54: Beyond Your Corporate Identity- Redefining Hustle and Self Worth In Midlife

What if your worth had nothing to do with your title, your to-do list, or how “busy” you are? We sit down with identity coach and multi-passionate creator Stephanie Ramirez to unpack why so many high-achieving women tie self-esteem to productivity—and how to build a life that feels grounded, free, and unmistakably you.

Stephanie traces her path from corporate strategist to identity-first coach, revealing how burnout, remote work, and multiple layoffs became catalysts for a deeper reinvention. Her breakthrough came from an unexpected place: ballroom dance. Moving from head to body helped her rediscover presence, joy, and the power of pausing. From there, she developed the idea of an identity ecosystem—diversifying your roles and passions so one bad day doesn’t topple your whole sense of self. We dig into how hobbies become resilience training, why a beginner mindset dissolves perfectionism, and how detaching from outcomes can actually elevate your performance.

Along the way, we challenge the “busy equals valuable” script and the old one-job-for-forty-years narrative. You’ll hear practical ways to start small—follow a persistent nudge, try a low-stakes experiment, treat everything as data, and listen to what feels good in your body. We also talk about choosing work that fits your values, saying no to misaligned opportunities, and honoring seasons of growth, rest, and change. If you’ve been feeling restless, stuck, or unsure who you are beyond your roles, this conversation offers clarity, compassion, and a path back to self-trust.

Subscribe for more thoughtful conversations on midlife reinvention, boundaries, and joy-led living. If this resonated, share it with a friend and leave a quick review—it helps others find the show and join the journey.

Find Steph HERE:

https://www.StephRamirez.com

Linked In:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramirezstephanie/

Transcript

Setting The Midlife Stage

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey beautiful friend, it's Marnie. Welcome back to Life is Delicious. We've been talking a lot about how so many women identify themselves by roles, whether it's their career or being a caregiver, a mom, or a grandma, or just the reliable one. We tend to feel a bit unnerved when those roles begin to shift. And as we get into midlife, those roles definitely shift in so many different ways, whether it's navigating a divorce or maybe moving into a different career, or maybe just letting go of our career altogether. And even the stepping into retirement can be such an interesting space to be because uh we've spent so much of our life at work and that has become our identity. So today's guest is gonna help us unpack some of that. Her name is Stephanie Ramirez, and she's an identity coach, a former corporate strategist, and a creative, multi-passionate entrepreneur who helps high-achieving women reconnect with who they are beyond their titles, roles, and their productivity. After years of success in corporate leadership, Stephanie shifted her work to focus on identity-first coaching, supporting women through transitions, reinvention, and the process of remembering who they are. Through her work, she encourages building an identity portfolio, which means cultivating self-trust and creating a life that feels grounded, expansive, and truly delicious. And the cool thing is, is she is also a fellow voice actor and a dancer and a speaker who believes that identity is something we live, not something we perform. So if any of this resonates with you, you're gonna thoroughly enjoy today's conversation. Welcome to this episode of Life is Delicious. I'm Marnie Martin, and I'm so glad you're here. And if this is your first time here, welcome to the Life is Delicious Family. This podcast isn't about surviving midlife, it's about crafting your next chapter life, overflowing with purpose, joy, and delicious possibilities. Listen, midlife doesn't have to be a crisis, it can be a beautiful invitation to remember who we are, to rediscover a new version of ourself, or to completely reinvent our life to reflect who we are becoming now. So if you're tired of being exhausted, living life on autopilot and putting everyone else first, then you are in the right place. Each week we'll bring you thought-provoking ideas and practical strategies as well as inspiration to help you prioritize yourself again. It's time to take back your joie de vive. So grab a notebook and pen and pop in those earbuds and let's go get it. Before we get started, I just wanted to ask you a quick question. How many times this week did you say yes to things that you really wanted to say no to? And how many times did you accommodate someone else's wishes so that they would stay comfortable while in fact you were not? The reason I ask is because this has become a very common situation for women who overfunction, especially when we have a lot on our plate. So if you feel like you've been overfunctioning or people pleasing or maybe just doing more than you actually feel like you can do happily, I've created something just for you. It's called the five-day midlife boundary reset. It's a five-day email program where we do some quick resets that help to rewire the fear of disappointing others, and it helps us stop disappointing ourselves. Join me over at lifeisdelicious.ca forward slash boundary, where it's free to sign up, and it will really give you some journal prompts and some quick inspiration for getting your boundaries back on track. That's lifeisdelicious.ca forward slash boundary. Okay, back to the show. Welcome, Stephanie, to the Life is Delicious Podcast. It's such a pleasure to have you with us today. Thank you so much for having me. Now I know that you have quite an extensive time in the corporate world. Maybe explain to us a little bit about your background and what actually inspired you to get into the work you're doing today.

Climbing Corporate And Burning Out

Dance As A Door To Freedom

Remote Work, Layoffs, And Reinvention

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Yeah, absolutely. I feel like like many women can relate, especially being high achievers, very ambitious. Um, I'm also first generation. So a family came here. Me and my brother were the first ones to be born here, and we've kind of just been always taught to be like that go-getter, the responsible one, dependable, the overachiever essentially. And so with that, just growing up, I moved to New York City right after I graduated college at the University of Florida and just starting my corporate career in public relations and marketing. And honestly, it was kind of like the tick where social media became a thing, especially for businesses. Like I feel like I'm like dating myself, but it was beginning of like Twitter and Facebook and all of that. And businesses were trying to adjust to like, what is this? How does this serve like you know, purpose for us and all of that? So I always wanted to get like a step ahead to always make sure like I had like a long career trajectory. And with that, like was always this curiosity, this need to like know like the latest technology and innovation and always be ahead of the game. And so that always kind of tied me to work. Um, I moved up the corporate ladder, I worked in agency, media, entertainment, tech, all of that. I'm very, very grateful for where it's led me. But also it just never felt sustainable. I always kind of had that roller coaster of emotions of burnout because I was constantly on, going, proving, always trying to be like successful on paper. But I always kind of felt like there was some sort of disconnection with me internally. And so I think it wasn't until I started getting hints of freedom and leaning into my hobbies outside of work. Again, a lot of my coworkers had to push me to find hobbies out of work because granted, I was always at work. I tied my worth to work. If I could stay at the office and sleep at the office and just wake up the next day and be at my desk, I would do that. I actually would. It's like true, true story. Cause like I like I hit burnout and not because I didn't even love my job, I loved it, but I just couldn't see anything outside of work. And I think that's that's great for a while, but that's not sustainable for anybody to have a balanced, a sort of at least balanced life. So it wasn't until my own coworkers were like, Steph, please get a hobby. Do something outside of work. And I've developed many hobbies and many, many and many things that obviously me, you and I can connect on as well. But one of them actually started out with being like a ballroom dancer and doing it competitively. Wow, that's interesting. Yeah. I was in Manhattan working, you know, in Soho and I went to the subway trying to think about like after work, like what can I pick up as a hobby? I don't know. And I look up and there's a ballroom studio, and I'm like, ooh, I dabbled in dance growing up, but never really stuck to it. And ballrooms sounded challenging but fun. So I'm like, oh, let me let me give this a shot. And that literally was the first step towards freedom. I fell in love with it, obsessed with it, could not get enough of dance. And I think that was kind of the first thing where I started realizing, like, oh, wait, if I can structure my work and be super efficient at work, I can actually leave the office when I'm supposed to and do something that I love. The most simplest concept. And then I'm like, oh, wait, I love this. Let me do more of this. And like it made me like kind of just give more value to things outside of work that also filled my cup. Everything in my life started to be affected in such a positive way once I started seeing outside of work. And again, this also made me more invested in my job and more invested in my work because I started feeling much more fuller as a person. So I showed up more energy and more positivity. Like I wanted to deliver work and be even more efficient with my time. So I could actually get out on time and actually do things that I love. Like, so I was able to just start tasting that freedom. And then I think the pandemic was like the seal of it because I was able to finally get a job in tech and work remotely and never have to go back to an office. And yay! Yeah. And then I slowly started like like traveling. I got I picked up, you know, uh working in like voiceover work. I started doing so many things because working remotely, I had time to do all these things. So I didn't have to like be commuting in and out of the office. And from that, though, like I realized like once I got laid off, that was the third layoff I had experienced in my corporate career, where it was also another sign of like, oh wait, I don't want to put my future in somebody else's hands. I could sleep at the office and I would still get laid off. Like there was nothing I could do to prove to the company that I was worth keeping. After three times, like third time is a charm of like, you know what? I really love my life outside of work and I know I can still make an impact, not being in an office and still do the things that I love. And I didn't feel like I had to sacrifice one or the other. And so I'm like, well, if I can't find a dream job that does that again, I'm just gonna start my own business and live a flexible lifestyle and make it happen. And I think more and more people are starting to wake up and realize that. And as much as I do still want to continue that mission of getting people outside of corporate, you know, jumping on and starting their own business, I realized this past year there's something even deeper because my business now has been mainly consulting. So transferring my skills from corporate to entrepreneurship and having my own consulting business. I started leaning into coaching and specifically for also high achieving, ambitious women who have learned to tie their, tie their worth to their work and now want to live a free life, like different life than they had in the past. And it's not saying they're less ambitious, less, you know, overachieving. Like they still want to make an impact, but on their own terms.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

And I think that's really important to differentiate is that we definitely are not giving less. It's just we want to define our worth in a very different way.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Absolutely. And it's not in the hands of others. And I feel like too, like whether you want to stay in corporate, which obviously there's always reasons and value too, but it's just being aware of what your motive is and what your why is. And if you don't want to be in corporate, then that's also okay too. But then you're able to kind of gain some clarity once you do that inner work of what do I really want to do? Do I want to make impact in other ways that isn't what I've been used to? That's okay. That there's always that in-between that people are suffering with where it's like, oh, I'm frozen, but I don't know what's next. And it's like just really tapping into what do you really want to do? What brings you joy?

Redefining Worth Beyond Work

SPEAKER_01 10:01

Well, it sounds like you dove headfirst into your career, but even when you found a hobby, you dove headfirst into that too. And I mean, there's there's a definite um, I think that I think that time of life was really the hustle culture was how we defined ourselves. I was a real estate agent for 12 years in the same thing. And I remember going through this phase where, you know, and I I say a phase because I didn't realize I was doing it. People would say, How's it going? Are you uh how's how's work? And I go, Oh, I'm so busy. I'm just so busy. And everything was as long as I was busy, I felt like I was successful. I was, I was, you know, doing what I was supposed to do. And so my entire identity was tied to being extraordinarily busy all the time. And I had no idea how to relax. I had no idea how to, you know, shut down. Just was what you're talking about. And, you know, it sounds like you getting into the dance. What's so great about that is all of that corporate work and the real estate and whatever, it's all very cerebral and you're living in your head for a lot of your day. So getting into the dance brought you back into your body. So you've got some balance happening, right? And that's really important for anybody.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Yeah, absolutely. It's honestly just being curious and following your joy, like whatever that looks like for you. I think like it's just being like really aware of like those like moments of quiet throughout your day of like, what would I rather be doing? Like, where do you vision when you're in between meetings, in between calls, and you have a few, a few moments to your time? Like, tap into those things. I think people kind of like like to be on autopilot and always be busy, like you were saying, because productivity feels safe, like your output feels like you're giving value. So you want to constantly be doing that. But it's also like okay to take a stop and just be like, oh, well, what do I really want to be doing? Let me start exploring what that looks like because like that for me feels more sustainable than always being on autopilot because that just feels very exhausting at some point.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Yeah, and but was what also interesting, at least from my own perspective, was I found that when I kept saying I was really busy and I and I was busy, I kept myself busy. And I think sometimes keeping yourself busy is a distraction technique, so you don't actually have to stop and look at what's not working. So I think there's some of that that definitely can happen. So it's really finding a way where we can actually step back. And one of the things I know you talk about is an identity ecosystem. And I think it's really brilliant because it's not putting all of your worth into one role or title. So tell us a little bit more about how you got started with that and what that means.

Busy As A Distraction

SPEAKER_00 12:30

Yeah, absolutely. I think for me, like identity ecosystem is kind of like an emotional resiliency practice. Um, I think for me too, because work was basically like it it defined who I was. Me and work were not separate. And I think for so much of my career, obviously that led me to a lot of success. So I'm very grateful for that path. But at the end of the day, that doesn't feel sustainable. I think us as human beings, like we're on this planet to be more than just our job, you know, like more than just our title, more than just that. Like we are so many things. We play so many roles in life that bring so much value. So it's hard to just put ourselves into one bucket. I don't think any of us were brought here to play small. I think we're all have a role to play big and just be as big as we can, like on the time that we're here. So I think for me, I put all my value into work. And so if I had a bad day, if maybe, you know, like something went bad at my job, like it felt like I felt like I collapsed, like everything in my life trickled to be bad because I put all of my eggs in one basket. And so once I started diving into dance, I was like, oh, well, if I had a bad day at work, you know, dance will make me feel so much better. So I didn't, so I if I look back at my back on my day, I'm like, oh wait, my day wasn't that bad. I got to dance. I'm like, oh wait, if I start doing more things, then if one thing goes wrong, then it doesn't feel like I entirely collapse. I'm constantly like shuffling, but it feels like I'm invested and I get to really explore how I am and my skills and my talents and my joys in other ways, that it makes me feel so much more sustainable and happy that I get to do that. And I don't have everything collapsing into one basket or one cup.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Well, that's the balance piece that we're talking about, right? And it's the same for me. I think that's what a big full life actually means is when we can actually feel valuable in more than one area and to be able to shift, like you say. One day, you might have a bad work day, but you're like, you know what, I'm gonna go play pickleball and I'm gonna feel great and it's gonna be awesome, right? And so having those external things that maybe don't define us, but maybe just allow us to be a different version of ourselves and wear a different hat, I think that's really important. And I know you and I talked a little bit about the whole voiceover thing and and the fact that I mean, I love to wear more than one hat. I think that's when I'm at my best, that's when I'm at my most productive, that's when I'm at my most creative, is when I'm juggling a few balls because that's just how my brain works. And I know you said you're very similar. So how did you get into the voice acting thing? Because I know for me it was a kind of just kind of happened by accident, but I it's definitely changed the way I live my life for sure.

Building An Identity Ecosystem

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Yeah, absolutely. I feel like there's always been a reason for me to use my voice, whether it's been my own joy or people have always like said something about my voice. Uh like I used to sing growing up. Um, I've always been invited to speak at events and just people always wanted to hear me talk. And I just I just followed that. I'm like, oh, sure. And they're like, oh, your voice is very soothing. And so growing up, I've always just wanted to do things with my voice, but never really knew what that was. I didn't, you know, I couldn't envision myself being obviously a professional singer or anything like that. So I never really considered or took anything really seriously with it until voice acting, because one of the jobs that I had was working in entertainment and I worked at um Univision, which is a Spanish global TV network, and I worked on their digital team, which is allocating a lot of like strategy, social media work to their digital channels online, especially their YouTube channel. And so I worked right next to the production studios, and so my office was right there. One day they were shooting something and they needed a voice actor that they had hired, but that voice actor suddenly bailed, did not show up for work, did not get there on time, and just did like felt like it basically fell through. And so the director like knocked on my office, came in and was like, Can can I can I borrow you for a second? Can you read something for me? And I'm like, sure, okay. I go into like the studio, he gives me a script, I read it, and he's like, Wow, like this is great, this is exactly what I needed. I was like, okay, cool. He goes, You should really do this more often. And I'm like, wait, what did I do? I just like read a script. I didn't really know what this was. And he's like, This is voice acting. He's like, people do this, like this is actually a job. And I'm like, oh, that like that was that's really cool. I don't I don't even know where to get started. But that experience always stuck with me because even when it went live, like people were commenting like how great my voice was. And I'm like, oh, I don't, I don't know. I just I always put it to like the wayside. I didn't really know what to do with it until the pandemic came. And then that's when we were kind of obviously like all at home, kind of wondering what can we do remotely, that able to make passive income and that we can at least keep ourselves busy. And so I decided, I'm like, wait, I always wanted to like really look into that voice acting thing. I didn't really know what to do with that. So found um this coach online actually who was offering courses. And so I started with that beginner course and fell in love with it. Again, like everything that I do, went headfirst, like gave 150% and then, you know, just advanced onto his levels of classes. And then through that, we were able to create demos. And through the demos, I said, you know what? Why don't I just start posting online and putting it out there and see what happens? Funny enough, I posted it on Instagram and one of my old college mentors reached out to me and said, Hey, are you looking for an agent? And I was like, wait, like what? Like, sure. I'm like, I would never say no to that. And so she said, you know, my my next door neighbor where I just moved to is an agent and she's looking to represent talent. And I sent her your Instagram post, and so she wants to bring you on. And I'm like, wow. The universe just just gives, just gives back when you put yourself out there. So it's true.

Many Hats And Voice Acting

SPEAKER_01 17:54

It's a hundred percent true. And I mean my story is very similar. I was a singer too growing up, and yeah, I got into real estate. And I think my husband and I, here, at least on the island, were one of the first teams that actually started doing videos, and I voiced them over. So we did videos of all of our listings and I started to voice them. And it was just, it was really fun. And and I never thought much of it. I mean, I wasn't really doing it for any other reason but to promote our business. And then people would stop me and go, Oh, I could just listen to those all day long. And I've and it was so funny because that happened to me so often, and I was like, Wow, that's really interesting to me because I didn't see it that way. And so yeah, it just kind of evolved into you know, sitting on hold with TELUS one day, and I guess who gets to do that all day? Because I think that's right up my alley. So I pursued it the same way as you just kind of read every book in the, you know, world about voiceover and got a coach, and and here we are, right? So it's it's kind of interesting. And I think that's the cool thing about, you know, creative brains. We're not ever pigeonholed into just one thing we can, you know, navigate through. And I think there's a lot more people that are like that than we realize. And I think sometimes people get in their own way and don't allow themselves to shift from one identity to the other because they feel like somehow they'll dilute themselves or they won't be able to do both things as well. But that's not necessarily the case.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Absolutely. I can wholeheartedly agree. I feel like we all have that within us, and it's kind of really tapping into that. And I think a common theme I really encounter with a lot of clients that I work with is that they can see this for others, but they can't see that for themselves. And I think that's where a lot of the work begins is like really unpacking those limiting beliefs that we've built for ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Oh, a hundred percent. I know that's a big deal, and we talk a lot about that on the podcast for sure. What do you think that voice work taught you about like self-expression and having a little bit more confidence? Like, how has that been a thing that you've been able to transfer to your clients?

Expression, Perfectionism, And Presence

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Yeah. Um, oh man, I feel like all these different forms of self-expression have just like made me feel uh like, yeah, I think it's it's pushed me past my limits and past my comfort zone in a way that I don't think I would have ever experienced in any other, any other manner. Because I feel like it's helped me adapt a beginner mindset in everything that I do. Because I think like obviously being that like high achiever, ambitious type, I think it goes without saying that you tend to be a perfectionist as well. Like you want to do everything perfect and you want to get the golden star, the awards, like get all the A pluses you can, because obviously that was always like external validation that you were on the right path. But I think with hobbies, especially as you like do them for fun and you're not necessarily doing them for an achievement, you learn to just enjoy the process, enjoy the journey. You don't do it for a specific outcome, you do it because you love it. And so I think that's been such a great practice because I'm so used to being a perfectionist that this allows me to just let go and be present. And I think with a lot of these hobbies too, especially with voiceover acting, as you know, like there's so much power in the pause and slowing down and being present. It's not like a computer that can just do it automatically. Like you have to be intentional with how you do things. And so I think that whole process and journey has shaped me as a person. Um, it's also built like like resiliency, because I think dance is competitive for me. Again, I've shifted my whole mindset around it, like not trying to do it for the outcome. Again, competitions do obviously get results. So I think that's obviously goes without saying. But it's also helped me learn a lot about detachment, which is why I really relate. I don't know if you've heard about like Alyssa Liu, everything everyone's been talking about the figure skater at the Olympics. Oh, and now I didn't get to watch it. No, no, it's okay. I think like just her story really like resonated with me because she did it for fun. Like she quit skating because her coaches were really hard on her and they really wanted to push her outside of her limits, and she didn't want to do that. So she came back and is doing it for fun and she won gold. And I relate so much that because I took a break from dance at one point because I was doing it for the outcomes again, perfectionist mindset. And I think with hobbies like voiceover acting and dance, like you also learn how to detach yourself from the results. And I think that's such a good practice of like resiliency because again, you you go back to your why with everything that you do. Like, why did you start this in the first place? Like go back to that for the joy of it, for the fun of it.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Yeah. And I think what's really interesting, at least from my perspective, is when I first started doing voice work, it was like, oh, I gotta do everything. So I had to be able I felt like I needed to know how to do everything and I need to take every job that came and all the things. I mean, I've been doing voice now for almost 30 years, but it makes me sound old. But really, uh the cool part about it is now I cherry pick the jobs I want to do. I don't even audition for stuff that isn't gonna serve me or isn't gonna pay me what I'm worth. And I think that's the other piece that's really fun is to be able to say, you know what, I I love doing this work, but I'm not gonna do work that doesn't fit into what I believe my own worth and my joy will come from it, right? So I specifically stick to the kind of work that that really lights me up and and that's the coolest thing. And I think I think that can be applied to it doesn't have to be voice work or dance, it could be anything, gardening or cooking or learning to play an instrument or learning to speak a language, it could be anything. So it's just a matter of allowing ourselves to be a little bit flexible of with the identities that we carry. And I know that's really hard for a lot of people because there's so much shifting as we get into certain areas and especially around even getting closer to retirement, like a lot of people just feel like they've they don't know what their identity even is anymore, you know? And that's that's a tough situation because there's just so much you can choose from, but then the overwhelm kicks in. So, how do you help people with that? Like if somebody was listening right now that's just feeling super disconnected from themselves and going, what can I do today to sort of step into maybe a little bit of a better version of myself? What could they do this week? Just maybe start reconnecting with that piece of themselves.

Choosing Joyful Work And Fit

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Yeah, absolutely. And I also want to say, too, like that's so normal. I think all of us face that. And so it's kind of just like taking that step back and just being really gentle and kind with ourselves. Like, how how long have we been conditioned to be like the way that we are now? Like you were saying, if people are hitting retirement, then they probably spent most of their life programmed in a certain way. And like that's also served its purpose and its value. And, you know, it's gotten them to where they they are now. So I think it's taken them so long to get there. I don't think reversing things is gonna be overnight. And again, it's a kind of just having patience with the process. Let's say you do want to do some introspection, you really want to do the inner work to like live that life and really kind of just find that ident reconnect with your identity. I think it's gonna take time, but I think it's just being aware of that and then being kind with ourselves in that process. But I think with me, like what I always like to guide people in is just like what feels good to you. And it starts small. Like we're not, again, trying to reinvent ourselves overnight. Like we never want to do anything super drastic like that because it's never sustainable. But it's like what really sparks our curiosity? Kind of just asking ourselves those questions whenever we're like kind of like dedicating some time in our day, whether it's making our morning coffee or having those few minutes to ourselves before we start our day of like, what would I rather be doing in this moment? What am I doing? What do I want to be doing instead? And kind of really picking up on those key themes, like what keeps repeating itself? What have I been neglecting? What have I not been doing? What have I keep pushing off that maybe I rather be doing? Like really being super aware of our actions and even like jotting them down sometimes if we're if we if we forget, of like taking note of those things. Oh, I keep seeing pickleball, I keep hearing people talking about pickleball. That sounds really cool. And then like you just keep making yourself busy, and then you're like, wait, if I have a free afternoon, why don't I actually just do that pickleball thing and just see? Maybe I like it, maybe I'll hate it, but I won't know unless I try it. And I think it's kind of that open mindset of like everything is knowledge, nothing is wasted time. Let's say you take that pickleball class and you don't enjoy it, at least now you know, and that's one less hobby, less sport that you can think of. Maybe that'll bring you closer to another sport that you like. Really just kind of like getting aware with those thoughts and those things that keep repeating ourselves and leaning with curiosity because that that is just knowledge, that's just data we that we can work with that gets us closer to who maybe we've always been and something we've always enjoyed, just didn't really know.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Yeah, and I think it's really interesting because I think a lot of my listeners are probably in my age group and maybe a little bit older, um, which what's interesting is I think, at least I like to say in my vintage people, we were taught that you go to school, you get a career, you work it for 40 years, and then you retire. And that's, you know, that's the old school way, and it's not like that anymore. But I think a lot of this generation or, you know, my age group of people have had that programmed into them, and that's what their parents did. And so there's just that we just need to unlearn that that's not the only way because there's so many other ways to do things. And I would venture to say a lot of my listeners also maybe don't even identify as entrepreneurs, and yet they do have this place inside them that is curious about something else. But because they've been kind of conditioned to have that one job and do that for the rest of their life, they haven't allowed themselves the opportunity to explore what that might look like.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

Yeah. Guess within your own space, your own community, what feels like a good first step instead of trying to change or rewrite everything like overnight. And so I think just kind of like giving ourselves that like break that that we need to be able to like think about that. What could be on your morning walk and what's something new that you want to try that feels like sustainable, that you can do, that's within your means. And just start there. I think just being aware of that is the first step to taking any action.

First Steps To Reconnect With Self

SPEAKER_01 27:43

Yeah, and feeling that bit of restlessness and knowing that that's not necessarily a bad thing, that that's maybe your little, you know, inner voice whispering to you that there's something more for you. There's just something more. And it's okay for you to like listen to that little nudge and open the door a crack and just see what happens, you know? Because that's where all the magic is. It's when we allow ourselves to listen and follow our gut. It's so good.

SPEAKER_00 28:08

But if like you take a moment to just like realize like, when do I feel most like me? And like lean into that and do more things like that that feel good to you in your body, like your body will tell you first how like how you feel before your like mind does. So if something feels good to you, like lean into that because that feels like sustainable than doing things that you that don't feel good. I think that's really great advice.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

I think everybody should take that away. So put that on your little sticky note and stick it to your door or your mirror. What feels good in my body today? Because if we can follow that, man, I think you're winning.

SPEAKER_00 28:43

Like a lot of people should on themselves, like should, like I should be doing that, or I should be more productive, or I should be working non-stop to be busy. It's like, no, maybe I should be resting, you know, like try the opposite. Like, like don't like feel like you need to put pressure on yourself to do anything. Just what feels good to do today and do that. Just start there.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

But like you say, it's like when you can step away and go, okay, I should like doing this, but I don't like it anymore. And I think there's I think what I was also gonna say actually when I was talking about the conditioning of the, you know, 40-year career or whatever it is, getting your pension and you know, which there's nothing wrong with that, and that's beautiful, and some people really fit into that mold very well. But I think what's also interesting is our society has changed and opportunities have shifted. The pandemic changed so much for people because so many people never even allowed themselves to think outside the box of what else they could do, and all of a sudden they're home, and they're like, oh, cool. And I know for me it was that way. I started a podcast um because I was a wine rep at the time, and I started a podcast because I had the time and I thought, well, why not? And I'd never been on camera before or anything like that, but I had the time. So I was like, well, I'll just throw it at the wall and see what happens. So I think what's interesting is that I think what we're learning as things are changing is that there's seasons for things, and that maybe, you know, I know I have like a seven-year cycle for a lot of things where I just love to do it, and then I'm like, yep, I learned how to do that and that was fun, but now I need to move on to a different challenge, something else that I can, you know, really sink my teeth into. And I think that's okay. I think there's it's not like that's a failure. It's like, oh, I learned how to do that and that was fun. And now I'm older and my body doesn't want to do that anymore, so I'm gonna do something else, you know. And I think that that's cool, and I think we have to listen to that and allow ourselves to ebb and flow a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Absolutely. I love that you said seasons. I'm all about seasons. My my friends always tell me, like, not everything blooms 24-7, like all the time. Like nature doesn't bloom. Like you kind of have to always have the seasons like nature does as well.

SPEAKER_01 30:44

Sometimes we have to hibernate for a minute because that silence and that quiet actually allows us to hear that inner voice. Because when we're hustling and we're working 24-7 and we're on the grind, there is no possible way we can hear that inner inner nudge. It's just not possible. And so I think that's also a really important piece of this. Oh my gosh, what a great conversation we've had. Thank you for being here with me today. And tell people where they can find you and if they want to continue maybe the conversation with you. Um, where on social media and uh on your website, where where can they find you?

Unlearning The One-Job Narrative

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Yeah, absolutely. I offer definitely like a dot like different ways to connect with me through like identity expansion and just reconnecting with yourself and taking it a step further. Um you can find me on stefermirez.com as well as LinkedIn and Instagram at Stephanie Ramirez. Love it. I love it. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I hope it inspired you or motivated you in some way to keep going and to create your very best life. If you did, would you take five quick minutes to leave me a review on Apple Podcasts? It's the best way for me to know that you are enjoying the show, and it helps other listeners find me as well. And while you're at it, head over to lifeisdelicious.ca and sign up for my email newsletter. It's like a warm hug from me every week. And not only will you get first access to new episodes, I've also put together a free five-day email experience called the Midlife Boundary Reset, where you'll get five days of insights, mindset shifts, and daily journal prompts to help you gently start choosing yourself again and create better boundaries without guilt, drama, or burning bridges. I've put the link in the show notes as well, and I think you're gonna love it. One last thing, if you know someone who would enjoy an episode like this, please do them a favor and share it with them. It's the best gift you can give someone that you love. If no one has told you today, there is no one on this planet that is exactly like you. And this world is a better place because you're here. So thank you for being here. I'll be back next week, and I hope you'll join me right here on Life is Delicious.