Raise The Anchor
Raise the Anchor- is a transformative podcast hosted by Melissa Burbridge, where ordinary people share extraordinary stories of life-changing moments.
From overcoming health challenges like a life-saving liver transplant to bold decisions like a career pivot or adopting a life-altering diet, each episode dives into the pivotal moments that reshaped lives for the better. Through Melissa's thoughtful interviews and powerful narratives, "Raise the Anchor" inspires listeners to let go of what holds them back and set sail toward a brighter future.
Join Melissa each week for stories that will spark inspiration, ignite courage, and remind you that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.
Raise The Anchor
Inside The Evolution Blueprint with Sharl Cline
Tune in to hear how Sharl went from hating her career to loving it.
In this episode, we deep dive into how Sharl moved from the west to the east coast and how she struggled to find a job, then landed one she hated.
She tells us how hard it was to build her clientele for a commission-based job, moving to a new area just before the world shut down because of covid.
Then we discussed the group program that helped her open up and go after a career she loves. What was the program? It's The Evolution Blueprint.
Now she's thriving and living a life fulfilled.
To follow Sharls journey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharl-cline-sales-expert/
For more on the group program: https://melissa-35d5.mykajabi.com/the-evolution-blueprint-sales-page-1-5d3deb0b-61af-4440-93b5-148ab9ee58c9
Welcome to Season 3 of Raise the Anchor with your host, Melissa Burbridge. This season, we are going to inspire, ignite, and create space for you to go after the change you want with invigorating interviews and some deep diving into my personal story. We hope you enjoy... Hey, welcome to another episode of Raise the Anchor. I have the luxury of interviewing Miss Cheryl Klein. She was one of my students in the, I guess, the boot camp or the original Evolution Blueprint before we tweaked it and have modified it to what it is today. So she was one of my guinea pigs, I should say. But she was so amazing and I'm so happy to have her on here today. One of the things you might not know about her is she came to Nova Scotia from Vancouver. And while she was here, she had a hard time finding a job, which is kind of like the housing market in Nova Scotia right now. It's hard unless you really know somebody on the inside to either get a good job or to get a good house. So that part didn't surprise me. But we met at a B&I chapter and it was amazing. We instantly hit it off. And she agreed to come into my group program because I could see some of the markers in her that I had in my previous job. So I was happy to get that connection. So I'll stop talking and I'll let Cheryl introduce herself a little bit better.
SPEAKER_01:Hello, Melissa. Thank you for having me. Yes, I'm Cheryl. So it was, you know, four or five years ago, my husband and I were having a chat. We were living in Vancouver. We were close to downtown, living the city life, both working full time and good paying jobs. You know, our careers were kind of at the level that they were to be at at that point in time. But what we realized was that we weren't really living anymore, that we were really working. And, uh, and that was, you know, I had a very, I had a grand social life. I, you know, I was going to the theater, you know, sporting events, all that fun stuff and taking advantage of that. But I felt burnt out, um, even with that. So I actually found myself almost not looking forward to my social events with my friends, um, because I was traveling and working so much and I was just, and I didn't even identify that I was burnt out and I have a bit of an introvert side of myself. So I wasn't having the rest in between any of my work or my social stuff. So anyway, that is long story that kind of covers that conversation that my husband and I were having on what are we going to do? Like, why are we doing all this? And you know, like, what's the point? And he had been trying to convince me to move out of the city for a couple of years. And I was very resistant. And he kept coming up with Nova Scotia. And I was like, you realize that's the other side of the country. Like, why there? Anyways, he gave me many, many good reasons. And so we did come out and we had a visit to Nova Scotia to see if we could live here. And we knew that the province was beautiful. And once we were here and we started meeting people, we were like, absolutely, we have to do this. So we literally packed up our lives and moved to Nova Scotia. He completely quit his job and I moved into contract work. So to bridge that gap with us moving over here. So we did, we showed up in 2000. He came out the fall of 2018. I came out May of 2019. and then started the journey of, you know, establishing ourselves and, you know, you always think you have tons of time. So it was like, Oh, just take a few months and see where I want to be. And then I'll really get busy at doing things. And you know how that new year is always a great time to reset your plans and do all that kind of stuff. So I was all set to start all my networking and really get, you know, my connections based here. And then we know that the world fell apart and COVID happened. And in fact, the first networking event I signed up for was canceled. So, uh, Yeah, I kind of started with now what? Yeah. How do I do this? Because now everything is just on paper. And we know when you're looking for a good fit for a job, it's really hard to get that information to your potential employer on a piece of paper. So that's where I was. And that was about when just shortly after that, then when, you know, I was joining BNI, I did end up finding a job. I did. Thank you. It was very good. It was a great company, but it just wasn't a fit for me. Yeah. No. Right. And, and you don't realize how impactful a bad fit in your professional life affects your, personal life. And like, I knew I wasn't myself, but I didn't realize how it was infiltrating the rest of my life. So and that was about the time that you and I met. And that's where you were seeing those, you know, markers, right? Yeah, yeah,
SPEAKER_00:absolutely. Because I remember having coffee with you. as our one-on-one and you just lit up and you were like so happy and lit up at the interaction of the networking. And then I would see you at the BNI meetings and it was almost like, I really don't want to be here. You liked BNI. I can tell you liked BNI, but I could tell you weren't happy in the capacity that you were at that network meeting. The other thing I want to, I'm going to play a little devil's advocate and then we can go back to your story because I want to unpack how having a bad job affected you. But before that, you had a job in Vancouver that you weren't happy in and your social life was being affected. Do you think had you found a job there that you would have been satisfied or do you think the move here is probably the best fit for what you needed?
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely, the move was necessary. Yeah, I had a job. It wasn't that I didn't like, I actually liked my job. I was just getting burnt out from it, right? A lot of travel. It was a lot of responsibility. And I was a bit stuck there just based on like what was happening just on the leadership team at that time. And so I didn't see any changes happening. the positive changes that were going to be necessary for the company wasn't happening. So that kind of brought a little bit of, you know, not unhappiness, but maybe not me being fulfilled like I was prior. And just with the travel, then coming back and trying to put my social life in, that's where it was really starting to, to impact my personal life. And I literally like, I really looked forward to the, change of pace in nova scotia and i don't mean that nova scotia isn't uh you know you know high energy or you know in that way it's a great city but we personally made changes we weren't going to live close to the city we were going to live a quieter lifestyle i didn't need the theater you know, I didn't need three season tickets to three different theaters anymore, right? I have Neptune and I can catch a good production once in a while and I'll be happy with that. So that we've really made a huge change that way where we want to, and again, we were in Vancouver, we were living in a condo and we wanted space because that's what we were missing. So, and I don't know if anybody realizes it here, but when I'm able to look out my window and see the sky it is amazing right and you don't get
SPEAKER_00:that when you live in the city so no you don't and you definitely live in the country and you live in beautiful piece of the country uh so close to the ocean so jealous you live closer to the ocean than i do but that is like a huge lifestyle change going from the city to the country so In the country, you have to deal with the different elements, the different animals, the different bugs, the different... You guys are on city water, right? Or are you on septic?
SPEAKER_01:We're well on septic.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so you have to adjust to that piece too, because now you have to be in charge of that. Whereas at the condo, you probably paid condo fees and all of that was taken care of. Absolutely, everything, even the
SPEAKER_01:gardening.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And so I'm going to take us back to you moved here probably at the best time to buy a house.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:But a weird time to find a job and your job was commission based, is it not? Yeah, it was. So you had to have a network and you moved to a new province where you have no network at all. And now the world has shut down. yeah how did that affect you both mentally and physically in trying to create a new because you were technically an entrepreneur but you weren't an entrepreneur it was one of those funny like you needed your own business but at the same time you had to follow strict rules so there was mandates that you had to follow
SPEAKER_01:yeah you know if you
SPEAKER_00:were
SPEAKER_01:What you put in, you got out. So because of that commission base, but it gave you the stability of, you know, some benefits and all that kind of stuff. And they have programs and, you know, they're very well established. And, you know, I think that they are a great corporation. But for me with the COVID, like when I took it, I saw myself as I'm more of a one-on-one person. And so had I been able to devise my plan normally, if normal is a good word to use, I think it's a terrible word, but I would have done more events to meet people and extend my network. I would have done more networking events locally to meet the right fit and the right people, where what it turned into is, you know, that term in sales is called diving for dollars. And that's, and that's a really tough thing to be selling something over the phone when people can't see you or know how authentic you are, or that you're actually genuinely interested in them. So, you know, I kind of felt like, and this is nothing there.
UNKNOWN:I,
SPEAKER_01:It felt like I had went back to the beginning of my career instead of where I should be in my career and doing the things that I know are successful for me. That was one of the key things that was in your program for me is that when we try to do something outside of what is natural to us, It doesn't work. It doesn't matter how hard you try, right? And I've known that most of my life is, you know, I've been in sales and I'm not a hard sell at all. It's always been about relationships. It's been about the long-term goals and it's about me connecting with those people. And what I was finding in that particular job is I wasn't able to do that. And it just wasn't working. It was literally, it was causing me such unhappiness that on sunday nights i was not looking forward to monday mornings and that nobody loves monday mornings you know but this was a different monday morning for me this was a real dread you know and it was sucking some of my soul away and you know people that were knew me knew that that was happening right but what do you do you just have to continue so and that's where your program came perfectly time for me is that what it did was centered me into focusing on myself. And then the opportunities came.
SPEAKER_00:Which was beautiful. It was so beautiful to watch that piece through the program. It's watching the, I don't really want to come here today. You wanted the program, but you're like, this is going to be work. And then by the second day, we're doing the human design. You're like, okay, I'm coming back. What are we doing? What are we doing? How are we doing it? It was just that complete process. mindset shift that happened and then you started going on interviews and it was just so nice to hear and see and we all had our fingers crossed for you that you would get that you were also starting your own coaching business at the same time and as we've figured out from the program that that's not wise for you right now just stay in doing what you're doing and immersing yourself into your new background as a Nova Scotian so you have to discover Nova Scotia Because it is a lot different than Vancouver. It is a lot different than the West Coast. We are a slower pace. That is something my husband has always said. He's like, I don't get it. You guys are in a rush in your car, but when you're walking, you're slower than molasses. He's like, I don't get it. I don't get it. You're fast behind the wheel, but you're slow to just relax and go about your day. And I said, yeah, because we're in a rush to go nowhere. But when we're there, we want to take it in and enjoy the scenery.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it is. And it's a very well-connected province as well. And that's where your networking and making those connections is really important. But the joy of it is that people are a little bit more authentic here. You know, in Vancouver, it's kind of a saying that we will all say, yeah, yeah, we've got to get together for coffee, but that is never going to happen, right? Where here, when you say, let's get together for coffee, you're setting a date, right? And you're actually going to do it. So there is a difference to that, right? And I think it's just because the city is so, you know, everybody has their own little group of people. So when there's somebody new, you've got to really make an, you know, you have to be somewhat wow to get into that group kind of idea. Here, once you make the connections, the doors start to open. People want to introduce you to other people. Yeah. And they want to help you and make those connections. So much, much different, you know? So I'm super glad that I did take the steps that I did do during that time. And then I met people like you.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. And we're happy to have you. And yeah, us Nova Scotians are known for our kitchen parties and every networking meeting we are trying to angle to get into a kitchen party. That's what I always tell my husband because he is the opposite of me. I am the, the outgoing, you know, like socialite and he is the homebody. I said in Nova Scotia, you kind of have to be the outgoing person in order to like really immerse yourself into the province. Cause if not, you're not going to meet anybody because you've got to meet, you got to get out. You got to meet those people because we don't live, I can't touch my neighbor's house.
UNKNOWN:So.
SPEAKER_00:That's exactly
SPEAKER_01:it, right? And, you know, and especially with everything being shut down, there wasn't the natural opportunities to meet people. You know, but this province really, embraced the online connections and made sure that those connections continued and it was amazing to watch and you know yes we've all had you know camera facing fatigue but at the same time we won't stop it because we know it's still just too important right it
SPEAKER_00:is It is very important. We do have a friend here entertaining us. She heard a familiar voice. She had to come over. So what would you say was your key takeaway from the group program, just for anybody looking to get into finding a job that satisfies them?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. You know, there's the, the program is so much more than just one thing. For me, first, it was the connection with the other members going through the same journey as I was going through, but in their different ways. It's amazing on how you can see a reflection of yourself in others when they're presenting and they feel like they have something that is almost impossible to overcome. And they're kind of, you know, at wit's end on how to go about that. And you sit there and you're like, no, you're amazing. You just have to do this. Right. And then, but you know, like we all have that little bit of imposter syndrome, right. So, you know, to be part of that and realize, wait a minute, we're all doing this for the same reasons and, and are not the same reasons. We all had our, of course our own individual goals and you know most but what really was when we came together we shared and that sharing part made it clear for each of us to be able to do what we needed to do you know sometimes you just need that reassurance that it's like you know trust your gut trust yourself you know you are the expert in that area you just need to you know get your program together and we needed you to be like Here's the plan. This is what you need to work on this week. And like that to me, having the outline really helped me because I can make my greatest outlines, but I'm never realistic. So that realistic guideline was there, the connections. And then just that personal, you know, touch on, wait a minute, this is what we see in you, right? And it's like, oh, hey, thanks for that feedback because I can't see that. So that was amazing as well as really that human design component to me, I've taken away, you know, because, you know, and as you know, Melissa, like I thought it was a little bit woo-woo at first.
SPEAKER_00:I know, I think two out of the three of you guys are like, That's a little woo. Like, I don't know. I think I'd rather the personality test.
SPEAKER_01:Right. You know, but like there's there was just parts that really nailed it for me. And I've taken those away. And when I practice those things go much better for me. So, you know, like there's just so much that was taken away from that program. You know, I'm so grateful that I have that opportunity.
SPEAKER_00:And I'm so grateful that you entrusted in me the time. to actually be able to do that. And I loved all three of you girls. There was actually four, but only three at one time. The fourth one we had to do private sessions with. But all of you guys allowed yourselves to be vulnerable, which is a very hard thing when you're just meeting. You guys literally had to let your guards down immediately in order to work through a lot of these things. And you guys were open to that. which was really beautiful to see. I know there was a couple of calls. We had tears. Surprise, surprise. But that's what happens when you're working through all of these mindset, the imposter syndrome, all of these issues. We have to unpack them in order to move forward. Yes, I could find a job tomorrow that is satisfying, but I'm still going to have those problems. I'm still, those problems are going to come up again, unless I work past them. So I was so happy you girls were able to do that. So now that you have this amazing job and you just like glow all the time, what has changed now that you've found this, this job that wasn't there in your old job?
SPEAKER_01:I'm appreciative of it. I'm appreciative of it every day. When I do have my moments, you know, imposter syndrome or whatever you want to call it, and my doubts, what I know is that I'm better at everything that I do than I give myself credit for. And I have to remind myself of that and just to persevere and to continue. And when I do that, I get amazing results. I am a natural procrastinator. But The reason, you know, because I actually work better under that pressure when I have those deadlines. So understanding that, what I'm trying to do is take advantage of that, right? And make my, it's not last minute. It's just, I'm not a big planner. Like, you know, a really good friend of mine is, you know, and she's amazing at it. I'm a planner, but then I give myself like, okay, I'm going to do this on Tuesday, but I know I'm not going to do it till Thursday, but I have to tell myself Tuesday so that Thursday I'm ready. Yeah. Right. You're working within your design. Exactly. So, yeah, so that's, so those are the things that I've taken away from it as well as the, you know, I, like I mentioned before, I can't push, I can't do things like I cannot do things the other way. how other people do it that are successful they're really successful at it i try to emulate it and it never works so be true to myself be true to my nature and don't sweat that small stuff if you like i understand my relationships take long like they're long term we're not going to be best friends after one call right so and you know, just that patience with it and just knowing that naturally it will happen and that I don't need, you know, a million dollar sale tomorrow in order to prove it. So,
SPEAKER_00:yeah. And you are traveling again. How does that feel that you're getting back into that role of traveling for work?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's interesting. Actually, this week I was supposed to be traveling and we decided not to do the trip and that would have been in Vegas. So when I started traveling, it was still pretty strict with masks and then vaccinations, etc. You know, so it took me out of my comfort zone. I think being here in Nova Scotia, we were really protected. You know, like, you know, the province did an amazing job of, you know, just doing what needed to be done to get through this and so I was a bit nervous but then I realized once I got going that we've just made the adjustments and we can do it safely and thankfully the company I've joined is extremely protective of their employees and so they really had strict guidelines when you're in the office and stuff so you know I felt like they had my back through it And I did end up going to Vegas once for a trade show. And at the time it was masks. So this week there's no masks. So I think that would have been a little weird for me. So I'm kind of grateful that I'm at home this week, but yeah, I mean, it's, thankfully it's not going to be overly demanding trips. So, and that'll make a big difference for me. Right.
SPEAKER_00:No, that's good. That's good. So what motivates you now? As opposed to before, because I know before it was just to get through the day. So we remember that. So now that we don't have to just make it through the day, what motivates you?
SPEAKER_01:I want to enjoy the journey as I work towards retirement. Right. But I don't want to work towards retirement because I hate working. I want to work towards retirement because I'm just ready. And my goal now is that when I do retire, that I leave knowing I'm going to miss work.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. I absolutely love that. And that, again, is a mindset shift that a lot of people need because right now a lot of people work for retirement. They don't work and live now. They work for retirement to live in retirement. And as people have shown, like, as soon as you're out into retirement, often that's when some of your health concerns can happen. That's my biggest worry with my husband because in his profession, a lot of people I see get sick immediately after. So one of my big philosophies is to live now, not later. So when I catch myself back into my routine of working 80, 90 hours a week, which I'm way down from that, I'm like, okay, I'm not living anymore. I'm just working. And that is not living. And it shows. And your prime example that it shows when you shift, you don't need that second job that you were creating. And you can start to enjoy your your day to day and get out for coffees with
SPEAKER_01:me. Yeah, that and you know, that's always I keep my, you know, consulting in the back of my head where, you know, as I do, we can call it retirement, we can call it slowing down even more, whatever you want to call it. And then I can do the consulting and I can be more choosy about the contracts that I take on or the projects that I take on so that it gives me joy. still right that as i'm doing it so yeah it's yeah i'm really i'm liking the space i'm in i know we talked about you said hey what are you gonna do with the consultant business and you know we said no like this isn't the time right now i need to enjoy right where i'm at and not not taking care of the future but just just be here right now
SPEAKER_00:just be here right now it's been a rough two years like yeah Let's just embrace the right now and enjoy the wonderful moments, the less scary moments. Although we are in a province that is now mask-free, I'm not going to get into the controversy of whether people should be wearing masks because it's each their own. But I'm just saying the world is shifting back into living with COVID. So things are going to shift. Things are going to open up more. So I think we're getting into that endemic phase. piece, but we just still have to give ourselves grace as we move past the past two years that were not expected. I think everybody started 2020 with this is going to be the year kind of like 2000. I remember 2000 and graduating and thinking, okay, this is like in my open, this is the world, this is what's going to happen. And Y2K just kind of mess that. Well, COVID is what messed 2020. So when we get to 2040, I'm not saying this is the decade that's going to be great for me. I'm just going to cautiously go into 2040. Yeah. I
SPEAKER_01:think, you know, if anything COVID taught us is, you know, plan for the best, you know, like, you know, prepare ourselves for the best and then always have... Life is always going to give us our curves and we need to be able to bend with it. And, you know, COVID was a huge, it was a big example of that, maybe too big of an example of that, but it really does. It should give us a lot more resiliency moving forward with, you know, what life is going to hand out to us and we can make our, we can pivot, make our adjustments and keep going and realize that we're going to be okay.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, absolutely. So before I get to the last couple of questions, what advice would you give somebody who's stuck in the same spot you were in a job that was unsatisfying and kind of slowly crushing their soul, as you said?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I would say. First, start reaching out to your current network. Be prepared for bad advice. Because, you know, everybody will say, oh, no, but everybody hates their job. But like when it's really affecting yourself and I knew it was going to if it was going to continue, it probably affect my health. So, you know, reach out if you're if you're not hearing what you want to hear. It's not because you're wrong. It's because you haven't found the right person. avenue to explore what you need to do so keep looking and don't be afraid to reach out to these brilliant programs because they really are devised for you personally and not it's not about your family it's not about your kids it's not about your um boss it's not about any of that it's about you yeah finding your own happiness in your journey or at least giving you a blueprint of being able to move towards that so you know keep looking like if you know what you're feeling like so keep looking
SPEAKER_00:absolutely i love that advice I love the fact that you're saying to go outside of your own comfort zone, because we do, we rely on the people that we live with who are closest to us. And often they're the ones that don't want that change piece for us. They're scared of that change piece, which is why reaching outside of your comfort zone, whether it is to a program or it is to somebody who's doing something that looks interesting to you, like reach out, do your research and figure out what works best for you. So where can our listeners learn more about you or follow? or connect with you?
SPEAKER_01:So, yeah, I'm terrible at social media. So I am on Facebook, but I am on LinkedIn as well. I am on Instagram. I don't post a lot, you know, like even somebody needed some pictures of me the other day and I was like, okay, so I went into my phone and like, I don't take selfies. I don't take a lot of pictures of myself. So, but yeah, LinkedIn really is probably professionally, you know, please, if you have questions, just, you know, PM me and, you know, I'm happy to answer any questions because the journey is, it's not easy, but the beautiful part is it's not impossible.
SPEAKER_00:No, it's not impossible. So lastly, my favorite question to ask everybody is who inspires you? So
SPEAKER_01:who inspires me does change depending on the situation. But if it came down to careers, I have a really good friend and, you know, she has three degrees and she can do anything she wants in life. And what she is always true to is herself. She dictates the amount of hours she works. She makes sure that the contracts and the companies that she aligns with aligns with her authenticity. And she doesn't sway. Nothing can sway. Money isn't the motivator. And she has her goals and she's a great planner. But what I love is that Yes, she has three degrees. She can literally do whatever she wanted to, and she can have very high positions and she chooses her path and she's very happy with that.
SPEAKER_02:I love that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So, you know, I think of her when I'm struggling or I have my, I want more and I need to make more money. And I think, wait a minute, do I need this? Or, you know, how important is this to me?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, I love that. And I love that it's not about the money piece. It's about the happiness piece, because that is what I really want to instill in a lot of people is money. You can figure out a way to make more money. You can't figure out a way to make more happiness. You have to go after happiness. So I live for happiness. I know you live for happiness. So it's been an absolute pleasure having you on
SPEAKER_01:the show today. Well, thanks for having me. And again, thank you so much for that opportunity with the program it made. It was life-changing for me.
SPEAKER_00:It was such a pleasure. It was life-changing for me to really watch all of you open up. It was, I'm going to try not to cry. So thank
SPEAKER_02:you. All right.
SPEAKER_00:you for listening to raise the anchor brought to you by alizé creative solutions we hope you found that story very inspiring we look forward to bringing you more this week subscribe to the podcast stay in the loop don't forget to leave a five-star review to spread the love even further we hope you have a smooth day
