30 Days of Yes: Saying Yes to Yourself and Your Next Chapter

Success can be the very thing that hides your next chapter. Nichol Ellis- McGregor sits down with Anouk Brumfield a former IBM executive vice president and senior partner, to talk about what happens when you’ve “made it” and still hear a louder call to grow, serve, and lead differently. We get honest about the fear behind major career transitions, the tension of walking away from predictable paychecks, and why reinvention often starts with obedience and one small step you take before you feel ready.

We unpack what reinvention looks like in real life: taking a hard look in the mirror, admitting where you feel stuck, and choosing growth over comfort. Anouk shares the heart behind her book “30 Days of Yes,” including why so many high achievers say yes to everyone else while quietly neglecting themselves. We talk self-worth, boundaries, journaling and reflection, and the daily practices that help you rebuild confidence with clarity and courage.

Then we shift into leadership and legacy. Anouk breaks down lessons from 32 years in corporate America, including why being an original beats being a copy and how people-first leadership changes outcomes. We also explore the mindset shift that makes change possible: believe you deserve better, act with intention, and stay consistent long enough for the small steps to add up. If you’re navigating a career pivot, personal transformation, or leadership growth, this one will meet you where you are and push you forward. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck, and leave a review with the biggest “yes” you’re making right now.

More or Anouk Brumfield at https://www.instagram.com/therealanouk1/

https://www.facebook.com/anouk002

Transcript

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Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good day, everyone. This is Nicole Ellis McGregor, the founders of the Overcomer's Approach podcast, where I meet with different people of different walks of life, different experiences, and different journeys. But the overarching theme is that we have the ability to reset, to reinvent, to overcome no matter what comes our way. So today's guest is a powerhouse of reinvention and leadership. Anouk Broomfeld is a former executive vice president and senior partner at IBM for over 30 years of experience, driving innovation, transformation, and a billion-dollar growth in the corporate world. After retiring from corporate America, Anuk transitioned into a thriving new chapter as a certified life and mindset coach, international best-selling author, speaker, and mentor to high achievers and rising leaders. She's passionate about helping people step into their next chapter with clarity, confidence, and courage. From managing global teams and reshaping business strategy to inspiring individuals to say yes to their growth. Anook brings deep wisdom, warmth, and unapologetic truth to everyday conversation. I'm looking forward to exploring even more about the conversation today. Welcome, Anook. Thank you for coming to the Overcomers Approach and having this time and conversation here today. Welcome.

SPEAKER_03 1:19

Thank you. Thank you for having me. I am super excited to be here.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Thank you. Thank you. And I am excited to have you here. I kind of want to

Leaving The Boardroom For Purpose

SPEAKER_00 1:28

get started. You have more than 30 years of career experience in corporate America. What inspired you to transition from the boardroom to a transformational coach and speaker?

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Wow, time really does fly. Yes. It's hard to believe that I was in corporate America for 32 years. Yes. And I had a super amazing, phenomenal career in corporate America that I'm really grateful for. But God kept speaking to me in those last few years of my corporate career, telling me it was time to do something more, time to do something different, time to do something even more impactful. So I've had the opportunity to take those learnings, those experiences, those skills that I learned in corporate, and now I help other people. So I am very passionate about serving people. I'm truly passionate about inspiring, encouraging, motivating, and empowering people. So now I am out in this world, in this entrepreneur environment, trying to make my impact by helping others with the information that I have been so fortunate to gain. And um it's it's amazing that I am here because you know I started in corporate and I didn't see myself exiting corporate until I didn't want to do anything more. And I retired in August of 2023, but I didn't retire from corporate to stop working. I just decided it was time to be obedient to God's voice. That's right. To do what God was telling me to do. And now I want to make that broader impact into my community.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Awesome. You know, you touched on so many things. First of all, 30 years, you don't even look like 30 years anywhere. So you're super kind of served you well. Um, and I I just love the fact that you said, you know, all that experience isn't, you know, that's not in vain. That is built you into an incredible person that you are, and then to incorporate that into what you do now. One thing I'd like to say about the obedience to God's voice when God like nudges you, like this is your time, this is the next chapter, the next part of the journey that I want you in. What do did that come quickly or did you kind of battle

Wrestling With Fear And Faith

SPEAKER_00 3:52

with that? What what what was that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

Oh, that's a very good question because I definitely battled with God. I questioned him. Yeah, I really wanted to understand because at this point I'm the vice one of the vice presidents at the CM. And I had worked really, really hard, and I was super excited that I had advanced all the way to vice president senior partner. And I'm a girl that came from humble beginnings.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

I was reared in the hood of Shreeport, Louisiana. I was reared by a grandmother who only had a third or sixth grade education. And so I was just so floored uh and grateful for my compensation package. And so I was talking to God to say, Do you really want me to leave this great compensation? And he reminded me that he is my source, that's right, and that I needed to be obedient and that doors were just gonna open that I couldn't even imagine. And so it was definitely something that was a bit scary because I knew what I enjoyed doing, but I wasn't quite sure that I was ready to kind of step out on faith, step out to be an entrepreneur because in corporate, you know, even though I had to work, you know, really long and you know, hard at times, I knew that I was going to get a paycheck on the 15th and the last day of the month. And it turns out that paycheck was going to be. And now here in this space, I don't know how much money I'm going to make on a monthly basis, right? It all just kind of depends. So it was definitely something that was a discussion with me back and forth with God.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

You know, thank you for your transparency and being very authentic about that, because I think that's a real space that a lot of people navigate through. You know, my grandparents raised me and my grandmother had a sixth grade education. And so I can definitely to relate, like when you reach these comp these milestones and these great accomplishments, you remember like where you came from. And then I could see the struggle in that even with myself in some places because I'm like, wait a minute now, you know, like, yeah. So I I get it, but God's so much bigger than that. Like He's so much bigger, and He's definitely our provider. And it really is like mustard seed faith. And then life is so short, you know, it's so short. You know, we have to, and we don't want to leave this world full of the gifts that God has given us, you know, we want to leave here empty. So as we transition on to glory, you know, like, and so it's that obedience, I think, is is big. And that's a space that I find a lot of people in. And I'm I've seen some people step out on faith, and now where they're at, like, man, it's just so amazing. Like, it's just, and I'm so encouraged and inspired by that. But I think, you know, I I journey in this life. I'm in a space where everybody's kind of having that conversation right now, and so I definitely appreciate it. And and you walk on the walk and impacting lives as well. So I definitely appreciate that. Um, you often speak of reinvention. What does that mean for

Reinvention And The Mirror Test

SPEAKER_00 7:12

you and for what's needed in today's world? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:15

Yeah, I I really do believe that we must all continuously grow and develop.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

That we can't stay in a moment of being complacent. Yes. Um, that we have to really stretch ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:32

And so no matter if you're in the same uh career space, yeah, you still need to make sure that you're learning and you're growing. That's right. And so I really do believe that it is important that we all take time to look at ourselves in the mirror.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

And that we're honest with ourselves about am I truly fulfilled with this life? Because as you just said, that life is so short. Life is very short, and life is very precious. And I often say is time is the only currency that we have no idea how much we have. That's right. And so we need to make sure we use it wisely. We need to make sure when we're looking ourselves in the mirror that we're looking at something, we're looking at a person that's truly whole, truly fulfilled, and that you're going after the life that you want. Because I do believe that you can co-create whatever life that you want. So anytime that you look in the mirror and you feel like you're not fulfilled, that's a question to yourself to say, what should I be doing? What do I need to grow? What do I need to learn? What do I need to change? How do I need to truly transform?

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Yes. You know, that's good. And you said that people can be there can be a sense of complacency. You're just, it's familiar, you get comfortable. And and I've talked to people um that have been in those spaces. Um, you know, prior to relocating to another state, I had a pretty good job there. And I would talk to people that had so many gifts and talents, and it was a governmental job. And a couple of people was like, I'm here, I'm good, I got a pension, I ain't going nowhere. I like good shoes, and I get all that. It's a real thing. Yeah. And I'm I'm not gonna do nothing. And then there was a part of me that grieved that answer, you know, because I seen like so much potential, and I think there's ways that people can work that out, you know. Maybe they don't leave, maybe they do a combination of things, or but but um, like I said, I felt so grieved because I seen I talked to somebody who had just the greatest, like it was just so big, and I just felt like the light in her was kind of dimming, um, because we were in a space, it was going to be hard for that to flourish. And so I love the fact that you know that we're having that conversation because I think people can get complacent and just stay just right there. And God has so much greater for us, and so um, and like you said, we should be constantly growing, you know, we should be constantly kind of you know, figuring out where where where do we want to grow to? What pathway do we want to take? And some people need extra support doing that. Um, you

30 Days Of Yes To Yourself

SPEAKER_00 10:12

what inspired your book, 30 Days of Yes, and how can saying yes change someone's life as we talk about being stuck?

SPEAKER_03 10:20

Yeah, so um as I was exiting corporate America, I was still trying to come up with my game plan because I am truly um a planner. I like to strategize. Yes, and so one of the things as I was reflecting is that I realized that in my life that I had been saying yes to everybody else and everything else. And I wanted to give myself permission in that new season of my life to know that it was okay to say yes to myself. Yeah, and so I began um to look back at um a book that I had started years prior. Yeah. And I began to kind of figure out how do I streamline this book? How do I make it something that can be easily internalized, easily digested, easily understood, and not only be inspiration to someone, but also be a practical guide. And it was really me giving myself permission to say yes to myself and also making sure that it could be something that I felt like could help a lot of other people that were similar, because oftentimes we give grace and space to everybody else, but we forget that we must love ourselves and we must prioritize ourselves.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Yes, that's good because I I can definitely identify with um being one of those people saying yes to everybody but myself and kind of being in a peep people pleaser, you know, space in my life. And sometimes that's not the most effective way to go. Um, and then also um some people I think need to practice or discipline or figure out how to say yes to themselves. And I've met people on the journey that were very accomplished but didn't love themselves, and that's a primary found, I think that's foundational to a lot of things. You can have a lot of successes, but not love yourself. What were some of your steps or and I know it's in the book, and people can get the book and and actually know more, and I think that is a great tool. And I you said practical tools, and I love that because I'm one of those people keep it simple for me and make it practical so I can apply it to life. And then I incorporate you know all the other things into that too. But I think it's so good to have that. But I think what do you think is like a a recommendation or the first couple of steps people might need to take if they've realized that, and some people might they'll it'll come out in other ways that they don't love themselves, either that's through relationship or food or or how they allow themselves to be treated. Um, they get permission for people to not treat them the greatest. How what do you think are a couple of steps someone could just take to be like, hey, wait a minute. I I realize I I'm not really fully loving myself. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:11

I think the first thing that someone needs to do is really affirm themselves. Yes, and so it is so important for you to know that you deserve the very best life, yes, and that you can have it, and that you are truly worthy, that you are somebody you are deserving, yes, and so oftentimes I think that we can think too small, we can think that average is okay and acceptable, but we need to go after that greatness and believers there for us to claim. Yeah, in the book, it gives you like 30 days of practical things that you can do every day, and then it gives you an opportunity to do some journaling and reflections so that you can then at the end of the 30 days, hopefully, then you are now in a better routine of prioritizing and doing some simple things that can be really impactful in your life. And I wrote that book actually in 2024.

SPEAKER_00 14:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 14:17

And because I was on that journey that I needed to prioritize myself because I became a single mom at one point, and so juggling the corporate life and also trying to raise a son was pretty challenging. Oh, yes. I had to prioritize what I had to prioritize at the time. That's right. And so I really felt like also through other life experiences that I still had these cycles that I needed to break. So I recently wrote another book that says, yes, break the cycle. That's good. Yeah, truly get

Know Yourself And Choose Your Tribe

SPEAKER_03 14:55

to that yes to yourself. And I think that's so key. And you know, when I kind of think about even being in corporate, I feel like oftentimes that we don't have the tip sheet. We don't know, no, right, you know, and so for me, I was so eager to advance, I was so eager to challenge myself just to see if there was this glass ceiling. So I began to ask so many questions, and I equipped myself with mentors, coaches, um, and sponsors. Yes. What I learned was those are three key things in corporate, but those three key things are very applicable to everyday life. It's that's right. And the first thing is you have to truly know yourself, and you have to really take time to know who you are, what are your values, what do you truly like? Um, because oftentimes we get into the routine of doing just what we have to do without really understanding who are we truly. That's right. You really have to know who you are, and then number two, once you know who you are, you have to be comfortable with being who you are.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Oh, that's good.

SPEAKER_03 16:12

Sounds simple, but oftentimes we're so busy performing, like you mentioned about people pleasing. Yes. We're doing or saying what we think people want us to do or say. We need to align with our authentic self and to be comfortable in our own skin and know that sometimes when it makes someone else uncomfortable, they may not just be your tribe, it may not be people you need to be in this life with. And then for three, I do believe you have to surround yourself because no one gets anywhere alone. We are village, we need our tribe. Yes, that's where you can get the tips, you can give um advice on how you can kind of accelerate your path. And as I said earlier, that we all need coaches, we all need mentors, we all need sponsors. Yes, if you're trying to say yes to yourself, or if you're trying to break cycles, or if you're trying to achieve some goal, yes, you're trying to progress in corporate America, or you're trying to figure out how do I really drive the growth for my business that I'm managing. It's really about being yourself, knowing yourself, and surrounding yourself. It works every time.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Ah, I love it. And and that's so key. Like you said, you know, really knowing who you are and being comfortable in who you are. I think that really resonates with me. There were times in my life that I was not comfortable with who Nicole was. Either that was through through past messaging, past patterns, or whatever. But um, but finally finding a place that I authentically love myself and God had created the gifts in me for those reasons. And different people have different gifts to be used in different ways that can work together as a beautiful orchestra. But I think you saying like get comfortable with who you are. And I believe so many people have a lot to offer, but these games like the putting the mask on and trying to have people feel comfortable and just all these things, and it's okay to take up space, you know, in a respectful way. And I love the fact that you said that and surround yourself with the key people and invest your yourself with mentors and sponsors. I think people go out and spend money and so many other things, but to really truly invest in yourself, that's a game changer. And that's that my life really pivoted once, and I'm still growing and learning when I started to do that. Um, and when you say surround yourself and breaking those cycles and patterns, I think too, when you begin to grow, sometimes you begin to shed people from your life or they may change positions. Sometimes that can be difficult. It was difficult for me because I began to see that we were on two different journeys and I struggled with that, you know, a bit. Uh, but also as I got more comfortable in who I was and that it was okay, that that was actually okay if we had were 10 years friends, because there was a lot of value in that friendship. But as we begin to journey, the way they appeared in my life may be different, and and that's okay. Um, I love the fact that you said that and having those key mentors, sponsors, and people to be there as a guide to take you in that next chapter or next level or wherever you're going is is really, really important. So I'm glad you spoke on that because that is a definite real experience. Um, and then I think that could speak to a lot of listeners, you know, uh who listen to my podcast and my own lived experience. I've I've lived that myself. So I'm glad you spoke to that because that that's a real that's a real thing. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 19:55

And it's a journey, right? Yes, all living and we're all learning, and we feel like we get the lesson and then we make a mistake, right? Oh, I thought I got that message. I thought I knew how that, right, and how I'm supposed to show up in that situation, but we're human, so we have to provide self-grace and we have to understand that we are going to continuously make mistakes, and we have to figure out what is the lesson that I learned. And as long as you've learned a lesson, it really wasn't a loss, that's right, in something that was so instrumental in your journey that's going to really build you for your next, your next level, your next chapter.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

That's right. That is so good. Um, and as you say, that I just reflect on some of the young women in my life, my nieces, you know, that I support granddaughters, daughters, and I think sometimes they get so caught up into the mistakes. They get so caught up in, or I should be this person and all that. And I love the fact that we're all human. We can forgive ourselves, give ourselves grace. The key is what is the lesson? What's the lesson that I learned? And that's for children, adults, whatever. Um, and I want to touch on legacy before I wrap this up because I want to go back to that. But what something that standing out to me is in corporate America, was there some real hard lessons that you learned or some lessons that you learned that you apply in the life that you have now? Because I'm sure there's

Leadership Lessons That Still Matter

SPEAKER_00 21:25

some key things that maybe stand out for you.

SPEAKER_03 21:28

Yes. Yes, many of them.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

Um, but I would say early on in corporate, I didn't really know who I was. Right. And I felt like I was finding people that were in certain positions, and then my goal was to figure out what they did to get that corner office back in the day to mimic them. Right. Um, and sometimes with doing that, I lost my. Yes. I felt like I could have learned and taken advice from them, but I could have still been my authentic self. That's right. Um, and I realized an original is worth so much more than a copy. That's right. It probably took me over a decade before I realized that even in a corporate setting, it's okay to still be yourself for sure. That you can still show up as your authentic self. So that was one lesson that was a very hard lesson for me to learn because I'll never forget my first leadership position that I had. I had, you know, it's like I was so into driving the outcomes that I forgot that I was human and I forgot that the people that I was leading was human as well. And so I basically had a rule to say, if you come to my office with a problem, make sure you have a solution. Right. Otherwise, you just want to complain, and I don't have time for complaints.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

We have what to do.

SPEAKER_03 23:06

Yeah. And so reflecting on that, that was not even human. Right. But I had the people, they worked really, really hard, and we did great things. I started to move up the corporate ladder. And then later in life, I realized that's that's not the way to lead. We need to remember that when you are a leader, forget the title, forget the position, think about the action or the at or the uh verb. It's the it's that you are leading. And if you are leading people, you have to remember that people are your biggest asset. That's right. Yes, and when you focus on the people first, people will work harder for you when they feel like that they can trust you. That's right. You see them. Yes, and um, employee satisfaction is directly proportionate to client satisfaction, those are the things that I didn't know early on. Yeah, that's a big lesson. And so now, in all settings, I always remember to lead with people first.

SPEAKER_00 24:15

Yes, yes, the human component to that. I love the fact that you touched on that. I think there's a human-centered approach to that. Um, and I used to be in leadership positions as well. I was very similar, I was very solution focused, you know, like I didn't want nobody coming to me with a problem, not unless you wouldn't say what are we gonna work together on, you know, because I the time, you know, but you realize you end up, at least for me, I ended up wasting more time for them, kind of forcing them with a solution when there was opportunity to be to be of service and to know that I'm dealing with people first, and that uh that there's gonna be a trust building phase. Um, and you know, and they have gifts and talents that can be cultivated. And as you know, as leading teams, once you have a good team, you guys can really soar. Yeah. So I love the fact that you said that. And I think even the space, the work that I that I do right now, I work in public safety, and it's a different space for me. It's law enforcement, but I'm the human services side of law enforcement within that space. Um, and so I work in like more like crisis intervention and helping people navigate. So people can call in for any reason. My daughter won't go to school, I'm going through divorce, I lost my home. There's so many I a crisis, whatever anybody defines it. I just lost my corporate job. That that their identity is gone. Some people that can be a major life-changing event, and some people don't want to go on for that for that, and so I think when I begin to reframe it and just do I'm dealing with human beings and people, I feel like the outcomes begin to change. But I didn't once I had to get my mind off the outcomes first. I had to just be focused on people, and so I'm glad you just kind of recentered that and kind of grounded in that because I think that's important no matter what you do. An entrepreneur, a leader, someone of service, I think that is missing in some spaces. So I love the fact that you kind of resurface that because I I know that that's key. So thank you. You know, I think that's just so important. Thank you. And then uh go down to my last two questions, and then we'll wrap it up. And I'll give you an opportunity to give your website if someone wants to purchase your book, to have you as a speaker, to hire you as a a coach to help them pivot and reinvent themselves, or or just kind of figure out what they want to do if they're stuck. So uh, like I said, when you invest in yourself, which is the greatest, greatest resource that there is, there's so many opportunities that come out of that. So,

Believe First Then Build Legacy

SPEAKER_00 26:50

um what mindset shift is essential for someone in a major life career transition? And that's kind of what I kind of spoke on in the work that I do. But everyday people are dealing with that. What do you think is a major mindset shift people have?

SPEAKER_03 27:05

Yeah, the the mindset, um, the mindset shift that's needed is first you just have to believe it.

SPEAKER_02 27:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

Um, is believe that you deserve better, believe you deserve whatever your dreams are, believe that you can have it.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:21

Once you believe it, it starts to take action. A lot of times we feel like we have to go do something big and grand. Yes. One step toward that dream. Even if it's a small step, those small steps will add up. It's really about being deliberate, it's about being intentional, it's about being consistent. Yeah. And that discipline overall.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

Wow. You said believe it first. That's where it starts. Being intentional and being consistent. That's huge. Because I think people need to be consistent, even if they don't see the outcome right away. It's that consistency, that habit that really brings the change. So I love the fact that you stated that. And then my last question is legacy. You talked about having a son, and I know we talked about life too, and kind of we re many people probably will reinvent themselves a number of times in this life that we're in. Um, but as we begin to think about, you know, our children, you know, our legacy, and sometimes legacy may not be our children, it may just be the lives that we touch. Um, what do you think of legacy? You know, as we we talk about that, is that important to you? How do you view it?

SPEAKER_03 28:35

Yes. It is very important to me that I tell people often that I worked 32 years in corporate America and was um very blessed to be compensated well. And now in my after-corporate years, I'm doing this now to build that legacy for my son and my grandbaby. And so to me, a legacy is really what you leave behind. That's right. Assets. Sometimes it can be physical assets, but it also can be life lessons.

SPEAKER_02 29:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 29:09

So one of the less uh legacies that I want to leave behind for my son is for him to see that his mom, regardless of what challenges that I faced, that I always figured out a way. Yes, that if there is a wheel, there is a way. So I want him and my grandbaby to see to never give up. That's right, always go after it, and don't try to do it alone. That's right. Yes, and um, so again, I really want to go make lots more money, yes, leave that behind for my son and my grandbaby, but I also want to make sure that they have those learnings and that I've taught them how to do things, how to be self-sufficient as well.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Yes, you know, I love that. I love the fact that really resonated with me because of course we have the asset, but then I think that lived experience, you know, of emotional intelligence, of faith, of choice that God will make a way, you know, and we don't have to do it alone. And it's okay to ask for help, you know, and those are key ingredients. I can't, there's no real price tag on that because that's like a priceless invention. Uh, it's a priceless investment as well. And then, you know, as we know in this life, there are gonna be trials, there's gonna be challenges, but we have the ability to bounce back, you know, we have the ability to persevere, we have the ability to rise from the ashes no matter what comes before us, and having those intrinsic qualities um is such a blessing, of course. Having assets helps as well. I'm not that that you know, of course, you know, we want to know if they hit a bump that whatever we bless them with, you know, that it could soften the cushion. And so um that is so amazing. Thank you, Anook. If people want to get in touch with you for speaking engagements or to hire you as their coach or or speaker, what website can they go to? What web link would they go to to do that?

SPEAKER_03 31:17

Yeah, everything consolidated in one place because I like to keep things really, really simple. Yes. My website is anukhenmc.com. So that's an o k hyphen mc.com. You can link to me uh to all of my social media. You can get my direct phone number, you can purchase any one of my three books. You can book me for coaching or speaking engagement.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

Awesome. Anook, this has truly been a blessing. This has been a great informational pack time, and I appreciate you and thank you. And I know my listeners will be blessed as well. Thank you again. Thank you. I'm so very grateful.

SPEAKER_03 31:54

God bless you, wish you nothing but blessings on blessings.

SPEAKER_00 31:57

Yes, you as well. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 31:59

Thank you.