My Biggest Ah-Ha Moments That Changed Everything | Business Women in Business Series Kickoff

Molly [00:00:00]:
I just really believe that you can build success on your own terms, and you can design things with the end in mind, and you can actually have a lot of fun doing it. Hey. I’m Molly. I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome to the Dream It Do It podcast. I’m a wife, mom of three, a certified high performance coach, and the founder of Dream It Do It wellness. After leaving my corporate finance job, I discovered the joy of building a life and business that truly light me up. And now I help others like you do the same.

Molly [00:00:40]:
Together, we’ll use intentional habits, smart time management and productivity, and meaningful work to help you excel at your career and experience the life you desire. Let’s dream big, take action, and create a life you love. Let’s dive into the show. Welcome back to the Dream It Do It podcast. I am excited to kick off a brand new series with you called the Women in Business series. So last week, we had a podcast listener survey where I learned all about you listeners and it was really insightful for me and helpful. And that is where this series that that’s what this series was inspired by. So we have a mix of corporate leaders who listen to the show, of corporate professionals who are climbing the ladder, of corporate professionals who are content where they’re at, but they’re prioritizing life more.

Molly [00:01:45]:
And we also have some full time business owners, entrepreneurs. So wherever you’re at on this journey, and we have some who are making pivots in careers too, for sure. That came up quite a bit as well. But I wanna say thank you for filling that out if you did. And this women in business series was very much inspired by some of the goals that you shared. You know, a lot of you shared things like, I just wanna feel more fulfillment, or I want to feel more present, or I want clear direction on where I’m going next. And then feedback was some more like tangible things that we can take and do, like really practical into our lives. That came up for a few people.

Molly [00:02:29]:
So we will definitely be having that throughout this series. What you can expect in the women in business series, I will be bringing on a few different guests. So this series will run throughout the next four or five weeks, and I will be bringing on some guests that have made perhaps inspiring pivots in their careers or that have just had really good career success. And there’s some specific characteristics they have that I just think are worth interviewing them about and learning about. I have some some acquaintances that are just very well networked, and they’ve done a great job with collaborating throughout their climb through corporate. And, you know, they’ve really put relationships first, and they’ve gotten to events, and just really established great foundation for themselves on the career front that I just I want you to learn from, I want to learn from. I’ve got some women who have created incredible online businesses. They will walk through how they did that, why they did that, what it took.

Molly [00:03:36]:
You will be inspired. And you know, no matter if you’re in corporate, if you’re trying to create an online business, I have done both. Right? I believe that these characteristics and these skills are very transferable. And, I’m gonna go into that today because I’m gonna actually be kicking off this series, talking about my biggest moments in business that have changed everything for me. I’ve done business now in a few different mediums, like a few different vessels, and I’ll share about that today, but there’s definitely been patterns that I’ve noticed and moments in each area that I hope can shed some light for you as well. Now the other thing I want to mention was our list podcast listener award. We are giving away a $100 Lululemon gift card for one lucky podcast listener. And I’m gonna go ahead and announce her.

Molly [00:04:39]:
The winner of that is Tawny Killan. And it’s pretty special because I so Tawny is a brand new listener and she’s listened to the last few episodes. She shared this in her form. She’s actually from Montana and sorry, Idaho. And it’s special because I actually met her in real life at the Nourish Move Love retreat that I was at just last month. So Tawny, congrats. You will see the gift card get sent right to your email. Thank you for filling that out.

Molly [00:05:09]:
Way to go. And now we are gonna dive into the show. So biggest moments in business that have changed everything. Tony Robbins says this, that if you can learn to connect patterns and recognize patterns in the world, in seasons of your life, it’s like a very strong skill for leadership. And so that’s something I’ve always remembered. And so throughout my seasons of business and my moves in business, I really try to notice patterns. And my biggest And so I’m gonna talk to you about like these patterns that I’ve noticed through each like stage of business that I’ve been in. When I was at my corporate job, I had a big moment of like climbing the I was really wrapping up my identity in achievement and climbing the ladder, but that wasn’t it wasn’t I wasn’t feeling any impact from it.

Molly [00:06:22]:
And so I started to understand that for me, impact meant, like, contribution in a way that I could really see on a more firsthand basis. And I was in accounting in my accounting in my corporate job and then in more of a sales role. And the reason that I went from accounting to sales in corporate was because I wanted to see the end user more. I wanted to see the difference that I was making, and I didn’t wanna be so far removed from it. But even then, I noticed about myself that I didn’t feel like it was really making a difference. Right? There was just like too many steps, too many departments, too much red tape for me to personally feel like I was making much of a difference and like contribution and the helper in me just wasn’t feeling fulfilled by that. And so I kind of observed that about myself and I thought, you know, there has to be other vessels for me where I can feel a sense of contribution more. An moment that I remember very vividly is I was sitting at my desk and, you know, in accounting, in my cube and in accounting, we have month end and it gets kind of stressful.

Molly [00:07:31]:
And like, you have to understand the numbers because you have to be able to explain them to the different departments and things. And there was one situation where the numbers weren’t necessarily making sense. And like it was a bunch of people were like gathering around my desk, and we were looking at the spreadsheet, and I was very anxious. And, you know, I could mask it pretty well, but, like, my heart was pounding inside. And I was like I remember sitting there with, like, five people around me, like, trying to understand the spreadsheet and, like, is there an error in the spreadsheet? And I just remember thinking, this is not meaningful to me. And I know, I understand this is a big deal right now and this is the nature of the job, but I’m like, this just does not matter to me. And I remember, and we figured it out and it was great people, right? That wasn’t the issue. But I just remember feeling like, I don’t wanna feel so anxious about work that I just don’t really care about.

Molly [00:08:24]:
And and I hope that’s not you. Right? For all the corporate climbers listening, I hope that you do have some care for it. Or perhaps you’re getting that fulfillment elsewhere, which I’ll talk about. The other moment that I had with corporate is when I sat down with one of my great mentors and I said, you know, do you think, I, I don’t feel very passionate or very excited about what I’m doing. Do you think that’s something I can create more of? Like, can I cultivate passion? And I just remember that she looked at me and she said, you know, Molly, I don’t think you can. And she said, I think there’s like parts of it that you can. But for the most part, like, I think if you don’t like this, that’s just like, you don’t like it, you know? And it it’s she didn’t tell me what to do. She didn’t tell me I should leave the company, anything like that.

Molly [00:09:14]:
But it sort of gave me permission to go, it’s okay that I don’t like this. It’s okay for me to do something different. It’s okay for me to pivot. And so what I would say a key takeaway for you is if you are in a corporate role and maybe you feel lack of fulfillment or lack of contribution, I would focus on how you can gain more fulfillment in other areas. And, you know, it might be in extracurriculars. It might be in fulfillment outside of work. Maybe it’s serving on boards, or maybe it is getting involved with mentoring organizations or networking organizations. Again, I’m gonna bring on a phenomenal speaker who can share about more of that.

Molly [00:09:56]:
Because I think a lot of women just don’t make time for that or they don’t think it’s gonna be valuable for them because they are really busy in life. But I think that can actually be very fulfilling for corporate climbers outside of work, joining professional organizations, that kind of thing. If you are growing a business or you’re thinking about pivoting into something different from corporate, here’s what I want you to know, is what the corporate skills that you’ve developed, they are so transferable to so many other things. For me, they were extremely transferable to my network marketing pivot, and they have been vastly transferable to me being self employed and building my own business. And, you know, skills like communication, talking to people, right? Like talking in professional settings, organization, leadership, working cross functionally, understanding how to move things through different departments and talk to different people about it, networking. Right? You learn so much of that in a corporate environment. And so if that’s you, I just want you to know you can do so many different things with that. And it is those skills you’re learning learning in corporate, they might not feel how to run a meeting, how to do a give an excellent presentation, right? How to take ownership of a room, how to speak with a clear voice, how to write effective emails.

Molly [00:11:28]:
Goodness, I could go on, but I do think that corporate skills are just so transferable. And I want that to be a confidence boost to you because I think a lot of corporate females feel like they are stuck there forever because it’s all they know. But guess what? That’s also how teachers feel. It’s also how nurses feel. You guys, our work is transferable. We’re all humans in this world and we can do different things. So I just wanna give you, some confidence on that. Hey there.

Molly [00:12:00]:
I’ve got a few spots open in my calendar for some complimentary clarity calls, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to offer them. So if it’s been on your mind, make sure you head to mollyaspline.com/application. Fill that out, and I will be in touch from there. Like I said, I’ve got a few spots currently, but I’m not sure how much longer those are gonna be available. So if it’s been on your mind or on your heart, just book a free clarity call. It’s forty five minutes. It’s very, very powerful, yet laid back call that I I know you’re gonna have breakthroughs even in that free clarity session. So very personalized, very individualized.

Molly [00:12:41]:
We’ll chat about where you’re at and what could be next for you. So don’t wait. Grab your spot. Again, it’s at mollyaspline.com/application, and I will be in touch with you from there. Now, then I shift into which was what was my next phase of work. And for me, that was network marketing. I did network marketing on the side of my full time job for about a year and a half. During that time, Steve and I actually quit our corporate jobs and we traveled around the world for six months.

Molly [00:13:12]:
So I did it for like a year and a half, and then we quit corporate and I got a chance to like test out full time health and fitness coaching while we traveled. I was not coaching full time. Right? But I was doing it when we didn’t have Wi Fi or when we had Wi Fi and, like, when we were, you know, at Airbnbs during our world travels. So if you’re new here, I guess that’s a fun fact for you, but it really gave me a chance to dip my toes into entrepreneurship with network marketing structure, right? The infrastructure was there and and learn about what that felt like. What I learned in network marketing, my my biggest and my biggest lesson was when people would share with me and join me and sign up with me, whether it be to work the business or as a customer, they would join me because they would say things like, you seem so happy, you seem so fulfilled, you seem really joyful. Like I want a piece of that. And I realized I wasn’t selling Beachbody products. I wasn’t selling even the fitness programs.

Molly [00:14:20]:
I was selling like the transformation and I was selling like personal branding. I learned the importance of personal branding. And so throughout my network marketing experience, I really tried to brand Molly. And I felt like whenever I deviated that from that too much and tried to brand Beachbody to like more, it didn’t feel very good. And so what I learned was just the importance of personal branding, putting yourself out there, right? With, with your true voice and a message that feels really aligned for you. And like not just canned message from a company or something like that. Like network marketing taught me a whole lot. I mean, it gave me exposure to personal branding and customer service and relationships.

Molly [00:15:11]:
That’s the other big moment I had was just relationships are everything. There’s that quote, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I learned that very quick in building a team, in delivering customer service. It wasn’t about how much I knew about the products or the programs or, you know, my like knowledge of expertise. It was about, can I be there for people? Can I help people? Can I listen to them? Can I understand their needs and connect them to a solution that really makes sense for them? You know, they always say like the best salespeople are the best listeners. I believe that to be true. And I think it even goes a step further that when people just know you have their best interests in mind, it just, it is everything. And so while network marketing can be, can feel very transactional, and at at times it it did.

Molly [00:16:09]:
And I think when it felt like that, I didn’t like it so much. It did teach me a lot about how to be heart centered and how to value relationships and how to, like, lead with pieces of me that were me. Right? And nobody else and no other company. Because when I did that, that’s what people resonated with the most. So personal branding, I just think is everything. For anyone who might be struggling with confidence, like, yeah, Molly, but it’s hard to put yourself out there. And I’m not just I’m not talking about building a network marketing business. I’m just talking about in general.

Molly [00:16:43]:
I think all of us should be focused on personal branding, whether it’s online, in real life. Right? Like you are your reputation and how you show up for relationships and for people, it really matters. If you struggle with confidence, I would just remind you that you don’t need to wait around for anything to start your next thing or to try something new or to have a network meeting with someone who you look up to. You just need to start. You don’t need to permission to go after any of the any of these any of these things. You just need to start. Like, you are just your best asset. So be yourself.

Molly [00:17:23]:
Let your voice shine. Let your voice come out. People just value that so much. For those who are wanting to grow a business and maybe make changes outside of corporate or like, I know some people in the podcast listener form said, you know, it’d be nice to have like income coming in from somewhere else. That came up a few times. I want you to know your brand is you. It’s not a product or a service. It’s how you make people feel and how you help them problem solve.

Molly [00:17:54]:
And so whatever the solution might be, whether it’s fashion or coaching or health and fitness solutions or recipes or social media help guidance that you’re going to give to other people, Whatever that is, you are the brand, right? And it’s not just a product or just a service, it’s how you make people feel. In a few weeks, you’re gonna hear from a copywriter on the show. Her name is Jenny Roth, and she has built her online business in copywriting from the ground up. Such an inspiring episode, Midwest gal. She’s from South Dakota. And I actually recently hired her. And I hired yes, I was referred to her by another colleague, but I hired her because I could feel her heart, and I could feel that she had my best interests in mind. And I got to know her a little bit, right? Not all too much, but she made me feel really good.

Molly [00:18:54]:
Right? And it wasn’t just like she was ruffling my feathers or, you know, giving me all these words of affirmation, but she was listening and she was there and she was just giving me her full attention. All of this really means something. So I just wanna remind you, your brand is you, and it’s about how you make people feel and how you problem solve. Now we pivot one more time, right? And so these are like my next ahas that I’ve had more recently in my recent season, since my network marketing business dissipated and I made a pivot into completely doing my own thing. Here’s what I’ve learned. My biggest has been that I can build this chapter, and so can you, your next chapter, whatever that may be, with more enjoyment and with more fun, and I’m just going to say with more relaxation. Right? And I think that like freaks out high performers, even when I say that, because we’re like, no, we always have to grind and go. But I’m like, listen, I know how to work hard and you do too.

Molly [00:19:58]:
And no one’s ever going to take that away from me and no one’s ever going to take that away from you either. But if we’re not building it with joy and having fun along the way, what is the point? And I I actually think you can build stronger when you do it with more enjoyment. And I’m not saying it’s all fun and everything. I was doing stuff today that I’m like, oh, this is kind of taking me longer than I wanted it to, and this is kind of a buzzkill. I think that happens in any job, career. I think it’s just part of it. But you know what? For the most part, I am having a whole lot of fun, And I believe that you receive things then, and good people come into your life then, like energy is such a real thing. So that has been my biggest takeaway.

Molly [00:20:42]:
And, you know, beginning with the end in mind, like I’m not only thinking about Molly’s business at the end of this year, I’m thinking about the movement and the the organization and the company that I wanna create in the next ten years, and I’m just doing the next best thing. Right. And I’m going to learn so much as I go. And in ten years, maybe I’ll listen to this episode and be like, wow, Molly, like you just really had no idea where this was all going, but I, I have an idea. Right? And of course, it’s gonna evolve and it’s gonna change so much, but I just really believe that you can build success on your own terms and you can design things with the end in mind, and you can actually have a lot of fun doing it. I will also say this, you cannot do it alone. And that has been a huge for me in this season is that I’m gonna build it alongside I don’t just need a team. Yes.

Molly [00:21:45]:
I will like hire help and things as I go. But I mean, like collaboration with others, being around other business owners who get it, asking questions to people who have gone before you, helping the people behind you, so to speak. I just feel it, believe all that is really important. And I think the moment we try to operate in a silo or we try to just operate on an island or do things on our own, I don’t think it works very well. Like I had that mindset in the beginning of my network marketing business, just like head down, blinders on, not looking at any, what anyone else is doing. I think some of that is healthy, but I think if you don’t let anyone else into your world or you don’t get in their world to be a helper, I think it absolutely inhibits your success. And so just like raising your vibe with good people around you, being a good person to the one behind you who needs help, like women empowering women is just a really beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing. And that’s why we’re doing this whole series.

Molly [00:22:53]:
And so what I would say, key takeaways for you, if you’re trying to grow a business or climb the corporate ladder without burnout, sustainable success is possible. And I have like lived that this, these last six months, I’m like, wow, what I’m, what I’m preaching, I’m practicing and it’s working. And so I just want you to know it’s possible because I don’t think the old Molly knew that. Right. And you can go back to like the high performance series and you’ll learn exactly what I’ve been focusing on, but, you know, income and revenue and business growth is happening like a lot. And so I I’ve just kind of proven that to myself. I think I needed to, and I want you to prove it to yourself too, in whatever type of career that you have. Sustainable success is about energy, habits, and alignment.

Molly [00:23:42]:
It’s not just about pushing harder. I think like force negates. And so sometimes when you push so hard, you actually push things away, so to speak. If you’re seeking clarity, I want you to know you don’t need to see the whole path. My goodness. I have, I always say like these last six months for me have just been like driving in a car on a foggy road and I can’t really see a mile ahead, but I can see 10 feet ahead. And so I just keep going. And I know the big mountain, like the big destination.

Molly [00:24:17]:
I know generally where I’m going on the big map. Right. And, but there’s going to be detours and it’s going to be foggy. And every day, I just gotta drive a little farther on the road. And so I want you to do that too. You don’t need to see the whole path. Take the next step and trust yourself. If you’re trying to make a pivot to do something different, take the next step and talk to someone who has.

Molly [00:24:41]:
Take the next step and set up a coffee meeting. Take the next step and ask a question. Right? Like, people are so willing to help. And I think we just get so isolated in our own worlds. And we think we’re the only ones you’re not like millions of women have made career shifts. Millions of women have climbed the corporate corporate ladder and maybe got burned out and had to do things differently. They are thrilled to give you their insight, their guidance, their failures. And if they’re not, well, then they’re not your people and you go find your people because they are absolutely out there.

Molly [00:25:14]:
I love that. I want you to know you can find clarity. Okay. But that involves like taking the next step, the next right action of integrity. You can balance family and business. And if you are a hustler, like I am, I think we heard this narrative for so long of like, balance is impossible. It’s not possible. So like, just like get rid of mom guilt.

Molly [00:25:40]:
And I think I’ve probably said those things by the way. But what I’ve learned is like, well, I think we all have this innate desire to be the mom that we wanna be and to be a business owner that we wanna be. And if you know what those things are and you’re clear on that, then show up like that. Right? You don’t have to tell yourself some like lie about balance doesn’t exist. So just hustle and grind and mom guilt is not a thing. It’s like, well, if it’s a thing for you, then it’s a thing. And that’s a problem. You can balance in a way that makes sense for you.

Molly [00:26:15]:
I think you got to get really clear on what that is and no, it won’t always be perfect. I have mom guilt sometimes too, but for the most part right now, I feel like I’m living in congruence with who I am. Does that make sense? I hope so. And I don’t want to paint the picture that it’s perfect, but I will say that I’m always mindful of it. Right. Cause I don’t want to go down a path that I’m like, this is so far away from my values and who I want to be. That’s not what I want to do. And I know that’s not what you want to do either.

Molly [00:26:45]:
So you don’t get a redo on this life. We don’t get a redo. Right. We might as well enjoy it. We might as well enjoy the moments with our loved ones. We might as well enjoy our kids in whatever phase they’re in. And we might as well build businesses that align with that and that we feel really proud about, because that’s an extension of who we are too. Right? So I hope these moments are insightful for you.

Molly [00:27:13]:
It’s been really fun for me to trace patterns from sort of each business type of business that I’ve been in and learn and connect the dots. Because when you get, when you arrive at a certain place and you look back, you should be able to pull lessons and you should be able to trace patterns and that that’s a sign of leadership and clarity. And I think it’ll set you self up very well for the future. So no matter where you are, corporate, business building, or just exploring, you can create a life that truly feels like yours. We just got to get intentional. And you’re going to hear from the best of the best speakers these next few weeks. So I can’t wait to share more. If this resonated, make sure you stay tuned for the rest of the series.

Molly [00:28:02]:
And if this resonated, please share on Instagram stories. That helps me so much. It helps to grow the show. And of course, if you haven’t already, please rate and review the podcast. It just means a ton when you go ahead and do that. So have a wonderful week. We will be back next week with a phenomenal guest. I cannot wait.

Molly [00:28:20]:
We’ll see you then. Take care. Could I ask a quick favor? It would mean so much to me if you took two minutes, literally two minutes, to rate and review this podcast. Ratings and reviews are how the podcast grows, and it’s listeners like you who are here every week listening and benefiting who can really help me grow the show. It would mean a ton to me. And as a token of my appreciation for any written review that you share, I will send you a $5 Starbucks gift card. Why? Because we all need more Starbucks in our life. A little coffee for you to enjoy on me.

Molly [00:29:00]:
So all you have to do is review the podcast. So just go down and click review rate or review the podcast. Write a written review, screenshot it, and before you click submit, just screenshot it. Email it to me, mo***@mo********.com. And from there, I will send over your $5 Starbucks gift card, and your next coffee or latte or mocha will be on me. Thank you so much. I appreciate it more than you know. Talk soon.