to feel secure and not look at the price of my organic Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and wonder if my husband was gonna be mad that I spent that. And stop thinking about money. I just wanted to stop fearing money. And that was the first. You know, Yes, I wanted to, like, help women and change their lives, but that was the first thing around. Like, I need to open my own gym. Cause I just need to figure out how to get more money for what I'm already good at. Cause I didn't believe I was great at a lot of things. And I wasn't at the time. I wasn't. I was terrible.

I literally, I was at that age.

Oh my God. I mean, looking back now, I was old. I was like in my 20s. These kids are making millions of dollars. I was making $6 per 30 minute session at an LA Fitness. So, you know, but it, but that.

That gave you context. So what you said was you had to discover what you. You actually made a statement of what you didn't want. So why you wanted something different. So if I were to translate your why, it was the freedom to purchase whatever the hell I want without question.

Yes.

Like that was the end. Then that's also a result statement. But what you truly wanted was the freedom of choice. Yep.

Absolutely.

You wanted not to feel blah, blah on anything. So if you're. Why is. I just want the free. I want freedom of choice. Yep. That's the energy. That's how simple it can be. And then the how. So what you also said in that statement was. And I had to figure out how I then became a trainer. I then realized that training required mindset work. I then wanted to be on a cover of a magazine. I then like, you know, and the how, when you're clear with, oh, look, this actually gave me more choice. This gave me more choice. This gave me more choice. I. And you still show up today in that why everything you do is for that freedom of choice.

Yeah. It's so crazy. I'm so glad I just shared that because I actually feel like I struggle with my why. And I am clear that what I'm doing with light pink right now is to show women that they have freedom of choice. Because that. I didn't believe that that was on the table for me before, and now it is.

Oh, beautiful.

Oh, my God. Thanks, Karine. This is just.

This has been great.

All right, thanks everyone for tuning in to our therapy session. Wonderful. It's been wonderful having you. Listen.

And that wasn't even. That was more for clarity. Right. So that is my. I tell you, because that's what matters to me, that's my innate being, is to help you get clear on exactly what just happened. Right. Like, so simple. We make it so complex because we think it has to be some grandiose thing to be seen. And it's actually the simple things that get seen easier, more practical, digested and accepted much faster because we keep it that way.

So I just wanna say what that did for me so everybody knows that they number One, to do this exercise. Number two, I do know that you have something that you can give away at the end to possibly help people with workshop this themselves. Maybe they get with some friends or whatever, or do it with the people in their business or your partner. But I just wanna say that element is what I've been even trying to explained to people and I have been saying, but in other words, that have not been quite as linear when I've been pitching people for light pink. And truly, you know, when they're like, why are you doing this? It is to show women that they have freedom of choice, whether it's in the money that they want to raise or the company that they want to start. And something that wasn't on the table for them is now on the table because I'm showing them how. Because I have to do it first myself. So that is so powerful and I haven't been able to put it into words. So thank you for that. So hopefully other people, even if they borrow this, why, I guarantee it's a lot of people's why.

Yeah, it is. And I would say it's also just to feel good every day. It's to be able to have reciprocity sometimes that is a deep desire that people want, like this exchange. But you have to know how to show up in that in order to then receive it. Different things then guide your choices when you're clear. Yes.

And it makes you just go, okay, so all things I'm gonna do are gonna kind of be around, like, how can I take this thing that I'm doing that I'm excited about my company? And also applying the question, how does this show people how they can have more choices in their life? And that's kind of. It becomes like a North Star, like a guide to bring us back to that. So that's huge.

I love it. And it also is part of the community part that you're building as well. It's the choice to surround yourself with people who also believe in the ability to choose. Yes. It's gonna manifest in everything you do. Everything you do.

I'm watching that already with people. Like, they're just like, yes, it's been huge. And I wanna point that out too, that if your why starts like that and you're judging it. Cause I can only tell you how many times I judge that. Oh, my God. I don't wanna share with people that I had a day where all I wanted to do was walk into this clothing store and not look at the price of this bag or this outfit that I was obsessed with and actually buy the dress or whatever. And that's how it started. But what it evolved into is it turned into, wait, my needs are met. I don't even think of that anymore. Now, who else can I help? Oh, let me help my family. Okay. How can I make sure that they're all taken care of? Okay, now my family's being helped. How can I give back to this other thing that I feel passionate about that hurts my heart? Okay, did that. Now how can I start a company that shows women that they can create everything I just created? Guys, don't judge that carrot. Like, we talk about that all the time on our show. Like, don't judge the carrot. Cause it's gonna lead you to something that's gonna blow your mind and be so in alignment. So, Corrine, what are some other things? Like, some things that you apply in your life? I know that for me, I have some universal kind of either truths or lessons that really pull me through some hard stuff in business. What is a belief or a universal truth or lesson that you feel you kind of always rely on when you're solving problems or whatever that looks like?

Like, I truly believe that there you're never in a dilemma. Like, I believe in infinite possibilities. And I always. When I. When I feel constrained or I feel I'm sitting in resistance, or I feel like in that moment something's off, I start to look at it more as off. It needs to be tweaked versus not possible, you know, and that. That the door is completely shut. You know, I also truly believe in saying the word no and finding the power in your no to the things that are not aligned with your vision, your mission, your purpose, the whole thing. Like, I definitely was an. I'm a giver, obviously, heart of service, like always, but it was definitely abusive. Like, in many different circumstances that would be detrimental to my health. Even the choices I was making outside of head decisions, like, I wasn't really connecting to my heart anymore, and I had to learn the power of no. And I train my. When people. When I come across people now are, like, struggling with the no, I always say, well, it can easily be a yes. And like, yes, I'm happy to do that. And I need you to prioritize these things before I go do that or happy to do that, but it won't happen for another two years because I'm busy, you know, like, where you're saying a graceful no, but it's still a no. And that boundary setting is really Important, too, I think, in business, especially when you are an entrepreneur trying to make it all happen and you're the leader of the business, you have to learn how to delegate and find your. What's the right word? It's like your reliable team, and it takes time for that. So you have to sometimes say no to the wrong. The wrong picks. You know, like, I had to get really comfortable with terminations. It's not easy. Oh, God. But it's something that.

And best thing ever.

No.

Yeah.

Oh, it is the best thing ever. Yes.

Hardest thing and best thing. The freedom for both people, for sure. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I just want to. I just want to say that to anyone who's hired someone. And I, you know, I think your first hire, like, it's very rare that it goes really well, but it can. I have heard those, like, mystical unicorns who. It's just like they're still in the company or they, you know, they're still working together, all of those things. But it's. It is because you usually keep them a lot longer than they should be around, like, sometimes years longer. Because it is that termination that you forget. It's not just for you. It's for them. Oh, my gosh. You're actually doing them a favor. Even though it might come in the form of them flipping you off or swearing at you. They'll realize it later.

Completely. I mean, I've even had to end client relationships that didn't feel aligned with the presence and the time I wanted to be spending in my business. And that's really difficult because that's a nice flow of revenue coming into the company. But it's like, they're just not aligned with the ethos of our business. So, you know, even those difficult decisions. So the power of no. And the boundary setting around that, I think is super critical in all areas of our life, but especially in business.

Oh, my goodness. I mean, there's been right down to, like, things that. And we can talk about this just with people's businesses or programs or things that they're creating. We've pulled the plug on things even, you know, after we initially launched them. And it's not because it's because partially it was a bad launch, but we knew it would be a bad something in us knew like, oh, this was out of alignment for us, and this is not what we want to be doing. And sometimes it's hard because you put all of that work and maybe you put a year into it, and you're just like, this is off. Like, I can't even get excited about advertising this. If you ever notice that, like, have you had something like that in your life where you're like, I can't even push this because I literally don't feel aligned with it anymore.

I'm laughing on the inside because I can't even tell you how many things I've created and put out there to sell that are sitting in draft mode now on my site because they will never get sold again. That is the piece of the assessment tool. Even just leveraging this tool that I shared with you today against those programs while you're creating them, bake that in to your launch. Planning to check in with yourself, like, what's really going well? What do we need to stop doing? Because, yes, the answer is yes, of course. I can't tell you how many times. Concept. And because I'm a manifesting generator, I was like, concept, build it, build it. And then I like, I don't want to do this thing. I'm like, that's a great concept execution. I don't want to be like, dedicating my time in this way. That's like a penny to the six figures I would get for that same time.

Oh, my God. So. So I am a generator, which means that I also get people around me to integrate. So imagine how that works with your team in the beginning, before you know yourself even better. So imagine me before I knew myself well, that this is how this was gonna go. Getting an idea, giving it to my team, having them start it, and then saying, in two weeks, we're not doing that anymore.

Anymore.

Yeah, super fun. It makes your team really happy. It creates a little bit of torture and torment and turnover. But now I actually, when I'm hiring people, I tell them that's how it's going to look. I just. It's just not as often. But, yes, there will be times already with light pink where I'm like, this is what we're doing. Here's the plan. And the plan changes, right, because you were creating ideas. I want people to hear this. Like, you have to create ideas in order to start moving forward and to start get the vision. But as you start on that journey, you realize that the idea you had that actually got you started is no longer gonna be the one that actually works. And you have to go a different direction because you didn't know X, Y, and Z factors, and now you have to change it. And I think people get scared of changing that. So what do you say around that?

Well, so it really speaks to the fact that I grew up in tech companies and we had to be agile around how we actually delivered that change management you're talking about. Right. Because every time you. And it's ingrained now in systems. I became a certified agile coach because I was someone that had to go run and build these teams to have that adaptability.

For this certified Agile coach, I need that. That is amazing. That's teaching adaptability in an idea. This is what people are missing. They think it's like they're doing it wrong. No, they just need a certified adaptability coach.

Yeah, exactly. You just need the framework. Yeah. And this retrospective exercise is one of the things we do as a team when we're trying to deliver against. We do it weekly versus monthly or quarterly on like larger goals. You do it every like you do it weekly on that sprint of work. Wow. So you're assessing it so quick to then know what you're changing into. Night. But the whole team has to be adaptable that way. So what I love that you said was you're introducing that method to your team that look, this is how it's gonna work. We're basically doing a two week sprint and we're gonna check in in two weeks on this concept. Do we wanna stay on the course for this concept? Does this concept need to change and that adaptability and agility grows into it. So it's called an agile practice and I am a seasoned coach in that. And that's also why execution comes easy to me. Because I am one that thrives in uncertainty. I love change, Lori. And it's just like you where my concepts change or we can make it a little better. We could do it this way or no. Shut it down. That doesn't work anymore because we want to go serve these people constantly. That's but building the framework in place for the team to be adaptable to that change and making sure you're keeping an eye on really what you want to be accomplishing is how I approach it with my team of consultants. How we go into companies and do it all the time. But it's also the lens I have on everything. It has to be flexible. It has to be flexible in your business for it to sustain and grow with you. Just like terminating people that don't fit anymore. It's the same about terminating objectives that aren't aligned with what it is you're trying to achieve or put out in the world or your brand voice because the market changed. That's what last year was all about. We had to be adaptable that's why my business is pretty much booming right now, because people are trying to learn how to be adaptable to all that change that's happening.

It's truly adaptability is a core value in our business. Business core value, like in my life and who I hang around because they're not gonna like me if they're not, you know, because stuff you're. When you're building a large business, your friends also need to know, like, hey, you know that trip we planned? I can no longer go because this came up or this came up or whatever. And I try not to do that. But at this place in my life, I do know that the people need to be updated, that things will be changing at a. At a quick pace. And I try to follow through on my word as much as I can. But there is a place in your life where you have to give yourself grace around that. And I think when the conversations are being had and that's something that you're talking about, it's like, sorry, it literally Bananas just walked in. It looked like he closed the door himself. So I was tripping out for a moment, but I think it was my assistant closing the door.

And it looked like Bananas was. I wouldn't be surprised if Bananas come.

I was like, did he just learn how to close the door? That'd be great. Sorry, so interrupting that. But adapt. We're leaving that in, by the way. So adaptability, because that's Adaptability. We're right back to the conversation.

Yeah, I stayed focused with you, you know, like, we're good.

Exactly. It is actually what I hire on now as well. So my questions are around that because, you know, I Even in the interview process, there were some people who were like, I don't do super well if it's not very structured. And I'm like, oh, you would be an amazing. Potentially in something else. But actually, I don't know, would you be amazing in something else? Because everything changes and you kind of need it as a human being to be like, okay, so we're rolling a new way now what now how can you show up in your best self now? What's the best way to start processing this process or integrating it? So I love, love, love that you tell me the name of, like, what you did again. Some sort of coach.

I'm an agile coach.

Good Lord.

And I actually share a lot of the practices in my book, Lori, my lead with value book. It actually has the facilitated exercises in there to help you create that adaptable team structure as a leader.

Send me that book.

It is all about those. Those frameworks. Sorry.

I think we have your book, but I think it's packed away in my garage because we've never unpacked our books. Would you send that to me again? Yeah, I'll just ask you on air, so I know. Yeah, here, let me put you on the spot. Okay, great.

Yeah, no, no, no worries. Of course I will. Of course. Okay. Amazing.

And you guys are definitely going to. To want to get that book.

Yeah. Oh, thanks. Yeah, it was fun putting that one together. Much easier flow than the first one because this was all about my, like, leadership stance and, like, how I actually came to be and all the different cases of working with people, but sharing those tools. Like, everyone needs to know these tools. It doesn't have to be just me that knows them, you know, and so it's. It's fun. If it helps anyone listening to have the framework, it's lead with value.

Yes, amazing. So good. Lead with value. So we'll put that in the show notes as well. Okay, so we are coming to close. I would love for them to know how they can get your. I believe it was also like a PDF that they could download. Tell me all about that.

Yeah, so I have a. Yeah, I have a workbook. It's called your strategic life planning workbook. And you can find it@carrienewalsh.com link like any of my giveaways and my workbooks, I have a core values exercise, but that's the place to go to really download that if you're trying to get that clarity that Lori and I were talking about further earlier. Sorry. And then also how to make it a strategic plan for yourself. That's what that workbook's all about. And then when you download it, you actually then get audio links from me from my podcast, podcast episodes that align with exercises in that workbook.

That is awesome. You guys go check that out right away. And I find that even if you're one of those people who get overwhelmed by having extra things to do, just go scan the questions. Sometimes even one question will pop out to you and help you ponder and reframe and reset. You don't have to consume everything to get the goods from it. So go and check that out. And I'm just so grateful for you and all that you have done in my life life. So grateful that you stepped up as one of my epic female investors. Literally just blown away and so much gratitude. And you just show up for people like you are when you are in rooms with people. And masterminds, like, they literally gravitate towards you and you help them. Like, you've helped so many people in such a profound way and just beyond grateful. So, any parting words?

Oh, I just want to thank you also for having this dialogue with me. And as you know, I love our conversation, so I'm excited to share this one with your listeners. I really want to encourage people to really ask themselves, who do I need to be to stand in that ultimate vision that I desire for my life? Because if you can really stand in the being energy, you will be able to create it much faster for yourself. Yourself.

That is so true.

Wow.

Thank you so much. Okay, you guys, if you loved this episode as much as I did, something you can do is to tag Karine, can you give them your Instagram handle?

Sure. It's at Kareem. That's K, A, R, E, N. The letter Z. Walsh.

W, A, L, S, H. Karine. Z. Walsh. Karine with a K. All right, you guys. So tag Karine, Let her know what your biggest takeaway was from this podcast. Take myself as well. Well, so that I can reshare. And we're just so grateful for you. So until next time, everyone earn your happy. Bye.

Bye.