Building Authority Without Burnout: The Clarity Triad Framework with Dr. Christiane Schroeter

Stop trying to squeeze more hours out of the day... learn how to build authority without the burnout.

This episode explains how accomplished experts use the Clarity Triad framework to build a legacy without sacrificing their sanity. Allison Lane talks with CalPoly professor Dr. Christiane Schroeter who shares how using "petite practices" can transform a career into a global brand. You will learn when to use small, strategic steps instead of waiting for the "perfect" time to take a massive leap. 

If you are ready to stop being the "best kept secret" and start building a visible platform that fits your real life, this episode provides the exact strategy to get moving today.

What you’ll learn:

• Why tiny steps beat big leaps when you want lasting change
• How to reduce decision fatigue when you already have a demanding career
• How to find your next “visibility move” by looking 5 years back

Timestamps:

• 01:00 Why big leaps make experts freeze
• 06:00 The Clarity Triad framework
• 13:00 Choose how you respond instead of reacting
• 15:00 Choose what you release and build real boundaries
• 18:00 What to let go of (yes, including perfection)
• 22:00 Legacy, focus, and the real source of overwhelm
• 23:00 Building a portfolio life beyond one job title
• 28:00 How to find your first step fast

Resources:

• Allison's free guide "7 Steps to Claim Your Authority": https://lanelit.com/authority
• Dr. Christiane’s website + Discover Your Superpower Quiz: https://doctorchristiane.com/ 
• The Petite Practice Journal (LinkedIn newsletter): https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-petite-practice-journal-7389417258831421440/ 
• Book: Petite Practice Collection by Dr. Christiane Schroeter

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Transcript

0:13

Welcome back to the Author's Edge. I'm Allison, your literary and visibility Sherpa, and I am here for you because I know you're ready to go bigger. Today, we're talking about something that every expert secretly wants. It's uncommon to know how to build. That success that can sustain itself. Not success that comes in a big fat spike. That means that you can't do anything else but success that you can weave into your life. Because you know you're meant to do more and you are already at the top of your field. And you're looking at okay, what else is there? But you're at the tip of the top. What do you do now? Do you climb back and climb another mountain? No. Because you don't have to start at the bottom anymore. That kind of challenge doesn't require grinding yourself down or starting from scratch again, or even pretending that you don't have to sleep anymore so that you can do this other thing as well. That's why today, my guest is Dr. Christiane Schroeter, bestselling author, TEDx speaker. Award-winning professor at Cal Poly and the creator of this framework where she teaches professionals how to take small steps to create big lasting change. This is something we talk about all the time, Dr. Christiane, that you do have to take itty bitty baby steps instead of these wide humongous leaps because that's when people fall down. Because they feel like they have this one chance to make this enormous leap. When you hear about these folks who are either taking too big of leaps and faltering, or getting intimidated by the big leap that they want to take. What goes through your mind that you want to take them in your arms and help them see that this is actually possible? Talk me through that.

 Christiane 2:33

First of all, I'm really excited to be here today definitely sharing some amazing insights. So, this is going to be an amazing episode you want to hear all the way through because we're all in that seat of overwhelm of noise. And today, we're really going to strip some of these things away and give you some applied tools so that you can walk away and feeling alright. Maybe I can take that small step today instead of waiting for tomorrow or the new year to begin. Frequently what I see is people have big goals, but to be honest with you, Allison, it starts with not even sharing the big goals. It starts with like having the big goals in your amazing big head and not even sharing that with the world. And I'm always saying, what is it something that you want to leave on your tombstone? Now, your audience, you're like, what? What is she talking about? In reality, you really have to think about that. What's the legacy you want to leave? If somebody were to engrave your tombstone right now, don't just put your name and your dates on there. What is that? What you want people to say about you when you're not in the room or not in the room anymore? That is how you should lead your life. In fact, I sometimes even think the average age of in American, let's say it's maybe 75 years old. My tombstone example right now maybe even ties in with the fact that you could create a timer on your phone. It would count back from 75 to your age today. So, I'm adding a little urgency to taking that small step today. And now, I gave you already a lot of things to think about, but this is definitely going to be something that I want to put in the forefront of your mind. Don't wait for the last minute until you retire, until the kids out of the house, until blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Take that small step today.

Allison 4:25

Oh my gosh, you are like my sister from another mister. There is no way that you just said that. Because that is what I say too, that do not wait until people don't need you so much. Or everyone is all taken care of because they are never all taken care of. Especially, when they have you there to always wipe their noses and get them, seconds before you sit down for your meal. There's always a reason why not. Especially, when you don't say out loud what you want. I've heard many times from people like, oh, I think I just need to think about it more. No, you don't. You don't need to think about it because you don't even set up time to think about it. It'd be different if you said, okay, I'm going to go and I'm going to meditate on this, and at the end of the meditation I'm going to write down what my plans are. But nobody does that. It's like a nagging finger poke in the back of their noggin going, oh I'm bigger than this. I'm better than this. I know I should be doing more. But now I have to pick up the dry cleaning. I think what we're talking about is moving from wishes and dreams to clarity. And the wishes and dreams are the things that you don't say out loud. But when you tell someone, it becomes real. And if you tell someone who's supportive or who can support you with strategy and structure, then it becomes real and you get a plan. what we really want is to be fulfilled and fulfill our purpose without sacrificing happiness, or sleep, or health, but when you reach a certain age or level in your career, you realize you have space for more. And'cause you have, you are the badass that you always wanted to be. And you're like, now, I know how to do my job in my sleep. I can do more, but I don't want to step away from what I'm doing. Look at you. Not only are you teaching, and speaking, and writing, but you have this amazing podcast that is in the top 1% of all podcasts globally. So, when someone's overwhelmed with all the choices and they're over planning or they're spitting their wheels, what's the first tiny move you'd have them make to restart so that they can actually move?

 Christiane 6:56

Yeah, I actually use a three step plan. The Clarity Triad is something that my book that's called Step Into Your Voice also talks a lot about. And Clarity Triad really starts from the fact that we have a lot of things on our what to do list on our minds, but we frequently work thinking that we cannot multitask. So, I would like to encourage you to just focus on one thing at a time, and work on one thing at a time. Because the most effective leaders, they don't just work harder, they just organize their attention so that they clearly think and act with intention working on one thing a time. That's really something that I see across the board whether teach a workshop. I lead a seminar. I'm in the classroom. I work with leaders one-on-one, that people have the ability to focus on one thing at a time. And in my three step system, what I'm going to tell you, also disregard some things that are maybe just not important. So, let's get started with step one. First, you have to be completely clear on what you create. I call it clarity across the board in your creation. So, it always becomes with your intention. What is it really that you want to create? And you could start every day with that. What do I want to create today? And sometimes we feel frustrated because we look back at the end of the day and we think we didn't create anything. We're in reality, we're just hard on ourselves. You actually did so much. We just think that what we created didn't matter, but who says that it didn't matter, right? Everything matters. You just have to give it a meaning. And then all of a sudden it just matter a lot. Everything that you do matters to the world because you're unique and you're amazing, right? Don't be so hard on yourself. Before you respond, always think a little bit, decide on what you want to move forward first. Like what is the next step I really want to take? What is the next creation I want to do? And that is really something that should also shape a conversation. Think a little bit about how can I move the needle in the world? And I actually call it my little corner of the world. How can you make your little corner of the world just a little better with what you create? That's step one, right?

Allison 9:19

Okay. So, get clarity. Figure out how you can move the needle in your one little corner. Once you figure that out, a lot of people falter because they say, okay, now I know where I want to go, but then they fall down because it's the specifics of the implementation. All the mini micro decisions that plague us Especially with very accomplished people, they're accustomed having a robust strategy that they thought about. Then it's time to put it into action. And every decision is agonizing. When you've built your career being a leader, you're accustomed to things being smooth. So, if every decision is agonizing, it means that they go back into the hole to replan. And that is really the kiss of death for momentum is when you go backward. So, you've built a career about helping people and getting them to trust their own gut feeling their own voice. What do you think actually gets in the way of that trust?

 Christiane 10:29

So, let's just talk about day to day noise. It starts with having your cell phone on and maybe even notifications coming in. Looking at your computer and seeing the notifications in your little browser bar. Maybe even coming in from the top. Your phone is maybe ringing, your children are calling, you hear some noises outside. The doorbell is ringing, blah, blah, blah. So, think about all this. We're human. How in the world can you focus on one thing at a time? It's like you are sitting and you're just like, oh, just let me do something. This is not good for anybody's brain, right? It feels like it's raining on your brain and you don't have an umbrella.

Allison 11:14

it does. It feels like you are in a hailstorm and you're just like ducking and weaving, but you're getting pelted.

 Christiane 11:22

It hurts. It does. And at the same time, you're feeling getting really wet and you're getting really drowned and all these demands. And you're feeling uncomfortable and cold and like all what you want is just to crawl into a little corner by yourself, leave me alone. So, what can we do? First things first. My phone, your audience, you're going to love this. 24/7. My phone is under not disturb mode. I'm not even like going off it. It's always in do not disturb mode. Because I think if somebody really needs to get ahold of me, then eventually I will figure it out. So, maybe they call me once. I will see that, that I missed a call. There's nothing in this world hardly anything, that is really demanding my action and reaction in this very moment. So, I choose how I respond and when I respond. So, first step was clarity in what I create. Second step clarity in how I respond. Frequently, my best responses come when I actually have some time to think about it. Yeah. And how can I think about it when I have all these other things that I demanding my action. So, what I do is I focus on one action at a time this morning, I wrote my LinkedIn article for my newsletter that's called Petite Practice Journal. And I shared with my audience and I put a lot of work and attention to it. But how can I write a good LinkedIn article if there were to be all these other raindrops and hail drops coming to me? So I switch off my phone. I close the door. My family knows I'm writing this and I'm feeling that good leaders do just that. They don't just react, they choose how they respond. And you can take all the time in the world to choose how they respond. Sometimes even in a workshop, in a classroom, I say, let me think about this and let me get back to you. You don't need to always have an answer to everything. You could just say, I don't want to actually know this right now. Let me actually think about this. Why not tell that person that you are going to give a better response in thinking about it and choosing how you respond instead of just reacting. That's really the gist of it. Like frequently we feel overwhelmed because we feel like we're standing in front of a ball machine and all these balls are flying at us. And we're standing there with our racket and I'm not a very good tennis ball, baseball player. And I'm doing a horrible job and responding to all these demands. So, what do I do is I just slow down the ball machine. That's step two. Choose how to respond.

Allison 13:55

Choose how to respond. It sounds so simple, but the inquiries keep coming. The hail keeps coming even when you're like, no, I'm going into my cone of silence. But your phone is still accepting notifications. I find just knowing that they're popping up, I have to put my phone away. When I'm in the flow, just if my phone buzzes, it takes me out. And I can achieve so much more in 25 minutes if nothing else is happening. But if I get a text from my sister Hey, you want to meet up in New York and see a play? but now I have to remember to respond to her. How do you make sure that you actually spend the time to actually go back and do the things that came in an unorganized way?

 Christiane 14:48

Beautiful. Yeah. So step one, choose what you want to create. Step two, choose how you respond. Step three is the most important one. Choose what you release. And that means you got to let go of some things. You have to create some boundaries. And the boundaries means that you have to say no to things that don't serve you at this very moment. Doesn't mean it will never serve you, but you just have to be honest. You just say, I wish I could help. I wish I could go, I wish I could do this or that. But you know what? If I were to do this, it takes away the focus of writing my book, spending time with my family, taking time for myself for a workout, or maybe going for a walk or whatever. Because think about, we talked about the hailstorm. You had to put up an umbrella, and the umbrella is your little boundary right there. The boundary is so important because otherwise you're just starting to soak it all up and it's an uncomfortable feeling of overwhelmed. So you need to let go of some things. And it's really important, especially if I'm an author, I'm a professor, I'm a mom, but I also want to be a leader that shows up with full intention. So, how can I do this if I always feel like it pulled into a million different directions? I just notice some things. And those might be things that I just say, let me think about this in 2026, or I connect with me again right now, it's just not the right term for this, and to be honest with you.

Allison 16:21

Speaking to me at a time when I am planning my 2026, which I have been planning since October. But recently I had a planning session with my accountability partner and we focused on me for a day. And then tomorrow we're going to focus on her'cause this is what we do. And it gives you such confidence when you have a plan'cause then you know when your pockets of opportunity are. When someone comes in and says, Hey, would you like to collaborate on this? February is actually good. And that way you're not just reacting and saying, sure, I would love to. But the sure is yes, I would love to. And then you're thinking, but I don't know when or when can I squeeze them in. But when you have a plan, you know when that opportunity is. And with confidence, you can say yes, or with confidence, you had a plan and you know that the collaborations you're going to have for that year have to meet a certain criteria. Maybe you want to reach a certain reader or audience, and they reach a different reader or audience, and you can still support them, but maybe a collaboration isn't what's needed. Maybe it's an email swap, which is a type of collaboration. And having a plan also means that your response is measured and deliberate and doesn't come across, no, I don't want to just'cause I don't like you. Which is never the case. It's just sometimes you say yes too quickly because we want to be accommodating. But boy, when you have a plan, you can say, my plan gives me opportunity to do something in April. And that's okay. So, I'm interested step three. So step one is clarity of what you're doing. Step two is clarity of when to respond. Step three, what to release? So, let's think about the actions we can release. I have teenagers, I think you said you have teenagers, right? I have released doing their laundry. Not only that, but I have released. The fact that if they don't do their laundry, they will be wearing dirty clothes. And I don't give a poo. I am fine with that. They are 14 and 17, and if that is their world, they know where the laundry room is. What are the other things that you often see that people hold onto that they can actually release?

 Christiane 18:54

Yeah. So, it's sometimes that you feel you have to fix everything. And frequently as mothers, we feel like we just need to fix it. This is bugging me, I need to fix it. Yeah. And it started already for me when I was working full-time as a professor. And I actually started working at Cal Poly being pregnant. Oh my gosh. And then, having a child breastfeeding and all that kind of stuff. But walking into the kitchen and seeing like all the stuff from like the breastfeeding, the feeding, the dirty laundry and mis mentioned laundry. And I was like, have to fix this to clean up. And then I was like. Hold on. Why actually care how my kitchen looks like. I had to release that. It had to look perfect. We're not living like in an Instagram wheel right here. When my children were small and there were sometimes clothing and the stains didn't come out, I either way put them in a pile while like playing and wear them at childcare because everything at some messed up anyway. And they grew out of it. and there were so many decisions that I made as a mom that looking back now. I know why I made those decisions. Being on a tenure track at the university, publishing, teaching the best in the classroom, really feeling like I'm doing my very best on all levels. So, what you need to release is that there is moments and things you just can't do. Like we never took the holiday card pictures with a matching outfits because I didn't even have time to plan a matching outfit. And then, at the end of the day, I was like, do people really care what we wear in this holiday picture? This is where I want you comfortable in, right? So, I just released this feeling of showing up perfectly. The feeling that imperfect is maybe just my way of being perfect. And sometimes when I walked into the classroom, and I knew that maybe my slides and my worksheets were like a work in progress. I just told the students. I'm like, alright, so this is where we are today. I'm going to have a discussion about this. That's just what happens. And I think it's always more honest when a student tells me what's going on in their life. Instead of just like throwing instead like something to the other with chatGPT because to me it's like we're all human. Life happens. It's all right.

Allison 21:11

And they can be a part of something when they see you not all polished and perfect.

 Christiane 21:16

Yeah.

Allison 21:17

Is that what drains people more than anything is just that trying to be polished and perfect even when they feel like they're not? What is it that is draining people so much?

 Christiane 21:32

I think it's the fact that we feel unclear about where our focus should really go. And it ties in value in that step three. You have to release some things. And you have to be okay in being the human that you are. Showing your amazing value to the world and not spreading yourself too thin. And that's just really bringing it back down to thinking about the legacy you want to leave in the world. If you feel that if you were to leave the room, people are not entirely clear of what they would say about you. You need to work a little harder in making that stamp a little bit more significant. And I think that's really what matters. That you just focus on three things, what you create, how you respond, what you let go. And just keep going through it like that laundry machine that we are maybe not running for the teenagers anymore. You keep going through it and really that clarity focus should help you and will they get rid of some of that overwhelm because you really don't need to do it all. You don't need to do it all right now. Maybe in the future sometime, but right now this is just not your focus.

Allison 22:47

Your own story is so empowering and we just met, but I just find your portfolio life to be what many people want they used to be. But you didn't do that overnight. You didn't start your podcast Happy, healthy Hustle and have your kids, and write the book on the same day. Can you talk about why you decided to add on to your professorial life because at one point, that was your whole life, right? Was being a professor. So what drove you to say, and I'm going to add this next thing.

 Christiane 23:31

Oh, this is a beautiful question. I think it happened when I realized that what I teach in the classroom, it changed my corner of the world. And the students took it away with them when they graduated. But I thought, I could also maybe changed another corner of the world in creating something that's not necessarily just you got to be in my workshop, in my classroom and hear it. Maybe I'm tapping into a learner that wants to actually read it. And that's when I started thinking about publishing. And when I got into podcasting, it was somebody that maybe wants to see it on YouTube in a more visual medium. So, we are all different learners and we becoming more aware that different learning styles really matter in being the most efficient version of yourself. So, why does think that I'm this 2D professor that shows up, gives homework, and then leaves the classroom? I'm much more interesting than that. I can create written content that lives on Amazon or in Ingram Spark. I can also create content that lives on YouTube. It's free. It even can go to my Doctor Christiane channel and tune in. Why have a little gatekeeper that only allows people that are enrolled in California at the university here? No, I want to share this. And lastly, then of course with regard to my speaking, when I gave my TEDx talk, my goal was really when I stood on that stage, talking to the 1000 people that were there. And then to the TEDx channel that is promoting this now to the world, that I have a message that's worthwhile sharing. And that's always what drives me. I have something that could help you, so let me give this to you because it's on value and here it is. Boom. That's it.

Allison 25:24

Oh my gosh. That is so meaningful and sums up the drive that so many of my clients, they feel this nudge until it's a shove, until they can't stand it anymore. And they say, oh, I know that I need to go bigger. We've all been sold this, the ladder of success is linear. But holy crackers, it's not. It's not you get to decide, especially when you realize I'm a leader in my field and I get to affect 200 people who know me in person. But oh, if I have a podcast, I can reach people who don't already know me. But how interesting is that? Or for people who don't want it that way I can write an article. And all of these are doorways that you're just opening to give your genius to people because we're all here to serve. It's the hearing the call that drives people to take that first step of, they can't stand it anymore. They know there has to be more they could do while they continue doing the thing that they really like. And I find that it's the taking that one small action to find their way and not try to make it perfect.'Cause perfect is it's not possible.

 Christiane 26:54

Yeah. I love that saying by Audrey Hepburn that says, imperfect. It just stands for I'm perfect. If you take that word apart.

Allison 27:04

That is true. I've heard that. Yeah. So many people just know where they should be showing up. They just don't know what they should be doing to show up or the nuance the tiny decisions to get there. Like they might know, oh, I really should start a podcast, but they don't really know what. Then they get in the spiral of Procrast to learning about maybe I need to learn all about podcasting now. No, you don't. You don't have to become an expert in everything just because you're an expert in the thing that you already do. Dr. Christiane, when someone wants to share their message and their wisdom in a way that goes big instead of just sit on it or put it on a shelf for later, What's the first place they should look to find clues of what they should do. Where they should go with that. Because often it's the they, it's just taking that first step, but they're not even sure what that first step is.

 Christiane 28:12

Beautiful. Yeah. So my framework, and we mentioned that. The petite practice is my trademark. Petite French was small and practice for giving yourself the permission that you can actually fail because you're just taking the first attempt in learning. That's really what failed stands for. Yeah. So, how do you find that first step? The easiest thing is think about yourself. Where were you five years ago? And if five years doesn't seem like a good timeframe, 10. What would've helped you five or 10 years ago? to propel you forward. Because sometimes we just think, oh, I'm not where I want to be. But then think, look back.My goodness, five years ago, I was in a completely different spot. I should be proud of myself, how far I've come. And definitely my way was not linear, but boy. So, think what would've helped you five years ago. So, now think five years ago you were a different person, a different spot, different problems, pain points, et cetera. There are lots of people that are where you were five years ago, what would you tell them to do so that they don't do the same little missteps that you took? Because in reality, we all have a timeline. We all have experiences. But what the Navy shorten that timeline a little bit for them to get to where you are today. What is it really that was the most helpful thing that you could teach somebody? And that's the first step. Because that's how the best innovations in this world. I teach innovation, entrepreneurship. That's how the best pain points result. If you think about, here's my story, and I wish I would've had that. So, let me create it for you.

Allison 30:04

When I think about all the people who are stuck at the top, which is a strange thing to say. But they're at the top of their field and they still feel stuck'cause they don't know what their next jump is. Especially in a large organization, a university, a corporation, there's the old school thinking of if you do something outside of your job description, you need to ask permission, which in this new world we live in actually isn't true. When I started my career, I was leading media relations at Pepsi. If a regular employee spoke to a journalist, we actually tracked that. If they called a journalist from the Pepsi phone, we would know. And because that was verboden. That was not something that was done and the relationship with journalists was very tightly controlled. Now, the employee experience is the best recruitment strategy, any corporation has ever had. Now, you don't have to get permission to blog. But the beginning of blogging, it was like, oh my gosh, Joe's blogging, what could that be? But you can just decide. You don't have to ask permission. That what a tremendous lift off of everyone's plate and shoulders, that you don't have to ask permission and you don't need to care about what your peers will think. You can go bigger with your career and start to think of yourself as the way that other people see you as the big effing deal that you are. And if you're having a hard time doing that, I suggest you ask someone like me or like Dr. Christiane, how can I reposition myself? Because often, it starts with, we can call it a rebranding, but let's just call it a jusss of your digital presence. And instead of referring to yourself as a professor, you can refer to yourself as an entrepreneurial coach, or a visibility and publishing strategist, which is what I do, I no longer have to say, corporate marketing executive. Because that's a job, that's not the result of my impact in the world. Just repositioning how you claim your authority is, I think the first step before you start trying to do something and have an impact. You have to show up as the badass that you are. Because no one's going to drag you out of your home. And declare, you must do this. You are the one who has to do it and take that action. Dr. Christiane, where could people reach you?

 Christiane 33:00

I would love for you to go to my website where you can also take the Discover Your Superpower Quiz. It's completely free, and my website is dr Christiane.com. You'll see that superpower quiz in the top right hand corner. Of course, you can also check out my podcast. Happy Healthy Hustle. And then of course, follow me along on my YouTube channel. Subscribe to it. We always dropping new videos with amazing guests, with some new clarity moments. Most importantly, of course, I just released my fourth book on Amazon. So, on Amazon you can just type in my name and we'll bring up all my books as well as the products that I use to write my books that I mention in my books. And I would love for you to contact me with any questions.

Allison 33:48

We all have all of those resources in the show notes. And I urge you to take this tiny action today. The petite framework, just take the first step. Clarity about what you want. Dr. Christiane, just reemphasize for everyone the tiny step they can take today.

 Christiane 34:10

Don't wait until tomorrow. Do it. Remember that three part framework we talked about. Create how to respond and what to let go. You got this.

Allison 34:21

You got it. As you're listening, if this resonates with you, hit us back. Send me a note. DM me on LinkedIn Let me know what resonated. And also share this. Take a moment and send this to someone else who needs a kick in the tookus or a pat on the back. And let them know that you see them. And you see them going bigger. Because sometimes someone needs to hear it. You are here today'cause you needed to hear it. And Dr. Christiane is here today to tell you we see that path for you and sometimes someone just needs some support. And go right now to wherever you're listening, and please leave a review for the show. It helps the show find the people who it can serve, and that's why I do this. That's why I started the Author's Edge to go bigger and to be able to support more people who need the marketing plan that I know that is in front of them. And they need the confidence to take that to go bigger. And expand the ripple effect that you have in the world. Until next time, keep writing and keep being your badass self.