From Invisible to Influential: Empowering Leaders to Be Seen

Speaker A: But on the flip side, there's plenty of reasons why they stay hidden. And that is typically, they don't know what to say. They don't have the resources to be out there. And also what we found is they say almost verbatim all the time, I don't want to be that person, meaning the humble bragger that we all know on LinkedIn, there's some great examples of how not to be visible, but I think people are afraid to be seen. Maybe it is imposter syndrome, maybe it is fear of failure. All of those reasons that get in the way of us being seen. And my favorite thing to say is, no one can find you if you're hiding.

Speaker B: Hello, it's your leadership coach, Estelle Reid and host of Optimizing Leader. Uh, Brilliance, the place for calm, confident and strategic leadership. Stay tuned to the end for a mini coaching and reflective practice. Find out more about my services by heading over to estelle read.com feel invisible in a room full of people who should already know your name, today's episode is going to change that. You will walk away with three things. Number one, how to raise your profile without feeling like you're bragging. Number two, why taking up more space is actually a leadership skill. And number three, the real cost of staying invisible. Our guest is Katie Riddell, founder and CEO of Ripple Consulting Group, where she helps executives and organisations get seen by the people who matter the most. She's LED marketing, PR and guided communication strategies for everyone from Fortune 500 companies to non profits. Deeply rooted in Nashville, Katie has made a career out of helping leaders stop playing small. So let's get into it. Hello and welcome, Katie. So as soon as I saw your bio and, um, I thought about interviewing you, the first thing that sprung to mind was a conversation, actually I had with my husband very early on in my career and he was talking about being visible. And to me this was a real. Oh, what do you mean? That's, that's cringe. I've just disclosed that I am an introvert. At the time, I just spearheaded a project at work and somebody else took credit for it at head office. And he said to me, it wasn't my husband at the time, he was just the boss. And he said, look, he said, nobody else is going to push you forward except for you. And it was a real eye opener. It taught me a lot and it, but it felt also uncomfortable. So today's topic is the real business cost of staying invisible as a leader. Uh, so from your perspective, what would you like listeners to Take away from our conversation today. If there was one thing I would

Speaker A: love for listeners to take away. Feeling more empowered to be seen. Feeling inspired to be seen. Not for ego, but to reach your goals and to do the thing that you've always wanted to do.

Speaker B: Oh, nice. What's the thing that you've always wanted to do?

Speaker A: I have my own business, um, and I'm doing it, which is so exciting. I spent many years in corporate America, and although I learned so much and that was really such a great foundation of my business and who I am as a leader now, I knew there was a nagging feeling as I was getting closer to 40 that there was more and that work could be a lot better for me. And hindsight. I've been in business for 20 or not 20. I've been in business for seven years now, and I realize now that I'm wired a certain way. You're either an entrepreneur or you're not. And in my bones and in, um, my DNA, I am, um, an entrepreneur. And it's so fulfilling knowing that I took a risk and a chance to choose me and to walk away from that stability of the corporate world. And I haven't looked back. Although, of course, there's been a lot of lessons and tears along the way.

Speaker B: It's not easy, is it? Rental business. And, um, what you said, you think you've got it in your bones and either you're an entrepreneur or not. What, in your view, makes an entrepreneur,

Speaker A: A friend who is also an entrepreneur, has a quote on her desk that I absolutely love. And I don't know who it's from, but it says, being an entrepreneur. It's like waking up every day knowing that it's either going to fall apart or come together. Every day you wake up with that feeling. And that is so true, because within one hour, you're on top of the world and you've landed a deal or someone, Someone emails you back, and the next moment you've lost a client or something, Something has gone wrong or sideways, and it's having the unshakable faith in yourself that it's going to work out. And doing that every single day.

Speaker B: Yeah. Gosh, unshakable faith. And, uh, I'm sure we're going to get into all of that, because that is so true. And I had one of those days yesterday where I literally sat at the breakfast bar with my family and went, oh, my God, the day's been awful.

Speaker A: And I really love that you're laughing. And I'm laughing, too, because I Relate to that. If you don't laugh about it and make light of it and look at it from a perspective of I get to do this. I'm lucky enough to be this passionate about something that is so hard and wild and takes me on this roller coaster ride all the time. If you reframe it and think I'm so lucky that I get to have the hard days, it makes it a little easier. But you have to laugh about it because actually it's funny and you would cry if you didn't laugh.

Speaker B: I've also cried as well. So just so that people can get an idea of your life in your role at Ripple Consulting Group, what's your average day, average week? Often people say I don't have an average day. So what is your average? And do you have any unshakable, non negotiable routines that are a part of that?

Speaker A: I love to start my. I'm a morning person. I'm one of those people, I'm a morning person. I do my best thinking and I'm more creative in the morning. And so what that looks like is starting with coffee obviously, but waking up early and giving myself a minute to think about the day. Hopefully not get on social media right away. Although that's a tough thing. Really make it a slower morning if I can. But the truth is I'm usually rushing my son off to school and it's where are your socks? Where are your shoes? Did you brush your teeth? Where's your backpack? Let's get your backpack. So that is a very normal morning for us, uh, always through the drop off at school. And I love that time because it's just my son and I park and we walk in together. So we're lucky to have a parking lot next to school where you are allowed to park instead of just going in the car line. And I love that time with him because we talk about the day and what we're excited about and it's just a uh, lovely way to start the day. And then a non negotiable for me is some form of exercise, whether that is hot yoga, that is very hot. But I continue to show up because afterwards it's the best feeling ever. Or a uh, walk. And it's not a strenuous walk. It's usually a walk in nature for an hour before I start my day because I need that time to be grounded and grateful. And a lot of times if I am having one of those horrifically awful days, sometimes I walk twice. Because what I found is that most Things can be fixed with at least a 30 minute walk outside. But I always try to start my day with some form of exercise, moving my body. And then I dive into client work. And again, I do my best work in the morning where I'm creative, I'm writing, I'm, um, posting on social media, because that's a big part of doing what I do, is I better have my own thought leadership and executive visibility. So it's finding opportunities for my clients, of course, but also for myself and writing, managing clients, managing Asana, and what my team has going on for the day. And typically there's usually some kind of networking luncheon. Um, whether it's a business development luncheon or connecting with a friend, I. You said you were an introvert. I am an extrovert. Almost off the charts. It is off the charts. And I work from home, so it's really important to me to have that connection time with others. And I found a great community of other entrepreneurs here in Nashville, where I'm base.

Speaker B: Nice.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: And, uh, so what you mentioned, executive visibility. Let's get into that. What does that mean?

Speaker A: We have a PR firm. So Ripple Consulting Group is a PR firm. What I've found over the years is that a lot of people don't know what PR means, and that is completely fair. A lot of people think PR means writing a press release. Sometimes it does. That is one teeny tiny tool in the toolbox of PR professionals. Some people think it means you're putting out fires all the time, like Olivia Pope on the show Scandal. And for some PR professionals, that's true, but it's so much more than that. And to just say I do PR is so broad. And frankly, for a long time I wasn't getting that light bulb moment of what I do for a living. It took a while to finally get to the point of maybe I need to be very clear as a communication professional, which is very ironic, who it is I help and how I add, uh, value. It took some time, but what I say now is I raise the profile of executives, which in turn raises the profile of the organization through PR tactics, such as getting podcasts, speaking engagements, contributing articles to trade publications where their audience lives and needs to see them. So that's the vehicle. Yes. A publicist.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And it's. It is having a publicist dedicated to the executive of an organization. Because people buy from people.

Speaker B: Yeah. So, um, what's your origin story? How do you get into executive visibility? Connect the dots for me. Because often what we do for a living if we're in line and on purpose, then often there is a connection to childhood. I absolutely love all that stuff. I love understanding where that purpose comes from. So how does that work for you? What's your origin story?

Speaker A: This might be a bit surprising, but I grew up in my family's funeral home. Yes, it is third generation family owned, and it is still family owned and independent. And when I was able to work, starting at 16, I was working at the family funeral home, doing a lot of different jobs, including washing the hearse, driving the hearse, working visitations and funerals, receiving flowers for a visitation or funeral, making coffee, all of those things that, um, help with the production of making a funeral special for someone. And I learned a lot in those years, but it was so normalized for me. Death was very normalized for me because it, uh, was a family business and that's. I didn't know any better, I didn't know any differently. And those conversations around death were very normalized. It was part of every day, part of business. And I didn't realize how much that had shaped me as a person and how I look at the world and life until I was getting ready to leave the corporate world. I was nearing 40 and was really at a moment in my life and in my career where I was thinking, I know there's something out there. I know I could be doing this work better, and I know I could be doing it for myself. But it was scary. But when I remembered what I had learned growing up in the family funeral home and being surrounded by the idea that this is not a dress rehearsal, this is it, because it is, I. I remembered all those funerals and all of those people who lost loved ones. And I started thinking bigger and better for myself because I did have a choice. And I decided I have to at least try this thing, even if I fall flat on my face. And I took a chance on me and left the stability of the corporate

Speaker B: world, you hit subscribe or the follow button now, wherever it is that you're listening. So that's maybe on YouTube, Spotify or Apple, uh, because that will help the podcast get found by other people and that then enables us to keep going because we continue to keep growing. Thanks for your support.

Speaker A: So I don't think executive visibility has anything to do really with growing up in a funeral home, but my decision to be independent and be an entrepreneur does. Yes, it was the learning in my business and the trial and error of being a generalist for such a long time and really figuring out what do I like about pr, what are the parts of it that I enjoy and what that looked like is that one on one advisory with those executives saying, prepping them for an interview, walking them, um, through how we should present an announcement. Just working directly with the leadership was really fun for me and having that interaction at that level and I realized I could do pr, but translate that into working solely with the executive or working with the executive first. Because what happens in an engagement is we'll work with an executive and we realize and uncover that, wow, there are some company announcements that need to be made and they could use our help. So we do offer full service PR as well, but we always start with the executive.

Speaker B: And M, you were saying that that interaction was fun. Is that the connection with when you were growing up and realizing the service that you gave in the funeral home and making the. Obviously it wasn't fun. But what I mean is.

Speaker A: I know what you mean. I do.

Speaker B: That interaction.

Speaker A: And I don't know, looking back, I do realize now, many years later, that what that experience taught me is how to interact with people on their very worst day.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: And at times I would be helping the family, I would be talking to the pastor, I would be talking to the funeral directors who are managing the service and taking care of everything and supporting them. And so I was a fly on the wall of, uh, this really sensitive thing. And I learned so much from that. I picked up a lot about interacting with people who might not be having the best day and doing work that isn't selling makeup or T shirts or clothing. I've always been in an industry, banking, finance, private equ. Equity, health care. That can be a little difficult to talk about and very complicated and layered. And I've always enjoyed figuring out how to solve those problems and work on those puzzles as far as it relates to public relations and packaging. Something in a way that makes sense to other people. So it does relate and it does go back to my early learnings of dealing with people who aren't maybe having the best day of their lives.

Speaker B: And um, also I would imagine going back to the traditional model you were talking about when we think about PR managing and announcement. Like I remember again, my husband, he used to work in a, uh, chemical factory and if they had a fire, they just mean the uh, PR team will be all over it in terms of how do we manage this in the local village and all that type of thing. So. And that could be a leader's worst day, couldn't it? In that moment. So what is the cost of being invisible.

Speaker A: The truth is, we don't know. There are no alerts or notifications that go off when someone passes our organization by. The cost can be losing highly qualified, great talent. When we're talking about retention and recruitment. 75% of people research the CEO and the organization before they apply for a job, according to Forbes. So people are googling, people are on LinkedIn, people are looking and they want to see that imprint. How do they feel when a leader is featured in an article? How do they feel when they see a leader in a video? Has the organization won awards? Has the CEO won awards? What is the culture like? It's really hard to find those things out when all you have is a computer. And we're lucky we have that. But if there's nothing that shows up, you might be passed by. The same applies for investors looking to invest clients. We are highly researched, especially with AI. PR is having a great moment right now with AI because AI prefers earned media, which is what we do. So that earned media piece is with marketing and advertising, it's the company saying what they do and the products they offer. With earned media, it's that publication saying, yes, I agree, they are wonderful and that third party credibility. And AI loves that.

Speaker B: Interesting. And I'm sure that entrepreneurs listening to this. I'm talking about myself, I'm thinking, yeah, I don't go for publications at all. I think if you Google me, you can. I'm all over the place because I do so much. But that said, I think I have tried AI to do a search and, uh, I think it was like a barren landscape.

Speaker A: It's not just one thing. When we're working with clients, we don't just use one strategy or tactic because it is a combination of things. It's not just podcast placements, it's contributing articles and articles on LinkedIn and blogs and panels and speaking engagements and all of that. It's not just one thing that contributes to the greater good of being visible.

Speaker B: So m. Just before we hit record, you said something really profound and I'm trying to think what you said verbatim. I don't think I will be able to, but it was something along the lines of we're invisible for a reason. Can you expand, um, on that and talk to me about it?

Speaker A: What I've found in my experience is people are invisible for a reason. People come to us saying things like, I need to be more out there. I know I need to be more out there and my competitor is all over the place and I'm not. There's always a reason why people want to be more visible. Maybe they're looking to sell the business in a few years. It completely depends on their ultimate goal. But on the flip side, there's plenty of reasons why they stay hidden. And that is typically, they don't know what to say. They don't have the resources to be out there. And also what we found is they say almost verbatim all the time, I don't want to be that person, meaning the humble bragger that we all know on LinkedIn. There's some great examples of how not to be visible, but I think people are afraid to be seen. Maybe it is imposter syndrome, maybe it is fear of failure. All of those reasons that get in the way of us being seen. And my favorite thing to say is no one can find you if you're hiding.

Speaker B: So true. And so when it comes to how not to be seen, what, what are kind of the red flags?

Speaker A: It's the constant post about I am so awesome, I won this thing. I am, um, smart. Of course they are. But there are ways to be more visible, to be authentic, to focus more on that storytelling piece that people connect with. And there are ways to talk about success in a way that isn't look at me and ego driven. I like to frame it as, instead of talking about success, let's talk about what you've learned and maybe some failures. Maybe talk about the point of breakout or sorry, uh, the point of burnout for you and what that looked like and how you got through it. Having a point of view about your industry, that might be a little different. It's standing out in ways that don't feel so self serving Good.

Speaker B: And it's. We, we touched on imposter syndrome. Yeah, I know.

Speaker A: I wish it wasn't even part of the conversation, but unfortunately it is. Yeah.

Speaker B: So when it comes to imposter syndrome and one of my areas of extra truth, totally had it worn the T shirt. And when I have that hat on, it's to do with exactly like you say, I don't want to be that person. But also I don't want to be found out. It's. And it's interesting. I've been having some conversations with female execs where there's this point around, can I really claim and own that stuff as well? And there is some, there's been some studies that compare male versus female on CVs and what females are prepared to apply. For example, oh, I've not got 100% of those bullet points on that job spec or whatever else, versus, oh, yeah, I can just. I can do about 3, 60% of that. I'll go for it. So you. Do you notice any differences between male and female in terms of how you have to handle them? As a PR person, what I've noticed

Speaker A: is a lot of the females lean more towards. I've never done this before. And what that signals to me, and no one has ever told me this directly, but what that signals to me is they were always maybe taught from an early age or even in the corporate world that you need to shrink.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: You need to be smaller. Don't talk about me. Don't do the look at me. Because it makes people uncomfortable. Men, on the other hand, they also suffer from imposter syndrome. Yeah, they're not as willing to say it out loud or to name it, but it's still there. And so I would say men indifferent are men and women are different with imposter syndrome, but at the end of the day, they're so intertwined with that, uh, underlying feeling of I'm not enough and one day someone's going to find out that I don't know what I'm doing. Yeah.

Speaker B: And I have found that the difference between the male and female and imposter syndrome is just the way they express it. So one on one. So I have what I refer to as my secret boys club. So, no, nobody wants to admit that they come and see me. Um, and I remember many years ago being at a corporate event and there was a load of boys in this arena that I worked with. But as soon as I arrived, I could see them like, oh, my God, I can't believe she's here. I'm not going to admit to, uh, working with her as a coach. And yet the females are a bit more open and honest about how they feel and they will communicate it more. So it is. But you're exactly right. What goes beneath the surface is just this thing of, actually, I just don't feel like I'm enough. So going back to this point about people feel uncomfortable, what's the counter to that? How do we stop being smaller without our egos getting in the way?

Speaker A: I think it's a reframe of to not be seen and to be heard, meaning your voice, your opinion, your point of view is to deny people of your brilliance. They can't learn from you if they don't know your thoughts and ideas. So I look at it as an act of service, to be more visible because you've, you've collected all of this life experience in your life and in your career, uh, to a certain point. And it needs to be shared. It's an opportunity for people to learn and to send the elevator down.

Speaker B: And, um. But it's interesting as well. So my strap line has. So for 20 years, it's always had brilliance in. Began with bringing out brilliance, and now it's optimizing. And, um. But what was interesting is that sometimes people will even shrink away from the word brilliance. I don't want to be brilliant. And also it's wrong to be brilliant. And it's interesting, isn't it, how people. Because my firm belief is that we all have the potential to be brilliant in our own unique way. And, um, when we don't recognize our brilliance or we don't own a bit like the client I was working with this morning, when we don't own what we're great at, we then are looking for reassurance from other people, from some external validation as opposed to going, you know what? Yeah, I'm going to acknowledge it's okay to be brilliant at what I do and my skill set. And, um, I love that reframe. It's an act of service that is perfect. So what is a challenge or an obstacle that you faced on this journey, either, uh, through your business, through pr, through life in general that you have overcome, that you want to share with us?

Speaker A: There definitely are themes of imposter syndrome. But what I think it really is for me, what it has been for me, is self discovery, self worth, self awareness, all the selfs.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And I wish there was a shortcut to that. I wish there was a shortcut to finding your self worth, finding self awareness, self development, but there's not. There's not a shortcut. And so you have to try things. It's as simple as that. And gosh, at 22, I hadn't tried a lot of things. Now I'm in my mid-40s, I'm like, I've tried a lot of things and I will continue to do that because every time I learn from it, and that is personal life and professional life as well. So it's this always trying, always learning, being resilient, being flexible and sitting in whatever it is and learning from it and doing better next time. But giving yourself permission to fail. That's been really hard for me. As someone who's wired to be an achiever and a climber, maybe a little bit of a perfectionist, it's been really hard for me to be able to allow Myself to try things, knowing fully well that whatever it is might fail miserably and being able to learn and move on and try something different next time.

Speaker B: Yeah, it's. It is a common theme with guests that they are in the position they're in because they have tried things, they've been brave, they've busted through those fears relating to fear of failure, getting things wrong, making mistakes. And it's the classic. They felt the fear and they did it anyway. So what was that? What was the very first thing or significant thing that for you was? Um, maybe risky or you were really giving something a try and you got to. You got through that challenge and you came out the other side.

Speaker A: One of the hardest things was leaving the comfortable safety net of the paycheck every two weeks and the benefits. I had a young child at the time, and the adulthood obligations were very real. Daycare and mortgage and all those adult things. And it was really hard for me to picture maybe not having an income for a little bit, how I had thoughts of how irresponsible of me to do this when I'm almost 40 years old. And I had all of this doubt of, will this even work? And over time, I started thinking, if it doesn't, I can always go back to the corporate world. It's okay. And also, it was so important for me to try. I knew that I had to try. At the very least, I had to take that risk or else I would have never been fulfilled and satisfied. I would have always been wondering, what if? What if?

Speaker B: Yeah, and it's. And linking back to what you were saying at the start, it's not living life with those what ifs, is it? Yeah, exactly. So when you think about executives and becoming more visible, is there, uh, anything in particular that you recommend? What is the very first thing that they could try to implement this ethos of yours?

Speaker A: I'd like to start with more of a philosophy M. It's the idea that perfection shouldn't get in the way of progress. Starting there is a great place to start, but realistically, starting with, let's figure out who I help, the problem I solve, and the result. Let's start from that foundational messaging M of who do I want to be in this world? But most importantly, what do I want to be known for? Start there. The very foundational basics of how we're going to present ourselves to the world in a clear way, in a very clear, concise way. Because what I found is it's really hard to read the label of the jar that you're in. And it's hard for people to do their own work on messaging and visibility when sometimes it's really hard for them to see what that is.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's so true. Um, so what would be a. Like an example that the listeners could hook on to when you talk about who do they want to be, the problem they solve and the result that leads to. Just as a practical.

Speaker A: I'll use myself as an example because I fine tuned this for many years. M. And I still have the right to change it. But yeah, uh, I say that I solve the invisibility problem for executives by getting them seen by audiences that matter. So it's clarifying. The executive saying, what I solve is the invisibility problem and it lands with result, which is getting seen by the audiences that matter.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: So I attack it in those three parts. It can be different. It can be different for everyone. But it's. If you were going to say that in an elevator, which, by the way, I think the word elevator pitch just needs to be rewritten because we need to think of something else that is a little more fun and less intimidating than being on an elevator with someone for 30 seconds. That's my soapbox. It's really those authentic, natural conversations you would have sitting across the table from someone over coffee or tea. What would you say? What would feel natural and normal and not forced and too wordy, but what you're looking for is what I call a light bulb moment of you can see it on their face, you can feel it, and they look at you and they say, oh, that's cool, I know someone who could use that. Or I know several people I can introduce you to who need what you provide. That's where the magic happens. When you know you've done your job at being clear and concise and you are telling people accurately what you offer to the world.

Speaker B: And then I'm, um, guessing. So once you've established what that is, what tangible actions come out of that? So whether you use yourself as an example or a client as an example. So you've clarified that non elevator pitch, that coffee conversation where the light bulb goes on. What actions would people or executives take as a result of that to reinforce it?

Speaker A: I would say starting. There is a great place to start. But to take it further, you have to frame it in a way that makes sense for other people and you have to start showing up in those spaces. And what that looks like is, okay, we've nailed this messaging. Now how are we going to come up with topics and Talking points to get this message or this lane, or what I call zone of genius out into the world, but most importantly in front of the audiences who need to hear about it, whatever that looks like. So is that a trade publication? Is it a podcast? And then we work with clients to tailor that messaging with a PR lens of uh, again, the value that you bring and how we can talk to your audience in a way they want to hear about and focus on the value for the audience and keeping them front and center.

Speaker B: And um, that is crucial, isn't it? Value for the audience. Because all too often we can be on transmit mode. I want to tell you this and I see it when I work with. So I work with leaders to help them to present better. And often they're selling an idea, a concept or a product or a service. And I work a lot in the construction industry and they'll start with my name's and we've been in business for so many years and um, I've got all these qualifications as opposed to what does your audience want to hear? So is that the kind of thing? Absolutely.

Speaker A: And it's what's in it for them?

Speaker B: Mhm.

Speaker A: What's in it for them? What's in it for the audience? How can the audience benefit from whatever you're about to say?

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And how can the audience picture themselves hiring you to help them with whatever that is? Ooh, nice examples are always great. I was guilty of when I first started my business, I would lead, frankly, because I didn't do the work to really figure this out. But I would lead with my credentials in the corporate world. I work for this company and you know, I work for this company and nobody cared. Yeah, that was the truth. Nobody cared. Uh, maybe they did. Maybe it was a little helpful with my credibility and influence. But I wasn't telling people how I could help them.

Speaker B: Yes, yes. Yeah. And that shifts it away from ego, doesn't it? Because when we go into credentials, that's ego driven, isn't it? I remember my very first client and I am always grateful for him giving me the opportunity. And he got my business card and he said, it says on here managing, uh, director, uh. And I said, yeah. And he said, what you directing yourself? And I said, oh, I, I, I got it from a business book that I want to network with other MDs. And um, so I need to put MD on my business card for respect. That's 20 years ago. But it did she mean but I never forgot. And he did take it, to be fair. He did take A, uh, risk. Thank goodness. Oh.

Speaker A: So thank goodness for those people early on that take risks on us. Oh, I know.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: What I love about where I am in my business now is that now I and old is that I am in a position to take risks with other people and I love to give people a leg up and help them shine as well. So our last guest, Brian Suketa, he has left you a question and you, um, get to leave our next guest a question as well. And his question is, what about the future excites you? And, um, what about the future scares you? And you've got to be specific.

Speaker A: What about the future excites me is I am trying new things all the time. And I used to try a few things here and there, but as I'm learning and growing and getting older, I'm trying new things all the time. And what I'm trying now is to really niche down in my industry for my business, healthcare specifically. And it's exciting because I've done a lot of that work before. It's just having more intentionality around business development and networking and the work I'm doing and choosing. And it feels really good because it forces you to again find that lane and to spend your time strategically. So I'm really excited about that. What I'm doing, afraid of or scared of is that I might lose other clients. That would be wonderful. And it's, uh, the what if factor of if I niche down into this industry, what if I miss a big opportunity with this other industry that I've. That I could find enjoyable? The truth is, I don't know. And the theme today has been try it out and see what happens. And I have the honor and the privilege to try. And I don't take that lightly and I don't take that for granted.

Speaker B: Yeah. Nice. So what would you like to leave for the next guest? What question?

Speaker A: What would you like your legacy to be?

Speaker B: Nice. What would you like your legacy to be?

Speaker A: Good and kind of.

Speaker B: That's it. Yes.

Speaker A: When I think about grief, when I think about those that I've lost and you know, the, the environment that I grew up in, it really forces you to distill very simply what you want people to feel. And I would hope after I'm gone, the legacy I live is that people would say she was good and she was kind and that's it.

Speaker B: Um, yeah. And it's so true, isn't it? People remember how you made them feel. Yeah. I love that. So to bring things to a close, what, three actionable tips, steps, philosophies, either from work or life. Would you like to leave the listeners with Coming up, If you would prefer to take the traditional route, I'm going to share three strategies you can practice. But before we do that, if you're ready to take the next step, you've got three options. Number one, if you want to know your primary roadblock, take my free Saboteur's scorecard. It takes three minutes to get your customised leadership report. Number two, if you want to know what we do on the optimised leader programme, next, next level, head over to my website. Number three, you can book a free 30 minute leadership discovery call where we'll deconstruct your scorecard to trace the root causes of your current workplace triggers. Reset your nervous system with a quick sample of the neuroscience technique I use Havening and, um, explore future growth. Head over to astelreid.com or the show Notes to access all of those things.

Speaker A: No one can find you. If you are hiding. You are the CEO of your life. Hire fire and promote accordingly. And be good and kind.

Speaker B: That, uh, and when you say hire fire and what's the other thing? Hire fire and, um, you are the

Speaker A: CEO of your life. Hire fire and promote accordingly.

Speaker B: So we're talking in work and life, aren't we There?

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: And across all contexts. So friendships.

Speaker A: Yes. Hobbies, all relationships. Jobs. Hobbies, yeah. Ah, I guess, simply said, if it's not working, do something about it. If it is working, love it or them harder. Yeah, Keep going.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. That, uh, is wonderful. Thank you so much for coming on. I've really enjoyed our conversation. I've had a sneaking suspicion I would.

Speaker A: It was a pleasure, such a joy to talk to you today.

Speaker B: Oh, thank you for coming on. So here's this week's reflective coaching questions based on Katie Riddell's podcast. Episode number one. Where in my life or career am I currently playing small? And what would it look like to take up more space? Number two, what is being invisible actually costing me right now in terms of opportunities, relationships or confidence, even if I can't put an exact number on it? Number three, who are the audiences that matter the most to me? Me. And am m I currently showing up in a way that lets them see me? If you'd like to be notified when the next episode drops, remember to subscribe. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with someone who might benefit. Finally, if any of these topics have sparked your interest and you'd like to work with me, you can apply for a free discount discovery call@, uh, estellread.com let's see if we're a good fit. You'll also find plenty of free resources there. Ah. I'm Estelle Reid, executive coach, speaker and, um, best selling author. And this has been the Optimizing Leader Brilliance Podcast. Thanks for listening. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Please consult with a qualified professional for any specific advice related to your situation.