76 | Finding Your Voice In Your Career And Tying That To Your Personal Values With Habibah Saafir

This week I spoke with Habibah about finding her voice in her career and aligning it with her personal values. When she started college, Habibah had no idea what career path she wanted to pursue.  After taking some general courses, she chose nursing since she loves to care for others but, like many of us, as she learned more about that field realized it wasn’t right for her.  Having a love for mathematics and after talking with friends and family members, she found engineering.  She jumped in feet first, graduated and began a career in construction management.  During this time, she overcame obstacles and broke down barriers to achieve her version of success.  She became passionate about sharing her journey with others so she recently took another step in her career and became a coach and wrote a book to help others!

In this episode, you will specifically learn how to...

• Trust yourself - saying yes to challenges that may be out of your comfort zone and finding opportunities you may not have tried otherwise
• Have candid conversations  - being open and willing to communicate with your manager about what you believe in, your values, your experiences and who you are as a whole human
• Be quiet and sit with yourself - finding an outlet to define, reflect and understand what your values are, what is important to you and what impact do you want to make, this could be meditating, journaling or just sitting alone outside, craving out time for just YOU

More about Habibah…

Habibah is the founder and CEO of RYT Health and Life Coaching.  She is a career success coach and also holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.  After working in construction management for over 6 years, she decided to transition into coaching professional women in order to help them achieve their definition of success in their career and life.  Habibah is a full-time entrepreneur, an author, a wife and mother of three beautiful children.  When she’s not switching between the many hats she wears, Habibah spends her time connecting with and providing academic mentorship to the youth in underserved communities in northern New Jersey.

How to connect with Habibah…

Linkedin
Instagram
Facebook Group (Women Only)

I’m Karen Weeks, the CEO & Chief Shine Officer (aka transformation coach) at KDW Coaching, the host of the Shine at Work podcast, award winning culture leader (currently leading the People team at Ordergroove), a speaker and published author. My purpose is to help career-oriented humans get unstuck so t

Welcome to the Shine at Work Podcast! On this show, your co-hosts Karen and Dan will shine a light on your job search so you can land a role that lets you flex your strengths and progress your career in an environment you actually look forward to working in each day. From creating a stand-out resume, to confidently negotiating your salary, to finding your footing as a new manager, you can expect to hear actionable advice to help you shine your brightest in your role.

Karen D. Weeks is the CEO and Chief Career Coach of Shine at Work Coaching. She has over twenty years of HR experience, including as CPO at Ordergroove.

Dan Carr is a Shine at Work Career Coach with over a decade of recruiting experience helping high-growth startups expand with top talent.

Connect with Us!

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• Karen Weeks on LinkedIn
• Dan Carr on LinkedIn

Transcript

Karen Weeks: 0:02

Hello my friends welcome to the shine at work podcast. I'm your host Karen weeks. As a transformation career coach and culture and people leader. My goal is to help career oriented humans get unstuck, so that they can shine brighter in business and in life. I believe that you deserve a career that lights you up. Because spoiler alert, it also impacts how bright you shine in your life. This season. Each week, we will focus on a key skill that you need to shine at work, and inspirational stories on ways to navigate your career. Because I know what it feels like when your light is dim. I made a career change from theater to HR, and now expanded to coaching. And at times in my life, I had to take a look deep inside to see what was most important, what made me shine bright, and make adjustments along the way. It's possible. I did it, my guest did it, and I help others do it every day. I hope you walk away from each episode not just inspired, but with some actionable advice. And I hope that you find it so valuable that you subscribe to the podcast, leave a review and tell your friends because we all deserve to shine bright in our lives, specifically at work. Okay, let's jump in into this week's episode. Hi, everyone, I am so excited to have you join us today on our episode. Thank you for coming back or thank you for finding us for the first time. I'm so excited to have my new friend Habiba. On the show today, we are going to talk about all things both in her own career journey, but also some amazing advice and how she's captured her story to help others both build confidence, figure out how to tie your personal values to what's important to you in your work, and really define what success looks like for you. So I'm so excited. So welcome to the show. Thank you for doing this episode. I would love first to give you a chance just to say hi to everybody. And then we'll dive deep into your life. Yes, hi, everyone.

Unknown: 1:56

Thanks so much for having me, Karen, I really appreciate you sharing your platform with me just so I can be able to share my story. And I'm excited to be in front of all of your audience. And yeah, I'm just really happy to be

Karen Weeks: 2:06

amazing. Thank you. And yeah, thank you so much for taking the time, we're also going to celebrate a book that you wrote that you wrote, that's going to be coming out soon. So all of the things over the over the next half hour or so so, so let's kind of first rewind and talk a little bit about your career journey. And then we'll kind of talk about how you've now spun that into a coaching practice and things that you do to help others so So let's kind of go back to the quote unquote, beginning. What did you think you wanted to be in your career? Where do you think you were going to take your career?

Unknown: 2:37

Oh, that's an excellent question, Karen. You know, when you think about what I, what I was going to do in my career, actually be completely honest, I had no clue what I wanted to do when I first started out. And I find that to be very common theme amongst a lot of us, you know, we first started in college. So again, when I first began my college journey, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And I just started out saying, Okay, I'm just gonna get my foot in the door, and I'll figure it out. So I kind of bounced around a little bit in the beginning, I was saying, Okay, let me just take some general courses. And then I got the bright idea to go into nursing because I was like, Oh, that's a great career to go down. Because you know, there's always going to be, unfortunately, six people. And you know, I love caring for people in general. So I said, let me just want to do that. So I started out there. And I got into my first class of anatomy and physiology. And I hated it. English isn't enough. I don't need to learn a whole new language and all this burn bridges. It was just overwhelming in too much. And I didn't enjoy it. I must have gotten like A's and B's and everything. And I got like, I barely got to be in that class, because I just had to work way too hard. And that was number one. Number two, I'm a germaphobe. So I had to rethink that too. I said, Well, if I'm a germaphobe, I don't know if I want to be in the hospital all the time. So I said, Okay, now I have to make that idea. That was like the very start. Yeah,

Karen Weeks: 4:12

it's so interesting, because you'll often I'll tell folks to as you who are thinking about making a career change or considering a new kind of job is talk to the people that actually do the work because the initial thought of I want to care for folks like that's beautiful. And of course, that's something that's important. When you actually think about the day to day stuff that you do. It involves things that you aren't thinking about, because you're sort of seeing it from a bigger perspective, and especially at 1819 20. When we're trying to figure this out. We have such a little life experience at that point. Actually getting into the details of what it means to be a nurse or what it takes to get there is very different. That's sort of how we picture it from the outsider perspective.

Unknown: 4:52

Exactly, exactly. And I wish I would have done that before I chose to at least, you know, go down that path but Again, thankfully, I was smart enough to not keep going because I had decided earlier on that it wasn't for me. So what happened was long story short, you know, I was married at the time and ended up getting pregnant. Surprise, surprise. And I said, oh my god talk about just going into fear. I was like, oh my god, what am I gonna do? I'm not gonna be your mom. And all these crazy bonds got into my head. It was pretty, it was ridiculous. So yeah, I want to say I was excited. But I was I was really terrified.

Karen Weeks: 5:27

I mean, that's kind of life changing moment.

Unknown: 5:30

Yeah, exactly. And I was in school. So I said, Okay, have you been, you have no more time to waste here? And let's figure this out. And I just thought really quickly, I said, Alright, I don't know what I want to do. But let me just go through a process of elimination. You know, what is it that I don't like to do? Let me just list those things. Okay. What is it that I'm good at? Let me list those things. I didn't mind the science. I didn't mind the math courses. I said, Okay. You know, what, honestly, so much writing. Now, it's funny, because I'm actually writing a book. A few years later, right, but time I said, Okay, you know, I missed the science and math, why not pursue something in that, and I literally didn't know. So I was actually in science and mathematics. And I did that, as you know, in my associates. So once I completed that, I said, Okay, let me go into engineering. So I talked to a friend of mine and a cousin of mine, they're both engineers. And then they, you know, just pretty much explained to me just like you were saying, ask questions, and just try to see the people who are already in the field, what are they experiencing? And, you know, what is the day to day look like for them? So they answer those questions for me. I said, Okay, you know what, I'll just go ahead and jump in. And that's what I did. And I just stuck to it. So again, I actually went to NJIT by the web and mentioned that I'm in New Jersey. Really close by right? Yeah, exactly. New Jersey, the house. Yeah, so I graduated from NJIT. And immediately after I graduated, I got into construction management, again, wasn't expecting that. But I got into construction management, I was one of two African American females on a mega project, I worked on a $2 billion commercial construction project, probably heard of it the American dream project. Yeah, it was an awesome experience. But again, I was definitely a minority, triple A minority, like I like to call myself because I'm also, you know, Muslim, as you can see. And during that time, I like had to overcome a lot of obstacles, I broke down barriers and whatnot, just so that I could achieve my definition of success in my career. And that's the reason why I'm so passionate about what I do as a coach my transition over to that, and also why I wrote the book so that I can share those things.

Karen Weeks: 7:48

Well, and I think that's so important, because the opportunity to have those moments may be purposeful and may not be, you know, I've talked to a couple of different people on the podcast who, you know, just either took a random job, because it's the only job they could get or just sort of fell into something because it was presented to them. And they said, Sure, why not. And as they went through the job, it wasn't just about the job. They also recognized there was opportunities to help people be better teams be better companies be better think about things differently. And it was an added piece of the role that they never would have expected or honestly wasn't even on paper, and really brought them more purpose than anything the actual job was going to offer them. And I think it's an encouraging piece of saying yes to things that maybe you weren't anticipating or weren't expecting, because you never know where it's going to take you.

Unknown: 8:37

Absolutely, absolutely. Like I said, when I say everything was just, I don't want to say closed eyes, but I jumped in not knowing what I was getting myself into. And it was a huge learning curve. And, you know, talk about being out of your comfort zone. But it was an awesome experience. It really was, I have to say, you know, and a lot of times we get into this, you know, this mindset of fear and doubt, and we just worry ourselves to death and not trusting in ourselves and having that confidence and building in that confidence and courage. And you know, that's what I found to be my biggest motivating factor.

Karen Weeks: 9:16

All right, my friends, we're getting towards the mid part of the year. How are you doing against your career goals? Are you feeling a little stuck? Were you hoping to make more progress than you have? Have you talked to your manager about hoping to get a promotion or make an internal move or take on new projects, and you haven't seen that quite come to fruition yet. Or maybe you're approaching the middle of the year and you're going oh my god, I still have no idea what I want to do or I don't know what I want my goals to be over the next couple of years, or for the rest of this year even? Well, let me tell you how I can help you. We talk a lot about career changers on this podcast. And that's true. A lot of folks that I work with are trying to make some sort of career change, but it also worked out lot with people who are just trying to identify their career goals, and figure out where they want to go in their career. And it's very possible that there are lots of opportunities at your current role. Or maybe you just found that new opportunity, and you're trying to set yourself up for success in your new company. Either way, I can help you identify what your goals need to be, how to talk to your manager about them, and then really identify a path forward to really help you achieve all those things that you're looking to achieve in your career. So if you're trying to figure out how to be successful this year, or in the future years, and you need a little help, let's connect, I can help you figure out a path forward and really make sure that you are shining at work for the rest of this year. And in future years. I would love to hear your perspective on so some, we've had some conversations on the podcast around when you find opportunities, and you realize there are gaps in diversity and a sense of belonging and the things that are tied to that. But a company is trying to be better. How to think about do I want to be the person to help them be better? Or would I rather go to an organization that sort of already better for lack of a better phrase, as you found yourself in those moments? How did you help navigate them to help people or managers experience what it was like to work with you or your background? Or what you brought to the table that maybe they didn't have their eyes open to yet?

Unknown: 11:31

Well, I would say for sure. It's all it all boils down to communication and openness, right? Because, you know, we all go into the workforce, and we present our specific version of ourselves, right? We all want to have this professionalism and all that. But, you know, again, we're more than just professionals. We're also humans. Yes. Right. Yes. And there's so many different parts of it to be other than just being a professional. Yeah, so going in and having those candid conversations and just kind of speaking on things that generally maybe they won't hear, like, in my case, again, because I was African American, because I was Muslim, a lot of them were, you know, from, you know, I don't want to say from which area that private. But I will say that, you know, they weren't exposed to a lot of people who look like me. So it was, for me, it was a thing of educating them. And I was happy to do it. I wasn't shy about it at all. I'm like, if you want to know why, let's let's talk about, if you want to know why I pray five times a day, why I have to take those extra breaks. Let's talk about it. I am so open. I'm an open book, you know, and I feel like that's the thing that makes the world you know, go round for lack of a better term, you know, and just being open and just accepting people down to their core. And just being curious about others. Why do you do things this way? You know, why do you do things that way? Well, what, what is, you know, important to you? What do you value and just becoming really curious about people in general. So that opens up conversations.

Karen Weeks: 12:58

Well, and I think that is so key. And we're going to sort of shift a little bit here into the values and finding now what you're doing as a coach and but I think communication is going to be the through line through all of this is, you know, thinking through what's important to you, what do you value? How do you want that in your career, having those conversations, either with yourself or with the partners in your life to make sure you're building the life that you want and how your career fits into that. And then being open to having conversations with others about what's important to you, whether that is more personal, whether that is in your career, whether that's what you're looking for out of a company. So how did you make the decision to take all your experiences and move into coaching?

Unknown: 13:43

Um, great question. Yes, awesome questions, by the way. So I made the decision because I felt like I had such a unique opportunity. And I felt like it was the most selfless thing that I could do as a human being is to share my journey, my my success, my challenges and setbacks, you know, all of that, and how I overcame it. It was my duty to share that with others, especially women, because a lot of there's a lot of things that we struggle with as women, you know what I mean? And a lot of times we do struggle with, you know, feeling like we're enough feeling like, you know, we have all that we need so that we can step to the next level of our career or in our life in general. You know, we question a lot, we want everything to be perfect. You know, before we take a step forward, and I trust me, I am a recovering perfectionist, so I do this all day. And it's crazy. I used to like, like, find pride in it. Like I'm a perfectionist, and then I realized that's not something I would really be proud of. Because if you think about it, like when you're a perfectionist and kind of it kind of hinders you from doing a lot of things because you're just trying to, you know, do it and keep doing it and et cetera, et cetera, instead of just moving forward and you know, X Everything that you you know, you make make mistakes, but you're going to just keep going. So,

Karen Weeks: 15:05

as a recovering perfectionist myself, I can completely understand that I remember it was probably about 15 years ago, I was going through a really tough time in my life. And it was because I was taking everything on myself, I was carrying the burden, because I, that's my role in life is to take care of everything, and to be the responsible one and the one who knows what's going on and making the best decisions. And I, you can't like you cannot do it all eight. And you can't do it all. And you absolutely cannot do even half of it. Perfect. And so I think for me, that was a moment where what I used to be rewarded for, praised for recognized for actually now is hurting me and holding me back. And that was a real moment where I had to go, oh, I actually can't and shouldn't do this all on my own because myself and other things will break and things are breaking right now. So I actually think it's more of a powerful move and more of a positive and healthy move to say I actually can't do it all. And that's okay, this is what I can do. This is where I need your help. This is actually not important. I'm just gonna let that go all together. But that's tough, I think for everybody, but especially for us perfectionist.

Unknown: 16:21

For sure, though, because I'm nodding my head so much, because I'm like, Oh, my God, I came to that same realization as you did, you know, and it's, and that's exactly what I want to talk about is how you can achieve so much more success in your career once you let that go. Yes, you know, once you just accept that, okay, I don't know what all and it's okay. I'm gonna just keep moving. I'm going to keep growing and learning. And that's the thing that a lot of us forget. Yeah, so definitely I resonate with all your sending. Well, and

Karen Weeks: 16:51

I think you bring up a really great point, too, because I would love to hear you talk about how you help people even define what success is. Because I think it's different for everybody. And it should be but I, we are often conditioned to see it as something. And we all are aiming for the same thing. And I don't think that's the case. So how do you help people identify what success even looks like for them?

Unknown: 17:15

Um, so for me, I look at it as you have to take a moment to reflect inwardly and knowing what your values are. Because for me, that's where it starts. Yeah. Once you understand what your values are, once you understand your why in life, then you know how to move forward. Yes. But if you haven't defined that, if you haven't taken the time out to sit with yourself, and ask yourself those questions and just reflect, then again, you're going to be dealing with a lot of others do Oh, I see. So and so, you know, they want to become a millionaire. Well, I'm going to become a millionaire. They don't even know why they're becoming a millionaire. I just see someone so doing it, they've got the cars, we've got everything. Well, that looks pretty nice. But why? Why do you want it? So ask yourself that question to find yourself. And it starts with asking those basic questions. What do I value? What's important to me? And what impact do I want to make in life, and then at that point, you can, you know, develop a plan for getting there, and that is your roadway to success.

Karen Weeks: 18:11

I love that. You are actually the second guest to suggest that people sit with things for a while and really take the time to reflect some people that's more natural, they sit in journal, they do all the things that you know, you read about they meditate, they do all the things that like you're supposed to do, quote unquote, how does someone do that for the first time or someone who is uncomfortable with the concept of like sitting with something? Do you have any suggestions for someone who's never done that before?

Unknown: 18:40

Oh, that's a good question. So if you've never ever done it before, I think the first step is just to make that appointment with yourself. You have to like I don't know, anyway, and and and you just, you just have to take the time out. And just be alone. Yeah, okay. Cut out all the chatter internally, but it first starts external. So that means turn off your cell phone, that means you know, turn off the TV, any distractions that may be around you. And I think the perfect time to do this is in the morning, when you had your head is much more clear. And before you know, you know your life happens, so to speak. So that will be my suggestion. If you want to start start to sell for the first time is that early in the morning when you're alone? And you know, you don't have those pressures on you. So maybe like on a weekend day. Perfect.

Karen Weeks: 19:31

I love that. Yeah, for me, it is a Sunday mornings. And either I sit on this little backlit balcony we have at our apartment in Brooklyn or I'll go to a cafe, something that is sort of like more away from things and in some weeks it's just sitting and reading the paper or reading a book other weeks it is writing down some thoughts. Other times it's just sitting and playing with the animals. But it's sort of whatever carve out time that I need that week and I and to your point, it took me a while to get there. I I created Have a to do list for my reflection time, which took me a while to break that habit. But that's just like it, you sort of have to get there piece by piece. But I loved your suggestion of just starting with something, and then you can build from that.

Unknown: 20:15

And so I'm sorry, I have one question for you. Oh, please. Yeah. So can you just explain that a little bit when you said you have a to do list for that activity? I'm just a little curious. That was interesting.

Karen Weeks: 20:27

Yeah, that's my like, type a overachiever personality that I still have working through. So when I first started carving out time for me, I said, because I want to do these things during that time. And it wasn't wrong. Like that was where I had to start. But I literally couldn't open my mind, give me that give me the space for quiet without listing things I needed to do during that quiet time. So okay, it was, I am going to meditate. I'm going to journal I'm going to think about these things. I like I literally almost created an agenda for my quiet time, which was a start, right? Like, at least it gave me purpose for the quiet time. And it wasn't until I did it a few times, where I realized, Oh, the agenda for the quiet time is just to have quiet time. And whatever comes to me during that time, fine. Like sometimes there is like you talked about the internal voices, like there's a lot of internal noise in my head. So sometimes, my quiet time is to get it all out of my head. And so it is more journaling, because I just got to get it out. Other times, it's more a reflection of how my week went. And I'm just going to sit there and feel the breeze on my face. And just enjoy some, you know, the quiet around me. But I was literally going into that with an agenda for what that time was going to be like I do every meeting, like I do everything in my life. And it took me a while to let that go and just sit in be with that time that I've carved out.

Unknown: 22:00

Thank you so much for sharing that. Yeah. And because now that you broke it down that way, I was like, huh, I kind of that sort of speak, it's like, maybe not necessarily the agenda piece. But definitely, definitely I say, Okay, let me do this. You know what I mean? So, and it's not something that I think of like ahead of time, but I do know, like when I'm in that space, and I asked myself a question, what do I need right now? Yes. And then I can figure out if it's journaling, or if it's, you know, something else? So yeah, for sure. We're on the same wavelength. Yeah.

Karen Weeks: 22:35

And I think that's where I had to get to is I had to be able to ask that question in the moment, versus saying, This is what I'm going to do in that time, which, again, nothing wrong. It was to organize and to plan and it wasn't actually creating the space that I needed. I was almost using it as time to get stuff done that I wanted to get done versus the point of sitting with something. He's just sort of like, sitting with it and letting it come more organically and more naturally. In that moment. I think that's usually how it's supposed to go.

Unknown: 23:08

Well, you know, what, the way I see it, Karen, I mean, like you said, there's no right or wrong, I feel that because I will still celebrate you. And just the fact that you even did that. Because a lot of people don't. Yes, you know what I mean? And that's where the anxiety and the stress. And all that builds up? Yeah. She said, I'm going to take time to do this for me, I'm going to take time out for self care. And that's what that is that that personal time. Yeah. So however way everybody you get to that you got to it. So my version, your version we did, you know, in our own way, and that's perfectly fine.

Karen Weeks: 23:42

So well. And I think too, you know, especially tying back to, you know, thinking about your why, I think that also helps create that habit of doing it. And we have another episode about creating habits that are healthy for you. And I think especially when you're going through something bigger, like a job change or trying to navigate your career, going back to the why. So creating space on Sunday mornings, for me is not another to do that I have to do another appointment that I have to do. It is about finding that space so that I can reflect on I tend to be so like gogogo that I don't have time for gratitude or reflection or celebration, or quiet and so for me the why of that moment is to do those things. And so I started with just 10 minutes, I took my coffee and my breakfast out to the patio that was a start and didn't have my phone with me then I was able to carve a little more time then I was able to carve a little more time and going back to the why and building the moments versus I'm going to out of nowhere take an hour on Sunday to do something. That wasn't how I was gonna get there. I had to like build to that.

Unknown: 24:53

I'm getting chills right now. Sounds just like me.

Karen Weeks: 25:01

So as people have started to sit with all of this as they start to come up with ideas, let's focus on values. For example, I now better understand what my personal values are, how do I know think about that in my career or my life? How do I actually like bring that to life? Once I've identified what

Unknown: 25:18

they are? Okay, great question. So if we're focusing on values, per se, I would say, again, it goes back to communication, because you've defined it for yourself, that doesn't mean everyone else knows what you value, right? So I'll give you a quick example. One of my values for me is health, health and nutrition, I'm really passionate about that. So it's a thing of when I'm at work, or, you know, when I was at my job, they would have different career building events, you know, we're all we're gonna order lunch for everybody, you know, and they would say, oh, let's get pizza, or let's get something like that. And I wouldn't be the one to raise my hand and say, Hey, guys, could we get a salad? Or if you're gonna get pepperoni? Could we get just a vegetarian one because I don't eat pork, things like that. So it's a matter of okay, I know that I value my health, and I know my why I value it. So now it's a matter of me just, you know, communicating that with others. So that way, I don't compromise that.

Karen Weeks: 26:11

Yeah. Oh, that's great. And one, I think, I talked about this with goal setting as well is that if it's in your head, it's only step one, the best way to actually achieve your goals or to your point focus on your values is by sharing them with others, both because they come to life that way, but also, then you have a partner. So you know, whether it's a marriage, or work or whatever, if the other person doesn't know what's important to you, how can they help you support? Either what you're doing or what you want to do?

Unknown: 26:42

Exactly, exactly.

Karen Weeks: 26:44

That's great. So how, what led to actually writing the book, so you have amazing ideas, you're helping clients with this, you're thinking about it. Now you're writing a book, like, how did you get to that point?

Unknown: 26:57

Great question. Again, all great questions. So the reason why I felt the need and the strong desire to write the book, is because I recognize that there's a lack of representation for women in STEM fields, especially minority women of color. And the thing is, like, there's so many reasons why we shy away from those particular fields. And those of us who do decide to go into the fields, where, you know, be it engineering or medicine or it things like that, I feel like when we get into that we we tend to like feel isolated in a sense. Because you know, we don't have the mentorship or the female advocates around us or enough of them, so that we can, you know, become more successful, or at least expedite that. So, again, I wrote the story, to share my personal journey as a minority woman of color, who did definitely want to have a lot of success in career, and also education and also financial, I had goals in mind, I wanted to get there. And there were certain things that I had to overcome certain challenges and obstacles that I had to face. And once I got on the other side of that, those are the things that I really want to share with others. So motivate and inspire them.

Karen Weeks: 28:14

I love that we're in it so resonates with me, because I really believe that one of the reasons why we believe we can do things is because we see others doing it as well. And while we all have our own personal journeys, or our own personal experiences, it was honestly the reason why I started this podcast, especially during the pandemic was people were saying, either I've been impacted in my lost my job, or this pandemic is making me rethink things. I want to make a career change. But nobody does that. I don't know anyone who does that. And I would think I did it. I know lots of people have done it, you've done it, for example. So really giving a voice to people who have made career changes, who have you taken those steps to do try something new, or find their voice in a different way. And then share them with the world so that, you know, if I read your book, and I think, Oh, I was feeling this way. But if she did it, well, maybe I can do it too. That's a whole level of inspiration. And then I know you're very focused on like action oriented pieces as well. So and here's how we're the ways I did it. And here's some ways you can do it to like, that's such a great tool to share with people and so generous of you to share your story.

Unknown: 29:22

Thank you. Thanks so much. Yeah, I mean, you know, like I was saying, there's, there's so much to us, people in general and so many things that we have to overcome. So I feel like the more that we do share the more of a human side that we bring to life and bring to others, and then they can see okay, just like you said, if someone's so dated, definitely I can do it. You know, and I just wanna give an example just Yeah. For me, one of my biggest struggles when I was an engineer, my biggest thing was memory. Not only was my full time in my career, but I was also a wife and a mother of two children. And you know, They were young, it was a lot on my plate, you know, and it was like everyday goes, Don't go, like you said, and at that time, it wasn't so much about self care was about what the someone saw me. So it really weighed on me after a while. And because I had this issue with my memory, it was something that really held me back in my career in the beginning. And, you know, it showed up for me where I was like, I would be a little nervous about presenting in meetings, because I was like, what if I forget, and I look, you know, crazy and things like that, and, and I was looking at other people, like, you know, the guys, they would come out and be more confident. And, you know, they would be asked questions, and then they would like, have the answer, you know, and they just speak off the fly. And I'm like, wow, you know, like, how could I do all that? And, you know, like, this memory thing, right? Like, it really was something that I struggled with. So then I just said to myself, you know, what have you been, you have to get past this, like, this is a belief that you have that, oh, you have that bad memory. And because of that, you know, it's going to be hard for you to, you know, take on challenges and whatnot. So I said, I have this opportunity and this mega project, I have to do more than just, you know, do what I'm doing right now I need to, I need to think bigger. What do I want to be? What is the goal for the next year, the next five years, I want to get into management? How am I going to do that, you know, I can't stay where I'm at, I have to take a risk and just move forward. So it's a matter of me trusting myself and saying, okay, you know what, I don't have all the answers, but I'm going to figure it out. I'm going to take that next leap of faith in myself, and just ask for a bigger position. And let me tell you something, Sharon, that was the game changer. For me. That was how I got from being a perfectionist to accepting myself and my imperfections. And how I was able to get to the other side. That was the key right there. Just taking that risk taking a leap of faith and saying, you know, what, put me in a bigger role. You know what I mean? Because I want to, first of all, I felt like I wanted to make more money, I wanted to, you know, I wanted to get a promotion and all that stuff. So I felt that that was the best way I could do that is to increase my value. Yeah. Yeah. So I, thankfully I did ask, because within a few months, there was somebody who was leaving the position of mechanical, you know, mechanical division, and I got my opportunity to do that. And I got in that hot seat. And I said, Okay, this is a lot of work. I mean, it was like triple the load that I carried before. And I remember going back to that poor memory thing, right. But because I was in that hot seat, and because I was so intentional about just delivering at a high level, I don't even think about the poor memory anymore. Well, I just thought about what is it that I need to do so that I can get from here to there. Okay, and then from there to there. All right. And then what's the system that I have to create for myself, Okay, let me get a whiteboard, let me go ahead. And, you know, have these notes, let me come in early, until I can figure out, let me just take one or two pieces of information every day, that's new for me, and let me just review it, you know, like certain equipments and you know, their their functions, I didn't know any of it, I really did. And it was like a fish in water, like, you know, our new fish and water. So it was all of that just allowing myself to just be put in an uncomfortable situation like that. It really, really helped me to grow exponentially. And that's when I got the recognition because I was working so hard to, again, operate at a higher level. And then I got the recognition, I got the raise, I got the promotion, and all those things that I really wanted. And I was just like, so I was just so overjoyed. And again, this is exactly the story that I share in my book exactly how I did it, and all the rituals and whatnot that

Karen Weeks: 33:29

helped me. I mean, I think that is so amazing. So if you're listening, or watching this podcast, rewind, and keep listening to that, like seven times, because there were so many good things in that story that you just told it when you shared how you had some self doubt, and some, you know, negative thoughts or some assumptions about yourself, and how you put those to rest. How you found the confidence to raise your hand and say, hey, if I've got these goals, I'm going to speak up and say, This is what I want to do. So that when that opportunity was there, you already were in people's minds, and you're already sort of at the front of the line. So you've got that opportunity. And then you said, Okay, this is a lot, but that's okay, because I wanted this. And this is how I'm going to work through it. I'm going to work on this plan. I'm going to do this. I'm going to practice this. And you found great success there. So, so many great pieces of advice, and just that one story. So when the yearbook is out, we will celebrate it because it's going to provide so much support for folks.

Unknown: 34:32

Yes, I am so excited about it. You have no idea, Karen. Want to share this with everybody?

Karen Weeks: 34:39

Oh my gosh. Well, what I think is so amazing is that you're so open with your career. You're open with your own journey, your learnings, like you said, you also have great suggestions for people along the way. So you've shared so much in our time together. But if there's one thing that you want people to really leave with, or one thing they can do differently tomorrow. bro, what's the one thing you would pick to sort of leave everybody with today?

Unknown: 35:05

Hmm, the first thing that comes to mind is just to remind yourself that you are capable of way more than you think. And just trust yourself and take a leap of faith and just go for it, whatever that thing is, just go for it. I love that so

Karen Weeks: 35:22

much. And I think when we challenge ourselves, we learn the most about ourselves. Either we find things that we may or may not like to do like being a nurse is not actually what we want to do. Or we can find how much opportunity and value and covenants we actually do have. And we push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and learn something new. I think some of the biggest moments in my own career have been when I said yes to something that I wasn't sure I wanted to or had to or was ready to say yes to. And it totally took me to a whole new place. So. So thank you so so much for sharing your story sharing your insights. Your book is coming out soon. So we will make sure that we include the link to it and celebrate it when it's live for everyone to buy. What's the name of the book, by the way,

Unknown: 36:10

engineering excellence.

Karen Weeks: 36:12

I love it. All right, we will make sure that all the links are there and ways to get in touch with you are available as well. Thank you again for sharing your stories and sharing the advice for everyone who's listening today.

Unknown: 36:25

Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

Karen Weeks: 36:32

Thank you so much for listening to the shine at work podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe and leave a review. Leaving a review takes just a few minutes and truly helps other people find the podcast. If you want to learn more about how I work with people to help transform their careers, and shine brightly in their lives. Let's connect. I work with amazing humans one on one to help them make a career change, go for that promotion, set career goals and build a plan for success for a new job. I also lead group programs for new managers that are navigating this huge change in their careers and entrepreneurs who are building their teams for the first time. If any of that sounds like it could be helpful for you. You can email me directly at Karen at Karen de weeks.com. or message me through Instagram LinkedIn or my website. I just want to give a final shout out as always to astronaut go home for our music and novice studios for making the podcast come to life. Until next time, remember that you can and deserve to shine at work