Untitled Episode

What if your vision could shape your destiny in ways you never imagined? Join us in this compelling episode as we unravel the incredible power of vision with our guest, Sarah Downing. Sarah's journey from aspiring to work at Nordstrom to becoming a leading financial advisor offers a profound look into how evolving dreams can open unexpected doors. Her story is a testament to the courage it takes to embrace change and the rewarding paths that unfold when you stay true to your deeper "why."

As we explore the twists and turns of personal and professional aspirations, we share how setbacks can redirect us toward surprising and fulfilling opportunities. Our discussion centers on the vital role of allowing your vision to evolve, highlighting personal experiences with vision boards and the significance of setting long-term goals. You'll hear about dreams that once seemed unattainable, like owning a Tesla Model X, and how they became reality through determination and strategic planning. This episode encourages you to reflect on your own aspirations and the fluid nature of pursuing your dreams.

Empowering female leaders in finance is a key focus, as we delve into the balance of leadership and personal achievements. Sarah's unique blend of fashion and finance offers a fresh perspective on crafting a fulfilling career. We also emphasize the transformative effect of a meticulously crafted 10-year vision, providing resources to help you prioritize and plan effectively. Whether you're looking to close the gap between your dreams and achievements or seeking inspiration from those who've walked this path, this episode is your guide to unlocking the full potential of your vision.

Transcript

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Power of Vision in Success

Sarah 0:00

I've got a dream bigger . There's only a couple of things left on that vision board that we had set out to do in 10 years and we've done most of it in four , and so the next layer that I'm working on is building out a hundred things vision list and really trying to think bigger , because now I know whatever I write down may actually come to fruition . So time to think big .

Kristin 0:23

I write down may actually come to fruition . So time to think big . Hey Goal Achievers , welcome to Elite Achievement , your go-to podcast for service-based business owners who want to achieve their goals and grow their businesses . Hey Goal Achievers , have you ever heard about the importance of having a vision but wondered why it's such a powerful catalyst for your success ? Or even questioned why it's worth taking time out of your business to actually draft a vision ? Thanks to today's guest , you are going to walk away from today's episode understanding the impact a vision can have on your personal and professional life .

Kristin 1:02

I invited my client , sarah Downing , a financial advisor and leader who embodies her motto finance done fashionably to today's episode to share her experience with visioning . Sarah's journey is a powerful example of how having a vision can not only shape your career but transform your life . She first fulfilled her 10th grade vision of working in fashion , but then made a bold career shift into financial services , where her focus evolved from helping clients spend more money to helping them save more money . What's so inspiring about Sarah's story is the clarity she gained from having a vision and the results that followed . When she had a clear vision , she achieved her goals . When she didn't have a clear vision , she didn't achieve her goals Sound familiar . Today , we're diving deep into how having a vision can be the key to unlocking your goals and why , even if your vision shifts , it's still the spark that drives incredible change . Get ready to feel inspired , motivated and equipped to draft your own vision after this episode , and remember your vision might be exactly what you need to ignite some big transformations in your life .

Kristin 2:18

Let's dive in . Welcome , sarah . Hi Kristen , happy to be here . I am happy to have you on the podcast . It's always energizing to get the chance to connect with a client because we get to interact in a different way , in a different setting , and I know the story you are going to share around visioning today is going to be so inspiring for all of our listeners . I sure hope so . Yes , well , before we get there , I want everyone to understand your journey of starting your financial planning practice , because you made a big , significant industry shift . So , sarah , tell us more about going from fashion into finance .

Sarah 2:57

Yeah , absolutely . This story , I feel like , goes way back because I grew up knowing I wanted to be in the fashion industry and I actually found and I haven't told you this yet I found a journal that I had actually written a vision statement from the 10th grade and I had talked about my journey of wanting to work at Nordstrom . So I was in high school and I had found my way to my career at Nordstrom and kind of the dream job and worked my way through the corporate ladder and part of the reason why visioning became really important . I had realized in through this preparing for today's conversation that that shift in leaving fashion and moving into finance happened really naturally because of the visioning I had put in place . And what I mean by that is I had thought that I was going to be a buyer at Nordstrom . I thought I'd be a regional manager and through my 10-year career with Nordstrom that I loved they had gone through a lot of corporate restructures and the last three years of my 10-year career they had made cuts to the changes in the roles that I wanted to pursue and when they eliminated in my last year so my 10th year at Nordstrom the regional manager role , I had this piece about knowing that if it wasn't going to be the regional manager at Nordstrom and that was the end of my career with Nordstrom , that retail and fashion I was going to leave it behind .

Sarah 4:23

And when I made that transition , I didn't know what I was going to leave it behind . And when I made that transition , I didn't know what I was stepping into the unknown . So I went into . This was 2020 , june COVID . I was like I'm going to join the fun employment train and figure out what my next steps are . So I had made the decision to have a pivot , but I didn't know what industry would welcome me with the experience that I had , and so I built both a sales resume , a marketing resume , and put it out there on the internet , everywhere that you could think of .

Sarah 4:51

And all of a sudden , financial service companies started reaching out to me and I was like I don't know what about my resume ?

Sarah 4:57

Selling shoes and selling jewelry and selling clothes and styling clients says I'd have anything of interest to do with the financial planning space , and so I was open to conversations and that's what led me to Northwestern Mutual and building out my own financial planning practice .

Sarah 5:17

However , what I think really connected me was I had this deep why . So if I was going to make a switch , a big industry switch that I knew nothing about , I knew that I needed to have a connection , that I needed to like the industry , and so that's what really kind of brought me in was this intrigue , but then also understanding the work that we did for people , and the impact lasted a lot longer than a pair of shoes , and so now I always share with people that what makes me successful today is helping people save a lot of money versus helping people spend a lot of money , and so I've been able to find these really cool connections between the two industries . But it really came from making the switch and not knowing what my future was going to look like and just being open to new experiences . And now we're four years later , which is wild to think that I'm almost halfway to that 10-year mark in this next career , and it's flown by so fast .

Kristin 6:14

Where do you think you found the courage to go into this search so open-mindedly ?

Sarah 6:22

Man in terms of the courage .

Sarah 6:25

I think where that came from A had to do with my faith and knowing that I was going to be stepping into something , that I needed some direction that wasn't my own , that I needed to be open , and so I think that came from kind of the inner Holy Spirit , if you will .

Sarah 6:42

But then , on top of that , I really felt like this was a chance to reinvent myself and I knew I was a people person . I knew that I wanted to do good for people and I knew I could learn . I felt like I had soft skills that would translate to any people role , but I knew I was going to need to be taught the hard skills and I have always been told growing up that I was coachable , that I was willing to learn , that I was willing to try new things , and so I just kind of leaned into that , knowing that I could try something new . And there was a chance that I was going to fail and there was a chance that I'd fall flat on my face and I had come to terms that that was okay . If that had happened , because it was so different , who would have even expected me to succeed ? So I had low expectations for myself , so I don't know if it was more courage or just willing to see what happens and move on if it didn't work out .

Kristin 7:34

Sure , you took a big bet on yourself and I can say that , yes , as your coach , you are so coachable . It's always so energizing when we get together on our calls . You're like coachable . It's always so energizing when we get together on our calls . You're like yep , I tried that , did that , worked on that , and it's been really incredible to see your business just take off over the last couple of years . So you are very coachable . You're welcome . Well , you shared with us your journal and that you had a vision statement in 10th grade . At the time , did you know you were visioning ? Did someone in high school teach you , or was this just this intuition to think bigger about your career ? I guess ? Where did this desire to vision come from ? Do you remember ?

Sarah 8:15

Yeah , so this was a notebook that we had collected and every assignment had to be put into this notebook and the final assignment heading into graduation or I guess for that year was to put out where we saw ourself in the future . And when I look at the heading on this title , it actually says what I want to accomplish in the future and it doesn't have a time frame . And so I , for myself , had made a time frame . I said between the ages of 18 and 30 , this is what I wanted to accomplish , and I had put the college so I was probably 15 at the time , maybe 16 years old I'd put the college that I wanted to attend , which was the Art Institute , because I want to graduate from high school , go to the Art Institute , graduate from there , work at Nordstrom , work my way up to being a buyer , regional manager , and then I want to be in a position to support my family and work my way up and have a career . And then I want to live in New York for a portion of my

Evolving Visions and Achieving Dreams

Sarah 9:12

career . And through that journal I remember when I was applying for a position at Nordstrom in New York , when I started , when I had written this , nordstrom didn't have a presence in New York City and over the course of my career I had written this Nordstrom didn't have a presence in New York City and over the course of my career , they had announced this big launch they were going to be opening a store in Manhattan . And I was like this is my chance . My quote-unquote vision could come true , my dreams could come true . And so I applied and I made it through three rounds of interviews and when I was in that final round , they were getting ready to fly me out there for the face-to-face interview and I got an email that said that they decided to pull the position that I was applying for and no longer fill that role and because I was so far along in the interview process , they'd already filled all the other management positions I would have been eligible for .

Sarah 10:02

And I remember sitting with such grief of this dream that I had thought like this is my last chance . I was 28 or 29 years old , this is my last opportunity to make it to New York and complete that vision . And I really had to grieve the fact that , like little me had created this and big girl me or female woman me no longer was going to be able to do this , but that's okay . There was going to be a new vision for this next decade , but at the time I didn't know that , so I really had to almost grieve the sadness of knowing that that dream wasn't going to come into reality .

Sarah 10:33

But it needed to , because , had I moved to New York in 2019 , I would have been there during the pandemic in New York City , when everybody was fleeing the city . I would have had no family , we would have sold our home , we wouldn't have had our two puppies that we have now . So much of my life would be very different . I don't know that I would have found my way to Northwestern or financial planning had I followed that dream that I had set out for myself . So in a way , I'm very grateful for that shut door .

Kristin 11:03

I appreciate you sharing that story , because one of the hesitations that can come up for so many of us when we vision is what if what I write doesn't come true ? And your story illustrates that that's absolutely a possibility and it can take you in different directions . I think about my first long-term vision that I wrote was through a women's leadership program , and my vision at the time was to be a managing partner , and I thought the only way I can impact women in financial services is if I'm in a managing partner role , and that has obviously changed . That is no longer the path I am marching , but what that vision allowed me to do was grow the courage to be able to have my own coaching practice today and then get to work with women like you and other women throughout the country , and I'm really starting to see it come to fruition in different ways . So I think that's helpful for our listeners to understand . Your vision can and it should evolve , yeah .

Sarah 12:02

I agree .

Kristin 12:03

So why do you believe having a vision is important for both your personal and professional success ?

Sarah 12:13

both your personal and professional success . Yeah , so when my husband and I got married in 2018 , we had decided in 2019 to build out a vision board for the next decade , and at the time it wasn't a vision statement , but really something visual . So , coming from a fashion role very creative I was like I wanna be able to see it . And when I was putting this together with John , everything that was on this list we thought was like oh man , in the next 10 years , like could this even happen ? I really deep down thought like probably almost none of this is going to happen , but let's just put it on the vision board anyway . So we had things like buying a home in our dream neighborhood . We had things like going back to our wedding venue and kind of revisiting the place we got married , which was in Toronto , canada , so not like a local spot . We could see all the time we had put . Getting a second doodle , we had traveling to 10 foreign faraway countries , going to Oktoberfest in Munich and putting a dream car on there . And at the time , in 2019 , when I was at Nordstrom , I truly now believe that none of that stuff was possible had I not left and made a career change , and the one thing that wasn't on the vision board was nothing about my professional self or development . So all of these things were personal .

Sarah 13:36

And when I made that career shift , very quickly things started to get checked off the vision board , starting with our second dog , cannoli . She's a Labradoodle , now two years old , but still a puppy , and the way that that had come to fruition was I was walking our older dog , Valentino , through the neighborhood and literally saw a sign on somebody's front porch that said Christmas Labradoodle Puppies , and I was like if this is not like a literal sign waving you right in the face . And so I had taken a picture of it , but I didn't say anything to John . And two days later I said , hey , I don't know if you saw , but they're posting about these Labradoodle puppies down the street . And he's like I saw the same sign . I was going to surprise you for Christmas . And so we both had this same idea of like . This was the moment that we were going to check that first thing off the vision board and just knowing like , okay , I accomplished one thing on there started to create a ripple effect of a bunch of different things that we thought we could set out to accomplish , and the next one that we did was we booked a trip to Oktoberfest and we just started figuring out like what else can we start to check off the list ?

Vision and Success in Business

Sarah 14:54

And most recently and now it's really come full picture is we did get the dream car . We had put a Tesla Model X on the vision board and at the time it was way more expensive than it is today . But I think you know this , I got in a car accident about three or four months ago and was T-boned and , through the miracle , I was not hurt physically at all . The car , however , was totally totaled and we just felt like maybe this is one of those moments that we were going to make the next , maybe biggest thing on the vision board come to be a reality . And , because the accident wasn't my fault , we were able to take the money and get the Tesla Model X and we're now leasing it through the business , which we made a decision to do , and using the insurance money to make the payments and using it as a tax write-off .

Sarah 15:42

But we , just as we , made that decision , we made the decision because it was on the vision board , and the one thing that was really unique is we test drove like 10 cars and we just kept going . We've got to do it . This is the chance to put it on the vision board and really , again , life throwing a major curve ball to make something come to . I've got a dream bigger . There's only a couple of things left on that vision board that we had set out to do in 10 years and we've done most of it in four , and so the next layer that I'm working on is building out a hundred things vision list and really trying to think bigger , because now I know , oh gosh , whatever I write down may actually come to fruition .

Kristin 16:25

So it's time to think big and just congratulations on achieving what you and John are putting out on that vision board . And do you have a plan to work on the 100 list with John , or is that an individual list ? Are you doing it together ?

Sarah 16:44

It's funny . There were a lot of things that were very similar in terms of overlap , and then there were things that he's like that's a you list , and then there were things he brought up I was like that's a you list . So I think we'll probably have a collaborative list we'll work on together , and then still maybe some personal things that like that's a Sarah thing and that's a John thing , that we'll have as a solo activity .

Kristin 17:04

Yeah , that's good . Have your individual goals to be striving after . So have you noticed a vision impacting your business and , if so , what happens in your business when you have a vision ?

Sarah 17:18

Yeah , the very first time I wrote a vision statement for my business was the first six months . So what I really appreciated about Northwestern and going to a company that had talked about writing out your vision they had us do that in our planning academy graduation and we had to at least just think about what would that next six months look like . And I put a big goal , which is to achieve a pace that are 40 , which was impacting 40 lives in the first six months in the business and I'm not sure the exact statistics something like only five or 10% of new advisors hit that accomplishment and I was like , if that's the first big milestone I am going to hit it . I also wanted to make sure I was fully investment registered and had all the qualifications that I needed in order to hit the big bonus that was attached to that goal .

Sarah 18:05

And so when I had written that down , one of the things they had us think about was what did we need to sacrifice in terms of time , or maybe relationships or distractions that could keep us away from accomplishing what that vision was ?

Sarah 18:20

And then beyond , I think , for all professional goals . So much of that is like why do we do it professionally ? Because it leads to something in our personal life . What would achieving Pace at R40 mean for me professionally and what would that mean personally ? So , thinking about what that accomplishment would feel like when I got there and I remember when we celebrated with cupcakes in the office , had John come and surprise me with balloons and we took pictures that it really felt like , oh my gosh , I set out to do something and it was not easy , but we got there and I don't know , without that vision statement really holding me accountable towards what I was working towards , I don't know if I would have hit it . It was really close to begin with and I think without that push I don't know that I would have accomplished that .

Sarah 19:05

And the reason I say that is because the second big milestone they have you focus on is Pacesetter 60 . And I did not write a vision statement . I did not write a design statement . Nothing was written down in terms of those goals and I fell pretty hard on my face towards that second benchmark and so , be it , vision or not , had a vision hit the goal , Didn't have a vision , didn't hit the goal . So that is what I'm really kind of breaking that down to . And if I can avoid not having a vision that would prevent me from having those goals , I'm now kind of breaking that down to . And if I can avoid not having a vision that would prevent me from having those goals , I'm now I don't know if it's superstitious , I've like got to have it written down .

Kristin 19:41

Got to do it . Yeah , it seems to work really really well for you , and so tell us more about what your process is like to actually write a vision .

Sarah 19:52

Yeah , well , I have you to thank for that .

Sarah 19:54

When we sat down and had one of our coaching conversations , we had said , hey , we've got to write out a vision for the next couple years .

Sarah 20:02

Let's think big . And you had suggested I go through your vision planning course , which was so helpful to create an outline first and being able to one carve out the time out of the business to think about what I wanted , to reflect back on the things I had accomplished and what I had yet to accomplish , really doing a SWOT analysis as part of that and understanding my strengths , my opportunities and what was going to maybe hold me back from hitting those goals and then getting really detailed about that vision . So one of the things that I have written down personally is that we envision being able to buy the perfect fixer-upper and I can see myself with John standing in this room that needs to be totally redone and picking out wallpaper for our future kid and just knowing what that room would look like in terms of colors and being as detailed as possible . And every time I read it it makes me tear up because I can really feel myself in that moment , at least from the personal side . And then it leads into the professional .

Kristin 21:09

Hey , goal Achievers , if you're ready to create a powerful vision for your business and life and you want to make 2025 your breakout year , then my goal setting success course is exactly what you need . In this course , you'll gain crystal clear clarity on your most meaningful goals Through guided reflection questions . You'll conquer self-doubt , break through roadblocks and gain the confidence to take action and pursue your goals with unwavering determination . The four modules are designed to give you a clear , actionable roadmap so you'll know exactly what steps to take to move forward with purpose and intention . Plus , with structured plans and tools from the workbook , you'll walk away with strategies to break your goals into manageable , achievable steps .

Kristin 21:56

It's time to stop thinking next year will be different and start making it happen . Don't wait . Click the link in the show notes and start taking real action . Today it sounds like for you . By going through the process in the goal-setting success course , you were really able to connect what it is that you truly want to what you are doing professionally , and that's motivating , because work is not always easy . Running your own business is not always easy , being a financial advisor is not always easy but that vision and thinking about your future baby's room can be really motivating and really driving .

Sarah 22:33

Yeah , and I think when I had met you I was 18 months in the business and really needed a turning point in terms of the trajectory of my career . I had sort of hit what felt like maybe the third lull in the business and with not a lot of hope in future forward . I couldn't see what the future looked like and I remember when we had met that was maybe my worst production month I had ever had .

Sarah 23:00

And it was like how can I be going backwards at this stage with more experience , more clients and understanding why ? Having goals , but then what that means for you down the road or when you accomplish that goal , really made every day-to-day mundane task feel meaningful , which I felt like I didn't have that previously . It's like I was being told to do it and I'm coachable , so I was going to do it . But then when I didn't get the result that I wanted , that didn't help my confidence and being able to shift that all around and really connect the goal to an outcome , both personally and professionally , helped big time .

Kristin 23:43

Absolutely , absolutely , and a big shift from being told what to do to understanding why you're doing it and wanting to do it can definitely help with motivation . So one of the ways your practice has changed is you've been invited into a leadership role , and how do you think having a vision has helped you ? Really , I'm going to say succeed , because you are getting some very fast results in a leadership role . How is vision supporting you in your leadership role ?

Sarah 24:13

Yeah , I think I almost didn't know that I had this leadership potential within myself in this field . I was a leader at Nordstrom . I've been a leader in many parts of my life , but stepping into a new industry , I was like , is that possible for me ? I don't know , and it got tapped on the shoulder to at least be open to exploring it . And then , very quickly , at least the office was able to paint what that vision could look like and , following in other people's footsteps , been doing it in my own way , and so when I think about writing out my vision for leadership , it's getting really clear on who do I want to

Empowering Female Leaders in Finance

Sarah 24:51

be leading ?

Sarah 24:51

I think that that's probably the part that energizes and motivates me the most , and it's not just leading anybody , but leading female advisors who want to make a difference in the world , helping people focus on building these big businesses that both impact themselves personally and professionally . And one of the things that I'm really passionate about is helping both myself and other women find purpose inside and outside of the home , and when we think outside of the home , I'm thinking how does that mean that they can have impact with their clients and with their colleagues in the office ? We've got this environment that feels really warm and inviting and that people have this path to success . And so for me , it's envisioning who I want and how many of them I want on my team , and who would I be coaching , mentoring and developing as a leader .

Kristin 25:47

Yes , and clarity is absolutely one of the characteristics of goal achievers , and I think it really is . The foundation for so many of our goals is when we are clear on what we want and why we want to achieve , and finding others that are also passionate about helping people with their purpose , both inside and outside the home , can be really meaningful and helpful to you . Yeah , well , what's a professional goal you are currently working towards achieving this year ?

Sarah 26:26

So I've got two big ones , I would say . The one I'm really chasing , that we're so close to being at the end of the year , is moving from my current leadership role , which is a field director , into a growth and development director . And why I'm so excited about hitting that is it's more responsibility in terms of impact , a larger team and really the ability to see growing myself into potentially a future managing partner or managing director and really leading an office , and so I see this as the next very needed stepping stone to accomplish that big goal . And so we're very close . I see the finish line . So that's something in terms of leadership .

Sarah 27:13

And then on the personal practice side , I am trying to hit and it's in the vision statement having this be the second consecutive 12 months of being the number one client writer in our firm . So if I did it once , I now know I can do it again Currently hovering in the second or third , every other day it rotates and number one is within striking distance . So I would like to be a high-achieving personal producer to lead by example for my team so that they know what's possible for themselves in the future .

Kristin 27:46

And focusing on clients connects back to impact , which was , I think , as you were mentioning , one of the why your impact lasts longer than shoes as a financial advisor , although a great pair of shoes can do a lot for your confidence .

Sarah 28:00

I do not disagree and I still . Now my professional motto has sort of shifted from fashion to finance to now financed unfashionably . So I still love a great pair of shoes and I still feel like I'm the go-to gal for fashion questions in the office , and I like wearing both hats in the office as well .

Kristin 28:19

Fabulous Well , sarah . Where can our listeners go to learn more about you and the impact you are making with the work that you are doing ?

Sarah 28:28

Yeah , I think the easiest place to find me is my Northwestern Mutual website , which is sarahdowningnmcom , and then personally , if you want to see what I'm up to travels , my dog , my life with my husband . My Instagram still has my fashion name , so it's style underscore servant and I don't know that I'll ever change that . It still feels very much my brand and I like to show people that I'm not a robotic financial advisor , that I'm a very dynamic human being that's focused on their relationship , both kind of inside and outside of work .

Building a 10-Year Vision

Kristin 29:00

Sarah , thank you so much for taking the time to share with us the impact of vision and how having a vision has made such a difference in both your personal life and your professional life .

Sarah 29:13

Well , thank you for giving me the opportunity to reflect back . It's really only continued to inspire me to think bigger and start my 10-year vision . So I'm ready to hop off this and get started on my 10-year vision .

Kristin 29:26

I cannot wait to hear the 10-year vision so then we can start to build the plans to achieve that vision and start to create the goals that are gonna stack to help you get to that vision . It's gonna be really exciting and with that , goal achievers keep celebrating your weekly wins , noting your lessons learned and identify your priorities for next week so you can consistently pursue progress in the direction of your goals . Hey goal achiever , congrats on investing time in your growth . Pursue progress in the direction of your goals and check out the resources page . Here you will find my popular breakout plan , which has helped hundreds plan , prioritize and progress towards their goals . Vision prompts to help you draft your vision and a mid-year goal check-in to help you reconnect and reignite your passion for your goals . Together , let's close the gap between the goals you set and the goals you achieve .