Beyond the Job Title: The Human Side of Leadership with Rebecca Williams

In this episode of Success Leaves Clues Podcast, our guest is Rebecca Williams, leadership coach, career strategist, and professional development expert who helps individuals and leaders unlock their potential, navigate career growth, and create meaningful success in their professional lives. In this insightful conversation, Rebecca shares valuable perspectives on authentic leadership, personal growth, career development, effective communication, and the importance of aligning your work with your strengths, values, and purpose. We explore how leaders can build confidence, develop stronger relationships, overcome professional challenges, and create an environment where people can thrive and perform at their best. Whether you're an entrepreneur, executive, coach, manager, or professional looking to take your career to the next level, this episode offers practical insights and inspiration to help you grow with intention, lead with authenticity, and make a meaningful impact.

You can find her on:
https://rebecca-williams.com/
https://medium.com/@SaltAndRebecca
https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaWilliamsWorks
https://www.instagram.com/realrebeccawilliams/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccawilliamsworks/
https://youtube.com/@rebecca-williams

Transcript

Rebecca Williams 0:00

And when COVID lockdown happened, of course they reached out to me and they said, Hey, Rebecca, like we can't do this anymore. And they said, What if we do it in online instead? And as a bonus, we'll invite our global community to your workshop. Right. And we're talking about thousands and thousands and thousands of people. And up to that date, I think I had 50 people registered for my in-person workshop. So I was like, sure, like let's go, you know, like let's do it.

Davis Nguyen 0:31

Welcome to Success Leaves Clues, a podcast where we interview business owners on how they built their businesses and the hard lessons they learned along the way. My name is David Swain, and I'm a business coach and a founder of Purple Circle, where we help business owners achieve their first six-figure, seven-figure, and eight-figure year, all without sacrificing their quality of life. Before becoming a business coach and before founding Purple Circle, I started and scaled several seven and eight-figure coaching businesses and have been a consultant at several businesses doing over $100 million each, including some that are publicly listed and doing over a billion dollars each. In every episode of the podcast, you're going to learn lessons that took our guests years to learn, and you'll be able to learn that in minutes. No matter if you're a new business owner or an established business owner, every episode is going to give you the clues in order to elevate your business.

Pedro Stein 1:16

Welcome to Success Leaves Clues Podcast. And today I'm joined by Rebecca Williams, a leadership communication strategist and founder of Rebecca Williams LLC and an adjunct professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Through her Abracadabra method, she's spent over a decade helping executives, directors, and leadership teams at companies like YouTube, Meta, Netflix, and Supercell sharpened their storytelling and executive presence on the world's biggest stages. Welcome to the show, Rebecca.

Rebecca Williams 1:49

Hi, Pedro. Thank you for having me.

Pedro Stein 1:52

Great to have you. Okay. Um, Rebecca, I gotta tell you something. I'm kind of a comic book nerd myself. Okay. Love the origin stories, love the first edition. So let's rewind a bit because every coach has that moment where they look at their life and say, Yeah, I guess this is what I'm doing now, right? So when was that for you, Rebecca?

Rebecca Williams 2:12

Oh man. Well, yeah, I mean, I guess I'll preface this by saying I never wanted to be a coach. I never saw myself being a coach. And in fact, when I started coaching, I was living in San Francisco and it felt like everybody was a coach. So I had a little bit of that ick, like, ah, I don't want to be a coach. But I just had people showing up on the proverbial doorstep asking me to help them. And I was like, okay, well, I guess, I guess this is what I'm doing. And it just kept happening over and over again. And and then I started to see that okay, like I can really help people. And and so I I just gave in. I gave into it.

Pedro Stein 2:55

Yeah. Almost like a calling, right? It's almost like you you didn't wake up a day and you were like, yeah, I'm gonna be a code. No, it's just like something that happens, yeah. Right? Uh love that, how organic it sounds like it was. Now, I'm curious about one thing because as you already mentioned, it starts with advice giving, helping people, and eventually you realize, oh, wait a minute, I'm building a real business around this, you know. So, when was that identity shift for you? You know, what was it like the first paying client? Was it like the first invoice that you realized, oh, I have a business now?

Rebecca Williams 3:34

I think it was when COVID happened because up until COVID, so again, I was living in San Francisco. I I had, gosh, it's so funny the older you get and the years just kind of get all mangled in your mind. Like, wait, when was that? What was the first time? And blah, blah, blah. The timeline gets confusing. But I was living in San Francisco and I was seeing clients here and there in person. And it wasn't really a business, you know, it was it was more like, okay, sure, I'll have this side hustle while I'm figuring out what to do with my life, essentially. And um, I was teaching these workshops at General Assembly. I don't know if you know that company, but they're a global organization that it trains people in various skills. And I would do these occasional workshops there. And I I loved, I've always loved being a teacher. I was a teacher back in Japan in the late 90s, and I've taught in different countries all around the world. So I've always loved teaching. And I was trying to figure out okay, how do I, how do I continue being in front of people, training people, but I don't want to teach English. You know, I was like done with that. It was boring to me at that point. And I I wasn't really chewing on that problem really hard to solve it. I just kind of put it on the back burner, like, oh, okay, I'll figure it out while I'm doing this hustle and I'm doing this other thing. But when when COVID happened, I had one of those workshops for General Assembly, in-person workshop. I had it in the books. And when COVID lockdown happened, of course, they reached out to me and they said, Hey, Rebecca, like we can't do this anymore. And they said, What if we do it in online instead? And as a bonus, we'll invite our global community to your workshop, right? And we're talking about thousands and thousands and thousands of people. And up to to that date, I think I had 50 people registered for my in-person workshop. So I was like, sure, like let's let's go, you know, like let's do it. But I hadn't really done anything online before. So I was, yeah, I was a little nervous, but I I didn't have a choice. And that moment, as we all remember, was so crazy. And we were just trying to get by. Um, so we made the plan to switch it to online. Immediately I started seeing all these registrations coming in, and I was like, oh, this is gonna be big. And then, I mean, I think it was like I think it was two days before we were gonna do the online version. My mom died suddenly. And I was just like, oh my God, like I, you know, obviously I can't do this workshop. I have to fly to Texas and, you know, like be with my family and deal with her house and stuff. And and so I did that. Um, and General Assembly was kind enough to postpone the workshop for a month. And so I went, I did what I needed to do, and then I went back to San Francisco and we had we opened the online workshop and I led with a story about my mom. And I essentially like dedicated that workshop to my mom. And um, I'm a storyteller, so it was very easy for me to make it relevant. It was a women, women in leadership um workshop, and my mom was was a leader, and you know, so I I was able to make it relevant to them. And I had so many people tell me after that session, they said, wow, I left with tears in my eyes, and that was the most powerful workshop I've ever been to, and da-da-da. And and literally after that workshop, my business grew 40% that year. And I was like, oh, and it that was the moment where I thought, okay, like this could be a thing, and I didn't know what shape it was gonna take. At first, I thought it was gonna be working with women. Um, and I went down lots of different rabbit holes, but that was the first moment where I was really like, oh, this is viable. And especially with now a global audience, because before COVID, I never even entertained that. I mean, so many of us didn't. So yeah, that was the moment for me.

Pedro Stein 7:57

Oh my God. Well, first of all, sorry about your loss. I mean, I the roller coaster of emotions. I mean, launching a big, big event like that, losing your mom in between postponing it, and then uh you and then mentioning your mom during that event. Oh my god, I can only imagine. And that is uh, I'm just trying to to to to place myself in your shoes, which is impossible. But the the stakes are so high, and it's so interesting to to to see how you came up with that and uh the storytelling bit and all that. Okay, uh great story, by the way. Thank you for sharing that. Now, I'm curious about one thing too, you know, because after you got rolling and you grew your business 40%, you know, in a year you mentioned that. Who are the people that kept showing up? You know, because there is an evolution to it from the people you served at the store and who you serve now, right? Most coaches, they in the in the early days, they're just trying to make it, right? And and see if this lands, if this is really a thing. But eventually you sharpen the blade and you realize you attract a certain type of people. So, can you walk us through the evolution of who you started serving and who you serve now?

Rebecca Williams 9:12

Yeah. And wow, it's changed so much. And what I've realized through the whole process is that the people that I attracted in the beginning reflected more of who I was as a person. And the people I attract today reflect more of who I am as a person now. So there is something about attracting, I think it's the same with relationships. I don't know. I'm single. So it sometimes relationships baffle me, but I've heard this and I believe it to be true that we attract the essentially the vibes we're giving, right? We attract that, the person resonating at the level that we're resonating at. And so at the beginning, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence. I was struggling so much with do I even have anything to offer? Um, can I be of service to people? And I was so self-conscious. Um, because I've I've never been trained in any of this. I've never been trained in, definitely not in coaching. I don't have any certification or anything like that. I I don't have a certification in any communication skills other than I got trained as an English as a second language teacher. So so there was a lot of imposter syndrome for me. And I think because of that, the people I was attracting at the beginning were, they were just starting out and they just needed some support, right? And and then over time, as I got more confident, I found myself getting frustrated with working with people who um they they didn't have confidence enough to be at a certain level. And so I I was almost, I feel a little bit ashamed saying it, but like I was done hand holding. I'm like, come on, you guys, like let's fucking go, you know? And and and now I work with people who are like, okay, I'm gonna get on that stage in front of 50,000 people and I'm terrified. And can you help me? And that's that's where I like to operate because like I'm scared for them too, but I'm also super excited for them. And so I like to walk across the the hot coals with them on stuff like that. And um yeah, I I so yeah, I like to today I like to work with people who are really taking big risks, and and I think that's because I'm taking bigger risks too.

Pedro Stein 11:49

Okay. Now, before I dive into your ideal client profile, people who are taking big risks, I'm not gonna let sli let it slide the the name of the method, right? So abracadabra, walk me through that that that name and why did you pick that name?

Rebecca Williams 12:09

Yeah, it's it's actually an interesting story. I don't know if I've told this story before, but so abracadabra came to me at a breathwork retreat in Mallorca. It's probably like three years ago. I had just, I live in Lisbon, Portugal, and I moved here about four years ago. And so it was my, I think it was my second summer in Europe, and I had a friend from back in San Francisco, and just out of the blue, she said, Hey, my friends are hosting this breathwork retreat in Mallorca, and I think you should go. And, you know, it's one of these things, like I was looking for something, but I didn't know what it was, and I knew I needed to go away and do something that felt like inner work, but I didn't know what it was. And then she just reached out out of the blue and I was like, yes. And I just signed up immediately the same day. Um, and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but I trusted her. And it was gonna be at this beautiful 13th century monastery on this hillside in Mallorca. So how could you go wrong, really? Like they could have taught basket weaving for a week and I would have been fine. But they were, they were teaching breath work for a week, and it was probably a group of 15 people or something like that from all over the world. And so we started to go into this process. And I didn't have you done breath work before. Do you know anything about it?

Pedro Stein 13:36

I did in our last retreat to Loom this May, first time at our Purple Circle retreat.

Rebecca Williams 13:43

So yes, I did it.

Pedro Stein 13:46

Yes, yeah.

Rebecca Williams 13:47

So you know what it's about. It's it's powerful, powerful stuff. And I didn't have any experience with it up until that point. And so then I dived into a seven-day retreat. And the um the facilitators, I'm trying to remember their names, and now I can't remember. Paul and Erica, they're from New York, and they were really masterful, and they they were so good at blending history and philosophy and deep ancient wisdom into really practical things. And so for me, I'm I'm such a nerd, so I love learning like where did all this stuff come from? And you know, who was the Greek philosopher? And blah, blah, blah. So so Paul, one day, he was like giving us the theory behind it, and he started the session by saying abracadabra. And all of a sudden, my ears really perked up because I, you know, I've heard that word before, but I'd never heard it said to me. And and then he went into the details of what it means. And abracadabra essentially means, and I know there are different interpretations of it, but essentially the way I describe it is it means with my words I create. And it's from the second century Aramaic, so the same language that Jesus spoke. And what I love about this word is that it explains the phenomenon of communication in that uh we can speak things into existence, just like we can, we can often think things into existence, but when we're speaking them, it really takes on another level because you're inviting other people into the story as well. And ever since then, I I was fascinated by that word, and I I did a bunch of research online, and you can see these beautiful um symbols. The most common one is an upside-down triangle that says abracadabra in all caps, and then it goes like one letter less on each line until it just ends on an A. And it is this super powerful image, and it's a very old symbol. So I've yeah, ever since Paul said that and that breathwork retreat, I've just been fascinated by it. And and I talk about it a lot because I think I think I mean, many people of course understand the importance of communication, but my vision, my mission, whatever you want to call it, is is that more people are aware of how they communicate and the power of their words. And they they also are bought into the idea that they have agency in how they communicate and how they show up and how they are perceived by other people based on their communication style.

Pedro Stein 17:01

Yeah, it and it makes perfect sense with what you help people with, right? Uh going back to your the people you serve, right? Uh shifting gears for a second before I get into another rabbit hole because I'm great at doing that. Okay. You mentioned something about it, and I don't want to put my religion into parts of it, but there is some so somewhat of a woo-woo thing that I really let's just say there is an alignment with what you just described me on uh saying the words, making it happen, and all that. Okay. Now, I'm gonna stop myself, not gonna do that. I want to talk about your ideal client profile. We're talking about people who want to take more risks, you mentioned, right? So let's pretend I'm one of those people. Okay. I'm your avatar, the people you can actually help. First of all, how would I be able to find you marketing-wise, Rebecca?

Rebecca Williams 17:56

Well, I I'm on LinkedIn quite a bit. That is my social media of choice. I I have to say I kind of struggle with Instagram. I don't know why. I think it's just I'm not really sure. I haven't cracked that nut yet. And um I think it's maybe because I'm a double Capricorn and I'm like super practical. And I just I want to know that the people that are in the room with me are gonna be my clients and not just like people hanging out, lots of my friends, for example. Like, of course, they could potentially be my clients too, but I feel like I think why LinkedIn works for me better from a almost just an attitude perspective of things is that I know that everyone on LinkedIn has some kind of deliverable that they need to give that I could help them with, whether it's a presentation or a meeting or an all hands or a talk at a conference. Like that is a room where I can show up and be like, oh, I can I can help you, let me help you. Um so yeah, LinkedIn is probably the top place. Um I have a YouTube channel, but it's not quite, it's not quite there yet. I have to say, I I really respect coaches who have done the work of getting their marketing dialed because I haven't done that. I'm I I like to be busy working with people and I haven't I haven't found a way to make the marketing side effortless or easy for me. Um so yeah, I'm working on changing that right now, but LinkedIn is where I hang out the most.

Pedro Stein 19:53

Okay. So let's pretend I'm still your avatar or your ideal client profile. I am looking at your LinkedIn and that resonates with me. I'm like, ah, Rebecca can help me, you know. So I do the outreach. I'm like, hey, Rebecca, we'd love to work with you, you know. Um we can speed up the sales process or not, really up to you. We can say there is alignment, or if you want to talk a little bit more about that, it's totally fine. But what I would love to know is for you to give me a little bit of a peek behind a curtain of how does it look like to work with you and your business and what are the outcomes I can expect.

Rebecca Williams 20:32

Yeah, well, it it depends on if you are representing a company or if you are working at a company and you and you want help on your own, not necessarily for a team, for example. So I'll talk you through the team example first, and then I'll talk you through the one-on-one example for second. So with a team, for example, I just finished up an engagement with this company called Repurpose Global. And they had an impact team. They do plastic recovery efforts around the world. So they they're truly a global company, all remote teams. And they hired me because their impact team was doing a ton of great research and work around the world, and they had this like bucket of stories to tell about these successes that they've had through the company, but they didn't quite know how to communicate them so that they landed well with leadership and decision makers. And so we went through a six-week program, and I designed this program with the leader of that team because he knew exactly what the problems were. He knew where the team was falling down and what they needed help with and what objectives to hit. So we designed that together. It was a six week program for the team that was spread across India, Colombia, Cameroon, and Indonesia. So a big mix of cultures as well. And then we rolled It out and we met for 90 minutes a week. I gave them homework in between. And then the last session, they each did a capstone presentation, which was a short presentation for feedback and coaching. So, and I just got a an email from the team lead today, um, basically saying, like, hey, I want to thank you again. And we just had this big presentation that we had to do for the whole company, presenting our work to the company, and it went really well. And we used everything that we taught that you taught us, and thank you so much, blah, blah, blah. So, so that's an example of how I work with some teams. We really we come from more of a bespoke place because they have a particular problem that they're trying to solve. And then I work with the tools that I have in my basket and put something together for them. Of course, I do have off-the-counter workshops as well. But that what we did for them was special because it was six weeks and it was one uh touch point every week. And I think that's really if if you really want behavior change, if you really want your people to change the way they they're thinking, not just the way that they do something, but the way they think about doing something, then that level of contact is really useful. So that's an example of how I work with teams. Um, and then for one-on-one, like if you were on LinkedIn and you reached out to me and said, hey, Rebecca, for example, like I just want to be better at public speaking because I'm wanting to get into the C-suite or something like that, then we would get on a 30-minute discovery call. I would really take the time to figure out, okay, what's what's going on for you? Is it um is it imposter syndrome? Is it lack of confidence for other reasons? Is it specific skills that you just haven't learned yet? Is it uh difficulty connecting with your audience? Is it clarity? Do you lack structure when you're talking? And I'll just we'll talk and find out all of that on the discovery call. And then from there, we work in either a three-session package or a six-session package. And those are all those sessions are designed to meet the objectives that we came up with in the in the call. So it's it's very again, it's not cookie cutter because every person is very different. I have a lot of tools that I can draw from, those remain the same, but I'll decide which tool to pull out of my quiver, so to speak, to help you. And then in addition to those sessions, you get access to my online courses, you get access to my group calls that I have twice a month. And um, and that's it. So you get one-on-one time with me, but you also get group time with me, part being part of the community that I have as well, which is super powerful because I think a lot of people think that they're the only one who struggle with public speaking, or they're the only ones that have imposter syndrome. Of course, we know this is not true. And the fastest way to get through that is to share that with other people and see that other people have it. And then that shame or whatever you want to call it kind of falls away eventually. You realize you're the same as everyone else.

Pedro Stein 25:31

Right. I love the fact that you kind of expose them to through different layers, especially on the one-on-ones, of what's possible, right? Because I feel like sometimes people are like comparing themselves to you, and they're like, oh, easy for you, right? You're you hit this level, you did this, you you know. I cannot even fathom of doing something like that. But at the same time, um, you humanize the process, you know, it that it's one step at a time. And uh, first of all, mentioning the imposter syndrome thing, which you kind of went through too, right? So skin in the game, skin in the game and all that. Now, I'm I'm curious about one thing, um, and shifting gears again for a second, which is future, right? I'm curious where you're taking all this. Looking ahead, Rebecca, where do you see the business going? Are you thinking about scaling, hiring, or is there a next step you're excited about?

Rebecca Williams 26:29

Yeah, well, you know, it's funny because I already told the story about how I went online. I went from in-person to online, the business grew. And ever since then, I've really been optimizing for online. And, you know, with some successes and some failures along the way, of course. And I've come to a place where for me, it's really important as the next step to introduce the in-person angle again. Because sure, I do I teach workshops all around the world. And that is that is such my happy place. I love being in person with people and really being in the room with them and helping them grow. And and I want to do that more. So right now, the the next step that I'm moving towards is I want to start doing, well, definitely more of the teaching in person. So, how can I do more of that? Is the question I'm asking myself. But then also that's that's for a company perspective. And individuals, individuals can't necessarily afford to bring me out to work with them one-on-one. It's just cost prohibitive. So, what I want to do is I want to create an offering, which is gonna look like a retreat, but it's a it's a retreat for public speaking, essentially. And it walks people through a process where they feel safe in a container to develop these skills. And then when they leave, they get on the stage and they share what they've prepared over that short time in the retreat to this community that they've built this trust with. And that's really what I want to be doing. And I don't know when that's gonna happen, but that's that's my that's my passion and and what I really want to create.

Pedro Stein 28:28

Oh, I really like that idea. I haven't heard that for a while now. I mean, uh, we had plenty of speaking coaches and all of that, but a retreat specifically for public speaking sounds like a great uh way to create a safe space of people that want to, you know, dive into the same stuff basically and uh just test themselves, right? In front of everyone who's not judging, they're all all try to improve. Sounds like a great idea. I really like that. Okay. Now, of course, whenever we're aiming towards something new, right? We already established that there's always something we're refining in the present. So, what are you currently trying to improve or tighten up in your business right now?

Rebecca Williams 29:10

Oh God, I mean, what am I not trying to improve or tighten up? You know, like you should see my to-do list. I'm sure you have the same thing. It's it's never-ending, it's the it's the joy and the pain of being an entrepreneur. Um, and I've I've really had to learn to take things one step at a time because I I get really excited and I just want to attack everything at once. And then when I try to do that, of course, it's impossible. So things stall, and then I feel bad about oh, the thing, I forgot the thing, and I can't believe I forgot that. And you know, it so I'm I'm really my medicine right now is just like one thing at a time, finish that, move to the next thing. So what I'm doing right now, I'm doing a lot of things, but one of the things I'm doing, and it's the next big risk that I'm taking, is I'm starting my own podcast. And um, as you probably know, it's it's it can feel daunting because it's like, oh, it's this, it's this whole new thing, and I'm I'm excited, and at the same time, it terrifies me. So yeah. Any advice for me? Let's let's turn the tables. I want to interview.

Pedro Stein 30:31

The advice I have is do a vibe check. I'll put it simple like that. We can discuss after the after recording. Um, but yeah, we gotta make sure people we are we are we hosting and uh who we are who are guesting and all of that. I know sometimes we come from a place that um yeah, people should do X, Y, and Z or they should behave in this certain type of manner, but it's always good to have a vibe test, okay? Vibe check. Let's call it like that. Yeah. Um interesting. Now I have uh I I want to do a little bit of a sci-fi thing here with you, Rebecca, real quick, okay? Since you mentioned Cabracadabra, and uh, you know, I love the the sci-fi territory, fantasy, and all that. So let's pretend we have a time machine in front of us. Okay. We're gonna have two stops. Okay. First stop, you can go back in time uh when you start uh your business, you open shop, right? You can go back in time and give yourself one piece of business advice to pass Rebecca that you wish you knew back then, okay, that you know now. Why would that be?

Rebecca Williams 31:44

Okay. Oh man. I think the top thing that I would tell myself is stop trying to do it all by yourself. Hire people, collaborate, get input, get feedback. Yeah, I think it was tied to the imposter syndrome, but I built, I built my business roughly, you know, on my own because in a way, in a way, I didn't even want people to know I was doing it because I was like, oh, I'm some fraud, and so I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna build it over here, you know, and I was kind of like building it in secret. I don't know how anybody found me, to be honest, because I was so not out there. So yeah, I think the best piece of advice is invite people into your sandbox early and often because they're always going to help you see things in a different way and help you do things better. And and I think also it just helps you get out of your own head. I mean, you building anything in a vacuum is a really I think it's kind of dangerous because you can tell yourself stories that aren't true.

Pedro Stein 33:08

That is so true, right? That's where imposter syndrome comes from. It's like things that are not just not real. Okay. Second stop, second uh the second step for our time machine, that would be a moment in time from you open shop from till today. Okay, you can pick select a moment that you felt so fulfilled that almost gave you that aha moment. Oh, this is why I'm doing this. And I understand there may be several moments that you felt like that, but I want the top of mind, the one that comes up right now, you know. Uh, what moment would that look like?

Rebecca Williams 33:50

Yeah, the the first thing that came to my mind was, and and this hasn't been a solitary instance. This has actually happened twice now. I was working with a one-on-one client. She operates at a pretty high level in the financial industry, um, like works with blockchain a little bit here and there. And um, we'd been working together one-on-one, and she had a lot of anxiety about public speaking. And and she confided in me, you know, I I I can't remember how long we worked together, but a while. And she confided in me at one point that she would drink at networking events, like quite a lot just to get through it, because she really had a hard time just connecting with people and being present. And so she used alcohol, like a lot of people do. A lot of people do that, right? Um, and so we we talked about that quite a bit. And I again, like, I don't have training as a therapist or as a coach or anything, but I just I asked questions that I would ask a friend about, okay, like, well, like why do you think you're reaching for that? What's going on in that moment? And and I'll never forget that maybe it was two, three, four months into that conversation, and she showed up on one of our sessions, and she said, Hey, I just want you to know that I've like I haven't had a drink in two months or whatever it had been. And and I said, Really? And I said, Well, what are you doing at these networking events? And she said, I'm just practicing being present, like what we've been talking about. And you know, I didn't give her a silver bullet, but I think my being present with her in that conversation and in that discomfort helped her work through it. And like I said, I've had several clients now go through the same process and come out the other side, like having quit alcohol. And you know, I never hung out my coach shingle to say, I'll help you quit alcohol and feel better about yourself in a public speaking context. It was never like that. But when I learned that, I felt so grateful for the opportunity to just be trusted by someone to help them work through something. And so that is the the moment where I really thought, okay, like I must be doing something right because like this is the opportunity that keeps presenting itself to me. And I'm really, I feel like I'm really helping people.

Pedro Stein 36:53

So right. Wow. I mean, stuff people go through, we have no idea, right? And yeah, they're just pushing through it, like just to to be able to go through that and those networking events, uh, that's pretty powerful. Love that. Okay. Now, Rebecca, if someone listening wants to connect with you or follow your work, and we're gonna have all the links in the description, but where can people find you best and connect with you?

Rebecca Williams 37:21

Yeah, well, you can find me, like I said, on LinkedIn. It's uh, you know, all the beginning stuff of LinkedIn and then Rebecca Williams works is my handle on LinkedIn. You can also find me at my website, which is Rebecca-williams.com, and there's a button right there that says chat with me. So you can book a discovery call with me and and we can chat.

Pedro Stein 37:47

Okay. Yeah, you know, there were a few moments from this conversation today that really stayed with me. I'm gonna highlight some. Okay. Great. Um, I would say when we start, we're talking about the the origin story, and you're you told me you never wanted to be a coach, right? And then COVID happened and everything that that came into your path and your journey. That is so interesting to see. Like it's like I said, it's not like you woke up a day and you're like, I'm going to be a coach. No, it's so natural, so organic. And sometimes I don't want to be woo-woo, too woo-woo here, but sometimes it's it it seems like the universe pulls up uh us into different directions. It's such a strong pool that we cannot escape from it. It's almost like it's meant to be, in a way. So it's not like you're like, ah, I want to do this. No, it's just like you're meant to do this, you know, meant to help that that girl who just told me about that was had to drink to just come up with uh, you know, showing up on events and all that. So that's one thing. The second thing that I would really love to emphasize is like you told me you didn't have a lot of confidence, and there was imposter syndrome at the start, you know. So, in a way, Rebecca, it really feels like you're helping past Rebecca, you know. Uh, you're helping that Rebecca that felt imposter syndrome, and then you brought it up something, and I don't want to trash certifications here, but I'll be candid. The coaching business is an uncertified business, unregulated business. It's a credibility industry. So you don't have to have a certification to be a coach, okay? To teach someone the path you've already taken to avoid pitfalls for others. Am I telling people that they shouldn't be certified coaches? No, not at all. It's just that that shouldn't stop you or should be a point to an imposter syndrome built. Okay, that's just my way of thinking. Um, and by the way, I love the fact how vulnerable you are and uh how open you are about your own struggles. Like I didn't know what I was doing, I'm still figuring out marketing. This is not my I don't wake up.

Rebecca Williams 40:05

I don't know what I'm doing.

Pedro Stein 40:06

You know, I love that. You know, that's I I I simply I'll I'll simply put that I really like that, okay? And uh last but not least, I really like the retreat for public speaking, you know, specifically today, today's world. When we're talking about AI so much, right? We're talking about ways to automate, ways to blah blah blah. And here's Rebecca. She's like, I want to connect with real people in the real world, right? And uh doing the retreat so people can connect and uh test themselves into a safe space, a safe environment so they can develop themselves too. So yeah, that's pretty cool to watch. I really like that. Now, this is just my long-winded way of saying that I appreciate what you do, Rebecca. And I appreciate you being here and sharing so openly today. It was great having you on.

Rebecca Williams 40:55

Yeah, thank you, Pedro. I appreciate all the well-thought-out questions and the humor and your presence. Thank you.

Davis Nguyen 41:04

That's it for this episode. This episode, as well as this podcast, was brought to you by Purple Circle, where we help business owners elevate their business through six, seven, and eight-figured years all without burning out. If you're looking to grow your business as well as get the time freedom that you are looking for, visit us at join purplecircle.com and see what we can do to help you and your business.