What happens when women stop competing and start connecting?

In this special episode of Breakthrough Conversations with Rhoda & Co., Rhoda is joined by Shannon Norman and Becki Feldman for a conversation about the heart behind Women Unite to Ignite, a one day experience designed to help women reconnect with themselves, build authentic community, and step boldly into what's next.

Together, they explore the meaning behind this year's theme, You Matter. You Belong. You Rise., share why this event is unlike a traditional conference, and offer encouragement for every woman who has been putting herself last.

If you've been longing for confidence, connection, and a breakthrough, this conversation is your invitation.

Ready to invest in yourself? Join us on October 2 for Women Unite to Ignite. Reserve your seat today through Eventbrite and come experience a day of inspiration, meaningful connections, and practical tools that will help you move forward with confidence. We can't wait to welcome you.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:12

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Thompson Talks with Tony and Christina. Hey Christina, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. We have been coming across posts on social media, videos on social media, not just in our friends list, but I'm talking about just across the globe, of people of all ages who are not satisfied with their place of employment. Okay? Not satisfied with the work that they're doing.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Yeah, they hate it.

SPEAKER_03 0:50

Hate it. They hate, they get in their cars, and maybe it's you watching this. You get in your car and you commute 15, 20, 25, 30 minutes, some 45 minutes, and you get to the establishment and you are you dread walking into the building. You start as a matter of fact, you get to your job early so that you can sit in your car to uh prep yourself for what you hate. And you'll be hating it for eight hours that day. And then you'll get back in your car and make that same commute only to have time to cook, maybe catch an episode of your favorite show, deal with the kids, your spouse, or whatever, and then go to sleep so that you can get enough energy to do the exact same thing the next day. And so if you know somebody, if you fall in that category, or you know somebody who falls in that category, they hate their job, they dislike their job, they dislike their uh boss, they dislike the coworkers, they hate the commute, and they hate the pay. They don't even like the money they make. You don't like the money you make. This episode is for you because life is too short, Christina. You would agree with this, life is too short to hate something that you're doing 40 plus hours a week.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:23

Would you agree with that?

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Take us, take us, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

No, I absolutely, and I was gonna say that leads into the statistic that we have for you all today. According to a recent Gallup survey, only 31% of U.S. employees are engaged at work. While 69% are either not engaged or actively disengaged. About 17% are actively disengaged, meaning they're unhappy and resentful.

SPEAKER_03 2:53

I love it. I love how you did that in your uh your uh, how should I say, uh, what's that news station voice? That was good. Y'all hear the news station voice channel five, Cam O V, come home, we got it. Let's roll. Okay. Watch this. 31%, only 31% of US workers, full-time, yeah, are engaged. Meaning, here's what engaged means. They actually like coming into the building and enjoying, they enjoy the work that they're doing. Only 31% of full-time workers. Furthermore, 17% are not engaged at all. That means like completely, like their body is there, but their mind is not. Maybe you fall into that category. All right, Christina, here's what I want you to talk to us about real quick. If you as a quick hitter, because Christina has been there before. Now, you guys know that uh I I speak for a living. That's my job. I've been a full-time speaker for the last 10, 11 years. But Christina has been in corporate for the last, what'd it be 12 years? Christina has hit a point in her career where she enjoys her job. She has work satisfaction, she has money satisfaction. But there was a point in time I want you to tell him that this quick story, real quick. When you called me.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Are you telling the story?

SPEAKER_03 4:24

When you called me. That's all I'm gonna say. When you called me.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Listen, he he he wants to just not say, I want you to make sure. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 4:32

Go ahead. Let's write.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

But before I do that, you didn't sum it up.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

Okay. Seven out of ten workers are not excited about their jobs, and one out of six workers genuinely dislike their work enough to be uh considered actively disengaged. That's to sum it up.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Yep. All right. Okay, perfect. So the story, and I'm just gonna be real. You want me to talk to you? You want me to talk to right here? Both.

SPEAKER_03 4:59

Talk to us.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

So well, first I'm gonna say I'm not going to get into specifics about what I do because I do want to keep that separate. Um, maybe down the road, if you know, I'm more, you know, if it if it calls. So I'm I'm just gonna be generic. I I'm not gonna get into specifics. But um, I will say I'm within healthcare. And so there was a time when Tony and I, we were engaged, we were not married yet, right? Or were we married?

SPEAKER_03 5:33

I don't remember. It was so much.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

We might, I think we no, we I think we might have just got married.

SPEAKER_03 5:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

Okay. But I was at work and it was just like a buildup of things where boss boss said this to me, co-worker said this to me. This responsibility was added. We had mandatory overtime on the weekend. On the weekend, we just talked about how much time we spend at work.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Now I had mandatory overtime on the weekend. Then I'm doing so much. They're dumping so much on top of me during the eight hours that I am there during the week. Um, so I would end up being there later. And again, you have this coworker dysfunction, your your boss has some issues, and I just wasn't happy. I just was was not happy, and it was one thing after another after another after another. And then an incident happened where um I basically was, you know, a boss says something to me. I didn't I didn't even really do anything. It was just more so when the boss points the finger at you because they think you should be doing something, but it's like, but that's not even in my lane to do. How was I how was I to know that I was supposed to do it? Yeah. So it's one of those situations. But the way that she spoke to me and just the tone, it just really put me over the edge to the point where I went into the bathroom, I was holding my composure, I went into the bathroom stall, and I just started like bawling.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Like the frustration, just the buildup of everything that I'm saying. And it I just was frustrated. I was fed up. I wasn't, wasn't happy, I was stressed, I was overworked, and I wasn't valued.

SPEAKER_03 7:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

So all of that boiled.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

Maybe even underpaid.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Oh, under, oh, absolutely underpaid.

SPEAKER_03 7:34

Overworked, underpaid.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

Yes. And all of that just boiled up inside of me, and I was just in the bathroom stall, like crying hysterically. And I remember I called Tony, and I just couldn't talk.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

And I just was like, Yeah, she was crying hard, man.

SPEAKER_02 7:51

And I just remember Tony like got quiet. He was like, What's wrong? Like, I don't know what you were thinking. I think you thought like someone died. I really think after the fact, that's what you said, like how I was crying, how distraught I was. And I just I told you, I said, I am not, like, I told you what happened. I calmed down. You said, listen, calm down, finish your day, we'll talk about it.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

And do you want me to tell them the outcome of it after we talked?

SPEAKER_00 8:24

Go ahead, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Okay, so after after we talked about it, and it just you now one thing with Tony, he's gonna keep it real. You need a person like this around you who's gonna challenge you and make sure like that you're that I wasn't always pointing the finger at my boss. Like he holds me accountable still to this day. So he was like, wait, are you sure you didn't do this? Or are you sure you couldn't couldn't do this? Or what if you try this? Could things get better?

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

Well, you were doing that, and you already knew everything. So you kind of already knew, but you still want to make sure, pump the brakes, let's pause and see, level set, and it was nothing I can do. I just was not happy. I just was like, I cannot do it. I cannot do it. So you tell me you said quit. I said, but I don't have anything. I don't, I don't know, I don't know what I'll do. He said, quit. Do you trust God? Do you trust that there's better for you? Do you do you trust? Um, are you confident in what you bring to the table that something will open for you and that you can find better?

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

And when you said that, I said, okay. You helped me type up my resignation. I put it in.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:37

Two-week resignation.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

And it's coming from somebody who was broke at the top, by the way. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 9:41

Put in my two-week resignation.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

We both jobless, baby.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

Put in my two-week resignation. I don't think we were married. I gotta find the timing.

SPEAKER_03 9:49

I think.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

We weren't married. We weren't married. We were engaged. Okay. We were engaged. I remember now because then at the next job they threw me in a wedding shower. So I remember I I came home, I told my parents.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

And I said, Yeah. I put them on a notice. They said, Oh, okay, where are you going? I said, I don't know.

unknown 10:08

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

I don't know, but I was that fed up. And to just put it in perspective, a typical full-time worker will spend roughly 80,000 to 100,000 hours working over their lifetime from age 20 to 65. Wow. So at this time, I was probably 24, 23.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

And that's a lot of time to do anything. Like that's a lot of time, let alone something that you don't like with little to no reward. I was underpaid and I was slaving for what? To be unhappy.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

That's good.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

And we will always encourage you to prioritize your mental health, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:49

And that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna, we're today, we're going to, we we do not want you to hate your job. We do not want you to be like me in the bathroom, stall crying or posting on social media every day all this negativity about your job. Do something about it.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

So so watch this. Because I don't want you to be ever become the bad guy on social media. Because I I like, listen, it keep coming. There's been some people that have said some things on social media about me. I like that, man.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 11:21

Keep writing. I like that. Right? Watch this. I don't want them. I don't want them to come for you. So watch this.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Why are they gonna come for me?

SPEAKER_03 11:29

Because man, I don't reason I don't want them to come. What would they say?

SPEAKER_02 11:32

What did I say?

SPEAKER_03 11:33

They're coming for you. Now we got problems. What did I say? But watch this. We don't you don't even you don't need to know what they say. But watch this. Here's what we're getting at. Because I don't want them, I don't, I don't want them to come for you. So watch this. Your boss is not the problem. That's not the reason why you hate your job. If you're watching this. Your coworkers are not the problem. The work you're doing is not the problem. The commute is not the problem. The reason why you hate your job is because drum roll, please. Yeah, that was okay. We're gonna go there at drum roll.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

Who was wrong with that?

SPEAKER_03 12:14

It was cool. You're the problem. Wow. You're the problem.

SPEAKER_02 12:19

Wow, wow, wow, wow.

SPEAKER_03 12:20

And I know I know some of y'all getting ready to cut this off already. Please. You get ready to cut it off. But it for the people that really want to grow, because you're looking at somebody, you're looking at two people, but specifically in the traditional nine to five sense, who has found work satisfaction and money satisfaction, who has found purpose and meaning within the flow of waking up every day and clocking in.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:44

We're gonna give you game. She can speak on this. And not just that, I asked her recently, I said, Christina, on a scale from on a scale from one to ten in your field for where you are stress-wise, do you feel like you're extremely stressed in your job? She said, No, Tony, I'm I'm good. From scale of one to ten, maybe a three.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

And that's just the natural stress.

SPEAKER_03 13:08

That's basic. You there's no perfect job. So you you're talking to an individual, specifically Christina. I found it too, but we this is focusing more nine to five, who has found job satisfaction and money satisfaction. Okay. So the question becomes, the question becomes, Tony, you've already you've already um challenged me by saying I'm the problem. So here's the question we're gonna look at. How do I find a career that pays the bills, lets me save for the future, gives me the freedom to enjoy life, and still makes me want to go to work for more days than not.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:48

She's found that. I've found that. Even I know as an as an entrepreneur is different, but she's found that. Pays the bills, save for the future, enjoying what you get to do way more than you not liking it. How do I find that?

SPEAKER_02 14:03

And the reason why we're saying that you're the problem is because ultimately you are the one who are who is choosing to work there, right? You're the one who is choosing the path that you're on. You're the one. I get it. We have bills to pay and you have to do that. But at the end of the day, there is there's always something out there, right? There's always something out there. So what we're doing is talking about what you can control, and that's your actions and what you're doing. So at the end of this video, we're living with leaving you with five steps to attain career and money satisfaction. And we ask that you share this episode with anyone who's struggling with this question or problem. And just remember, these are our personal experiences. Um, we know that everyone sees things differently, and we welcome, we always welcome disagreement and conversations and just uh um things that you want to add to this in the comments because we want to hear your perspective. So Love it.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

Real quick, before we, before we here, we're gonna start before we do the five steps. We're gonna start off with three reasons why you hate your job. Okay, then we'll do the five steps.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:14

Okay. But before we do that, here's a mindset shift. I want I we gotta start with this, okay? We kind of already talked about Christina who this is for and why it matters. I think we nailed that. But the mindset shift is this the you part. I want to go back to the you part because here's what I want people to understand. There's this quote that's floating around that I think is very wrong. And it is, you are not your work. People say it all the time. You are not your work. Yeah, I hate the quote. Because I think I believe that who you are and what you do go hand in hand. I believe when I read the Bible, when I read scripture, and it says that I was created in the image of God, and you watching this were created in the image of God. And I go back to someone like Adam, who was created, God gave him work to do. And what he did was also connected to who he was, which was at that time, he was made in the image of God. So, you watching this, I want you to understand part of the reason why you're the problem is because you haven't connected what you do to who you are. You haven't connected, you have not connected the laboring of your hands with your top skill sets that make up who you are. You have not connected the sweat of your brow to your top skills that you enjoy putting effort towards. You haven't connected because you're running around saying, Well, I do that the doing is separate than being. No. No, they're not. In fact, it's a reflection. My doing is a front is a reflection of who I am. And so we're getting ready to unpack that here in a sec through those five steps. But I I wanted them to get the you were gonna say something? I wanted them to see that that did shift your mind. Because some of y'all are picking jobs outside of your skill sets, and we're gonna get in that in just a second. All right, so um, deep discussion. Three reasons why you hate your job. Uh, do you want to do number one or do you want me to do number one? Three reasons why you hate your job before we get into the five steps to take to uh attain uh job satisfaction and money satisfaction. You want me to do number one? All right, number one, three reasons why you hate your job.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

You're not using enough of the skill sets you possess at your job. So when it comes to my top three skill sets, I am detail oriented.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

Personally. Now, watch this. These are personal skill sets. These are not even professional. We're talking just who Christina is as a person.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

Yep. Um, I'm detail-oriented. I have great organizational skills and great time management. So if my current job did not require me or allow me to use one, two, or three of my skills, then I would not have the job satisfaction that I currently have. Um, I could potentially hate my job. So because that is the core for no matter what we're talking about, right? This morning, um I sent Tony a list. A list um of our time map out of everything before we got here to record.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:45

Because I that so that's my organization, that's my time management, and me being detail-oriented. So Tony makes jokes of it. But again, if I had a job where I couldn't use that, I would hate hate my job. There's a list right here.

SPEAKER_03 18:59

List right here. A whole list.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Just like lists.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Keep going. If she who she's an organized person. Christina had who she is. Time, yeah. Who she is, time, organization. She can't, Christina can't operate in chaos. So, so therefore, who she is is I'm organized. Yeah, but she's she's very much a person who can put things in their respective drawers, if you will. Right? Like at home, in your bedroom, you got drawers, and you have things in your top drawer. Usually got your socks and your underwear. You know what I'm saying? I hope you don't have clothes in your top drawer. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

I organize, I organize Tony's and he um and he um gets it out of whacking.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

So so why would she go get a job or be in a field that does not that does not uh match that?

SPEAKER_02 19:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:48

That's who she is.

SPEAKER_02 19:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

So who she is has the match has the has the matchup in the professional world. Yep. So that's number one. Number two, let me go here.

SPEAKER_02 19:58

Second reason why you hate your job.

SPEAKER_03 19:59

Yep. Number two, second reason why you hate your job, you're being told to do automated work without challenge. You're not critically thinking, you're not solving problems, and you're not being creative. If you really think about people as a whole, when you think about sports, um, the Knicks just did an unbelievable comeback, uh, completed an unbelievable comeback against the um, gosh, who are they playing? I'm blanking on who they're playing. Who are the Knicks playing? The Spurs. The Spurs. There she goes. Uh-oh, she's been playing attention. Right? Almost down almost 30 at halftime. When made that an unbelievable experience was not just them winning the game, it was what they had to endure to win the game. Yeah. So if you're not being challenged at your job, you're not gonna find satisfaction. You think that be this is what people think. People think that they really want a job where they can just coast. You don't, because you'll get bored. You were created to sharpen yourself. You were created to challenge yourself.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

Deep down, that's what we really want. Now we don't want high stress.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

Yeah, you don't want to be working nonstop and people watching every movie.

SPEAKER_03 21:12

But we want to be able to solve problems and be creative and let that be a part of our professional journey because challenge helps you grow and advance. All right. Number three, the last one. You want me to hit this or you hit this?

SPEAKER_02 21:26

Yeah, no, you're going in.

SPEAKER_03 21:27

Number three, third reason why you hate your job, you do not value your time. Watch this. I'm gonna step on some toes on this one. You do not value your time, so therefore, you let someone else decide the value of your time. I didn't bring any money. I said I was gonna bring money, but I want you to understand that when you go to a job, you are giving that company time in exchange for their money. That's all it is. So when you get free. Frustrated about being there for a long period of time. What it really is, is you not understanding that you don't have respect for your time. I want you to understand this concept. I don't know why I just did that, but I did it. I want you to understand this concept. Time is way more valuable than money. Christina and I recording this podcast, when this is done, we won't get these minutes back. We won't get this hour back, if you will. It's not an hour, but give or take, we took us an hour for set up and recording everything together. We won't get it back. But if I spent some money, like we spent X amount of dollars every month to record in this in this studio, we can go get that money back. We can make more money. We can't make more time. So one of the reasons why you hate your job is because you disrespect your time. So imagine somebody slapping somebody open-handed, disrespecting them. It is literally like you open-handing yourself as it pertains to your time. So you let other people disrespect your time and you get frustrated with the job itself when it's not really the job itself, it's the disrespect that you show towards your time. Those are the top reasons why you hate your job. All right. Now, let's get to the five steps to uh attain career and money satisfaction. Five steps to attain career and money satisfactions. While we go through these five, think about the ones you're not doing or the ones that apply to your life right now. And if you are doing all five or most of them, it might mean that you widen your net to another city or state. I'll just throw that out there. Some of you are gonna read, listen to this and say, you know what, Tony, I'm doing all five. Okay. If you're doing all five, you know, St. Louis may not be your place. Uh Orlando may not be your place. Los Angeles may not be your place. Dallas may not be your place, right? Detroit may not, you might have to widen your net if you're doing all five aggressively. Okay. With that being said, five steps to attain career and money satisfaction. And these are uh progressive, all right? They build on each other. All right, let's go with uh number one. Do you want to do number one? You want me to do number one? I can piggyback off of you.

SPEAKER_02 24:26

You you can do number one, but um I before you well, I have something to add to one, but you could start it.

SPEAKER_03 24:34

Number one, first step. Go read. I'm gonna give you some some homework. Go read or listen to because they got audio books. Go read the books Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, number one. Number two, the psychology of money. And then I want you, we want you to go read Matthew 25. This is the Bible, 14 through 30. It's the parable of the talents. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, the Psychology of Money, and Matthew 25, 14 through 30 in the Bible. Here's what we want you to create.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

And we'll put those in the show notes.

SPEAKER_03 25:09

We put them, yeah, we can put them in the show notes. Great idea. Here's what we want you to understand. The the first two books will um help you value your time more. And it will give you a different perspective of money as well. Okay, because that is very important. We've been talking about the value of your time. So it'll it'll show you a much healthier connection between time and money. You need that. That's the number one thing that you need, okay? And then when we say Matthew, when we say the parable to talents, we want you to understand the importance of stewardship of time, money, and talents. That's what that whole uh passage is about. Time, money, and talents. And I'm gonna actually pass it to Christina, because I don't want to, I don't wanna go too deep in in this one. But the biggest thing in this one is getting you to understand God created you to value your time, your talents, and your treasure. So if somebody else, if you're not doing that, or somebody else is not doing that, then Christina, that may mean you're not you're not in the right place.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 26:14

All right, you wanted to add to that one?

SPEAKER_02 26:16

Um, no, we could keep going.

SPEAKER_03 26:17

Let's keep going. Number two, you're doing number two?

SPEAKER_02 26:19

Yep, second one.

SPEAKER_03 26:20

Second step is After you've done that, here's number two.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

Then you need to audit your skills. So in Tony's um grandpa's uh, what we call him, Paw Paw, in Paw Paul's tool shed, he has a room full of tools. And I mean, it's just lots and lots and lots of tools. So when we look at the tool shed, it equals a room full of skills that I can use to solve problems, right? So I guarantee you, whatever we may need to fix, if we go over there and we say, Papa, can we borrow something, he's gonna go in that shed and it's gonna be in there. It is. Right. Um, so that that equates to um the skills that we all possess, right? And you have to audit your skills now. Again, and Paw Paw's tool shed, he has all the tools. But let's be real, I don't have all the skills.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 27:19

Um, when you list of all of the great skills, and you don't have all of the great great skills. Yep. So that's why you have to know what are your make a list. What are your 10 best skills?

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

Let's list them out. Your 10 best skills. Then make a second list of 10 skills that you enjoy using the most. That's good. I can be good at something, but I may not enjoy, you know, using that skill. So you need to have that list. Then the third list is 10 skills that challenge you without overwhelming you.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

That's good.

SPEAKER_02 27:55

So you need to make sure that you identify your skills and audit them. My list will be different from yours. Yep. And even if you've done this in the past, we're always changing and evolving. Absolutely. Like now with kids, like there's different skills that, you know, I may, you know, be lower on the list now because I'm like, hey, I need to adapt to that. I need, you know, so if you've done this, you may need to redo it. All of your skills.

SPEAKER_03 28:20

Love it. Broke it down beautifully. Number three, after you've done that, do this. Make a list of the five people you would like to serve or solve problems for. Okay. Now, this seems or this may come across as more entrepreneurial, but it's not. Most people who work a traditional nine to five, or like Christina, you're in corporate, there can be a disconnect between the work you're doing and the people you're helping. And if there's a disconnect between the work you're doing and the people you're helping, you may lose fulfillment or purpose or meaning. Okay. So as a speaker, I'm going on stages and I'm seeing the impact. It's right in front of my face. Or I'm reading it in a DM where students are like, oh my gosh, you you've changed my life. But sometimes for Christina, she may be, you know, having meetings and pushing different documents and paperwork and may forget that I am advocating for the rights of certain individuals. But if she can go in her head and remember that, it can help her push past some of the days that uh challenge her the most.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:35

And it can remind her that this is not just about paperwork, this is about people.

SPEAKER_02 29:40

Yep. Or not just about paperwork or not just about money. That's good.

SPEAKER_03 29:44

It's about people. Yeah. So when I say five people with five problems, be very specific. So for me as a speaker, I'm using as a speaker, but again, this applies to traditional nine to five. I knew that my focus was going to be like a you know, a 16-year-old male who was struggling with uh um mental health issues. Those are that's one of the people that I love to speak life into and love to help problems I like to solve in their life. Then I go to a second person that may look totally different from that person, right? Okay, so do five people with five different problems to help you to give you a compass, if you will, if you will, so that you can now get to number four, which is now we're getting ready to get into a specific field. Go ahead, do number four.

SPEAKER_02 30:38

Yep, number four. Email or send a message to um whether it's on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, whatever resource that you have, to people who you know or you may not know them, but they're using the skills on your list and helping the people from your list. Ultimately build a relationship with them. Do not look for people who aren't doing both. Right. Right. So they need to be using your skills and helping the people, right? So ultimately, people where you're like, hmm, I may want to do what they're doing or be in the spot that they're in. And when you reach out to them, ask them what they love about their job, love about their job, what they hate or dislike about their job. Focus more on the dislike so you know what you're truly getting into because your Google search is one thing, but those who have the experience, I mean, that's invaluable, what they can, the insight that they can give you. So um reach out to them, truly get to know what's going on. And um and that's real quick.

SPEAKER_03 31:40

We ain't gotta hit hit that last one, but that's the biggest one.

SPEAKER_02 31:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:44

Uh in in number four, which is like truly doing your due diligence to see what the job entails.

SPEAKER_02 31:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:49

Because a lot of people go into a role of responsibility ability, not knowing um everything that's on the table.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:58

Be the first, how long would you say, Christina, in corporate, when you first get a job, there's that feeling of uh the honeymoon feel? Like when you first get married and it's like all butterflies, how long would you say that lasts?

SPEAKER_02 32:16

For every person, it's different. For me, I would say six months. Six months. Because like for probably about three months, you're still learning. And then the next three, you're like actually now doing it on your own. So after that six months, then Yeah, because then you're you're kind of on your own, and you may start to really see some things. So yeah, six months, I would say in corporate.

SPEAKER_03 32:40

So if I was looking at your field, and let's say I was this person that's emailing and DMing, you would be able to give me input, guidance, yep, and insight into that life after that six months.

SPEAKER_02 32:54

Yep, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 32:55

Like so that I know that, hey, wait a minute, Tony, let me tell you be telling me, Tony, let me explain this to you.

SPEAKER_02 33:01

And that way you can prepare yourself. Because a lot of it is so you're not surprised, right? So knowing what to and how, okay, well, if that's gonna happen, let me do this so I can prepare for it.

SPEAKER_03 33:12

Quit walking real quick, quit walking into jobs blind.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 33:16

Quit doing that.

SPEAKER_02 33:17

That's good.

SPEAKER_03 33:17

Don't, don't quit. Too many people are walking into jobs blind. Too many resources out there for you.

SPEAKER_02 33:23

And um also when you reach out to them, ask them about growth opportunities in the field and their field or company ways to move up.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Um, so this way you just can kind of have insight. So again, you know, you know, what's to come and what you can expect.

SPEAKER_03 33:39

Good, good, good. My door number five. You may not get to the bonus. Number five, okay, use Chat GPT or the internet, whatever tool you want to use, to research earning potential. Okay, now we've we've kind of picked some fields, we've reached out to some individuals, and maybe through those individuals they can give you guidance on the earning potential too. But do your due diligence to figure out a range of the lowest and the highest amount of money that this job or this field can bring to your bank account.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:12

Don't listen, especially if you got, and some of some of y'all watching this, you have you got big bills. You got a lot of kids. And even if you don't have big bills and a lot of kids, you still deep down want to make sure, or you still deep down know that you you don't want to be, as Christina says, she was overworked and underpaid, right? It doesn't mean everybody watching this uh has to have a desire to be a millionaire or or multiple six figures. You know, you you don't you don't have to aspire to that or for that. But just make sure the range makes sense to you and you could be comfortable. Maybe if you attain aspire to be on the the middle of that range or on the high end of that range. But you need to research the earning uh potential, okay? Uh with that being said, you should we do the bonus or should we should we should we should we pivot?

SPEAKER_02 35:12

Well, basically just the bonus is whatever job you're at, right? If you do um start a new job or a job you are, stop doing the bare minimum.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:23

Take on more added responsibilities so you can add that to your resume. And I'll talk um from experience. I do not have a graduate level degree. But I have graduate level experience on my resume, and that has afforded me and opened up opportunities for me that most people will not get or have the opportunity of roles to do without that graduate level degree. So what am I saying? I'm not saying um that don't get a graduate degree. I think that's awesome. There's some roles where you have to have it. But what I am saying is stop making excuses.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:08

And take on more at your job, learn new things, step outside your comfort zone so you can add that to your resume because ultimately, when you put that on your resume and you apply for a new job that offers more um responsibilities, you can, you know, have that, and then this will help increase your pay by 10 to 20 percent. Can I ask you this question? The more work experience that you have, the better. And that does not always mean, oh, more time to get it. No, just take on more.

SPEAKER_03 36:39

Can I ask you this question? Um, when were there times at previous jobs where you didn't necessarily feel like taking on certain roles and responsibilities?

SPEAKER_02 36:50

Absolutely, absolutely. But I may, I'm thinking of the end goal.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:54

If you're just focused on, oh data, yay, let me. But if you like, I have a plan, I know where I want to get to, then do it because that is the reward, knowing, like, okay, I'm I may not see it right now, but I know this is gonna pay off.

SPEAKER_03 37:06

That's good. That's good, that's good. With that being said, listen, I hope you got value from that, um, from those five steps and from those top reasons for from our perspective, why you may hate your job in 2026. Uh, like we always do at the end of every single episode. Uh, the most important decision you'll ever make will not be uh where you choose to work. While we know is it is extremely important, work satisfaction we we value. It is, you know, probably top four on our on our list, I should say. But we know it's not the most important thing on our list uh that makes us go in life. Yeah. Okay. The most important thing that makes us breathe and have meaning and go in life is our relationship with Jesus. Christina will tell you, she would not be where she is in her career if she didn't have a relationship with God.

SPEAKER_01 38:07

Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_03 38:07

Yeah. God has blessed her in amazing ways. He has kept her in her mind and emotions, he has connected her with different individuals who have made phone calls and sent emails for her. He's even shown favor in corporate for her career in ways where you could argue she skipped the line, if I'll say it like that. And so God has done unbelievable things. And so if you're listening to this and you do not you do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and you want that, He not only will save you and cleanse you and wash away your sins, but as you walk this thing out, He puts you on a new path and he directs your path in areas like career and money. This prayer can be for you. If that's you and you want that, this is for you. All you gotta do is repeat after me and mean it in your heart. All right? Heavenly Father, I thank you for saving me. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He came to this earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for my sins, was buried for me, and rose again on the on the third day. Because I believe that, I ask you, Jesus, to come into my heart, wash me in your blood, cleanse me, give me a fresh start. In Jesus' name. Amen.

unknown 39:45

Amen.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

If you said that prayer, welcome to the family of God, man. We are we are uh excited for you. Shoot us a DM, shoot us an email, let us know that you said that prayer. We have resources for you that will help you in this new walk, this new journey. Uh, it is the it's the man, it's the best thing ever, this journey. Um, and so with that being said, any closing?

SPEAKER_02 40:09

Yeah, just closing, I just want to encourage you all that it's okay if you do not like where you are, but please, please, please surround yourself with someone. Listen to our podcast, other podcasts, resources, so you can not continue to drag on to work each day because your life, life has so much more um in store for you. God wants more for you. So stop complaining about it. Stop just talking to people about it and do something. Slogan, do it today. Do it today, do it today. So, this was Thompson Talks with Tony and Christina. Thanks for watching. Please make sure you like, comment, share, and subscribe. And we'll see you next time.