angishields, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Baking Up Business Success: How Personal Touches Can Elevate Your Brand

April 15, 2025 by angishields

Women in Motion

Baking Up Business Success: How Personal Touches Can Elevate Your Brand

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In this episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor talks with Daphne Subar, the founder and CEO of Subarzsweets. Daphne shares her inspiring journey from a 26-year legal career to launching Subarzsweets, driven by her passion for baking. Initially a bakery, Subarzsweets evolved into a gift-giving business, emphasizing personalization through handwritten notes and beautiful packaging. Daphne discusses effective gifting strategies for small businesses and highlights the support she received from the WBEC-West community. Her story underscores the importance of meaningful connections and personalized gestures in today’s impersonal world.

Daphne Subar is the founder and CEO of Subarzsweets, LLC, a unique online bakery and gifting service.

In 2016, after 26 years of practicing law, Daphne decided to follow her passion for baking, launching a business that combines creativity, community, and entrepreneurship. Subarzsweets began with a single flavor and package size and has since grown to offer over 20 varieties in multiple sizes. The business now includes a popular membership program, allowing clients to enjoy regular deliveries.

Under Daphne’s leadership, Subarzsweets has become a favored choice for corporate and personal gifts, shipping nationwide to all 50 states. Subarzsweets makes gifting intentional and meaningful again and all gifts are accompanied by a handwritten note. Daphne is committed to giving back; she partners with various organizations throughout the year to donate a portion of sales to community causes.

During the pandemic, she quickly adapted her business to support local restaurant and salon workers by offering temporary employment for local deliveries. Daphne and her husband live in Studio City, California, where they raised their three daughters.

Outside of her business, she enjoys reading, exercising, traveling, and participating in three book clubs. Daphne is a lifelong learner and has shared her journey on numerous podcasts.

Connect with Daphne on LinkedIn and follow Subarzsweets on Facebook and Instagram.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios, it’s time for Women in Motion. Brought to you by WBEC West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Women in Motion. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women in Motion, we have Daphne Subar, and she is the founder and CEO with Subarzsweets. Welcome.

Daphne Subar: Thank you. I’m excited to be here.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about your company. How are you serving folks?

Daphne Subar: So, I launched Subarzsweets almost nine years ago, and it started as a bakery because I had a baked good that I had been baking for years. Prior to launching the company, I was actually an attorney practicing law for about 26 years. And during that time, I had my three daughters, and I was raising them, and I loved to bake different treats for them, and people had suggested that maybe I should start a bakery one day. And I always came up with excuses.

And then about nine years ago, one of my daughters said to me, “You keep coming up with these excuses, but you always tell us to follow your passion, and you love baking. Why aren’t you following your passion?” And that’s really kind of how Subarzsweets was launched. And as I said, it was originally a bakery because I had created a unique baked good to share with the world.

It was about a year or two after I was in business that I looked back and realized that Subarzsweets, most people were placing orders and sending our items as gifts. They’re beautifully packaged, they ship easily anywhere in the country, and they’re always accompanied by a handwritten note. And when I looked back at it, I realized it’s really much more than a bakery. It’s really become a gift-giving business and a gift-giving service. And that’s really kind of where it exploded and took off. And that’s really where our growth has been for the last several years.

Lee Kantor: So, what was this unique baked good you were selling at the start?

Daphne Subar: So, the baked good has stayed the same. So, it’s basically something we created. It’s a combination of a biscotti, a mandel bread and a cookie. It looks like a biscotti. It’s crunchy but not quite as hard as biscotti. And it’s a little bit sweeter. So, we started with one product. It was a traditional chocolate chip bars that was based on a chocolate chip mandel bread recipe that I had developed for years and changed other recipes that were out there to accommodate my children’s food allergies. Then, once we launched, we decided that product was so popular, we kept the same product, the same Subarz, but we just had a lot of fun with flavors. So, now, we have over 21 flavors. It ranges from the traditional chocolate chip, to a lavender, to a matcha to a chocolate peppermint. And then, we also have a gluten-free line that has about eight different products. But they’re all the same Subarz, just had a lot of fun with the flavors.

Lee Kantor: Is the shape the same?

Daphne Subar: Everything’s the same, which actually worked out well because once we created them, we came up with these beautiful pink branded boxes. So, we can basically use the same box and just substitute in the different flavors.

Lee Kantor: And then, when you decided to kind of lean into the gift giving, that doesn’t sound like that dramatic of a shift, because you were already, I guess, instinctively making it look beautiful. Like that was… so, it just kind of you just did more of that and just maybe started talking to different types of customers.

Daphne Subar: Exactly. It’s really more the latter. I didn’t change. What I did is I looked at who was buying my product and why. And when I realized it was mostly probably 95% were gifts, they shipped very easily nationwide, and they would require no refrigeration. So, I didn’t really change much on the backend. What I changed was who we marketed to and how we promoted our product and our service.

Lee Kantor: So, at the start, how did you kind of just decide to make it super nice? Like, that was just your brand? Like that was your instincts initially where, “Look, we’re going to do this, and we’re going to just kind of jazz hands this up, so everybody who gets, it’ll be super special”?

Daphne Subar: Basically, yeah. And honestly, a lot of it was luck. Like I found a box that fit the product I had created. The box happened to be beautiful. It happened to be pink, which is the color I wanted the brand, and that was the color of our logo. And it kind of took off from there. In the beginning, when we were very small, I would handwrite notes for people if they were sending a gift to give it a personal touch. I didn’t realize until later that was a big selling point for my business, and we’ve kept the handwritten notes even as we’ve expanded. So, we started small and simple, and didn’t realize that some of those very personal touches were really what was going to make us unique and make us stand out among our competitors.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you were getting larger and larger, were you tempted to maybe cut back on some of that personalization just because of the scale of doing it that many times and still being personal, or was this something you’re like, “No, this is part of our brand. Now we have to do this”?

Daphne Subar: Well, it’s funny because people have asked me so many times about why we still handwrite our notes versus buying one of those fancy programs that will look almost like it’s handwritten, unless you kind of know. And we have really stuck with that. We still have our products hand packed. Each one is individually placed within a doily, so, it has this very old-fashioned look. And we have kept the handwritten notes. We have not changed any of that. Although every couple of years, someone in like a business meeting or something with fellow business owners will suggest that we get rid of some of those personal touches, but I think it’s really what has made our brand unique. So, we’re not changing any of that.

Lee Kantor: No, I think that’s super important to have that kind of that true north, and this is our brand, this is how we do things, and we’re not going to kind of skimp here, even though maybe the accountant says, “You know how much money you could save by skimping here.” It just you you’re giving up too much of the personality and the why behind what you’re doing.

Daphne Subar: Exactly, exactly. And I have to say, especially post-pandemic, the world has become much more impersonal. So many things, even this recording. I mean, ten years ago, we probably would have met in person to record this, where, now, doing it over Zoom. Meetings are held over Zoom. So many things have moved in an impersonal direction. And sending our treats to someone with a handwritten note, beautifully packaged, tied up in a ribbon, delivered to their door, that’s a way to reconnect with people and kind of make that relationship a little bit more personal. So, it’s more important now than ever. So, yeah, we are definitely keeping that and not planning on changing any of that just because everyone needs this personal touch, and there’s not a lot of ways to send very personal and meaningful gifts anymore.

Lee Kantor: And is that kind of the conversations you’re having with the buyers of these gifts that that’s what they’re getting when they’re getting the Subarzsweets from you is they’re getting that level of personalization? And I would imagine clients are hungry for that as well, that they also want to be the ones that are giving personal attention to the people important to them.

Daphne Subar: Exactly, exactly. That comes up quite a bit in our discussions. And as I mentioned earlier, I was a lawyer for 26 years before launching Subarzsweets. As a lawyer, I got a fair share of gifts from clients and other attorneys, and they would always come, not always, most of the gifts would come between December 25th and December… I mean December 15th and December 25th. And many of those gifts, while they were well intentioned, were just not appreciated. It was the same foil-wrapped pairs or box of chocolate I would get from several people. You’d get so many gifts during that short period of time that even though people meant well, it just didn’t convey… that message, wasn’t really conveyed. And sadly, a lot of them were wasted.

And we really want to change that with our gifting. We work with our clients directly. We come up with a gifting plan. We’ve learned that, really, if you want your gift to stand out for the intention that you have behind it, have that appear to the recipient, you don’t necessarily need to gift on December 15th. Gift in the spring, gift for a birthday, gift for a closing of a contract or closing of a deal, there’s so many other ways to gift and show the recipient that, really, there’s meaning behind this gift. It’s not just an obligatory holiday gift. This is a gift that someone intentionally wanted to send to you for a personal reason.

So yes, we talk to our clients on that. We look at their businesses, we figure out what’s the best way for them to gift, and we basically come up with a gifting plan. And then, what we do is because everyone’s busy and people don’t have a gifting coordinator or a director of gifting, we’ll come up with a plan, let’s say, for the year where we will make sure that every week, whoever has birthdays that week in your company will get a gift with a personalized note that you send, you tell us what to do, or something like that. Or once a month, we’ll send to individuals who happen to be working on this project. We come up with a very personalized program, and that’s really been very successful.

Lee Kantor: Now, any tips for kind of maybe the smaller firms that can’t afford a gifting coordinator on their team, but like what-

Daphne Subar: Right.

Lee Kantor: What would be some of kind of the do’s and don’ts? If you had a small business, and you were just wanting to share appreciation with your team and your clients, what’s kind of a simple gifting strategy for folks?

Daphne Subar: I think a simple gifting strategy is actually to keep it simple, make it sincere, make it intentional, and make it personal. So, if you know that your clients love to celebrate certain things, either family occasions, certain holidays, any of that, try to do the gifting around that. If you know that your clients are gluten-free or have dietary restrictions, send them something that works for that. And if you know if your clients already have all the swag in the world that they really need – the mugs, the pens, that – don’t send them more of that. Send them something that they can really enjoy. And when they’re done with it, they’ll always have the note to remember you by. But I think the key is to know your clients and to keep it simple and meaningful.

Lee Kantor: And consistent.

Daphne Subar: Consistent. Consistent is key. You know, people want to be appreciated, especially in this impersonal world. Nothing is better than getting an unexpected gift and an unexpected handwritten note at your door once or twice during the year, or once or twice during a certain cycle. So, yeah, consistency and really just letting people know you appreciate them and that you’re grateful for what they’re doing.

Lee Kantor: Now, why was it important for you and your firm to become part of the WBEC West community? What did you hope to get out of it and what have you gotten out of it?

Daphne Subar: I was really excited to be part of the WBEC West community. I was actually encouraged by some other business owners to apply. I didn’t know a lot about it when I launched my business initially. Actually, I didn’t know a lot about running a business initially. I kind of learned a lot. So, once I learned about it, and I applied, and I became certified, it’s been an amazing community. The education they provide is outstanding, as well as meeting the other business owners and the ability to collaborate with them. I think that’s been great. Everyone I’ve met that’s part of the community is willing to help others to make suggestions. They’re just very, very supportive. So, it’s really been a lovely community, and I highly recommend it to anyone who qualifies.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there a story you can share about maybe one of your clients that you were able to help with a gifting strategy, or a way that they leveraged your expertise and products to make a difference to their community? You don’t have to name the name of the company, but maybe just explain what their challenge was and how you helped them with it.

Daphne Subar: Right. And there’s been several. So, let me think. I think one would be with a real estate client. And for real estate clients, really, a lot of it is they want their prior clients to keep them top of mind. And I know that I get various magazines and things in the mail, a lot from real estate companies or individual realtors. And honestly, I kind of walk them to the recycling bin. So, one real estate company that we’ve worked with, we implemented a gifting plan where on the year anniversary of when they either purchased or sold a house, they send a handwritten note with a small box of Subarz to that individual just saying, “Happy House anniversary,” or “We really enjoyed working with you a year ago, two years ago, three years ago.” I mean, we do this year after year after year. And that’s really helped them reconnect with their clients and keep them top of mind much more than the glossy magazine that shows up. That probably costs more than a box of Subarzs, honestly. And the recipients have really, really enjoyed the handwritten note and hearing from someone that they had worked with in the past on a fairly large transaction.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more, get a hold of the product, or have a conversation with you or the team about a gifting strategy for their firm, what is the website? What is the best way to connect?

Daphne Subar: So, the website is Subarzsweets.com. All the information about our products is on there. You can order individual ones. There’s also a link to our corporate gifting section on there. Alternatively, anyone can email me directly at Daphne@Subarzsweets.com.

Lee Kantor: Well, Daphne, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Daphne Subar: Thank you, Lee. It’s been a pleasure to be here and share my story. I really appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women in Motion.

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Reasons Guests Love to Appear on BRX Shows

April 15, 2025 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Reasons Guests Love to Appear on BRX Shows

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BRX Pro Tip: 3 Reasons Guests Love to Appear on BRX Shows

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor, Stone Payton here with you. Lee, I think you’ve kind of whittled it down to three major reasons that guests really do love appearing on Business RadioX shows.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. This is – obviously, I interview a lot of people and I talk to a lot of our guests and a lot of guests like to come back and so it gives me the opportunity to ask them, why do they like coming back on our show so often? And these are some of the answers that I get most often.

Lee Kantor: Number one reason that I hear from our guests is that they really get a great interview that produces top-quality SEO-rich content. The content that was created during one of our interviews is very robust and useful for the client. They’re able to really share a lot of good information. Our ability to help them articulate their message is very appreciative and they really like to have all of that content, you know, that they can use in other places.

Lee Kantor: The second real reason is that they like it and this is something that’s evident pretty quickly. When we interview somebody and somebody Googles the name of that individual, it shows up near the top of the search engine ranking when someone else is searching for them or their company. Because we have such – our website is so highly trafficked. We have such a good domain authority and we’ve been doing it for so long. When a person is interviewed on our platform, that search result is usually front page, you know, first page, sometimes top two or three. I mean, I’ve seen it first, I’ve seen it five, the fifth, but it’s always near the top of a search when someone’s searching for that individual. And those people, the guests notice that, you know. The guests appreciated because they were Googling themselves and they say, “Oh, wow, that showed up here.”

Lee Kantor: That’s going to be good because when a prospect is looking for them, that piece of content is going to be there. That’s going to be third-party credibility for them. And I can’t tell you how many people have said, you know, I’ve gotten sales from people listening to the interview and then contacting me and buying whatever it is that they sell, whether it’s consulting, whether it’s a service or whatever. So that is really important for our guests to show up high in their rankings to get this quality piece of content to show up so high.

Lee Kantor: And then, last thing is that quality piece of content, that quality piece of content. We give it to them in audio form. A lot of us, I know we do in our studio, give it to them transcribed so they have the digital text so they can repurpose that on lots of different places. They can take chunks of it. Put it on a blog. They could take a chunk of it. Build an article around it. They can put it in their newsletter, their website. They can share it on social media. They can use the audio as a soundtrack for video. The content is so reproducible. It’s just amazing. And then, with a little creativity, the marketing team of the guest can really take one piece of content and stretch that out to create, you know, five, 10, 20 pieces of other content that they could be sprinkling out there throughout the year.

Lee Kantor: So, those are the three big reasons why guests love coming on Business RadioX shows.

Reimagining Leadership: Embracing Flexibility and Authenticity in Your Style

April 14, 2025 by angishields

High Velocity Radio

Reimagining Leadership: Embracing Flexibility and Authenticity in Your Style

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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Stone Payton interviews Chantée Christian, a certified facilitator, bestselling author, and television producer. Chantée discusses her mission to inspire change and growth through coaching. She emphasizes a holistic approach to leadership and executive coaching, addressing how personal challenges impact professional performance. Key topics include emotional intelligence, adaptable leadership styles, and the importance of community in coaching. Chantée also shares her unique perspective on goal-setting, focusing on intentions rather than rigid goals. The conversation highlights the transformative impact of coaching on both personal and professional lives.

Chantée L. Christian is a 2021 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 honoree; a multifaceted professional with a wealth of experience and accolades.

As a TV Producer/Host and a 3x Amazon International Best-Selling Author, she brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking to her endeavors.

With two decades in the field of management consulting, Chantée has specialized in Program/Project Management, Organizational Change Management, and Strategic Planning.

As a certified facilitator, Chantée has developed and delivered diverse training programs for staff at all levels. Her academic journey includes earning a Bachelor’s degree from George Mason University and a Master’s of Business Administration from Webster University.

Chantée has a plethora of professional certifications that range from her coaching certifications to being a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Notable certifications include being an MBTI Certified Practitioner; a Strategic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Management Executive Certificate holder from Georgetown University; and a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP).

Chantée is the driving force behind My Best SHIFT, an innovative coaching and consulting company. Chantée is the host and moderator of the award-winning conversational series, Unspoken Truths of Being Black, addressing crucial topics like the workforce, healthcare, and education in the context of heightened awareness.

Chantée is the host and producer of an award-winning podcast, My Best SHIFT. Where she shares insights intended to shift mindsets, provide enlightening perspectives and encourage listeners to take inspired action. Her diverse background, combined with her extensive certifications and professional achievements, positions her as a dynamic leader across industries.

Connect with Chantée on LinkedIn and Instagram.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Project Management for Entrepreneurs & Coaches: Strategies for managing multiple initiatives efficiently.
Leadership & Conscious Leadership: How leadership styles impact business growth and team dynamics.
The Power of Influence & Emotional Intelligence in Business: How these skills impact client relationships and leadership success.
The Shift from Goals to Strategic Intentions: How business leaders can transform how they set and achieve goals.
The Journey of an Author & Thought Leader: How writing books can elevate credibility and influence.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you this afternoon. You guys are in for a fantastic treat. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with My Best Shift, Chantée Christian. How are you?

Chantée Christian: Hello. I’m doing well. How are you?

Stone Payton: I am doing so well and I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation. I am so excited to share you and your work with our listeners. Uh, maybe let’s start with, uh, kind of a brief description. Mission. Purpose. What are you really out there trying to do for folks, Shante?

Chantée Christian: Oh, I love that. Uh, so I like to say that my mission and my purpose are also the same for the company, which is to be a catalyst for change and growth through inspired action. And so we say yes to a lot of things that fall in alignment with that, which, as you can imagine, is a lot.

Stone Payton: Well, I know you’re a certified facilitator, a three time international best selling author, a television producer and host, probably a ton of other things. But tell us about the the journey, if you would. How in the world did you find yourself in this line of work?

Chantée Christian: Oh, yes. So I honestly, when I started out in college, which I won’t go too far back in those days, but when I started out, I started off as a business major, and then I realized that I maybe wasn’t cut out for that in undergrad. And so I was working in a, um, an office where I was in charge of the, um, the newsletters. Letters. And I was like, oh my gosh, like, I love doing this. And it sent me into this thing of knowing, oh, I could get paid to do this. And so I started doing a lot of comms work, and I changed my major to communications. And as I progressed into my career, I realized I wasn’t really using it in the same way. And so I got to a really pivotal point in my career where I was like, oh, wait, it’s no longer them that’s getting on my nerves. It’s me. Um, and it was because I wasn’t in alignment and I wasn’t doing things that really spoke to my spirit and all of those things. And so one of the companies I worked for, they had things that they called reinvestment into the firm. And I realized that everything that I loved doing from a work perspective wasn’t the 9 to 5 stuff, it was all of the extras. And so I all the extras is literally what my company is, is the coaching. It is the multimedia side of the house and those things that really bring me joy, which stemmed all the way back to business is cool, but it’s not really the thing that I that makes my heart sing.

Stone Payton: All right, so speak a little bit to the to the coaching work, the topics and competencies that you’re working through and maybe the mechanism for the work. Uh, talk a little bit about that. About that.

Chantée Christian: Sure thing. So, um, I do a lot of leadership and executive coaching, although I like to say I coach people, and I say that from a perspective of I like to think of it from a holistic perspective, but not the woo woo holistic, although I do believe in some woo woo things, but more so from a holistic perspective of if I’m having a challenge at home and I’m coming into the office, whether virtually or in person, and I haven’t worked through that challenge that I’m having at home, like arguing with my partner or something like that, then I’m going to bring it into the office, even if I’m not trying to, I’m going to have a little bit of an attitude and be a little bit more snippy. I’m not really going to laugh at all the jokes that I thought that I used to think are funny? Because I’m still dealing with something else on my mind. And so I really like to coach from a perspective of who are you and what do you need in this moment in order to make sure that we are fulfilling your needs and getting you to where you need to be? And so I like to think of coaching as a a space where we get to help people unlock their true potential and their desires. And that’s what makes it a little bit different from therapy, because a lot of people say, well, what’s the you know, they’re the same. And I would say that the biggest difference that I can think of, and I would say most of my community would agree, is that therapy is healing you from your past, where coaching is pushing you into action, which falls in alignment with everything else that. Um, my mission and my purpose is to help people with inspired action.

Stone Payton: Now, do you find that most of your clients, or many of them, come to you and want to work on a specific thing? I’ll, uh, make an analogy to sports. Like if I came to you and wanted to really work on free throws. You know, like, did somebody want to come to you and work on something specific, or is it usually broader than that? And they just they’re not it’s not feeling right. And they just want to and you’re even helping them uncover what they should be working on.

Chantée Christian: Oh my goodness. It’s so specific. It’s usually I can’t tell you how many times people have come to me and said that they wanted to work on their communication, or that they wanted to work on their executive presence and not fully understanding what executive presence is and or communication is. And so a lot of times people will say, you know, Chanté, I really want to work on my communication. It seems like if I send an email to the team, they still don’t do what I asked them to do. And one of the first questions that I asked when someone asked me that is, where else are you having this similar communication issues in your life? Because it’s not just at work. I’m 100% sure, right? And so when they start thinking about it. They’re like, oh, well, everywhere. Exactly. So let’s talk about maybe it’s not the actual communication, right? Maybe it’s what you’re conveying, how you’re conveying it. Um, the timing, the method and those sorts of things. So we really do sift through and work through that type of stuff.

Stone Payton: So in that kind of work, I guess this could be related. Have you identified over time a handful of different I don’t know, I’ll call them leadership styles for lack of a better term. But like, yeah. Does that impact any of this work?

Chantée Christian: Oh, I love that. Yes. Um, so I have an MBA. So I know I started off saying that I hate business, but I just I couldn’t get away from it. And so I have an MBA, and I tell people all the time that there are things that they don’t teach you in your MBA program. And because they teach you the the normal top four, top five leadership, um, styles. And what happens is what I see is that people try to fit themselves into those and not realizing that you’re not linear. You are so dynamic as a human that your leadership style ought to adapt to you, and not to just a textbook theory. And so what I see a lot of is people, um, really being in a space of not knowing and just taking on what their bosses are doing or their bosses, bosses or some amazing book that they read. And so they’re like, you know, I’m an authoritative leader, or they want to go the opposite direction of that and say, I’m a collaborative leader. And research has shown us that a lot of collaborative leaders lean so heavy on collaboration that their teams are still feeling neglected from having an actual leader to provide them with direction and make a decision versus it being, well, everyone gets to decide which we know in leadership, that’s not necessarily the case.

Stone Payton: How about another topic that seems to come up quite a bit in some other interviews, as we’ve been doing this coaching series, is this idea of, uh, of what like emotional intelligence is. Is that is that you finding that in your work as well?

Chantée Christian: Oh, absolutely. Emotional intelligence is so important because a lot of times we think about how others perceive us, and we don’t realize how we are perceiving ourselves and how we’re also showing up. And so when you think about emotional intelligence, it’s also it’s not just being able to read the room, but it’s also being able to self-regulate. It’s the ability to be able to process information in real time, and to be able to make decisions based off of that, where you understand the impacts of others and yourself. Right. And so it’s one of those things that so many people, um, so many people require a deeper dive into it to understand that it applies to every aspect of leadership, to management, and to just operating as a human being and not just, um, something that’s within the leadership circle.

Stone Payton: Okay. Clearly, a theme I’m picking up in this conversation is all the work you’re doing. While the frame might be to help me lead my organization more effectively, it really is. I guess it’s the pure definition of holistic. It’s it’s impacting. It has to because it’s sourcing from but it’s also impacting my entire life with the kids, with the spouse, with friends. Right.

Chantée Christian: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, because if you think about it, right, when you think about leadership and your own leadership, what are the top like three things that pop into your head when you think about it.

Stone Payton: Are you asking me?

Chantée Christian: Yeah.

Stone Payton: Uh, I don’t when I think about leadership, it’s it’s the idea of. I guess it is that clearly communicating where we’re going and why. And what I want to come out of those conversations is someone as excited, if not more than I am, about getting it done and feeling like, okay, you know, I can check that off the list. You know, Susie’s got that. She’s going to run with it.

Chantée Christian: Yeah. Yeah. Right. And so when you think about that, right, like when you were talking about the theme that can apply to everything, it doesn’t just apply to your your business. It applies to your family. Yeah. It applies to your children. You know, it applies to literally everything that we do. And I think a lot of times when we think about leadership, we compartmentalize that. And we don’t realize that in order to fully show up and to be influential and to be impactful, and for people to want to go along with what we’re doing, we’ve got to believe it, too. And that typically means that we’re just not believing it for a 9 to 5. We’re believing it completely and fully.

Stone Payton: So typically for you, the mechanism for the work, the the way you execute, is it a lot of one on one work? Is it group work? Is it virtual asynchronous. How do you execute on this?

Chantée Christian: Oh, I like that question. So um, because of the pandemic, like the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, a lot of the work went virtual. And what that was able to do for me was able to reach people that weren’t just in my city or, you know, within a local space. So, um, a lot of the work that I do is virtual and I do both. I do one on ones and I do group work. So a lot of times with the group work, it’s around team dynamics or um, so I use, I use some assessments at times, and sometimes those assessments help teams be able to communicate better, to be able to help work through conflict. Um, and just be able to understand, like, if I understand how you operate at a general and basic level, then I can actually understand that you’re not you’re not intentionally doing something against what my default, um, desire to do the work is. It’s just we’re coming at it at different at different lenses and at different angles. And so really helping people grasp that. And so I do that virtually. I do it in person now that we’re back doing things in person. Um, and so I do a little bit of both, but I don’t do asynchronous, um, so much.

Stone Payton: Well, I can see tremendous value in the one on one work, but I’m thinking, like in the group work, I’m trying to envision, you know, like me sitting in the in the air quote room, you know, the virtual room. I could see just virtually any topic being a catalyst and then letting people even apply it there, or go and apply it at work and come back to the next session. I could see them learning from each other.

Speaker4: Yeah.

Chantée Christian: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Because when we because that’s what happens when we bring people together. Right. They start to actually start picking up on things on their own. They’re like, hey, wait a minute. We’re not that different. One and two. I really like the way you handled that. I might tweak it a little bit. I’m going to go try it. Right. And so it’s it’s something about having the community and the people in the room that allow people to really glean from each other and be able to feed off of the energy that that they’re giving to each other. And it provides a different type of support system. Right. So I can be there to facilitate and to encourage the conversation. But when it comes to accountability and it comes to like that full cheerleader cheering them on mode, that’s where the community comes in.

Stone Payton: So when clients are first getting started, do you find that sometimes they have like some preconceived notions or maybe even in their mind, what you and I might consider myths associated with the coaching profession, that you sort of have to educate them around or through before you can really get in and do the good work.

Chantée Christian: Absolutely. Um, so often people either don’t know what it is or they’ve seen something on TV or social media and I’m like, forget all of that. Forget it all. It’s none of those things and a little bit of some. Um, I think so. I like to ask people if they won, if they’ve had experience with coaching before, because not all coaches coach the same way. You know, just like how you were talking with sports. Not every coach within a basketball or football team are going to coach each of their teams the same. Um, that doesn’t mean that they still don’t go out there and coach. Right? Um, and so we had that conversation. But I like to really ask them about the different modalities. So I like to do a word association, um, where I ask if you hear the word advisor, what comes up for you if you hear the word um, uh, mentor, what come up for you? If you hear a therapist or therapy, what come up for you. And then last but not least, when you think of coaching, what comes up for you? And I listened to what they say, and then I and then I in a debrief, I tell them, you know, well, one I tell them there is no right or wrong answer to this. It’s just what they believe and what comes up for them. But I like for them to think of it like a Venn diagram, how each of them have very similar components and concepts to them. However, they do have very distinct differences. And because of that, that’s why I want to make sure that we’re clear about what coaching is versus what it isn’t, if that makes sense.

Stone Payton: It certainly does. So at this point in your career. What are you finding the most rewarding? What’s the most fun about it these days for you?

Chantée Christian: Oh my goodness. I would say that the most rewarding is actually watching people live out the things that they said they wanted to live out. So, um, or like moving into that action. So I just had a Conscious Leadership summit, uh, last week. Well, I don’t know when this is going to air. So I just did a conscious leadership summit, and one of the things I love most about it was that as I was walking in and out of the room because I was coordinating and doing things, I could hear people literally saying, oh, I just wrote that down, and now I’m doing it. And it’s those type of moments for me that bring me the most excitement and joy, because it it’s a confirmation for me that I am walking in my purpose, and I’m creating these spaces for people to be able to, to grow and to do the things that, that that syncs to their hearts.

Stone Payton: Now I’m operating under the impression that some, if not all of these folks who come to you are, you know, they have some goals. There’s some things they want to accomplish. Uh, what has been your experience and what counsel, if any, do you have with regard to setting goals, achieving goals? What’s your slant on that?

Chantée Christian: Oh my goodness. I feel like you’re setting me up. Um, I would say the first thing is and as as someone who has spent almost 20 years doing strategic planning and project management and program management, I will say something that feels so off kilter from that, which is I really don’t like goals for person, for people. And I say it from a perspective of so often we set up, we set goals the same way that we would within an organization, and we don’t account for the work that it took to potentially get to the goal. And so when we don’t meet it, we leave ourselves feeling depleted and very defeated at times. And so I prefer to start off with intentions and then build the build out the actions and the tasks to get to those, so that even if we don’t fulfill the goal, I’m putting that in air quotes that we’re able to take note of all the work that it took to get to where we got to and then be able to assess, okay, well, what happened here? What is something that we can shift? And is this even something that we want to continue to do? Now for organizations, I don’t take that same approach.

Chantée Christian: I think I think that we have to talk about goal settings, but we have to be realistic about them, because a lot of times when we’re setting goals, they’re based off of a strategy from five years ago. And so we need to be clear about who’s in the organization, what is what the what the people are able to do and what the market will allow. And so it’s still kind of taking that same flip with my clients when they come to me saying, you know what? Um, like a common, a common one that comes up is that people want to move from, um, a certain level within the organization into the executive suite or into executive leadership. And so we have to get realistic about where are you at right now? What have your past performances looked like? What does it take from an organization perspective for you to get there? And let’s talk about where are your gaps. Right. So then it’s less of a I’m going to get you promoted in a year and more. So is your intention is to get promoted. So then we have to make sure that you’re prepared you’re ready and that you’re showing up like that already.

Stone Payton: Now now you’re a prolific writer. Apparently. You’re certainly a successful writer. Talk a little bit about the books. What compelled you to to write in the first place? And the whole experience of, I don’t know, man, committing your ideas to paper and putting it out there for the world to enjoy and or poke at.

Chantée Christian: Yeah, um, definitely scary and thrilling. So I’m a comms major and I love to write. However, I also like to keep things very private. And so with the first opportunity, I was asked to share what it looked like to lead through. Through the pandemic. And I was really apprehensive about that. So I said, oh my goodness, everyone’s going to know my business. Um, and honestly, one of the things that helped me get over that was that I knew that me sharing my story would help someone else who was either in it currently or help someone that was going through it. Right. Like someone being able to say, oh, I see me in this. I see that there’s an option. I see that there are a couple of options, and there are ways that I can continue to honor myself from an integrity perspective and still show up for my teams, the people around me. And so that one was really the biggest motivator for me. Um, the second one was around women in leadership, and I thought, how cool would it be to have an all women leadership book when the top ten leadership books right now still are all written by predominantly white men. And so I was like, how cool would that be to have a whole book of women talking about leadership? And so I said yes to that one without blinking. And then the third one is a little different because I was able to co-publish it.

Chantée Christian: And so I had this idea of being able to have people talk about what leadership looked like for them, when awareness was, when awareness was present. And so, um, they talked about pivotal moments in their lives when awareness was the was the primary shift in what they did different. And they talked about leadership in all different facets. So whether if it was professionally, mentally, um, through their families and all of them, they brought it all back to just how that shift really changed the trajectory of their lives. And so, um, that one was the easiest because I wanted to be a part of not just something that I was, um, cultivating, but I wanted to be a part of it from being able to tell my story in a way that I hadn’t told it yet. And so, um, I, too stepped out of my, my comfort zone to, to do that chapter in that book. But, um, I think that one of the biggest things for me is that you got to be the one to tell your story. And if you allow other people to tell it, they might not tell it the way you would have. And so being able to write it down and to publish it was really a way for me to make sure that my side of the stories are always told.

Stone Payton: Have you found in that work that some parts of the book come easier than others you really like? Some just really just almost writes itself and then others you struggle over for a little while.

Chantée Christian: Oh my goodness. Yes. I mean, you know, people talk about writer’s block and I don’t think that for me it is less of the writer’s block and more of the well, what do I say? Like what do I say and how do I say it in a way that doesn’t sound like I’m complaining, I’m whining, or, you know, something in a way that allows the the audience to feel connected. And so when you don’t know who your I mean, you have an idea of your audience in theory, but when you actually don’t know who’s picking up the book, you’re like, well, will they get this? Will they hear me in it? And so, um, it’s one of the most challenging things for me. I think the, the hardest part is always the intro for me, because I realized that a lot of people don’t read it. However, the few people that do it’s magic in there, and it’s an opportunity to show people exactly where my mind was when we created the project and where we want them to go in it. And so I like to say that I am an an ambassador of awareness and as your ambassador of awareness, guiding you through the book. And so I have a vision for it. But actually writing it a lot of times causes me much, much stress.

Stone Payton: Has it had an impact on your whole sales and marketing and education about like, does it help with the authority credibility thing, like so many say that it will?

Chantée Christian: Absolutely. Um, I can’t tell you how many times people say, oh my goodness, you’re an author, you’re a best selling author. How can I do it? Oh, I have a story. I’m like, I’m great. You have. I’m glad you have a story. And I hope that we can get you to it. But I think what happens is that it helps you become a thought leader, right? And so I tell people all the time, don’t write about something that you’re not willing to talk about 3 to 5 years after you’ve written it, because people are going to want to talk to you. They’re going to want you to show up at places to talk about it. They’re going to want you to remember what you wrote about it, you know, and that might not even be the you right now that it was, but you’re still going to have to talk about it. It’s almost like singers, right? They write a song and ten years later it’s a hit, and they’re still going to play that song at every concert. So it’s the same thing.

Stone Payton: So while we’re on the topic, how does the whole sales and marketing thing work for a practitioner like you? Like, do you have to get out there and shake the bushes like some of the rest of us? Or is it mostly referral based at this point or. Yeah. How do you get the new business?

Chantée Christian: Yeah. Great question. Um, I think it’s a little bit of both. So, um, there was a time in my business where I only took referrals because I wanted to be very selective about who was coming in the door. Um, and then as I started to grow the business, I realized, well, there are a lot more people out there than just, you know, within my network. And so, um, I do almost like an application process. So if someone wants to work with me because I don’t know how they found me. And so I’m always curious about that, but it’s kind of like a it’s a slight application process because in order to do coaching specifically, you have to be ready and you have to want to do it and not need to do it right. A need is going to be a therapy type of thing. A want is more of a coaching. And so, um, I really want to assess upfront what does it look like to work with them. Um, but it comes from all different types of places. So it comes from speaking engagements. People hear me speaking or they run across my podcast, or they saw a article that I wrote. Um, and they’re like, or they know somebody who knows me and so they or has worked with me and they want to they want to inquire what that looks like. And so I just I do a little bit of that to weed out the process, because I used to get on the phone or get on a zoom with everyone, and I realized my time could be better spent.

Stone Payton: Did you just say a podcast? You have your own show?

Chantée Christian: Yes, I have a award winning podcast called My Best Shift because at that time in my life, everything was called my shift. Um, but yeah, I have a podcast. We’re on season five right now. Um, and it’s all about awareness, acceptance, and authenticity. I like to call them the Triple A’s. And so I interview people and we talk about their journey in one way or another, um, around those three things.

Stone Payton: Oh, I have to believe that you learn a ton and get to build some marvelous relationships. And you’re sharing some really important information for the listening audience. I bet you love doing that.

Chantée Christian: Oh my goodness. It is one of the things of my business that I love the most. I absolutely love it because it’s the opportunity to learn about people that I may know a little bit about or nothing about, and I let the conversation roll. So I only asked two of the same questions at the very beginning and at the very end. And outside of that, they’re all unique conversations. And I just I love that. I love learning from people. And you know, what I learned I love most is when someone says, oh, I listened to this episode and I’m going to start doing XYZ or, um, I learned so much, I took notes, I’m like, you did, you did. And so it’s like, okay, it’s worth it. It’s worth it because it’s a lot of effort. But it is. It is one of my favorite parts of the business.

Stone Payton: Yeah. Okay, so not long after this conversation that you and I are having right now, I am headed to Lake Allatoona. I’m going to hop on the boat. I might fish, but I’m at least going to watch the sunset this evening. That’s one of the ways that I step away and go have some fun. Hobbies, interests, pursuits. What do you what do you do for fun and relaxation when outside the scope of this work? When you’re not coaching and writing and speaking and podcasting.

Chantée Christian: With all my free time? Yeah. Um, I really do love a good spa. Um, I, I love going for walks and not like, I know it sounds, you know, not long walks by the beach. That’s not fun to me. Um, but I do like to go on, like, lowercase h, hike, type of walk. Um, and honestly, I like to just be in spaces with people where I can laugh a lot. I love to laugh. Um, and if it’s a space where it’s a little too stuffy, it’s probably not my idea of a relaxation Taxation in a good time.

Stone Payton: All right, before we wrap, I would love to leave our listeners with a little bit of overarching advice or a pro tip. Um, you know, in, you know, the tagline of the show is producing better results in less time. But within the context of these topics we’ve been talking about, uh, let’s leave them with a little something to to chew on and look, gang. The number one pro tip is, if any of this conversation is striking a chord with you, uh, reach out and have a conversation with Chantée. Start tapping into her work. Listen to the podcast, read the books. Uh, but, uh, between now and then, let’s leave them with a little something to to noodle on. Shauntay.

Chantée Christian: Oh, okay. Um, the first thing that I will say is, um, if you’re finding that you’re challenged with the work that you’re doing or the spaces that you’re in, then there may be a misalignment. And one of the things that I like to offer my clients is to do just a personal assessment of who are you? And it’s similar to essentially what we’ve been talking about, right? Where we’ve been talking about the themes on how you show up. And so one of those things is I would offer you all to just take out a piece of paper or a notebook, however you decide to take notes. And at the very top right, who am I? And then under that, I want you to write out all the things that you are not inclusive of your work title, not inclusive of your parental title, of your spousal title, but literally getting down to the nuts and bolts of who you are. So doing an exhaustive list. And when you get down to that list and you find yourself saying, oh, I’m a good friend, I want you to like, elaborate. What makes you a good friend? Right? And you’re a lot of my clients are like, But I’m a great parent. Okay, great. What makes you a great parent? And those qualities and those aspects are us getting down to who you are. And when you start looking at those, also look at, okay, well, what in my life am I feeling like I’m not actually in alignment with? And that’s where the work starts.

Stone Payton: What marvelous, pragmatic advice. I am so glad that I asked.

Speaker4: Me too. All right. So what’s the best way for our.

Stone Payton: Listeners to tap into your work, connect with you, get their hands on these books, listen to the podcast. Let’s give them some coordinates.

Chantée Christian: Absolutely. So you can find the books on Amazon if you look for my name is Chantée. C h a n t e e. And then Christian. Like the religion, you will find them. Um, if you go to my best shift.com, you can also find a link to everything that I have, um, including a, uh, clarifying session with me or discovery session. Um, the books, the podcast and any upcoming events or anything that I have going on there.

Stone Payton: What a marvelous way to invest a Thursday afternoon. I have thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. I know our listeners have as well. Thank you for investing the time and the energy to be with us, and thank you for the work you’re doing. Please keep up the good work. We’re going to continue to follow your story and we sure appreciate you.

Chantée Christian: Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate this.

Stone Payton: My pleasure. All right. Until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Chantée Christian, with my best shift and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying we’ll see you in the fast lane.

BRX Pro Tip: Help People Make Memories

April 14, 2025 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Help People Make Memories

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BRX Pro Tip: Help People Make Memories

Stone Payton : Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor, Stone Payton here with you. Lee, the work that we do is so experiential, and a good experience is really so fundamental in so many businesses, particularly service-oriented businesses. What counsel, if any, do you have with regard to just making the experience better?

Lee Kantor: Yeah. I think a big differentiator when it comes to service-based businesses is how you can help people make memories. At Business RadioX, we have designed the way we provide our service to incorporate lots of opportunities for our guests and our clients to make positive memories. Like, we have built-in photo ops as part of our service. People can’t wait to take their picture in front of the microphone and the headphones. People are handing their phones to the other people in the room. I mean, how many times have you done a show where people are just excited about the opportunity to take pictures in front of the microphone, not about doing the actual interview?

Lee Kantor: So if you have a service out there, think about ways that you can help the people that are there make memories. And, like, even if you have a retail store, it could be as simple as just having some stand-ups and something in the room that people take pictures of. I was recently at a bakery and they had this throne because they do a lot of princessy things so they had a throne for kids to put on a tiara, and they take a picture of them holding a cupcake because a lot of times they’re having a party where they’re a princess.

Lee Kantor: So, it creates a way to lock in that business, to get some branding out there, to get some content out there, and to incorporate your brand and what you deliver with some sort of memory.

Lee Kantor: So, people are always hungry for making memories. So if you can think about ways to help the people who matter most to you create more memories using your service and sharing it on social media, you’re going to be on your way to becoming that indispensable part of their lives and your community.

Empowering Female Entrepreneurs: Navigating Challenges and Embracing Authenticity with Jennifer Dawn

April 11, 2025 by angishields

High Velocity Radio

Empowering Female Entrepreneurs: Navigating Challenges and Embracing Authenticity with Jennifer Dawn

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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Stone Payton is joined by Jennifer Dawn, a coach, consultant, speaker, and five-time international bestselling author. Jennifer discusses her mission to help individuals, especially female entrepreneurs, unlock their full potential and create soul-aligned businesses. She shares her entrepreneurial journey, the unique challenges women face in business, and her holistic coaching approach. Jennifer also talks about her upcoming book, “Dad’s Pennies from Heaven,” which chronicles her father’s experiences with dementia.

Jennifer Dawn is a five-time international best-selling author and the owner and CEO of Jennifer Dawn Ltd. She has authored one solo book, seven co-authored books, and three magazine articles.

Jennifer has been featured in Authority Magazine, spoken at BLU Talks events, and appeared on numerous podcasts worldwide. Her upcoming non-fiction book, “Dad’s Pennies from Heaven,” is set to be released by Hay House in 2025.

Jennifer specializes in transforming spiritual entrepreneurs’ confusion into clarity, aligning their message with what resonates with them and their true purpose. She excels in uncovering their unique voice and purpose, whether it’s for writing a book, speaking on stage, or defining their business offers. Jennifer helps map out their business plans in a way that feels deeply aligned and meaningful.

Her holistic approach empowers clients to overcome blocks and move forward positively, ensuring comprehensive growth and fulfillment in both personal and professional lives. As a spiritual medium and teacher, Jennifer guides individuals to develop their intuition and spiritual abilities. She helps people connect with their inner wisdom.

Jennifer not only helps people develop their intuition but also uses her own intuition to provide them with guidance through oracle readings, mediumship sessions, and even past life regressions. In her upcoming book, Dad’s Pennies from Heaven, Jennifer shares her personal journey as both the daughter and caregiver of her father, Robert, who had dementia.

She details Robert’s experiences with dementia, including his perspective during the active dying stage, and unveils unknown truths he shared before his passing.

In his final week, Robert experienced moments of remarkable clarity, free from dementia’s grip. Jennifer audio recorded his last days, capturing his profound experiences and conversations as he transitioned to the other side.

Driven by a commitment to honour her father’s legacy, she raises awareness about dementia, providing hope and support to affected families and caregivers.

To connect with Jennifer Dawn, visit her website at: www.jenniferdawn.net or find her on various social media platforms via: https://linktr.ee/jenniferdawnmedium.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Balancing caregiving responsibilities with running a business
Introduction to Jennifer’s upcoming book Dad’s Pennies from Heaven
Personal journey as an entrepreneur and business owner
Specializing in transforming spiritual entrepreneurs’ confusion into clarity and aligning entrepreneurs’ messages with their true purpose
Uncovering clients’ unique voice and purpose for writing, speaking, and business offers
Empowering clients to overcome obstacles and achieve personal and professional growth through a holistic approach

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. This is going to be a good one. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast, coach, consultant, speaker, and five time international best selling author, Jennifer Dawn. How are you?

Jennifer Dawn: Hi, Stone. Hello everybody! I am doing great and so excited to be here today.

Stone Payton: This is going to be a fantastic conversation. I’d like to start, if we could, with mission. Purpose. What are you really out there trying to do for folks? Jennifer.

Jennifer Dawn: Thank you so much for asking me. Stone. So my mission and purpose is to help people unlock their full potential and their true authentic selves. And my purpose has actually been combined with my passion, and that is helping people have soul aligned businesses that they feel incredibly passionate about. And another purpose of mine is also spreading my dad’s message about dementia, which is the unknown truth about dementia.

Stone Payton: So how did you get into this line of work? What’s your backstory?

Jennifer Dawn: So I actually come from a very strong entrepreneurial background and family. So my dad’s dad, my grandfather, actually was a very strong, passionate and successful entrepreneur and it carried on to my dad and then it carried on to me. So I actually became a full time entrepreneur in 2018, and I have been so incredibly grateful to be on this journey.

Stone Payton: So when you first kind of got into this business, was the transition a little bit tough, like the sales and marketing of it, running the business side of it, or because of your, uh, entrepreneurial pedigree and folks to lean on. Did it go pretty easy for you?

Jennifer Dawn: Uh, that’s the interesting part is actually, it was a bumpy ride. So even though I came from a very strong entrepreneurial family, I even though I took notes and I took a lot of mental notes since I was a young girl, I personally believe every entrepreneur has their own unique journey, and I definitely experienced some hiccups and some bumps along the way. But those even those bumpy rides actually gave me a greater perspective. They also, I gained a lot of experience and insight that I otherwise would not have had. And because of those experiences, even the difficult ones, I have been able to help my coaching clients in a way that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. So, but in the last seven years, it will be seven years, actually this July that I’ve been working for myself full time. It has been an amazing journey because, as I said, even the difficult times has really helped me evolve into a stronger entrepreneur, but also an even better version of myself. And each year, my business and my myself evolve. So if we even looked at my business since 2018, the logo design, the branding, everything has reflected all the different changes that I have personally gone through over the last seven years, and the business has also gone through a lot of changes.

Stone Payton: Well, congratulations on a seven year milestone that suggests to me that you’ve, uh, you’ve about got this thing figured out. It’s probably going to work. So congratulations on that. Tell us a little bit about the the work. Are you conducting work virtually in person individuals teams or speak to the way you execute on the work? A little bit if you would.

Jennifer Dawn: Oh for sure. So I actually offer both one on one sessions virtually and also group coaching sessions as well. That actually just launched this year. So for the group coaching right now I’m focusing on female entrepreneurs. Uh, because female entrepreneurship is actually a minority. And there’s there’s not a lot of female entrepreneurs. It is growing, but there’s still definitely a lot of growth and support needed there. And the one on one coaching sessions. I. I offer to any entrepreneur that is willing to do the work not only for their business, but also on themselves.

Stone Payton: Now, are you finding that female entrepreneurs, um, face the challenges that maybe we all do, but maybe there are some challenges, some obstacles that are unique to females in the in the business world.

Jennifer Dawn: Personally, from personal experience, what I’ve already witnessed. Yes. Uh, because I have seen. Well, it’s interesting even for funding, for example. So funding has not. And I live in Canada, actually. But what I have noticed in Canada too, is there is not a lot of, uh, grant support or funding for female entrepreneurs. So that is definitely also another growth, uh, opportunity there. And also I have noticed just I can only speak with the people that I have personally connected with. And I’ve noticed that confidence is not always there. And yet I have a lot of male clientele as well, and I’ve noticed that there’s more confidence. So as an entrepreneur, confidence is definitely going to be the gas pedal for your business. So if you have if you have low confidence, your car is not going to go very far.

Stone Payton: That makes sense. So I’m operating under the impression, at least in the early stages, of considering engaging a coach, or maybe even in those first, you know, conversations, those those early sessions that maybe some people come in with some preconceived notions about what your work is, what it isn’t. Do you find that there are some some myths or some some things that you have to kind of educate through and around before you can really helped them as much as possible.

Jennifer Dawn: Yes, I totally agree. Yes, there is because I actually don’t keep it a secret. I am highly intuitive and I have actually taken my intuition, all my different abilities, as well as my 30 years of management and executive management experience, my business, education, all of it. And I have blended it together into my business. So what some people have shared with me is when they first connect with me, they honestly don’t even know what to expect because they don’t know what it is, even though they they see all the different education, the training, the experience, everything I bring to the table, they still don’t honestly know what it is to expect. And what I love is actually seeing how it all unfolds and how I’m able to bring everything to the table to help them in ways that they didn’t even realize was going to happen when they initially connected with me.

Stone Payton: Yeah, I’m thinking if like if I had an opportunity to sit down with someone with your skill set, your mindset, your tool set, and even if you just and I don’t know what your what your approach is and I’m anxious to learn more about that. But even if you just said, let me sit down and just sort of vent and talk a little while, I gotta believe I would walk out of there at least a little with a little more clarity, or at least the ability to communicate some things clearer than before, just from having the opportunity to sort of talk it out. Yeah.

Jennifer Dawn: Yes. Thank you so much for sharing that, because honestly, you just hit the word that I share with everybody. So I offer clarity for people because people that connect with me, they are usually in a state of confusion, sometimes frustration, sometimes even anger where they have been putting all their resources, including their money, into different avenues and their business is not chugging along, as I call it, the momentum trade, the way that they would like it to be. And so they are really frustrated, sometimes almost reaching the point of burnout, complete exhaustion, and they don’t know where to go. So what I bring to the table is literally taking that state of confusion and actually converting it into clarity and excitement. So where they when they work with me, not only are they excited about the business they’re creating, but other areas of their life start clicking into place. Because when people operate with a soul aligned purpose and their business is aligned with them. It literally is the magic wand. It actually creates the Midas touch, where things in their life start clicking into place, and it’s because they are operating at a higher level than they ever have before. That really personally excites me to see that when all these puzzle pieces I call them click into place and then their offers, their products, their services is authentic and aligned. So it doesn’t have that cheesy salesman feel to it. And when they have everything click into place, their purpose is crystal clear. Their business and the the plan and path is crystal clear. Their offers are crystal clear. It is really exciting and fascinating to see the switch that happens. And I call it the switch, where they actually get so excited about life in their business that often they won’t even need an alarm clock anymore because they actually wake up in the morning so excited to start their day because it is aligned with them and it doesn’t have that draining, low energy feeling to it that they might have experienced before.

Stone Payton: When I hear you describe your work, the two words that come to mind to me are at once personalized and holistic. Like you’re working with the whole human here, aren’t you?

Jennifer Dawn: Yes, yes. Thank you for sharing that. That’s. Those are perfect words to describe it.

Stone Payton: And I guess you’ve really already answered it. But I’m going to ask anyway because I know sometimes this can evolve and change, particularly as you, your own self, as you develop more services and products and projects. What’s the most fun about it these days for you? What’s the most rewarding aspect of the work that you’re that you’re finding these days?

Jennifer Dawn: Oh, that’s such a powerful question. Honestly, the most rewarding if I had to narrow it down to one thing, one aspect of a result of the work that I do, I would say the most rewarding is seeing people literally lighting up from within and excited about their life, who they are and where they’re going. And that to me, to me, has been more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever done in my life before. And I’ve lived a quite a life already, and I’ve had a lot of fulfillment. But seeing this where people truly are excited about who they are and where they’re going. That to me means everything.

Stone Payton: Wow. So in just a moment, I’d like to dive into this new book you’ve got coming out. I’ve got a ton of questions around that, but before we even go there, just the idea of being a writer and committing your ideas to paper and then putting them out there for the the world to enjoy or take some shots at. Can you speak a little bit to that whole process, what you feel like you’ve learned from that and what it what what it’s like to to be a writer. And I’m asking for myself, uh, partially, but also, I think a lot of people who tap into our work here, many of them have some designs on, on writing at least one book.

Jennifer Dawn: Yes. And I’m so glad you asked that as well, because one of the personalized coaching directions that I have with people is I have often clients come to me exactly with that reason and with that question, because they know they have a book inside of them that is begging to be written and they don’t know what is the next step or I’ve also had people come to me because they want to speak on stage, but they don’t know what their message is. They just know they want to speak on stage. I’ve had other people come to me. They want to have a podcast, but they don’t know what it is they’re going to do with their podcast. So with a book and with writing, I always knew I was going to be a writer. So my mom’s mom, my my grandmother, she was a published author and she was the only published author in the family until myself. And she told me when I was a young girl, she said, Jennifer, I know you’re going to be a writer. I know you’re going to be a writer. So fast forward. So I just recently turned 50. So for all your listeners, it doesn’t matter if you’re 15, 50 or 105, it honestly doesn’t matter how old you are. It is never too late to make your dreams a reality. Since 2020, I have actually written a lot. I have actually written four magazine articles now just as of a week ago. A week ago, eight coauthor books and one solo book. And that’s just since 2020.

Jennifer Dawn: And as we know, that’s only five years ago. So honestly, it is never too late to make your dream a reality. The first step is taking the first step. So for those that have watched Harry Potter, I call it the Dumbledore moment. And there’s a character in there. He takes a wand to his forehead and he pulls all his memories into the fountain. So this is what I recommend for new authors. It is so important to literally pull everything out of your mind onto paper or computer, whatever is more comfortable for you. It’s so important to just get the ideas out of your head, and you’re literally going to free your mind, and your concentration will improve because you have all these ideas pulled out of your head. It doesn’t matter right now where the ideas are going. It’s just so important to just get them out of your head first. That’s the first step. And I literally call it the Reese’s Pieces. Just follow the Reese’s Pieces. Q ET. Et. Phone home et. Love Reese’s pieces. One Reese’s Piece at a time. Often the anxiousness, the frustration, the anxiety will come when we’re focused on the future, and we’re worried about things that have not even happened and might not ever happen. It’s so important to be present in the present, so just take one Reese’s Piece at a time. First step is getting the ideas out on a paper or a computer, whatever you want to use. That’s the first step. And then you go to the next Reese’s Piece.

Stone Payton: Okay. Tell us about this new book you got coming out or is it already out?

Jennifer Dawn: Actually not yet. Thank you for asking. So it’s called Dad’s Pennies from Heaven. It’s my first solo book, and it’s actually going to be released at the end of 2025. It looks like being published. I’m very grateful by hay House publishing, and in this book it is actually, uh, a journey, an entire journey. I take the reader on a journey from the beginning of my dad’s life until the end and thereafter. So my dad had dementia, and in his final week of life, he had no dementia. So I audio recorded the last four days of his life, and he was able to have full conversations. He had full clarity and was able to have conversations with myself, my family and the medical staff and was able to share unbelievable messages prior to his passing, including talking about what it was like for him having dementia. And I actually have the head of the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C., who works with Canada and International Alzheimer Society, and she said in her 35 years working with them, she has never seen anything like this documented in the world. So she’s very, very excited about how this can help people worldwide that are being impacted by dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Stone Payton: Wow. Oh, you must be so excited. I’m excited for you. And what a a blessing to to be able to capture all, all of that and now share it with the world. What an exciting time for you.

Jennifer Dawn: Oh, thank you so much Stone. I am really excited and also so thankful for our medical field out here. They actually just recently gave me their blessing and shared some very powerful medical records of my dad’s that I am going to be able to include in the book and if the book is turned into film. They also gave me the blessing to include it in film as well.

Stone Payton: Wow. All right, I’m going to switch gears on you for a minute if I if I might. Um, I’m interested, and I think our listeners will be too. Hobbies, pursuits, interest, passions outside the scope of this work. Now, anything you nerd out about or or do to kind of get away and recharge.

Jennifer Dawn: Oh, yes. I love painting, so I actually paint wooden signs. I love creating home decor. I also love Marvel and DC Comics and Galaxy Quest. So my geek out moments is I love to wrap myself in movies from Marvel Comics and DC comics for sure.

Stone Payton: Oh that’s fantastic. All right, before we wrap up, I would like to leave our listeners with a little bit of advice, a pro tip, something like that. Um, and particularly, you know, maybe connect it to life in general, but also, you know, maybe there’s someone out there thinking about engaging someone like you. Maybe there’s someone out there that feels like maybe this is a career path for them. And in either of those cases, the best pro tip I can give you is reach out and have a conversation with Jennifer. But between now and then, let’s give them a little something to chew on. Jennifer.

Jennifer Dawn: Oh well, thank you so much for sharing that stone. I appreciate that. So if you’re listening right now and you have been feeling what I call the nudge, you have been feeling the nudge that there is something there’s a new path for you. Whether it’s writing a book, speaking on stage, starting your own business. Maybe you’ve been in corporate for the last 15 years of your life, and you now want to jump and into entrepreneurship. My little nugget of my tip for you is trust the nudge. Trust that nudge. You are literally being nudged. You’re being called to go on a new path, a new journey. It’s so important to trust what it is that your internal self is telling you. Really trust that feel into it and then explore it. Because honestly, if I had ignored the nudge that I received in 2018, Stone, you and I would not be having this conversation right now and I would not be connecting with your listeners right now. So I’m so thankful that I trusted the nudge.

Stone Payton: Man, I learned so much from these conversations, and I take so much away, and I apply it a great deal to pieces that I’m going to borrow. With your permission, Reese’s Pieces just, you know, that’s great. And trust the nudge that is that is marvelous advice. Thank you for that. All right. What’s the best way? Yeah. What’s the best way for our listeners to reach out and connect with you. Tap into your work, get their hands on the the books that you’ve already participated in writing and the one that’s coming out. Let’s give them some coordinates to make it easy to connect with you.

Jennifer Dawn: Well, thank you so much, Stone. So yes, you can definitely connect with me. I am on the land of social media in so many different platforms. So to make it easier, you can find me on my website at. Or you can email me at info Jennifer Dawn. And also, to make it so much easier, I found this amazing app called Linktree and it literally has all the different links, even some of my magazine articles, and also even has my booking calendar. And you can find it at Linktree. And my name is Jennifer Dawn. Medium like small, medium, large, medium. So Jennifer Dawn medium. And that’s how you’ll find me on Linktree.

Stone Payton: What an absolute delight it has been having you on the broadcast today. You are. You are such a warm, giving, thoughtful, knowledgeable person. You are obviously doing tremendous work. Please keep up the good work and know that we sure appreciate you. Jennifer.

Jennifer Dawn: Thank you so much Stone. You are a beautiful soul and a beautiful interviewer. Thank you so much for having me on your show. It means a lot to me.

Stone Payton: My pleasure. All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Jennifer Dorn and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying we’ll see you in the fast lane.

Empowering Women: The Key to Breaking Free from Entrepreneurial Isolation

April 11, 2025 by angishields

High Velocity Radio

Empowering Women: The Key to Breaking Free from Entrepreneurial Isolation

00:00 /

In this episode of High Velocity Radio, host Stone Payton talks with Evgenia Baikova, a coach and consultant dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs. Evgenia shares her journey from a 20-year career in human resources to entrepreneurship, driven by her passion for people development. She discusses the common challenges women face in business, such as overthinking and loneliness, and emphasizes the importance of mentorship and community. Evgenia offers practical advice for overcoming professional hurdles and highlights her commitment to providing accessible resources and coaching to help women thrive in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Evgenia Baikova is a certified coach, speaker, and mindset strategist who helps female professionals transition from corporate to entrepreneurship with confidence and clarity.

She specializes in developing a growth mindset, empowering women to overcome self-doubt, stop overthinking, and trust their decisions—so they can build a business that truly aligns with who they are.

With 20+ years in HR leadership, a Master’s in Management, and certifications as a Co-Active Coach (CPCC, ACC) and Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach, Evgenia blends mindset transformation with strengths-based strategy. Her coaching helps women break through limiting beliefs, step into leadership, and create success on their own terms.

She also works with women business owners with teams, using CliftonStrengths to improve communication, collaboration, and team ownership—so they can lead with ease instead of micromanaging.

Her mission? To help ex-corporate women shift their mindset, trust their strengths, and build a business that feels fulfilling and sustainable—without burnout or self-doubt.

Connect with Evgenia on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

The biggest mindset shifts female entrepreneurs transitioning from corporate need to make to succeed in business
The biggest mindset traps that hold new entrepreneurs back, and how they can overcome them
How new coaches or service-based entrepreneurs can build a sustainable business
The role strengths-based coaching plays in helping new entrepreneurs break through fear, self-doubt, and business plateaus
Practical ways new entrepreneurs can stop overthinking every decision and start leading with confidence

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you this afternoon. You guys are in for a real treat. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with Fulfillment Coaching and Consulting, Evgenia Baikova. How are you?

Evgenia Baikova: I am doing great. You know it is cold outside, but sun is shining. That means everything is fine.

Stone Payton: What a delight to have you on the broadcast. I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation. I think maybe let’s start with if we could, for the benefit of me and our listeners. Mission. Purpose? What? Are you really out there trying to do for folks?

Evgenia Baikova: Oh, and that’s the nice beginning. So my mission and the purpose that’s that’s the interesting thing because, well, when we were talking, uh, previously, I shared with you that my background is purely human resources. But one day I decided that, well, I have something to do in this world. And now I’m on the mission to bring resources for female entrepreneurs to help them grow and to help them stop overthinking and feel in control of their businesses. And by resources, I mean the tools that are, um, um, available for those who are working for fortune 500 organizations. But now I’m bringing that resources to small organizations, for solopreneurs, for entrepreneurs making that accessible.

Stone Payton: So what compelled the decision to focus primarily on on female Entrepreneurs.

Evgenia Baikova: Um, well, I used to work, uh, well, my, uh, initial packages, my initial services was about leadership, because that was kind of a natural thing for me to continue what I was doing in corporate. But then I realized that female entrepreneurs, um, fellow coaches, for example, they don’t have that support because entrepreneurship is lonely and you’re just by yourself doing all the things, and there is no help that you can rely on. So and I when I quit my corporate, um, job that 9 to 5, my network has expanded significantly and I felt that loneliness in the community. That’s why I decided to switch.

Stone Payton: So you mentioned the corporate 9 to 5. Uh, tell us a little bit more about your journey to get here. What’s the backstory? I bet it wasn’t a direct path.

Evgenia Baikova: Well, uh, I was always passionate about people’s development, and I help them to grow. And, you know, so many people describing me as gifted person who see the little talent and know that I can, you know, help you to discover the talent, to discover your strengths and help you nurture and maintain that. So it’s a kind of a gift that I had through all my life. And that’s, um, why I made a decision to join, to get actually a degree in human resources. And then I was working in human resources function for different organizations. And, well, 20 plus years, this is my career, and I build my way up, um, to director, HR, director position. And I led teams, I coach teams and leaders and in place. So it was everything about helping them to be better at what they do. And to me, coaching and establishing my coaching practice was kind of a natural path to continue. But I also feel that in my organization being just, you know, um, the owner and the CEO who, who is making decisions, who is deciding what’s mission, a vision and strategy, that’s, um, something which is bigger than I was before. And I also used to work with coach, who many, many times told me, well, Evgenia, you are bigger than just a coach. Uh, because you are also a supporter. You are a connector. You are a great networker too.

Stone Payton: So I want to hear a little bit more about the work itself. Are you working largely one on one? Are you working with groups or a little bit of both? What what does it look like when you actually begin in engaging with someone to help them?

Evgenia Baikova: And that’s a great question because just, uh, in the morning before our call, I had another call and we were talking about workshop and that actually, that workshop can lead to group coaching. I like working with groups, too. And this is, um, an opportunity to work with me because, you know that before I used to work with teams. Right? And it’s all about team dynamics. And I like that. It’s a kind of a I don’t know, you are bringing magic to people. And when they when you see how they are working together, that one person ask one question. And that that started like, um, the chain reaction in the group of people. And before that, I was primarily focusing on one on one coaching because I really like to be, um, in close connection with whom I work, to learn about the person, to know the person, to feel and sense what’s going on there. But also, you know, working with teams, it’s a bit different, but it’s also it’s also can bring that deep connections and deep relationships. So yes, I do both. I work one on one and I also do a team coaching a group coaching.

Stone Payton: So I as I’m hearing you talk, I’m trying to envision that environment. I suspect there’s a great deal of, um, what would you call it, peer to peer learning. I bet they learn a lot from each other as well.

Evgenia Baikova: Yes yes yes yes yes. And, you know, that’s why I think that. Well I’m not I didn’t invent something new, but what I do with my group coaching or team coaching, I provide them with bits and pieces of information, a kind of a theory or sharing something with them, teaching them. And then I do a kind of a guided learning so that they are paired or they are working in small groups because, you know, that lecture is not the format when you learn, right? You can understand what person is talking about, but there is no learning there, right? That’s why I make my, um, sessions very interactive where they can practice. So I give them something, then they practice and they reflect on what just happened to them, and they report this is the best format that. Well, and this is my opinion, I like this format a lot.

Stone Payton: So at this point in your career, what do you what are you enjoying the most? What’s the what’s the most fun about it these days for you?

Evgenia Baikova: Well, I, uh, as I mentioned before, I like one on one because this is about deep connections. I like group sessions because it’s fun. And I also like to be on the stage because, you know, I also think that this is a part of my mission to share what I learn. And I have, uh, my experience, I have my background in education, too, so I really do. I really have something to share, especially that. You know, I believe that this is a kind of a magical combination of my experience and my education. And you know that while I have a couple of certifications and one of them is Co-active coaching, which is actually considered to be the most transformational coaching on the market, and Gallup Strengthsfinder that allows me to bring to my clients strengths based coaching. And my experience allows me to wear an additional hat being a mentor, right? So I was in corporate now when I am entrepreneur. So that’s the shift, right? I’ve been an employee and then I become a director. That’s another shift. So I know all the things I know ins and outs, and I can help my clients to navigate if they are experiencing something similar or they are preparing themselves for the next chapter, for the next step.

Stone Payton: So are you finding yourself working with a lot of females or a critical mass of females who are transitioning, much like you did at one time, from a more traditional environment to now an entrepreneurial environment. And if so, are you seeing some patterns, some common challenges that you just about always know you’re going to try to help them work through?

Evgenia Baikova: Yeah. Well thank you, stone, this is an interesting question because, you know, when I was in my certification program, so many instructors told us, okay, guys, you will definitely attract clients as you are with the same experience, with the same beliefs. And yes, this is working. This is true. So I do attract female, um, uh, clients who are transitioning or who are thinking about this transition. And yes, they all have something in common. And this is, you know, um, how to name it, like, not the obstacle. But this is a challenge and I help them to learn how to trust themselves. Because you know that the biggest shift from being in corporate environment or being in a 9 to 5, and then when you are transitioning in entrepreneurship, it’s about trusting yourself because you are alone, right? You are the person who is making decisions. You are the person who are defining success for yourself. Because in corporate world, how you define your success, who define that for you, your promotions, right? Your performance reviews are, I don’t know, feedback from your leader, feedback from your colleagues. But now you’re alone, so you just need to make yourself comfortable making decisions without constant, um, um, constant reassurance. And this is the biggest shift, right? Because we are waiting. Because in corporate, when you were in, uh, 9 to 5 environment. Everything was already decided, right? Everything was validated. Okay, now you’re good to go. Well, yes, you are on the right track. But what to do now? You just. You. Right. So many questions. That’s why we experiencing overthinking. That’s why we are waiting for perfect moments. Right?

Stone Payton: Right. So for you personally, when you made the transition, I’m sure you’re well beyond this. Now if it was a challenge, but did you have any any trouble with just the business side of things like, like getting the new business and running? Yeah, speak to that. Of course.

Evgenia Baikova: Yes. And, um, this is a great, you know, moment to share this. Of course I was there too, right? Because, well, I, uh, I knew how to be a leader, right? I knew how to be a good employee. I knew that I am a good coach because I was trained, I was certified, I pass numbers of exams, right? But being a coach is the skill and being the business owner is another one. And to be successful, you need both. And that’s the thing that what I’m observing, especially um, within coaching community, those who are new to coaching, those who are just graduating their school just got their certifications, they think, and I was the same. Well, I’m a great coach. I will attract so many clients and actually it’s not working like that, right? It is not. So that was a huge learning curve for me.

Stone Payton: So when, uh, when people are at least considering engaging you or just thinking about maybe engaging a coach or early in the process if they’ve pulled the trigger and decided to do that, do you find that sometimes they have some preconceived notions or maybe even myths about what coaching is and what it isn’t. And is that a challenge at all from time to time?

Evgenia Baikova: It is. And you know, this is our job. I mean, this is coach’s job to explain what coaching is and what it is not. Right. And I like this analogy like I’m the if you are trying to learn how to ride the bike, you need to maintain balance. And to maintain balance, you need a person who will hold the bike for you. So the coach’s job is to hold the bike for you while you are learning to maintain the balance. And when you are in the balance, you can write on your own.

Stone Payton: So did I know the answer to this is yes, but I’m going to ask anyway so that maybe you can expand on it. But my question is, did you have the benefit of one or more mentors along the way as you were navigating that new terrain? Or maybe you’re even to this day tapping into, uh, mentors or maybe even serving as a mentor yourself. But talk about that a little bit. This idea of mentoring.

Evgenia Baikova: Of course, I was an I am big fan of mentoring and I was a part of mentoring, um, initiative when when I was working in corporate and after that I decided, okay, so I have a coach who helped me with my mindset, but I need someone who, um, who can teach me how to do business or at least be my sounding board, or at least to be a person who can connect me with other people. And the biggest learning for me was that it’s okay to have more than one mentor. And now I have two. Well, uh, they are from absolutely different industries. Nothing to do with coaching, but I enjoy having them both as my sounding board. And yes, I am also a mentor for, uh, for those who are new to coaching. And for example, I’m also serving at one nonprofit organization where we provide free coaching for women in need. And we have volunteers who are coaching people. So we teach the basics how to coach, what to do, what’s not allowed, and I help them to be better at what they do because they have that calling. So yes, I can consider myself being a mentor too.

Stone Payton: So I’m going to switch gears on you for a moment, if I may. I am genuinely interested to know what you might find yourself doing if you’re not coaching. Speaking. Mentoring. Writing. Hobbies. Interests. Pursuits outside the the scope of the work?

Evgenia Baikova: Mm, I don’t know. I don’t know, that’s, um. It seems like I cannot survive without coaching or helping people. You know, I’m a big helper. So if coaching is not the thing, probably I will find myself helping in other, different ways. Um, Mean? Well, I used to serve as a board member of one nonprofit. Well, definitely will do that more. I will definitely volunteer. And of course, travel. I like traveling a lot. And for example, last week that was an interesting experience for me. Um, that was a kind of workation. So I just joined my husband, who was, um, on the trip, and he was working. I was working, but also we, um, carved some time for us to explore the area, and we went to Arizona, and that was the first time for us.

Stone Payton: Oh, neat. Well, I wonder if you have this experience. My listeners know that I like to hunt, fish and travel, and I like to be on the water or in the in the woods, but I genuinely believe with all my heart, Evgenia, that when I take time to do that and invest in myself a little bit, I really feel like I come back that much better equipped to to serve and maybe that much better a practitioner. Has that been your experience?

Evgenia Baikova: I would agree, and I also will add that being outside, uh, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go somewhere far. Just being outside of your house some time can bring you new perspectives. Like you can, um, be thinking about something, but just getting outside of your office, you see it, uh, in a new light in. But when you travel with all the experiences of being on a plane, being in a taxi, or living in a hotel, it also brings you ideas and perspectives and sometimes even change your mind. And especially if you have an opportunity to meet people while you are traveling. And I did it. I met a friend of mine. Um, actually, that was the first time we were meeting in person because, well, our friendship starts. That’s just started online. And that was an interesting conversation, you know, and that’s absolutely a different flavor of being, um, just close to each other in half similar conversations that we used to have online. But yeah, it’s changed some. It’s not changed, but it brought me some ideas and even I, um, created some posts for my social media after that journey.

Stone Payton: I am so glad I asked. I think that’s that’s marvelous. Hey, listen, before we wrap, I would love to leave our listeners with a couple of ideas. Pieces of advice, maybe, uh, pro tips. Sometimes I call them, uh, any, anywhere from, you know, if someone’s feeling stuck, they’ve hit a plateau. Uh, they’re they’re really wrestling with this, uh, genuine role shift from, you know, high performing contributor in an organizational environment. Now they’re out there trying to do their their own thing. And look, guys, the number one pro tip for you, if any of this is striking a chord with you, reach out and have a conversation with Evgenia. But, uh, between now and then, let’s leave them with a little something to chew on, something to, to think about.

Evgenia Baikova: Um, and that’s a wonderful question. And it’s so aligned with what I am, uh, preparing for these days. On Monday, I will be leading an, uh, an interesting workshop being and doing because I so, um, I believe that we are missing that being part. We are doing right. We are high achievers, we are doing things, and sometimes we are doing that on autopilot. And that being peace. It’s like one of my, our instructors, when I was in certification program, told us, well, we are human beings. We are not human doings. That makes sense, right? So just, you know, be present in the moment. And this is not just words, right? When you are in the middle of something and you feel that, well, something is missed, just try to be present and try to feel feel yourself. Okay. I’m sitting in this chair. Is it comfortable? What’s about my back? What’s about my legs? Um, what about the temperature in the room? What I’m drinking. Is it tea or coffee? Because sometimes we’re drinking something just on autopilot. Right. Again. And another thing is that when you try to do something which is challenging, usually we think, okay, am I ready? Is it the perfect moment? Well, do the thing before you’re ready because you will never be right. And, um, because clarity and confidence, they are coming from action. And this is another workshop that actually I do uh, confidence is, uh, forged in fire or confidence is embodied in action. Right. So act do little steps every day. Right. And you will see that you are progressing faster than when you are thinking about, I don’t know, making a giant leap.

Stone Payton: What marvelous advice. Thank you for that. All right. What’s the best way for our listeners to connect with you? Have a conversation with you about any of these topics. Start to tap into your work. Let’s give them some coordinates. A good way to to connect.

Evgenia Baikova: Well, I have a an interesting, very, um, creative email address. And it’s fda@fcc.com. But coach and also uh, this is the same address for my website, FCC code. You can find me there. Uh, let’s connect let’s chat. I have different resources, and you can, um, Um, think about what’s what fits you, right? So we can just chat. We can be part of my program. You can join my workshop. Some of them are free. So, yeah, a lot of tools.

Stone Payton: Evgenia, this has been a fantastic conversation. Thank you for your insight, your perspective. You’re clearly doing incredibly important work for so many and we sure appreciate you.

Evgenia Baikova: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Stone Payton: My pleasure. All right. Until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today. Evgenia Baykova and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying we’ll see you in the fast lane.

Angela Kim with Missing Pieces Support Group

April 11, 2025 by angishields

Houston Business Radio

Angela Kim with Missing Pieces Support Group

00:00 /

Angela Kim is the founder of Illumines Core, a healing-centered space dedicated to mental, emotional, and self-development.

Her personal journey—from childhood trauma to overcoming suicidal ideation, abusive relationships, and the loss of a pregnancy—fueled her passion to help others heal. Through her studies in psychology and mental health at Walden University, Angela now empowers children, veterans, spouses, athletes, and professionals to move through trauma and into transformation.

In her conversation with Trisha Stetzel, Angela opened up about the emotional toll of miscarriage and the importance of processing grief and trauma. She emphasized the power of community, connection, and shared experiences in healing.

Angela also discussed the Missing Pieces Support Group, which provides trauma-informed resources and support—now including virtual panels that have expanded their impact nationwide, particularly reaching and supporting men in their healing journeys.

Connect with Angela on LinkedIn.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. Serving the community. Series I have with me today. Someone that you might recognize Angela Kim. Only today she’s going to be representing Missing Pieces Support. She is a brand ambassador and a content creator for that organization. Angela, welcome back to the show.

Angela Kim: Thank you. Trisha.

Trisha Stetzel: I’m so. Yeah, I’m so excited to have you back now. Uh, some people may have missed the show that you and I had together. So I would love for you to tell us who Angela is. You’re going to have to give us a little bit of your story, and then we’ll take a deeper dive.

Angela Kim: Who Angela is. Oh my goodness, I. I guess we’ll just start with, um, we’ll start with the story of why and who and all that. So, um, my recent story would be more of, um, I went through a miscarriage before, um, the pandemic, a few days before the pandemic, and I was very confused. You know, it’s just didn’t really have any resources after the fact because we were on shutdown, like, everybody was closed. And so I just dealt with it myself, thinking that, okay, maybe it’s like another period. And I’m going into detail. So this may be triggering for some people. Um, and it was just the most intense, traumatic experience for me physically. You know, just seeing the amount of and I’m going to be gross is the amount of blood that came out. I was like, how is this? This doesn’t this isn’t right. There’s there’s something wrong. And I don’t think my body is is recovering. Right. Because afterwards I was just I was not myself. It took me a lot longer to complete simple tasks and I realized that I wasn’t able to work. I literally said, I, I’m having to look up things for work. It took me ten times longer. I was like, this is not right. Um, there’s something really off with me. And because we were going through the pandemic at the same time, for some people it was the worst experience for me, it was kind of a really bad experience because I was going through, you know, physical trauma. Um, yet at the same time, I was grateful because I didn’t have to work.

Angela Kim: Um, I wasn’t able to, um, and later on, come to find out, is it created or it opened up complex PTSD for me. So complex PTSD was something that it was coming to terms with. Dealing with PTSD in the first place was like, oh my gosh, there’s no way. You know, I thought I had a normal life. And I think that’s the story for most people is that they think they have a normal life, not realizing some of the things that we experience losses, um, you know, even physical trauma, even though we think that it’s a small thing, our body does not react, react or respond that way. It requires full processing for the emotions, for that trauma to process out of the body. Yeah. And that is I would say that’s like the the core of my story on understanding even more and being more compassionate when it comes to coaching individuals and recognizing the nuances. Okay. Is this somebody bullshitting me or are they really going through, you know, are they triggered because you can see a difference? There’s that nuance that it’s okay, it’s very fine line. Yet there’s when you’ve been through it, you kind of have more compassion for and grace for the the struggles that someone goes through, especially when they’re recovering from PTSD and complexes. Even more, it’s it’s going back to and it’s opening up all the traumas that you experienced from childhood until that time until that moment. And so it just it, I guess in a way, it confirmed and validated the work and the study that I had with mental health and just seeing how everything is connected, you know, how the body affects the mind, how the mind affects the body, vice versa, like how you’re feeding yourself and everything.

Angela Kim: And so, um, I started getting a little bit better, a little bit better. And I was, um, subbing at BNI, and I was introduced to BNI, and I just kept going here and there, and I that’s how I met Jamilah with Missing Pieces, the founder of Missing Pieces support Group. And she at first I was like, no, there’s no way I’m not going to talk to this lady. I don’t I’m I’m not ready. There’s this isn’t real because I didn’t really have the full term of anything. It was the appointment was for the heartbeat, and that was after that. That was when I had the miscarriage. So it everyone’s experience is very different. And actually talking to Jamilah and talking to women that I’ve connected with through Missing Pieces support group has allowed me to see that wow trauma at different stages in different parts of how the body responds to to things, memories, expectations. It’s all very different. And yet at the same time, there’s a there’s a same process of how the body is needing to process emotions like this. Um, and so that’s what I found out honestly. And through Missing Pieces support group, it’s just being able to share my experience and actually be heard by another woman who experienced a similar loss in the. The words were unnecessary. You know, when I, when I was sharing my story, um, I just needed someone to validate me.

Angela Kim: Hear me? Um, and and really know that I’m not crazy, right? Because it’s sometimes we get in our heads so much thinking. Okay, maybe we’re I’m making this up, or maybe. Maybe I’m crazy, or maybe I’m just being overly dramatic. And it’s not. It’s just the body’s reaction and response. And that’s why they call it muscle memory and the muscle. The memory just doesn’t go away until we allow and we acknowledge it. So it’s it’s really cool to be able to have an amazing nonprofit to share and provide this kind of support, because we provide support groups for women. And now opening it up to men, providing support groups for men, and then providing support for individuals who are pregnant again, you know, after going through pregnancy loss or infancy loss. So it’s it’s just we’re covering the basis of throughout any stage of your loss because there’s no time frame. Um, and it’s it’s heartwarming to see that some of the individuals, some of the women who have gone through this experience knowing that there’s no time, um, for this, because you’re your body as a woman changes, you know, your your DNA starts changing. And that’s why that connection and that bond with the child is so different and unique for each individual child that you have. And so when my body changed already, I already had that connection with this child, with this, you know, there’s already something there because my body changed. And so to say that that didn’t exist, that really hurts.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah.

Angela Kim: And so that’s really my story about I went all the way around to.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh that’s wonderful. I appreciate your vulnerability and coming back on the show and telling that part of your story. And for those of you who, um, heard Jamila’s name. You may have recognized it because Jamila Robinson had been on the show, uh, late last year. I think we had her on. And she’s the founder of Missing Pieces support Group, and it’s so interesting, Angela, how everything comes full circle. And I continue to meet amazing women like you who know other amazing women that I’ve had conversations with. So, um, coming back on to tell your story, I really, really appreciate that. And telling us more about your experience and what you’ve been able to do and even get from and give back to, uh, Missing Pieces support group. Can we talk a little bit about just women’s health? Uh, I know there’s a specific, um, story around your health and where you came from. You do a lot of, uh, counseling and mental health, um, have mental health conversations with people around PTSD for lots of reasons. But I know this is one of those things that is near and dear to your heart, which is women’s health. Can you just give me your take on how good women are taking care of themselves, and how we find ourselves in these places where, um, we don’t feel good and we’re not sure why or what happened.

Speaker4: Yeah.

Angela Kim: For for women’s health and I, I, I’m speaking in particularly the population or individuals who have gone through a lot of various traumas in their life and they don’t recognize it as trauma, so they never really processed it. So it’s just there, right in the closet or this mountain that’s been created and it’s just there, just hovering, and they’re pulling it along wherever they’re going. Um, that whole concept is when we carry that trauma in our body for so long and we are in fight or flight. Um, our the way that we breathe is different. So if you talk to individuals who are, you know, they’ve been especially like, um, I would say refugees or people who have immigrated during during war and, you know, a lot of a lot of strife in the world or in their, their area, it becomes, um, you know, it’s the trauma, just in a sense, it’s it gets buried underneath all of the day to day. Let me survive. Let me move on. Let me keep going. So they become very great at getting things done because it’s next, next next next next next next. And then it doesn’t really show up for women’s health until emptiness. You know, they don’t have the kids anymore. They are now finally able to just relax and guess what? Their nervous system and their mind has a difficult time relaxing. So now it’s creating, you know, they’re not able to sleep. They’re not able to eat properly because the, you know, your body’s not recovering. You’re not you’re if you’re in fight or flight a lot, guess where most of the blood flows to your head, to your exterior extremities so that you can run or fight. So most of the blood is not here.

Angela Kim: So it’s it’s not allowing you to really digest nutrients and stuff. And so in realizing and seeing, based on my personal blood work and seeing other people go through this, even my aunt, my family, some people understand what I’m explaining. Some people are like, you’re crazy. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Emotions. What? What is emotions? I’m like, wow. So it’s it’s helping, you know, some of the emotions that most of us say, oh, yeah, we I’m never angry or. Yeah, they always get angry or there are certain things that we label ourselves as just being, and that’s where it becomes that manifestation of. If you say that you are those things and you get stuck in that. Um, and so that stuckness essentially gets stuck here. Either you’re saying those things or you’re pushing aside and telling your subconscious, hey, hold on to this information because I’m pushing it aside consciously. I want to be free. Um, and so most of the time, we have no idea what’s going on with our bodies because we’ve numbed out, right? The numbing out of what’s really going on or what has gone on in, in life and acknowledging that these are traumas that we’ve experiencing coming to terms with it is processing it. Tears is processing and allowing those toxins to get released from out of your body. And so it’s really helping women and men also to process emotions effectively and recognize and understand that emotions are just signals to tell us, hey, that’s danger, or that’s something that we’re used to and we’re addicted to. And what we’re used to and addicted to may be harmful for where we’re at now.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, it’s interesting that we’re having this conversation today because earlier I was having a conversation with another, um, amazing woman that and we were talking about how women tend to push themselves to the side so that they can take care of everyone else. Right? We’re amazing caregivers, and we’re not taking care of ourselves because we’re so worried about taking care of everyone else. So how do we get out of our own way when it comes to those things? And even in particular those women who may be listening today who, uh, may have lost a pregnancy or have gone through something as traumatic as you’ve been through. How do we get out of our own way and actually create space for having conversations, or reaching out to an organization like Missing Pieces support group?

Speaker4: Um.

Angela Kim: The easy way to say, um, to explain or to advise how to get out of your own way is to really be stepping out of, you know, your situation and kind of be if you can. It takes practice and it takes a lot of effort, however, is to look at yourself like as if you were visualizing yourself and seeing yourself from an observer standpoint and just, you know, be a kind person to you in that moment. Because if you’re cowering over and you’re crying and you feel lonely, guess what? If you step out of that and, you know, feel the feelings. However, if you can observe you and just comfort yourself in that way and it’s okay, and be patient with your body is just in shock. And the longer you push the feelings and the emotions and and that it’s not allowed and it shouldn’t be this way the longer you prolong it. So the more and faster you accept that this is what’s going on. That’s the way of really allowing yourself to overcome it, because you’re going to be in your own way.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. We all think we’re superwomen and we can do everything for everyone, right? But we forget ourselves along the way.

Angela Kim: Yes. And when you actually have time to retire and not do things and have your hobbies, you’re too busy stuck in your head because you’re so used to worrying about everyone else.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. You talked a little bit about a lot, actually, about mind and body, bond and body and mind and how they’re really interconnected. And, um, they can either care for each other or even harm each other. Uh, can you talk more about that and the work that you do, um, in getting people to understand that they really are connected to each other?

Angela Kim: Yes. Um, well, it takes some practice because the concept and how I explain it, it’s so easy. That’s why people are like, yeah, I can do this on my own. I can practice to breathe on my own. Yet when push comes to shove and things are triggering you, it’s automatic. Your muscle memory is in there. It’s taking action. It’s locking down, it’s taking care of you. So it’s actively remembering these basic things and practicing it with with a coach, um, or an individual, you know, or a therapist who can guide you on. Okay. Let’s slowly let’s, let’s practice this situation and let’s, let’s slowly learn how to, um, come back and feel, because women have an amazing ability to process things. We’ve already processed it 5 million times over. However, we’re not allowing ourselves to feel that and allowing our body to just, you know, relax and allow it to work through your body because it requires you to move. It requires you to work out. It requires you to dance like a silly person and look weird. And who cares because it’s stuck in our body. And children actually are the best teachers of this because when they have stuck stuff, guess what? They’re hitting stuff. Or they’re banging on stuff, or they’re kicking and they’re moving it out of their body, and guess what adults tell them to do? Sit still.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Yeah.

Angela Kim: I used to do that to my child, and now I’m like, oh my gosh. I just told my child to trap his trauma in his body.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. So yeah, I love that. And, uh, you know, since we’re talking about support, uh, missing, um, missing piece of support group, can you talk about the difference that having a good support system in your life makes when you have gone through trauma, or when you do need someone to help you get out of your own way?

Angela Kim: Oh, wow. I, I I’ll share based on my experience of just. That’s why I became an ambassador, being able to meet these amazing women working on community, you know, projects or like content creation, talking to other women, um, hearing their story is that’s that’s something that it’s it helps me get out of my head and still reach out and say, hey, I’m having a hard time. However, just letting you know, can we still get stuff done? I may be off my game a little bit yet. Can we still do this? And they give me space. They provide that and they’re like, you know, if you ever need to talk. And sometimes I’m like, I don’t want to talk. And then there’s a part of me that’s like, yes, you do. That’s why you that’s why you, uh, you reached out and you said, hey, let’s talk. And then they felt something and they asked, and it’s just leaning into the, the support. Um, and that’s one of the hardest things to do, especially when it’s new and you’re still it’s still fresh because it’s it feels very isolating and you are still so unfamiliar with the feelings that you’re going through. It’s a lot of feelings and a lot of thoughts flooding all at once. So it’s overwhelming. So it’s being patient.

Trisha Stetzel: And surrounding yourself with good people, right. And people who can share their stories and make you feel like you’re not alone. Right.

Angela Kim: Yes. That’s why we volunteer. Yeah. Because it’s. You’re not alone. You don’t have to be if you. Unless you want to be.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I know you’re doing such an amazing job as a brand ambassador and even helping with the content creation for Missing Pieces support group. Can you talk a little bit more about the services that they’re providing and how people can connect with them if they’re looking for that support?

Angela Kim: Yes. The services provided are the support groups. Um they are. There’s two for right now. There’s going to be more. Jameela will be the perfect person to give you more details. However, all of this should be on the website. It’s missing pieces support group org and it’s it just has all of the the resources we have the resources on which um, what is it like doctors, therapists, coaches, um, holistic practitioners? We have all of that there. And we also have grief sensitive books and stuff to provide for children who’ve lost their, you know, sibling, um, or parent or, you know, grieving. Um, and so it’s just we have all those resources and we, we do one that’s virtual for right now, the earlier part of the year when the virtual is in April, and I don’t remember the exact date right now. And then the other one is, uh, in September. And so it’s going to end right around the time that our marathon. Uh, yeah. Our five-k occurs. Um, it’s going to be an annual one. And so we do A5K, and it’s just bringing awareness to the community and just having the community come out and support and share because we’ve branched out to Dallas. And so that’s just all the different things that we’re doing. Um, and uh, also creating support groups for, for men, and it’s the support groups and, and the resources that we provide are very much more holistic based. Um, and even the, um, I believe the what is it called? I lost it right now. Oh, it’s called pals. It’s pregnancy after loss. Um, that one is also very holistic based. So everything that we do, the connections that we have through missing pieces is a lot of holistic practitioners. Um, myself is on there because my coaching is more holistic. And I look at you as a whole, not just your mind or your mental health, because everything is connected, Right. You’re what you eat. What you do, what you don’t do. And your little micro habits add up to the bigger picture.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. I know Jameela has done a lot of work in collecting all of these resources and connecting with amazing people like you, who can be a great resource for anyone who may be going through trauma and wants to use the support from Missing Pieces Support group. Is there any piece of I’d like to circle back? As we kind of come to the end of our conversation today to Women’s Health, is there anything, um, maybe a tip or just a piece of advice that you would give to women today who are listening?

Angela Kim: Um, the tip, the advice I would say is, um, I mean, it’s for for men and women, right? Um, however, specifically for women is learning your biology. Learn about your biology. Learn about the cycle of how your body changes as you age. Um, as your body ages and matures, right? And what does your body need? Nutrients. You know, nutrition wise and just really looking and being a scientist to your health if you can um, is to to do that. Because sometimes when we’re first going through loss, it’s more challenging to do this. That’s why it’s the coaching guide you into this more holistic part. Or we get you to be more, you know, increase your self-care essentially. And if the self-care isn’t really good, then everything’s just going to go downhill. So recognizing what is it that we’re eating? How are we advocating for ourselves? Is the doctor making sense to what we’re saying? Um, are they are they hearing the symptoms and the issues that you’re having, because most of the time, um, men and women both, I would say even women have a difficult time advocating for themselves, especially when it comes to their health.

Angela Kim: Um, the doctors just say, oh, I hear that symptom. That must be it. Let me give you the prescription for that. Um, if something is providing or giving you internal bleeding or, you know, is why would you give your patient an ointment? Does that mean that the doctor’s right? Were they listening to you? So that’s the biggest advice I would say is learn how to explain your symptoms. Have those explanations ready because those doctors are vicious. They want to see us for five seconds so you can get out next. So it’s have it ready so you can fire away at them. You bombard them with all this stuff so they have to stop and think, um, about you, because most of the times the doctor’s doctor is just going to say, okay, this is what you’re going through. Here’s the medication. You try it out for you’re the test dummy. You get to be the you know, you learn how to test things on yourself in a healthier way because the doctor doesn’t. They’re not experiencing your experiences. You’re the one that is feeling all these things. Learn how to explain it.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. And if you don’t know how and you don’t, and you’re not comfortable advocating for yourself, then reach out to resources like Angela. And Angela can help you find the resources that you’re looking for, whether it’s with her or some other resource. Um, because I know you’re very embedded in that space. Angela, thank you so much for coming on with me today. Missing pieces support group is such an amazing, uh, organization. And when you told me that you were a part of it, I knew that I had to have you back on the show, so we just did it.

Angela Kim: Thank you so much.

Trisha Stetzel: You bet. I appreciate it so much. So, is there, um, one last story that you would like to share with us as we close today?

Angela Kim: Um hmm. I would say maybe it’s going to be about missing Pieces support group, and it’s going to be the good news. I would say that, um, that and I forgot to touch base on that too. It’s the, the content creation. We’ve shifted our panels to be more of, you know, this virtual platform to where we can actually have people from, you know, our other ambassador who’s in Maryland, and we can actually have conversations and they don’t have to fly all the way to the location. So we switch from in-person to virtual. And so now it’s opening it more nationwide. And so our next destination is Dallas. We’re opening Dallas next. And yet, you know, wherever we have ambassadors, it’s pretty much opening there because, hey, that’s the that’s the story I have regarding missing Pieces support group.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s amazing. So if you guys are interested either in being a part of Missing Pieces support or, um, giving back, I know that, um, the organization is always looking for monetary donations so that they can support all of the resources that are given back to these women and men who need the service. If you need the service, any of those things, you can visit the website at Missing Pieces Support group.org. I’ll put that in the show notes as well so you guys can just point and click. Angela, thank you so much for being on with me today.

Angela Kim: Thank you Trisha.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.

Rhonda Parmer with The Leadership Executive Group

April 11, 2025 by angishields

Houston Business Radio

Rhonda Parmer with The Leadership Executive Group

00:00 /

Dr. Rhonda Parmer is an executive coach and founder of The Leadership Executive Group, dedicated to helping high-potential leaders gain confidence, avoid burnout, and build high-performing teams.

After 31 successful years in public education—finishing as an associate superintendent—Rhonda now guides leaders across industries using her proven E.A.S.E. Framework. She’s a certified John Maxwell Coach, DiSC Consultant, Nationally Distinguished Principal, and author, known for turning stress into success in under 90 days.

In her conversation with Trisha Stetzel, Rhonda shared her journey from education to executive coaching, emphasizing the importance of balance, confidence, and setting healthy boundaries. She discussed how self-care, mindset shifts, and delegation are key to sustaining leadership success.

Rhonda also offered personal insights, including her love of open-road auto racing and daily chats with her mom, as ways she maintains her own balance while helping others thrive.

Connect with Rhonda on LinkedIn.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. It is my pleasure to introduce you to my Texas friend. We were having so much fun before the show. Uh, Rhonda Parmer, The Leadership Executive Group CEO. Rhonda, I’m so excited to have you on the show today.

Rhonda Parmer: Thank you Trisha. I am very excited to be here and it’s such a pleasure meeting you.

Trisha Stetzel: Such a pleasure meeting you as well. So first we need to know who Ronda is. So tell us a little bit about you.

Rhonda Parmer: Okay, well, I am Houston native. I’ve been here my whole life and born and raised, of course, and started out as a teacher substitute teacher, worked my way up all the way through to associate superintendent. Had 31 years in public education. I’m so proud of that career. And the last 12 years we’re working with, um, underperforming schools. And what we found is there was a confidence issue, a confidence issue with the teachers and with the students. So we figured, hey, let’s change this mindset. Students are not limited by their zip code or their parents income, you know, let’s believe in them. Just say you believe in them. Just say it out loud. Change your mindset. These students can learn. Every student can learn. He can learn. She can learn. This is a future CEO. This is a future doctor. This is a future lawyer. And let’s change our mindset and just see if it works. And it did. And so after years of seeing schools rated as F, go to B’s and A’s and teachers who were burned out feeling rejuvenated and students feeling proud about themselves and parents unbelieving. What was going on? I said, hey, what if we apply that same system to nonprofits or small business or big organizations, corporations? And so I started a consulting firm after I retired, and that’s what we’re doing.

Trisha Stetzel: Love that. So that is how the Leadership Executive Group was born. Tell us more about the work that you’re doing in that space, Rhonda. Now.

Rhonda Parmer: Hey so what we have eight amazing coaches who thank God they believe in me and I totally believe in them. But they are amazing. And we work one on one with clients. Or we also provide training to groups, teams and our main focus what we found. We work mostly with women, but we have a few guys too. But we’re looking at people who are ready to just take that next step. Perhaps something is holding them back. As I mentioned in the schools, you know, that could be a mindset. And so it’s not about never feeling fear or never having self-doubt. We all face that. And that’s a beast that all of us, even even your most successful athletes and successful CEOs, everybody has to, um, address that. But it’s about identifying it, knowing when it’s coming up and then backing up just a tiny bit from it. Okay. What is that? What is that belief or thought that’s making me hesitate? Pause. And so we work and coach directly with one on one, um, clients to help them break through to the next level. Uh, is it a promotion? Is it leading a brand new team? Is it mentoring one person who will come after them to be the next leader? All kinds of, um, you know, positions for one on one coaching. And then we also provide group coaching. And I found this is what we’re finding is we’re getting into a niche of working with pastors. And so pastors are in a unique position. They either have a very, very small staff or they’re working with volunteers. And so how can they get the confidence in themselves and the confidence in their team to help move and strategize to meet goals? And that’s us. That’s what we do. But we work with people in all sectors. And, um, what I’ve been doing is meeting people through speaking engagements one on one, I mean through workshops. And I’ll we’ll promote that later on in the show. But that’s that’s how we roll.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s amazing. I love that. And as you were, as you were talking through the work that you’re doing and even talking about, most of them are women. Uh, which is another connection that you and I have. We talked about that, uh, before the show. I have a lot of conversations around balance, and I think that you do as well as well. Um, so when you’re. I know that you work with high achieving leaders and many of them struggle to find balance. So what’s your advice to them when they start to feel that guilt? Or they haven’t taken a vacation or they’re afraid to take their PTO? What do you tell them?

Rhonda Parmer: Oh, that is so hard. And that’s that limiting belief too. So that’s a little bit of confidence. So it all boils back down to confidence. It’s confidence. Do you have the confidence to say I need a break. Do you have the confidence to say it’s time for me to take a quick vacation, a long weekend or even a full week, God forbid. Right. So I, I tell them, look, you we the world needs more leaders, whether that’s in organizations, communities or families. We have got to have leaders. And if you burn yourself out, we all miss out on your medicine. You have what we need. And if you burn out, we all lose out. So if you want to serve and fulfill your calling, you have to take care of yourself. And so I one of the things I do, Trisha, um, I have I’m a I’m a nerd, I love reading. I read everything if it’s a if it’s a book, a magazine, a blog, a something on Facebook that links to a, a research article. And what I’ve done is taken all those research gurus for leadership and put turned those into actionable steps. So I, I have not finished this book yet, but I’ll be back when I actually get it published. Yes, please. I’m writing a book. It’s a field guide for leaders, new and aspiring leaders, and it’s called ease into leadership. And ease is an acronym that basically everything that we have to do in leadership boils down.

Rhonda Parmer: You can boil it down to four steps and that is evaluate your priorities, have some accountability set. And for example, in this particular case with boundaries. I mean, with ballots set boundaries. And so we we have these tools. There are rubrics basically implementation rubrics. And they’re not designed as worksheets or homework or something to be filled out for compliance. They’re simply conversation starters. And so I ask the leaders to work with you know, work with me. Let’s look at set boundaries. What does this look like for you? Easily one of the best things I’ve seen people model. This was in a school district and they did it district wide in Pasadena. It was a, you know, 50,000 student and 68 campuses. What they did is before every break, they sent an email saying, during this break you will receive no emails. If you set if you send emails, please set. You set the system that it won’t even send it. It’ll be a delayed send until the day we get back. And that really created a true vacation, a true break for people. Because in this, in our world of just hurry, hurry, hurry, do it, do it, do it. Answer. I need an answer. Even when you’re on break or the weekend you think, oh, I got to answer those emails. But the first time we did that in Pasadena, it was just like, oh, I finally, truly, really have a break.

Rhonda Parmer: So modeling your expectations for boundaries of no email during this break? Um, another one is have an accountability partner at work. So your secretary, your partner, your assistant, somebody to say, hey, it’s five, it’s 530 or whatever your ending time is. Let’s go. This stuff will be here tomorrow. So just two easy ways to set boundaries. And then finally, what I do ask people, um, one of the very first things I ask people in our coaching session is, what is your nighttime routine? You would be shocked how many people don’t even know what I’m talking about. Like, what is your nighttime routine? You know, do you eat at home? Do you come home from dinner? Do you wash your face? You know, do you read a little bit? Do you watch TV? What is your routine? And so many people. We’ve just gotten to where we’re so reactive, and that’s what burns people out. They. Even though a lot my husband’s the worst, he’s like, no, no, no, nobody wants a routine. Nobody wants a schedule. But even he does want a schedule. And he is one of the most free thinking free, you know, no time schedule. But we like routine and we like predictability, and we like and our bodies like that, where you get into this rhythm of being able to do things and you feel better about yourself because you can predict what’s coming next. So those are the things I ask people to do.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. Okay. So I stop work at 5:00 every day so I can go in and cook dinner with my husband. Does that count?

Rhonda Parmer: Yes, ma’am. Two stars for you? Yes. Awesome.

Trisha Stetzel: All right. I can’t tell you the rest of my routine, but that’s. That’s the beginning, right? We’re getting there. We’re getting there. Um, so there are some people listening right now, Rhonda, that are thinking. And. And you and I probably have had these same thoughts that if I’m not on all the time, people are going to see me as a slacker. So how do we shift that mindset?

Rhonda Parmer: Okay, this is going to sound almost ridiculous, but it literally comes to it comes down to identifying that thought. So first people need to identify that that’s what they’re thinking, because sometimes they don’t even realize that’s what they’re thinking. They’re just acting because they know that’s true in their head. So they have to slow down to realize, oh, I’m doing these things because I think people will think I’m a slacker. So it’s so it’s it sounds so easy and simple, but it’s. It’s not. You you have to realize that’s what’s driving you. And then once you realize that this is this is a physiological, neurological truth, putting your hand on your head and saying the opposite. So I am not a slacker. And it’s even better if you don’t use the word not. So phrase it in a positive way. If you think about when you you know, we used to when we’re, we’re when we’re teaching children don’t run instead of saying don’t run because all they hear is run, you say walk. Thank you for walking. So in your head I am productive, I am balanced, I work to get things done and I rest for myself so I can continue to get things done. And it’s literally putting that thing, putting your hand on your head.

Rhonda Parmer: I worked with a client one day and this wasn’t too long ago. She was so ridden with anxiety about needing to get something done that she could not. I mean, she could not even put her hand on her head and say, I am safe. And I was thinking, bless you. No, come on. This is just take a take it, take a deep breath. Let’s count to five. When someone is in anxiety like that. And we do this because we have these mindsets and so many, so many of these mindsets. Let me tell you about three ways that our our our our behavior is shaped. A third of it is pure genetics. We can’t do anything about it. It’s there. It’s in us. Okay. Another third of it. We can’t do anything about it because it’s already happened. It was from the time we were born, till the time we were about 12 years old. Things that were modeled, things we heard, things that were said to us. That’s that’s there. We can’t really do anything about it, but we can choose to overcome it. Let’s say, um, let’s say someone said, um, all you do is eat. Okay, well, I know everybody told me all I did was eat, but I choose to say I eat when I’m hungry, I eat for nourishment, and I don’t eat because I’m bored.

Rhonda Parmer: I don’t eat for entertainment. I don’t eat because I’m scared. And you, you have to. You can overcome some of those things, but they’re pretty much they’re to you. But that’s part of what we call childhood trauma. No matter what your childhood is that that is there. And then the other third is from like that same age, like age ten, 11 or so till now, all your experiences. So those things shape our behavior. So we’re still experiencing things that help us shape behaviors. And if you go back to your original question of how do you help a person who thinks I’m going to be a slacker, we first have to help them realize, okay, you’re acting because of an erroneous thought that’s in your head. Now let’s reverse that thought I am productive, I am balanced. I and it sounds again, it sounds almost ridiculous, but what happens is your thoughts turn into words. Your words turn into actions and your actions lead to results. It’s not that your words turn into results immediately. There has to be action in between, but you can’t start with that action until you start with the correct words in your head. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: A woman after my own heart. I love this law of self control that you were just talking about, right? Because the language, the words, the things that we’re telling ourselves become our beliefs and our feelings to our actions and our results. Okay. People are already interested in reaching out to you. I know this, Rhonda, so how can they best connect with you?

Rhonda Parmer: My my website is Rhonda Palmer. Com and remember Palmer rhymes with farmer, but it starts with a P. So I’m not Palmer. I’m Palmer. Rhonda Palmer, dot com. And you can check me out on LinkedIn, too. Rhonda Freeman Palmer.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that, and it’s Rhonda. If you’re looking for her. Uh, amazing. I, I know that people are going to want to connect with you and have a bigger conversation around the things that we’ve been talking about. So here’s what I would like to know next. This is a hard one, Rhonda. How do you create balance in your own life?

Rhonda Parmer: Oh, okay. So I will tell you quick backstory. Reader’s Digest version. Back in the 70s, you know, this wasn’t diagnosed as much, especially if you had some coping skills and you weren’t failing. But I we figured out I had dyslexia. Okay. And we didn’t call it that. We just said I wasn’t paying attention. Okay. So, so so I had to pay attention. So I forced myself to pay attention and do different things to to make sure I got things right, and it slowed me down, but it made it. It unintentionally turned me into a perfectionist. And then that turned into workaholic ism and and that lasted into my adulthood. Um, so I worked on my master. I got my my bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate doctorate degree. But the wake up call happened in my 30s when I was diagnosed with a double cancer. Um, I had double cancer diagnosis and breast cancer and thyroid cancer. And this just happened to be my first year as principal. And I don’t know if many listeners understand, but I’ll just go ahead and say it because I was one of them. A lot of principals are very, um, well, I’ll just say I was very egotistical and like, oh, I am the principal now we’re going to do this and we’re going to do this, and it’s going to be this, and we’re going to be number one in the nation, and we’re going to do this, this, this, this.

Rhonda Parmer: And everyone was telling me, um, when I was assigned this job. Slow down, slow your roll. Get to know people. Watch out, learn, watch and learn. Don’t do anything. Don’t change anything at this school for at least a year. I’m looking at him like, hey, man, these kids don’t have a year to waste. You know, but God told different. So I did slow down because I had to take medicine and do treatments and have surgeries. But what I found was, um, the ability to ask for help. And that was something I was very, very uncomfortable doing. So I, I, my husband helped me practice. We modeled at home asking for help, and I got help. And that helped me maintain the balance of taking my medicine and doing some work. I didn’t miss very much work. He took me a cot up to my office, so if I needed to, I could just lie down for a little bit. But anyway, um, that was a wake up call And it was like, hey, you know, you can do all this stuff and burn yourself out and be gone and not do anything for the world.

Rhonda Parmer: Or you can slow your roll and take this in doses and give this to people in the amounts that they can consume. Yeah. And that really helped change the way I lead and the way I coach others. And, um, what I do now. I first, this is what happened. I realized. This is so sad to admit, but a year had gone by since I talked to my dad. Like I talked to him on his birthday and Christmas. He didn’t live in the state. And I’m like, wait a minute. This is my dad. And then maybe a year had gone by since I saw my mom. She lives in the same town. I’d talked to her very frequently, but maybe I hadn’t seen her in a year. Like, really? I’m only spending time on Mother’s Day and Christmas with my mom. I’m fortunate enough to still have my mom here, and I’m not taking advantage of this. So now what I do? I talk to my mom every single day, and I. I travel with my husband. My husband has a trucking company. So I said, hey, I’m going to go with you at least once a week. Let’s go out in the town. He has a heavy equipment trucking company, so any big yellow things y’all see? Watch out for those truckers.

Rhonda Parmer: It’s so heavy they can’t shut down. If you cut them off, it’s hard to slow down 80,000 pounds. And then another thing I do, I think I mentioned this right before we started on air, I race cars. So as I mentioned, I did have that double cancer diagnosis. I was in my 30s. I didn’t have a lot of good insurance. I had the bare minimum plan. So my debt stacked up, and I looked at that one day over $100,000 of debt, and I said, man, if I’m going to be in debt because I’ve never been in debt up until that point, even through college, I worked my way through college. But I said, if I’m going to be in debt, I’m at least going to have something I like. So we went out and bought a vet and now I race it in the Big Bend Open road race. I’m one of the navigation trainers and one of the rookie qualifiers, and that is how I find balance. Totally get away from everything and do a whole different world. And as my husband says, we go out there for the week. We have a big family reunion and then there’s a race at the end of the week.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh my gosh, that’s so much fun. So you have to you. We did talk about this before we started recording. You have to describe the race like how does the race go down?

Rhonda Parmer: Oh girl it is amazing. So this is highway 225. It’s from Fort Stockton all the way down to Sanderson, Texas. So it’s just the west side of Big Bend National Park. They shut the highway down. So the State Patrol are out there. They have helicopters and airplanes sending little signals to make the animals all go away. They chain off all the ranchers gates so nobody can pull out on the road. And they announce it way in advance, and everybody supports it, because to this little town, it’s almost like the Super Bowl coming to town. You know, it brings in a lot of economic value. But basically the cars line up, you sign up for which class you would like to be in, which means what average speed you want to you want to maintain. And they let you go one at a time every minute. So ideally you should not pass or be passed. And I’ll tell you, Trisha, there is nothing better than coming up on a 55 mile an hour curve at 120 miles an hour. You got the whole road to yourself. So last year, my husband and I averaged 145 miles an hour. And we can go up to 168 to be able to do that.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow.

Rhonda Parmer: 59 turn. No, it’s 59 miles. One way you go down, everybody goes down, and then you restock and come back. But 59 miles, 59 turns and 59 elevation changes.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh my goodness, that sounds like so much fun. I so I love this whole idea of balance. And we’re getting to the back end of our conversation. But I have one more thing that I want to tackle because you talked about asking for help. This actually just came up for me with somebody that I was having a conversation with just earlier today. And I think oftentimes as strong women, we don’t like to ask for help. You mentioned that you went into this practice mode with your husband and getting help at home. How do you continue to use that mindset that you had there that it’s okay to ask for help? Listen, I’m a veteran. And those of us who are in the military don’t ask for help when we get out, right? Because we know we’re just going to go get stuff done. And so we do. And it’s really, really hard to ask for help. So how do we get past that? Rhonda.

Rhonda Parmer: First of all, thank you so much for your service. And I can only imagine, I, I know in high school I thought, oh, I want to join the Air Force. I’m going to do that. And then I chickened out. You know. No. Never mind. I’ll be a teacher. You know, I like teaching. My grandmother was a teacher. But anyway. No, um, I gotta tell you. I mean, that is. It’s one of those swallow your pride, you know, swallow your pride. And and I saw this graph one time that said, you know, it had these two little lines, and it was just like, this is what happens if I don’t ask for help. Here’s my outcome, and I can get to here and here’s my outcome. If I do ask for help, I can exceed that outcome. Because there is there’s a there’s a even if you feel so alone, there are people who want to help you. Um, this is a lesson from Simon Sinek. He says learn to ask for help because people are there reaching their hand for you. Most of the time you just have to see their hand. You don’t even have to ask for help. Their hand is already there. You just take their hand. So receive the help when they offer it. And then if you don’t think they’re offering it, ask for it. And I promise you, this is something that I continually do. I have a workshop next Thursday and I practice the intro and outro with my husband last night. I mean, this is it’s just it’s, it’s if we want to be the best versions of ourselves, that’s what we do, you know? And and people want to help us.

Rhonda Parmer: This is what I tell leaders. There’s some leaders who they have this thought that, hey, I’m the leader. I’m getting paid the most. I have to do the most. I have to do it all. And that’s not true. It’s simply not true. You have an assistant. Sometimes you have a secretary. Sometimes you have other people on your team. And we’re robbing them of their purpose. If we try to do everything. I’ll give this example. Um, let’s just say I’m working with this lady from a museum who works in a museum, and she’s the she’s newly appointed. And she does have that. It’s an accidental mindset of, well, I’m in charge. I have to do everything. But no, we have someone and we have someone in charge of marketing. And she used to be in charge of marketing. So if someone in charge of marketing, someone in charge of fundraising, someone in charge of ticket sales, someone in charge of summer programs, let them do their jobs because otherwise you’re robbing them. And we’re paying you to do what only you can do to make those tough decisions and build that vision and build cohesion and collaboration the way only you can do. The leader is the one who needs to notice. Recognize what’s happening with all the other staff members and team members so they fulfill their purpose and they one day are ready to step into the next CEO role.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that, so we have to allow them to fulfill their purpose by allowing them to do the work that we’ve hired them for, right, or that we’ve brought them on board for. I love that, okay. So, Rhonda, you’re going to have to come back because I see this whole idea of delegation coming to fruition here, and we’re going to have to have a whole nother conversation about delegation. Thank you so much for coming on today. Thank you for your service as a teacher, as a principal, as an administrator, such a hard job sitting on the outside looking in, having our son is much older now, but we had one, you know, come through school. So I get it. And thank you so much for your service to our community.

Rhonda Parmer: You, Trisha, it’s been an honor. I love meeting you and I would love to see you again.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay, fantastic. I will be in touch for sure. All right. Rhonda Farmer, thank you so much for being on with me. And that’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.

BRX Pro Tip: Stoicism in Business

April 11, 2025 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Stoicism in Business

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BRX Pro Tip: Stoicism in Business

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, I know that you are a student of stoicism. When, where and how does it apply in the business world, man?

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I found stoicism a while ago, I guess through Ryan Holiday’s book, The Obstacle is the Way. That really opened my eyes to what stoicism is and some of the basic tenets of it in living a life where you believe and the things that we believe about personal accountability and controlling what you can control and things like that. But I see it really carry over into the business world as well. And I think that some of the key tenets that carry over from your personal life to your business life are, number one, focus on what you can control. And remember, you can only control your actions, you can’t control external outcomes. So, if you can focus on what you can control, you’re going to be better off in terms of mentally better off, and less frustrated, and less stressed.

Lee Kantor: Number two is master emotional resilience. Negative emotions come from our interpretation of events, not the events themselves. So, a lot of times when you’re angry or, frustrated, it’s just how you’re reacting to the situation. It isn’t the situation because, really, the situation doesn’t care about how you’re feeling. Anything you put on it is your own kind of neurosis.

Lee Kantor: Number three is it’s important to anticipate challenges. By preparing for obstacles ahead of time, you minimize surprises and you stay adaptable. So, that’s important as well.

Lee Kantor: Number four is to serve others, not your ego. Prioritize long-term trust over quick sales. That’s an important lesson for everybody in business that your trust and your reputation, you shouldn’t be sacrificing for a quick win. You shouldn’t do whatever it takes to get a sale. You should do whatever is right.

Lee Kantor: Number five, do more, think less. Overthinking leads to inaction. Clarity comes from movement. Something we say all the time is take action, you want to get real data, and you want to kind of weave that into what you’re thinking, so that you can get the outcome you desire. And I found that by incorporating some of these principles, you can build more resilient and more impactful and a more sustainable business.