EP 554: Wishing Out Loud With Lisa M. Ong

What makes Lisa M. Ong with Wishing Out Loud a good neighbor?

We talk with Lisa M. Ong about what it takes to build a career that stands out in a world where technology can create polished resumes in seconds, but cannot replace the power of a personal story. As an executive and career coach, Lisa helps high performers and emerging leaders gain clarity, communicate their strengths, and create career strategies built around relationships and purpose.

One of the biggest misconceptions we explore is that artificial intelligence will replace the need for career coaching. Lisa explains why tools can help with wording and efficiency, but they cannot uncover the experiences, values, and unique strengths that make someone memorable. The difference between sounding professional and truly connecting often comes down to authenticity.

Lisa shares how her background as a CPA and her decades working inside a global consulting firm shaped her approach to leadership development, executive presence, and career portfolio planning. She explains why identifying your “superpowers” is essential for standing out in interviews, promotion conversations, and professional branding.

We also dive into networking and why it does not have to feel overwhelming. Lisa shares practical strategies for introverts, including how to “network from your couch” using technology and how intentional smaller conversations can create deeper professional relationships than surface-level connections.

The conversation highlights Lisa’s Wishing Out Loud method, a framework built around relationship mapping, identifying the people who can help bring your goals to life, and building trust over time. She explains why being willing to clearly communicate what you want—even asking directly—is often the step that opens new opportunities.

If you’re navigating a career transition, seeking leadership growth, or trying to communicate your value more confidently, this conversation offers practical tools to help you move forward with clarity.

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Guest Info: Wishing Out Loud |   https://www.wishingoutloud.com/  | 

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of an executive and career coach? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Lisa M. Ong, with Wishing Out Loud. Lisa, it's great to have you on today. Now we are so excited to learn more about you and your business. So go ahead and tell our listeners just a little bit more about your company.

Career By Design Through Coaching

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Thank you. My company does executive coaching and leadership development as well as career portfolio planning. So some people do career coaching to find a job. I love to work with individuals who are planning their life by design, not by default. So we're looking at portfolio careers, everything from backpacks in college all the way up through the boardroom.

From CPA To Talent Coach

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Wow. Now, how did you originally get into this industry?

SPEAKER_01 1:07

So my background is I'm a certified public accountant, which is a different path to leadership coaching. I spent 30 years at Pricewaterhouse Cooper's, one of the top global consulting firms in the world. I specialized as a certified public accountant in auditing, so getting to know people, processes, and policies. But what I found over time was that I loved working with people more than the processes and policies. So I gravitated and the last half of my career at PWC into the talent management space, working in human capital. I like to say I had the best job in the world because when you're working with the best and the brightest, it's like shining diamonds. So I was an internal executive coach responsible for talent development and basically helping people get promoted. So the reason I said shining diamonds is often you have people that are very brilliant, but perhaps they're feeling a little bit overlooked and simply need a little polishing in their communication skills or the right visibility for someone to see their potential and put them in their next little position to shine.

Why AI Cannot Replace Coaching

SPEAKER_02 2:15

I love that. And today, what is the most common misconception you come across in your industry?

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Well, the one that I hear the most is we won't need coaches anymore because we can just use AI to rewrite our LinkedIn profiles and our resumes, right? But however, if you're trying to stand out in the age of AI, if you use AI, you're going to sound like AI. And what I do as an executive coach is I hold up the mirror to their greatness. So when I interview them, I help them get very clear on their unique superpowers and strengths and how to tell their story.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

And once you get into identifying some of their superpowers and strengths, what is the next step in the process?

Brand Stories And Authentic Networking

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Helping them develop their brand story formats, right? So that they always structure their stories to be short, concise, and memorable, right? What do we want you to know, feel, and do? And so they always have those story inventories ready to go. The other thing I love to help them do is tap into their own sense of authenticity. So rather than trying to force them to be like everyone else, if they're an introvert like me and networking feels really awkward or exhausting, right? I teach them how to network from their couch, right? How to use technology as your friend, right? You can use LinkedIn, you can use webinars and still network from home.

SPEAKER_02 3:45

I love that, especially in the day and time that we are in.

Ideal Clients And Portfolio Pivots

SPEAKER_02 3:49

Now we're gonna go ahead and switch gears for a second. Now, we do know that marketing is the heart of every business. So ideally, who is that ideal client of yours, these diamonds you're looking to help polish? And how are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Oftentimes my clients are folks who are stuck in middle management, a little tired of seeing other people get promoted over them that perhaps aren't as smart or not working as hard. A lot of my clients have what I call career portfolio pivoted. So perhaps they're leaving higher education or corporate to launch their own businesses or services business. So they're a solo entrepreneur and they have a dream, but they don't have the business background that I have as a certified public accountant and as a coach to think about the structure they're going to need to put in place to scale and then how to save money. So oftentimes new business owners get pulled into trying to be like everyone else, and everyone tries to sell something to them the minute they put founder on their LinkedIn profile, right? They'll try to sell them all sorts of things. So, from a marketing perspective, I really help them be strategic in identifying who are their ideal clients, where are they hanging out, and what do you uniquely have that can add value to them? And once they have that, the seeing their transformation and their ability to do what they love and grow their business is what really excites me.

Small Circles To Beat Loneliness

SPEAKER_02 5:16

And where are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_01 5:19

So I host what I've discovered post-COVID is that while I do like networking for my couch, people there's an epidemic of loneliness. So people do love getting together, but if you're rusty at networking, you don't want to go to these huge meetups where there's hundreds of people because that's too overwhelming. So I purposely specialize in creating smaller circles, which are usually quarterly lunch meetups, less than 20 people, maybe 12 to 20 people, or virtual group mentoring sessions where we never have more than eight to 10 people. That way you really get to know the group and one another and deepen those relationships. One of my clients said, Lisa, after my child went off to college, I realized all my friends were tied to my children's activities. And I really miss adult friendships. And so by being a part of a circle and surrounding yourself with other small business owners or other emerging leaders or people at similar or next stage level up in their career really inspires you to stretch and grow.

Walking Reading And Podcast Life

SPEAKER_02 6:24

And when you're not inspiring others outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_01 6:30

I love walking. I'm an avid reader, and I love to say I devour podcasts. I probably listen to two to three hours of podcast a day. So when you reached out to invite me to this one, I was like, great, another one I can listen to.

SPEAKER_02 6:45

I love that.

Relationship Mapping To Grant Wishes

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Now, Lisa, we've covered a lot of great information today. But if there was one grand takeaway about wishing out loud for our audience, what would you want that one takeaway to be?

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Well, my company is called Wishing Out Loud because it's my registered coaching trademark. Over the years, people would say, Lisa, I wish I could have an opportunity to present to our senior leadership team, or I wish I could get a bonus or a raise. And I'm like, well, I'm glad that you feel comfortable wishing out loud with me. But really the art of wishing out loud, which is my coaching trademark, is to really strategically relationship map and build trusted relationships with the people who can actually grant their wish, right? I'm not their boss, I'm not their HR leader. But if you've invested in those relationships first, from the perspective of long-lasting trusting relationships, not transactional, over time, if you give first, then when you do strategically wish out loud, and specifically, I teach them to specifically wish out loud in multiple choice, you increase your odds of getting your wish.

How To Connect And Get Started

SPEAKER_01 7:54

So if something that we talked about today is like, wow, I wish I could wish out loud with Lisa, or I'm thinking about a new idea, but I'm not really sure how I might explore it. That's where a breakthrough discovery call with me might help them figure out their next steps, whether they want to join one of my lunch meetups or join one of my virtual circles or work with me individually to help them get that clarity to pursue their dreams. I'd love to talk to them.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

Wonderful. And where can they go to get started with that next step?

SPEAKER_01 8:24

Well, as I mentioned, I live on LinkedIn. So if they look me up under Lisa Middle Initial M for Michelle Long, and it's professional certified coach, so PCC CPA. I'm the only coach that's professional certified coach and CPA in here in North Texas.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Well, Lisa, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Thank you, and thank you for what you do to bring neighbors together.

Nominate A Local Business

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco dot com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six nine two two one nine three four five.