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Overcomers Approach
“The Overcomers Approach” podcast showcases stories of resilience, where individuals transcend challenges to achieve personal and professional success. With a focus on spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and financial growth, the podcast inspires listeners to embrace their potential and thrive in all areas of life. Join us to learn how overcoming adversity can lead to evolution, healing, and lasting success.
Overcomers Approach
Empowering conversation with Dominiece Clifton on transforming self-doubt into clarity, confidence, and purpose through spiritual strength and entrepreneurship strategies
Dominiece Clifton's journey is nothing short of inspiring. Raised by a teen mom and navigating the complexities of emotional eating and self-doubt, Dominice emerged as a beacon of empowerment for women entrepreneurs. Her story reveals how small, intentional changes, like adopting a morning routine and drawing spiritual strength from her grandmother, paved the way for her personal and professional transformation. In this episode, Dominiece shares the wisdom she's gained and the tools she offers through her 90-day coaching program, helping women find clarity, confidence, and purpose in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
The path to entrepreneurship is seldom straightforward, a truth echoed in our conversation about embracing curiosity and the twists and turns of career shifts. From a background in nutrition and wellness coaching, recount her journey through various fields, feeling the sting of imposter syndrome, and ultimately finding alignment as a business coach. We delve into the significance of understanding one's divine blueprint and how embracing self-discovery can lead to authentic alignment and fulfillment in both personal and professional arenas.
Investing in oneself and building a nurturing community are crucial themes we explore, underscoring the importance of entrepreneurial archetypes and mentorship. This episode also introduces the CLEAR goals framework, a fresh approach to goal-setting that aligns with personal aspirations while emphasizing accountability. The conversation wraps up with a deep dive into body-centered healing, highlighting the interconnectedness of mind and body in overcoming life's stressors. Dominiece leaves us with insights on authenticity and wellness in leadership, encouraging listeners to embrace their unique paths and invest in their growth.
For more information your Entrepreneurial Archetype go to https://entrepreneurialclarityassessment.scoreapp.com/
More on Dominiece and her services visit her website https://domrclifton.com/
Thank you for listening!
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Thank you for listening!
Welcome to the Overcomers Approach. This is Nicole, the founder of this podcast. I am so happy to have here Dominice Clifton. And Dominice Clifton is a clarity coach and business strategist on a mission to empower 1,000 women entrepreneurs through her 90-day business coaching program, Transformation University, Y-O-U University. She teaches women to find clarity so that they can build their confidence and build a successful business. Dominice helps women gain clarity on their ideal client, crafting authentic messages and creating an alignment business strategy. Dominice is also the founder of Move and Steal, offering stress reduction and mindfulness services to organizations passionate about storytelling.
Speaker 1:She hosts the School of Healing podcast and has authored Hold Space to Heal. She's a proud mother of two daughters Yara and Zuri are her greatest joy. Thank you, Dominique. I appreciate you being here today. I know that my listeners will appreciate what you have to say as well. This show is really about overcoming and getting clarity and moving in people's purpose, and it falls right in alignment with the podcast. Welcome, Dominice, and tell me how you got to this, where you are today, because I'm sure that was a journey and I know I read some of your bio on how you got there. But please tell us more.
Speaker 2:So first off, nicole, thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to connect with you and just be in conversation with you on today. Gosh, whenever people ask me where I start, I feel like, without going so deep and having a long story, I always have to start at my childhood, because so much of who I am is the result of things that I've had to overcome from my childhood. So I was born to a teen mom and I've never met my biological dad and when I say never met, I mean not so much as seeing a picture never met anyone from that side of my family. And so growing up there was a void that I could feel as a child. I couldn't really name it, I couldn't really explain a void that I could feel as a child. I couldn't really name it, I couldn't really explain it, but I could feel that there was a part of me that was missing and my mom. It was something that we never talked about. It was like the big elephant in the room that we both tried to kind of maneuver around. My mom did the best that she could, being a mom. Now I realize how hard it was to be raising a child as a child, and so I give her her flowers today. But it was challenging and, you know, today I feel like therapy is a big thing and it's available for children and adults and we didn't have.
Speaker 2:You know, that wasn't really a thing when I was growing up, and so I just learned to suppress and stuff down a lot of the emotions that I was feeling around my conception and the lack of my father being present, and I started turning to food as a way to deal with and cope through that, and so I started emotionally eating and overeating at a very young age, and it was a drastic shift. Seven years old I was the normal weight and then, by eight years old, I was overweight and I struggled with my weight for over two and a half decades. I always felt like I couldn't gain control of that part of my life, and so I tried to be in control in other parts of my life, and so I was a high achiever. I, you know, really prioritize my academics. My mom is also an educator and so I excelled at, you know, learning and I love learning, and that kind of came easy, easy and natural for me, and I got to a space where I did really well with masking how I was feeling. And so it was like I would put on a mask, right, and I would go out into the world and I would put my best self forward.
Speaker 2:And as soon as the curtain closed and the show was over and I wasn't in front of people anymore, all of the self-doubt, all of the shame, all of the guilt, that voice in my head it would come up and I would try to hide it and I would try to work harder to quiet the voice. And that was really the cycle that I lived in for a long time just really trying to quiet the voice in my head that kept reminding me that I wasn't good enough because of all the unresolved trauma from my childhood. And so I lived like that for about two and a half decades, pretending to be okay, until finally, in my early 30s, I got to a point where I got tired of existing that way. I was feeling like there was more for my life. I was feeling called to be more, to do more. I didn't know necessarily at the time what that more was, but I could feel my soul nudging me to something greater.
Speaker 2:And so I began my journey, you know, my healing journey. I just started. I made a choice to begin the journey and it has. You know, there's been a lot of pivots and turns along the way and resources and connections with people that have been helpful. But in my early thirties it really just started with me getting to a space of being sick and tired, of being sick and tired and recognizing that I had to make a change. Nobody was coming to save me, nobody was coming to pick me up out of this situation, and so it started with small habits. It started with the morning routine and my grandmother coming to me in a meditation and kind of summon, summon. I say she summons me, right, you got work to do, right, she's an ancestor at that point, and so she reminded me that I came here for something greater in that meditation. And so between her coming to visit me and me starting my morning routine, which has now just really seven years later, transformed my life, that was really my start and how I got to where I am today.
Speaker 1:Awesome, dominique, that is so beautiful and it's something that I could totally identify with, you know, in terms of you know, really trying to find, knowing that I was here for a greater purpose. I've been sick and tired of being sick and tired and my maternal grandmother and my paternal grandmother being strong influences in my life and on this journey and really reflecting on where they would want me to be and on their legacy. And I was a teen parent myself, and so I can identify growing up with my first child together. It wasn't always easy. The journey was rough because, you don't, I didn't really know what I was doing, to be honest, Because, you don't, I didn't really know what I was doing, to be honest, and I made some, some falls and I had to go back and apologize to my son and say you know what I was sorry, I did the best that I could.
Speaker 1:Whatever I did. If I hurt you, please forgive me. That took a lot for me to do because I was victimized in so many other areas and I'm like I just want you to see that I was struggling, but he didn't know that as a child, I loved it that you overcame and I see your story full circle and how people can still persevere despite some of the challenges. So I really, really appreciate that. Tell me, how did you get into. I know that you told me how you got here on your journey. When did you take that leap into being a clarity coach in a business strategy? Yeah, like what did that journey look like? I know how you got there, but kind of to start doing it, moving on it, how did that happen?
Speaker 2:I wish I could say that it was a straight path and I knew all along what I wanted to do, but that would be such a lie. It has been a lot of twists and turns and pivots and ups and downs that have gotten me to this place. One thing that I can say is that I have always allowed myself to be curious. I didn't recognize it at the time, but whenever I've been interested in something you know, in my early twenties, when I was first starting out in what I would call adulthood to now whenever I've been interested in something, I've allowed myself to be curious and explore it, and so my entrepreneurial journey really started gosh 15 plus years ago now, but I didn't know at that time. Right, I have gone through going to makeup school because I was interested in being a makeup artist and this was like back in, like the early 2000s, before it became a big thing like it is now. But I had an interest and so I, you know, went to school for it and learned about that, did that for a bit, decided that it wasn't my path. I liked it for myself but I didn't want to necessarily stay in it for other people. I've gone to culinary school, tried that for a bit, got pregnant with my second daughter, and so I stepped away from that. I've done like life insurance I mean, you name it, I probably have tried it and so I share that to say that I've been like fumbling around trying to figure out my thing for over a decade and it has taken me a long time. It has taken finding a lot of clarity to be where I am now. So my official start, I would say, to entrepreneurship.
Speaker 2:I spent about a decade exploring things, but my official start to entrepreneurship came right before COVID and it was like an accidental entry. My second daughter was born in September of 2019. And I decided that in December of 19,. I was going to quit my full-time job at that time because I had been advocating and trying to get better benefits, better maternity leave, and they were just refusing to see my value, and so after having dealt with that, you know, for years, I decided I deserve more, I can find something else. So I was like I'm going to take a slightly longer maternity leave and I'm going to go back to work in six months Again. This was in December of 2019. We all know what happened three months later, in March of 2020, right.
Speaker 2:And so, a few months later, the world started shutting down. People started, you know, getting laid off from jobs. We went through the great, you know, resignation, like it was just not an ideal time to be reentering the workforce for me, and so I was like, okay, I have a family, I have a mortgage, I have at that time, I was still married. I have a partner. I got to figure this thing out, and so entrepreneurship was just really me trying to figure out how to take care and support my family, and I started out as a nutrition and wellness coach.
Speaker 2:I shared with you that I had struggled with my weight for most of my life, and what shifted for me was I went on a 90 day transformation. That started right around the time that COVID started. I was meditating. One day, I got a download that said every day, for the next 90 days, focus on your mind, your body and your spirit. And so I did that for 90 days straight. I would, you know, find time to meditate or go for a walk and just have time to connect with myself and spirit. I made time to think about and be very intentional about the things that I was putting in my mind. So I was listening to inspirational instructional content podcasts such as this, motivational things on YouTube Like I was filling my mind with positive things, and then I was moving my body every single day.
Speaker 2:Now, when you fast forward to the end of that 90 day period, I felt like I had come out of a fog. I didn't realize that I had been like sleepwalking through life and existing in that fog until after that point, and the weight that I had struggled with my entire life had just like started to melt off, and so I realized then I had been approaching my health and my weight loss from the wrong place. I had always been focused on diet and the gym and working out and all of those things. I had never done the internal work that was necessary for me to begin to release the things that I was holding. That was causing that weight to be there. Physically, I had emotions that were manifesting physically for years, physically for years, and so once that clicked for me and I started to see my weight transform and my life transform, I wanted to help other women have that same experience who have been struggling with emotional eating.
Speaker 2:And so I entered the coaching space as a nutrition and wellness coach back in 2020. And I did that for a bit, but it never really. It always felt like I was close, but it wasn't necessarily the right fit. I was always burned out. I was trying all of these different methods and practices, investing in different coaching programs and trying things, and it wasn't really working, and I was trying strategies that didn't feel good to me, but I was like, well, this is what they told me to do, so I'm trying it, just throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping that something would eventually stick.
Speaker 2:I did that for about two years. I kept burning out and so I eventually stepped away from coaching. I was exhausted, putting so much energy into it and not seeing the kind of return that I was desiring. And then I started my B2B business, moving Still, which is an organization that supports other businesses, schools and organizations with stress management and mindfulness services. I was doing that for about two years and I was comfortable there. It felt really good, the work felt very fulfilling and I was like this is the thing that I can see myself doing for a while. And then, earlier this year, I started getting nudged. I'm a very spiritual person and I started feeling God guiding me back to coaching right, but this time stepping into business coaching, because I have, over the last seven years, I've taken so many programs, so many accelerators, so many certifications. I've just been soaking up information like a sponge in regards to business.
Speaker 2:And spirit started saying it's time for the student to become the teacher. It's time for you to take everything that you've learned and now start sharing it with other people who are where you were when you started.
Speaker 2:And I'll be honest, nicole, I did not want to say yes to the assignment because I was like nope, I've tried it, I've done it, I've burned myself out, I'm not interested, find someone else. Yes, but you know, when God gives you an assignment, you can be disobedient, and it's a lot harder when you don't follow the instruction. I've learned that over the years, and so, after really wrestling with that, you know that guidance I decided to be obedient because I didn't want to be in a fight with God, and that was really what nudged me to step back into coaching. What I have realized was that when I was coaching previously and I'll pause after this I was doing something that felt like it made sense. It made sense logically. It was like, well, I know how to do this thing, so I'm going to step into this thing, but it always felt like something was missing. I was never really fulfilled by it. It wasn't my passion, it was just like the step that made the most sense.
Speaker 2:Now, right after getting to know myself, after going through a very intentional self-discovery process over the last few years, I've gotten clarity about who I am and I'm able to show up in my business from that space and I've been able to build my coaching business really around all the parts of myself, the best parts of myself, and that's what I aspire to do as a coach. I think oftentimes we step into things because it's like, well, I know how to do accounting, so I'll start an accounting business. That's not really the thing that sets your soul on fire, but you have to do this self-discovery work to figure out what those things are, and so that's the part of the journey that I love, that's the part of the journey that I love helping other women with, and that is why I have, you know, settled on really being a clarity coach and then taking what we learn once we get that clarity, and creating the business strategy around that.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, I love it. I just I could so identify with your journey and like how you got there and being obedient to the voice of God and not being in that struggle with with him to make things harder and tougher, and just taking that leap of faith and doing it. I think people are going to really and I, I I could totally relate to your authenticity, your transparency and I think it would make people more comfortable sometimes to know, like your story and your journey, because I can definitely relate to that. I want to go into, in terms of when you got there, what do you suggest for entrepreneurs who are in that space that you were in, but dealing with imposter syndrome, you know, because you see people doing a bunch of things that may or may not be real these days, as you know or just imposter syndrome, like once you get a seat at the table, once you've been obedient to God, still really struggling, like okay, I'm here, but am I really in this space. Did you deal with that and what suggestions would you give to an entrepreneur?
Speaker 2:I absolutely dealt with that. I felt like that was how I existed the entire early start in my coaching journey. I felt like an imposter and I kept feeling like the curtain was going to be pulled away or the rug was going to be pulled away and people were going to, like you know, figure out that I was faking it Right.
Speaker 1:Cause.
Speaker 2:That's why I felt like I don't feel like I'm. I have this thing figured out. Like you know, I'm trying to figure it out and trying to help other people, and so I oftentimes felt like an imposter. What I have learned in my own journey of the last three years for me I've gone through separation, we're in the process of going through divorce, and I mention that because this has been a time of being broken down, to be rebuilt, and in this time I have really gotten to know myself in a way that I never really allowed myself to do before, right. So I've been intentional about, you know, just taking time to be single and be with myself before jumping into anything, and I've gotten to know myself on a very intimate level. And so what I realized was that when I was feeling like an imposter previously, in my early days of entrepreneurship, in many ways I was feeling that because I was, and the reason why I say that is because I was doing something that wasn't necessarily what I was supposed to be doing. Now, everything is a stepping stone to something else, and so I don't think it was a mistake. But me feeling like I don't belong here was partially because my soul was telling me this isn't it right, like this isn't the thing, this is. There's pieces of this that are it right the working with people, the empowering people, the serving people those things are right, but the nutrition and wellness, that's not it, and that was the piece that I was missing and that was what was making me feel like an imposter, even as a nutrition and wellness coach.
Speaker 2:When I look at my later clients, I can see the soul searching and the deep self-discovery work that I was like feeling called to guide them through.
Speaker 2:And I was a nutrition and wellness coach right. And so I say that to say that sometimes we feel like we don't belong in spaces and we are imposters in spaces, and we are right, we are not supposed to be there. And so if you're feeling like an imposter, whether it's in your you know, nine to five corporate career, your business, that is oftentimes your soul, your higher self, telling you that something is off. And what we often try to do is mask that voice and just work harder at it until I feel like you know I belong here, I'm worthy enough to be here, and until you answer whatever that call is that nudges, that's telling you that something is off, even if you pivot to another job or career. You'll keep feeling that, and so my answer is the self-discovery work, like taking the time to get to know yourself so that you can either step into the career or the business that is in alignment with who you truly are.
Speaker 2:And so sometimes we try to again, we try to run from that and figure out well, I'll just, you know, start another business or go to another job. And you're there, you're doing the new thing, and then you're still feeling like an imposter. I only was able to quiet that voice when I got myself in alignment, right With what my soul was guiding me to do. Now do I have days where I'm afraid and I'm like this is a really big vision that you've entrusted me with God Absolutely. But I don't feel like an imposter anymore because I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm in alignment with what my soul is desiring to do in this moment, and that has only come through getting to know myself and understanding myself.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Oh I love that.
Speaker 1:I love the fact that you said you went through a moment of being broken down to be built back up again.
Speaker 1:And there's good things for brokenness because that helps with the self-discovery and alignment and sometimes that breaking can be a little scary and a little painful sometimes, but it's bringing a greater woman, it's bringing you into alignment, it's bringing soul work and so that is definitely something. And I love the spin on imposter syndrome. Maybe you feel like an imposter, you're really not supposed to be there and it could be faking it because that's just not where you're supposed to be. I know I'm going to take that nugget and put that in my back pocket, really put that at the forefront, because I really really love that and I could totally relate to that.
Speaker 1:What would you recommend for people who feel like as an entrepreneur, how do they understand their purpose? So, once they've done their soul work and they think they're in the right spot that they need to be in, how do they understand their purpose? So, once they've done their soul work and they think they're in the right spot that they need to be in, how do they understand their purpose or blueprint? Because I believe that God creates that divine blueprint and purpose in us. But once we get there, how do we stay there? Or how do we cultivate it or what would you suggest?
Speaker 2:So I have found.
Speaker 2:So, in agreement with you, I think that each of us has a unique purpose.
Speaker 2:When I used to hear the word purpose previously, like five or seven years ago, I would get really intimidated by it because I thought like it was this big thing that I had to figure out and it's just like I don't know. Can someone tell me? So I was reading all the books, you know all the things, trying to figure it out and looking externally to coaches and you know gurus at that time for them to hopefully lead me to figure it out. The first thing is, when it comes to discovering your purpose, know that purpose changes as you evolve and grow, and so taking some of the weight off of the word purpose and just recognizing it's an assignment for now right, your purpose today might look very different a year from now, two or three years from now. So sometimes we feel like our purpose is the one thing that we are meant to do in this lifetime and that makes it feel very weighty. But it's just like what is in alignment for me in this season, based on who I am.
Speaker 2:And then typically, is going to guide you and lead you to other things, right, and so the first step is understanding the purpose, and this is what most of us don't do enough work around is really understanding ourselves. When I think about purpose, to me, the journey is one of remembering. Right, it's not so much of figuring out, it's remembering, because, to me, we're all spiritual beings having a human existence and our souls said yes to certain things before we came here.
Speaker 2:Now as soon as we enter these human bodies, we forget those things, and so remembering is the process of unearthing and peeling back the layers and allowing yourself to remember the things that you have said yes to. And so there's many ways to do that. One of the ways that I've done that is just cultivating a relationship with myself, so being in stillness, right being with myself, whether that's meditation, journaling, going out in nature without phones and distractions, and just allowing myself to hear from myself, my higher self, clearly. I've also found tools like astrology and human design to be really helpful, because when we were born, that moment, that place, like all of those things, and what was going on planetary at that point, that makes a difference, and so looking at those sorts of resources have helped me to understand parts of myself. And then, another thing that can be really helpful is that I feel like sometimes we struggle to see ourselves fully, and this is something that I still work on today. Right, I can see everything very clearly for everyone else, and that's a part of my gift, but a part of that is like I have my own blind spots, and so my self-discovery process has been deepened by asking people around me that I trust to illuminate back to me what they're seeing right, like, what are the gifts and the strengths that you see that come natural for me? And then hearing what they share, seeing the patterns and the themes from three, four, five people that I trust and being like, oh okay, that's a gift. I thought everyone could do that and they're like no girl, I didn't know how to do that. So we got to first start with doing the work, right being still, because sometimes we're so busy, we're keeping ourselves busy or we're I got to get this done and get that done that we don't take the time to be intentional about getting to know ourselves.
Speaker 2:And then from there, a lot of times it is making shifts and pivots. So you might recognize, when you start to get to know yourself, that OK, maybe I am in a business that is partially on the right track, but I might need to make a pivot or a twist to make it feel more in alignment so that I'm no longer feeling like an imposter or, you know, feeling like I don't fit, so that I'm no longer feeling like an imposter or feeling like I don't fit. And that's hard, especially if you've been doing something for a while, whether it's a career or a business. We don't oftentimes give ourselves permission to pivot. But you have to give yourself permission to make change and know that even if I've been committed to X thing for a decade or five years, pivoting is a part of the purpose process. Right Again, I don't believe that we are necessarily intended to do one thing forever, and so there's a level of self-discovery and then permission that comes with that self-discovery to walk in authenticity and to walk in alignment with that assignment.
Speaker 1:I love it. Walk in your assignment authentically and allow people to mirror what they see. You know your talents and to be confident in what you're hearing as well. I have two questions and then we're going to close it up. I'm going to hit your clear goals framework. I want to touch on that, but there's a question I have before that.
Speaker 1:I know and meet a lot of women entrepreneurs of all walks of life, all races and cultures, and the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs is women as the top, and I am so empowered by all the women that I meet.
Speaker 1:But I find that all the women entrepreneurs that I meet, some of them have access to resources, they understand the business language, understand a business plan, and then I know some colleagues who just jump in and do it Like they just got to, like let me sell these pots or I'm going to sell my jewelry. And then when you start moving into other places where there's access to resources, not really understanding the language, but we're figuring it out what would you say to some of those entrepreneurs which I do know that are just starting out and they're a year in and they're frustrated because it's going too slow? And I also know a very successful entrepreneur and she still has her struggles. 10 years in doing well, but every day sometimes can be a struggle. Yeah, you know, this is her gift and calling and she's not meant to work anywhere. That's just not enough for me.
Speaker 1:I work a nine to five, but I also do this too. You know as I walk this journey. What would you suggest for those who feel the frustration, they feel the pull, but they're in different journeys of their entrepreneurship, may not know the resources or the pathways? What do you think could help?
Speaker 2:So I think, regardless of where we are in our journey, there's always going to be someone that's two or three steps ahead, that can reach back and offer a hand.
Speaker 2:I am a huge proponent of investing in yourself, because when you invest in yourself, that's an investment in your business, that's an investment in your life, that's an investment in all the other parts of you, and so I think I have over-invested at some points. In the last couple of months, I've come up with different archetypes, entrepreneurial archetypes, and you know, oftentimes when we're stuck, we get stuck in one of these 13 ways. And so there's we talked earlier about imposter syndrome. There's the copycat creator, who feels like an imposter, and so they start looking to other people to kind of mimic what's happening. There's also the over-consumer, which is the person who never really feels ready, and so they're constantly soaking up information, and so I share that to say that for most of my journey, I've gotten stuck in the over-consumer archetype, where I constantly was feeling like there was something else that I was searching for that was going to help me feel ready, until I finally went deeper and did the work to really get to know myself.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I share that. To say that I have invested a lot, know myself, and I share that. To say that I have invested a lot, A lot of money, is not enough, right? I don't regret it because from every coaching program and certification, I have gained something from it, but I think sometimes we feel like we have to be another.
Speaker 2:One of the archetypes is the solo warrior. We feel like we have to do everything ourselves. We feel like we got to roll up our sleeves and figure it out ourselves, and I think that we do such a disservice to ourselves with that, because the very thing that you are spending hours trying to figure out right, there's someone who's already figured it out. There's someone who can lend a hand and tell you an easier way to do it, who has a system, a process, a framework that can help you to figure it out. And so my biggest piece of advice is if you're early in the beginning, or even if you're a decade in, whatever your next level is right, you're going to take so much time, energy, effort trying to figure it out yourself, versus finding someone who's just a few steps ahead, who can help you figure it out.
Speaker 2:The reason why I stress a few steps ahead is because one of the things that I did early on in my journey is I got stuck in the big you know the big coaches, the gurus, the you know the celebrity gurus, the big coaching programs. I invested in a lot of those and I was just a number in a program Like I would get in and it would literally be hundreds of other people that are there and I'm like, well dang, how am I going to get my questions answered? I don't recommend those sorts of programs, right? I don't recommend working with someone who's 10 steps ahead, because oftentimes what they are teaching are outdated practices that worked for them five, 10 years ago but that are not necessarily helpful now.
Speaker 2:That was the case for me. People were teaching me social media strategies that they had used five and seven years ago that weren't working for me now because the market was different, it was saturated, different, and so I share that to say, find someone who is just two or three steps ahead, who is close enough to where you are, where they remember the journey enough right that they can empathize with you, that they can roll up your sleeves and be there with you, but do not waste your time trying to figure out something that can take you years and there's a shortcut that's already there for you. That might just take you months. And so, if you're 10 years in, find someone who's just a few steps ahead. If you're a year in, find someone who's just a few steps ahead and don't feel like you have to be on the journey by yourself, because one of the greatest things I've learned in my journey is the importance of building community. In the beginning, I tried to do it all by myself and it was too much. I was always burned out.
Speaker 1:Yes, dominique, that was that was. That's a book right there. I just love that. You know, we don't have to do it by ourselves. Create community, find someone who's just a few steps ahead not, you know, like you said, way ahead, and then you don't want to get caught up in outdated practices and you're still behind the curve, and so investing in yourself is critical, because we're the greatest investment. That's what I heard, and so I love that, and I know my listeners will as well, and I'm going to take some of those nuggets myself. I really appreciate that helps with clarity, like you said, so that it no not so far back that they have to remember what they did, like it's more present. So I really, really like that. My other question is what is the clear goals framework and why is it effective for setting and achieving goals?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So when I was reentering into entrepreneurship full time, I took a break to start a full time job. It was shortly after my divorce and I was, my mental health was not in a good space and I was like I don't have anything in me to give right now. So I'm going to take a break, I'm going to allow myself to just work and, you know, pause on things for a bit and come back to it when I'm ready. And in that time, so much growth happened, so much self-discovery happened, and so I'm really glad I call that a pit stop on the journey. I'm really glad that I gave myself that pit stop.
Speaker 2:But as I was getting ready to reenter into the space of entrepreneurship full time, I knew that I needed to set some goals, and so I started looking at SMART goals right, we've all heard about the SMART goals and my spirit started downloading the information, and so, over the course of a few weeks, I started getting a what wasn't the clear goals at that time. But you know, I started moving things around to make it work. But I started getting downloads for a new goal setting framework. I had, you know, identified five steps that I thought were helpful in the goal setting process. This is such a funny story, so I'm big on acronyms. I'm like how can I what is a word right that I can come up with to make this easy to remember so that as I share this out with my clients? Right, it's easy. I use AI, I use chat, gpt, so I took all of the five steps that I had and I plugged them in. I was like, give me an acronym for this. And I kid you not.
Speaker 2:Nicole the beginning of the letters were like Z, b, a, d, like nothing. Nothing that made sense. I don't know how. I think it was God. The word that came back to me was clear, and I was like how did it come up with this, based on these phrases that I put in in these letters that I was asking for an acronym? And then I was like hmm. So I went back and I started looking at the steps that I had come up with and I was like I can make this work.
Speaker 2:And so CLEAR is a five-step goal-setting process. And so the C is starting with your cause. When you think about the cause, it's your why. Why is this goal important to you? Right, that's the most important. Sometimes we set goals and we are not even clear on why this is important. But once you identify the why, you're like halfway there now, because it anchors you into this goal. So you start with identifying your cause or your why. The L is level up. So then you start to think about how does this goal challenge me? How is this goal going to help me level up? Right, in all ways, it shouldn't be too far of a stretch where it doesn't feel attainable, but it should challenge you enough.
Speaker 2:So, you have to think about that. How does this goal challenge me, step, help me to step out of my comfort zone? Then you have the E, which is the end game. So that is being very specific in your outcome. It's a difference between saying I want to lose weight and I want to lose 15 pounds by March 31st right, because now you have a timeline and it makes it real, and so you want to get very specific with your end goal. The next one is the A, which stands for accountability, and this is where I think the clear goals framework is much stronger than smart goals. I started doing research as I was putting together the framework, and one of the things that I learned was that, just by setting a goal and identifying an accountability partner and having an established accountability system, your odds of achieving that goal are 40% higher.
Speaker 2:So you're almost halfway there just by having an accountability partner, right? So you think about who am I going to check in with, or what system am I going to use if it's not a physical person, right, maybe it's a weekly check-in with yourself self-accountability, if you're strong in that. But you have to think about that when you're setting your goal. And then the last thing, the R, is the results. And so this is where you think about how am I tracking this? And then how am I going to reward myself after I accomplish this?
Speaker 2:That also becomes important because, as high achievers, we can check something off the list and move on to the next thing and not even spend time like celebrating ourselves. But I really ask you, as you're setting a goal, to think about how you're going to track it and measure it, and then to think about how you're going to honor and reward yourself after you achieve it. And so that's the clear goals framework, and the idea is, for whatever goal you set, whether it's personal or business, you sit down and you write out right, you go through and you write out those five steps. Once you've done that and I can attest to this once you've gone through this very deep process of thinking about all of these things you are, so you have so much more clarity. You're so much more clear on the goal, you're excited about the goal and now you have a framework that you follow. I usually suggest setting goals for a quarter, so 12 weeks.
Speaker 2:Now you have a framework that you follow for the next 12 weeks to work on achieving that goal.
Speaker 1:That's amazing and I would do. I do have to say that it's much better than the SMART goals, cause I struggle with SMART goals, but just the accountability part SMART goals, because I struggle with SMART goals but just accountability part those really just stand out to me and, like you said, having an accountability partner increases the chances of you accomplishing it by 40%. So you're almost halfway there. That's amazing. So I'll go with my last question and then I'll give you an opportunity to give your website and any other social media that people can reach out to if they want to purchase your services or just reach out to you for any of those reasons. And so my last question is you spoke on, you know, which I think a lot of people can relate with, and I'm all for healing and wellness and therapy, because I access those resources and whenever I need to re-up on them, I do.
Speaker 1:But some of us who've had those father wounds or parent wounds, like you said, being raised at that time by a teen parent and then the concern with your father is that some of us are trying to find our identity and we all struggle with this in the business place. From a childhood experience like that, how did you find confidence in who you were, in your identity as it came to um to understand your parent parental situation. How did you find that security and confidence?
Speaker 2:so lots of therapy okay one of the most helpful things to me. So, in addition to like all of the things that I do in the business industry, I'm very passionate about wellness and I weave that into everything that I do, even as a business coach, there are wellness elements incorporated because of my background. So I am certified as a yoga instructor, a meditation and breath work instructor, and I also have a sound yoga instructor, a meditation and breath work instructor, and I also have a sound bath certification, and so I use all of these. I have used all of these modalities for myself and I also use them with my clients and I share that.
Speaker 2:To say that somatic practices so soma in Greek means body and social practices are just body centered practices. They have been so helpful for me. Oftentimes, when we think about healing, we think about it from a talk therapy perspective. So we find a therapist and we go to therapy and we sit for an hour and we process and we talk through the things and they ask us questions and we answer the questions and we're able to make sense mentally and process and understand everything that happened. But here's the disconnect when it comes to stress and trauma, it's held in our bodies, it's not held in our mind. So even if you understand mentally what happened, your body can still be holding that stress and trauma.
Speaker 2:And so so much of who I am today is the result of me really focusing on body-centered approaches to healing. Our bodies are so smart. When we give them the time and space, they will begin to release. They will begin to release all the things that we've been holding from childhood and, you know, teenage years and all of the stuff that, all the stuff that we carry with us.
Speaker 2:And so, for anyone who's struggling and feeling like they're having a hard time with their identity or they're stuck in outdated stories, talk therapy alone is not enough. You have to incorporate the movement right, the pieces that allow your body to release that stress and trauma, in addition to the talk therapy, and so it's a both and situation. You move your body, you allow the body to release and heal, and you process through mentally, and so that was the greatest piece of advice that I can offer. There's many things that you can do when it comes to healing. You want to find what resonates with you right. It's no one size fits all.
Speaker 2:Physical movement is the best way to do that. It doesn't have to be working out. It can be yoga, walking, swimming, zumba, but moving your body is the greatest way to heal the body, and so for anyone struggling, I would say find body centered practices that you can begin to commit to consistently. And even though you think that right, like if I'm moving my body, how does it help with my trauma? The mind and body are connected, and so when you move the body, it begins to release some of the things that we're holding in our minds and some of the things that we're holding in our spirits.
Speaker 1:That's good, I receive that deep down in my spirit, in our spirits. That's good, I received that deep down in my spirit. Really, like you said, it's a both and and the body does keep score.
Speaker 1:And I believe not only can we carry our traumas our own, but our grandmothers, like our aunties, and to really, really, really walk through that and acknowledge that is like that's an aha moment for me. So thank you. I so appreciate that. I know my listeners will appreciate that as well. If someone wants to get in contact with you for coaching or clarity or helping them with their strategy and their entrepreneur journey, what is your website handle and how can they get in touch with you?
Speaker 2:So I'll give two resources. So my website is domrcliftoncom, Dom R Cliftoncom, and if you go there, there's, you know, a ton of resources. There's free resources, so there's free breathwork sessions. If you want to do some somatic practices, you can download free breathwork sessions, free resources there, more information about my work and the coaching that I offer work and the coaching that I offer.
Speaker 2:However, if anyone is listening to this that is an entrepreneur and has resonated with the things that we're talking about today, so feeling a little bit out of alignment and not sure where the misalignment is, I created a short, three to five minute quiz. It's called the entrepreneurial clarity assessment and you take this assessment and ask you quick yes or no questions. So it's not a lot to do. It asks you a series of yes or no questions and then, based on how you answer, it identifies one of those 13 archetypes that I talked about earlier and so typically right.
Speaker 2:We have a dominant way that we show up when we're stuck. So, again, you might be the over-consumer, the solo warrior, the copycat creator. There's 13 of them and so if you resonate with that and feel like there's a part of your business where you're feeling stuck, you can go to confusionloop L-O-O-P. Confusionloopcom and take that assessment and it will give you a personalized report on where you're getting stuck. And then from there, if you want to talk through your results and talk about some strategies that you can use to begin to get clarity, you can book a clarity call with me from that page.
Speaker 1:Okay, awesome, amazing, and I will also have that in the description of my podcast and in social media links when I do post the podcast. Dominique, I so appreciate this time that I had with you today. I've been truly impacted by the nuggets of wisdom that you expressed and also just your journey and your transparency and your authenticity and how people may think their journey needs to be one way, but it could be a multiple, multiple ways. It's just how we get there, how do we get the clarity, how do we get the strategy and how we do our wellness work as we show up in these spaces to do what we were called to do. So, thank you again. It has totally been a pleasure. I know my listeners have enjoyed it as well and will enjoy it. Thank you, japanese. It has been a wonderful pleasure to have you today.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. I so enjoyed this conversation. I feel like we could just grab coffee and talk forever.
Speaker 1:I'm sure at some point when I do circle back I definitely will touch base with you and just do a touch base and see where that ultimately goes. But I definitely this was divinely orchestrated. I know that. Thank you.